PWW 239 Derevyannoe Kruzhevo
PWW 239 Derevyannoe Kruzhevo
PWW 239 Derevyannoe Kruzhevo
SALE!
APRIL 2
− to −
PURVEYORS OF FINE MACHINERY®, SINCE 1983 | CELEBRATING 35 YEARS! JULY 9
2018
MORTISING MACHINE 12 SPEED HEAVY-DUTY BENCHTOP
DRILL PRESS
• Motor: 3⁄4 HP, 110V, single-phase, • Motor: 3⁄4 HP, 110V, single-phase
8A, 3450 RPM • Swing: 14"
• Max. stock width: 8" THE HOTTEST SELLING • Drill chuck: 1⁄64"–5⁄8"
• Max. stock thickness: 73⁄8" MORTISING MACHINE • Drilling capacity: 3⁄4" steel
ON THE MARKET
• Mortising depth: 41⁄2" • Spindle taper: MT#2
• Chisel travel: 43⁄4" • Spindle travel: 31⁄4"
MADE IN
• Max. distance column-to-chisel center: 61⁄4" • Speeds: (12) 140, 260, 320, 380, 480, 540,
AN ISO 9001
• Table size: 6" x 16" 980, 1160, 1510, 1650, 2180, 3050 RPM FACTORY
• Heavy-duty cast-iron construction • Collar size: 2.040"
• Includes ½" mortising chisel • Precision-ground cast-iron table
INCLUDES BUILT-IN
• Approx. shipping weight: 92 lbs. • Table swing: 360º LIGHT (BULB NOT
• Table tilts: 90˚ left & right INCLUDED)
• Overall height: 38"
• Approximate shipping weight: 148 lbs.
$
$
59 89
W1671 $
SALE $31200 shipping
lower 48 states
G7943 $
SALE $36500 shipping
lower 48 states
INCLUDES DUST
OSCILLATING 13" BENCHTOP PLANER COLLECTION
DRILL PRESS WITH BUILT-IN DUST COLLECTION BAG!
• Motor: 2 HP, 120V, single-phase, 15A
• Motor: 3⁄4 HP, 110V, • Max. cutting width: 13", height: 6"
single-phase, 1725 RPM, 9A • Max. cutting depth: 1⁄8"
• Swing: 131⁄4" • Feed rate: 26 FPM
• Drill chuck: 1–16MM MADE IN AN ISO
9001 FACTORY
• Number of knives: 3 reversible HSS
• Arbor: JT33 • Knife size: 13" x 1⁄2" x 1⁄16"
3092372
$
89 59
$
W1848 $
5 SALE $39500 shipping
lower 48 states
G0832 $
SALE $36995 shipping
lower 48 states
1 HP SHAPER 2 HP SHAPER
• Motor: 1 HP, 120V, single-phase, 13A • Motor: 2 HP, 120V/240V,
• Table size: 155⁄8" x 173⁄4" single-phase, prewired 240V,18A/9A
• Table counterbore: 3" dia. x 3⁄8" deep • Table size: 24" x 21"
• Spindle travel: 7⁄8" • Spindle travel: 3"
• Spindle size: 1⁄2" INCLUDES 1⁄4" & 1⁄2" • Spindle sizes: 1⁄2" and 3⁄4" (included)
• Spindle length: 3" ROUTER BIT ADAPTER • Spindle speeds: 7000 and 10,000 RPM
• Spindle speed: 13,200 RPM • Miter gauge slot: T-slot 2 YEAR
• Floor to table height: 341⁄4" • Stand: cabinet-style, WARRANTY!
• Overall size: 27" W x 23" D x 401⁄4" H powder-coated finish
• Approx. shipping weight: 172 lbs. • Power cord length: 10' x 14 AWG
• Max. cutter diameter: 5"
• Approx. shipping weight: 293 lbs. 177335
$
115
G0510Z $
5 0
SALE $40995 W1674 $
5 SALE $96500 shipping
lower 48 states
TECHNICAL SERVICE:
18POP 570–546–9663
2 GREAT SHOWROOMS!
BELLINGHAM, WA • SPRINGFIELD, MO
FAX: 800–438–5901
19502
• ALMOST A MILLION SQUARE FEET PACKED TO THE RAFTERS WITH MACHINERY & TOOLS FREE 2018
• 2 OVERSEAS QUALITY CONTROL OFFICES STAFFED WITH QUALIFIED GRIZZLY ENGINEERS CATALOG
• HUGE PARTS FACILITY WITH OVER 1 MILLION PARTS IN STOCK AT ALL TIMES OVER 802 PAGES OF HIGH
QUALITY MACHINES & TOOLS
• TRAINED SERVICE TECHNICIANS AT BOTH LOCATIONS • MOST ORDERS SHIP THE SAME DAYY AT INCREDIBLE PRICES
$
G1030Z2P $49500 SALE $45500 89 shipping G0548ZP $51500 SALE $49500
$
89shipping
lower 48 states lower 48 states
FREE
14" DELUXE BANDSAW 10" HYBRID TABLE SAW 10" X 40T
35TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION WITH RIVING KNIFE & IMPROVED FENCE CARBIDE-TIPPED
177335
BLADE
• Motor: 1 HP, 110V/220V, single-phase • Motor: 2 HP, 120V/240V, prewired 120V,
• Amps: 11A at 110V, 5.5A at 220V single-phase
• Precision-ground cast-iron • Amps: 15A at 120V, 7.5A at 240V
table size: 14" x 14" • Precision-ground cast iron table
• Table tilt: 10° left, 45° right with wings measures: 401⁄2" W x 27" D
• Floor-to-table height: 43" • Floor-to-table height: 353⁄8"
• Cutting capacity/throat: 131⁄2" • Arbor: 5⁄8"
• Max. cutting height: 6" • Arbor speed: 3450 RPM
• Blade size: 931⁄2" (1⁄8" to 3⁄4" wide) • Max. depth of cut: 31⁄4" @ 90°, 21⁄4" @ 45°
• Blade speeds: 1800 and 3100 FPM • Rip capacity: 31" R, 16 3/4" L CM
• Overall size: 27" W x 671⁄2" H x 30" D • Overall size: 64" W x 401⁄4" D x 351⁄2" H C US
• Swing over tool rest: 131/2" • Spindle sizes: (10) 1⁄4" x 5", 3⁄8" x 6", 1⁄2" x 6", 5⁄8" x 6", 3⁄4" x 9",
1
• Distance between centers: 46" 1" x 9", 1 ⁄2" x 9", 2" x 9", 3" x 9", 4" x 9", tapered and threaded
• 1" x 8 TPI RH headstock spindle • Floor-to-table height: 351⁄2"
• MT#2 spindle & tailstock tapers • 1725 RPM spindle speed
• Spindle bore: 3⁄8" DIGITAL • Includes formed and welded steel stand
• Spindle speed range: 600–2400 RPM SPEED • Spindle oscillates at 72 strokes-per-minute
• Overall dimensions: READOUT! • Stroke length: 11⁄2"
721⁄2" L x 19" W x 48" H • Built-in 4" dust collection port
MADE IN • Shielded and permanently lubricated
• Approx. shipping weight: 354 lbs. AN ISO 9001 ball bearings
FACTORY • Approximate shipping weight: 296 lbs.
$
115 $
115
G0462 665 $ 00
SALE $
625 00 shipping
lower 48 states
G1071 $87500 SALE $84500 shipping
lower 48 states
CABINET HARDWARE
INSTALL SCREWS
SCREWS
POCKET DRAWER
EXTERIOR FRONT
SCREWS HOLE
SCREWS ADJUSTING
SCREWS
38 44 50
F E AT U R E S
Number 239, June 2018. Popular Woodworking Magazine (ISSN 0884-8823,USPS 752-250)
is published 7 times a year, February, April, June, August, October, November and December,
ONLINE u Campaign
which may include an occasional special, combined or expanded issue that may count as
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should include ample postage on a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE); otherwise they Check out chests, chairs, tables and beds
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of the U.S. add $7/year Canada Publications Mail Agreement No. 40025316. Canadian
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30
PHOTOS BY THE AUTHORS popularwoodworking.com ■ 3
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CONTENTS JUNE 2018
14 26 58
REGUL AR S
Door Restoration We have many tool reviews available for free Grain Raising
LETTERS on our website. FLEXNER ON FINISHING
FRO M O UR R E A D ER S popularwoodworking.com/tools BY B O B FLE X N ER
18
6 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2018 ILLUSTRATION: MARTHA GARSTANG HILL / GOUGE PHOTO: DAVID LYELL / OTHER PHOTOS BY AUTHORS
Low Profile.
High Performance.
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Mirka® DEROS
• Random Orbital electric sander
• Available in 5” and 6” models
• Brushless DC electric motor with 5mm orbit
• Variable speeds from 4,000-10,000 rpm
• Maintains consistent speed while sanding
• Bluetooth™ technology pairs with the myMirka app
Mirka® DEOS / Mirka® DEROS Abranet® Mesh Abrasives Vacuum Hose Dust Extractor
E
arlier this year, I took the reigns David Thiel
some reason, woodworking seems out you know it, you have a spoon! NEWSSTAND SALES
Contact Scott T. Hill:
of reach for many people. We need to Don’t trick yourself into thinking [email protected]
change that. your tools and materials are more pre-
To the non-woodworker, power cious than they really are. It’s what
tools can be dangerous and expensive. you do with them that counts. And
Chisels and planes take knowledge, remember, who you share your tools SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES:
For subscription inquiries, orders and address changes go
skill and time to use effectively (not with counts just as much, too. to: www.popularwoodworking.com/customerservice
to mention keeping them sharp). The U.S. Subscribers: 877-860-9140
International Subscribers: 386-246-3369
lumber at the home center can be a Email: [email protected]
nightmare to use if you’re not care- NEWSSTAND DISTRIBUTION:
ful. There’s a lot of discouragement for Curtis Circulation Co., 730 River Road, New Milford, NJ
07646. PHONE: 201-634-7400. FAX: 201-634-7499.
would-be woodworkers.
SHOPWOODWORKING.COM
Thankfully, this also presents a lot P.S. Want to tell me what you think of Visit ShopWoodworking.com for woodworking books,
projects, plans and back issues of this magazine.
of opportunity. We’re here to inspire this issue or anything else? Send a note to
Copyright ©2018 by F+W Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
people to make more of the stuff they [email protected]. Popular Woodworking Magazine is a registered trademark of
F+W Media, Inc.
© Saint-Gobain 2018
worked to flatten it, but it was still hard What happened? Does anyone make
to work with and became wavy again them anymore?
within hours. Would you recommend Gordon Burki,
veneer softener? Janesville, Wisconsin
3. Regarding glue. The piece I’m
making is curved. I don’t have a vacuum Gordon,
A New Podcast
press and have used contact cement It looks like the majority of new radial When we’re not in the shop or planning
projects, we’re still talking about wood.
with veneer with good results. How- arm saws are manufactured with more
In January, the Popular Woodworking
ever, I read that burl is porous and I’m industrial processes in mind than those team launched a new podcast, called The
afraid that when I finish it, the lacquer of a home woodworker. Craftsman still Afterlife of Trees. Each month, we delve
may affect the bond. The fact that it has sells a new 10" model, and the Original into topics beyond the shop including
backing makes me think it should be Saw Company sells a 12" model (though woodworking mysteries, skateboards,
urban lumber, boats and more.
OK to use contact cement. Without a considerably more expensive).
Have an idea you'd like us to cover
vacuum press or adequate clamps, the For the cost of a new radial arm saw, or want to tell us what you think? Send
only other option is to use brown glue you could purchase a 10" sliding miter a note to [email protected]
with an iron, but I’ve never done that saw and a portable 10" table saw and be and don't forget to subscribe on your
before and am unsure of the strength able to do nearly all of the same cuts you’d favorite podcast service.
— Andrew Zoellner
of the bond. What do you think? have done on your radial arm saw. I think
Dante Brunetti, it’s this market fact (very affordable miter
via email and table saws), along with the big recall
Dante, Craftsman did on their radial arm saws
The veneer sounds like a great find and in 2000 (involving 3.7 million units), that
should be beautiful! led most manufacturers away from selling Customer Service
How can I contact customer service with questions
I don’t know of issues with newspaper new radial arm saws. regarding my subscription, including a lost or damaged
issue?
as a backer. Certainly a ’60s paper would There are still a large number of radial Visit popularwoodworking.com/customerservice. Or write
have a higher “rag” content, so it should arm saws on the used market, including to Popular Woodworking Magazine, P.O. Box 421751,
Palm Coast, FL 32142-1751. Or, if you prefer the telephone,
serve as a good backer. You mentioned industrial-quality machines that can be call 877-860-9140 (U.S. & Canada), 386-246-3369
(International) and a customer service representative will
you wet the veneer. If you don’t see any had for pennies on the dollar. If you keep be happy to help you.
separation issues, you should be safe. your eyes on Craigslist, you’ll see all kinds When does my subscription expire?
The date of your subscription expiration appears on your
Yes, I would recommend a veneer soft- of different models and sizes. You’ll have magazine mailing label, above your name. The date
indicates the last issue in your subscription.
ener, especially because of the thickness to take a chance on something without
Can I get back issues of Popular Woodworking
and of the burl. a warranty and might have to do a little Magazine?
Back issues are available while supplies last. Visit
I don’t believe you should have any restoration work, but if you’re selective popularwoodworking.com/backissues. Or if you know
concern with lacquer releasing the adhe- about what you’re looking for and willing the exact month and year of the issue you want, call our
customer service department toll-free at 855-840-5118
sive, but there are a couple of untried vari- to wait, you can find some great deals. to order.
What if I want more information about the projects or
ables here. As with most “first times” in Andrew Zoellner, Editor tools I read about in Popular Woodworking Magazine?
woodworking, it might make sense to try For all editorial questions, please write to Popular
Woodworking Magazine, 10151 Carver Road, Suite 300,
a small sample piece, and I’d recommend Cincinnati, OH 45242. Or send an email to
[email protected].
recreating the curve on your sample. Bet- ON INE EXTRAS Does Popular Woodworking Magazine offer group
ter safe than sorry! discounts?
David Thiel, Letters & Comments Group discounts are available by special arrangement
with the publisher. For more details, send an email to
At popularwoodworking.com/letters you’ll Debbie Paolello at [email protected] or call
Online Content Developer find reader questions and comments, as 513-531-2690 x11296.
well as our editors’ responses. Our Privacy Promise to You
We make portions of our customer list available to carefully
New Radial Arm Saws? We want to hear from you. screened companies that offer products and services we
believe you may enjoy. If you do not want to receive offers
Popular Woodworking Magazine welcomes
I had a Craftsman radial arm saw for and/or information, please let us know by contacting us at:
comments from readers. Published cor- List Manager, F+W Media, Inc.
years and I could do almost anything respondence may be edited for length or 10151 Carver Road, Suite 300
Blue Ash, OH 45242
with it, but I decided to upgrade. I gave style. All published letters become the prop-
it to my son and now I can’t seem to find erty of Popular Woodworking Magazine. Safety Note
Safety is your responsibility. Manufacturers place safety
any saw of any size. I have looked all Send your questions and comments devices on their equipment for a reason. In many photos
via email to [email protected], or you see in Popular Woodworking Magazine, these have
over and I can’t seem to find any radial been removed to provide clarity. In some cases we’ll use an
by mail to 10151 Carver Road, Suite 300,
arm saws of any size. Cincinnati, OH 45242.
awkward body position so you can better see what’s being
demonstrated. Don’t copy us. Think about each procedure
you’re going to perform beforehand.
S
harpening the bevel of a draw- The key to making this system
knife can be a challenge. Lap work is getting a straight cut along
the flat side then use this meth- the length of the PEX. The best meth-
od to do the bevel side. od I’ve found is to clamp a utility
Using 3 ⁄8" or 1 ⁄2" or 3 ⁄4" PEX pipe blade in my bench vise and slide the
with different drawknives will give PEX through the knife, using the
you different sharpening angles. groove of the jaws to keep it straight.
Find one you like for your drawknife Chuck Nuesmeyer,
and go for it. PEX pipe will even- Bluffdale, Utah
tually wear out but is just pennies
to replace.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
• Blade rim speed: 9070 FPM • Motor: 2 HP, 240V, single-phase, 10.8A
• Max. cutting depth at 45°: without rail 15 ⁄ 8", • Cutterhead speed: 7000 RPM • CPM: 14,000 • CPI: 64-300
w/ rail 17⁄ 16" • Feed rate: 0-18 FPM • Max. profile: 63 ⁄4"W x 3 ⁄4"D
• Max. cutting depth at 90°: without rail 25 ⁄ 32", • Planing width: 7" • Min. stock length: 9"
w/ rail 131⁄ 32" • Min. stock thickness: 1⁄4" • Max. stock thickness: 71⁄ 2"
• Includes saw blade: 160mm x 20mm x 48T • Overall dimensions: 361⁄4"L x 22"W x 341⁄ 2"H
• Dust port dia.: 11⁄ 2" • Approx. shipping weight: 324 lbs.
• Saw weight: 11 lbs. W1835 Track Saw
Includes:
Accessory Pack &
55" Guide Rail
10" TABLE SAW 13" 3/4 HP, BENCH-TOP OSCILLATING 12" X 15" VARIABLE SPEED
WITH RIVING KNIFE DRILL PRESS BENCH-TOP WOOD LATHE
• 3 HP, 230V, single-phase • Max depth of cut • Motor: 3 ⁄4 HP, 110V, 1725 RPM • Motor: 3 ⁄4 HP, 110V, single-phase, universal motor
• Blade tilt: Left, 0°–45° @ 90°: 31⁄ 8",
• Overall height: 38" • 12" swing over bed
• Table height from floor: 34" @ 45°: 23⁄16"
• Spindle travel: 31⁄4" • 15" between centers
• Cast iron table size: 27" x 401⁄4" • Max. rip capacity: • Swing: 131⁄4" • Two spindle speed ranges: 500-1800 RPM &
• Table size with extension: 291⁄ 2"
• Drill chuck: 5 ⁄ 8" 1000-3800 RPM
27" x 535 ⁄ 8" • Overall dimensions: • Speeds: 12, 250–3050 RPM • 1" x 8 TPI RH thread spindle size
• Arbor speed: 4300 RPM 62" L x 41" W x 40" H
• Table: 123 ⁄ 8" dia. • Spindle indexing in 15° increments
• Arbor size: 5 ⁄ 8" • Approx. shipping • Table swing: 360° • Heavy-duty c
• Max. dado width: weight: 527 lbs.
• Table tilt: 45° left & 45° right construction
13 ⁄ 16"
• Approx. shipping • Approx. shippi
weight: 123 lbs. weight: 87 lbs
Includes 10"
Carbide-Tipped 232857
Blade
W1819 10" 3 HP Table Saw with Riving Knife W1668 13" 3⁄4 HP, Bench-Top Drill Press W1836 Bench-Top Wood Lathe
KNIFE BELT SANDER / BUFFER 14" SUPER-DUTY RESAW BANDSAW WALL DUST COLLECTOR
• Motor: 1 HP, • Motor: 2 HP, 110V/220V (prewired 110V), 1720 RPM • Motor: 1 HP, 120V⁄240V,
• Belt size: 2" x • Amps: 15A at 110V, 7.5A at 220V single-phase, prewired 110V,
• Belt speed: 45 • Table size: 213 ⁄4"L x 161⁄ 2"W 7A /3.5A 247569
• Left arbor: 1" x • Table tilt: 5°, 45° • Air suction capacity: 537 CFM
with 5 ⁄ 8" arbor • Floor to table height: 37" • Static pressure: 7.2"
• Height with bel • Max cutting height: 14" • Intake hole size: 4"
• Height with bel • Max throat capacity: 131⁄ 2" • Impeller: 10" balanced
• Overall width:
• Max cutting width with fence: 12" cast-aluminum
• Cast iron body
• Overall size: 29"W x 321⁄ 2"D x 76"H • Bag size (dia. x depth):
• All ball bearing
• Dual 4" dust ports 131⁄ 2" x 24"
• Approx. shippi
• Footprint: 23"L x 18"W • Bag filtration: 2.5 micron
• Approx. shipping weight: 388 lb. • Dust level viewing window
• Height with bag inflated:
44"
Made in an
• Approx. shipping weight:
ISO 9001 Factory 55 lbs.
W1843 Knife Belt Sander/Buffer W1849 14" Super-Duty Resaw Bandsaw W1826 Wall Dust Collector
® ® ® ®
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PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE OR CALL TOLL FREE TO FIND AN AUTHORIZED DEALER NEAR YOU.
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T
he Arbortech ball gouge is one
of the most fun tools I’ve used
in recent memory. It turns an
angle grinder – a relatively crude wood-
working tool – into a more precise in-
strument that can still hog away lots
of material quickly.
The first thing I did was thread this
somewhat odd-looking attachment on
to my angle grinder, don some safety
apparel and see what kind of damage
I could do to a piece of firewood. I was
expecting to have to deal with some
kind of kickback or employ a good bit
of muscle to make it do what I wanted.
But that wasn’t the case at all. It simply
cut nice, rounded divots with a good
deal of precision.
The attachment itself consists of a
13 ⁄16" diameter ball-shaped head with
an integrated, replaceable cutter affixed
to a steel shaft. It attaches via threads
to an angle grinder. The gouge is de-
signed to fit most 4" or 41 ⁄2" grinders BYO grinder. Arbortech’s ball gouge is compatible with most 4" and 41⁄2" grinders with speeds
and work with speeds between 9,000 between 9,000 and 12,000 RPM.
and 12,000 RPM.
The ring-shaped cutter is designed
to self-sharpen in use. As the cutting hand, it was (unsurprisingly) much easier than I thought it was going to be.
edge of the cutter cuts, the back edge is quicker. The spoons still needed some You’ll want to make sure you’re using
burnished. That means you can rotate fi nishing work by hand, but I got to adequate protection – safety glasses,
the cutter to expose a new sharp edge that point quicker than I would have hearing protection – and have your
a few times before needing to replace otherwise. piece securely clamped to a stable work
the blade (a replacement cutter costs Then I set about hollowing out a surface. You’ll notice that the ball gouge
about $30). larger piece of firewood to make a serv- doesn’t create much dust – it’s mostly
My immediate thought with this ing dish. This took a bit more time than small shavings. You’ll also want to make
gouge was to hollow out a stack of spoon the bowl of a spoon – in hindsight, I sure you’re using your grinder’s auxil-
blanks. And it sure did make quick probably should have used a hatchet to iary handle to keep two hands on the
work! Compared to using a handheld get closer to the form I was going for tool at all times. It makes controlling
gouge or spoon knife and working by before I used the ball gouge. But it was the tool much easier, and it keeps your
still surprising how quickly I could hands out of the way of the spinning
make a useable form. gouge. It’s not an insignificant invest-
The last thing I tried was making ment at about $110 for the tool, but
Ball Gouge a patterned surface on a piece of fl at once you start using it, the creative
Arbortech ■ arbortechtools.com stock. This was trickier than simple juices start to flow and you really start
Street price ■ $110 hollowing – especially achieving an having some fun.
even, repeated pattern – but still much — Andrew Zoellner
888-208-5839
DRpowergrader.com
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:RRGZRUNLQJ$FFHVVRULHVPDGHE\ERWK
Amana Tool ®
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8QVXUSDVVHG&XVWRPHU6HUYLFH
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CARD #85 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM CARD #50 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM
TOOL TEST CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18
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DESIGN MATTERS BY GEORGE R. WALKER
Addition by Subtraction
When adding design elements, less is often more.
O
ne useful way to think about
furniture design is to think
about it as a language. It’s a
set of ideas and structures furniture
makers and builders passed down
through the centuries to express their
ideas in wood. Much like a spoken lan-
guage, the words or ideas you use are
thoughts and words that our ancestors
used long before us. As our language
needs evolved beyond simple words,
we invented verbs and adjectives. And
somewhere far back in time, artisans
realized they could tell stories in wood
with borders, edges and space. Lan-
guage works exceedingly well for us
precisely because it’s a shared set of
ideas that we understand and can use
with precision.
If furniture design is a language,
architecture is the mother tongue of
much of what we know about it. For
much of our history, architecture and
furniture design were one and the same.
Architecture lies at the root of the string Design details. These two thin lines of beading transform this bookcase design.
of material knowledge passed down along on for the ride. There’s a really
through our ancestors that furniture good reason for this. Architecture de-
makers have used to carry out their fines the neighborhood (interior space)
ideas in wood. most furniture will reside in, so furni-
ture designs naturally tended to try to
Design DNA harmonize with that space. Most of our
Nowhere is this link to architecture iconic furniture designs reflect a pe-
stronger than in 18th-century Western riod of iconic architecture. This chain
furniture. Designers (and the trend- was broken when architects embraced
setting elite) were in love with classical Modernism and Post-Modernism, but
motifs from ancient Rome and Greece, it’s largely because those movements
building homes and public buildings intentionally strove to break with all
that mimicked Roman temples. Fur- things from the past.
niture designers took their cues from Whether you are a traditionalist or
those structures and designed furni- a modernist or somewhere in between,
ture and cabinets that reflected that there are still lessons to be learned from
same idea. this ancient design language. One of
Roman influence. Is this a bookcase or a Architecture shifted over time into those lessons is that we can make our
temple? 18th-century designs romanticized iconic styles like Arts & Crafts, or Mis- designs more appealing if they feel like
the architecture of Rome. sion, and furniture designs went right they grew organically out of their sur-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
22 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2018 PHOTOS & ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR / PLATES: PUBLIC DOMAIN
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to grab something from the interior Crafts chairs
space and weave it into the design. This and built-ins
helps our design feel like it’s local to were designed
specifically to
the neighborhood and not some pesky
compliment
tourist. the architecture.
Designers understood that there
was a range of how much they could
reflect the surrounding architecture.
They could do a full-blown treatment
by grabbing every architectural detail
nearby and making the furniture look
like the house in miniature. More often,
though, they leaned toward just trying
to capture a hint of the neighborhood
by subtracting architectural ornament.
A doorway, fireplace, or cabinet will
compliment the setting if it has a faint
echo of the surrounding architecture.
There’s no set recipe for subtracting.
Just how much to get it right is a matter
of personal preference.
Or you might think of it in reverse
and ask yourself, “How can I take a
simple form like a bookcase and add
just a small detail to make it sing with
its surroundings?” I look at the archi-
tectural details in my surroundings
and ask myself if there is something I
can echo in my furniture design. It can
be a curved archway opening between
rooms that is translated into an arched
door panel on a cabinet. It can be some- Progressive omission. All versions of the same design retain its proportions and a shadow of its
architectural details even as the details fade from view.
thing as subtle as a chamfer treatment
on an edge that reflects a chamfer on a
nearby fireplace mantle.
Even a small detail can make a big
impact. In fact, my goal when I build
furniture is to make these small, subtle
elements become little surprises that ONLINE EXTRAS
guests in our home often just stumble For links to all these online extras, go to:
■ popularwoodworking.com/jun18
upon by accident. I like designs that
contain little sparkles to discover BLOG: Read more from George R. Walker on
his By Hand & Eye Blog with Jim Tolpin.
rather than yelling for attention, like
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On Wood Selection
Both fast- and slow-growing wood present good opportunities.
W
ood selection is an impor-
tant part of any woodwork-
ing project. I sometimes feel
like I take it to an extreme, like I’m some
kind of oak snob. Sometimes people see
pieces I reject and they can’t understand
what’s wrong with me. Too much twist,
a bow here or there. Not straight enough
grain. I’m spoiled from decades of using
the straightest-grained, radially-riven
oak boards I can get. And I wouldn't
have it any other way.
When I’m selecting my wood right
from the log, many factors help deter-
mine which piece of wood goes into
which project. Recently I got some nice
clear fresh red oak for a weekend work-
shop I was helping to teach through
Plymouth CRAFT, a group I’m involved This log looks ideal. Once we started to split it, however, it was so twisted it was almost useless.
with in Plymouth, Mass.
At first glance, the log looked per-
fect, even too good maybe. Oak is the the end grain, I saw that the split was mogenous surface that doesn’t compete
principal timber I work with making going to twist very badly over the 5' with the carved patterns I use.
reproduction furniture, and I had my length of the log. Technically speaking, the fast-
eye on any leftovers after the class was We were able to salvage, with too growing oak is stronger than the slow-
done. But even after splitting logs for much effort, the stock we needed for growing, so I hit on a good use for this
40 years, I can sometimes pick losers. the workshop in making garden hur- wood. Rather than my usual joined
This log was nearly a total loss. The dles, but all my hopes for some new oak furniture, I’d use this stock for
minute we drove the first wedge into joinery stock were out the window. some ladderback chairs made using
With so much twist, there is a lot of wet/dry joints. These chairs are how I
labor and waste trying to get flat radial beganmywoodworkingcareer40years
boards from stock like that. You also ago. You can very easily shape all the
run the risk of spending that time and parts while the wood is fresh and full of
effort, only to have the flat board twist moisture (in this case with drawknives
as it dries. The best way to make flat and spokeshaves). Then dry the rungs
boards from green wood is to split (which causes them to shrink), bore
trees that grew nice and straight to holes in the still high-moisture content
begin with. posts and drive home the dry rungs.
In addition, the tree had grown rela- The dry rungs pick up moisture from
tively fast, resulting in a very stripy- the posts and swell a bit, and the posts
looking pattern on the radial face. For shrink as they dry out. You get yourself
the carved furniture I make, I want a chair for the ages this way.
the carving to carry the day, not the Traditionally, these chairs were usu-
Finer grain. The carved piece on the left is
slow-growing oak. Its consistent fine grain is a “figure” in the wood. The fine growth ally turned and made with rungs of ash
pleasure to work with. The piece on the right rings from a slow-growing tree blend or hickory, sometimes oak. The posts
is stronger, but visually distracting. together visually, making a nice ho- wereoftenmadeofsoftmaple.Itwasmy
CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
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Flex your skills and
build this iconic
Greene & Greene
Entry T
he 1907 Robert R. Blacker House
in Pasadena, Calif., is a master-
piece. The architecture and fur-
niture inside can only be described as
breath-taking. One of the lesser known
pieces of furniture is my personal favor-
Mirror
ite – a small vertical mirror that hangs
above a beautifully carved cabinet. It’s
a great woodworking project with some
interesting challenges.
The sides gently flare outward near
the top, ebony splines wrap around from
the top to the sides and square plugs
seem to be everywhere. It’s sized per-
BY TIM CELESKI fectly to hang near the entrance of any
home, but if you’d like a dressing mirror
version, just add 10" to the bottom of
the mirror – the proportions still work
wonderfully.
I make a precise copy of the mirror
with just two minor changes: On the
original, a few of the 18 square plugs are
slightly smaller than the others. I find
them distracting and prefer all plugs to
be the same. I also leave off the leather
hanging straps.
The mirror may seem straight- for-
ward, but it’s not. At the top is an unusual
angled haunched joint – a joint with a
few challenges. Over the years I’ve tried
six different methods for making that
joint. Most require a lot of fussing, fit-
ting, fine-tuning and corrections. I’ve
found that with a careful approach, and
a few simple-to-make jigs, it’s easy. This
is a project where accuracy is particu-
larly important because the jigs and the
parts have to match perfectly. Take your
time, use rulers, squares and calipers
and check all measurements.
Because the project requires very
little wood, yet involves a lot of steps
and setups, I highly recommend build-
ing more than one at a time.
30 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2018 PHOTOS & ILLUSTRATION BY THE AUTHOR
Make it perfect now. This jig will register on Alignment is key. By making the joint in Assemble the jig. The long crest rail is glued
your blank parts. Use it as an aid to hand cut pieces, you can make it so perfect that it’s and nailed together with the notch set back
the angled haunched joint. light tight. 1⁄2". Assemble the side jig tight to the rail jig.
popularwoodworking.com ■ 31
rip enough 3 ⁄8" or 1 ⁄2" solid core or Baltic
birch plywood for a 2" x 20" long piece
and cut the pieces to fit. On the larger
assembly, inset the solid wood 1 ⁄ 16"
from the end of the plywood fence. For
the side jig, note that plywood wraps
around two sides so it can rest on the
corner of the square part. Use a 1 ⁄ 2"
piece of MDF to support each section
while you glue and brad nail the fence
Cut carefully. Hold your parts to your bench Trim the bottom rail. Once the top joints are
parts into position.
with two clamps. When cutting across the tight and the mirror is square, measure the
precut mortise, use a Domino or loose tenon gap for the bottom rail. The bottom rail is thin- Loose Tenon Joinery
to keep it from collapsing while you cut. ner than the other mirror parts. I prefer to use loose tenon joinery for the
mirror. This kind of joinery is accurate,
strong and with a Festool Domino, fast.
If you want to make a real haunched
tenon by hand, just extend each side of
the crest rail 1", mark out your tenon
and mortise, and the jig will take you
the rest of the way.
From the top of the still-square
blank mirror sides, measure down and
mark at 13 ⁄4". Using a square, mark a
line across the width. Do the same with
the other blank side, and clamp the
blank crest rail between the sides and
Check and check again. Check your work Transfer the pattern shapes. It's easiest to
to make sure the joint is square and true in do this while the parts are clamped up. I use flush up at the top. Carry the line into
both directions. The goal is to make the joint a 1⁄4" machinist center punch to mark my each side of the crest rail. If you’re using
disappear. square hole positions. a Domino, use a 10mm bit and set it up
and test cut so that it cuts in the center
of the 11 ⁄4" thick stock. On the crest rail
you’re about to cut. Once you’ve re- until it’s tight to the assembled crest rail side set to 35mm depth. On the sides
set everything back square, cut a 13" section being held down. Now, move setup to 40mm. Once cut, use 50mm
piece from the 5⁄8"-wide strip cut earlier. what’s left of your small strip on top until x 25mm x 10mm Dominos for a test.
These are the major parts you need to it meets up with the inset piece that’s
assemble the jig. already glued and nailed. The idea here Joinery Practice
From the short side of the angled is to reassemble these parts into what is As any serious musician will tell you,
end of the 31 ⁄2" piece, use a square to essentially, a solid board. Before nailing, effective practice improves your work.
mark a line along the 1"-thick bottom place a lamp behind the assembly to The same is true for hand-tool work,
of the board that’s 1 ⁄ 2" from the end. check for light leaks. Once you can’t see especially this joint, so it’s good to do a
To assemble the jig, we’re going to at- light coming through where the two jig little warm up. In my classes, students
tach the 5 ⁄8" piece to the larger piece. I sections intersect, hold everything tight start by using their square MDF pat-
prefer to use a brad nailer (because it’s and glue and nail it together. Then it’s terns as first tests. For the sides, flush
quick). The finished jig is under a lot of time to trim the jig. the jig to the corner of the MDF and use
pressure under use, so apply glue before With a miter saw, trim the end of the a pencil to mark the line you’ll be cut-
you attach the smaller strip at the 1 ⁄2" larger section flush on the end. For the ting. At the band saw, cut to 1 ⁄16" from
line on the bottom of the larger piece. smaller section, mark precisely 21 ⁄8" the line. After securing jig and pattern
Once the strip is aligned to the mark from the overhanging 5 ⁄8" strip. A piece to your bench with two clamps, hold
and everything is flush on the sides, this small is tricky to handle on a miter your chisel tight to the 1"-thick wall of
nail it in place. The extra wood hanging saw, so I align the cut line to the blade the jig and press and make a line along
off the end will be trimmed off later. and hold the assembly down tightly the lines of the cut with your chisel.
For the second part of the jig, clamp with a clamp. Cut slowly, watching that Well outside that line, start to shave
the part you just completed on your the piece doesn’t move during the cut. off the excess with chisel and mallet.
workbench long side down. Move the The fence registers the jig to the Don’t be too aggressive. A little at a time
angled cutoff section of the wide board square parts. For the two-sided fence, is the way to go. Once you’re close to
to come together. Clamp everything ence. A more accurate method is to cut square holes. If you don’t have a hol-
together and check to see if the insides print from the PDF plan available in low chisel mortiser, a Lee Valley square
of the mirror are 90°. the Online Extras. Then, spray glue the punch works great. Using it involves a
Once ready, take a measurement of paper drawings to attach to the square combination of tapping the punch and
the opening at the top of the mirror. pieces of 1 ⁄2" MDF. drilling out the inside excess. You go
Use this measurement for cutting the To complete the patterns, rough back and forth between punch and bit
length of the 1"-thick bottom piece. cut outside the line, and smooth with until you reach desired depth.
Because the thickness of the bottom rasps, files and sandpaper. Use a 1 ⁄4" Take particular caution as you
piece is thinner for visual relief than the drill bit to cut all the plug locations. punch square holes above your mortis-
other two parts, I mark centerlines on Once everything is smooth, remove es. Too much pressure or hard tapping
the back of the mirror where the parts the paper and your patterns are ready could cave in the thin side walls. Place
are flush. Mark a line 13 ⁄4" up from the to go to work. a Domino or dummy tenon in the mor-
bottom of each side. Mark a centerline Hold the patterns on your blank tises while cutting your square holes.
on the 23 ⁄4"-wide bottom piece. These parts and with a pencil, transfer the When all the holes are cut, clear the
are your alignment points. If using a outer shapes to your square parts. To corners of excess with a small chisel.
Shaping
On a band saw, rough cut your parts
close to the lines, but not over. Once the
major parts are ready to go, it’s time to
shape your wood parts to your smooth
patterns.
If you’ve not shaped before or are
uncomfortable doing it, you can use
the patterns as reference and use hand
tools to arrive at the final shape. But, if
you have a router table, a flush bearing
bit and a jig for holding parts as you
shape, the process goes very quickly.
Start shaping. Shape your parts on a router Detail work. Clean up the edges of the mirror
table or shaper. You can also use the patterns by hand with scrapers or sanders. An edge Align your pattern to the part and
to guide your handwork if you'd rather shape sander or belt sander comes in handy for hold the two together, then shape from
the parts by hand. blending the sides and top of the mirror. left to right, always downhill, never
popularwoodworking.com ■ 33
A dual-purpose jig. This simple jig is for scraping down ebony to thickess. To pillow your strips, Pillow your plugs. Rapidly spin each end of
insert a thin spacer under your ebony and use block plane to pillow the strip over slowly. your square stock at a slight angle, cut off the
pillowed end at the bandsaw and repeat.
up- hill. Begin 1" in from the starting and back of haunched joint, it’s time Stepped Rabbet in Two Passes
end. You will have to flip your crest rail for final assembly. Be careful how you With a router and a standard 3⁄8" rab-
to stick to the downhill rule, but this apply your yellow glue. Any oozing beting cutter and bearing, I prepare to
is the proper way to do it. You can use out at the offset intersection of the rout out an area in the back of the mirror
sanders and a block plane to take off bottom rail and sides will be hard to for glass, packing and a panel. I place
any excess that wasn’t shaped. cleanup later. leftover, same-thickness material inside
Once the parts are shaped, scrape When clamping, use soft wood the mirror to help support the router.
and sand to get everything smooth along clamping pads so that the clamps don’t It’s important to take this cut slowly and
all the outside edges. Dry assemble the damage the surfaces. I use 18" clamps step down tiny amounts at a time. Start
mirror with tenons and clamps to check at the top and bottom and a 40" clamp the cut away from any wood, slowly
the transitions of the crest rail and sides from top to bottom to draw the joint move in to start the cut and move the
and take off the bulk of the excess. After tight. router around the inside clockwise.
the mirror is glued up you’ll get a final Once dry, it’s on to finish sanding. Once you complete a lap, check your
chance to smooth the transitions. All sanding has to be done before add- work and reset down another 1⁄8". As
ing plugs because they sit above the you approach your final depth, take
Mirror Glue-Up surface. Blend the intersection at the off 1⁄16" for the final passes. This edge
At this point in the project, I like top of the mirror between the sides of touches the mirror glass, and any chips
to round over the sides with an 1 ⁄8" the crest rail until it’s smooth. Round or defects will show.
roundover bit and sand the bottom over the rest of the mirror, stopping Once the main rabbet is cut, it’s time
rail. Also, round over the two top short of the top inside intersection. It’s for the second rabbet. For this, you need
inside edges of the sides, stopping best to blend those by hand so that the to have a sample of your backing board
short of the top intersection. We’ll inside corners are crisp. Sand progres- available. I use hardwood plywood for
finish the rest up later. sively from 120 to 320 grit. my backs. I set my rabbeting bit to the
After a final dry fit to check the front plywood depth plus a bit more and use
the previous rabbet as the bearing ref-
erence. The result is a stepped rabbet.
popularwoodworking.com ■ 35
Splines time to glue them into place.
To make the pillow strips used for Using a cut-down flux brush, I very
splines, you can use the jig made earlier carefully apply glue only to the inside
for thicknessing your stock. Put a thin walls of the slot (and not the ebony).
piece underneath your strip to raise it Then gently tap in the top piece until
up and, with a block plane, slowly take it’s just right. With a tiny dab of glue on
off the edges until the profile matches the end of the horizontal piece, tap in
your pillowed plugs. Smooth with sand- the vertical piece until positioned and
paper up through 400 grit. touching the horizontal piece. Do the
same with the other side of the mirror
Fit the splines. Cut the side spline piece
Final Cleanup and let dry.
longer than the top of the mirror and mark I hand-sand the mirror with sanding Once completely dry, it’s time to
the remainder for the top. Mark it over length blocks from 120 all the way through blend the two pieces into one. Start by
slightly. You’ll sand to trim to final length. The 400 grit. I put a lot of emphasis on soft- cutting any excess on the vertical piece
pieces are delicate, so saw carefully. ness and make sure that every rounded with a hand saw. With rasps, files and
edge is smooth to the touch. sandpaper, shape the pillowed surfaces
Once edges and surfaces are smooth around the bend to match the curve of
to the touch, it’s best to raise the grain the mirror. Once blended, the jet black
of wood first so that you end up with a ebony looks like a single piece of wood.
glass-smooth surface before finishing. If there are any cracks showing at the
I use a sponge and water and wipe all top, you can use cyanoacrylate glue and
surfaces of the mirror and set it aside ebony powder to fill. Sand the splines
to dry overnight. To knock down the smooth through 600 grit.
raised nibs, use sandpaper with a gentle
touch with very little downward pres- Installing Plugs
sure, otherwise you’re just pushing the Use a soft plastic or rubber-faced ham-
Mask the surface. While you have your fibers back down to the surface. mer to install the plugs. Use a trimmed
splines in place, put on two layers of masking flux brush and paint the inside edges
tape to protect the surface when gluing and Fitting Splines and Plugs with glue. Do only a few square holes
shaping. When cut to final size, your splines Pounding in plugs might disturb a at a time. Put a square plug in place and
should look like this. The nub at the top helps
you remove the splines before glue-up.
freshly glued spline, so glue the splines very gently tap the plug into position
first and let them dry. Each corner until the edge is just barely visible from
spline is two parts, a vertical and a the side. It’s important to not tap too
sloping horizontal piece. Mount your hard as you could drive the plug too
mirror vertically in your bench vise. deep. If you do, you’ll have to remove
Start by tapping in a pillowed strip until it before it dries.
it bottoms out on the squared-up side
slot. Make sure the strip is just proud Finishing the Mirror
of the mirror edge and positioned so With Sapele or mahogany, I prefer to
you just see the edge of the strip along stain the wood with water-based dyes
the side of the mirror. before applying final finish. I like a mix
Then about 1 ⁄2" above the top of the of medium brown mahogany with a
mirror, mark the strip. Remove it and little red mahogany. Wipe the dissolved
cut with a hand saw. Put the cut piece dye on with a staining sponge and wipe
Final shaping. After your glue has dried,
trim off the excess material with a hand saw.
back in place. Next we’ll fit the hori- it off before it dries. The color needs
Then blend the pieces together with fine zontal strip until it flushes up to the to be built up over a few applications.
rasps, files and sandpaper. Make sure your vertical piece. Final fitting is done with Water-based dyes may raise the
pillow extends around the corner. Finish up sandpaper, so cut over length. Once it grain a bit. Use steel wool to smooth it
with sandpaper all the way to 400 grit. all fits together, take this time to put out, vacuum or blow off any dust and
two layers of painter’s tape around all follow up with a tack cloth. Then, use
to prepare all 18. It’s alway a good idea edges of the splines. This protects the a hand applied, satin rubbing varnish.
to make a handful of extras for testing mirror during glue up and when you’re The first coat is thinned with mineral
or just in case you need to replace one blending the ebony pieces around the spirits, resulting in a sealing effect,
during installation. Lastly, I use a fine corner. Remove the ebony pieces, mark not unlike shellac. When dry, build
brush to collect the ebony dust around their locations, set aside and repeat for up three more thin coats, sanding if
my band saw and sanders for use later. the other side of the mirror. Then, it’s necessary. I apply one or two coats to
*Each plug will be trimmed and fit to each hole. **Splines are cut oversized and then
trimmed to fit once installed. ‡The backboard should be cut to size and fitted after mirror
frame is fully assembled.
131⁄4"
the plywood mirror back. For depth,
31⁄2 " finish the frame with thin coats of gel
varnish applied with a cloth. The final
result resembles an oil/varnish hand-
rubbed finish, but it’s bulletproof. After
a few coats of wax, the mirror frame is
complete.
After assembling all the parts, add
D-rings near the top to attach the wire
to hang the mirror. I use 1 ⁄16 " braided
stainless steel wire and soft metal oval
sleeves crimped with a swaging tool.
Because of the mirror’s weight I always
recommend owners use two medium-
38" 38" sized hooks.
The Blacker Entry Mirror has stood
the test of time and looks as good now
as it did 100 years ago. Now that the
secrets of the joint are revealed, this
is a great project for the hobbyist to
take on. Just remember, a little warm-
up and practice helps, and, with all
the steps involved, always build more
than one. PWM
23⁄4"
ON IN XTRAS
For links to all online extras, go to:
■ popularwoodworking.com/jun18
popularwoodworking.com ■ 37
Breakdown
Sawhorses BY WILL MYERS
A
bout a year and a half ago my very good and would serve the purpose needed other than a hammer or mallet
wife took a job in eastern North perfectly. The biggest problems with and most of all, strong with no wiggle.
Carolina. My work is still on the most designs I have seen, is that their
western end of the state, so most weeks construction tends to get complicated Materials
I travel back and forth from one end of and heavy. It is just a lowly sawhorse; These sawhorses are made from 2x yel-
TheOldNorthStatetotheother.Tohelp should it really take a month to make low pine construction lumber. I find it
deal with the 41 ⁄ 2" hour trips up and two of them? worthwhile to pick through the pile to
down I-40, I spend my time thinking This design is the culmination of find quartersawn stock, but flat-sawn
about something constructive. It was things my previous sawhorses lacked. stock will do just fine. If yellow pine
on one of these trips that I first started I wanted a sawhorse that was relative- is unavailable, use whatever cheap
thinking about these sawhorses. ly lightweight (could be moved one and relatively strong species you can
There are many designs out there handed), could be broken down or get your hands on. I picked up two 16'
for different styles of knockdown or assembled simply and quickly, to lie 2x10s to build these two sawhorses
fold-up sawhorses; a lot of them are flat for storage or transport, no tools and had a good bit of stock left over.
38 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2018 PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR / ILLUSTRATION BY DONNA HILL
One more thing to consider is mois-
ture content of construction lumber.
Straight from the home center, it tends
to be a bit on the wet side. Let it ac-
climate for a little while and dry out
before you start to mill it.
Beam Glue-Up
I usually build these in pairs; one saw-
horse is about as useful as a water hose
with no spigot. Mill out the stock for the
beams first; you will need four pieces Choose lumber wisely. It’s worth digging to find quartersawn yellow pine – it’s a perfect material
about 3 3 ⁄4" x 36". This is slightly larger for sawhorses.
than fi nal size and will be milled to
final specs after glue-up.
We want to keep the beams as thick
as possible. Because we are starting
with 11 ⁄ 2"-thick stock, joint just one
face of each of the four pieces that will
meet when glued, taking just enough
material off to get a flat surface. Align
the pieces and draw a triangle on one
pair and two triangles on the second, so
as you are gluing you will know which
pieces go together. Apply glue to the
meeting faces of each pair, assemble
Square your stock. A powered jointer makes Glue it up. A small foam roller works well for
and clamp the two beam assemblies for fast work flattening stock. spreading the glue evenly and quickly.
as one. While the glue sets, you can
get the legs started.
good idea to number the pairs as well. the side and pencil a mark to the top
Legs Assemblies Start by cutting the tops of the legs at of the leg. This will be the meeting face
The plans for these sawhorses call a 15-degree angle. between the legs.
for a total height of 30" – you can, of Clamp a pair of legs together with Now, measure over from the line on
course, make them taller or shorter to the inside edges up then measure down the face 3 ⁄4" toward the outside of the leg
suit your needs. You will need eight legs from the top 51 ⁄ 2" and square a line and make a tick mark. Use a machinist
for two sawhorses. These are jointed across both legs. square with the rule set to project 3 1 ⁄2"
and planed to 13 ⁄8" x 31 ⁄4" x 32". (The Unclamp the legs, on the face side of from the fence. Line the square up to
32" length is slightly over long – you’ll the leg place a try square on the angled the tick mark, pencil a mark down the
cut them to size later). Arrange the top of the leg, line up the beam of the rule and around the end. This notch
legs in pairs and mark the faces, it is a square to the line you just made on will become the saddle that the top
beam will rest in.
Clamp the beams
With the layout on the ends of the
together. Clamp legs complete it’s time to rip! Start by
both beams at ripping the 31 ⁄2" line first down to the
once. I also have baseline then make a crosscut at the
a scrap piece on baseline of the saddle to remove the
the outside of the
stack to prevent
waste.
the clamps from With the saw cuts complete check
damaging the for square. If the notch needs any tun-
beam surfaces. ing a chisel will make quick work of
it. The lower angle needs to be flat and
square; a block plane works well here.
popularwoodworking.com ■ 39
Sawhorse
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL COMMENTS
T W L
*Give yourself extra length here. The legs are best cut to final length after assembly.
Lay out both legs together. Laying out the
legs in pairs ensures perfect alignment.
4"
36"
30"
need to readjust the fence on the gauge boringtheadjoininglegforthethreaded sawhorses are meant to be used and not
to center the teeth on the leg stock. portion of the screw with a 3 ⁄16" drill bit. fine furniture so I cut the chamfered
Gauge the mortise width between the Before final assembly of the legs edges with a jack plane eyeballing a
pencil marks on the inside and outside there are a couple of tasks that are bet- 45° angle. If the bevel is rough, make a
edges of the legs. ter done now than later. Finish plane final pass or two with the block plane. I
Chop out the waste, working half- all four sides of the stretcher. These also hit the inside edges of the legs that
way from either side, meeting in the
middle. The ends of the mortise are at
Direct layout.
an angle, as you are chopping you can Transferring the
eyeball down the back of the chisel to stretcher mortise
the layout lines down the side of the legs locations to the
to help get an accurate angle through legs using the
the mortise. stretcher itself
is the most
With the mortises complete, dry fit accurate method.
the assembly. Check the tenon shoul-
ders fit to the insides of the legs, use a
chisel or shoulder plane to pare away
any offending material. The tenons will
need to be cut to length so while as-
sembled trace the length from the side
of the legs onto the tenon. Also check
the tops of the legs where they meet
one another, this area can be tuned
with a block plane or sawing between
the legs while assembled with a tenon
saw to close up the joint. OPTIONA G ASS MB Y M THOD
The area at the top of the legs where
they meet will be secured by a single
#14 x 4" wood screw (a hex head lag bolt
could be substituted here). While dry
A nother version of leg
assembly I have used that
has worked well involves nails
fitted, use a bevel set at 15° and make a instead of mortise and tenons.
reference line through the middle of the In this version the legs are made
pad on the face of the legs where they the same as described above,
meet and then square the line around the difference being there is a
the side of the leg. Clamp the legs to- short upper stretcher attached
gether to hold them in alignment. with nails and glue to the side of
With a 1 ⁄2" auger centered on the leg, the legs at the top, replacing the
bore in to a depth of about 11 ⁄4" using screw. The lower stretcher is also
the bevel line to sight the angle. Next just nailed in place eliminating the mortise and tenons. While the
use a 1 ⁄4" drill to bore thru the center nailed leg assemblies are not as elegant a solution to joining the legs
of the auger hole until it just starts into together as the mortise-and-tenoned version, it is much faster to build
the adjoining leg. and plenty strong.
Disassemble and finish by pre-
popularwoodworking.com ■ 41
Tenon width. Set your gauge teeth to the Gauge the mortise. Gauge the mortise width Lay out the shoulders. A crosscut-filed backsaw
width of your mortise chisel. between the pencil marks on the insides and takes care of the shoulder cuts.
outsides off the legs.
Last, drive the wedges into the white oak for these shown. To make
stretcher tenons. As you drive the the wedges, start with a piece of wood
wedges in be sure the leg stays tight 6" x 3 ⁄4" x 13 ⁄4". The wedges are a little
against the stretcher shoulders. long at 6", this gives some leeway for
fitting, and they will be shortened later.
Finish the Beams Measure down 5 ⁄8” on the face of the
Once the glue is dry on the beams, joint wedge stock on one end and make a
and plane them to their final dimen- tick mark. Use a straightedge, align
sions of 31 ⁄2" x 35" x 23 ⁄4". There are four it with the tick mark and the arias at
short dados that need to be cut into the the opposite end and mark down the
beam that capture the legs. Measure length with a pencil.
in from both ends 4" and knife a line It is a good idea that the wedges be
around all four sides. identical to one another so that they
Now measure in 13 ⁄8" from the first will seat up the same in any mortise in
line and square it around all four sides which they’re placed. To accomplish
as well. Set a single pin gauge to 5 ⁄8" this, make the final passes with the
and on the top and bottom of the beam jointer plane while all four wedges are
gauge a line between the two knife aligned to one another, clamped up in
marks for the depth of the dados. the vise.
Wedged tenons. A saw kerf a ¼” or so from Check the fit and insert the leg as- To layout the mortises for the wedg-
the top and bottom edges of the tenons will semblies in the dados. They should es, assemble the legs to the beam while
make starting the wedges easy.
just slide in; a little loose is better upside down on the bench. Lay the
than too tight. wedge against the underside of the
cannot be reached once assembled with beam, straight side against the inside
a smoothing plane and chamfer these Wedges face of the legs. Make a pencil mark
edges as well. Use as hard a wood as you can get your down the angled side of the wedge onto
The legs also need to be cut to final hands on for the wedges; I am using the beam. Disassemble and, using a
length by measuring down from the
top 30" then use the bevel to lay out the
Join the legs. Use a ¼"
same 15° angle as the top. Saw the line; drill centered in the
the legs will look like a parallelogram auger hole; stop drilling
when laid out correctly. If it looks like when it just starts in
a trapezoid it won’t work! the opposite leg. Just
the one screw is all that
is needed to secure
Assembly of the Legs the tops of the legs
Spreadagoodcoatofglueonthetenons, together.
mortises and the area at the top of the
legs where they meet as well. Assemble
the tenons to their respective mortises.
Align the tops of the legs, place a
clamp across to hold the faces flush
with one another and install the screw.
square, bring the line up both sides. bit; mark where they meet the legs and
Gauge with the fence to the bottom saw off the extra length. Chamfering
side and mark from the pencil line the ends of the wedges will help keep
to the dado. Using an auger slightly them from mushrooming as they are
smaller than the width of the mortise driven in and out. If the legs are pro-
bore halfway through from both sides jecting above the top of the beam plane
and then chop out the remaining waste them flush or a shade below. Last but
with a 3 ⁄4" chisel. not least, I nail (no glue) a 3 ⁄4" x 4 1 ⁄4" x
36" board to the top of the beam.
Finishing Up I wiped a coat of oil on these for a
Finish plane the sides and bottom of the finish, but no finish at all is just fine
beam. You can also chamfer the lower too. PWM
edges and end to match the legs if you
like. Assemble the legs to the base and Will Myers is a woodworker who
drive the wedges up tight. The wedges makes his home in North Carolina.
ON INE EXTRAS
Cleanup with a plane. After the glue sets, saw the wedges off flush, plane the faces and outside
edges to smooth and remove any layout and milling marks left behind.
popularwoodworking.com ■ 43
5Hinges BY NANCY HILLER
Tricky
I
n the April issue (#238) I wrote may be fine with two hinges; longer lids
about several types of hinges com- should have three. These hinges will
monly in use and described various be mortised into both parts – the chest
techniques for installing them. For the and the lid – very much as you would
second article in this series, here are mortise a traditional butt hinge. You On your marks. Mark the end of each outside
five hinges with more specialized uses. can start with the mortises on either hinge. If using three hinges, mark the center-
part, as you prefer. In this example I line and mark one end of the hinge by measur-
95° Stop Hinges started with the piece that would be ing to the left or right from that centerline.
Stop hinges are an excellent choice for the back of the chest.
box or chest lids in cases where you It’s usefultohavetwomarkinggauges
want to avoid extraneous hardware, for the mortise layout. With stop hinges,
such as stays. Precision-engineered, at least 50 percent of the barrel must
they will hold a lid securely open at 95°. remain proud for the hinge to operate.
You can use these hinges on chests with For this example, I left the entire barrel
lids that overhang at the ends and front, proud, because I like the look.
but for the simplest installation, the lid Chop the mortises in the top edge
should be flush with the case’s back. of the chest. When you have removed
Start by marking the back and lid all but the thinnest slice of waste near
for foolproof identification. It’s impor- the gauge lines, pare out the corners, Crisp end. To determine the other end of
tant to keep these parts oriented con- holding your chisel vertically. each hinge mortise, set a hinge hard up
against the first mark and trace the other end
sistently. Next, lay out the position of With the hinge fitted in the first mor- with a sharp pencil. You may also use a mark-
each hinge on the top edge of the back. tise, transfer the hinge positions to the ing knife. In either case, you will scribe the
Depending on the length of the lid you lid and repeat the same series of steps. line with a knife before chopping the mortise.
Rattail hinge Inset or half-overlay doors Your face frame and door stile must be wide enough
Specialty period (or other cultural) to accommodate the tail and flag, respectively.
applications, such as when matching Also, to secure the hinge bolts with nuts, your
original hardware on vintage cabinetry cabinet’s face frame should protrude into the
door opening.
95° stop hinge Ideal for lids on chests and boxes when you These require precise installation because they do not
don’t want to use a stay offer any integral means of adjustment.
Bi-fold European hinge Inset or full-overlay doors for inside These offer a variety of options, among them a door
corner installation, such as traditional opening angle of up to 165° and self-closing feature
Lazy Susan cabinets (so that your door won’t require a catch).
Architectural door hinge Capable of carrying heavy loads, these You may need to beef up the thickness of your
oversized hinges can be used to great door stile, face frame, or both.
decorative or fun effect.
Knife hinge Ideal for fine furniture and cabinetry. When choosing hinge size, make sure that your
Minimally visible hardware with smooth, door is at least ¼” thicker than the leaf width to
precise operation. prevent blowout.
popularwoodworking.com ■ 45
necessary, you can adjust the fit by shift-
ing the position of the tail on the face
frame or by moving the leaf (or both
leaves) on the door. (Yes, doing so will
mean adding more holes, but in most
cases they’ll be hidden by the hardware,
and it’s worth it to have a well-fitted
door.) When everything looks good,
drill and insert the last screws.
European Hinges
for Bi-Fold Doors
Eye first. Mark the center of the hole for the In deep. The eye bolt may need to be let into European hinges come in numerous
eye bolt, top and bottom. the face of the cabinet so the tail will lie flush.
forms, each suited to a range of appli-
cations. One handy variety is the bi-
fold hinge. Well, it’s actually a pair of
hinges: one to attach the primary door
to the cabinet and the other to attach
the secondary door to the first.
These are especially handy for full-
overlay applications, though you can
also make them work for inset doors by
using a thicker mounting plate.
As with any of the doors in this ar-
ticle, you should have the doors largely
fitted before turning to the hinges. De-
cide which door will be hinged to the
cabinet. I’m going to refer to this as the
primary door. The secondary door will
Hold it. Use a square to hold the leaf while Needs adjustment. Any adjustments mean
be the one you’ll pull when opening the
you drill the holes. redrilling holes. Luckily, they'll most likely be
covered by the hardware. doors to reach the cabinet’s interior.
Note: The job will be simpler if you
have the luxury of installing these hing-
Once you have determined the ver- to accommodate the back of the eye. es before you apply the cabinet back.
tical position for both hinges, mark Now insert the bolts in their holes and Start by laying out, then drilling
the center point of the eye and square fasten with nuts from the back. Drop the 35mm holes for the hinge cups as
with a pencil line across the stile. The the tail into each eye, hold it parallel you would for any European hinge. I
distance of the eye from the edge of with the face frame stile edge and use spaced these 3 1 ⁄ 2 " from the top and
the face frame is also largely a matter a bradawl to start a hole for a screw in bottom of the door. Screw the hinges
of preference. Some people put them the tail. (I like to use a temporary screw in place with #6 wood screws.
1 ⁄ 2 " from the face frame’s inside edge, smaller than the final screw in case I Next, clip the mounting plate onto
others less. I installed mine at 5 ⁄16". need to adjust the position.) each hinge and set the door in its open-
Now set a marking gauge to the ver- Next, set the door back in its open- ing. If the door is inset, shim it up on
tical center of the eye (in my case this ing on shims. I find it helpful also to pennies or other material to create the
was 5 ⁄16") and mark the intersection shim the hinge stile, taping pennies or gap you desire. If the door is full overlay,
with the line indicating the vertical dimes in place. Drop the leaf (or “flag”) shim as necessary. While holding the
position. This will be the center of the onto each hinge pin and mark the holes door in place (if you have access to the
hole for the eye bolt. in pencil on the door. At this point I cabinet interior via the back), drill one
remove the door because it’s far easier hole in the top hinge and one in the bot-
Drill the Hole for the Eye Bolt to drill the holes with the door lying tom hinge, using a #5 Vix bit, then insert
For inset applications the hinge pin down than propped up in the cabinet. screws. If you don’t have access from the
needs to be drawn up as close as pos- I use a square to double-check that the back, hold the door in its open position
sible against the face of the cabinet in leaf is square to the edge of the door. and line up the mounting plates on the
order for the door to hang flush and Drill just two holes in each leaf at this cabinet side; insert one screw in each,
not protrude from that plane. Use a point and insert the screws. check the fit, and adjust as necessary.
narrow chisel to make a small hollow Hang the door and check the fit. If (Alternatively, you can make a simple
template based on measurements taken opening with a slight gap on all sides.
from a mock-up.) It’s common to use the gap between the
The next step is to mark and drill for hinge leaves, which iscreated automati-
the hinge cups of the bi-fold hinge that cally at the top and bottom of the door
will attach the primary and secondary by the built-in washer, as a guide to the
doors. These hinge cup holes will be gap size at the sides.
drilled on the back (or inside) face of One leaf is mortised into the edge
the primary door, at the opposite side. of the door at the top and bottom; the
Insert the hinges and screw in place other is mortised into the cabinet.
as before. The secondary door will be Next set a mortise gauge to the width
attached by means of the bi-fold mount- of the leaf. For most applications the
ing plate. Hold the secondary door in hinge will be centered in the thickness
place and transfer the center point of ofthedoor;adjustthegaugeaccordingly.
each hinge arm. The center of the front Hold the router squarely on the
holes will be 37mm (or 115 ⁄ 32") back door’s edge to prevent it from tipping. Mind the gap. You can adjust the gap be-
tween the doors by turning the adjustment
from the edge of the door. Mark a line Rout close, but not right up to, the screws. The vertical slot on the mounting
at this distance, intersecting with the scribed and gauged lines. It will be plate allows for adjustments in height. The
center point of the hinge arm location, more precise to cleanup the rest with other two large screws allow for lateral adjust-
then hold the door in place against the a chisel, and the lines you’ve made with ment and front-to-back tilt.
mounting plates and drill one hole for knife and gauges will guide your chisel
each mounting plate using a Vix bit. tip for a clean cut.
Knife Hinges
Knife hinges come in different sizes,
configurations and finishes. The most
common varieties for fine furniture are
center pivot hinges, for doors that over-
lay a cabinet’s sides but are enclosed
within the top and bottom, and offset
pivot hinges, for fully inset doors.
With knife hinges, the stakes are
high: In most cases you will mortise
the door and cabinet before gluing the
cabinet together, and there is little op-
portunity to modify the fit once the
First mark. With the pivot end flush to the Transfer time. Set a mortise gauge to the
cabinet is glued up.
edge of the stile, mark the location of the width of the leaf and scribe the leaf width
This is an installation technique other end using a knife. Also mark the edge onto the door.
that uses a small router and chisels. of the pivot knuckle. Remove the hinge and
Start by clamping your cabinet to- scribe a square line across the edge of the
gether without glue. Make sure the door at both points.
opening is square, and fit the door to the
popularwoodworking.com ■ 47
Architectural Hinges for
Furniture and Cabinetry
Every so often I have a client ask if I will
build a piece using salvaged architec-
tural hinges instead of conventional
furniture hinges. If you’ve ever looked
through bins of old hinges at a salvage
yard, you can probably appreciate why.
Between their finishes (shiny chrome!
flashed copper!) and their finials (balls!
Pick your battles. Here I have the hinge
acorns! menacing points!), salvaged
flush at the back of the door, which makes
architectural hinges offer a world of it protrude awkwardly at the front. I glued a
quirky decorative possibilities. Because 7/16"-thick strip of the same material to the
they're made to support full-size doors, back of the hinge stile.
they are also uncommonly strong.
Rout. Set a small router cutter (I used 1/8”
The basic installation method is the
diameter) so its depth is equal to the thickness
of the leaf. Rout out the bulk of the waste. same as that for swaged butt hinges:
One leaf gets mortised into the cabinet,
the other into the door, with the barrel
protruding. Due to their size, though,
you should keep a few considerations
in mind when designing a piece that
will use them.
Decide which leaf will go on the
cabinet and which on the door based
on the end with the loose pin. The fixed Plan for the gap. If your leaf mortises are
finial should be at the bottom; other- equal to the leaves’ actual thickness, you will
Final cut. Clean up mortise edges with a end up with a large gap between the door
sharp chisel.
wise the pin will simply fall out.
and cabinet. I like to make one of the mortises
Even on full-size doors that are a
a little deeper to make the gap more appro-
standard 15 ⁄ 16 " thick, architectural priate to a cabinet.
hinges are customarily fitted with the
barrel protruding. When used on a
cabinet door, which is more likely to
be between 3 ⁄4" and 1" thick, the barrel
will protrude to an ungainly degree
unless you set the leaves back so that
they overhang on the interior of the
cabinet. The door will look better if
Repeat, with one difference. This time the you thicken it with a strip of matching
distance from the door’s edge will be offset by material on the inside face of the hinge
the width of your door gap. I used two layers stile. There’s nothing technically wrong
of thin cardstock as a shim.
with having the hinge protruding into
the cabinet, but it looks less than thor- Clear cut. If your mortise is the same width
oughly thought out. as the new thickness of the door (minus the
If the inside edge of your face frame protruding barrel), as mine is here, you can
begin removing waste with a saw. Stay just
is flush with the cabinet side, there’s no
clear of your gauged depth line.
need to thicken the face frame stile as
you did with the door. If these parts are
not flush, add the necessary material
before proceeding. Drill and screw the
second leaf onto the cabinet, then try
ON IN XTRAS
For links to all online extras, go to:
Slide into home. Slide the door onto the the fit. PWM
■ popularwoodworking.com/jun18
hinges, insert a screw in each, and test the fit.
ARTICLE: Check out Hiller's guide to eight
You can adjust the fit by modifying the mor- Nancy Hiller operates NR Hiller Design, Inc.
tises as necessary, but doing so is awkward near Bloomington, Ind.
common hinges.
and best avoided.
H
ow-to books, cookbooks and
sheet music are inconvenient
to use while you’re in the work-
shop, kitchen or concert hall. That’s
why bookstands (and music stands)
were invented.
These, however, can be bulky. And
so the mechanical minds of the 19th
century devised several clever ways
to fold up a bookstand so it can fit in
your pocket.
50 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2018 PHOTOS & ILLUSTRATION BY THE AUTHOR
and clamp the parts together. After
the glue is dry, square the ends of the
assembly and make a jig to drill the
counterbores and holes for the rivets.
Note that each rivet requires a
counterbore for the head of the rivet
and a counterbore for the “burr” – the
washer-like part of the rivet. On the
middle assembly you need counterbo-
res on the front face of the top, and on
the backside of the bottom. It sounds
confusing, but you’ll figure it out when
you study the photos.
The holes for the rivets are 1 ⁄8" in
diameter. The counterbore is 3 ⁄ 8" in
diameter. I used a special boring bit
from Timberline (No. 630-100) that
Make a hole. Glue up the rails and stiles of the middle section to create a hole for the kickstand bores the hole and counterbore in one
and foot of the project. operation.
The jig is made from scraps and
allows you to bore all the holes and
This version is based on several Brit- that are attached with copper rivets, counterbores in the middle section
ish and Chinese versions I have studied which work like hinges and allow the with one set-up.
and is designed to be robust and easy to whole thing to unfold. If you’ve never The two fences on the jig are 25 ⁄8"
make with standard workshop equip- used copper rivets, don’t worry. Install- apart. This allows the center assembly,
ment. It requires less than one board ing them is as easy as drilling a hole which is 13 ⁄4" wide, to slide left and right
foot of wood to build, so root through and hammering a nail. so you can bore your holes exactly 7⁄8"
your scrap pile and get started. Note: To make the nomenclature apart. Set the depth stop of your drill
easy for this project, I call horizontal press so the counterbore is 1 ⁄8" deep.
How It Works members “rails” and vertical members Drill all your holes.
The bookstand is basically a bunch “stiles” – just like in a door or a face Next you need to create hinges so
of sticks that have been glued or riv- frame. the kickstand and foot of the bookstand
eted together. The middle section of can pivot out. The “hinge” is merely a
the bookstand is created by gluing up Begin with the Middle Section 3 ⁄ 32" hole through the middle section
three pieces of wood, which creates an The middle section of the bookstand is with a nail pushed through to act as the
opening to hold the kickstand and the what everything else is attached to, so barrel. To do this, press the kickstand
foot of the piece – these bits of wood it’s a good place to start. Cut the rails and foot into the hole in the middle
make the bookstand adjustable. and stiles of the middle section to size section. They should fit snug inside.
Around the middle section are sticks according to the cutting list, then glue Center them in the opening as best you
Quick work. The two fences on this jig allow you to slide the center assembly left and right to Make a hinge. Drill a 3 ⁄32" hole through the
bore the holes and counterbores exactly 7⁄8" apart. middle assembly and kickstand. Then use a
nail as the barrel of the hinge.
popularwoodworking.com ■ 51
can. Then mark a location for the hinge Rails & Stiles • Top rails: Bore a hole and coun-
barrel. It should be 3 ⁄32" from the face of The rails and stiles that attach to the terbore on one end. Flip the piece over
the middle assembly and in a place that center section are simple in compari- and turn it around. Bore a hole and
allows the pieces inside to pivot. The son. The first thing to do is make a drill- counterbore on the other end. Sand a
exact location isn’t critical otherwise. ing jig to hold the rails and stiles so you curve on both ends.
Drill the hole for the kickstand, then can drill a hole and counterbore for a • Bottom rails. Bore a hole and coun-
fl ip everything around and drill the rivet in the ends that is centered on the terbore on one end. Sand a curve on
hole for the foot. piece and located 7⁄16" (on center) from that end.
The last step on the middle assem- the end. And you need to sand a 7⁄16" • Stiles. Bore a hole and counterbore
bly is to cut a 7⁄8"-radius curve on the radius on the ends of some of the pieces. on one end. Sand a curve on that end.
bottom edge of the middle assembly. There are three different kinds of
Mark it with a compass and rasp or parts – top rails, bottom rails and stiles. The Ledge
sand it to shape. Here are the operations you need to do One last little bit of work is to create
to each piece: the bottom ledge, which is what your
books or sheet music will sit on. These
ledges are simply glued to the bottom
edge of the bottom rails.
Feel free to decorate the ledges as
you like. I planed a 1 ⁄ 8" bead on the
front edges.
On Riveting
Riveting is easy. My best advice here is
to take it slow and don’t use too much
force; it’s easy to split the work. The
fi rst step is to ream out all the holes
with a 9 ⁄64" drill bit. This reaming will
allow the shaft of a No. 12 copper rivet
to fit perfectly.
Press the shaft of the rivet through
the pieces you wish to join. Press the
“burr” onto the top of the shaft. It
Even simpler. The jig for drilling the holes and counterbores in the rails and stiles is similar to the should stop after 1 ⁄16" or so. You need
other jig, but the workpiece doesn’t slide. to “set” the rivet by pressing it onto the
Safety ream. Opening up the hole by 1⁄64" Cheap rivet setter. A 1⁄4" dowel with a hole in the end makes an excellent (if temporary)
makes it less likely that your riveting will split rivet-setting tool.
the work.
Swift snip. Nail snips make quick work of Careful pounding. Tap the rivet with care. Each hammer strike could send your nail set
soft copper rivets. skittering toward the finished wood (and disaster).
popularwoodworking.com ■ 53
shaft. You can buy a rivet-setting tool,
or you can make one from a 1 ⁄4"-diam-
eter dowel.
Here’s how: Take a 3"-long section
of dowel and drill a 9 ⁄64"-diameter hole
into the end. Then place the dowel over
the shaft. Tap the dowel until the rivet
stops moving. Snip the excess of the
shaft as close as you can get. Then file
the top of the rivet flat. Then mushroom
– aka peen – the top of the shaft with a
nail set or other tool.
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popularwoodworking.com ■ 57
FLEXNER ON FINISHING BY BOB FLEXNER
Grain Raising
A better understanding of what causes grain raising will help you manage it.
G
rain raising, including its causes
and how to handle it, is not well
understood by woodworkers.
This leads to instructions that result
in your sanding more than necessary
to remove it and often not making the
problem better. Understanding what’s
happening in the wood will help you
improve your work. First, some defi-
nitions.
To begin with, the very term “grain
raising” is a little misleading. When
we speak of grain in wood, we usually
mean the visible boundaries between
the tree rings. So, for example, with
plain-sawn oak the boundaries are wide
and clearly visible.
To understand the grain raising that
creates fuzz on the wood you need to
Magnified wood grain. When viewed through a microscope, the grain of wood becomes clearly
take a different perspective of grain. visible. Think of it as miniature soda straws.
The grain that’s being referred to here is
the tiny cells or fibers that makeup the
wood. These cells are way too small to called lignin, which also contains the or jointer or planer knives aren’t sharp,
be visible except under magnification. extractives that give wood its color. they cause the cell walls to collapse or
So to make this explanation clearer, When you saw or plane the end grain the cells to press into layers of cells
think of them as a bundle of miniature of wood, you have to use very sharp underneath.
soda straws. blades or the sides of the cells tear and The same thing happens with dull
Like the soda straws, the cells in collapse. sandpaper. Sandpaper is expensive,
wood are largely hollow and much When you saw or plane the long so it’s natural to use it for much lon-
longer than they are thick. In wood grain, a similar thing happens, just ger than we should. The dull grains
the cells are held together by a “glue” much less so. Still, if your saw blade of abrasive tear the walls of the cells
and press them into the cells beneath
Wetting wood. One way rather than smoothly cutting them off.
to deal with raised grain is When moisture is then introduced
to raise it before applying in the form of humidity or, especially in
the finish. Use a rag, sponge
the form of liquid water, these pressed
or sprits bottle to wet the
wood, then let it dry. and torn areas swell so the surface feels
like peach fuzz. This is what we refer
to as grain raising.
If you want to try an experiment,
run one piece of wood over a jointer
and hand plane another with a very
sharp plane iron. Don’t sand either.
Then dab some water on each and feel
them after the water has dried. There
should be much less grain raising on
CONTINUED ON PAGE 60
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I
fell in love with woodworking be-
cause of the material itself; wood’s
movement with the seasons, its re-
actions to metals and oxidation and a
grain that holds a history of seasonal
storms, heavy branches and fungi. I
work primarily with green wood. I love
to relinquish control to the material,
allowing my bowls to dry in oblong
shapes and warp with knots.
I have been working with wood
for the past 13 years, some in the craft
world, some in the sculpture world. As a
woman in the field, I have experienced
some setbacks based on my gender:
mentakingtoolsfrommyhandsduring
class or making cuts for me, experi-
encing sexism at the lumberyard and
hardware store and having to prove We’ve hosted more than 300 women, built upon an ethos of non-competition
my ability in order to gain trust. Some trans and male bodied students in less and inclusivity. No one has to prove
assume that, because I am a woman, I than a year for classes such as birch themselves in order to be a maker. You
don’t know what I am doing. bark weaving, power tools 101, bowl can come into the shop as an expert or a
Woodworking is a tough field to get turning and joinery 101. Daily, I receive beginner and your skills are not deter-
into. It’s highly technical, dangerous emails from women and trans folks mined by your gender. For the men out
and expensive. And then you add a asking for more woodworking classes, there, wanting to encourage the women
gender dynamic on top of it, and it’s opportunities to teach or for advice woodworkers in their lives, remember
no wonder why women haven’t felt on how to start a WTF (women trans this: Learning happens through doing.
welcomed in the past. But, the field is femme) space in their own communi- Let your daughters, sisters and mothers
rapidly changing as more women and ties. Women’s Woodshop has become use the table saw. If you are taking a
nonbinarymakersembracewoodwork- a beacon for women and non-binary class alongside a woman, don’t question
ing and more men are asking how to makers to connect with one another. her ability. Women know how to ask
help them. They are not anomalies, but actually when they need help. She may have a
I had been brainstorming Women’s a part of a greater movement. Spaces decade of experience under her belt.
Woodshop for the past five years, and like mine are popping up everywhere, The future of woodworking is ex-
2017 felt like the right time to launch including A Workshop of Our Own in citing. It’s also a space where we can
it. The shop was founded on creating Baltimore, Lower 48 in Oakland, Calif., see gender equality rapidly grow. I am
a supportive community and produc- and She Skills in Australia. grateful to all my male counterparts
ing positive experiences for people of How can we make this shift grace- for supporting the endeavor rather
all genders. I believe woodworking is fully into equal treatment in the wood- than feeling excluded (I do offer co-
extraordinarily empowering. I want shop? I think of a beautiful quote by ed classes), and even more grateful to
to share information and give access Sarah Marriage: “It’s not about the ab- the women and non-binary students
to women and nonbinary makers that sence of men, it’s about the presence of that are showing up in droves with a
haven’t felt comfortable with learning women.” The goal isn’t to drive men out powerful enthusiasm. PWM
woodworking in the past. of the shop, but to work alongside one
My woodshop is a tiny 600-square- another in a way that feels comfortable Jess Hirsch is an artist, teacher and owner of Women’s
Woodshop. Learn more at womenswoodshop.com.
foot storefront in south Minneapolis. for everyone. Women’s Woodshop is
4-Piece
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T H I NK AG A IN .
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