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HOW TO MAKE YOUR HARDWARE LOOK GOOD; FOOD-SAFE FINISHES

HOLIDAY GIFT
SECTION!

40
YEARS

Americas leading woodworking authority

Gift Projects
Galore!
INSIDE:
Band Saw Box
Handcarved Gift
Turned Rolling Pins
and More!

December 2016

Page 72
Display until January 2, 2017

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Wo o d w o r k e r s

J o u r n a l

Contents
December 2016

Projects

Vo l u m e 4 0 , N u m b e r 6

HOLIDAY GIFT
SECTION!

starts on
page 31

Trapezoid
Band Saw Box

Page 42

By David Picciuto
Make a simple box with not
much more than a band saw,
clamps and some sanding.

Inlaid Picture Frame

Page 72

By Chris Marshall
Made-to-order inlay adds an elegant stripe
which ups the ante on a basic picture frame.

3 Kitchen Doodads
By A.J. Hamler
These quick-to-make
kitchen conveniences
include a set of tongs,
a banana hanger and
a pasta pair: measure
and server.

Carved Shrink Boxes

Page 58

By Kimberly McNeelan
Handcarved boxes made with green
wood Viking technology.

Page 50

Pizza Cutter Block

Turned Rolling Pins

By Alan Vondran
A router jig with two
templates creates
the recessed
storage for your
pizza cutter in
this handy
storage block.

By Ernie Conover
A turned cylinder forms the basis for
rolling pins with rotating handles or without.

Page 36

Page 33
4

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Departments

8 Letters

24 Readers Survey

Buzz about our beehive project;


benefits of plywood as a jig base;
project building brags.

14 Tricks of the Trade


Ease your dry fits with custom
size dowels, plus more tricks.

18 Questions & Answers/Stumpers


The advantages of a drop cut; how
to harvest burl.

22 Technology & Woodworking


DeWALT brings battery power to
table saws with its FlexVolt 60V
MAX* platform.

74 Whats in Store

Find out what kinds of gifts


fellow woodworkers make (and
whats on their own wish lists).

New tools add size upgrades and


other improvements.

86 Finishing Thoughts
26 Shop Talk

Wax, oil and film finish options


for kitchenware projects plus a
bonus spatula plan.

Imaginations the limit as brothers


create a home library with their
CarveWright.

90 Hey Did You Know?


63 Todays Shop

Wood strong enough to stop a


speeding cannonball.

Mark sure your projects look


as great as youve built them to
be with Sandor Nagyszalanczys
helpful tips on hardware choice
and installation.

woodworkersjournal.com
Y

ikes, its already November! I dont know about you, but every year
the holiday season sneaks up on me and I have to scramble to make
a bunch of gifts. If youre in the same boat as me, youll be happy to see
several great project ideas in this issue, and you can find many more on
woodworkersjournal.com.
Dont forget to take pictures of your finished work and send them to
us. Seeing your work is an inspiration to your fellow subscribers.
Here are the best ways to share your projects:
1. Upload them to Readers Project Gallery at
www.woodworkersjournal.com/readers-project-gallery
2. Post them in the Visitor Posts section on our Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/woodworkersjournal
3. Post them on Instagram and tag us in the description by including our username
@woodworkersjournal
4. Mail your photo prints to: Woodworkers Journal, 4365 Willow Dr., Medina, MN 55340
I cant wait to see what you build next!
Dan Cary

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Letters

ROCKLER PRESS

THE VOICE OF THE WOODWORKING COMMUNITY

DECEMBER 2016

Woodworking Circa 1977

Volume 40, Number 6


ROB JOHNSTONE Publisher
ALYSSA TAUER Associate Publisher

40 YEARS OF FURNITURE, GIFTS AND FUN...


In 1977 I was stationed at Port Hueneme, California, taking
care of sick sailors and their families. On the other side of
the country, in New Milford, Connecticut, James McQuillan
had the crazy idea to start a woodworking magazine for home
shop woodworkers. Looking at his first editorial, he identified
the desire to build things from wood and to create things
with your own hands as a panacea of sorts, a way to escape
from and cope with the days technological explosion and its mixed blessings. I am
guessing that strikes a familiar chord with you who are reading this editorial four
decades later.
This issue is the last one of the year in which Woodworkers Journal is celebrating
not been immune to the effects of time. We have gizmos and gadgets that in 1977
would have seemed like they were stolen from Star Wars (another 77 startup), but
now they dont raise an eyebrow. Even so, the core of the craft is unchanged. And in
my opinion, the motivations of woodworkers are the same as well.
Woodworkers made gift projects way back then, and in this issue we are offering some ideas to help you in your holiday goals. Well also teach a few techniques
and offer a few shop tricks to make your shop time easier and more productive, and
talk about a couple of tools of interest.

JEFF JACOBSON Senior Art Director


JOE FAHEY Associate Art Director
DAN CARY Senior Web Producer
MATTHEW HOCKING Internet Production Coordinator
MARY TZIMOKAS Circulation Director
LAURA WHITE Fulfillment Manager

Founder and Chairman


ANN ROCKLER JACKSON

Publisher Emeritus
Contributing Editors
NORTON ROCKLER
SANDOR NAGYSZALANCZY
ERNIE CONOVER

Advertising Sales
DAVID BECKLER National Sales Representative
dbeckler@woodworkersjournal.com
(469) 766-8842 Fax (763) 478-8396

Editorial Inquiries
JOANNA WERCH TAKES
jtakes@woodworkersjournal.com

Pretty good fare in the 21st century, or way back in 1977.


Rob Johnstone

Subscription Inquiries
(800) 765-4119 or
www.woodworkersjournal.com
Write Woodworkers Journal, P.O. Box 6211,
Harlan, IA 51593-1711

Beekeeper Buzzkill?

CHRIS MARSHALL Senior Editor

LARRY N. STOIAKEN

its 40th year in print. Lots of things have changed since 1977, and woodworking has

I dont want to be a buzz kill, but


the August 2016 issue touched on
a hobby of mine that I take very
seriously. [Backyard Beehive].
For 50 years, I have been a beekeeper. Before 1984, beekeepers
faced fewer problems. Compared
to todays challenges, it was a
walk in the park. We now contend with varroa mites, tracheal
mites, African hive beetles and
colony collapse disorder.
Building a backyard beehive
and throwing in some bees without really knowing what youre
doing will doom the bees to
failure. I have seen it too often.
People want to save the bee and
save the planet. There is a huge
difference between a bee haver,
which your article implies, and
a beekeeper.

JOANNA WERCH TAKES Editor

email: WWJcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com. Include mailing


label for renewals and address changes. For gift
subscriptions, include your name and address and
your gift recipients.

Book Sales and Back Issues


Call: (800) 610-0883
www.woodworkersjournal.com

Other Questions or Problems


Call: 763-478-8255
rjohnstone@woodworkersjournal.com

Prior to acquiring bees, learn,


learn, learn! There are numerous
books on the subject. I suggest
that you read a minimum of two
of them, join a local beekeeping
Continues on page 10 ...

Woodworkers Journal (ISSN: 0199-1892), is published in February,


April, June, August, October and December by Rockler Press Inc.,
4365 Willow Dr., Medina, MN 55340. Periodical postage paid at
Medina, Minnesota and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send
all address changes to Woodworkers Journal, P.O. Box 6211, Harlan,
IA 51593-1711. Subscription Rates: One-year, $19.95 (U.S.); $28.95
U.S. funds (Canada and other countries). Single copy price, $5.99.
Reproduction without permission prohibited. Publications Mail Agreement
Number 0861065. Canadian Publication Agreement #40009401.

2016 Rockler Press Inc. Printed in USA.

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

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Letters continued
Theres more online at
woodworkersjournal.com
www.woodworkersjournal.com

MOREONTHEWEB

Check online for more content


covering the articles below:
Questions & Answers
(page 18): Cutting stopped
dadoes (video)
Technology & Woodworking
(page 22):
DeWALT 60V MAX* Table Saw
in use (video)
Woodturning (page 36):
Turning a cylinder and making
French baguette and American
handled style rolling pins, plus a
pasta cutter (videos)
Trapezoid Band Saw Box
(page 42): Full-size pattern (PDF);
how to apply flocking (video)
3 Kitchen Doodads (page 50):
Downloadable plans for Bagel
Slicer and Casserole Dish
Holder (PDFs)
Carved Shrink Boxes
(page 58): Knife skills techniques for carving (video)
Todays Shop (page 63): Tips
and techniques for hardware
installation (video)
Weekend Projects (page 72):
Blending and applying a dyetinted epoxy inlay (video)

club and find a mentor


who has at least 10
years of experience
as a beekeeper. You
will quickly realize
that beekeeping is a
year-round responsibility and
commitment. It is not to be
taken lightly.
Mike Niemeyer
Bright, Indiana

Stepping Up
Being left-handed and doing
most everything backwards,
I found the golf ball suggestions for file handles quite
useful [Tricks of the Trade,
August 2016]. I also figured,
if you use a step drill, you
get a nice tapered hole that
seems to hold my files quite
snugly. Thanks for the tip. I
even aligned the logos on the
golf balls so they look nice.
Ace Potter
Moline, Illinois

Goosed?
On the trivia page of the
August issue [Hey, Did You
Know?], you say that Howard
Hughess Spruce Goose flew
quite successfully. I think
thats a bit of a stretch. The
plane flew only about a mile,
in a straight line, lightly loaded, at an altitude of 70 feet,
which is well within ground
effect. By all reports, the tail
was twisting and vibrating
badly. Its been debated
ever since whether it could
have climbed out of ground
effect or carried anywhere
near its design load. I think
most experts think not, at
least without significant
modification.
Chris Landry
Hudson, New Hampshire

10

Everything Old is New


I love the new take on
the Lighted Bookshelf
in the August issue with
the dovetails, but similar
technology that makes
it work to my adjustable
Laminated Bookrack
from the October 1980 issue.
I was one of your first contributors in the newspaper
days. I am now 80 years old
and still working every day
in my shop here in Florida.
Harvey Helm
Hernando, Florida

Plywood a Better Choice

Back to the future with bookshelves: Our reader (and, in 1980,


contributing author) Harvey Helm
likes what he sees.

solid wood is that seasonal


movement will absolutely
destroy the jigs accuracy.
Please note that Don Phillips
indicated that using plywood
would be acceptable, but I
think it is far more than that.
I believe that not using plywood (or MDF) is wrong.

I recently cut joints for eight


splined segments on my
sliding compound miter saw,
which resulted in 16 cuts that
Steve Lanier, Ph.D.
Ladys Island, South Carolina
were just a Wheaties flake off
from dead perfect
but off they were. The
accumulated error associated with 16 miter
cuts at 22.5 a flake
resulted in a lot of
bench time fine-tuning
with a hand plane and
a homemade shooting
board.
Accordingly, I
was more than a
little interested in the
Miter Cutting Sled
by Don Phillips in
the June 2016 issue.
I will probably build
this jig, but with
A reader believes building
one major alteration:
the base of this jig from plywood will reduce
not building the sled
problems with seasonal wood movement.
base from solid wood.
Continues on page 12 ...
The problem with

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

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Woodworkers Journal December 2016

11

Letters continued
Please Be Seated
Saw an article in the Letters
section of the October issue
on the Adirondack chair.
Thought I would share
with you one I made for
the granddaughter. I scaled
down the measurements using a ruler I purchased that
dropped an inch to .618 of an
inch and all the increments
accordingly. All the measurements were as the plan
said except that they were
scaled down and it worked
perfectly well. I had to
scale down the screws
also and used stainless
panhead 6-gauge and
plugged the holes.
The color is her
favorite, and she is
pleased with it having come from her
old pop. Thought it
might give others
an idea for other
items that may also
be made smaller
and in scale.
Barry McIntosh
Greymouth, New Zealand

Kiwi grandpop builds a


pink Adirondack chair
for his granddaughter
and her buddies.

I made two of the


Family-made
Adirondack
chairs [June 2016]
and used the same
method as Chris
Marshall and his
daughter did, with
only a few tweaks.
It worked out
pretty well, and I
ended up with two
fantastic chairs.
As you can see,
I chose to fit the arms before
the back slats and not the
other way around, like you
did. In this way, I found it
easier to distribute the seven
back slats evenly. Talking
about the arms, in case you
use a piece of 20" scrap
material and clamp it next
to the back leg, it will assist
you in mounting the arms in
an easy way as the back part
of the arm will rest on this
scrap material.
As you know, here in
Europe, we do all in meters,
centimeters and millimeters.
As the Adirondack chairs are
good all-American and the
dimensions provided in the
design are in inches, I chose
to respect that and adjusted
my 50-year-old brain from
centimeters to inches.
Conclusion: A great
project, and I loved to make
these chairs starting from
raw timber and following
the Imperial system without
converting to metric all the
time, which was a pleasant
eye-opener. I made a few
mistakes with the stretchers
but learned from that.
My next project will be
Kimberly McNeelans Bar
A pair of chairs look equally as
good in Norway as they would in
upstate New York.

12

Our reader custom built a few


benches to properly fit his 10 12-foot
long table! They look like they
really did the job.

Stool [June 2015] and an


8-foot long outdoor bench
inspired by the same beautiful design.
Nici van Nieuwkasteele
Norway

I was looking for a bench


design for my last farmhouse
table. I found one in your
August 2015 issue [Easyto-Build Benches]. I had
fun building them. I have a
1012-foot table and thought
a bench that long would be
awkward, so I made two 44"
according to your plan and
two larger ones at 70" apeice
to fill out each side.
Peter T. Knutsen
Manheim, Pennsylvania

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Tricks of the Trade

Sponsored By

Tricks that Fix Sticky Situations

Dont Get Stuck Dry-fitting Dowel Joints


Dry-fitting a dowel joint is a must before you glue it together, but the
dowels are made to such tight tolerances that they can get stuck in
their holes. To prevent this problem, I sand pairs of dowels of different
sizes down a few thousandths, then I.D. them with markers or dye to
set them apart from the rest of my dowel supply. I save these marked
sets for dry-fitting. They dont get stuck, and once I know things fit
properly, I switch to regular dowels for the final glue-up.

Bar Clamp as Planing Backstop


Holding a box or drawer for final planing can be a
challenge if your bench doesnt have a vise or bench
dog holes. I find that a bar clamp secured across my
bench can make a handy backstop in these instances.
A piece of rubber drawer bottom liner also helps keep
things from shifting while I plane.
Charles Mak
Calgary, Alberta

Dean Ross
Missoula, Monana

DIY Wood Stain


If you want a gloriously rich nut-brown
stain, just mix roofing (lap) cement
and turpentine or mineral spirits
together. Its an old recipe Ive used
since I was an antique furniture restorer. Lap cement is mostly asphaltum,
which stains wood beautifully. A ratio
of 1:4 lap cement to solvent works well
for me, but theres no hard-and-fast
rule. Once applied, you can lighten
the color by wiping the wood with
more solvent, or darken by applying
additional stain coats. Its also a good
way to use up extra lap cement.
Paul Guncheon
Wahiawa, Hawaii

14

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Safety First
Learning how to operate power
and hand tools is essential for
developing safe woodworking
practices. For purposes of
clarity, necessary guards have
been removed from equipment
shown in our magazine. We
in no way recommend using
this equipment without safety
guards and urge readers to
strictly follow manufacturers
instructions and safety

Quick Trim Remedies Binding Drawer Slides

precautions.

On a recent kitchen storage project, I made a shallow


tray slightly too wide for its opening, which caused
the drawer slides to bind. Instead of starting over and
making a new tray, I cut a very shallow rabbet along
the sides of the tray, just tall enough to fit the slide hardware. It gave my drawer the little
bit of extra clearance it needed to operate smoothly, saving me time, material and effort.
Paul Lund
Anderson, Indiana

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Woodworkers Journal, Dept. T/T,
P.O. Box 261, Medina, MN 55340.
Or send us an email:
tricks@woodworkersjournal.com

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*Based on average annual gross sales for franchise Ownership Groups with average of over $125,000 during the three-year period 2013-2015 as stated in
Furniture Medic 2016 Franchise Disclosure Document.
The franchise sales information in this communication does not constitute an offer to sell a franchise. The offer of a franchise can only be made through the delivery
of a Franchise Disclosure Document. NY NOTE: This advertisement is not an offering. An offering can only be made by a prospectus filed first with the Department of
Law of the State of New York. Such filing does not constitute approval by the Department of Law. Furniture Medic Limited Partnership Minnesota File No. F7440.
Furniture Medic L. P., 860 Ridge Lake Blvd., C2-7400, Memphis, TN 38120.
Financing is available through ServiceMaster Acceptance Company, a subsidiary of The ServiceMaster Co. L.L.C., to credit qualified individuals.
2016 Furniture Medic Limited Partnership. All rights reserved.

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

15

Tricks of the Trade continued


PICTHKE

OF KS
TRIC
Weatherstripping Holds
Dust Bag in Place
Holding the bag up and in
place on my dust collector
while also trying to lock the
strap used to be frustrating, because the bag would
invariably slip off. But theres
an easy fix. I installed a strip
of adhesive-backed rubber
weatherstripping around the
rim. The added diameter and
friction holds the bag up on its
own. This simple modification
has made emptying my dust
collector easier for years.

Thinner Breaks Fresh Glue Joints


Sometimes I get ahead of myself during
glue-up and have to pull a joint apart. Ive
found that lacquer thinner will dissolve ordinary PVA wood glue if you apply it before
the glue dries hard. Just brush a liberal coat
of thinner into the joint, and wait a few minutes for the glue to turn rubbery. Then you
can often wriggle the pieces apart without
damaging them. This works best on exposed
joints like rabbets, and it can save the day!
Don Vercamen
Clermont, Florida

Willie Sandry
Camas, Washington

Toothbrush as Glue Brush


At my house, we go through toothbrushes almost as fast as I lose glue brushes
in the shop. Recently, I needed a glue brush and tried an old toothbrush instead.
I found that it spreads glue just as well and costs me nothing. So save your old
toothbrushes for the shop instead of tossing them! It sure beats paying for glue
brushes or using your finger.
Michael Butler
Edmund, Oklahoma

Bags are Better than Filters


Those pleated filters that come with shop vacuums plug up with debris quickly,
and cleaning them is a dusty mess. So, Ive switched to disposable vacuum bags
instead. Theyre available in different volumes to fit the canisters of common
shop vac brands, and they dont seem to reduce the vacuums effectiveness.
When the bag fills up, just replace it with a new one.
Dan Martin
Galena, Ohio

Shop-made Iron-on Edge Banding


Iron-on edge banding is easy to make. Rip
the wood strips about 1/32" thick from the
edge of a board, then coat both the strip
and your substrate with yellow wood glue.
When the glue dries, iron the edging to the
substrate with a hobby iron or a household
iron set to medium heat and no steam. The
heat will reactivate the glue so the edging
sticks, and pressure from the iron flattens
and smoothes the surface. It works great!
Darold Lobb
Snohomish, Washington

16

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

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Questions & Answers


Why Drop Into a Drop Cut?
THIS ISSUES EXPERTS
Chris Marshall is senior editor of
Woodworkers Journal and author
of several woodworking books.
Tim Inman is
owner of Historic Interiors
(restoration and reproduction)
and author of The Art of Classical
Furniture Finishing.

Contact us
by writing to Q&A,
Woodworkers Journal,

As a reader of the
Woodworkers Journal eZine, I watched Chris
Marshalls Tricks of the
Trade video this summer
on How to Cut Stopped
Grooves or Dadoes Using a
Router Table. In the video,
Chris makes a drop cut,
lowering his workpiece onto
a spinning router bit. I was
wondering why it was done
this way and not starting
from the open end of the
intended cut?
It would seem to this
long-time DIYer that it may
prove tricky to lower the
piece down exactly where
you want the cut to start even
with the reference lines.

4365 Willow Drive,

Laurie Taite
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Medina, MN 55340,
by faxing us at (763) 478-8396
or by emailing us at:
QandA@woodworkersjournal.com
Please include your home
address, phone number and
email address (if you have one)
with your question.

www.woodworkersjournal.com

MOREONTHEWEB
For the video on how to
VIDEO

cut stopped grooves or

dadoes using a router table, please


visit woodworkersjournal.com and
click on More on the Web under
the Magazine tab.

Heres why I did a drop


cut in this instance. If
I had started both of those
stopped cuts from the back
open end of the drawer
shown in the video, Id have
to flip the drawer around for
making the second cut on the
other side of the drawer. In
doing so, Id be presenting the
top edge of the drawer to the
router fence for one cut, then
the bottom edge of the drawer

to the fence for


the other cut.
That would be
fine, provided
the router fence
is EXACTLY
centered on the
bit, because flipping and routing
would yield centered slots. But,
Murphys Law
often punishes
us otherwise.
If the fence
werent perfectly
centered (which,
more often than
not, it isnt its
always a tiny bit
Chris Marshall used a drop cut technique to create
off-center), start- the stopped grooves in this drawer. A reader asks:
ing from the open Why? Why not just start from the open end?
you have to both start and
end would create
stop a cut blind instead of
two slots that wont line up
being able to start in from
perfectly with one another
the open end. Think of a
across the drawer. Theyll be
mortise or drawer bottom
offset from one another the
groove, where cutting the
distance that the fence isnt
groove all the way across
centered on the bit. And offthe workpiece will cause it
set slots will make installing
to show at the corners when
the slides more complicated
you put the drawer together.
or result in a drawer that
If you mark the edges of
wont hang straight in its
the bit accurately on either
opening.
your router fence or right on
Heres another example
the router table, its not hard
where drop cuts are good to
to start or stop a cut preknow how to do: sometimes,
cisely on the mark. Ill often
sneak up on it by setting
the workpiece down on the
bit just a tad shy of my mark,
then sliding the workpiece
carefully up to my starting
point. You dont have to hit
the start point immediately
in the cut; just getting there
in the end is what matters.

Instead of starting both cuts from an open end, as shown here, pairing a
drop cut and an open-end cut when making stopped grooves on opposite
sides of a drawer can ensure that both grooves will be correctly aligned.
The same face is against the fence on both cuts.

18

Chris Marshall

Continues on page 20 ...

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Stumpers

Questions & Answers


continued

Back to Buggies

Readers whip their answers into shape

If you were visiting

Whats This?
Darryl Mickelsen of Austin,
Minnesota, found this tool at an
auction. He didnt know what it
was, but bought it anyway.
Do you know what it is?
Send your answer to
stumpers@woodworkersjournal.com
or write to Stumpers,
Woodworkers Journal, 4365
Willow Drive, Medina, MN 55340
for a chance to win a prize!

Woodworkers Journal editor


Joanna Werch Takes compiles
each issues Stumpers responses
and reads every one.

In our August issue, the hardware store


we presented a mys- in the late 1800s,
tery tool submitted
you might have
by Ben Cowling of seen one of these
hanging from the
Roca, Nebraska.
ceiling.
Like Ben, one
astute reader knew
what it was:
The item is probably a
buggy whip holder used in
a hardware store to display
buggy whips that had a knot
in the end or tip. They were
in the process of collecting
made of cast-iron in the late
guesses.
1800s, Erwin Fullerton of
Ed Kozinsky of WaynesSouth Woodstock, Vermont
boro, Georgia, for example,
told us.
thought it might be a clinThat is indeed what it is.
ker breaker from a forge
According to tool owner
or furnace, which would
Ben Cowling, it could have
have been turned to break
been displayed not only in
up the glassy slag that
a hardware store, but also
forms when burning some
in a harness shop. It hung
kinds of coal. It is similar
from the ceiling and held 100
to some others I have seen,
buggy whips.
with the ribbed fingers on
As Erwin Fullerton said of
the edges.
the tool, they are quite rare;
And Phil Warren of
although he noted that he
Canaan, Maine, went to that
has a round one in his farm
go-to guess for Stumpers
museum of farm artifacts.
(Its not clear whether he was mystery tools (although he
did put a question mark
referring to one of the actual
on it): Its a saw tooth setfarm museums in the area,
ting tool?
or outbuildings on the family
Not in this case. As Ben
farmstead that no one has
Cowling said, It is just a
cleaned out for decades. Not
cool item to have hanging on
that Stumpers would know
my living room beam.
anything about that ...)
As usual, we did learn
about some other old tools

Winner! Erwin Fullerton of South


Woodstock, Vermont, wins a RIDGID 18V
Stealth Force Pulse Driver Kit (R86036K).
We toss all the Stumpers letters into a
hat to select a winner.

20

I like to turn items on


my lathe. To this end,
how do I harvest a walnut
burl from a 16" to 20" tree? It
is in a group of other trees,
and I would prefer not to
kill the tree or damage the
surrounding trees. The burl
is at least 30" in diameter and
is about 21" to 23" deep.
Ron Mantynen
New Baltimore, New York

Burls are like malignancies on trees. They start


out as a wart that goes nuts
and becomes a huge growth.
Sometimes the inside of
the burl reveals a wound or
other damage that triggered
the callous tissue to grow
into the burl. Some trees are
much more prone to growing
burls than others. Redwoods
grow great burls; Carpathian
elm burl is classic in antique
furniture. Silver maple trees
grow abundantly where I
live, and I have a burl from
one in my grandmothers
yard that measures over 36"
in diameter. Walnut trees
grow them, too, as you know.
So, what to do? Removing
a burl is like tree surgery.
Youre going to cut into the
living tissue of the tree when
you remove it. In your case,
as you describe it, the burl is
actually a huge growth that
is larger than the diameter
of the tree. This is quite possible, but it also means that
when you remove the burl
you will be doing major damage to the vascular system
of your tree. It is going to be
hard on that tree.
I would definitely recommend not cutting the burl
while the tree is actively

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Elizabeth Moss, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

Burls can produce dramatic turnings, but they can also be tricky to turn
and to harvest without damaging the tree.

growing. I would take it


off after the tree has gone
completely dormant for the
season. But, I would do it
as soon as possible after full
dormancy in order to give
the tissue time to harden off.
When spring comes, you will
see the tree bleeding sap.
Hopefully this will self-cauterize before the tree does
itself in. But there is risk!

Finally, Ill add this: Burls


can be quite disappointing.
They are often hollow inside
and also often include bark
inclusions besides the beautiful swirly grained wood.
Getting big pieces of usable
burl can be a challenge. The
grain goes in all directions
and some of it is very hard.
Some of it is soft. Cutting it
on the lathe requires a light

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

touch and razor-sharp tools


to get the surface finish you
want and to avoid the appearance of chatter. Burl is also
dimensionally unstable: a
round salad bowl will not
stay round.
The old rule for drying
wood is to allow one year per
inch of thickness. Burl needs
at least this much time. So
if you have a 6"-thick burl,
expect to be well into the
next decade before it is ready
to begin turning not to be
too discouraging. Ive turned
many things from burl and
will continue to do so.

Winner!
For simply sending in his question on harvesting burls, Ron
Mantynen of New Baltimore,
New York, wins a
General International 7-piece
Deluxe 8" Dado Blade Set
(item 55-185).
Each issue we toss new
questions into a hat and
draw a winner.

Tim Inman

21

Technology And Woodworking


DeWALT 60V MAX* Table Saw
By Woodworkers Journal Staff

Unveiled in June, this off-the-grid table saw delivers surprising


power and runtime from a 60-volt lithium-ion battery.
features a steel roll-cage
frame that supports a 19"
x 19" top and a rip fence
that can extend to cut a 4x8
sheet lengthwise, down the
middle. The stout fence clips
onto a pair of telescoping
fence rails in two positions,
enabling it to be set either
from 0" to 20" or from 4" to
24" out from the blade. DeWALT says this design keeps
the rail system as compact as
possible. The rip fence also
has a flip-over ledge for supporting wide workpieces that
extend beyond the table.

Cordless Cutting

www.woodworkersjournal.com

MOREONTHEWEB
For video showing the
VIDEO

new DeWALT 60V MAX*

Table Saw in action, please visit


woodworkersjournal.com and click
on More on the Web under the
Magazine tab.

22

ooner or later, in the


frenzied race to make
an ever wider array of
cordless tools, a table saw
was bound to pop up. And in
June it did, when DeWALT
beat competitors to the punch
with its new 814" DCS7485
Table Saw ($499 with one bat-

tery and charger; $379 bare).


It was launched as part of a
new FlexVolt 60V MAX*
battery platform, along with
several other new tools designed for these high-output,
6.0Ah lithium-ion batteries.
Weighing only 45 pounds
without a battery, the saw

One battery slides into the


saws side dock. Theres no
adapter cord for plugging the
tool into an outlet instead.
But, hit the switch to start
cutting, and 60 volts provides
a surprising amount of power
and runtime for the brushless motor inside (see sidebar, next page). Until the battery depletes from full to mid
charge, the saw sounds and
cuts like its corded cousins,
zipping through 2x material
at 5,800 rpm. At about half
charge, it continues to cut
without bogging down. And,
while it might just be luck,
we couldnt stall the blade in
a cut, even when the battery
was approaching end of
charge. After a final cutting
pass, the tools electronic
protection system kicked in
to prevent more sawing and
possibly over-discharging
the battery.

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

With its fence rails retracted, the saw fits on end in the back of a sub-compact car without folding the back seats down. A carry handle makes its
45-pound weight easier to lift for transport.

Surprising to see on a jobsite style table saw, the DCS7485 offers dust
collection ports on both the blade guard and lower dust shroud. When
they are connected to shop vacuums, sawdust collection is quite efficient.

Specially designed for this saw, DeWALTs high efficiency FlexVolt 8 1 4"
blade is about 30 percent thinner than typical 10 thin-kerf table saw
blades. Reason: the extra-narrow kerf saps less energy from the battery.

below the table, deliver very


tidy dust collection.
A separate riving knife,
small miter gauge and push
stick also come standard.

Special Blade, Features

Do We Need Cordless?

DeWALT has designed high


efficiency accessories for
its new FlexVolt tools, and
for this table saw, its an ultra-thin (1.8 mm) kerf, 814"-diameter blade. While thats
almost 2" smaller than typical
jobsite table saw blades, it
still affords the DCS7485 a
2 916" depth of cut at 0 or 134"
when tilted to 45 bevels.

And, the super-thin blade


extends precious runtime
because once its spent,
youll need about 60 minutes
to recharge the battery fully
before you can saw again.
The machine has a clear,
well-designed split blade
guard that installs without
tools. A 138" I.D. dust port
there, plus a 214" I.D. dust
port on the dust shroud

DeWALT is targeting this


saw at jobsites where electrical service may be limited.
Do woodshops need the
same convenience? Generally, no. But, when todays battery and motor systems offer
heavy-duty performance like
this, imagine the possibilities
of cordless tools to come!

The saw has a rugged rip fence


that locks securely and stays parallel to the blade. Front and back
latches attach it to the telescoping fence rails. Two registration
screws on each rail position it
for 0" to 20" or 4" to 24" rip-cutting
ranges to the right of the blade.

Hard-core Cutting Results


We put this saw to work making repetitive rip cuts on 4-ft. lengths of Southern
yellow pine 2x10 and 3/4" maple plywood. After two rounds of running the battery
to empty on 2x stock, the saw averaged 128 lineal feet of cuts per charge. In practical terms, thats 16 end-to-end rip cuts on thick, resiny 8-ft. lumber. Repeating
the same test on plywood, in two rounds of cuts, the saw averaged 230 lineal
feet before the battery quit. Thats almost 29 sheets of 4x8 plywood split in two,
lengthwise, from 60 volts. Pretty impressive runtime from one battery charge.
Woodworkers Journal December 2016

23

Readers Survey
Woodworking Gifts: Given and Received
By Woodworkers Journal Staff

This time out, our topic is woodworking gifts the best you ever
gave and received, as well as a few other questions about the topic.

Most woodworkers (84%) believe receiving


handmade wooden gifts is influential in inspiring
someone to become a woodworker.
Whos

Toys top
the list, at
12%, of
the kind of
woodworking projects you
make as gifts.
Next in line
are jewelry
boxes at 10%
and picture
frames at 9%.
Only 2%
of survey
respondents
dont make
wooden
gifts.
24

getting all these gifts?


Most woodworkers are making for their
families, with spouse the most common
recipient at 25%, followed closely by

children/stepchildren at

23%. Grandchildren
came in at 17%.

When it
comes to
gift-getting,
tools top
woodworkers lists.
24% say
the best
woodworking gift
they ever received was a
new stationary power
tool, with 17% saying
it was a handheld power
tool. (A sad 11% have never
received a woodworkingrelated gift.)
December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

What do woodworkers
wish for? While 25%
of woodworkers would
be happy to see a new
stationary power tool in their stockings,
20% are wishing for a gift card to a
woodworking retailer.
While a significant number (36%)
of woodworkers do production
runs (making multiples of the
same item) for gifts, most (64%)
focus on an individual item, with
one-offs.

Easy to apply tops the chart as


the choice of 48% when it comes
to the most important
criteria in choosing a finish
for a gift.

Of those who have received


a gift from another woodworker, most commonly
(22%), its from a friend.
Most, however (42%), have never
received a gift that another woodworker
made them.
Woodworkers Journal December 2016

Best Gifts Ever


Is it better to give or to receive?
How about both? Below, a few
of the best gifts woodworkers
in the survey have given and
received.
Given:
My children still talk about the
toys they got as children that I
made them.
A cradle. It was given to my
sister-in-law when she had her
sons, and she gave it to my son
for his son.
Da Vinci model working catapult,
with ammo, in a custom box.
A wood serving tray. I made a few
that year. Everyone loved them (or
at least said they did).
A hotplate trivet made of
light-anywhere matches given to
my elementary school teacher.
30x30 framed walnut tree on
birch panel with heart leaves.
Used as wedding guest book for
daughter.
Busy board for toddler grandson.
Not the most complicated or requiring the greatest woodworking
skills, but probably the most used
and loved.
Complete bedroom furniture set for
a refugee family with six children.
A one-string slide instrument
called a diddley bow.
A memorial park bench for my
neighbor.
A bed with a doggie bed attached.

Received:
A recurring annual subscription to
your magazine.
A box of pencils.
The love and knowledge of and for
woodworking from my grandfather.
A class.
Sign made by my grandsons.
Wife took a woodturning class.
Came home and said, Do you
have a band saw? You need a
band saw!
Locally grown lumber.
A gift from my mother: corded drill
50 years ago.
$1,000 gift card to my favorite
woodworking store.
Dust cyclone.
Shop apron.
A cabinetmaker letting me hang
around his shop, asking questions
and getting his cutoffs.
Saw blades.

25

Shop Talk
The Library CarveWright Built

Brothers Build with Their Machine

oe Lovchik describes
his and his brother
Chriss design process
as: We sit down with a
couple of beers and come
up with all sorts of crazy
ideas. The brothers
are with LHR Technologies, inventors of the
CarveWright CNC System, which theyve
used for Chriss
home library.

26

Although not yet finished


I dont know that well
ever be totally finished,
Chris said the 1,000-foot
(50' x 20') room is already
up to two-thirds full of books
(its designed to hold up to
4,000 volumes).
Carved busts serve as corbels to the rooms columns,
while carved panels depict
stories from disciplines such
as math, physics or philos-

ophy. Historical scenes pay


tribute to the Eygyptian,
Greek and Roman eras, as
well as the Revolutionary
War and World Wars I and II.
Theres 140 linear feet of
different scenes, Chris said,
with Joe adding, Thats the
significance of doing it with
these types of machines.
With that volume of carving,
every single one is unique.
Even in great old libraries,
youll find the carving is a
repeated pattern that some
master carpenter can set
apprentices doing.
That was one of the main
reasons we wanted the CarveWright, was to do things like
this, Chris said. It wouldve
taken me the rest of my life if
I tried to do it by hand.
The CarveWright software
also gave them an advantage,
Joe said: The software is designed with more of a design
element. You can arrange
something the way you want
it, at the size you want, and
then upload and print. Its a
fun design process. When
youre telling the story of
philosophy, you can ask,
What do you put in there?
Its getting to play with the
art, Chris said.

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

When making the fireplace,


Chris pointed out, the wood
used was offcuts from a door
company, with the larger
sizes allowing more detail in
fewer sections particularly
since the CarveWright has
the ability to cut larger pieces. A machine that can fit on
a desktop was able to make
these 8' pieces, Joe said.
As they move further on
the library project envi-

sioned, Chris said, like an


old English gentlemans
club, like where Sherlock
Holmess brother would hang
out to needing furnishings and more, If we cant
find the table or desk that we
want, well, lets just build it,
Joe said. With this machine,
theres no doubt in our minds
that there isnt anything else
that could make it.

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

Joanna Werch Takes

27

Shop Talk continued


Stunning Pieces from San Diego Show
photos by Andrew E. Patterson, photographer, and San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association

Acacia by Chance
Coalter
California Tansu by James Frantz

Maple Gown
by Paul
Schurch

he San Diego Fine


Woodworkers Association
marked the 35th anniversary of their Design in Wood
show at the San Diego County
Fair this past summer. Qualifying
entries to the 2016 edition of the
juried show were placed in 25 different classes, ranging from Traditional to Contemporary, Model
Building to Musical Instruments,
and more even Furniture Designed and Created by Computer
(Laser and/or CNC).
Woodworkers Journal once
again sponsored a prize in
the show, with James Frantzs

Night Surfing by Robert Stafford

Continues on page 30 ...

Kitty Kitty by Bill Churchill

28

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

The Classic Look


of Hand-Cut

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Woodworkers Journal December 2016

EL L
WE S ER
RG
IN LA ITIES!
T
QUAN

STEVE WALL LUMBER CO.


Quality Hardwoods and Plywood For The
Craftsmen and Educational Institutions

Ash .............................. 4/4....1C ............. 1.85 .... Select..........2.60 8/4 ..... Select ... 2.95
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2 4/4........$103.00
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4/4........$ 89.00
....... $ 93.00
Birch ............................ 4/4.................................. Select..........3.50
.......................... 0 4/4........$117.00 8/4 ............... NA
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4/4........$ 87.00 8/4 ............... NA
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Maple (Hard)................ 4/4....Select (N) . 3.00 .... Select (W) ...3.65 8/4 ..... Select ... 4.50 B 4/4........$118.00 8/4 ....... $126.00
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Poplar .......................... 4/4....1C ............. 1.30 .... Select..........1.80 8/4 ..... Select ... 2.00 D 4/4........$ 87.00 8/4 ....... $ 91.00
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White Pine (Soft) ......... 4/4....F.G. ........... 1.40 ................................ 8/4 ..... FG ........ 1.80 E 4/4........$ 80.00 8/4 ....... $ 86.00
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$ERYHSULFHVDUHIRUDSSUR[LPDWHO\EGIWEXQGOHRIFOHDU)DFH H[FHSWIRUFHGDUDQGZKLWHSLQHRUOXPEHUOLVWHGDV&%WUZKLFKKDYHWLJKWNQRWV ZLGHORQJ/HQJWKVDQG
ZLGWKVDUHUDQGRP$GGWRSULFHRIEXQGOHLI\RXVSHFLI\SDUWLFXODUOHQJWKVDQGZLGWKV/XPEHULVVXUIDFHGWZRVLGHV RQVWRFNRQVWRFN RUURXJK6RPHRIWKHKHDY\
ZRRGVDUHVNLPPHGWRPHHWWKHOEOLPLWHYHQWKRXJKURXJKOXPEHULVVSHFLHG3ULFHVLQFOXGHGHOLYHU\SUHSDLGLQWKH&RQWLQHQWDO866DSZRRGLQZDOQXWDQGFKHUU\LVQRGHIHFWPlease
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Email: woodsales@walllumber.com
Website: www.walllumber.com
Send $1.00 For Lumber Catalog
Prices Subject to Change Without Notice

29

Shop Talk continued


Federal Dressing Glass
by Robert Stevenson

California Tansu (previous


page) winning the Excellence
in Joinery award. Its made
from bubinga, maple and ebony.
Interested in applying for
the 2017 show? Keep an eye
over the next few months
on the site www.sdfwa.org/
design-in-wood-exhibition/,
where the acceptance of new
entries will be announced, or
contact Ed Gladney by phone
at 619-251-4410 for more
information.

scatter

Six Drawers and a


Mirror by William
Bardick

Topsy Turvey by
Karen Freitas

First Swim by Michael


Rumsey

Scorpion Wheelchair
by Roger Aceve

30

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

T
F
I
G
Y
A
D
I
L
O
H
!
N
O
I
T
SEC

This year, to help with your holiday preparations,


Woodworkers Journal has compiled several
easy-to-make gift projects into a special section.
Thanks to our advertisers for making it possible.

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

31

SATAjet 20 B
The Unique Art Brush Gun
The SATAjet 20 B has been designed for use in all areas of creative painting:
For all kinds of art brush applications including graphic design, automotive custom
painting, model making, artwork and calligraphy - the results are simply outstanding!
Versatile in application - ensuring perfect finishes
Special gun design with perfect ergonomics for imaginative painters
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32

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

PIZZA CUTTER BLOCKS


By Alan Vondran

Keep your pizza cutter on the counter and at the


ready with this handsome slotted storage block.

y decorative wooden blocks will store


Rocklers metal pizza cutter (item
34913) inside a form-fitting recess
you can make with a special routing jig (see
next page). The jig consists of a base and four
spring-loaded carriage bolts with knobs that
hold two interchangeable routing templates.
One template creates a round recess for the pizza
cutters wheel, and the other template forms a

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

The key to routing the


two-part recess for the
pizza cutter in each half
of the storage blocks
is a special routing jig
with interchangeable
templates. Both are
shown in the inset
photos here.

33

Routing Jig
Base

MATERIAL LIST (Routing Jig)


1 Base (1)
2 Ramp Routing Templates (2)
3 Cutter Recess Template (1)
4 Carriage Bolts (4)
5 Washers (16)
6 Nuts (4)
7 Springs (4)
8 Knobs (4)
9 Hinges (2)
10 Builders Shims (3)

TxWxL
3/4" x 1114" x 1712"
1/2" x 12" x 12"
5/8" x 1034" x 12"
1/4" #20 x 4"
1/4" #20
1/4" #20
1/2" x 114"
1/4" #20
1" x 1"

/4"

103/4"

33/8"
1

/4" Dia.

11/4"

Ramp Routing Template

Cutter Recess Template

3
41/4" Dia.
3

/4" Dia.

51/2"

43/8"
3"

21/8"

35/8"

/8"

1"
11/8"

2"

ramp to cut a relief for the wheels tapered metal housing. Build the jig base
and two template assemblies from sheet
stock as shown in the Drawings above.
I use springs on the carriage bolts to
help push the templates up when the
knobs are loosened, to make the block
workpieces easier to slide in and out.
These blocks can be made from a
single piece or multiple laminations. I
start with a blank 41 2" wide, 8" long and
about 2" thick. Split your block through

34

its thickness into two equal


halves to prepare for routing.
Mark a horizontal line 21 2" from
the top across the inside face of
each block half so you can align
it with either the 51 2" or 43 8"
centerpoints on the two routing
templates (see Drawings).

Routing the Cutter Recesses


Start the routing process by
installing the cutter template on

When the blocks are routed and first glued together, the
opening at the top (inset) is just a rectangle. Steps shown
in subsequent photos create the longer arched opening.

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Length of Router Cuts

21/2"

41/2"

1
1

83/8"

Builders Tip
I recommend you start by building some
sample pizza cutter blocks from scrap
wood. This will give you practice using
the jig and enable you to establish
alignment marks.

Exploded View

41/2"

MATERIAL LIST
1 Outer Front and Back (2)
2 Inner Front and Back (2)

Scribe the top 4 12-diameter arch on the block with a


compass to create the contour for the pizza cutters curve.
The line should just kiss the top and sides of the block.

Band saw the arch to shape. If this cut doesnt quite


expose the long pizza cutter slot, as shown, sand the arch
on a disc or drum sander until the slot opens up in the rim.

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

the jig base, and clamp one of


the block halves into place (the
top of the block should face the
router opening). Use a short
1/2"-diameter pattern bit to rout
the circular cutter recess to a
depth of 1/8". Rout both blanks.
Next, switch your jig to the
hinged ramp routing template to
mill the tapered wheel housing
recess. Slip three shims between
the plates of this template to
open it up to about 5/32". Install
a longer pattern-routing bit in
your router, and set the depth
to cut the top opening of this
recess 15/32" deep. As you rout,
the cutting depth will decrease
to about 21/64" when you reach
the tapered end of the recess,
due to the effect of the hinged
ramp. Rout this angled recess
into both block halves to wrap

TxWxL
5/8" x 412" x 838"
5/16" x 412" x 838"

up the pizza cutter recess. Now glue and


clamp the block halves together.
Mark the broad arch on top of the
block with a compass, and band saw it
along your layout line. If that doesnt
quite open up the long cutter slot, sand
the arch farther until it does. Insert
the pizza cutter and check its fit, then
continue sanding until the hardware
nests nicely in the curve. Ease the sharp
edges with a router and roundover bit.

Finishing Up
Give your block a thorough sanding. I
finish mine with boiled linseed oil first,
including flooding it into the recess
and dumping it out. When the oil dries,
apply a durable topcoat. These blocks
make such great holiday gifts for others
that my wife is still waiting for hers!
Alan Vondran is a woodworker in Asbury, Iowa.
His sons girlfriend got the first pizza cutter block.

35

Woodturning
Turning Rolling Pins
By Ernie Conover

Master the challenge of turning a cylinder, and youll be able to create either a
baguette style or a handled rolling pin.

www.woodworkersjournal.com

MOREONTHEWEB
For videos on making
VIDEO

baguette, American and

pasta cutter style rolling pins, please


visit woodworkersjournal.com and
click on More on the Web under
the Magazine tab.

36

wonderful wood, which is


ny cooking store
a serviceable rolling pin, I
stable, durable and survives
sells wooden rolling
overwhelmingly recommend
countless washings. I like
pins and most kitchhard maple. Most of the
to use curly maple, which is
ens still sport one. Unforantique American examples I
tunately, modern examples
have seen are made from this what I used for this article.
In an example of
are puny and of poor
the exception to the
workmanship comrule, the two pins you
pared to the ones our
see in the upper right
grandmothers turned
of the lead photo were
out pies, pastry and
made by my mentor,
cookies with.
Rude Osolnik. He
Rolling pins make
laminated many of
a nice gift and are a
good seller at craft
3
The authors baguette pin, at top, has a diameter of 2 8". his rolling pins from
fairs. While most
The 2" center pin is a fairly standard diameter. The 1 34" a variety of available
hardwoods and cut
hardwoods will make bottom pin is a bit small for use.

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

10" to 14"
1

2" to 2 /2" diameter


41/2"

American style rolling pin


1"

Handle

4 /2"
3

/8"

Trunnion

1/2" diameter
1" deep
1/2" diameter through hole
1/2" diameter (slide fit
with drilled hole)

Turned to 1/32" less than the


1/2" diameter for a sloppy fit with handle.
10" to 16"

the blanks on an angle, yielding a unique look.


My maple rolling pins in
that photo show three different types of pin: from top to
bottom, you see a baguette
pin, a traditional American
style and a pasta cutter.
In this article, I discuss
how to make the first two
types. The traditional American style has trunnions at
each end that capture rotating handles. The French
baguette pin is so-called for
its resemblance to a loaf of
French bread.
As I hinted earlier, the diameter and the length of rolling pins has decreased in the
last half century. It is hard to
find a wood example that is
over 2" in diameter and has a
working length over 10" for
a traditional pin or 18" for a
baguette pin. Personally, I
frequently use a baguette pin
to roll pizza dough, so I make
mine 20" to 24" long. This
gives them a working length
of 12" to 16". Likewise, I
make my traditional pins 12"
to 14" long. While shorter is
OK, a longer pin makes for
faster work.
The length of your pins
will largely depend on the between-center distance of your
lathe. Mini-lathes are usually
limited to between 12" and
15". This will yield an acceptable French pin, but the
distance is much more suited
to the American design.

Turn Your Cylinder


Turning an exact cylinder is
a challenge, which is why a
rolling pin is an exercise for
my basic turning students.
Jointing two faces, then sawing your blank to an exact
square, helps greatly. You
need to end up with at least
a 2" square, with 214" to 212"
being better.
To begin turning, center
punch the exact centers
of the billet. Use a speed
of 800 to 1,200 rpm and a
spindle roughing-out gouge.
Be sure to wax the tool-rest
so the gouge slides freely.
As the piece approaches
round, lightly touch the
work on the far side with
your fingers while holding
the gouge down with your
thumb. You will feel the flat
spots go away. The trick is to
move the gouge side to side
while just removing the flat
spots. You will end up with a
perfect cylinder.
If youre adept with a skew,
you can now plane the cylinder to a perfect finish. Safer
is to turn your roughing-out
gouge at about a 30 angle
to the work and push it down
the cylinder, keeping the 30
angle constant. You can see
this technique in my More on
the Web video for this article.

1"

2" to 21/2" diameter


4"

Baguette pin

Use a spindle roughing-out gouge to bring the blank nearly round, then
lightly touch the back of the piece with your fingers while holding the tool
with your thumb. Sweep side-to-side to feel when the flat spots disappear.

Two Styles of Pin


After you have turned the
cylinder common to both
pins, you create the differen-

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

Holding the spindle roughing-out gouge at about a 30 angle to the work


and pushing sideways (maintaining the 30 angle) will give you about as
good a finish as that left by a skew, with none of the danger of a catch.

37

Woodturning continued
tiations depending
on your choice of
style. I show the
methods for creating both styles in
my videos.
To create a
baguette pin, you
start at about 4"
from each end and
create a taper that
reaches about a
The French baguette pin tapers, starting 4 from
each end, to about 1 in diameter. You should
1" diameter at the
be able to set a ruler down and have it touch
end of the cylinder.
everywhere on this straight taper.
This should be a
straight taper, with no curving in or out.
To create an American
style rolling pin, you will
need to drill 1/2"-diameter
by 1"-deep holes at each end
of your cylinder. You will also
need to turn the
handles.
The starting
blank for the
handles of the
traditional pin
should be 412"
long by 1" square.
You need to drill a
1/2"-diameter hole
that extends all the
way through the
Most of the trunnion shaft needs to be turned at
handle. You can
least 1/32 under 1/2 for a sloppy fit in the haneither drill this in
dle so the pin works even when soaking wet.
a drill press or on
The last 1 has a 1/2 diameter to be a slide fit
with the hole drilled in the main cylinder.
the lathe, which I

If you dont have a four-jaw chuck, you can turn the tapered tenon between centers, tap it into the hole in one end of the handle, then mount the
tapered tenon to the drive center and the other end of the handle centered
on the cone of your live center.

think is easier. Simply push


the blank halfway onto a drill
in the headstock with the
live center, drill halfway, then
turn your blank around and
drill the other way until your
hole extends the length of
the blank. Hold the blank in a
small screw clamp for safety.
Hold off on turning the
handles just yet: the next
step is to work on the trunnions that extend all the way
through the handles. These
trunnions start life as a 578"long by 3/4"-square blank.
Turn 512" down the length of
the blank to 1/2" diameter,
using a 1/2" wrench. Leave
the remaining portion at the
3/4" diameter and round it
into a half bead to create a
button head on the end of
the trunnion.
Next, use a skew to bring
the area between the head
and 1" from the end down to
a bit under 1/2". (Leave the
last 1" at the 1/2" diameter.)
This means that,
although it may be
hard to get the end
of the trunnion shaft
through the hole you
drilled in the handle,
utting grooves into an American
there will be enough
style rolling pin turns it into a pasta
play that the handle
cutter. Grind a pointed scraper (the
will turn easily on
author used an old screwdriver)
the shaft once it is
through. (You need at
to cut the grooves, and be sure to
least 1/32" of play so
scrape with the tool pointed downScraping grooves into an American rolling
that the handle turns
pin turns it into a pasta cutter. Careful
hill. A pasta-cutting pin should be no
easily even when
layout and tool presentation are critical to
more than 10 long.
getting even spacing for good cutting.
soaking wet.)

Making a
Pasta Cutter

38

Back to the handles. You


need to have good centering
when turning the outside of
the handles. To achieve this,
I turned a tapered 1/2" tenon
on a square of wood held
in a four-jaw chuck (photo
above). Held against this
tenon with a live center, the
bore is perfectly centered on
the axis of the lathe while I
turn it to a handle shape as
per the Drawing on page 37.

Final Assembly
After you have finished your
turnings, sand all parts thoroughly, but only to 120-grit.
A sanding pad in an electric
drill is great for quickly
sanding the working cylinder
of either pin. It will bring
everything smooth and to a
constant diameter.
To assemble the American
style pin, push the trunnions
through the handles, then
apply a bit of waterproof glue,
such as Titebond II, into
the 1/2" holes drilled in the
pin, and inset the trunnions
into them. Remember: the
trunnion cannot trap the handle; there needs to be about
1/16" of side-to-side play to
allow for swelling if wet.
I finish my rolling pins with
a bit of walnut oil or olive oil.
Now, go ahead and bake a
pie or make a pizza.
Ernie Conover is the author of
The Lathe Book and The Frugal
Woodturner.

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

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41

Trapezoid Band
Saw Box
By David Picciuto

Heres a fun gift project to use up those


too-good-to-toss scraps and fine-tune your
band sawing skills while youre at it.

This project was originally published


in The New Bandsaw Box Book:
Techniques and Patterns for the
Modern Woodworker (ISBN 9781-940611-32- 7) by David Picciuto.
That book and the authors new
book, Make Your Own Cutting
Boards, are published by Spring
House Press (springhousepress.com).

42

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Clamp up the blank, applying small F-style


clamps all around the perimeter to ensure even
pressure throughout. You should see some glue
squeezing out of every seam.

Glue up the five box laminations. Apply an even bead to each face, spread it with a foam paint roller
or small brush, and sandwich the pieces together. Ordinary yellow wood glue works fine for this job.

and saw boxes are what really


got me started in woodworking
years ago, because theyre not
that difficult to make. If youve got a
handful of clamps, a band saw and some
attractive scraps, youre pretty much
all set to make any number of different
box styles. Plus, compared with more
involved woodworking projects with
lots of parts or complicated joinery,
band saw boxes provide almost instant
gratification: you can make many simple
designs in just a day or so of shop time.
If youve never made a band saw box
before, this Tennessee Box, from my
collection in The New Bandsaw Box
Book, is a great place to start! I think
its simple trapezoidal shape is elegant,
and learning to build it also provides a
launchpad for designing and building
more complex designs of your own.
Ive chosen walnut for the front and
back faces, because where I live, its
easy to get for a reasonable price and
always looks great when you put an oil
finish on it. For the center laminations,
Im using some leftover Baltic birch
plywood. The repeating lines of the plywood laminations help to emphasize the
shape, and you can sand it very smooth.
The edge plys also take finish well,
and there are almost no voids between
them. I use Baltic ply quite often on my
boxes. Ive topped this drawer off with a
sleek pull that mimics the boxs shape.

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

Preparing the Blank


The first step on any band saw box project is to glue up the laminated blank.
Select your choice of scraps, based on
the colors and grain patterns you like.
The pieces should be at least 3" wide
x 8" long. The thickness of your box
blank can vary, but my five, 3/4"-thick
laminations add up to 334".
It isnt critical that all the pieces of
your box blank are exactly the same
size, but it sure helps the clamping
process if theyre flat. Flatten the
faces of any pieces that need it before
The author recommends
using a 3/16-wide,
skip-tooth band saw
blade (inset) for cutting
the boxs curved outer
profile to shape.

Cut as close to the line as possible without


touching it. Take your time, use a slow feed rate,
and let the blade do the work.

Photocopy the pattern on page 45 and cut it out.


Apply it to the front face of the box blank with
spray adhesive. Stick the pattern down carefully
so its smooth and free of air bubbles.

proceeding. If the laminations are ready


to go, spread glue on mating faces of
each board. I use a small 4" brush or
foam paint roller, which makes it easy
to apply a smooth, even coat of glue.
Ordinary yellow wood glue works just
fine for this glue-up.
Rub the laminations back and forth
against one another as you assemble

This blades tooth configuration removes waste


quickly to minimize burning and wandering
while leaving a relatively smooth cut.

43

For rip-cutting against the


fence, switching to a 1/2"wide resaw blade can yield
smoother straight cuts
but its not a necessity.

The box back must be removed before work on the drawer can begin.
Set your band saw fence 1/2" from the blade, and feed the stock
slowly along the fence to cut the back free.

home center. Spray a


light coat on the back
of the pattern, position
it on the blank and
stick it down. Smooth
it and work out any air
bubbles that might be
trapped underneath.

Cutting the Outer


Profile to Shape

Cutting this boxs


tight corners requires
a narrow band saw
blade. I prefer a 3/16"
skip tooth blade with
four teeth per inch.
Ive found that a blade
with a higher tooth
count doesnt remove
waste fast enough,
which causes burning
and the blade to wander in the cut.
Tension the blade
good and tight, and
go ahead and cut the
With the narrow skip tooth blade installed, and starting from the end
boxs outer shape.
of the box, make the long inside cut to remove the drawer face blank.
Follow as close to
Steer around the corners slowly and as precisely as possible.
the line as possible
without touching it, and remember,
the blank to work the excess glue out,
everything outside this line is just waste
and clamp it all together. I use a bunch
material. Later, youll sand to the line for
of F-style clamps spaced all around to
final shaping. Take your time as you cut,
distribute the clamping pressure evenly.
using a slow feed rate, and let the blade
You should see glue squeezing out all
do the work.
around the perimeter of each lamination. Let your blank dry for at least four
hours or more.
Swapping Blades for Next Cuts
Now that the outside of the box is cut
to shape, the next order of business is
Applying the Pattern
to NOT cut out the drawer! Instead, the
Photocopy the full-size pattern on the
back panel of the box comes next, and
next page, and trim it to size. The best
for that, I recommend switching to a
way to secure it to the front face of the
wider band saw blade. It isnt absolutely
blank is with aerosol spray adhesive.
necessary, but I like to use a 1/2" resaw
You can find it in the glue section of any

44

blade for my straight cuts. It leaves a


smoother surface than the narrower
blade and, when used in conjunction
with your band saws rip fence, it cuts a
nice straight line. To cut the back panel
free, adjust your saws rip fence 1/2"
away from the blade, and feed the back
face of the blank slowly along the fence.
Once the back is off, go ahead and cut
the drawer out of the box interior. But
if you changed to a 1/2" blade for the
last cut, switch back to your 3/16" blade
for the drawer cut. Start this long cut
on the end of the blank and work in the
direction of the grain (see bottom photo,
left). Its important to take your time
and cut right on the line. Any drifting off
the line at this point will make the walls
of the box unevenly thick. When you get
to the sharp corners, keep pushing the
blank and feeding the blade around the
curve in a smooth, controlled motion.
Take the corners slowly and as precisely as possible. And when you finally
reach the end, and the drawer blank
breaks free, pat yourself on the back
here was this projects trickiest cut!

Gluing the Box Back Together


Set the drawer blank aside for the
moment so you can glue the box back
together. Spread a little glue into the entrance cut you made to start the drawer
cutout, and press the kerf closed with
a few F-clamps. You dont need to bear
down on the clamping pressure here
just tighten them enough to ensure a
thin glue line that will mostly disappear.
When the glue dries, reattach the
back to the sides of the box with more
glue and clamps. Align the grain of the
two pieces carefully before tightening
the clamps. When properly aligned, this
glue line also will be hard to see on the
finished project.

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Box

Exploded View
Drawer

Full-size Pattern
To download this template
as a PDF, visit this issues
More on the Web section
under the Magazine tab at
woodworkersjournal.com.

Glue and clamp the box to close the entrance cut for the drawer, as shown
here. Apply just enough clamping pressure to hold the joint closed.

Woodworkers Journal grants


permission for readers to
photocopy this Pattern, or
the PDF format available at
woodworkersjournal.com via
the More on the Web button,
for personal use.

Reattach the back to the box sides with glue and plenty of clamps all around.
If you align the grain carefully, this seam will disappear when the glue dries.

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

45

www.woodworkersjournal.com

MOREONTHEWEB
For a downloadable PDF of
VIDEO

the Trapezoid Tennessee

Band Saw Box full-size pattern, as


well as a link to the authors video
on applying flocking, please visit
woodworkersjournal.com and click
on More on the Web under the
Magazine tab.

Cutting Out the Drawer Parts

Begin creating the drawer by cutting the drawer back off of the rest of the blank. Make this panel
1/2" thick, just as you did for the box back, using the rip fence as a cutting guide.

The drawer consists of three main pieces: the back panel, drawer face and an interior section. Cut
the drawer face 1/2" thick to match the drawer back.

While the back panel joint is drying, you


can turn your attention to the drawer.
The first step to making it is to switch to
the 1/2" blade again. Thats because the
front face and drawer back get sawed
off the blank so you can reach the interior compartment. These two cuts are
just like the boxs first back panel cut.
Position your saws rip fence and slice
off a 1/2"-thick drawer face and back
panel (see top and center photos at left).
Now that the front and back are
removed, youre ready to start work
on the center section of the drawer. I
sketch this out freehand with a pencil.
When you grip the pencil, just let your
index finger serve as the offset as you
trace around the drawer blank to mark
the cutout area. I aim for the drawer
bottom and sides to be about 3/8" thick
(see bottom photo at left), but a little
thicker or thinner is just fine, too.
With the tracing done, go ahead
and remove the waste piece inside the
drawer. Make this cut with your narrow,
skip tooth blade installed, using a slow,
steady feed rate. Cut just to the waste
side of your pencil line, and if you happen to accidentally cut into this waste
area a little bit, its no biggie. The only
thing youll need it for later is to make
the drawer pull.

A Drawer Takes Shape


Now youve got a hollowed-out interior,
a front face and a back panel and
these three parts finally begin to
resemble a drawer. If the cut you made
Trace around the drawers inner section
freehand to create the cutout area, aiming
for the drawer bottom and sides to be
about 3/8 thick.

46

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Now that the interior area is removed from


the center section, the three components are
starting to resemble a drawer.

Back at the band saw, cut away the inside of the drawer with your narrow, skip-tooth blade. Cut just
to the waste side of the pencil line, and proceed slowly and carefully around the tight inside curves.

to hollow out the center section is fairly


smooth and burn-free, glue and clamp
the drawer components together. Since
theyre cut from a single blank, if you
align the grain properly, the seams will
vanish when it dries.
But if that interior cut didnt go as
smoothly as you might have hoped it
would, not to worry. Sometimes that
happens! There are two solutions: if you
want the interior of the drawer to look
like wood when youre through, you
need to file and sand the interior faces
smooth. Thats the harder fix. Or, you
can do what I often do: leave the cut just
as it is, glue the drawer together, and
plan to flock the inside of the drawer
instead (see sidebar, page 49).

Sanding and Shaping


As the drawer joints dry, you can take
the outer shell of the box to your disc
or spindle sander and sand the outside
profile up to the pattern line. If you use
a disc sander, double-check the table
for squareness to the disc before you
begin, to make sure the sander will sand
the box evenly from front to back. If
you dont have access to either of these
Clamp the drawer parts together. When the
glue squeeze-out inside the drawer reaches
a rubbery consistency, scrape it out while
its still easy to remove.

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

stationary sanders, you could clamp a


belt sander upside down in a vise and
sand that way, do your sanding with a
random-orbit sander, or just grab some
sandpaper and sand by hand.
Once the shell is sanded to a smooth,
even profile, do the same thing with the
outside surface of the drawer. But be
careful here. The goal is to just get the
drawer smooth. The more material you
remove, the looser the drawer will fit in
the box opening. So, sand only to get rid
of any obvious blade marks or burns,
and call it good.

Spread an even coat of yellow glue around the


front and back edges of the drawers center section, and set the drawer face and back in place.

At this point, even though the big outer surfaces of the box and drawer are
fairly smooth, the edges are still sharp.
I like to round these over for a more finished look. A 1/8" roundover bit mount-

Sand the perimeter of the box (top) and


drawer (left) to smooth these surfaces.
Be careful not to oversand the drawer, or
it will fit too loosely inside the box.

ed in a router table is a good way


to ease these edges and not have
to balance a handheld router over
such a small project. At the router

the smoother your box is, the better!


Time for more sanding.
I suggest starting with 120- or 150-grit
sandpaper in your random-orbit sander,
and give the box a good going-over.
Touch up the roundovers carefully,
too, especially if the router bit left little
burn marks around the corners. Then,
switch to hand-sanding at this grit to
remove any swirl marks the sanding
disc might have left behind. Sand with
the grain. Now switch to 220-grit and go
over the whole project again, sanding
with the grain. You want every outer
surface to be smooth to the touch and
blemish-free. It really doesnt take much
time, so be really fussy here.

Adding a Drawer Pull

Ease the remaining sharp edges of the box and drawer


with a 1/8" roundover bit at the router table (larger photo, above). Then continue sanding the project through
finer grits to remove all machining marks and burns.

48

table, feed the outer edges of the


box and drawer clockwise around
the bit, so youre cutting against
the bits rotation. If you want to
round over the inside edges of the
box walls, too, feed the box counterclockwise against the bit.
Band saw boxes are going to
get touched its just part of the
charm of small, useful projects
with moving parts like this. So,

That last chunk of core material from inside the drawer will give you more than
enough material to make the little drawer pull. I cut a blank for my pull about
3/4" thick thats both walnut and just a
few thin layers of Baltic birch plywood
for contrast. Photocopy another pattern
so you can apply the drawer pull portion
of the pattern to your blank with spray
adhesive. Then cut out the drawer pull.
Sand its surfaces smooth, and round
over the edges by hand until the pull is
pleasing to the touch. Center the pull
carefully on the drawer face, and glue it
in place. A small spring clamp will apply
plenty of pressure to hold it there until
the glue dries.

Final Touches
Most any finish could work on this box,
but Ill suggest a couple of options.
My favorite is a three-part mixture of
boiled linseed oil, polyurethane and
mineral spirits. It wipes on easily with
a rag and warms up the color of most

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Using a portion of the full-size pattern affixed to a scrap piece, cut out the
drawer pull. The authors pull consists of both walnut and a few thin layers
of Baltic birch plywood.

woods with an amber tone. It also dries


much faster than straight polyurethane
from the can. If you go this route, apply
four coats, allowing one day to dry
between coats.
Another good finishing option for
small projects like this is spray aerosol
shellac or lacquer. Both dry super fast,
and they leave a smooth finish because
every new coat partially melts into the
layer below it and levels out. Spray three
or four very light coats. You can get
them all done in just a couple of hours.
Shellac will produce a glossy finish; you
can find lacquer in both satin and gloss
sheens. Sometimes a low-luster, satin
finish actually looks better than one that
looks wet and shiny, but thats totally up
to personal preference.

Sand the drawer pull by hand to soften all of its sharp edges. Then install
it on the drawer face. A little glue and a small spring clamp are all it
takes to mount the pull permanently.

If youve decided
to take my advice
to flock the inside
of the drawer
and even the inside
of the box if you
like do that
now to complete
The author blends equal parts boiled linseed oil, oil-based polyurethane
the last big detail.
and mineral spirits to form a simple wipe-on finish for this project.
Ill often flock the
Spray-on shellac or lacquer would be other good choices, too.
insides of boxes
try a few band saw boxes of your own
where the drawer fits a bit looser than
design! It doesnt take long for them to
Id like. It takes up some of that extra
become addictive ... trust me!
unwanted gap.
When the flocking dries, your Tennessee Box project is a wrap and
David Picciuto is a woodworker who blogs
at this time of the year, its a perfect
at makesomething.tv and hosts a YouTube
project to wrap up for gift-giving. Then
channel focused on creative woodworking at
get back out there, be creative, and
www.youtube.com/user/drunkenwoodworker.

Decorating Band Saw Boxes with Flocking


Flocking adds a soft coating to the insides of band saw box drawers fibers is also a messy process, so be sure to cover your work surfaces,
to simulate a suede or velvet lining. The author also uses it inside

wear a dust mask and use proper ventilation. Applying flocking inside

the box shells to tighten up loose-fitting drawers and provide an easy

a plastic storage container or large box can help capture excess

open-and-close action. You can buy flocking supplies online and from

flocking fibers for use on another project.

woodworking retailers such as Rockler in several colors and shades,


including black, brown, green, red and blue.
Applying flocking is a two-step process that involves brushing on a
colored undercoat adhesive (shown in the photo at right), then using
a flocking gun (not shown) to blow colored flocking fibers into the wet
adhesive. The gun consists of two nested tubes with holes on one end
that hold the bulk fiber. Plunging the tubes in and out provides the air
pressure that sprays the fibers.
Before brushing on flocking adhesive, the author recommends
masking off the edges of the drawer and shell with painters tape to
prevent flocking from sticking to where you dont want it. Blowing the

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

Find a link to the authors detailed YouTube video on the flocking


process in the More on the Web section of woodworkersjournal.com.

3 Kitchen Doodads
By A.J. Hamler

Toasty Tongs
Rounded sides plus a wedge fulcrum create tongs that can
be adapted in length to serve a variety of functions.

sometimes have a hard time getting


things out of a toaster. Full-size
pieces of bread are usually OK,
but smaller pieces (and just about all
English muffins) dont seem to pop up
high enough to grab without burning
my fingers on the toaster. Of course, if
you dont let the toast cool for a few moments before grabbing it, you can burn
you fingers on the hot toast, too.
An easy-to-make pair of grabbers like
these toasty tongs will fix all that.
And theres no need to relegate them

50

strictly to toast duty, either. The tongs


presented here also go perfectly with
a veggie tray, and by changing a few
key dimensions you can use the same
process to create tongs of any size for
any cooking task.
As with most utensils used for cooking or food preparation, its best to steer
clear of open-grained wood. Ive selected
some outstanding tiger maple for the
tongs themselves, while the fulcrum
and rear accent present a wonderful
contrast in dark walnut.

Tongs of this length must be able


to bend easily, so youll want to start
with stock no more than 3/16" thick.
Anywhere from 1/8" to 3/16" is a good
working range.
Cut the two sides of the tongs to a
width of 1", then to a length of 9". Now,
round one end of each piece for the
front of the tongs and sand the two pieces up to 150-grit. Set them aside for now.
The tong sides are attached to a
fulcrum on the back end that sets the
angle of the tongs. The fulcrum is just

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

an angled wedge that


anchors the two halves
together. You can cut
the wedge with any
Glue the assembly together and clamp up till dry. The pivotCut the fulcrum wedge on the band saw at a 5 angle. You
saw capable of cutting
need a push stick and push block for the small workpiece. ing pads on this spring clamp easily handle the angled end.
an angle, but this is a
really small workpiece
3
4
and I found it easiest to
do on a band saw by tilting the table and using
push blocks to keep my
hands clear. For tongs
of this length, a wedge
angle of 212 on each
side made for an opening on the business end
of 112", which will nicely
handle both toast and
Trim the accent dowel with a flush-cut saw. Masking tape Bevel the outside tips of the tongs on a disc sander, then
cut veggies. (More on
helps protect the workpiece from wayward scratches.
smooth the bevels with a sanding block.
angles a bit later.)
As noted earlier, you can make these
tongs in a vise and trim the dowel flush.
To achieve the 212
any size. A set of tongs 12" in length
Once cut, sand the dowel smooth.
angled sides on the wedge, tilt the band
would work well for salad or for using
To make it easier to slip the tongs
saw table to 5. Slide your workpiece
with a skillet, while bumping up the
down into your toaster, lets bevel the
into the blade the orientation has the
length to between 18" and 20" (with
ends a bit. You can do this with a rasp
grain on the fulcrum vertical here
a fulcrum lengthened to 212" to 3" for
or coarse paper on a sanding block, but
and cut a small section. You dont have
a disc sander is easiest to work with, as
to cut much, as this piece will only be
strength) would be ideal for using with
the squared table helps make the bevel
1" wide. Back the workpiece out of the
the grill. As you lengthen the tongs, also
even and level side-to-side. Remove
cut, return the band saw table to level,
consider making them wider than the 1"
beveling marks by following up with
and cut the resulting wedge to size. I
used here. With additional length, you
sanding through higher grits with a
only made a single 5 cut, but once you
can also make the tong sides thicker.
square the ends when cutting the wedge sanding block. These tongs will get a
Keep in mind that the longer you
finish of boiled linseed oil, so I sanded
to width and length, it evens out to 212
make the tongs, the wider the resulting
up through 220-grit.
opening will be. Do a dry assembly
on each side.
As I typically do when oil finishing
of your components and decide if the
Apply glue to the wide faces of the
kitchen utensils, I flooded on the oil
opening is appropriate to the intended
fulcrum, clamp the tong sides into
and let it soak for a bit and then wiped
use: if its too big, decrease the angle
place and allow to dry. This glue joint
off the excess. The next day after it was
when cutting the fulcrum so the openis long-grain to long-grain, so its plenty
dry, a once-over with 400-grit sandpaper
ing is smaller.
strong. Although it doesnt strictly need
made the wood smooth as can be before
reinforcing, an accent not only looks
1
/2"
Fulcrum
adding two more coats of oil and then
great, but it will make the fulcrum joint
(Top View)
buffing the tongs to a soft sheen when
even stronger.
fully dry.
Center a 5/16" hole through the
fulcrum. If drilling this hole by hand, be
21/2
21/2
sure to angle the drill so the hole goes
MATERIAL LIST
11/2"
squarely side-to-side. On the drill press,
TxWxL
support the tongs on one end to angle
1 Tongs (2)
3/16" x 1" x 9"
the assembly so the hole is vertical right
2 Fulcrum (1)
5/8" x 1" x 112"
through the fulcrum.
3 Fulcrum Accent (1)
5/16" dowel
Glue a short length of 5/16" walnut
5
dowel into the hole, then secure the
/8"

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

51

Banana Hanger
Handy for hanging bananas, this handsome addition to your
countertop has other uses as well.

www.woodworkersjournal.com

MOREONTHEWEB
For downloadable PDFs of two
VIDEO

more quick-to-make kitchen

accessories, please visit our website


woodworkersjournal.com and click
on More on the Web under the
Magazine tab.

You can make your hanger out of


anything, but since the bend of the
hanger arm is pretty sharp across the
short grain, hardwood is best. I chose
standard 1x oak for its strength in that
short-grain area, plus it matches my
kitchen cabinetry. Since this will be sitting out on the counter, it complements
the existing woodwork nicely.

A band saw makes fast work of cutting out the


hangers arm pattern, but you could also use a
jigsaw if you prefer.

ve always loved bananas. Guess you


could say they really have appeal.
OK, now that weve gotten the bad
jokes out of the way, I have to admit that
I really do like bananas. Except when
traveling or when we have overnight
guests, my regular morning fare is
coffee, a cup of my favorite yogurt and
a ripe banana. Fresh fruit is a great between-meal snack, and my usual choice
is a banana. For that reason, I want them

52

close at hand, not stashed in a cabinet


or at the bottom of a fruit basket, and
nothing works better for that than a
basic banana hanger.
This is no single-purpose item, either,
which is why I have more than one.
I have a wonderful herb garden and,
during the season, I often pick a small
bunch of herbs, tie them off at the
stems and suspend the bunch to dry on
a hanger identical to this one.

Begin by transferring the hanger


arm pattern to a 3/4"-thick workpiece
by your preferred means either cut
out the pattern and trace it onto the
wood, or simply use a spray adhesive to
adhere the pattern to the wood and peel
the pattern off after cutting. Ive opted
to cut out the pattern on the band saw,
as seen above, but a jigsaw will also do
the trick. If using a jigsaw, be sure to
install a blade rated for hardwood, and
dial back on the saws rotary action for a
cleaner, less-splintery cut.
When youve cut out the pattern,
refine your curves, if needed, to remove
any marks from the saw (a combination
of disc sander for the convex curves
and spindle sander for concave areas
works well), then set up your router
table with a piloted roundover bit. Leave
the flat bottom area alone, but round
over all other edges on one side, then
flip the workpiece over and repeat with

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Using a router, round over all edges of the hanger except


the very bottom.

Drill a pilot hole, then use a screwdriver or other object to


twist the hanger hook into place.

the other side. When


4
5
finished, give the arm a
good sanding all around
up to 150-grit.
The hanger base, also
made of 3/4" oak, is a
simple oval measuring
6" wide by 7" long,
which, again, you can
cut out with a jigsaw or
on the band saw. Using
the same setup on the
Countersink a pilot hole through the underside of the hanger A few coats of satin polyurethane bring out the oaks color
router table you used
base, and drive in a 2 screw to secure the arm.
and offer great protection.
for the hanger arm, cut
When dry, give the hanger the finish of
a roundover around the top edge of the
1
your choice. For kitchen furniture and
base, then sand to 150-grit.
/2"
accessories, I like the protection offered
Secure the hanger arm upside down
by polyurethane. Any splashes from
in a vise or clamp it to the edge of your
3
21/4"
/4"
the sink or preparing food are easy to
workbench to temporarily install the
clean off, and I really like the way that
hanger hook. You can use any type or
poly gives oak a deep golden color. Two
size of screw-in hook here that is large
7"
6"
or three coats is good, sanding lightly
enough to handle a bunch of bananas.
between coats.
With the hanger arm vertical, drill a pilot
Want to explore some additional
hole 1" from the front of the arm appropriately sized for your hook, and then just options for kitchenware finishes? Check
out Michael Dresdners Finishing
twist the hook into place. You may find
Thoughts article on page 86 of this issue.
it easier to use the shaft of a screwdriver
6"
When the finish has dried, twist the
to twist the hook in, as Im doing in the
hanger hook back into place with the
top right photo, above. Now remove the
opening facing forward itll go in easihook and set it aside while finishing the
er this time and its ready to go.
hanger; well reinstall it later.
One final step to consider is to add
To attach the arm to the hanger base,
a few peel-and-stick felt dots to the
secure the arm into your vise so the
underside of the base. The hanger, even
mounting end is flush with the top of
Arm
loaded with a ripe bunch of bananas,
the vise. Invert the base onto the arm,
(Side View)
11"
and position the arm 1/2" from the back isnt heavy at all, but those felt dots
make it easy to slide anywhere you like
edge of the base, which exactly centers
on your countertop.
the hook over the base. Drill a countersunk pilot hole through the base and up
into the arm. Dab a bit of glue onto the
MATERIAL LIST
arms attachment point, line up the base
TxWxL
and drive in a 2" screw.
1 Base (1)
3/4" x 6" x 7"
Remove the completed assembly from
2 Arm (1)
3/4" x 6" x 11"
the vise and wipe off any glue squeezeEach square = 1/2"
out where the arm meets the base.

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

53

Pasta Pair
This matched set of utensils will take you from cooking pasta
to serving it with style.

enjoy making kitchen projects for


my own use as well as for gifting
to family and friends, and theres
nothing I like better than creating
wooden versions of classic utensils.
Ive made several pasta servers like
the one presented here, but this time
around I thought two complementary
pasta utensils would make for a fantastic
matched set.
Although they are different sizes and
have different uses, these utensils share
the same basic pattern: The shape of the
handle ends as well as the curve of the
front ends are identical on both pieces.
The only difference is that the server is
long and narrow, while the measure is
shorter, with an extended wider portion
on the business end.

54

Any hardwood is fine for this project,


but avoid open grains like oak and
ash, especially for the server, as soft
pasta could lodge in the grain. Closedgrain woods like cherry and maple
are good choices, but for some beautiful figure consider giving olivewood
a try.
Olivewood can be on the expensive
side in larger sizes, so your best bet is
to find a turning blank. With some careful resawing, the 2" x 2" blank I used
here will easily provide two matched
pairs of workpieces.
Start by cutting a 3/8"-thick slice
for the pasta measure, and then a 1/2"
piece for the server. When it comes to
resawing, the band saw cant be beat.
After cutting, give the faces of the two

workpieces a good sanding to 150-grit to


remove all saw marks.
Transfer the patterns to each workpiece, and then cut both pieces out on
the band saw. For the pasta server, I
located each of the drilling points for
the tine holes by poking the tip of an awl
right through the pattern. With brad
point bits, the marks from the awl make
it easy to place the sharp tip of the bradpoint bit in the exact spot. A drill press is
ideal for drilling these 1/4"-deep holes to
ensure that the dowel tines are perfectly
vertical to the face of the server.
The pasta measure has much larger
holes that gauge the amount of spaghetti. The smallest hole is 7/8" for a single
serving, the next is 1316" for two, and the
largest hole is 112" for three servings.

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Transfer the pattern to the workpieces. Use an awl or other


From a 2 x 2 turning blank, cut out a 3/8 slice for the
For more servings, its
sharp item to mark drilling holes right through the pattern.
pasta measure and a 1/2 slice for the server.
easy to use a combination of any of these
3
4
three holes.
Clamp the measure
to your bench or work
surface with a sacrificial
piece underneath, and
then use Forstner bits
to drill out the holes.
With all holes drilled,
ease all the corners
and edges of the two
workpieces with a
With the workpiece securely clamped, use Forstner bits to Use waterproof glue to set the pasta servers dowel tines
sanding block. Sanding drill the three sequential holes in the pasta measure.
into place in the drilled holes.
up to 150-grit would be
fine for items receiving
Apply waterproof glue into the server
second and third coat just as the first.
a film finish like polyurethane, but these holes and slip the tines into place, taking When the final coat has dried, a brisk
will get a rubbed oil finish, so sand up to care to orient the rounded tips outward.
buffing with a cloth will give them a
220-grit for a really smooth surface.
Be sure to wipe off any squeeze-out with soft sheen.
Cut a 1/4" dowel into 10 sections,
a damp cloth.
Both utensils will handle washing well,
each 112" long, for the server tines.
I gave both pieces several coats of
but dont put them in the dishwasher. If
boiled linseed oil. Apply the oil liberthe appearance begins to dull with freAgain, any closed-grain hardwood is
ally and allow it to soak in for about
quent use, a fresh coat of oil will help to
fine, but I wanted a nice contrast with
a half hour, then wipe off any excess
renew that beautiful olivewood figure.
the olivewood, so I opted for walnut.
and allow the utensils to dry for a day
With the tines cut, slightly round off
or so. When the first oiling has dried,
the exposed tips with sanding I
A.J. Hamler is the former editor of Woodshop
I like to go over utensils like these
alternated between a sanding block and
News. He is the author of several woodworking
with some 400-grit sandpaper for a
twisting small pieces around the tips for
books, including The Woodworkers Kitchen
glass-smooth surface, and then apply a
a smooth end.
(ISBN 978-1440346002).

Pasta Measure
(Top View)

MATERIAL LIST
Each square = 1/4"

1 Pasta Measure (1)


2 Spaghetti Server (1)
3 Tines (10)

TxWxL
3/8" x 2" x 9"
1/2" x 2" x 12"
1/4" Dia. x 112"

Spaghetti Server
(Top View)

Each square = 1/4"

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

55

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56

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

57

Carved Shrink Boxes


By Kimberly McNeelan

The techniques for making these Scandinavian style shrink boxes, or krympburkar, date
back to the days of the Vikings but theyre just as fun for modern woodworkers.

the steps correctly, the shrink box will


rand Marais, Minnesota, is one
These shrink boxes could be conbecome watertight for a drinking cup or
of those magical little towns that
structed using just a saw and a knife,
seem almost unreal. Driving
but the steps laid out here make the pro- airtight to store spices or tea.
Class started with practice and
through pea soup fog on the way to get
cess quick and easy. When you follow
demonstrations of safe carvthere and on the way back made
ing techniques. The preferred
it seem even more as if I was actuknife for this type of work is
ally being rocketed through some
called a Sloyd knife, made by
sort of portal to an amazing place
the company Mora of Sweden.
on another planet. Once I arrived
We practiced by making
at the North House Folk School,
butter paddles. The class had
the community and dedication to
all levels of woodworking excraft magnified the dreaminess of
perience, and Paul discussed
this breathtaking setting.
changing your technique
My goal of this trip was to learn
and using different ways of
how to make Scandinavian Shrink
cutting to help avoid muscle
Boxes, which are Viking technolfatigue. Check out the More
ogy! Thanks to instructors Jim
on the Web video to see a live
Sannerud and Paul Linden (who
demonstration of the knife
made the boxes shown above),
Instructor Paul Lindens drawings on how to cut with the grain
carving techniques.
that goal was easily attained.
assisted class members with all levels of woodworking experience.

58

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

www.woodworkersjournal.com

MOREONTHEWEB
For a video of the author demonstrating
VIDEO

knife skills techniques, please visit

woodworkersjournal.com and click on More


on the Web under the Magazine tab.

Butter paddles served as carving


practice. Changing cutting technique
helps to avoid muscle fatigue.

tiring, you switch it around holding the


blade towards you with your palm up
and roll the wood towards you. Work
from both ends of the box to achieve a
consistent thickness. For a box in the
4" range, a wall thickness thats between
1/4" and 3/8" is appropriate.

Green Wood, Traditional Tools

of these innovative canisters can be


made using any closed grain hardwood such as birch, box elder, cherry,
maple, aspen, etc. My class used birch
branches that Paul had harvested
the evening before class began. The
bottom and lid of the box are made
using dry wood that is easy to carve,
such as basswood or pine.
There are a few different tools to
use to achieve the following steps.
At North House, they have several
shave horses and all the hand tools
to work in a more traditional way.
Once you have your wood, drill a
hole into the end grain deeper than
the desired box height. You could
use a drill, vise, and any style drill
The authors arm and
bit. Then cut off a length for the
wrist are stiff as she
height of box that youd like.
uses the weight of her
Using a sacrificial surface to
body to cut the bark
make downward cuts is a safe and
off (above). A potato
peeling cutting
effective way to remove the bark.
technique creates the
After doing that, you chamfer the
chamfer on top and
A traditional tool available at the school was a Cooks outside edge of the top and bottom
bottom (inset).
pattern auger bit used to drill end grain.
just enough so that it wont be sharp.
This cut is made like you are peeling
a potato.
When hollowing out the branch, if
Hollowing out the
you tire of rolling the wood clockinside of the branch
wise away from you with the knife
is one of my favorite
pointing away, switch it around
steps. Roll the wood
with the blade toward you (palm
up) and roll the wood towards you,
on your thigh while
counterclockwise.
holding the knife
still. When the knife
blade is pointed
away from you, roll
the wood away from
Here a bow saw and shave horse are used to cut to
you. If that gets
length. This can be accomplished in many ways.
The construction of these boxes is rather clever. Essentially, you are exploiting
characteristics of green wood. The sides

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

59

You can choose among several styles of grooves to fit the bottom of your box. The
author preferred the style in the middle of the drawing above.

Cut and Fit the Bottom


Now that the inside is hollowed, you will
make a groove to capture the bottom.
Using a marking gauge with the depth
set to scribe about halfway deep into
the side of your box, scribe a line about
1/2" up from the bottom. Then use your
carving knife to remove material below
your scribed line, keeping the top of the
groove flat and angling down over 1/4"
for the bottom to pop into.

60

To make the bottom, start by tracing


around the inside of the box onto a piece
of wood that is about the same thickness
as your box sides. Then cut out the
circle approximately 1/16" larger than
your traced line. Make alignment marks
on the box and the bottom piece so that
you can fit the bottom to the exact shape
of the box. You will carve the bottom
to mimic the shape of the groove you
made, but more extreme.

The goal here is to get the bottom to


barely pop into place. Patiently remove
material around the edges until you
get the perfect fit. Once the bottom is
in place, the wet wood will dry out and
shrink around the already dry bottom.
It is amazing how quickly this happens!
It is best practice to wait at least three
weeks before fitting the lid so the wood
will be completely dry.

Creating the Lid


Jim and Paul made boxes without lids
that would be dry for class so that we
could go through the lid making process. There are several ways to make
lids: Jim demonstrated one, and Paul
showed us another. I chose the method
to fit the lid into the opening by giving
it a slight angle. Start by establishing
the inside dimension of your box. Put

To make the groove for


her box bottom, the author
found it easiest to put the
marking gauge in a vise
and rotate the box around
to scribe the line.

Next trace around the inside of the box onto a piece of basswood, an
easy-to-carve choice for the box top and bottom.

The author left a 1/8 flat on the side of the bottom piece and then carved
an angle before fitting it into her groove.

Finally, use your palm to apply pressure and pop the box bottom into place.
The alignment mark acts as a guide for the custom fit.

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Trace around the flour that is left after flipping a flour-filled box onto a
dampened piece of wood that will serve as the box lid.

With the band saw tilted to 67, be sure you are cutting on the side of the
line that will make the lid larger, rather than smaller.

Marking with a pencil where you need to remove material makes the process of carving your lid to fit into your box pretty easy. (The lid will stand
slightly proud of the box sides.)

flour into the box. Wet the surface of


the wood you are using for the lid. Place
the wood on top of the box, and flip it
over, putting the flour on the dampened
surface. Pick up the box, and the internal dimension of your box will be left
behind. Now go to the band saw and cut
the lid out slightly bigger than your line
at a 67 angle.
Put reference marks on your lid like
you did your box bottom. Now you will
use your knife to carve the lid to fit into
the box. Leave the lid sticking out proud
about 1/4". By putting the lid on the
box, you can make pencil marks where
the lid is hitting and then cut that off.
Once the lid fits, chamfer the corners.
Then make your knob. I chose to make
the knob on the lathe, but you can easily
carve a knob, too. Drill a 3/8" hole that
is off-center in your lid. Putting the knob
off-center actually makes it easier to

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

open the box. Then make a kerf in the


bottom of the knob that is going across
the grain so that it will be less likely to
spit the whole knob. Carve a wedge that
will fit into that kerf. Then glue the knob
into place. Glue and tap the wedge in,
too. After the knob has dried into place,
you can trim the bottom of the knob and
wedge flush with the lid bottom.

Finishing Options
Now you are ready for surface treatments! You may want to leave the box
textured with your knife cuts. Or you
could get out your carving gouges
and add more texture. Jim did a great
demonstration using milk paint, a wonderful way to add color to any project.
Whether or not you paint your shrink
box, youll want to apply a finish to
protect the wood. We discussed walnut
oil, non-boiled linseed oil or beeswax as

When you put the knob into the lid, make sure
your wedge will be perpendicular to the lids
grain. That is shown here with pencil marks.

good options. Each of these finishes are


food-safe and very easy to apply.
Now that I have learned the process
of making shrink boxes, I can make
these rather fast. I can do about seven
bottoms fitted into the box in one relaxed day. Shrink boxes are great gifts,
and it is a wonderful way to accelerate
my knife carving skills!
I highly recommend taking the
opportunity to go to North House Folk
School for any of the awesome classes
or events that they offer. The whole experience of being a part of a community
focused on enriching lives by sharing
skills and knowledge is priceless. Words
cant do justice describing the adventure
of going to North House Folk School.
Kimberly McNeelan is a woodworker, artist and
woodworking teacher. Follow her on Instagram
at ksm_woodworker.

61

Todays Shop
Make Your Hardware Handsome
By Sandor Nagyszalanczy

Dont spoil a near-perfect project with poorly chosen or mounted hardware.


Here are some expert tips to help ensure that pulls, hinges and other metal
accents will highlight your hard work.

ust like in every other


aspect of woodworking,
there are tried-and-true
methods for making hardware installation an easier,
cleaner and more precise
process, as well as reducing
the chance of running into
problems. In this article, Ill
present some of the procedures Ive found particularly
useful for installing some of
the most common types of
cabinet and furniture hardware, including pulls and
knobs, hinges and drawer
slides. Ill also offer some
general tips for mounting
just about any hardware
thats screwed or nailed on.

And, just in case you run into


problems, Ill show you a few
good tricks for remedying
them (or avoiding them in
the first place).
Obviously theres a ton
of specialized hardware out
there beyond the scope of
this article (lazy Susans, flipper door hardware, electric
lifts, etc.). For such specific
hardware mounting information, I strongly urge you
to read the instructions that
come with your hardware.
Better still, you can almost
always find instructional videos on the Internet that show
you exactly how to install
special types of hardware.

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

Choosing Hardware
Peruse the pages of a hardware catalog, and its easy
to be overwhelmed by the
number of choices. Unless
the style of the piece youre
building dictates the style of
hardware youll use (Shaker,
Craftsman, Ultra Modern),
your hardware choices can
have a significant effect on
the appearance. For example,
a simple, clean-lined cabinet
fitted with stainless steel
wire pulls will tend towards
a contemporary look; white
ceramic knobs offer a
country feeling, and antique
brass bail style pulls lend a
classical appearance.

www.woodworkersjournal.com

MOREONTHEWEB
For a video of the author
VIDEO

demonstrating hardware

installation procedures, please visit


woodworkersjournal.com and click
on More on the Web under the
Magazine tab.

63

Todays Shop continued

the color and grain


of the wood your
project is built from.
For example, black
anodized pulls offer
good contrast when
fitted on a natural
maple project but
likely would be too
subtle if used on a
dark wood piece.
If you find brass
When choosing hardware, its good to compare hardware finishes against finished
or
bronze hardware
wood samples.
that you like, but
Hardware thats prominent- it has too shiny a finish, you
can actually create a darkly located (knobs, latches,
er, duller look with a brass
etc.) should be chosen to
darkening solution (available
match the scale of the parts
from Rockler.com). Start by
its used with. For example,
removing the protective clear
tiny pulls on big doors may
coating from the shiny brass
seem out of place or simply
by scrubbing thoroughly
appear incorrect.
with a steel wool pad dipped
Hardware finish also
in acetone or lacquer thinner
affects final appearance
(wear protective gloves).
considerably and should
Now fill a small glass bowl
be chosen not only to suit
or disposable plastic cup
the style of your piece, but
with darkening solution and
to work harmoniously with

immerse the hardware in


it, including screws used to
mount the hardware. Leave
them soaking until they
achieve the desired shade of
darkness, then rinse them
thoroughly in clear water. If
the pieces still arent dark
enough, repeat the soaking/
rinsing process. If pieces end
up too dark, you can lighten
their finish by rubbing them
with fine steel wool.

Screw-on Hardware
One of my biggest hardware
mounting pet peeves is
seeing beautiful, expensive
screwed-on hardware thats
either mounted crooked or
has screws with stripped
heads. To prevent these
problems, here are some
practical steps to follow when
mounting hinges, latches,
trunk corners, or just about
any other kind of screwed-on
hardware. Start by determining and marking the exact
position of your hardware.
If the hardware spans two
separate parts, say a clasp
fastener that locks two
halves of a tabletop, set the
parts together just as they
will be after final assembly.
If theres supposed to be a
gap between the parts, use
cardboard or thin wood
strips to shim them. Now set
the hardware in place and
either clamp it down or use
double-stick tape to secure it.
To assure perfect pilot
holes for the mounting
A brass darkening solution can
take the shine off brass or bronze
hardware to match other hardware
or achieve a look you prefer.

64

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

screws, its best to use


a self-centering drill bit.
Choose the bit that matches
the size of the screws: a
5/64" bit for #4 screws; 3/32"
for #6 screws; 7/64" for #8
screws; and 1/8" for #10
screws. Before drilling, set
the bits sleeve to limit the
drilling depth to match the
length of your screws. Keep
the bit square to the work
surface while drilling, and
clear chips from the bit after
every hole. A self-centering
bit will often work with hardware that lacks countersunk
mounting holes. But if it
doesnt, mark hole positions
with a pencil, create centered
dimples with an awl, then
drill the pilot holes with a
regular bit.
If your hardware has steel
screws, or brass-plated steel
screws (if youre unsure,
check with a magnet), youre
all set to drive them in place.
However, when driving soft
brass or bronze screws into
harder woods (oak, maple,
etc.), its best to enlarge the
pilot holes with a slightly
bigger drill bit (try a bit
thats 1/64" or 1/32" larger),
to avoid breaking the screws
or stripping their heads. You
can also pre tap, as shown
at right. Whether you re-drill
or pre tap the pilot holes, its
best to run a test with spare
screws and a scrap of your
projects wood.
When youre ready to drive
the mounting screws, its
important to choose a screwdriver that fits the screws
drive recess (Phillips, square,
etc.) correctly. If you dont,

Double-stick tape
holds hardware in
place while you
drill pilot holes
with a self-centering bit. A springloaded sleeve on
the bit centers and
seats in countersunk mounting
holes on hardware.

youre in danger of the driver


deforming the screw heads
in some way and leaving an
ugly result. Take special care
when driving Phillips head
screws, as there seems to be
a stunning number of different sizes and styles. If your
hardware comes with slotted-head screws, I urge you
to replace them with Phillips
head screws its all too
easy for a slotted screwdriver
to slip out and ruin the screw
head or, worse, scratch the
hardware or gouge the wood!
To make driving easier,
lubricate mounting screws by
rubbing a little wax from an
old candle into the threads.
To seat the hardware evenly,
run all the screws most of
the way in first, then go back
and tighten them fully, taking
care not to apply too much
torque. To prevent breaking
or stripping screws when using a portable powered drill
or electric screwdriver, set
the tools clutch to the lowest
torque setting thatll get the
job done.
If you do get a spinner
a screw thats fully driven,
but wont stop turning an
old, but effective, trick is to
un-mount the hardware, and
apply the toothpick trick de-

scribed in the bottom photo


below. After letting the glue
dry, re-drill the pilot hole and
remount the hardware; just
go a little easy when driving
the screw.
If you accidentally break
off a screw while driving it,
dont panic;
if any of the
shank is still
exposed, try
gripping it
with locking
pliers and unscrewing it.
If the shank
breaks below
the surface,
youll need
to drill out
the broken
Pre tap pilot holes for soft brass mounting screws
screw with a
by driving a steel screw the same size and length in
tubular screw
and out of the mounting holes.
extractor,
plug the hole with a short
length of dowel, then re-drill
the pilot hole and drive a
new screw.

Fix a spinner screw with the


toothpick trick: shove a yellowglue-covered toothpick or two into
the stripped-out hole as far as it
will go, then snap it off flush with
the surface.

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

65

Todays Shop continued

Nail-on Hardware

The small bits needed for pilot


holes for small pins are easy to
break; keep your rotary tool steady
when drilling. Drive the pins with
a small hammer: a comb holds the
pin and provides some protection
in case you miss.

66

Small nails and pins are


often used to mount hardware such as small latches,
hinges and box corners. But
driving pins directly into
hardwoods is simply begging
for problems. To keep small
fasteners from bending or
driving crooked, its best
to create pilot holes before
driving them in place. After
positioning your hardware
and securing it, use an awl
to mark all holes. Just make
sure pieces, such as box
corners, are fully seated.
Choose a bit for pilot
holes thats slightly smaller
than the diameter of the
pins. Unfortunately, a 1/16"
diameter bit (the smallest
from a regular drill set) is too
large for pins size 16-gauge
and smaller. Use bits from a
numbered small drill bit set
for these pilot holes: #55 for
16-gauge; #63 for 18-gauge;
#72 for 20-gauge. Also, the
chucks on many portable
drills cant handle bits this
small, so use a rotary tool
fitted with a drill chuck.
To make the pins easier
to drive, rub a little wax on
them and use a tack hammer
or other small hammer. To
avoid smashing your fingers,
hold the pin between the

teeth of a regular hair comb


and leave the comb in place
until the fastener is almost
fully driven. After removing
the comb, carefully tap the
pin in until its head is in firm
contact with the hardware.
Dont drive it in any farther:
youll likely deform the pins
head, and an over-driven nail
can easily distort and buckle
thin brass hardware.

Mounting Hinges
Hinges are needed for any
project that has a door, lid,
hatch or other articulated
parts. Proper installation
varies considerably: some
hinges are designed to be
surface-mounted; others
must be mortised into place,
while still others require
special drilled or routed
recesses.
Surface-mount hinges,
suitable for a wide variety
of projects, are the easiest
to install. Butterfly hinges
are a good choice for small
wood boxes with thin lids,

while chest hinges are best


for attaching heavier lids on
blanket chests and toolboxes.
Once these hinges are positioned and mounting holes
are drilled, they simply screw
(or nail) in place. With either
type, its important to keep
hinge barrels parallel with
the edge of the workpiece, as
crooked hinges wont allow
the door/lid to open and
close smoothly.
The downside of surface-mounted hinges is that
they typically leave a gap between the hinged parts. For
closer fitting parts, there are
several kinds of hinges that
are easy to mount, including Rocklers Easy Mortise
hinges (see top left photo on
next page). Hidden barrel
hinges are also very easy to
install: Simply drill a pair of
holes, one for the cylindrical
portion of each hinge half,
and press them into place.
Euro-style concealed
hinges, popularly used with
frameless cabinets, require

A rule or straightedge pressed against the barrels of surface-mounted


hinges will quickly assure correct alignment. The barrels should also be
parallel to the edge of the workpiece.

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

work, position
each hinge leaf
and mark its
outline with a
razor or marking
knife. For rounded or irregularly
shaped hardRocklers Easy Mortise hinges have semicircular
ware, stick the
leaves designed to fit into shallow recesses
leaf down with
created with a 30 mm Forstner bit.
double-stick tape
and carefully trace around
a large pocket hole (usually
it. Next, use a small plunge
35 mm) for mounting one
router (or laminate trimhalf of the hinge. On large
mer) with a small-diameter
doors, these holes can be
awkward to bore using a drill straight bit to remove the
press. An alternative strategy mortise waste. In most cases,
mortises should be cut just
is to use a drilling guide to
deep enough to position the
keep the big bit square to
hinge leaf flush or just slightthe surface.
ly proud of the
wood surface.
But there are
exceptions, such
as when the
mortises must
be deep enough
to compensate
for the thickness
of the hinges
barrel.
Before routing, darken your
A drill-mortising guide like the JIG IT keeps a large knife lines with
Forstner bit on-center to create a clean, cylindrical a pencil, so you
hole for mounting a concealed hinge. A pre-drilled can see them
1/8 pilot hole helps guide the Forstner bit, and
more easily, then
a collar locked on its shank stops the bit at the
rout to within
correct boring depth.
about 1/32"
of each line. By setting the
Mortised Hinges
When a project calls for basic bit depth carefully, routing
assures a flat pocket of conbutt hinges or any hardware
sistent depth. If you accidenthat requires mortising into
tally rout too deep, you can
the surface of the work,
compensate by putting a bit
heres my preferred methof tape on the underside of
od. After determining the
the hinge leaf, or by shimlocation of the hinges on the

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

With regular rectangular hinges, its easiest to use a try square or other
layout tool to guide the marking knife when outlining a hinge leaf.

Sometimes, you will need to make an adjustment to your depth of cut for
a hinge mortise such as when one leaf from each hinge is surfacemounted, instead of being mortised.

After routing away the waste, use a sharp bench chisel to clean up the
edges and corners on your hinge mortises.

If you end up with sloppy or mis-cut mortises on the edge of a box side
or frame, its usually possible to cut off the bad edge, glue on a strip of
matching wood, then re-cut the mortises.

67

Todays Shop continued


Knobs and Pulls

The JIG IT Hinge Mortising System is especially good for complex


mortising jobs, such as those necessary for mounting quadrant hinges.

ming it with a small piece of


thin cardboard.
If you have dozens of
mortises to cut, say for a
production run of jewelry
boxes, youll get the most
consistent results by using a
template and plunge router
fitted with a guide bushing.
The template clamps atop
the workpiece and has an
opening sized and shaped to
produce the desired mortise.
The bushing rides around
the opening, allowing a
straight bit to rout the mortise with great precision. You
can make your own template,
or use a ready-made system,
such as the JIG IT Hinge
Mortising System.

68

rately is time-consuming and


can lead to mistakes. It takes
Unless your cabinet or
only a few minutes to make
furniture piece is fitted with
a drilling template that will
push-to-open hardware or
guarantee that all holes end
has doors and drawers with
up exactly where they should
routed finger grips, youll
be. Holes drilled through
need to install some sort
the template at the desired
of knobs or pulls. When
locations serve to guide the
positioning these on drawdrill bit. Because the stop
er fronts, centering them
vertically seems like a logical strips overlap both sides of
the plywood, the template
thing to do. However, youll
can be flipped over and set at
find that this doesnt always
either end of a long drawer
look right, especially on the
face, allowing you to drill
lower drawers of a dresser
or kitchen cabinet.
This is due to the
foreshortened
perspective we see
when gazing down
at lower objects:
centered pulls end
up looking too low.
Hence, its common practice to
mount such pulls/ To install a dowel screw, lock two nuts onto the
knobs a little above threaded end, then drive the wood screw end
into a pilot hole. Remove the nuts and thread
center. Theres no
your hardware onto the stud.
hard and fast rule
for how much higher; its
holes for pulls on both right
best to temporarily tape pulls
and left sides.
or knobs onto the finished
When the need arises for
piece, stand back, and see
mounting knobs in thick parts
what looks best to your eye.
(or when you simply dont
Unless you
want machine screw heads to
have only a few to
show on the inside of a drawmount, measurer), use a dowel screw.
ing and marking
If the holes you drill for
holes for each
mounting knobs or pulls are
knob or pull sepaslightly off, all is not lost.
In lieu of filling the holes
and re-drilling (trust me,
To accurately posiyoull see those bad holes
tion your knobs and
no matter how well you fill
pulls, make a drilling
template from a scrap
them), you can fit the pulls
of plywood. Two
with backplates (or choose
strips of wood are
bail style pulls which have
nailed on adjacent
their own wide backing
edges and set against
plates). Many styles of pulls
the side and top edge
of the drawer or door.
(and knobs) have matching

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

A backplate fits underneath a pull or knob and covers up the surface under
it, including any mis-drilled holes. Fitting a backplate can also cover up
old holes when changing from one size pull to another.

backplates, but you can always mix and match, or even


make your own backplates
from wood.

Drawer Slides
If you are using metal drawer
slides in your cabinet or furniture project, your choices
are almost as overwhelming
as those for hinges and pulls.
Basically, you need to choose
a set of slides with adequate
length and weight capacity
as well as enough extension
to allow easy access to items
in your drawers. These days,
some slides are available in
different finishes, including
black, white and brown.
Using a black slide with
light wood drawers can look
classier than the typical nickel-plated steel slides.
Once youve picked the
slides that best suit your
application, you face the challenge of building your carcass and drawers to suit the
requirements of the slides.
Read thoroughly through the
mounting instructions before
you start building to avoid
ending up with drawers that
dont fit or wont work with
your slides. One problem to
avoid at all costs is ending up
with a cabinet and/or drawer
boxes that arent square. If
the sides of the carcass are
not parallel, or arent square

to the front, your drawers


will never close properly, regardless of the type of slides
youre using. Even if you
adjust the individual slides
forward or backward so that
they catch in the closed position, your drawers face will
still end up crooked relative
to the cabinets face frame or
front edges.
Another all-too-common
mistake is to fail to subtract
the thickness of the slides
from the overall width of the
drawer. If you find yourself
in this situation, you may
be able to avoid building
new drawers by switching
to under-mount style slides
(if theyre just a skosh too
wide, you may be able to
sand down the drawer sides
to offer more clearance).
On the other hand, if your
drawers end up being too
narrow, its fairly easy to
install shim (strips of cardboard or veneer) under the
cabinet-mounted portion of
each slide.
In order to end up with
drawers that operate
smoothly with faces that are
evenly aligned to the cabinet
and to one another, each
pair of drawer slides must
be mounted at precisely the
same height and parallel to
one another. Further, the
cabinet-mounted portion of

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

each slide must be square


(vertically) to the front of the
cabinet/drawer housing. You
can certainly achieve this by
careful measurement, but
its easier to use a universal
slide mounting jig, as shown
in the photo below. The
jig aligns and supports the
cabinet-mounted portion of
the slide while you screw it
in place.
Sandor Nagyszalanczy is a craftsman and contributing editor to
Woodworkers Journal. His books
are available at Amazon.com.

A slide mounting jig aligns and supports the cabinet-mounted portion of


your drawer slide while you screw it in place.

When attaching the drawer-mounted portion of each slide, clamp-on


brackets support the drawer at the correct height relative to the
cabinet-mounted slides.

69

Woodworking Tools & Supplies Index


December 2016
For product information in the blink of an
eye, visit www.woodworkersjournal.com
and click on Woodworkers Marketplace
under the Tools & Supplies tab.

ADVERTISER

Page No.

1-800-BunkBed

7, 77

Web Address

ADVERTISER

www.1800bunkbed.com

Leigh Industries, Ltd.

Page No.

9, 17, 29, 87

Web Address

www.leighjigs.com

American Fabric Filter Co.

41

www.americanfabricfilter.com

Lignomat

41

www.lignomatusa.com

Armor Crafts

17

www.armorcrafts.com

Mirka Abrasives, Inc.

19

www.mirkawoodworking.us

Armor Tool

39

www.armor-tool.com

Next Wave Automation

11

www.nextwaveautomation.com

Badger Hardwoods of WI, Ltd.

www.badgerwood.com

Original Saw Company

39

www.originalsaw.com

Beall Tool Company

www.bealltool.com

Osborne Wood Products, Inc.

57, 89

www.briwax.com

PanelPro

56

www.panelpro.com

CMT USA Inc.

41

www.cmtusa.com

Piher

32

www.piher.com

Cook Woods

56

www.cookwoods.com

Quickscrews International Corp. 57

www.quickscrews.com

The Craftsman Gallery

77

www.chipsfly.com

Rikon Power Tools

13, 77

www.rikontools.com

DAP Products Inc

62

RapidFuseWood.DAP.com

Rockler Woodworking

DR Leaf and Lawn Vacuum

17

www.drleafvac.com

and Hardware

17, 40

www.rockler.com

DR Redi-Plow

41

www.drrediplow.com

SATA Spray Equipment

32

www.satausa.com

Briwax

9, 77

www.woodencomponents.com

Earlex

9, 91

www.earlex.com

Sawblade.com

www.sawblade.com

Epilog Laser

9, 21

www.epiloglaser.com/wwj

Steve Wall Lumber Co.

29

www.walllumber.com

www.festoolusa.com

SuperMax Tools

29

www.supermaxtools.com

furnituremedicfranchise.com

Teknatool International Group

11

www.teknatool.com

77

www.grexcordless.com

Titebond

www.titebond.com

Harbor Freight Tools

80-83

www.harborfreight.com

Triton Precision Power Tools

57

www.tritontools.com

Howard Products, Inc.

39

www.howardproducts.com

Wagner Meters

11

www.wagnermeters.com

Knew Concepts

www.knewconcepts.com

West Penn Hardwoods

77

www.westpennhardwoods.com

Laguna Tools

71

www.lagunacleanair.com

Woodworkers Source

17

www.101woods.com

Festool
Furniture Medic
Grex Power Tools

70

92
2, 15

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Pr G
oj ift
ec
t

Weekend Projects
Inlaid Picture Frame
By Chris Marshall

icture frames are often simple


projects, but that doesnt mean
their style has to be hum-

drum. Well make sure that doesnt


happen here! This 8x10 frame features
an eye-catching inlay that you can
make with a mixture of wood dye and
two-part epoxy. Once its poured into a
saw kerf in the frame parts and planed
flush, youll have the look of a colored
pinstripe with very little fuss. So, grab
a piece of special stock from your scrap
bin that measures at least 3/4" thick,
214" wide and 24" long. Ordinary epoxy

and either a water- or alcohol-based


dye will work fine for the inlay.

Frame
(Section View)

C
L
1

Colored Inlay

/4"
1

/4"

/4"
5

/16"

/2"

1"

Milling the Frame Parts


Start by surfacing your frame stock to 13/16" thick;
well plane it down to 3/4" after the inlay is poured.
Rip the blank to 214" (if it isnt already). Notice in the
Drawing, above, that the inlay is centered on the frame
pieces. To cut those shallow grooves, raise a 1/8"-kerf
table saw blade to 1/8", and set the rip fence 7/16" from
the blade. Rip two long kerfs into the best-looking face.
Mix and apply the inlay in the grooves (see sidebar,
next page). While it may be tempting to rip the stock
into narrow rails and stiles next, its safer to form the
5/16" x 1/2" rabbets on your wider workpiece to house
the glass and a back panel. Tackle those now at your

72

The author cuts and fills the inlay grooves, mills the back rabbets and adds the
inner bevel cuts all before ripping the frame parts to their 1" width. Its safer.

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

www.woodworkersjournal.com

Tinted Epoxy Inlay

ONLINE
VIDEO

MOREONTHEWEB
For a video about mixing and applying

VIDEO!
VIDEO

epoxy for an inlay, please visit

www.woodworkersjournal.com and click on


More on the Web under the Magazine tab.

Epoxy tinted with just a few drops of liquid wood dye will provide a colorful inlay for
your picture frame. To give yourself enough
working time, use a slower-setting formula
than the five-minute variety, if possible.
Mix the resin and hardener according to the
manufacturers instructions. For one picture frame, youll only need about an ounce of
prepared epoxy. Stir three to five drops of dye in and check for color: the lighter and
more transparent the inlay is, the better light will penetrate it to make the frame color
really pop! Drizzle the liquid inlay mixture into the kerfs with a small paddle, filling
them to the top. When the epoxy cures hard, run the wood through a planer to remove
the excess and reduce the stock thickness to 3/4", leaving crisp, clean color lines.

are 9" long. Make


the inside edges
of the side stiles
7" long when you
miter-cut those to
size. I made these
precise cuts with
my workpieces
resting on an Lshaped jig screwed
to my table saws
miter gauge (see
photo at left).
An L-shaped miter gauge jig with a clamped stop block keeps the frame
Swinging the miter
pieces from shifting during cutting and ensures accurate part lengths.
gauge to 45 one
way or the other set the correct miter
router table or table saw. Make sure to
angle directions. A clamped stop block
mill the rabbets along both edges into
ensured matching-length parts.
the face opposite the inlay. Finish this
Glue and clamp your frame together.
profiling stage by routing a 1/4"-deep,
On a frame this small, glue alone is
45 bevel into the edges beside the instrong enough for the miter joints. Ill
lays (see photo, page 72). Now split the
recommend Titebonds new Quick &
frame stock into a pair of long, 1"-wide
strips. Each will become both a top or
Thick formula. It tacks up fast, doesnt
bottom rail and a side stile for the frame. drip and relies more on surface adhesion than soaking in to form a strong

Mitering and Assembly


Miter-cut the top and bottom rails to
length at 45 and so the inside edges

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

Gluing miter joints together can be tricky, but a


strap clamp like this (or pieces of painters tape
stretched around the corners) makes it easier.

bond: three good attributes for these


end-grain butt joints. When the glue
dries, rout a bevel around the perimeter
of the frame to match the inside bevel
detail, then give a careful hand-sanding.

Finishing Up
Spray can lacquer dries fast and makes
an attractive clear finish here. I bought
precut 8x10, .080"-thick acrylic at a
home center for the glass and used
a piece of 1/8" plywood (found in craft
stores) for a back panel. You can secure
the frames back panel with brads, but
a few dabs of hot-melt glue are easier to
apply and seem to hold just as well.

Tack a hanger to the frames top rail. Install the


glass (or acrylic) and the photo. Then secure the
back panel with dabs of hot-melt glue or brads.

73

Whats In Store
Bigger, Better Tools
Contact Information
BORA Tool (Affinity Tool)
866-588-0395
Hitachi
800-706-7337
Infinity Cutting Tools
877-872-2487
JET
800-274-6848
Milwaukee
800-729-3878
Powermatic
800-274-6848
Rockler
800-279-4441
Trend
877-918-7363

Plugfones

74

JET 15, 18 and 20 Steel Frame Bandsaws

ET s new 15", 18" and


20" Steel Frame Bandsaws feature the largest
resaw capabilities and table
dimensions in their classes.
Resaw height of the new
JET 15" band saws has been
increased to 14", which is 4"
taller than previous models.
The 18" and 20" band saws
boast a full 16" resaw capacity,
a 334" increase.
The 15" band saws table
measures 2112" long x 16"
wide, while the oversize
table of the 18" and 20" saws

measures 2714" x 20". These


cast-iron tables tilt 0 to 45
right and 0 to 5 left, providing support for a wide range
of bevel cuts. Table height
for the 15" band saws is 35",
and the 18" and 20" saws are
set at 37".
All are equipped with
extruded aluminum, dualposition fences that can be
used flat for cutting thin
inlays and furring strips or
upright for resawing, crown
molding and cutting other
large materials. The saws
are driven by single-phase,
totally enclosed, fan-cooled
motors ranging from 134- to
5hp, pre-wired for either 115or 230-volt service.
The 15" saw comes in two
models: JWBS-15 (134hp,
$1,649.99) and JWBS-15-

3 (3hp, $1,799.99). Two


versions of the 18" saw
include: JWBS-18 (134hp,
$2,099.99) and JWBS-18-3
(3hp, $2,299.99). JETs 20"
options are: JWBS-20-3 (3hp,
$2,999.99) and JWBS-20-5
(5hp, $3,249.99).
Plugfones are compact
earphone headphones with
a 25 decibel noise reduction rating. They can be
plugged into your portable
music device or smartphone,
allowing you to listen to
music while protecting your
hearing. They come with
one pair each of silicone
and foam earplugs, plus an
extra long audio cord and
a 3.5 mm audio plug thats
compatible with most audio
equipment. Plugfones are
available through Infinity
Cutting Tools for $25.90.
Replacement foam or silicone
earplugs come in five-pair
packs for $8.90.

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Rockler Dust Right


Bench Sweep

Rocklers new Dust


Right Bench Sweep is
an 18"-long, 3"-wide
plastic accessory
with keyhole slots
that can be mounted
to the end of a router table
or workbench to act as a
catchall for debris. Opening
the cover on top creates a
backstop to help you deflect
dust and debris down into
the funnel as you clear it off
your work surface. Underneath, a 212" hose port enables the Bench Sweep to be
connected to a standard shop
vac hose or Rocklers Dust
Right Shop Vacuum Handle
(item 55083, sold separately).
Closing the Sweeps lid acts
like a blast gate.
A blue grid fits inside the
Sweep to prevent larger
material, bits and small
tools or metal fasteners
from falling into your dust
collection system. Remove
the grid and you can direct
larger wood chunks down
into a trash can instead. The
grid can be hung on the back
of the Bench Sweep when
not in use. Storage hooks
on both ends of the housing
are handy for hanging a dust
brush and other essential
tools. Rocklers new Dust
Right Bench Sweep (item
50608) sells for $19.99.

Powermatic has introduced


two new mid-sized CNC
woodworking routers: the
PM-2X2RK, with an aluminum
work table measuring 3914"
x 2812", and the PM-2X4SPK,
with a table measurement of
63" x 2812". Both are threeaxis CNC machines, in which
the spindle works in the X,
Y and Z planes (side-to-side,
back-and-forth and up-anddown). The PM-2X2RK
provides ZYZ travel of 24" x
24" x 6" and the PM-2X4SPK
features XYZ travel of 24" x
48" x 6".
A USB port allows for file
transfer; its not necessary
to connect a computer to
the machine. Both
Powermatic CNC
routers accept
software including
VCarve Desktop,
VCarve Pro and
others. They can
cut many types of
wood, as well as
plastics, composites, aluminum and
foam, for furniture
components, door
panels, moldings,

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

3D carvings and more.


Enclosed steel stands include
storage drawers, and four
hold-down clamps are included with each machine. A 4"
port on the dust shoe allows
for connection to a standard
dust collection system.
The PM-2X4SPK has a
7.5-amp, 3hp motor with a
speed range of 0 to 2,400 rpm
and is prewired for 230-volt
operation. The collet accepts
both 1/4" and 1/2" chucks.
It is priced at $8,499.99. The
PM2X2RK has a universal 312" router mount that
accepts several compatible
routers; that machine is
priced at $5,719.99.

Powermatic PM-2X2RK and


PM-2X4SPK CNC routers

75

Whats In Store continued

Trend Door and Board Lifter

Milwaukee Tool
Double-Ended
Power Bits

The Trend Door and Board


Lifter (item D/LIFT/B) is a
foot-operated accessory that
allows both up-and-down and
side-to-side movement for
positioning doors, panels or
more. The Door and Board
Lifter rotates 360 and can lift
doors and panels 238" high.
It holds a maximum weight
of 165 pounds. Made of
durable steel, the Door and
Board Lifter is equipped with
a non-marring foot pad and
weighs 1.5 pounds. Its priced
at $30.
Milwaukee Tool has a new
line of 238" Double-Ended
Power Bits for impact drivers:
one bit offers two unique
tips. Both ends of the bit lock
securely in impact drivers
and quick-change chucks.
Made of Custom Alloy76
Steel and heat treated for
maximized wear and shock
resistance, the Double-Ended
Power Bits feature a unique
Shockzone geometry to absorb peak torque and prevent
breakage. Each Precise-Fit
Custom Machined Tip
also prevents stripping and
reduces wobble. The Double-Ended Power Bits include
a variety of bit tip configurations: PH2/SQ2, PH2/T25,
PH2/SL-1/4 and T20/T25.
Each bit is priced at $2.49.

Hitachi KNT50AB
Finish Combo Kit

Hitachis Finish Combo


Kit, the KNT50AB, includes
the new six-gallon EC710S
Compressor. Weighing 36.5
pounds, the EC710S uses a
1hp motor that operates on
standard household current;
maximum working pressure
is 150 PSI. Its quiet, at 73
decibels, and can operate
multiple nailers.
The kits NT50AE2 Brad
Nailer accepts 5/8" to 2"
18-gauge fasteners and
weighs 2.2 pounds. A depthof-drive dial lets you adapt
to woods of var ying density,
while a selective actuation switch goes between
sequential mode or bump
fire mode.
The Hybrid Air Hose is
about 25% lighter than a rub-

ber hose and remains flexible


in cold temperatures up to
-40 Fahrenheit. The kits list
price is $250.
The MiteriX angle measuring
and duplicating tool from
BORA Tool is designed to
ensure that miter cuts are at
the perfect angle. The user
can measure the exact miter
angle needed on the material, lock it, then transfer that
exact angle to the miter saw.
Divide in half (the product
comes apart) for an accurate
miter. The MiteriX measures
internal or external angles
from 0 to 180 (miter angle
from 0 to 90). The MiteriX
is collapsible and foldable for
storage. Its priced at $40.

BORA Tool MiteriX

76

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

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77

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84

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

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Jigs & Fixtures


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85

Finishing Thoughts
Coatings for Kitchenware
By Michael Dresdner

Leave it au naturel, or go for a bit more dazzle.


Wax On, Wax Off
Unlike regular cutting
boards, true butcher block is
oriented so the cutting face
is all end grain. Traditionally,
these chopping blocks are
sealed with paraffin wax, and
it works amazingly well. So
well, in fact, that I sometimes
use this treatment for cutting
boards made of wood with
exceptionally large pores,
such as ash.
Youll find paraffin blocks
in the canning and preserving section of the grocery
store. Melt the wax completely, but keep it away
from open flames. Chopping
the wax into small pieces
or cutting shavings with a
vegetable scraper helps it
melt quicker. As it melts,
it goes from white solid to
clear liquid.
is the season to make stay unfinished in my kitchBrush the hot liquid wax
en. Theres no finish that
gifts, and kitchen
quickly over the entire wood
holds up to such abuse, and
items are always a
surface, letting it penetrate
since I see these as strictly
favorite. Theyre easy to
the wood grain. When it
functional tools, theres no
make, are welcomed by
sense adding an unnecessary cools to a solid, use a credit
cooks and can often be made
card to scrape the wax off
finish for looks. However,
of scrap wood.
the surface. The card wont
I finish specialty cutting
So what finish should you
scratch or cut into the wood,
boards and certain hand
put on this ideal gift? While
but will remove the bulk
tools, like wooden spatulas,
nothing at all is a perfectly
of the surface wax, leaving
muddlers, coffee tampers,
valid option for any kitchen
pores completely filled and
peppermills and rolling pins.
treen, there are a range of
the barest wax coating
finishing options that
on the surface.
are safe, simple and
Paraffin blocks the
stunning. Lets look
water and juices from
at a few of my favorite
fruit, meat, fish and vegkitchenware finishes.
etables from penetrating
into the wood, making
Just Leave It Raw
the board easy to clean,
Spoons that constantly
yet quite stain-resistant.
go into hot soups and
If it ever needs renewal,
stews, and my primary
scrape, sand, and repeat
cutting board that gets
Shave or break up grocery store paraffin blocks
the hot wax treatment.
cut on and scrubbed
for quicker melting. Theyll go from white to
clear as they melt.
several times a day,

Michael Dresdner
is a nationally known finishing
expert. He shares his expertise on
the DVD The Way to Woodwork:
Step-by-Step to a Perfect Finish,
available through the store at
woodworkersjournal.com.

86

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

Contact us
with your finishing questions by
writing to Woodworkers Journal,
Brush the hot, melted paraffin quickly and liberally
onto the entire surface of a butcher block, allowing it
to soak into the pores.

Oils Well that Ends Well


Boiled linseed oil is perfect
for small items of all sorts,
like spatulas, muddlers, rolling pins, espresso tampers,
whisk handles and more. It
perks up dark woods and
pops figured wood grain.
The oil is absorbed by the
wood, then cures to a solid,
case-hardening inside the
wood without leaving a film
on it.

Cured linseed oil has good


resistance to heat, water
and stains, but since its not
a surface film, it cant chip
or peel. Thus it feels like
raw wood but takes a lot of
abuse while remaining easy
to clean.
I generally soak the pieces
overnight in pure boiled
linseed oil. Dont add solvent
because thats completely
counterproductive, reducing

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION


(Required by 39 USC 3685) 1. Publication Title: Woodworkers Journal.
2. Publication No. 0199-1892. 3. Filing Date: October 1, 2016. 4. Issue
Frequency: bimonthly. 5. No. of issues published annually: six. 6.
Annual Subscription Price: $19.95. 7. Complete mailing address of the
publication office: 4365 Willow Dr., Medina, MN 55340. 8. Complete
mailing address of the headquarters: 4365 Willow Dr., Medina, MN
55340. 9. Full names and mailing address of publisher and editor in chief:
Rob Johnstone, Publisher; Joanna Takes, Editor. Rockler Press, Inc.,
4365 Willow Dr., Medina, MN 55340. 10. Owner, names and addresses
of stockholders: Rockler Press, Inc.; Ann Rockler Jackson, 4365 Willow
Dr., Medina, MN 55340. 11. Not applicable. 12. Not applicable. 13.
Publication Title: Woodworkers Journal. 14. Issue date for circulation
data below: September/October 2016.
15. Extent and nature of circulation
Average no.
copies each
issue during
preceding
12 months
A. Total number of copies (net press run)
139,409
B. Legitimate paid and/or requested distribution
1. Mail subscription
132,256
3. Sales: dealers, carriers,
counter and vendors
1,656
C. Total paid and/or requested circulation
133,912
D. Non-requested distribution
1. By mail samples, complimentary
and other free
554
4. Outside the mail
477
E. Total nonrequested distribution
1,031
F. Total distribution
134,943
G. Copies not distributed
4,466
H. Total
139,409
I. Percent paid and/or requested circulation 99.2%
16. Electronic copy circulation
a. Requested and paid electronic copies
1,792
b. Total requested and paid print copes and
requested/paid electronic copies
135,704
c. Total requested copy distribution and
requested/paid electronic copies
136,735
d. Percent paid and/or requested circulation
(both print and electronic copies)
99.2%

After it cools, scrape off the excess wax with a credit


card, which removes all but an ultra-thin coating
safely, without cutting into the wood.

Actual no.
of single
issue pub.
nearest to
filing date
134,315

the solids without increasing


penetration.
Put the parts in a zip lock
bag, pour in some oil, and
squeeze all the air out of
the bag so that the pieces
are completely surrounded
by oil. The next day, take
them out, wipe them off and
prop them up so air gets all
around them. Let them dry

4365 Willow Drive,


Medina, MN 55340,
or by emailing us at:
finishing@woodworkersjournal.com.
Please include your address,
phone number and email
address (if you have one)
with your thoughts or questions.

Continues on page 88 ...

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I certify that 50% of all my distributed copies (electronic and print) are
legitimate requests or paid copies.
17.Publication of Statement of Ownership for a Requestor
Publication is required and will be printed in the November/December
2016 issue of this publication. 18. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher,
Business Manager or Owner: Rob Johnstone, Publisher. Date: 09/02/16.
I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and
complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading
information on this form or who omits material or information requested
on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and
imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

Woodworkers Journal December 2016

87

Finishing Thoughts continued

For small items youre finishing with oil,


place the parts in a zip lock bag and pour in
some boiled linseed oil.

Squeeze all the air out of the bag so the


parts are completely surrounded by oil.
Soak overnight.

After soaking, thoroughly wipe off all surface oil and prop the parts up to dry. Allow
at least two days to dry before using.

two days before putting them into service.


Pour any unabsorbed
oil from the bag into
a storage container to
be used over again.
The same oil works
on gently used cutting
boards, like pizza or
cheese boards, and
even on salad bowls.
Continuously flood the
surface with oil until
the wood can absorb
no more. Let the wet
oil sit on the surface
for 15 minutes, then
wipe it off and prop
the item up to dry.
Give it at least two
days drying time
before putting the
boards or bowls into
service. Theyll continue to look great and
will wash off quickly
and easily.
Perhaps youve
noticed that I did not
mention mineral oil,
an edible laxative that
some folks use for
treating wood, or the
various vegetable oils

we use for cooking.


Theyre obviously edible, but they do not
cure, and instead stay
in liquid form forever.
Put one of these on
wood and it will come
off on anything that
comes in contact
with it, will leach into
foods, and will quickly
be removed when
the item is scrubbed
with soap and water,
leaving you with the
raw wood you started
with. Might as well
simply not bother
finishing the wood in
the first place.

For large parts, apply oil liberally. Keep the


surface fully wet for 15 minutes, adding
more oil where the wood absorbs it all.

French polishing on the lathe is a quick,


easy way to get a glossy shellac finish,
perfect for gently used items.

About Food Contact

Film at Eleven
Items that dont get cut,
exposed to high heat, or
scrubbed every day, like
candy bowls and peppermills,
can get a film finish. My
favorite is shellac, applied
by French polishing right on
the lathe. For a tougher film,
use oil-based polyurethane,
either wiped on and off, coat
after coat, or brushed on for
quicker application.

The dirty little secret of the


coatings industry is that
whether or not it says salad
bowl finish on the label, the
truth is that, once dry, all
common clear coatings are
safe for food contact once
they are dry and cured. That
includes boiled linseed oil,
Danish oil, shellac, polyurethane, alkyd varnish and
lacquer (both solvent- and
water-based).

My Favorite Spatula
This handy little ergonomic helper is comfortable to use, versatile and strong
enough to scrape a cast-iron pan, yet wont scratch nonstick coatings. I cut
quarter inch slices off a 10"-long block of 8/4 figured maple. Because theyre
flat and thin, I can slice 16 spatula blanks from one board foot of wood.
Set the table saw blade at 45 and your miter gauge fence at 20 to cut a
chisel point on one end of the
blank. Band saw the handle
shape and sand the edges, but
not the front angle. Leave that
edge sharp, to chop up ground
beef or scrape the bottom of a
frying pan.

88

Each Square = 1/4"

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

HEYDid

You Know?

Set sail for woodworking trivia


When used for shipbuilding,
the wood from the Southern
live oak was so strong that
cannonballs bounced off
the sides of the ship.

What Does It All Mean?

There is no such thing as white dye or true

A quick guide to terms from the

black dye; white is only available as a pig-

world of woodworking.

ment. Black pigment exists, but black dye

Live center: One of two mounting

is actually very dark green, blue or purple

points on a lathe for spindle turn-

dye. The addition of a small amount of

ing, it spins on its own bearings

orange dye makes it appear blacker.

and is installed at the non-driven,


tailstock end

Digital image courtesy of promotive/Bigstock.com

Dozuki: Thin-bladed Japanese

peg fitted to matching holes in a


workbench surface; used as a stop
to hold a workpiece in place

Submit your
own trivia ...

Send in a curious fact about


your favorite topic and ours:
woodworking. If it is selected
for use, you will win an
awesome prize!
Submit your Trivia to Woodworkers
Journal, Dept. Trivia, 4365 Willow Drive,
Medina, MN 55340. Or send us an email:
trivia@woodworkersjournal.com

90

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Your Trivia Test:


Q What is the national tree of the
United States?
Joel Miller of Modesto, California, will receive a
SENCO FinishPro21LXP Pinner, pack of 21-ga. pins and
a 1 Gallon Finish & Trim Air Compressor for having his
contribution selected for the Trivia page.

Answer

Bench dog: A round or square

As chosen by a National Arbor


Day Foundation poll in 2001 and
enacted by Congress in 2004,
the official national tree of the
U.S. is the oak (Quercus).

Aniline dye: Water-soluble dye


used for coloring wood

Digital image courtesy of MEGAPIXEL1/Bigstock.com

saw that cuts on the pull stroke

December 2016 Woodworkers Journal

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