oS Py, Le fa eect UB ELVU RUA ig | SES SiC One MasHl Mi ut a it a oo Seana. rth, PB Sei ir Fe cn SAWDUST O: question I hear quite often is, “Where do the ideas for your proj ‘cts come from?”"The short answer is, ‘rom everyone and everywhere. You just cant tell where the next idea for a project might come from For example, a while back I walked through the door at our shop and saw some large tables standing inthe mid- dle ofthe floor. Now they hada't been there the day before, so I was natu- rally curious about these tables that had sprung up overnight. 1 found out the new Woodsmith Store here in Des Moines needed sev- eral large, sturdy tables — and needed them quickly So our Project Designers volunteered to lend a bane. What they came up with was a design that was rock solid and quick and _ easy to put together, Since time is alwaysin short supply around the holidays I got to thinking that maybe we could incorporate some of those design ideas into a proj- ect forthe magazine. a aan ws a) ‘Well, we ended up with not one, but three tables —any one of which youl be able to build surprisingly fast. The secret behind this is in the construc- tion ofthe table bases. Allthree tables use the same knockdown base design — which doesn’t require any time-consuming joinery to build. And rather than making my own table legs ‘on a lathe, I went with a purchased set of turned legs. So instead of taking days to build, you can have the base assembled in just a fow hours. TAME TOPS. But the bases aren't the only things about these tables worth mentioning. There are also three designs for tops. And each one isa dif {erent size, so you can build the table that suits your needs, ‘And best of all, if you get started now, the whole family can be sitting around a new table by the holidays. GIFT BOXES. Ifyou're stil looking fora quick project, but want something a bit smaller, check out the gift boxes that begin on page 10, sect comes =e momar rshnitnte ae nono veh ram fom neon Tontane ions #3 WoodsmithEW Ree) INSIDE pare oat ela angaibenie a“ ) Features iy Template Routing: Perfect Every Time ...6 Taike Your router to anew level. With a special bit and a simple template, you can hollow out almost any shape Oval Jewelry Box . A graceful, oval , brass feet and swiveling lids make this an sgnpceneeneneay Secret-Compartment Box .........,..... 14 This classc-looking box features a laminated body of contrasting and two comparements — one of them isa secret. Dresser-Top Valet .... A divided-tray top and a small drawer make this box the perfect place to keep your everyday items close at hand. Traditional Knock-Down Table Base ...20 Lear the age-old secret to a strong, easy-to-build table base. You won't believe how quickly you can put together a great table. Heirloom Tables Starting with one master technig mn tables that look grea in almost any room of the house Antique Pine Finish ...................... 32 Want your pine project w have that warm, aged-pine color? It’s not hard to ee show you how. a One-Bit Locking Rabbet .. With one router bit and a simple setup, you can make beading a strong drawer a whole lot easier Departments Tips & Techniques ...............:.::00 4 Shop |Notes 222¢:..7.:,.0.--s2e¢0ss 18 SOURCES: oom meget. rasavecsey et ante ey 35 No. 150 ‘WoodsmithFROM FELL Ae VO sudan Tips & TECHNIQUES movable Outfeed Table Like many woodworkers, fullextension drawer my workshop is located in slides that are screwed the garage. And since my to the sides of the saw, ‘tools share space with the as shown in the car, [need to be able to exploded move equipment around view below. and “park” it out of the way. Then T Finding a mobile base attached a U-shaped for my table saw was easy hardwood frame to the enough. But the problem _ slides to hold the table, was the outfeed table. asin Fig.2.The drawer ‘There just isn't enough slides are able to sup- room for one that is per- port upto 100 Ibs. manently attached. The table is made My solution was to from % melamine- build a table that could covered particleboard cut To keep the table from Now when I want to easily be removed when to the same width as the sliding around, I screwed move the saw out of the the saw needed to be saw table. A pair of 94! three brackets to the bot- way, all Ihave to do is lift ‘stored, as you can see in wide grooves cut in the tom of the table, as shown _ off the tabletop and slide the photo at right. top match the miter slots in Fig. 1. The brackets in the frame. ‘What makes this work toallow the mitergaugeto also raise the table flush ‘Mike Diem are a pair of heavy-duty, — slide past the blade. with the saw table Wino, California Grooves match miter ——— Slotsin saw table) . table rests on full extension rower sides mounted ‘on the ablesaw' NOTE: Frame parts are made Twit ick hardwood ‘Woodsmith No. 150Router Table Edge Trimming ‘Trimming solid woodedg- To use it, attach the ing flush with a plywood — fence to the existing fence pancican beapain.ButI've with double-sided tape. discovered atechnique that ‘Then set the fence flush makesit much easier. with the bearing on the ‘As you can see in the bit, asin Fig. 1 photo at right, I use my Poul Loxche router table to trim the Dewey, Arizona edging. The secret behind this method is a tall auxit jary fence that “floats” just above the table top. This lets the oversize edging slide under the fence before it’s trimmed. ‘The fence is made from a piece of 14" plywood with a notch cut in one edge to fit around a flush trim bit, asin Fig 1. “Quick” Dust Covers ‘Dust is a problem in just started using plastic wrap about every workshop. It covers with a builtin elastic ‘can be damaging to elec- band. You can find them in tronics, like the battery the storage aisle of many recharging stations for grocery stores, many power tools. To keep Tim Reagan out the dust, I recently Chatsworth, California BUT Cet) It you have an original shop tip Please include your full ‘or woodworking technique, we niame, address, and daytime would like to hear from you telephone number so that we ‘and consider publishing your can contact you in case we tip in one or more of our print have any questions. ‘or electronic publications. If you would like, you can Just write down your fip FAX it to us at 5152826741 or and mall it to us: Woodsmith, send us an email message at ‘Tips and Techniques, 2200 woodsmith ®woodsmith.com. Grand Avenue, Des Moines, We will pay you up to $200 if Towa 50812. we decide to publish your tip. 4 No, 150 Woodsmith Traditional hold-downs ‘To get around this prob- work great for securing a lem, ! mounted the hold- ‘workpiece ‘The problems down to a hardwood block the stem of the holddown and clamped it in place in sticks down so far that it the bench vise, ‘would run into the cabinet Mike Bergen under my workbench. Andy Pollock of Northampion, MA screwed @ iece of aluminum angle o hs workbench provide a place to wipe off putry knives.stool SRO ENV IOUS With a template and special bit you can carve boxes and trays in just about any shape | ypically, most router work is done .on the outside or end of a wark- piece — like cutting joints or shap- ing an edge. But I've found it works just as well to carve out the inside. That's what I'm doing with the box in the photo above. The best part is the amount of time you save. With a chisel and carving gouges this would take hours. But with a router, it takes a few minutes, The problem is i's too difficult to control the router freehand and get a consistent depth, perfect shapes, and a smooth, even surface. The solution is to find a way to guide the router. To do that { used a template The way a template works is sim- ple: you start by cutting out the shape of your final product in a piece of MDF (the template). The template is then attached to the workpiece. A bearing on the router Dit follows the edge ofthe template asit carves out the workpiece ‘Templates are great for making copies ofa project later on. You can quickly make as many as you want Without extra set up or hassle. SELECTING TEMPLATE STOCK. Before You get dove to routing, you'll need tohave the right template. And make ing a good template starts with selecting the right template mate- rial, What you use depends a lot on the type of bit that you're using. For the inside routing needed for the boxes, Tused a tray bit (eee the Woodsmith box on the opposite page). This bit has a large bearing mounted on the shank above the cutting head, The Dearing is what touches the tem plate and guides the bit. Now with a big bit like this, you'll want to take several passes (more on this later). So the template needs to be thick ‘enough to touch the bearing forthe first cuts and when the bit is low- red tots inal depth. You have a few options for the template stock: plywood, solid wood, or MDF. Like mentioned ear lier, Ike to use MDF: The main rea son is that’s at and stable, Unlike solid wood, MDF isn't going. to expand or contract with the sea- sons. That way if] want to use the No. 150template again inthe future, Lean be sure Tl get the same results. @ ‘Another thing MDF has going for itis its easy to work with, It takes and holds details very well Since it’s made from wood fibers, there won't be any voids lke plywood Ths also makes sanding easy and fast Finally, it's pretty cheap. So you don’t have to worry about any mis- takes, While this sounds lke a mire cle product, I should warn you there is a downside. MDF can be messy. Cutting, sanding, and routing cre- ates alotof fine dust. MAKING. TEMPLATES. Now you're ready to make the template. I start with @ paper pattern showing the layout. The pattern is then ued to the MDF blank with spray adhesive, as in Fig. 1. drill out the corners with a Forstner should be equal to or greater than Shaping a template is a two-part bit that matches the radius exactly, the radius ofthe bit youl be using. process. Firs, is rough cutting the asin Fig.2."This way Idon' have to The second step is smoothing. I shape. Next, youll smooth the pro- try to perfectly match the radius by used a drum sander to slowly sneak file. Mostofthe wasteiscutout with sanding. This also gives you 2 upon the layout ines (Fig. 3). Once a jigsaw or scroll saw. But before “starter” hole for doing the cutting. thats complete, you're ready to put sawing, [take the opportunity to Note: The radius of the corners your template to work. pO Maa a ae ‘The bit I chose for making the boxes eat rr tine “bearing i No. 150 Woodsmith 7Using Templates ‘Working with a router template is pretty straightforward and simple But there are afew things you can do to get the best results. ATTACHING THE TEMPLATE. Once you have a completed router template, you'll need some way of attaching it securely tothe workpiece. Here agaln, ‘youre faced with afew choices. For the best results, [ike to use double-sided tape because it's easy to use. Itwon' get in the way of my work, and itdoesn't leave a mark tke clamps or screws would. Butbe careful there are two types of tape out there. There'sa thin type cof tape that looks like “scotch” tape. You'll want to stay away from this sul It doesn't stiketo wood well and you might find the template slipping and sliding as you rout ‘The good stuff is sometimes labeled “carpet tape” and is cloth- backed for extra strength. I cut it to fitaround the edges and openings in the template. It holds very well. In fact, it grabs so well that in order to separate the template from the work: piece, [have to apply a ttle mineral spirits tothe edges to soften the adhe- sive enough to pry them apart. DRILING TO SAVE TNE, Now youcould just pick up the router and phinge into the workpiece, making a lot of passes with the router until you reach the final depth. But I've found a war to remove most ofthe waste that’ a Jot quicker and easier. Here's what I do, Attach the tern- plate to the workpiece and then take this assembly over tothe drill press. Next, asilusratedin Fig. 4, I dri out most of the waste with a Forstner bit by making overlapping holes. ‘There are a few things to keep in mind as you're drilling. In Figs. 4 and S,youcan see what I'm talking about. AVOIDING PROBLEMS. First, because ‘any damage on the template will be transferred to the workpiece by the router bit, keep the drill bitaway from the edge of the template (about 1) (Note: To patch small dings in the template, you can use wood filler and ‘sand it smooth) This willleave plenty ‘of room to clean up the drill marks and leave a smooth surface. Second, watch hove deep youtl dill into the workpiece. The lead spur of the Forsinerbitean penetrate farther gm than you will end up routing. This ‘would leave litle dimples allover the bottom ofthe recess. Finally be careful near the corners and along the edges of the recess. If the holes are drilled too deep, the straight-ided drill bit can cut down beyond where the rounded router bit can reach. Fig. 4a shows how you can avoid these problems by leaving extra room at the edges and stopping the cutting edge of the drill it about Ae" above the bottom of the hole. ROUTER SETUP ‘With most of the waste removed, you can secure the template and work- piece to your workbench in a vise or with clamps. And after all the prep work, you'l find that routing is really just a cleanup step. ‘CHOOSING & ROUTER, The type of router that you use will infiience how you go about routing. Forthe boxes, ‘found that a fixed base router works: just fine. Buta plunge router would be @ Amore mot of smame CO "este eel tng Template ‘Woodseith No. 150a great choice as well. You can take advantage of its ability to quickly @] set det eis Ange router will also let you keep the base in full contact with the template before the bit starts cuting ‘Another thing to consider is the size of the router base compared to the openings in the template. If the ‘openings are lange, you may want to attach an auxiliary base to your router so that the router can't tip into the opening and damage either the tem- plate or the workpiece. CONTROLING DUST. There are afew other things to note when routing. ‘The first is dust and chips. As you can ‘sce in the photo at right, the router kicks up a snowstorm of dust. So it's good idea to wear dust mak i addition to your safety glasses. And if youcan connect your router tw ashop vacuum, that's even better. ‘You may notice that when you're routing deeper recesses that it's alit- tle hard to see what's going on. But since you're using a template, there's: nothing to worry about. The template: @ eps you cutting inthe right place. One last thing, because of the size of the tray bit, you'll want to take a series of shallow passes rather than trying to get by with just one or two heavy passes. While you're routing, listen to the sound of the router. It should keep its high-pitched whine, Ifthe pitch drops considerably, slow down or take wlighter cut ROUTING WITH THE TEMPLATE ‘To begin routing withthe tempalt, place the router on the template and set the bit fora shallow cut (4), a youcan sein Fig. 6. Now setan edge of the router base on the template and turn it on. Then tilt the router into the template opening, Youll want tomake sure thatthe cuting edge of the it won't come in contact with the ‘edge ofthe template. DIRECTION OF ROUTING. Once the router base is flat on the template, with the bit in the middle of one of the openings, work my way around the compartment from the center to the edge. Todo this, move the router around the opening dockwise, alls: tated in Figs. 7 and 7a, Finish up the first pass with the bearing ofthe bit in full contact with the template. Ater this pass, set it for a deeper cut and make another pass. (On the final pass, youl be clean- ing up any remaining drill bic marks ‘onthe bottom ofthe compartment, as shown in Fig. 6a. Once you're done routing, all hat’ lefts to remove any burn marks with some sandpaper. 19 aia A Afierdriling out most of the waste, the final rosting sul clean 1p the recess in just. fw ines No. 150 Woodsmith10 WEEKEND PROJECTS THREE ROUTED GIFT BOXES What do these three beautiful boxes have in common? Each of them features a simple template routing technique. Av this time of year, i always on the lookout for sival, simple projects to build as git for friends ‘and family. And the three unique boxes shown in the photo above are perfect examples. ‘What makes them perfect? For one, they don't require a lot of time or material to make, You could probably make them all from pieces of wood leftover from some of your other projects. Each of the boxes features simple construction and joinery. Infact, two of the boxes (the jewelry box shown (on the opposite page and the secret-compartment box ‘on page 14) are made from either a single block of wood or a glued-up blank. The case of the third box, the Woodsmith dresser top valet on pase 16, is joined by screws and has a stnall drawer with a simple locking rabbet. Best of all, as a woodworker, I get the chance to try my hand at a different kind of template routing tech- nique. With a template, you're not limited to square or straightline shapes, To learn more about this technique, read the article starting on page 6. In the box projects that follow, you'll see just some of the ways you can use templates to carve out the inside ‘ofa box, or to create the shallow recesses of a tray So dust off your router and build one or all three of these boxes and get a few names crossed off your gift list At the same time, you'll be honing a new skill. No. 150OVAL JEWELRY Box “The first of the boxes, the jewelry ‘box, is the most unusual ofthe three ‘With its oval shape and wing ike Bids, italso seems alot more complex, but as you'll see, there isn't anything unusual about building it. ‘There are only four parts to the jewelry box. The body is made of ‘one piece of 14#"thick hardwood. A pair of bean-shaped compartments ‘are routed in it to hold the jewelry. ‘Two matching swivel lids enclose the compartments, and a center divider serves asa lid stop. (MAKING THE TEMPLATE. The secret to a free-form project that doesn't have any straight lines or square shapes is to use a router and a pair of tem- plates. Lise the pattern on page 13 as ‘4 guide for making the box ten plate. Even though the final shape of the boxis oval, Imade both the tem- plate and the box blank an oversize rectangular shape for now. {did this fortwo simple reasons. First, the oversize template pro- vides a broad, flat surface for the router to ride on, ‘The second rea- on is that it's easier to secure the rectangular box blank in the face vise on the workbench. After attaching the template to the box blank, the first thing you'll do drill out most of the waste with a Forstner bitin the drill press. Doing it this way is faster than routing, ROUTING WITH THE TEMPLATE. Once the recesses have been drilled to rough shape, you can rout out the compartments, taking shallow passes, as shown in Fig. 1 DDRILING PIM HOLES. The las thing to do isto drill a pair of 34dia. holes through the template and into the box, as you can see in Figs, 2 and 2a Final pass leans up bottom af compartment ‘These holes will hold steel pins that the lids will swivel on. Nov, although the body of the box isn't quite finished at this point, you can take the template off. Then. set the body aside while you work. ‘on the lids. When the lids are done, the body will be cut to match the lids fora seamless look. Use template a5 8 “ork binge is guide toil holes =< WoodsmithShaping The Lids With te recesses inthe body com plete, I turned my attention tothe lids. After the lids are complete, the rest ofthe box willbe shaped and then sanded smooth. MAKING TH TEMPLATE. But before you make the lids, there's one more template to make: The second tem- plate guides you through the cuting and Sting ofthe fds The same tem- plate is sed to shape both lids s0 ‘hat they end up identical. ‘To make the template, enlarge the pattern on the opposite page and glue it to a piece of Yi" hard- ‘board. The template is then cut to rough shape on the band saw and sanded tothe layoutlines. Then dil out the dia. hinge pin hole {AY OUT LDS AND DIVIDER. The lids and center divider ofthe box are all ; cut from the same piece of thick stock so that the grain vill fow ih W) across all three parts after they're ) 4 | shaped and attached to the bax. So to lay out the parts, you'l need to start with an oversize blank. pa Now set the lid template in place ‘on the blank and trace the outline. A Use the emplaies Then rotate the template 180° to asa guidefor trace the other lid. Just be sure to driling holes for Yeave atleast 5 between each tid the steel hinge pins for the divider, asin Fig. 3. forthe lis, Leaving this extra space allows for the saw kerfs when cutting out the lids and stil leaves you enough “wigele” room to shape the divider for a tight fit later on. And to keep the parts from getting turned around while shaping, Tused an old ‘tick and marked a carpenter's trian- ‘sleon the top ofthe board. ‘MAKING THE UBS, At this point, the lids can be cut out from the blank on the band saw. (Remember to save the center for the divider) Cut just to the waste side ofthe line. Next, atach the lid template with doublesided carpet tape and trim the lid to final shape with a fush ‘rim bit installed inthe router table, as you can see in Figs. 4 and 4a. Using the template as a guide, ri a 4"dia. hole in the bottom of ‘each lid, as shown in the drawing in the left margin. Then cut a piece of Yedia, steel rod to fit ia the lid and box (about 14"). The pins can then ‘be glued into the lids with epoxy. SHAPING THE DIVIDER. Once the gine has dried, you'll need to grab the ‘box body for the shaping and fitting of the divider. To do this, start by ‘attaching the lids with doublesided tape. The tape keeps the lids from ‘moving around while you fit the divider to the space between them, as illustrated in Fig, 5, ‘When fitting the divider, make sure the orientation triangle fines up. The space between the lids defines the exact size of the divider. To fit the divider, Lused a drum sander mounted inthe dil press, as you can see in Fig. 5a. It’s a good idea to tes the ft often while shap- ing the divider. What you're looking 1for isa snug fit. At each end of the so _ vider, [sanded a relief, as shown @ 2 Fic 5b-Mislets he tids open and ‘lose freely without binding, When you're satistied with the fi, you can ‘ease the top edges with some sand- paper and glue the divider in place. (U1 OUT THE BOX. Now that the ids and divider are complete, the body of the box can be cut from the over- size blank. To do this, trace the out: line of the lids on the body. Then remove the lids and rough cut the body on the band save, SANDING THE RODY FLUSH. Once the body has been cut out, it stil needs some finetuning. Here again, 1 attached the lids with double-sided ‘tape and sanded the body fish with the lids using a drum sander, as shown in Fig. 6, Now it might seem that this isthe perfect job fora fush trim bit in the router table, but its not. The reason is that with so much end grain on the box, routing: could cause alot of tearout and burning. ‘There's just a couple of things left to do on the box. The first is to Dae treszy tp eters eet lid with some sandpaper. Second, I routed a slight (V4?) roundover on the bottom ofthe box, ain Fig. 6a ‘ADDING FEST, The last thing to add to the box are a few brass feet. The feet are glued into holes drilled in the bottom, as in Figs. 7 and 7a. Although the box looks great just as itis, there are a few other details that you could add. stained the lids a contrasting color. Then, I applied flocking to the inside of the com- partments to match the lid stain. For step bystep instructions on how to do this, turn to page 18. 8 CTD a dat) No. 150 ‘Woodssnith 8{A lip the box over to uncover a second compart- ‘ment hidden in the base. A pair of magmess ‘attached tothe bottom keep it. secre. box is hiding something —two things actual. To see what mean, take a look atthe photos above. First ofall, you'll notice the vertical grain inthe body ofthe box. This hides the end grain under the top and bottom. The other thing this box is hiding is secret compartmentin the bottom, a8 yout can see inthe inset photo. MAKING THE BODY. ‘The body of the box is just a large, gluedup block of ‘wood. For contrast, Ladded a few thin strips of a darker-colored wood (paduak), as shown in Fig. 1, but you! can use whatever you lke ‘Tomake the body, Istarted with a sandwich of smaller pieces of wood turned on end. Like 1 mentioned before, there won't be any end grain visible on the box. ROUTING THE COMPARTMENTS. oth the top and bottom compartments are routed using the same template To make the template, use the half pattern shown on the opposite page. The only thing that’s different between each compartment is the No, 150depth ofeach recess, as you can see in Fig. 1a. For more on template routing, turn to page 6 ‘What's unusual about routing the compartments for this box is that you're cutting into end grain. The hard end grain causes more stress con the bit. So [ike to make shallow cuts and move the router a little slower than normal TOP ANO ROTTOM. The top and bot tom of the box are identical. They're made from 14!"thick stock and have 234" cove routed on all four edges, ‘To keep the top and bottom cen- tered on the box, there are 14"-thick indexing plates on the inside face of cach piece as shown in Fig. 2 The indexing plates have a radius cut on each corner and are long cnough to just lip into the compart ments. And they're cut a bit nar- rower than the opening to allow for seasonal movement But before shaping, I planed the Nore {odexing plate it 2 parte, glued-on piece plates to final thickness. The prob- Jem is thin stock has a tendency to break apart in the planer. To sup- port the pieces, I taped them to a plywood carrier (see photo below) KEEPING A SECRET. To keep the lower compartment a secret, [attached a COP G i Ua ats NOTE: al shown fa pair of rare-earth magnets to the bottom lock it in place. Each magmet is held in a small cup pressed into a hole at each end of the base (i For the magnets to work, they need something to grab onto. So I ‘SECRET BOX TEMPLATE. Perale Grilled a counterbore at each end of the box, as in Fig. 3a, and installed a pair of special, countersink washers. The holes and counterbores are centered on the thickness ofthe box “walls,” as shown in Fig. 3. ‘A When planing the stock forthe indexing plates used for the top and bottom, attach the stock wo 2%" plywood carrier with double-sided tape. The plywood supports the thin stock as it’s planed preventing i from getting chewed up by the force of the planer knives. WoodsmithDRESSER- TOP VALET This classy organizer features a small drawer and a divided tray top. T: look at this dressertop valet It’s a basic case with straightfor- ward construction. What's different is the top ofthe case. Itfeatures shallow “wells” to hold the stuff that collects in your pockets during the day and needs a place to rest when you come home, shown in the photo. 16 TOF AND BOTTOM. The top andl bot- tom of the case are gived-up panels with a bullnose routed on all four ceciges, as shown in Fig tb. ‘To make the shallow wells in the top, Tused a special tray bit in a router guided by a template. Use the pattern shown on the opposite paige fo make the template. You can learn more about template routing by reading the article on page 6. MAKING THE CASE SIDES. The sides and back are cut to size from 14% thick stock. A bullnose is routed on each end of the sides to match the top and bottom, as in Figs. 1 and 1b, No, 150used a tongue and dado joint to connect the sides and back of the case. To make the joint, a dado is cut near the back of each side piece, then a matching tongue is cut at each end of the back, as in Fig. 1a With the joints cut, the sides and back can be glued together, 0x ASSEMBLY. I was looking for a simple way to attach the top and bot- tom to the sides of the ense, The trouble is, this is a cross-grain joint ‘And there's no way glue will stand up to seasonal movement. ‘The solution to this problem is to tuse long screws to pin the top and bottom tothe sides, as in Fig. 1. The holes in the sides are oversize, Which allows the sides to move inde- pendently from the top and bottom, as shown in Fig, 1c. ‘Small, wood feet are screwed to the bottom to complete the case, as in Fig. tc. To make them, I routed the bulinose on an oversize blank first, then cut them to final size. BUILDING A SIMPLE DRAWER With the case complete, you can ‘begin working on the drawer. As you can see in Fig. 2, it's just a basic drawer with tongue and dado and Jocking rabbet joinery. No. 150 ‘The tongue and dado is straight forward enough to make. The joint is cut just like the one that joins the side and back of he case (Fig. 26). CUTTING A LOCKING RABBET. I used a locking rabbet to join the front and sides of the drawer, as you can see in Fig. 2a. did it this way because it'sa stronger joint forthe front. You could also tse a drawer joint bit in the router table to make this joint. To see how, turn to page 34. Tei ‘Woodsmith After cutting the joinery, the next thing I did was euta 14" groove near the bottom edge of all the parts ‘This groove will hold a 14" plywood. ‘bottom, as shown in Fig. 2c FNAL AsStmRLY. The final piece to make is the plywood drawer bot tom, as in Fig. 2. fs sized to fit in the grooves in the drawer parts, ‘Then all that’s lft to complete the valet is to screw a pair of brass knobs to the drawer front. 68 a7UDOT 08 S5)7) SHop NOTES _ Routing Spline Grooves Ordinarily, breadboard cats areatached tno ‘wood panel with a tongue and groove or mortise and tenon jin. But since the pane! in the oak dining room table on page 30 is plywood, i call for sone thing a little different. Here, the breadboard ends are attached to the plywood slab with '4" hardboard ‘splines, The splines provide additional glue area and keep the breadboard ends flush with the table top. SOT CUTER, To cut the grooves for the splines, I dsed a slot cutter ina handed route, asin the photo above, But since I didn’t want the sj to show on the ends, I needed to make stopped grooves in both parts SHOP MoeKS. To do this clamped a pair of stop blocks between the bread- board ends. Doing it this way has a couple of advan- tages, First, you can cat the grooves for both parts with one setup, Second, using both workpieces provides greater surface area for the router to ride ‘on, asin Fig. 1a. This way it can't tip while cutting and spoil the groove. ‘The blocks are sized to stop the bit 2* from the ends and are longer than the diameter of the cutter This way the bit isn't trapped by the pieces. After setting the depth 0 that the groove will be 14" below the surface, 1 clamped the blocks. so that they “catch” the bear ‘ng on the end of the bit ‘ROUT GROOVE, To rout the groove, set the router on the breadboard ends, making sure the bit isn't touching the sides and turn on the router. Slowly bring it into the workpiece until the bearing touches. ‘Then move the router clockwise around the opening (Fig. 1. 1 = “After sanding the inside and ir While the paint is stil wet, apply ishing the outside of the box, the flocking fibers with the brush a thick baie coat ofthe paint. shaker applicator After the pain his, ‘ike adhesive to all the inside surfaces brush out any excess fibers 18 Woodsmith Suede-Tex Application ‘To dress up the ewelry box on page 10,1 wanted to line the compartments. There ‘are two ways to do this. ‘One way would be to Tine the recesses with felt. But with all the curves and the rounded bottom, that would be a tough job to say the least. ‘The other way is to use Suede-Tex, which gives the same look of felt. tis actually a two-part flock ing made of a pigmented undercoat adhesive and tiny bers, Its avalable in a varity of colors Gee page 35 for sources). Irs best to apply it ater applying finish to the proj- ext Otherwise, you could contaminate the flocking, Start by brushing on a thick coat of adhesive (1 like to use a gue brush. Then, while it’s still wet, you can blow on the fibers. To get an even cov ering, don't be afraid to apply too much. You can reuse any excess later No, 150Large Panels One of the biggest chal- lenges of building the Iitchen table on page 29s ‘squaring up the table top. Ripping it to final width on the table saw ise problem since the sides are straight. “The problem comes in trimming the ends. I's nearly impossible to ‘rosscut the uneven ends ‘on the table saw. The table top is just too big for the miter gauge to hold. To solve this problem, 1 turned to a technique normally used for break- ing down large sheets of plywood — a circular save and cutting guide. One of the benefits of this method is that don't have to muscle around the panel, Tean either work ‘on the floor or benchtop. ‘As you know, it can be tough to get a clean cut from a circular saw. But P've found that you can eliminate a lot of the chipout if the panel is backed up. Tike to use a sheet of rigid foam insula- tion, as shown in the photo at right. Tt also helps to put the good side ‘of the pane! face down, To guide the saw, 1 made a simple edge Hanger bolts are great for building knock down table legs. The tricicis knowing how to drive them in without damaging either sets of threads or hacking out the bolt. guide. It directs the saw for cutting a straight line, and it makes a reference ‘edge so you know exactly ‘where the saw will cut. ‘Tomake an edge guide, start with an extra-wide base of 14" hardboard, then glue and screw on a plywood fence. Finally, use the fence as a guide for the saw and trim away the waste to create the ref ‘erence edge (Fig. 1). and screw plywood Terce to etrarwice SECOND: Trin base witn creer saw to reate reference e0ge “The simplest way is to use @ pair of ‘nus tightened against each other, as you an See atthe top in the photo at left A socket wrench makes quick work of driv- ing the bolt home, asin the drawing at right. Then you can remove the nuts with a pair of wrenches. Another option is to use a commercial Ariver (shovm at the bottom of the photo at left. Ithias a hex head that you chuck Into a dil, All you do is thread iton the bolt and drive it in, Reversing the drill Woodsmith 9KNock-DOWN I rational knockdown table con- struction has been around for a Jong time. And once you try it, the reasons become obvious. Firs itean really simplify the joinery without sac- rificing strength. Second, it makes the assembly ofthe frame a leisurely process and pretty much foolproof And last but not least, itallows you to disassemble a table into manageable pieces for moving or storage. HOW IT WORKS Atfirst glance, you'd be hard pressed to tell that aknock-down table wasn’t built with mortise and tenon joinery. ‘TABLE BASE Bt the key here is that there isn't any joinery between the legsand the apron, On a traditional knockdown ‘base, stout, wood corner brackets are fixed between the apron pieces to cre- ate a rigid frame. Hanger bolts inserted into the legs mate with holes in the brackets (Fig. 1). And when the nuts are snugged down, the legs and apron are pulled into a tight, square base (Fig. 1a). TE LE65. The usual place to start the Joinery ofa table base is with the Jeg’, and in this case it's an easy job. All you need to do is to chamfer the inside, top corner of each leg: as NOTE: Comer bracket ‘made from 1 stock asx im hoodseren shown in Figs.2 and 2a, This serves a couple purposes. Itll give you clearance for the corner brackets and a lat surface in which to install the hanger bolts, That's it. THE APRONS. The work on the aprons is almost as easy as the legs, ‘You can get started by cutting them to width. And since you won't be cutting any tenons on the ends of the aprons, their length will be the distance separating the top ends of the legs. Just make sure the apron ends are clean and square. ‘To give the corner brackets a bet ter grip on the apron, Tcut a widedado at each end of the apron pieces. These dactoes capture a 1"- ‘wide tongue on the ends of the cor ner brackets. The result is an extremely rigid base (Fig: 1a). ‘MAKING THE CORNER BRACKETS, With the work completed on the legs and aprons, all you need now are the corner brackets. And to ensure the frame ends up true and square, you want all four brackets to be ident- cal. But with a simple step-by-step process, this isn't dificult, ‘You can get started by cutting the four bracket blocks to size from 1" ck (Fig. 3). Next, lay out all the ceuts on just one block — your setup piece. You'll use this piece to make ‘your initial cuts. stop block on the miter gauge will make duplicating the cuts in the other pieves a cinch. RST CUT. Fig. 3 shows how to get started by cutting the short 45° miter on the outside face. Just sneak up on the layout line, adjusting the stop block as you go, When your cut is right om the line, you ean fip the piece end for end to make the oppo- site cut. Then cut the other pieces. SECOND CUT, Now reset the stop block to make the long 45° cut on the inside face using the same steps as before (Figs. 4 and 4a) THE TONGUE. The final two cuts on the brackets willform a V-notch and complete the tongue. Again, using stop block [first cut the inside face ofthe Venotch (Figs. 5 and Sa). Now to complete the tongue, you'll have to make the final cut from the opposite side ofthe blade. If you take a look at Figs. 6 and 62 youl see how I made ths cut. The long auxiliary fence on the miter ‘gauge makes it possible. Remember that the goals a snug iting tongue, so check the fit in the dadioes as you sneak upto the layout tine. PPR SASL aT WOLES, One more task and the base is ready to assemble, Two oversized holes drilled in each corner bracket will hold the 59" hanger bolts. ASSIMBYY. At this point you're ready to put the pieces together. “The box below shows the simple steps to the assembly. g ia =| i Hold leg tightly ~.. The base can go together comer by My Next the prediled holesin thecar- '# Fall the hanger boltsare installed. Commer Fist @ bracket is estened to dm ner brackets are used to dil plot WB Tightening down the nut draws the the aprons with Woodscrews: ‘hoes inthe legs forthe hariger bolts, leg and apvon tightly together, No, 150 Woodsmith aST Yas te } ) IRLOOM ABLES — 3 DEsIGns avo ONE MasteR 2 (QUENo, 150 Tevez designing and building tables, With just allie effort you can come up with a table that’s not only functional but attractive. And the choices can be endless. ‘That's what helps make this three tube incup so interesting. All three of the tables share the same style of knock- down base. You just start with the nicely detailed, pur chased legs and the restis a snap. The technique here is 90 straightforward, don't be surprised if your base is assem bled ina day. But you might want to slow things dovn a it- tle and include a drawer. Its really only a Title more work and it gives you the chance to customize abit. Finally, you can add atop to make each table unique."The plank and cleat top on the maple sofa table at right is about as easy to build as they come. And while the thick pine top on the kitchen table above is prety standard, it looks right at home. The breadboard-end top on the oak dining table _gives you some different challenges and a classic look. But Y'm guessing you'll only have one difficulty with these tables, deciding which one to build. Woodsmithi Bes z AG 5 : if ‘materia ist 1 TECHNIQUE — 3 TABLE BASES One of the nicest things about the knock-down technique I used for these tables is that the process is so easy. And itcan be used on just about any size or style of table. And as you ‘can see from the photos on pages 22 and 23, the results can't be beat. ‘The three tables that I built using. the knockdown technique have bases that are all pretty much ident- cal in style. I just varied the sizes of the bases (and legs) and then I added a detail or two for interest, Before you get started on one of the ‘tables, you'll want to read over the article on pages 20 and 21. This will give you all the basics on the knock: down technique, so T won't get into the construction details of each base. just ry to point out some of the differences and the finer points. THE BASE. Fig. 1 shows the break- ‘down of the base forthe maple sofa table, All three of the bases follow this same design. Only the dimen- sions and one minor, but important, detail are different. ADO POSITION. If you take a close look at Figs, 1a and 1b, you'll see that the postion ofthe dadoes in the aprons is different. The reason is simple, I used nice, purchased legs for all three tables. They weren't expensive and they look great. (For information on turning the legs, see sources on page 35) But in order to keep the legs in scale with the table, ‘used smaller legs for the sofa able. (The sofa table legs are 294" square while the legs for the dining and the kitchen table are 344" square) Rather than change the size of the ‘corner brackets for the sofs table, it made more sense to just reposition the dadoes in the aprons. oe NOTE: Groove | Nye Ga = No. 150‘The dadoes that hold the corner brackets are I" wide (Fig 28). This ‘means youl have to make a couple of passes with a dado blade to get the fll width. You can set the fence forthe first pass as shown in Fig. 2. ‘And after each apron piece is cut with this setting, just reposition the fence to end up with a I-wide dado. FASTENER GROOVE. When the time came to fasten the top to the frame, wanted it to be quick and easy, To prepare for that, I cut a groove around the top, inside edges of the apron pieces (Figs. 3 and 3a) that ‘will hold metal tabletop fasteners. WOODSCREWS. AND ANCHOR BOLTS. ‘After you've made the corner blocks (refer to page 21), you're ready to putitall together (Fig. 4), About the cnly tools youl need forthe assem- bly are a deil, a screwdriver, and a ‘wrench, The article on pages 20 and MATERIALS, SUPPLIES, & CUTTING DIAGRAMS NOTE: Tur to pa 19 forties an installing ‘hanger bors © se ca" nangerdott @ witaand washer 21 gives you a play by play on this. ple way to accomplish this was to And you'll find some tips on add \4" bead molding around the installing anchor bolts on page 19. bottom edge (Figs. 4 and 4a). You It's a nice sight when you tighten can make the bead molding with a the nuts on the anchor bolts and the 1/4" round-over bit in the router legs and the apron close up tighly. table. Then it’s just a matter of ent ‘ADD A BiAD. I thought the apron ting the pieces to fit snug between needed just a litthe detail and a sim- the legs and gluing them in place. Sora Tamr Base End Bead trim (2) Bx1%-16 A Legs (4) 2UX2%-29 F Side Bead Trim (2) Ix We- 30 B Apron Ends (2) 1x4%- 16 > (16) #B x 115" Fh Woodscrews ‘© Apron Sides (2) 1x4%-30 » (8) 446" x 4" Hanger Bolts w/Nuts & D Commer Brackets (4) 1x4¥- 7 Washers re eer Kivenen asus Bast E End Bead trim (2) Bx V4-30 A legs (4) 314% 3%-29 F Side Bead Trim (2) tex 14-30 B Apron Ends (2) 1x4%-30 + (16) #8 x 1%" Fh Woodscrews © Apron Sides (2) 1x4%-30 + (8) %" x 4* Hanger Bolts w/Nuts & D ComerBrackets (4) 1x4-7¥e Washers WELT. WY Vids Downe Tasie Bast E End Bead trim (2) ex We- 30 A Legs (4) 315x3%-29 F Side Bead Trim (2) Tex 1-58 B Apron Ends (2) 1x4%5-30 + (16). #8 x 1/2" Fh Woodscrews © Apron Sides (2) 1x4%5-58 + (8) Yo" x 4” Hanger Bolts wuts a D Corner Brackets (4) Oak Ao 1x4%-7s Washers Woodsmith a5A Ane, deep drawer isa spat alton to this old- style, pine kitchen table ae oes” fore ca 7. fepiiet * eef.up the thickness. It's simple, ‘HE CENTER PANEL. The frst thing to ois to cut the 24" plywood center ‘panel (A) to size. You want crisp, square edges so the trim pieces and breadboard ends will ft well. SIE TRIM. Now you can start hid- ing the edges of the plywood. Fig. 1Ba shows how I added a couple of rabbeted side trim (B) pieces. The rabbet wraps around the edge of the table and provides more glue sur face. But then only anarrow band of ‘wood will show from above. ‘Abo THE FERS, Once the side tim is added, you can cut the plywood SIDE TRIM 28side filers (C) anc end filers (D) 10 AYA size and glue them in place, Just oO @ 214 the side siters up tothe side = trim and then add the end filers flush tothe ends ofthe center panel. ‘00 TUE ENDS. Now the top is ready for its breadboard end pieces. After you've cut the two breadboard ends (B) to size, there's some simple join- ery to work on, Fig. 3c shows how Ifit a “blind” hardboard spline across this joint to add strength. ‘AY! slot cutter in a hand-held router makes cutting the stopped ‘groove for the splines easy. You can check out page 19 for a clever way to cut the slots in the breadboard ‘ends And Figs. 14 and 14a show the ‘details fr the plywood center panel SOME NKE DEIAL. Before I glued the breadboard ends in place, I cut a radius on the outside corners (Fig. 13b). And the final detail is a 14" roundover with a shoulder, as shovn in Figs. 15 and 163. The com- pleted top can then be attached and the table is ready for a finish. MATERIALS, SUPPLIES, & CUTTING DIAGRAMS eet A Planks (3) ixg-42 & — — YW B Cleats (2) Bix2- 17% ASE 26 Mop 124 Foy, + Met tbiewp fasenerswscews [LA AI. + (12) #8.x 174 Fh Woodscrews j i 1" 84" 96" Maple 0:1 Bd. Ftd j Guuto Stan Tor A Top () 1x44-44 | * (6) Metal Tabletop Fasteners w/Screws | Brrapsoann-Eno Tor A Center Panel (1) -%aphy -42%2x 64 48° 96" Wt Red 00k Pywood | B Side Trim (2) Wax in-64 ! Side fillers (2) pl. -6x52 © D End Fillers (2) 3 ply. 6x41 ee j E Breadboard Ends (2) WVWax4-a4 A oper rg | *+ (10) Metal Tabletop Fasteners wiScrews, eH | yz | "ALSO NEEDED: %* hardboard for splines No. 150 ‘Woodsimith aAN OLD COLOR ON New PINE You don’t have to wait years to get the warm look of aged pine. With the right finishing techniques you can easily make pine look old. ve always enjoyed spending time browsing through antique stores — especialy the ones with lots of fir niture, Its a great source for ideas and alittle inspiration, And often what catches my eye are the simple old pieces built out of pine. This furni- ture is often a litle beat up, but what ‘more than makes up for this isthe rich, warm color of the wood. Its a ook that’s hard to beat. And as well as admiring the old pine pieces, Ike to work with good pine and create a few new pieces of my own, But working with pine has ‘one minor challenge. I dont neces sarily want my pine projects to look brand new. Sometimes I like my new pieces to have that old pine color Ive often seen. A litle prema- ture aging is what I'm after, ML. Normally, staining wood to add some “age” isn't big deal. But pine is a different challenge. Although pine is a soft wood, it's not ‘evenly sot. There can be a Jot of di ference in the density of the wood across a board. The softer ‘wood in the board tends to soak up a Jot of stain, while the harder wood Blocks it out. The color can end up pretty uneven and ‘somewhat blotchy. ‘6000 SURFACE PREP. The first step to getting a good stain job on pine is careful sanding. Just make sure all A Tie jar of shellac om the right is thinned with two the parts are parts denawured alcohol. The color is lighter and it sanded tothesame will “flow” much better. ait so all the sur- faces are an even smoothness. Pay special attention to the end grain. If it's rough, il really soak up a stan, As a rule Il sand pine to 180 grit and Tll sand finer on the end grain. ‘AMBER SHELLAC Ifyou just want to give a pine project the warm glow of slightly aged pine, amber shellac is the way to go. As yourcan seein the photo inthe lower leftcorner,asingle coat will turn raw pine fromit’s natural yelowish-white color to a much more pleasing me “pumpkin” pine color. Bi Aber shellacis _— actually a “colored!” finish, nota stain. So you can avoid the problems (blotching and uneven color) you ‘might have applying a stain. The appli- cation is easy and you'll get a rich, beautiful color on the pine. APRYYNG SHELIAG. start with, a small can of premixed amber shel lac. But the offtheshelf commercial ies are going to be too thick to flow out well. So the first thing to do is thin the shellac. I usually thin shellac ata rate of of 1 part shellac to 2 parts denatured alcohol. As you ‘seein the photo above, this lightens the color of the amber shellac con- siderably and wall make it much eas- jer to brush out. -<@ Brushing on a coat of amber shellac will add ‘some instant age to pine. Applying multiple dllwed coats gives beter control ofthe final coor No. 150Under the right conditions, shel- aging ofthe wood and fi lac dries very fast — within 5 or 10 _jshmakes for an unbeat- minutes. Start by applying a thin able color. So to get this coat and when its dry, sand it darker, “aged” color, lightly. A second coat will give you a you're going to need to Title deeper color. Applying multiple start with a stain. And light coats gives you greater control successfully staining pine ‘over the final color. requires a slightly dit TorcoaT. Now although amber ferent approach. shellac is a finish and forms a fim RST A CONDTONER. ‘on the wood, Illrarely use it without Before staining pine, I a harder topcoat. It’s just not very always apply a prestain, ‘water or scratch resistant. conditioner. A condi- My choice of a topcoat over the tioner acts to seal the shellac is a good quality varnish — wood a little bit in either brushed or wiped, Pine is a advance of the stain. pretty soft wood, so to me it makes ‘The stain that you apply Sense to se a prety hard nish for afterwards can til pen MD the best protection. A few coats of etrate, but in a more polyurethane or a standard varnish controlled way. A conditioner willgo to the wood and let it soak in, The will create @ tough film and you long way toward eliminating the solvent fills the pores of the wood so won't need to “baby” the soft wood. blotches and uneven color you may that when you apply the stain (while ‘A second reason Iprefer varnish otherwise see on pine. the conditioner is stil wet) it won't is the litle bitofextra amber colorit You can condition the pine in a penetrate as deeply. It's prety sim- willimpart to the wood. A topcoat of couple ofways. Sometimes, use a ple and it works well. varnish over the shellac will really light coat of dilute amber shellac. THK STAIN. Once the wood is con- enhance the warm glow of old pine. The shellac will seal the wood just tioned, the stain can be applied enough to keep the stan from pene- And choosing the right type of STAINING PINE trating deeply: You'll get a slightly stain is important. I've found But sometimes the old pine pieces lighter (the wood won't accept as that on pine the thicker the that | admire have a much darker, much stain) but more even color. stain the better, The thick, gel deeper color. In the past pine was Commercial conditioners work a stains that ike to use on pine often considered aninferiorfurniture litle differently but do the same are not absorbed into the wood ‘wood, so these pieces were stained thing. The ones that 've used are as deeply as the liquid types. to resemble more expensive hard just thin, colorless liquids (ike stain ‘This means the pigments in ‘woods: The stain and the natural without the pigments). You apply it the stain will lay closer to the surface and you'l get a much BTS more even color. = NT APPLYING THE STAIN, When you're staining over a cond- tioner, you want to make a few A A pre-stain condi- ‘minor adjustments to your routine. tine followed by With the conditioner sealing the gel stan isthe ‘wood, the pigments won't penetrate recipe for beaut as deeply. So the goalisto leave alit- fly “aged” pin tle more “color” on the surface. ‘After applying the stain, let it dry just alittle longer than usual. When the stain has dulled down a bit, start to clean off the excess, wiping with the grain. Let your rag get a lit- te bit “dirty” with stain (see photo above). Continue to wipe until you have an even, “streak free” color on the surface. When the stan is dry, a AA simple step-by step finishing process gave this conry-style pine kitchen topcoat of varnish wil bring out the table the beautiful, warm colo ofa clasic antique warm glow you're after. No. 150 ‘Woodsmith 2tried and true joint. | woodworking it's easy to gt into a rut. But often there's a reason. You tend to stick with what works. ‘That's why, when I have to build drawers for a project, more often than not I'l return to the trusted locking rabbet joint for the joinery. Itmakes a strong drawer and Ive always liked the way it looks. Adado blade on the table saw has ‘generally been my tool of choice to cut this joint. But recently 1 came across a new way to make this joint —with a drawer lock router bit, Its lever design allows you to cut both halves of the joint with a single bit: ‘And 1 found that it works pretty well. ‘WE seTuP, The key to using one of these bits isthe setup. After you have the bit installed in the router table, the first step isto adjust itto the right height. In order for the joint to be a ‘ight ft, this is prety important. The cating height ofthe bitisgiven bythe manufacturer (mine was %") and it will only work right when itis set at this particular height. ‘Once you've zerved in on the cor rect height, you won' have to change it. Both halves ofthe joint can be cut using this same setting, ‘The trick is in how you hold the different pieces ‘as you rout the joint. aa Ta ty Occasionally a design calls for a drawer with slipped front as shown in the near photo at left. Kitchen ‘cabinets and gome furniture styles often call for this treatment. And. the drawer lock bit will easily accommodate it I¢s simply a mat- ter of making a deeper cut in the drawer front. A couple of passes will be necessary. Woodsmith FRONT AND cx, First you want to ake the cut on your front and back drawer pieces. These pieces are routed lat as shown in Fig. 1. Just set the fence to rout the ends to adepth that matches the thickness of the sides, as shown in Fig. 1a You can prevent chipout with a backer board, ESD. Now all you have todo is rout a matching cut in the drawer sides, But this is lite different. Don't change the height ofthe bit bbut move the fence forward so that only the “tongue” ofthe bit wll cut (Fig. 2a). Now you'll cut the sides with the pieces standing on end. Just hold the side tightly againet the fence and make a shallow pass (Fig.2), Again, using abacker board {sa good idea, You'll want to sneak upon the depth ofthe cut, testing the fitasyou go. When the side fits sh with the end of the drawer front, you're joint is done. No. 150MAIL NURCES eee SOURCES Three Beautiful Boxes Parr Soy be ‘The main item you'l need SPEGALITINS. Bach one of SECRET BOX. You can pur- ‘ordered from ‘when making make one (or the unique boxes requires chase the rare earth maa- the following al three) ofthe boxes fea aspecialitemortwo. nets (99K31.01), the companies: turedinthisissueisthespe- _RWELRY BOX. For the Jews magnet cups (99K32.51), ial bow and tray routerbit. elry box (page 10), 1 and special washers ween ‘The itthat used (photo ordered thetfourbrass feet @9K32.61) from Lee Valley oe at right) came from (10147), as well as the Thepaduak lumber canbe ras Pat ras Kosh, Whiteside Machine Co. Suede-Tex supplies from ordered from Rockler oe (13768). Other companies Rockler. Youll need a bag VALET BOX. All you need ‘Syn a offer similar bits. Just be of fibers (73080) and acan forthe valetbox on page 16, ae sure that the one you pur- of adhesive (73130).An are two 54*-dia. brass Td Kobe chase has abearing on the inexpensive “minffocker” knobs, Rockler carries this, sess shank fortemplate routing. isalso available (28035). item (68627). 20:595.5084 = Heirloom Tables od ole ‘Yourreally won't need alot in packages of ten (HB- good quality andthe price maple legs (65967) forthe Ama Tool of supplies to build any of 3140) from MeFeely’. This isreasonable. (you want smaller sofa able. 800-445.0077 the three tables from the is where I also purchased to turn your own legs, TARATOP TASTEWERS. Fach Amandoacom iwticle starting on page 22, the handy hanger bolt check out Woodsmith tble requires a handful of ‘ner MANGER BOUTS.The ‘fe! x driver (HB-3199). Online Extras for details) tabletop fasteners (34215) Dram Lot Bit 4" hanger bolts with auts TURNED LEGS. I decided You need 34a. oak available from Rackler. Mefeetrs \dwashersare whathold against turning my own legs (65943) to buikl the KNOB. You could likely 800-448-7887 itall together. Ifyou can't legs. {twas much easierto dining table, 34a. pine find a wood knob for the, metetra.com {ind this size othangerbolt purchase them through legs (65951) forthekitchen drawer locally. Ifyou can't, yoy al locally,they canBeordered Rockler. The legs are very table, and T used 2/(tia, _ give Rockler atry. octane foo aTi-8i58 Drawer Lock Bit | Finishing Pine ‘Bren noe Bare eth ‘The drawer lock bit that I | I purchased all of the fin- The prestaincondlifoner in Suyare| tried out was made by | ishing supplies that I that I use is made by Toon Fader Amana (55387). It also | needed! locally. Amber shel- Minwax. It’s a pretty com —— comes in a '" shank | lacand denatured alcohol mon brand, but others are Whiteside Machine Co. (6586). Several other man- | are fairly common items avilable. vehad goodluck 800-285-082 tufacturers make similar bits | and can be found at many with BartleyGelStain. And “S*giderotesit-com and sourcesare listed inthe | paint, hardware, or home Minwax makes @ good gel oe Bt column at right | improvementstores. stain as well power Woodworker's Sarpy OSes asd | _moossscan ‘We now feature hardware from ROCKLER in | "imag Taken ‘many of our new project kits. To order, please use Woche weg | kane, ‘ourtollfree order lin,see below.It'sopen Monday | «online Exras”-Plana Faterns & More | Wed Keck through Friday, from 8 AM to 5M Central Time. | + Over 100 Woodworking Tips One Before calling, please have your VISA, MasterCard, | « Vist Our Reader’ Projet Photo Gallery ‘Discover, or American Express card ready. + Projet Pans You Can Dowload ‘ Ifyou would prefer to mail in an order, please | + Clo of Prot its Too Jp. | Clckon Subscriber Services ot call the tolldree phone number below for mare Tone ox Neodoring Tools & Cleds | as recent te information concerning shipping charges as well, Sh 1s Ci Worsrerniina Shee x axa aakaie aes ‘Order Woodamith & ShopNotes Back Isues aera cnee 1-800-444-7527 www.woodsmith.com = | rime ‘kyr ret hx ed No. 150 ‘Woodsmith 35A CS Look FINALDETALS =—s—i(a ti‘ RP ‘A. Oak Dining Room Table. Ths asic able has tot — tured legs, «breadboard en op, and on easy-o-bu Inoekdown base. Or use the sme maser wechnique bud ia itch or sofa table, The plans begin on page 2 A Gift Boxes. Each ofthese bosesis nique, bu all vee ca be bu sing Template Routing. All you ned isa vomplate and a special “e the same rower technique. They make the perfect gift project. And one of router bit to hollow out just about any shape in a workpiece. We'll them has a secret, Best fal, hey cam cach be bu in a weckend. The show you the inside story on template routing and how to get dead instructions start on page 10, the best results. The technique are begins on page 6,Oa Woodsmith OVAL JEWELRY Box LID TEMPLATEding a couple of drawers to the ‘oak dining table will make good use of some extra space. You'l have ‘convenient place to store placemats, linens or even serving utensils. The process is just like that described for the pine kitchen table on pages 26 and 27 of issue No. 150, (You'll want to read over these pages before you start) Only the dimensions of some of the pieces are different and on this table you're adding a drawer at both ends, (You can also add a drawer to just one end of the table) DRAWER OPENINGS. You'll besin by modifying the two apron ends to create drawer openings. I started with two slightly oversized apron blanks. Then T cut an apron top, two end pieces and a drawer front from NOTE: Guide rai amber added after base assembled ‘cach piece. Reassembling the apron top and two ends will create the ‘opening and the grain of the apron and drawer will appear seamless. GUIDE RAIL ASSEMBUIS, Once the table base is assembled, the pieces for the guide rail assemblies can be ‘at to sige, joined and added to the ‘base as shown in the drawing below. ‘UMD THE DRAWERS. The final step is, to build the two drawers. These are identical in size and construction to the drawer in Fig. 8 on page 27. ‘When the drawers are completed, install the two stops (Fig, 1b). 1"TURNED LEG PATTERNS a2 aw — HALL KITCHEN AND. TABLE DINING TABLE : : See 2 a nore: vst Ete fom, Toget fullsizeFINISHING YOUR HEIRLOOM TABLE Oak Dining Table wanted to keep the lange, oak dining. table, inthe photo at right, arty light In color, But I also wanted to blend any color variation in the wood and ‘enhance the beautifl figure of the oak To accomplish this, I turned to _2customsnixed stain that ve used on ‘oak a couple times before and had very good results with. started by taking a tip to an art store to pick up a small tube of burnt umber artist's color. Back at the shop, I mixed 3 tablespoons of the burnt umber niement to 2 pints of boiled linseed oil. ‘Woodsmith No. 150 Online Extras Once your stain is well mixed (it takes quite abit of stirring to get a ‘smooth mix), it ean be applied just lice an oif stain Wipe or brush it on, let it sit on the surface for a short while, and then thoroughly wipe off any excess with a ceaa 138. ‘You want to et the stain dry for a ‘200d 24 hours before applying the topcoat. A dining table needs a pretty durable finish, 9 | followed the stain with 3 coats of General ‘Finishes wiping varnish. This gave ‘me just the right amount of build witha nice, sft sheen. Pine Kitchen Table tried two different approaches for ‘the finish on the pine Kitchen table — ‘one very traditional and one with a ‘more contemporary feel ‘MRADMONAL. For the traditional version in the top photo at left, Started by staining the entire table with Bartley Antigue Fine Gel Stain. ‘The article on page 22 of issue No. 150 — Antique Pine Finishing ‘Secrets — will give you some help. ful information on successfully ‘staining pine. Again, for a topooat, 1 applied three coats. of General Finishes wiping varnish, PAINTED. On the second version (bottom photo at lef) went for a it- te bit lighter look and painted the base with an affwhite satin latex paint, A painted base will tend to “scale down” the appearance of the solidly built table. This option makes a lot of sense ifthe table is stoing into a smaller space. Before 1 brushed on the tatex ‘Paint, I applied a coat of white pig- mented shellac sealer (there are ‘several brands). This will keep any defects (sap pockets, knots) in the pine from showing through the paint. The table top was finished ‘exactly like the first version. Maple Sofa Table ‘The choice of a stain color for the maple sofa table in the photo above ‘was pretty easy. I wanted to give it that rch, aged maple color you find ‘on some classic antiques. ‘Maple is a wood that can often look blotchy after staining, Thick gel stains are a good solutuion to this problem. So after some careful finish sanding, | applied # coat of Bartley Country Maple Gel Stain. It was the perfect color. When the stain was dry, I followed the same routine — three coats of General Finishes satin wiping varnish. The finish is durable but not too thick. (© 2000 August Home Publishing