I Heavy-Duty Lathe Stand Cutting Perft

~ " . -
 m r o . Donald B. Pesehke
u e c u n v r tmnrtl
Y . M I ~ I Y ~ EDITOI
Douglas L. Hicks
Terry J. Strohman
UIOC~ATE . D ( ~ R Richard S. Peters

ASS~ST~WIw m a Tim Robertson

I 'm often asked, "Isn't it difficult to
come up with new project ideas?"
The answer is no -coming up with
ideas is easy. The tricky part is working
out the details.
"tweak" it into position. What I needed
was a jig that would allow me to posi-
tion the fence on a router table in pre-
cise increments. But I also wanted
some sort of micro-adjuster so I could
cowrmtmtwe mnmR Philip A. Totter,
The job of working out these details "fine-tune" the fence. Doesn't sound too
munvr m r m m Ted Kralicek falls on the shoulders of the ShopNotes complicated, right? Well, talking abont
rn m s m m Cary Christensen Design Department (Ken Munkel, Jan a jig is one thing -getting it to work is
luumurom
rr~loa Kurt Schultz Svec, and Kent Welsh). altogether different.
ILLU-T~S Will Niskanen Sometimes everything about a pro- Designing the Indexing Jig was like
Roger Reiland ject falls into place and there are very knocking down a row of dominoes. The
Mark Higdon
PM~WRIPIIER Crayola England
few problems. But more often, design- solution to one problem created an-
ing projects takes lots of hard work and other problem later on.
D U ~ WD~R- Ken Munkel a fair amount of hair pulling. In fact, For instance, to "index" the fence in
SEMIOR DUI~WER Jan Hale Svee Ken Munkel (our Design Director) has precise increments, we used a threaded
D U I ~ C R Kent Welsh almost run out of hair to pull. rod and a coupling nut. But then we
s ~ o lru u a ~ aSteve Curtis LATHE STAND.The Lathe Stand orl needed a way to "lock" these parts to-
page 16 is a good example of a project gether and still be able to position them
CllCUUTIO*
that went together smoothly. The idea quickly. The solution was a spring-
C i d a h Dzreefm.Li BredesonnSu6sniptiun
was to build a sturdy stand that would loaded hold-down. But this caused an-
.
Manager: Phyllis Jessen. Cimlatian Analyst
Rod Cain Newsstand Soles:Kent A BueMon absorb the vibration of a bench-top other problem. And so on.. .
PUBLISIItW(I SERVICES lathe. Within a few days we had ironed The good news is that the Indexing
AssociaieEditol-GordonC.Gaippe.Sr. Gmphic out the details and were ready to start Jig turned out even better than I had
Des-: Robert H . Whitme?

.
Co.rnITEIERYIEL(I

Controllev: Paul E . Gray Accounting: Laura

building the stand.
The secret to absorbing the vibration
hoped. In fact, several people here have
already started building this jig for
a
Thomas. Bookkeepiw: Julianne Spears .Info. of the lathe was to make the stand as their router table at home.
S&s Manager: Joyce JIwm.Ek&mic PZLb. heavy as possible. So we made the top DRILL BIT CASE. Another project
Comdimtov: Douglas M. LidJter. Adm?nistna- and the legs from heavy "slabs" of par- that's real popular around here is
-
tive Assts.: Cheryl Scott,Julia Fish .Reception-
ist. Jeanne Johnson Bldg. Maint.:Ken Griffith ticleboard and Masonite.
Then, to prevent the stand from
the Drill Bit Case, see page 10. The
unusual thing is the Drill Bit Case
racking from side to side, we needed to didn't start out as a project for the
" . 2,
PROJECT SUPPL,LS

.
Markehw~reetor:RobertMunynyCatalo~Art
Directav: Cindy Jackson Catalog Produds
tie the legs together. We were also
wonied that the stand would be top-
magazine. I made it for myself.
A :ew days later, I noticed several
-
Manayer: Bob Baker. Project Supplier Linda
Jones Technical Sumort: Jeff Jane8 -Systems
Op&; Linda M o m R~eeptimist'Keri Lee
heavy once the lathe was mounted.
Here again the solution was simple.
versions of the Drill Bit Case had ap-
peared in the shop. That's when I de-
We connected the legs with a hollow cided to feature it in this issue.
EUS~+&R

.
suvre
Manager: Vulerie Wiese Supmisol- Jennie
Enas. CustomerServiceRepresentativeu:J e n
beam. This prevents the stand from
racking. And filling the beam with sand
HELP WANTED. We're looking for a
full-time editor to join our staff here in
nifer Murphy, Joy Johnson, Sara Kono, Ami
Blanshan, Anna Cox, Chris Lo adds weight and keeps the stand from Des Moines. Candidates should have a
SMIWIW M P I R I Y E M T being top-heavy. first-hand knowledge of woodworking,
Szlparuisw: Jerry Carson .Fulfillment. Gloria Like I said before, designing and and a background in writing and com-
Sheehan,DonMcVey,ChuckCarIsa~SylviaCamy building the Lathe Stand went rather municating ideas. If you're interested,
I smoothly. However it was a different write us a letter explaining what you've
story for the Indexing Jig on page 4. been doing in the areas of woodworking
INDEXING JIG. The idea for this jig and writing.
Subseriptians.Single copy s.95. one yem subrcnption
came abont while I was routing a series
of grooves in a workpiece. After each
Send vour
" -
letter to Dour Hicks. Ex-
ecutive Editor, 2200 Grand Ave., Des
(6i.%ues).$18.95. 'Itmyears (12issues1, $35.95. Can-
adfloreig", add $4.Mp e r Y Y Y . pass I had to readjust the fence and Moines, IA 50312. He'll get back to you.
Second Class Postage Paid at Des Moines. IA snd at sd-
ditionai offices.
Postmaster: Send change of address to SkqNot88, BOX
11204, Des Moines, IA503401204
Subrwiption Queuestions7 CsU 1-80633;15854,Sam to
spm,centrsl rime,
RINTED INU.S,A.

ShopNotes No. 10
 I S S U E NU ER TEN I

Contents
Indexing Jig
This jig for your router table lets you quickly and accu- Indexing Jig
rately position the fence. The fence can be moved in
Page 4
orecise %s" increments or fine-tuned for an exact cut.

Drill Bit Case 10

Protect and organize your twist drill bits with this simple
case made from wood salvaged from the scrap bin.

Per-hect Miters 12
All it takes to cut perfect miters on the table saw is a few
basic adjustments and our simple cutting sequence.

Lathe Stand 16
A heavy bench with a unique sand-filled beam virtually
eliminates lathe vibration. Two drawers keep lathe acces-
sories handy There'seven plans for an optional tool rack.

Layout Techniques 22
Practical tips and techniques to increase accuracy and
simplify measuring and layout.

~ Sanding Products 26
A look at new sanding products. New types of abra-
sives. New sanding belts. Even "metal sandpaper."

Shop Solutions 28
Six Shop-Tested Tips: Pipe Clamp Edge Vise, Supports
for Cutting Plywood, Auxiliary Band Saw Fence, a Tip
for Rust Removal, Glue Brush Tip, and a Shop-Made
Cord Tie.

Full-€xtension Dmwer Slides 30

Adding a pair of full-extension slides is an easy way to
increase the usable space of a drawer, tray, or shelf.

Hardware, project supplies, and mail order sources for

the projects in this issue. Layout Techniques ,
..,
I
 J I G S & ACCESSORIES

This shop-made jig eliminates the

guesswork when adjusting your
router table fence for exact cuts.

A ccwacy.Tl~at'dtheitlea be-
hind this niicm-adjustable
Indexing Jig. It lets you quickly
TAKEADEU H O I ) . T ~ next
L ~step
i t o cut a centered ,gleuo\.ei n tlie
base and sliding platform for a
is thrsamc Cry8 1). But their depths
are (1iffe1-ent,see I.'ip. ?a.
l y , W-
~ U I D ~ s I I u m ~ i n i ltwo
and accurately position the fence threaded rod and a coupling nut tall (wide) Masonite guide stmps
on your router table, see photo. that form the indexing system (GIare cut to match the length of
The indexing feature allows (these parts are added later), see the hase (10") and then glued in
you to move the fence in exact Fig. 2. The width of each groove the base, see Fig. 2.
1/16'' increments and always come
back to the same setting. This
makesit easy to accuratelylocate
grooves and rabbets.
The micro-adjustable feature
virtually eliminates guesswork.
No more time spent tapping one
end of your fence to '8neakup"on
a cut. Now you can "dial in" the
*
fence to the perfect setting.
Note: This jig requires 10" to
18W of space from the center of
the bit to the back of the table top.
COMSTRUCTUIN
The indexing jig consists of two
basic parts: a base that mounts to
your router table, and a sliding
platform that attaches to your
fence, refer to Exploded View.
GROOVES.To allow the plat-
form to slide on the base without
DUST COLLECTOK
twisting, grooves are cut in both
pieces tktwo V4"-thickMasonite
guide strips, refer to Fig. 2.
To make sure the grooves align
in both pieces, start with an ex-
tra-long blank (10"x 26")and cut
the grooves first, see Fig. 1.
Then trim the base (A) and
sliding platform (B) to their fin-
ished lengths, see Fig. 1.Note: A
cut-out in one end of the sliding
platform provides clearance for a GLUE GUIDE
STRIPS IN BASE
dust hood, see Fig.
- 2. I I

4 ShopNotes No. 10
NO. 10 ShopNotes 5
 Indexing Sy5etn
After installing the guide strips,
the next step is to add the index-
'Z I 3/en-16 LOCK NUT-
*
ing system. There are two main
parts to this: a threaded rod and
a split coupling nut. These two
parts interlock to create a simple
but accurate 'hek" that can he
moved in precise 1/16" increments,
see Drawing at left.
TEREADED ROD. The threaded
rod sitsin the groove you a t ear-
lier in the base (A).A pair of stops
(D) and lock nuts will be added
later to "capture" this rod, see
Fig. 3a. To provide clearance for
the lock nuts, shallow "pockets"
are drilled near each end of the
The heart of the in- base, see Fig. 4.
dexing jig is a split After the pockets are W e d ,
coupling nut that cut a piece of 3h"-16threaded rod
engages the to a length of 11".To make it easy
threads of a rod. to turn the rod by hand, I added
a plastic knob (you could also use
a wing nut) and a lock nut to one
end, refer to Fig. 3. Then, thread
on the lock nuts so they're posi-
tioned overthe pockets in the base.
e
STOPS.To hold the rodin place,
Iused apair of stops ID),see Fig.
5. They're basically small "sad-
dles" that fit over the rod.
Safety Note: To cut the grooves DRILL 1'"DIA HOLE J

in such small parts, I started with

an oversize blank, see Fig. 5.
Begin by resawing or planing Then make passes flipping the Finally, slip the stops (D) over
the blank to match the width of workpiece end for end between the rod and glue them to the base
the groove in the base (W), see cnts. Adjust the fence as needed flush with the ends, refer to Fig.
Fig. 5. Then cut a 3/s" x 3/S" groove
to produce a V8"-wide groove. 3a. When the glue is dry, adjust
centered on the thickness of the Now all that'sleftistoripal/z" - the nuts to butt up against the
blank, see Fig. 6. wide (tall)strip off the blank and stops. The idea here is to tighten
To do this, set your V2 dado cut the two stops (D) to themso they hold therodinplace,
blade to cut slightly off-center. 4.5 ~:, ... length, refer to Fig. 5.
, ,.- .-
yet still allow it to turn freely.

6 ShopNotes No. 10
 COUPLING NUT. NOWyou can the base, see Figs. 9 and 9a. The hole for the insert on the base. (I
add the second half of the index- spring forces the platform tight inserted a brad point bit in the
ing system - the split coupling against the base and allows you to end of the slot and made a mark.)
nut. It fits in the groove cut in the lift the platform and quickly repo- Now drill a hole to fit the insert
sliding platform and engages the sition it for a cut. and thread it in the base.
threads of the rod, see Fig. 7. As CUT SLOT. To allow the plat- Before installing the hold-
the rod is turned, it moves the form to slide over a wide range of down hardware, I added a knob
platform (and t h e router table positions, a slot is cut in it for the to the platform to make it easy to
.- .*
fence) back and forth. screw to pass through, see Fig. 9. lift it and position the fence, see -2 , .L
. .;.;:7
To "split" the nut and expose This screw then threads into a Fig. 9. Finally, slip on the spring
.. ,..
;:it -=.
... -.,;
~ t,i:
-..;.I
.
the threads, youll need to cut it threaded insert in the base. and washer and tighten the screw ;:..c:#
to one side of the center line, see To install the insert, position to 'lock" the platform in place. (A ." ..... .,~,-~~.=
.1L%

.:~
,
_.
Figs. 8 and 8a. The idea here is to the platform on the base so the complete hardware kit is avail- .: ' ~, ,

end up with two "flats" on each ends are flush. Then locate the able, see Sources on page 31.) .
..
.. .. -..~. . ....
. ,.>-
.,=.o -
<.- ~ ~

side of the nut. These flats press . .. , .. . r?..-2:j

~~
...
~...-
up against the walls of the groove
in the sliding platform to lock the
... ,.-.. - ..;,*.- .."i,
?.

; :.
,J

1
nut in the groove, refer to Fig. 7b. .
: ,

Note: To split the nut without

~

L.
2 .c.:-
-~
>,d
. ,
5LOT FOR HOLD- . : ....
biding on the saw blade, cut half- DOWN SCREW ?.:.- ~

way through, see Fig. 8. Then flip .

the nut and finish the cut. . . ,
.a. ..~.
Next, file the rough edges
smooth so when the nut sits in the
<;.,
.
.~
.:,:

..
..,A
-i
groove, the cut edges are flush . .
..!.
.) I
~ ;

with the face of the sliding plat-

form. Then epoxy it in place in the .,. ' :1. 1
sliding platform, refer to Fig. 7a. 1
EODM)WN. The indexing sys- ~~, ,::.-,. .
. . .....
.
tem is basically complete at this r~

point. All that's left is to add a ..

C hold-down to 'lock" the sliding
platform in position, see Fig. 9. .,.~,.,.
.~ .
.~ .
To do this, I used a spring that
fits over a screw threaded into
. ,'
:. .
i

No. 10 ShopNotes . . 7 .:
~ ~ -. -
 Final Assembly
e
INDICATOR
Ye" CLEAR PLEXIGLAS

HAIRLINE

Chere's one more thing to add to rule holder, a metal rule, and a position, see Figs. 10 and 10a.
- - -the positioning- gauge.
.he jig - - hairline indicator, see Fig. 10. CLEAT.To attach the holder to
RULE HOLDER The top edge the base, a cleat (F) is glued to
POSITIONIN6 GAUGE of the rule holder fE)is rabbeted the bottom of the holder. see Fig.
The positioning gauge lets you to accept a 6" metal h e . A mag- 10a. Then, to prevent the plac
see how much you've moved the netic catch centered on the length form h m binding against the
fence. It consists of a two-piece of the holder keeps the rule in holder, I added washers between

*
the cleat and base, see Fig. 10a.
Finally, I added a Plexiglas in-
dicator to the sliding platform,
see Fig. 10 and Drawing in mar-
gin. To make it easy to read, I
scribed a hairline on the back side.
MOUNTING THE J16
Theindexingjig is fastened to the
router table and fence with alu-
minum angle, see Fig. 11. Two
short pieces connect the platform
to the fence.
A longer piece is screwed to
the baek edge of the table and
holds the jig in place. Slots allow
you to quickly slide the jig off the
router table, see Figs. 11and lla.
Once these pieces are attached,
the next step is to locate holes for
the carriage bolts that hold the
jig in place. To do this, extend the
platform as far as it will go. Then
position the front edge of the
fence over the hole in your router
table, see Fig. llb.
Now with the jig clamped in
place, drill 546"-dia. holes up
through each slot in the angle. 1)
Counterbore these holes and add
carriage bolts and plastic knobs
(or wing nuts) to secure the jig.

I 8 ShopNotes No. 10
a Set-Up
. . .-
The mdexmr " "iir features two basic "modes" of ow

I
eration. For quick positioning of your fence in pre-
cise Yl6" increments, just lift up the sliding
platform, move it to the desired location and set it
down to make the cut, see photo top right.
Or you can fine-tune the fence by "sneaking up"
-
on a cut. All it takes is a twist of the micro-adjust
knob, see photo bottom right.
Regardless of the mode or router hit you're using, I A straightedge
the first step to using the jig is to find the starting rnakes~iteasy to
point. This is simply a matter of "zeroing" the fence set your router bit
on the bit, see the box below. Then sliding the rule flush with the
in the holder so the "0''is directly under the hairline fence.
indicator. Now simply lift the platform or turn the
knob to set the fence to the desired cut.
Safety Note: Although the hold-down on the in-
dexing jig 'locks" the sliding platform in place, you
should always use your fence clamping system to
prevent the fence from shifting once it's adjusted.

Setting upthe indexing jig for a cut is with the c n W g edge of €he bit, see SET mmm. NOW to set the
a twa step process: zeroiag the fenee, Fig. 1. (If needed, use the micro-ad- fence for the desired cut, just liR the
fhen djnsting it for the desired cut. just lolob to adjust the fence so it's sliding platfom and set it where xou
ZERO 'i'm~ C ETO. 'hm" khe perfect& flnsh.1 want it, see Fig. 2. The indieator
few6 k t loosen the dmps that The next step is to '%ro"the rule. s h m you how far you've m m d the
Bold $be few t o tha table. Then lift &st slide it under the indicatmso one fence. And tE you want to *sneak up"
aapM&rma4d slide the fenee Aush end is direeklybeneath the hairline. on a cut, use the micro-adjust knob.

J
Zero theFemcerSart by /@kg the sliding platfom and SPt the FenmAfter sefftng the rder to 'Izero," fift the
posif~omngtbefencefhsh &h the bit Thenslidethe rule plaffom and slide the fence Nvto postion The rndrcator
under the indicator so the "rero"end is under the hairfine. shows exactly how much you've moved rhe fence.

No. 10 ShopNotes 9
 JIGS & ACCESSORIES

Drill Bit
Case
NIATERIALS. TO build the case, CORE PIECES. Since these bits
I used scrap pieces of maple and "stairstep" up as the diameter in-
Masonite. But you could make it creases, I cut the blankat an angle
entirely out of hardwood like the to match the line formed by the
cherry case in the photo at left. tips ofthe bits. This produces two
TWIST BITS.The drill bit case core pieces - one for a tray to
is designed to hold eleven twist hold the bits, and the other for a

A few scrap
pieces of wood
I took some ribbing from the
guys in the shop while I was
making this drill bit case. After
bits ranging in size from 1/16" to
3/8" in 452" increments. To provide
room for that many bits in a
lid, see Fig. 1. Note: Each core
piece is cut extm long.
TRAY. Now work can begin on
and Masonite all, why make a case when you pocket-size case, I started with a the tray (A). To create a "pocket"
can go down to the hardware 27/8"-wide blank, see Fig. 1. foreachbit,y-
are all it takes store and buy one? One reason is
to make a that even though both do a good CORE PIECE FOR LID
pocket-size case job organizing bits, this case gave
for ?lo?lrdrill me a perfect opportunity to use up
bits. some of the small scrap pieces I
had laying around.
In fact, after I finished the
case, I noticed a lot more digging
wound the scrap bin than usual.
4bout the same time, the kidding
luieted down considerably, and
drill bit cases started popping up N m : BLANK I5 J/+"THICK
like mushrooms in the shop.

4 FIR~T:T:RAsE5 H O K l BITS EVEN

WITH TIP OF LONG BIT

GLUE IN STOPS

SIZE STOPS TO
FIT GROOMS
FRONT

10 ShopNotes No. 10
 @a p e s of grooves in the tray
slzghtly deeper and wider than

iI the diameter of the hits, see Figs.

2 and 2a. Then I trimmed the tray
to its finished length, see Fig. 3.
STOPS. To keep the short bits
i from dropping to the bottom of
the tray, I added six "stops."These
are just short pieces of wood that
are glued into the grooves under
the end of each bit, see Fig. 4.
The idea is to locate the stops
so all the bits stick up the same
amount. By placing the end of
one of the longer hits flush with
the bottom ofthe tray, you can also use thin strips of hardwood. sides (D)s/s" below the top of the
use the tip as a gauge to raise The bottom (C) is cut to fit and tray, see Fig. 6. The lid sides (E)
the short bits to the oorrect glued onfirst, see Fig. 6. Thenthe extend the same amount below
height, see Fig. 4. sides are added. I started with a the lid. This creates a lip that al-
LID CORE.After installing the long blank for each side of the lows the lid sides to "seat" over
stops, work can begin on the core case and cut the side pieces at an the end ofthe tray.
I piece for the lid (B). To provide angle to match the corepieees. FINAL DETAILS, TO complete
clearance for the bits when the lid ATTACH SIDES.Attaching the the case, the top of the lid is
is closed, a recess is cut in the hot- sides is easy. They're just glued in trimmed to match the angle of the
tom (angled)end, see Fig. 6. place. The trick is locating them side pieces, see Fig. 6. Then, after
6 WRAP CASE.The next step is
tofitthelid to thetray. To do this,
so the lid fits down snug over the
tray like the top on a shoebox.
softening the sharp edges, I in-
stalled a hinge and a small hook,
the case is "wrapped" with W - To do this, anarrow shoulder is see Figs. 7 and 8. (For mail order
! thick Masonite. Note: You can formed by attaching the tmy sources, see page 31.)

WOODSCREW

CENTER KNUCKLE
ON JOINT LINE
.
(1) 5/&" x 1" Butt*

Hook (Bras)
 Perfect Miters

Tips and tech-

nigues for cut-
I f there's one thing that can try
the patience of most wood-
workers, it's cutting a perfect mi-
fitting miter joints. A few pre-
liminary "tune-ups" before you
make your first cut will keep
the accuracy of your miters is to
screw an auxiliary fence to the
miter gauge, see Fig. 1.There are
ting ter joint on the tahle saw. problems from cropping up later. a couple of reasons for this.
It seems that no matter how BLADE. One thing that's often SUPPORT.Since the fence pro-
miterjoints' carefully the miter gauge is ad- overlooked is the saw hlade. To vides more support along the
justed to get a "perfect" fit, you
can still be off just a hair. What's
h s t r a t i n g i s you don't evenreal-
avoid a ragged joint line, it should
he sharp. In addition, I always
make it a point to check that the
edge of a workpiece than the mi-
ter gauge, you can hold the work
more securely as a cut is made.
a
ize it until you've mitered all the hlade is square to the saw table, Note: I also attach sandpaper to
pieces, fit them together, and end see the box below. the fence to prevent the work-
up with a gap a t one of the joints. AUXILIARY FENCE. But prob- piece from "creeping," see Fig. 1.
Fortunately, there are several ably the simplest (and most effec- REDUCES CHIPOUT. A second
things you can do to ensure tight- tive) thing you can do to improve advantage of the fence is it re-

Before cutting a miter joint, I always

take a few minutes to square the saw
blade to the tahle.
TRY SQU- To get as awurate a
reading as possible, Iuse a t r y square,
see Detail a. Just he sure the blade of
the square is tight against the face of
the saw blade (not a tooth).
TEST CUT. Even after squaring the
blade, it's a g o d idea to double checkit.
A quiek w a j to do thisis to make a test
cuton the end of a scrap piece of wood,
see Drawing. Then flip thecut-off piece
over and butt thetwo ends together If
there's a gap where the two ends meet,
the hlade isn't square and needs to be
readjusted, see Detail b.

12 ShopNotes No. 10
 duces chipout by backing up the
edge of the workpiece as the blade
cuts through. Just make sure it's
long enough to support the work
and the waste piece, see fig. 1.
And tall enough so the blade
doesn't cut all the way through.
Although the fence solves the
problem of chipout on the back
edge, it doesn't prevent wood fi-
bers on theface from 'lifting." To
solve this,youneed to consider the
.directionthe miter gaugeis angled.
ANGLE. To produce a crisp cut,
I I angle the gauge so the blade
exits the long tip of the miter, see
Fig. 2. This way the blade cuts
with the grain. When the gaugeis
angled in the opposite direction,
the blade cuts against the grain
and causes tearout, see Fig. 3. Also,
the waste piece can pinch against
the fence and get thrown back
GElTlNG A PERFECT FIT
So how do you go about gettinga
tight-fittingjoint? One way would
be to set the miter gauge once to you end up with a corner that's ter gauge to 45", see Fig. 4a.
45" and thencut allfourrniters.But not 90". Trying to square up the Then, after cutting the first mi-
this presents a couple of problems. corner creates a gap at the joint. ter, I move the gauge to the other
First, you'd need to flip awork- OVERALL ANGLE. instead of side of the blade and angle the
piece end for end and turn it over trying to get a perfect 45" miter, head in the opposite direction.
between cuts. This not only pre- I use a different approach. The The secret is to make all the
vents having one "good" side. But idea is to get the mitered pieces adjustments to the miter gauge
a molded piece "rocks" on the saw to form an overall angle of 90°, at this second (complementary)
table when it's placed face down. see Fig. 4. setting. This way, if the first mi-
A second problem is if the mi- To do this, I use the head of a ter is off, the second one can be
ter gauge isn't "dead-on" accurate, combination square to set the mi- cut to compensate for the error.

NO. 10 ShopNotes 13
 Cutting the Miters I

OF EACH PIE

Cutting a perfect miter joint on a to position the miter gauge on the any adjustment only exagerrates
single corner is one thing. The other side of the blade and angle the error, see the tip at left.
trick is getting all four corners the head to the opposite 45" set- COMPLETE MITERS. Finally,
(on a frame for example) to fit ting. It's okay just to get close, at once you're satisfied with the way
tightly together. To do this, I least for now. the test,frame fits together, you
make two frames: a test frame, That's because the idea is to can miter the opposite ends of the
and the "real" frame. sneak up on the perfect fit by mi- project pieces. Since these miters
The test frame is just four tering the 'B' ends of all the test duplicate the test miters, they're
scrap pieces of wood used to ad- pieces, see Fig. 6a. If there's agap bound to fit tight together.
just the fit of the miters. This when you fit these pieces together, Note: To protect the tips of the
way, any problems are ironed out just readjust the gauge and trim miters, I use a stop block with a
before cutting the project pieces. the miters again, see Fig. 7. mitered end to cut the pieces to
The key is to miter the pieces in Note: If the gap is so small that exact length, refer to Fig. 6.
the proper sequence.
SEQUENCE. TOkeep things or-
ganized, I lay out all the pieces in
their "hished"position and mark 4
the cutting sequence on the ends
of the test pieces, see Fig. 5a. I

To "micro-adjust"
Then, with the miter gauge set to
45", the 'A' ends of the test pieces
the Of the
and the matching ends of the pro- i
miter, use a play- .
ject pieces are cut.
ing card as a shim.
Note: To provide insurance
against the work creeping, I clamp
a block to the fence, see Fig. 5.
I,
MOVE GAUGE. After cutting all
the miters on one end, you'll need

No. 10
I
 Miter Jig
If you're doing a lot of mitering, of the miters will also be 90".
it miffhtbe worthwhile to build a Besides the angle, there's one
special jig. Although this jig is other thing to consider. If you cut
used in place of the miter gauge, your workpieces to rough length
3
the basic idea is the same - cut- before mitering them, the ends
ting two complementary miters. will extend past the blade.
FENCE.The key is a two-part To keep the ends from hitting
fence that correspondsto the two the opposite fence, the two parts
settings of the miter gauge. To- are offset, see photo. Note: This
gether, the two parts of the fence ,set determines the widas,
form a 90" angle, see Step 3 be- workpiece you can miter with the
low. As a result, the overall angle jig. (In my case, this is 3".)

Step 1: Build the Base.

BASE ALIGNED
The base conslsts of a ?4"-thick
piece of plywood and a pair of
hardwood runners that slide in
the miter gauge slots in the table
saw. After cutting the plywood to
length to fit the table, it's cen-
tered over the blade to mark the
location of the slots on the edges
of the plywood. These marks are
used to oosition the runners be-
fore scre'wing them in place.
8
x Step 2: Cot Kerf in Base.
The jig is designed to carry a
workpiece through the blade by
pushing the base across the saw
table. This requires cutting a kerf
in the base for blade clearance.
To prevent the two halves of the
base from flapping up and down,
a cleat is glued at the front edge
before cutting the kerf. The back
edge is kept rigid by not pushing
the base all the way through the
blade.

Step 3: Attach Fence.

To ensure the miters form a per-
fect 90" angle, the two parts of
the fence are positioned using a
framing square. By offsetting the
fence, you can extend pieces
that are cut to rough length past
the blade. After screwing the
fence to the base, it's just a mat-
ter of pushing the jig through the
blade to trim off the ends.
 A heavy top supported by solid legs
and a "sand box" absorb the vibra-
tion set u p by a bench-top lathe.

weight to keep the lathe from rattlingaround with-

out making the stand look like a wood boxcar.
After looking around for the heaviest, densest
material I could find, I found just what I needed -
%-thick particleboard. Two layers of this particle-

a quiet eveninitwing
- board are built into the legs and the top of the stand.
s w . T o add even more weight, there's also a
a project on my new bench-top lathe. But hollow "beam" that spans between the legs of the
after going down to the shop to try it out, stand. This beam can be filled with almost 60 pounds
I was disappointed. Unlike the smooth- of sand to create additional '%allastnthat dampens
running full-size lathes I had seen, it rum- the vibration of the lathe, see photo below.
bled and shook as I was turning. r n o c a s ~ o m . B u tall this weight can be a
Fortunately, the problem wasn't the lathe at all mixed blessing when it comes time to move the
-it was the s t a d the lathe was mounted on. Even lathe stand. To keep it from becoming a "penna-
though the stand was fairly rigid, it was still too nent" fixture in the shop, the stand is bolted to-
lightweight to dampen the vibration set up by the gether so it can be easily knocked down.
spinning workpiece. OTHER FEATURES. While I was at it, I added a
SPONGE.To improve the performance of the pair of drawers to store my lathe accessories.
lathe, I decided to build a heavy stand -one that There's also a unique pivoting tool rack that posi-
would worklike a big sponge to absorb the vibration tions yourlathe tools within easy reach when you're
set up by the lathe. The trick was to add enough turning. (For more on this tool rack, see page 21.)

To add stability, a hollow wood

beam is filled with sand. This an-
chors the stand and damoens the
PARTICLEBOARD TUMPEZEP MAWNITE
vibrabon of the lathe

16 ShopNotes No. 10
ShopNotes 17
 The Legs
I started work by building the legs.
The unusual thing about the legs
is t h e m not your ordinarysquare ROUND OYER51DE TRIM
posts. Instead, they're solid "slabs" BEFORE GLUING IN PLACE

that are designed to dampen the

vibration set up by the lathe.
sLAB.To make the slabs as
heavy as possible, they're built
up from two core pieces (A) of
3Q-thick particleboard, see Fig. 1.
Then they're covered with two '/4"-
thick Masonite side pieces (B).
Note: The height (length) of
To trim the edges the legs determines the finished
flush, I used a height of the stand. To position
flush trim bft in a the center of a workpiece about
hand-held router. even with my elbow, I made the
legs 30"long (high).
CONTACT CEMENT.When glu-
ing up the slabs, I used contact
cement to create an 'bstant" one edge of each side trim (C) the legs and can be filled with
bond. The problem is getting the sand to help absorb vibration.
piece, they're glued in place, see
edges aligned. To do this, I cut Fig. la. Then, to cover the edges It consists of a hardwood bot-
one core piece to exact size. Then of the side trim, the cap pieces tom (E)that fits in grooves cut in
I built up each layer by attaching (D)are glued on, and the outside the sides (F),see Fig. 2. The sides
an oversized piece and trimming edges are rounded over. are held together with dividers
the edges flush, see tip at left. (GI that are screwed to the bot-
TRIM PIECES. TO cover the BEAM tom and glued into dadoes cut in
front and back edges of the legs, Once the trim is installed, the the sides, see Figs. 2a and 2b.
I added 3X-thick hardwood (ma- next step is to build the beam. ATTACHBEAM. After assem-
ple) trim pieces. After round'mg This is just a box that connects bling the beam, you're ready to

SIDE VIEW

I 18 ShopNotes No. 10
_) attach it t o the legs. The ends of
the beam fit over two support
. ".. cleats (H) screwed to the inside
:
of the legs, see Figs. 2 and 2c. To
hold the stand together (and to
: make it easy to knockdown),holes
.' are drilled through the legs and
, the end dividers (G)before bolt-
ing the beam in place.
Lm. Next, I cut a lid (I) from
, ,
3/4"-thick hardwood. I t fits be-
. tween thelegs with a 1 4 of clear-
ance for easy removal, see Fig. 3.
To hold the lid in place, it's glued
into grooves in a pair of edging
strips (J), see Fig. 3. This cre-
ates a shelf with a lip for tempo-
rary storage of lathe accessories.
MOUNTINGRAILS. With the lid
in place, there are only two things WOODSCREW ,
left to do. Two mounting rails
(K) are screwed to the side trim
pieces (C) so you can attach the
top later, see Fig. 4. And to sup-
port the back edge of the top, an
apron (L)is screwed to the end of
these rails, see Fig. 4 and 4a.

The Top
Like the legs, the top is built up 3/4"-thick hardwood trim pieces. AmACHTOP. NOWit's just a
from two layers of 34-thick par- After ripping the pieces to width matter of attaching the top to the
ticleboard. Here again, these top to match the thickness of the top base. To do this, center the top
pieces (M)are "sandwiched" be- (2"), the side trim (0) and from side to side and front to
tween two cover pieces (N) made J"ront1back trim pieces (P) are back. Then, after drilling coun-
of ?@thick Masonite, see Fig. 5. glued on. Then the top is com- terbored shank holes, the top is
=.To cover the exposed pleted by chamferingthe top edges secured to the mounting rails
edges, I "wrapped" the top with and corners of the trim pieces. with lag screws, see Fig. 5a.

NO. 10 . .>
,.~
.... ..
- .
. .
-:
9.0-
Sho~Notes .*,.:<~
.Ci%?2* .
,., . ~,
.
- z,
~

.-.~*"2 -
- . .
~
-
+ ,~.
. ~ .
i 19
.
.. ~u
.~
~~
.
- .. -.
-
-Y
~

. . ~;.
,
.
G
.
.
 Once the top was in place, I built on these slides, refer to page 30.) ated by screwing a simple T-
two drawers -a narrow drawer Note: Ifthe motor on your lathe shaped piece to the top, see Figs.
for chucks and faceplates, and a hangs below the headstock, you'll 6 and 6a. It consists of a support
wide drawer for tool rests and need to cut an opening in the top rail (Q) that's made by gluing up
long accessories. To provide easy for the belt to'fit through. two 3,-thick pieces and a hang-
access, the drawers are mounted Whether you build one or both ing bracket (R) which is screwed
on full-extension slides. (For more drawers. the onenings are ere- -
to the ton edee of the sunnort rail.
A A.

Note: For additional support,

@
I s,- I LEFT BOTTOM 1 the end of the support rail is
INISHED WIDTH 1 screwed to the apron (L).
FRONTIBAGK DRAWERS. After establishing
the openings, work can begin on
the drawers. They're held to-
DRAWER
gether with a simple, but strong
joint -a locking rabbet, see Fig.
7b. Before cutting the joints
though, you'll need to figure out
the size of the drawer pieces.
1 DETERMINE SIZE. This is easy
for the drawer sides (S). They're
all the same length (12"). The
tricky part is determining the
length of thefrontlback pieces (T
and U) for each drawer.
To do this, start by measuring
the width of the opening. (In my
case, this was 23W for the right-
hand drawer.) Then subtract the

*
NOTE: amount of clearance you'll need
DRILL HOLES FOR for the drawer slides. (Each of the
FALSE FRONTS
BEFORE ASSEMBLING slides I used required M" clear-
DRAWERS ance on each side for a total of I".)
The last thing to take into ac-
count is the locking rabbet joints.
After subtrading34"(3/s"on each

20 ShopNotes No. 10
side), I ended up with fronthack
pieces that were 21W long. OF SLIDE FLUSH
LOCKING RABBETS.NOW YOU WITH BOTTOM OF
can cut the locking rabbets. This
is just a matter of rabbeting the
fronthack pieces to form a
tongue, see Fig. 7b. Then cutting
dadoes in the side pieces to ac-
cept the tongue.
Before assembling the draw-
ers, each piece is grooved to ac-
cept the drawer bottoms (V and
ALSE FRONT
W), see Fig. 7a. Then I drilled
holes in the drawer fronts for two
false fronts which are added later,
see Fig. 7.
INSTALL SLIDES. With the FALSE FRONTS.Next, to cover edges and ends. This lets you open
drawers assembled, the slides the slides and provide a uniform and close the drawers without
can he installed, see Figs. 8a and lookacross the front, I addedfalse hitting each other. To complete
8b. I used apair of heavy-duty 12" fronts ( X and Y) to the drawers, the lathe stand, the false fronts
slides for each drawer, see page refer to Fig. 7. I cut the fronts to are screwed in place using the
31 for sources. allow 1/8" clearance around the holes that were drilled earlier.

I 8elCwa1Jeol Rack

fWer completing tbe stand, I built a rack to

hoU mj lathe tools, The unique thing about
this rack isit pi*&$ to give me easy access to
my tools when I'm twning. And when I'm
fmished, it swnWnngsouh of the way,
-
E PARTS The rack is a three-part as-
semblythat fits overthe edge of the -,see
Drawing. To Bee@ bola from faUingout, there's
a row of open-ended hales in the top Wlat are
slightb srrutlkthanthe thick part of the han-
dles, see photo. The holes jn khe Ehetnm are
slightly brg@rthitn thediameter of theblades.
PNCW. The i%ek piv~tsO#J. a hex bolt that
passes t h m g h a hole m e d throngh the top
oftherackimd the fronttrim pieeeofthelathe
stand, see Detail b. TDvo other holes amept a
steel pin thaC 'locks" the rack in eithkr the
open or dosed position, see Detail a.

No. 10 ShopNotes 21
 Lawut -.
B y using some simple tips and tech-
niques, you c a n greatly improve the preci-
sion of your woodworking.

L et's face it, all woodworkers

make mistakes. And most
can be traced back to an error in
problem I've found with lower
quality tapes is the markings can
vary over their length. So before
measurement or layout. But I've you buy one, check it in the store
found that many of these can be by extending the tape out a few
avoided by using some simple feet and folding it back on itself,
tricks and the right techniques. see Fig. 1. Then butt the edges of
The nice thing is none of these the tape together and make sure
tricks require special tools. In the markings line up.
fact, most of the layout problems SQUARES. In addition to a rule
I've come across can be solved and tape measure, the squares in
with three basic tools: a 12"rule, my shop get a lot of use. Regard-
a tape measure, and a square. less of the type, it's important
RULE. One tool I find myself that they be truly square.
reaching for all the time is a 12" Here's a quick way to check a
rule. A good quality rule should square. Place it against a straight-
have the markings etched into the edge and draw a line, see Fig. 2.
rnle - not just printed on top. Now flip the square to see if the
Etching actually "cuts" the mark- blade lines up with the line. If it
ings permanently into the sur- doesn't, the square isn't accurate.
face of the rnle. This way they TIPS. Once youcanrely on your
won't wear off over time. basic measuring tools, see the fol-
TAPE MEASURE. Another tool lowing four pages for tips to sim-
I use often is a tape measure. The plify almost any layout.

General Layout Tips

ACCURATE REAOlNOS
Getting an accurate reading with
a rule can be a challenge. Unless
you look a t the rnle from directly
overhead, the thickness of the
rule can cause an error as yon
read the scale.
To prevent this, I stand the
rule on edge, see Drawing. Hold-
ing the rule like this brings the
markings flush with the work-
piece and eliminates any error.
* MEASURING TIP
Using a rnle to get an accurate
measurement on a workpiece can
be tricky. The problem is getting
the end of the rule to align exactly
with the edge of the workpiece.
To solve this, I use a s b p bblock,
see Drawing. Just hold a scrap of
wood up against the workpiece.
Thenpush theruleagaimttheblock
for an accurate measurement.

PARALLEL LINES
To quickly draw a line (or lines)
parallel to the edge of a board, I
use a combination square and a
pencil, see Drawing.
Start by setting the square to
the desired distance. Then posi-
tion the head of the square
SET BLADE TO
against the board. Now with a DESIRED DISTANCE TO DRAW A LINE

*
pencil a t the end of the blade, pull
both toward you to draw the line.

Measuring Inside Dimensions

SCRAP BLOCK
Measuring the inside of a drawer
or a box can be a problem since
the blade of a tape measure
doesn't fit in a corner, see Detail.
One solution is to use a block
and a tape measure, see Drawing.
Use the tape to measure from the TAPE DOESNT FIT
INTO SQUARE CORNER
opposite side to the edge of the
block, then add the length of the
block to this measurement.

MEASURING STICKS
Another solution to finding an in-
side dimension is to use "measur-
ing sticks," see Drawing. They're
just scrap sticks with pointed ends.
To use them, just slip the sticks
inside the box or drawer and ex-
tend the ends until the points
touch the workpiece. Then clamp
the stleks together and lift them
out. Now simply measure from
point to point.

No. 10
Center Finding 7ip5
CENTER OF A BOARD
Wck,what's the center of a board
that's 5IW-widel Or 13/16"-thick?
Here's a trick to finding the center
without any complicated division.
First, position the '9" end of
your rule at one end of the work-
piece, see Drawing. Then angle
the rule so the other end rests on
R END RESTS
a number easily divisible by two
-the halfway point is the center.

CIRCLES
Finding the center of asomething
round is easy with this simplejig,
see Drawing. Just clamp a combi-
nation square to a framing square.
To use it, position the framing
square so both 'legs" touch the
workpiece. Then draw a line
along the top edge of the combi-
nation square. Now rotate the
workpiece and mark another line
to locate the center.

RECTANGLES & SQUARES

If you've ever had to mount a
knob centered on a drawer front,
you know how tricky it can be to
get it exactly in the center.
The answer is simple - don't
measure anything. Instead, draw
a pair of diagonal lines from cor-
DRAW TWO DIAGONAL LINES
ner to corner to quickly locatethe FROM CORNER TO CORNER
center. Note: This tip works for TOLOCATECENTER
both square as well as rectangu-
~..
lar workpieces. - -.i
:.~ ,. ;:<=
7%

IRREGULAR SHAPES PLEXIGLASTEMPLATEwrrn

CIRCLES SCRIBED
To locate the center of a work-
piece that isn'tsquare (such as a i
m s M
.*&-.
INSIDE WORKPIECE
I
turning blank), I use a shop-made
template. It's just a piece of
Plexiglas with circles scribed in
the surface, see Drawing.
To use it, place it on the work-
piece so the largest possible circle
fits inside the edges of the work- TEMPLATE TO
piece. Now use the center of the
template to mark the workpiece.
~.,*... . :* -, - , *-.r.!
, . -". -
24
,-,
<'j.T.*,
-&.
~.:%+&:
'A
-
ShopNotes ~:.
., ...,>
, ..-
~.. =.
. .
,
,

*,~AL.+~.:<,i~~.
No. 10
mMeasuring Round object5
DIAMETERS PLACE WORWIECE AGAINST
RULE AND Burr BLOCKS
UP AGAINST PART
Measuring the diameter of a mund
object can be difficult. If the object
is small, you can make a simple
caliper with a rule and a pair of
square blocks, see Drawing.
. ,
\~
- - .

To find the diameter of the ob-

ject, place it against the rule and
butt the blocks up against the
part. Then simply read the di-
ameter on the rule.
If the object is large, you can HEN READ THE
use the same idea. But instead of DIAMETER ON THE RULE
ACE WORKPIECE
a rule and block, use a framing
square and a try square, see ND DIAME'ER
Drawing.

A ~ e n n yis exactly
q 4 . " It's handy for
How do yon cut a piece of veneer quick measuring
tape or T-molding to fit around a or laying out a ?8"
round workpiece? A tape meas- radius on a corner.
ure isn't flexible enough for small
objects. And it's awkward to hold
@ one around a large object..
The best way I've found to do
this is to use masking tape. I just
wrap it around the edge and
splice it for an exact fit, see Draw-
ing. Then to determine the cir-
cumference, just peel off the tape
and measure it with a tape meas-
ure or rule, see Detail.

eo& t,wfhe@ ~nMqb3d

ctes an8 euwm alot a e r .
Girds tem&ks, 3ledble
sosmbs
xe. FOP
A dbk @w$*h i s h a d y fa#
wmm&Oh?8
for b
g& mk a
&&o. F 1 d e ~ R T ~ B4
%am@curves make qui& war%- A &cl@@qk@!sa qurck Curve
eft WWkmipi$ 1%- m y f@ &c??ei.rrfz%tely 7yaut.p i;.fd~usor curves
mes,see hot-0.

No. 10 ShopNotes
 maybe even "IJemzanent."
4-
m- ometimes it seems
that I spend more
changing sandpaper than I
spend sanding. So when I came
the surface shears off to expose
new sharp edges. In other words,
it's self-sharpening.
3M's man-made mineral, Re-
it exposes fresh minerals for ad-
ditional sanding.
SPLICE.The secret to making a
belt bi-directionalis the splice that
across some new products claim- galite, is a ceramic-like mineral holds the belt together. On a con-
ing to be longer-lasting, even that's harder than other abra- ventional belt, the belt is over-
"permanent," I was intrigued. sives. It lasts longer simply be- lapped and glued together, see Fig.
cause it stays sharp longer. 1.This creates a "bump"in the belt
NEW BELTS BI-DIIIECTIONAL.Besides us- which can only travel in one direc-
One product that has seen a lot of ing longer-lasting minerals, both tion without breaking.
change recently is sanding belts. companies have increasedthe life To solve this problem, a butt
l b o of the big names in abrasives of their belts by making them bi- joint is used, see Fig. 2. It's held
(Norton and 3M) have developed directional. This means you don't together on the back side with
a new line of sanding belts. have to wony about direction heavy tape. This allows the belt
Both belts are easy to identify when you load the belt on your to travel in either direction with-
-the Norton belts are blue, and sander -it goes on either way. out coming apart. It also means
3M's are purple, see photo below. This provides an additional the belt will run smoother with
Each feature a man-made min- 15%to 25% more life from a belt less '%umping."
I
eral that lasts longer than garnet that has started to lose its cutting GRITS.Bi-directional sanding
or aluminum oxide sandpaper. power. Why? Because reversing belts are available from both
The mineral Norton has devel- a worn belt helps clean it by dis- Norton and 3M in grits ranging
oped is called Norzon. As this lodging wood particles stuck in from 50 to 150 (Nowon is avail-
mineral gets dull with use, part of the surface. And at the same time able in 180 grit). Note: Norton

r Norton's
biue sanding
belts use a self-
harpening mineral
called Norzon to
last longer.

I
r 3M's purple sand-
ing belts feature a ce-
I fa. \I
mic-like mineral that
tays sharp longer than con-
ventional sanding belts. II HEAW TAPE
REINFORCES BUlT J O l M

26 No. 10
 The N m o n belts I've us

to remove a lot of
stock in a short
A On Perma-Sand, bits of tung-
sten carbide are "brazed" to a
metal backing plate.
times as much as standard sand-
ing belts. But they're worth it heat-resistant, tough, and re- sands of small points, see Draw-
when you need to do heavy saud- mains sharp a very long time. ing below. If you were to examine
ing, like leveling a workbench top. Sandplatewith
P m - s a n d is available in 5", glass,
Like the Nomon belts, 3M's Re- st',7",and 8"disks. And in quarter,
you'd find a surface that resem-
galite belts cost more-but only third, and half sheets. All are hlesacheewgrate1:Thetinypoints
about twice the price of a stand- availablein grits ranging from an shave away material like a rasp.
ard belt. They're not as aggres- extremely coarse 24 to a fine 320, Sandplate comes in various *
sive as Nmon, hut that's okay. I found the 60 to 150 grits of shapes and in three grits: coarse,
For most sandingjoba, lpre - - medium, and fine. The ad-
fer a belt that cuts slower hesive-backed plates are
and offers more control. New and designed for holders made
'~adpaper"createsanding by Candvik, see photo be-
METAL SANDPAPER
9 A totally di£ferent ap-
proach to increasing the life
that last a d last. low. But YOU could just as
easily buy a replacement
plate and attachit to ashop
of sanding products has been P e w s a n d work best (the finer made holder. As with P m -
taken by two other companies: grits load up). They're especially sand, I found the lower grit
Problem Solvers and Sandvik. useful for preliminary shaping Sandplates worked best.
Both companies are using metal and roughing work. The only drawback I've found
instead ofmineralsto provide the SANDPLATE. Another metal to P m - s a n d and Sandplate is
cutting action. "sandpaper" called Sandplate is they aren't readily available. (For
PERMA-SAND.P m - s a n d is manufactured by Sandvik, see a list of mail-order sources that
made by Pmblem Solvers, Inc., photo below. But unlike the prod- carry theseproduds,seepage 31.)
see photo above. It's manufae- ucts mentioned above, Sandplate AFINALTHOUGHT. With these
tured by bonding bits of tungsten is designed for hand sanding, not new productsyouwon't be chang-
earbide to a flexible steel back- power sanding. ing sandpaper every few minutes.
Now you can spend more of
your time in the shop build-
ing, and not sanding.

e
- A Sandplate is made by etching
a thin steel plate to produce thou-
sands of small sharp points.
 Shop Solutions
Pipe Clamp Edge b e

W My workbench doesn't have a

bench vise. So recently when
edge jointing a hoard with a hand
plane, I came up with a way to
support the board on edge using
pipe clamps, see photo.
To do this, you'll need two
lengths of pipe threaded on hoth
ends, with hoth pipes being
slightly longer than the width of
pipe, see Drawing. (If you're us- Then to clamp the hoard in
ing the pipe &om your clamps, place, just stand it on edge and
but it's only threaded on one end, tighten the clamp.
e
-- your bench. Also, you'll need two your local hardware store should Joe Planisky
~. :
sets of clamp fixtures for each be able to thread the other end.) Phoenix, Arizona
-.
- - . j-
?;> . -. Supports
- - for Cutting Plywood
C u t t i n g a fuU sheet of plywood
by yourself can be quite a chal-
lenge. The easy part is guiding
the saw -the tricky part is sup-
porting the workpiece and catch-
ing the waste.
To do this, I use a pair of saw-
horses and four pipe clamps, see
Drawing. The clamps serve as ex-
tra 'Aelpers" to support the
workpiece and waste.
Depending on the length of
your clamps, you may need to cut
a spacer to fill in the gap between
the clamp head and the plywood.
(I cut my spacers from scrap 2x4.)
Note: Position the clamps far
enough hack &om the cut line so
the saw will clear.
James I: Wypijewski
Tucson, Arizona

28 ShopNotes No. 10
 Auxiliary Band 5aw Fence
ftippingnarrowstrips safely on
my band saw is difficult. The
height of the rip fence prevents
me from lowering the upper
guide assembly down close to the
workpiece. This means too much
blade ends up being exposed.
So I made an L-shaped auxil-
iary fence that clamps to the rip
fence, see Drawing. The base of
the auxiliary fence holds the
workpiece out so the guide as-
sembly can be lowered to cover
the exposed blade.
Tim Willis
Athens, Georgia

Quick Tips ..'> ,,

*.:-:-.:
,.- . 7
i
,

M I noticed in the rust removal vinegar daily until the rust is I ' v e mined a number of per-
article in ShopNotes No. 7 you gone. To help speed up the proc- fectly good glue brushes by for-
didn't mention white vinegar. ess a little, loosen the rust with a getting to rinse them out. So now
I've been using it as a rust re- plastic scouring pad between when I'm through with a brush,
mover for years on small parts each soaking. I'll immediately drop it in a small

- and old tools- withgoodresults.

Just place the rusty part in a
The nice thing is, a gallon of
white vinegar costs around $2.
container full of water that I keep
on a shelf in the shop.
sealed container that's filled with Bill Schmidt Bruce MeCampbell
white vinegar. Then change the Oakdale, Calzfornia Rawlins, Wyoming

ATTACH REMAINING PIECE

AND FOLD OMR

If you'd lik'e to share your. original

To keep the cords on my port- is it's always attached to the end
solutions to problems you've fa*,
able power tools neatly coiled, I of the power cord -I don't have
send them to: ShopNotes, Attn:Shop
secure them with a shop-made to hunt around the shop forit. But
tie, see photo. The tie is made best of all, a coiled cord can be
from two pieces of adhesive- tied quickly.
We'll pay up to?&W depending on-

The advantage to using this Tom McArdle

type of tie over a string or a rope

No. 10 ShopNotes 29
 Full-Extension

Full-extension
slides let you
0 ne way to increase
the usable space in a
drawer is to install full-extension
drawer slides. These slides let
pull a drawer
all the way out
you pull the drawer all the way
out of a cabinet which gives you
as quiet as a
cat&pillar crawling
'M- face frame require a
slightly different installa-
of a cabinet so easy access to what's inside - across a pool table. That's h e tion, see the box below.
t h e ' s no even the small stuff that tends to cause the channels ride on a line ALMJSTMENT.Once the slides
wasted space "migrate" to the back corners. of steel (or nylon) ball bearings. are installed, the horizontal slots
in the back. CHANNELS. The secret is asys- To prevent the bearings from in the cabinet part of the slides
tem of telescoping steel "&an- worldng their way to one end of allow you to move the drawer in
nels." As the drawer is opened, the slide, they're held in place with or out, see Fig. 1.And the vertical
these channels cantilever the retahhgclips, see Fig. la Distni slots in the drawer part let you
drawer out in front ofthe cabinet. uting the bearings evenly like this adjust it up or down.
With the channels fully ex- keeps the drawer from wobbling. BRANDS.Full-extension slides*
tended, you'd think the drawer IN6TALLATION. Although full- are manufactured by several dif-
would tend to sag. But that's not extension slides are precision ferent companies, and are avail-
the case. They're designed to made, you don't have to be a jew- able through a number of
eany loads that range from 75 to eler to install them. Just press a woodworking catalogs. (For a list
150 pounds - strong enough for "quick-release" lever to separate of sources, see page 31.)
a whole drawer full of tools. the slide into two parts, see Fig. Note: Smce the clearance re-
BEARINGS.Even with that 1. Then attach one part to the quirementsvary dependingon the
much weight, the operation is cabinet and the other to the slide, it's best to have the slides in
smooth. And the slides are about drawer. Note: Cabinets with a hand before you build the project.

30 ShopNotes No. 10
 Sources
ShopNotes Project Sup-plies is of- lathe is to attach it to a heavy-
fering some of the hardware and duty stand like the one shown on LAYOUT TOOLS
supplies needed for the projects page 16. Sturdy construction and The article on Layout Techniques
in this issue. extra weight (ballast) combine to (featured on page 22) describes a
We've also put together a list ofeffectively deaden any unwanted number of layout tools including:
other mail order sources that vibration. squares, rules, circle templates,
have the same or similar hard- The end result is a lathe that and flexible and French curves.
ware and supplies. runs smoother and quieter. In ad- Many of these are available at
dition, this stand features two hardware stores and art centers.
INDEXING JIG convenient pull-out drawers and They're also available from some
The micro-adjustable Indexing an optional lathe tool rack. of the mail order sources below.
Jig (shown on page 4) attaches to ShopNotes Project Supplies is
the fence on your muter table and offering a hardware kit for the
eliminates the guesswork when Lathe stand. The kit includes all The sanding belts featured on
positioning the fence. the hardware needed to build the page 26 last longer because they
Note: The Indexing Jig is sized stand, along with two pairs of 12" use new man-made minerals and
to fit the Router %ble featured Accuride full-extension slides for a special splice that makes them *
in ShopNotes No. 1. But it will fit the drawers. bi-directional. They're available
any router table that has 10" to All you need to supply is the a t some hardware stores. If you
18W from the center of a router particleboard, %-thick hard- can't lind them locally, see Mail
bit to the back edge of the table. wood, 1/4"-thick Masonite, and Order Sources below.
ShopNotes Project Supplies is sand for '%dast." Note: You'll Note: The "metal" sandpaper
*offeripg a hardware kit that in- also need the correct size mount- described in the article may be
cludes all the hardware needed to ing bolts, nuts, and washers to available a t local woodworking
make the Indexing Jig. All you attach your lathe to the stand. stores. Or it can be ordered &om
need to supply is the plywood, 610-6810-200Lathe Stand some of the sources listed below.
1/4"-thickMasonite,and a 6" metal Hardware Kit ................... $39.95
rule for the indicator. DRAWER SLIDES. We used Ac- DRILL BIT CASE
510-6810-100Indexing Jig curide slides in the Lathe Stand, The lid on the Drill Bit Case
Hardware Kit ...................
$19.95 but full-extension drawer slides (shown on page 10) is fastened to
are also made by Blum, Grant, the case with a hinge and a hook.
LATHE STAND and Knape & Vogt. See Mail Or- This hardware is available at
One of the best ways to improve der Sources below for companies many hardware stores, or from
the performance of a bench-top that c a n y full-extension slides. some of the sources listed below.

Similar hardware and supplies may be found in the

following catalogs. Please call each company fwa catalog I BY MAIL BY PHONE I
or for ordering infmation. To order by mail, use the For fastest service use our
Constamtine's Pmblem Solvers, Ino. The Wmdsmith S t m order form that comes with Toll Free order line. Open
80&22%M87 80(W9749M 515-255-8979 the current issue. The order Monday through Friday, PO0
Full-EstenSionD n z w Psnna-Sand Full-EzteWionD m w form includes information on AM to 7:00 PM Central Time.
Slides, Layout Tools, wood- Slides, Lay& Took, handling and shippingcharges, Before calling, h a ~ eyour
Hadware 80s225-1153 Sandplate,Hadzuam
Garrett Wade Full~E1.tensza D r a w Woodwerks
and sales tax. VISA, Mastercard, or Dis-
80sZ1-2942 Slides, Layout Tools, 80&243-8665 If the mail order formis not cover Card ready.
Layout Tools Norton Sandil~gPmd- Layout Took,SandpEats available, please call the toll
Trendlines wts, K a n E m ~ e ' I b W ~ sfree~number at the right for
80&76W99 612-4283200 more information on specific
Fw'uEl-E~kwim Draw
Slidas, Layout Tools,
FuElEztasion h z u m
Slidas, Layout Tools, charges and any applicable Note. Pnees subject to change I
8M Smding Belts Hadzua7e sales tax. aftarBeptwnbar 1,299s
lvping on the Creadle. This moti as then trc
red to the worlcp~ece(chucked be ;t h e N e d head
d mnvable bn,ilstock) by way of a
I leather belt.