ifeel Prmetsieomel erin SetS "Owl 12 -Cels) (Nelson UNS ss) a Bane Saw Gide Jig =Belt Sander Maintenance -| "Shop Tote =Chisel Techniques = Epoxy SystemsCian Diver Ln Brn Subarition Manage: Phylis Jes « Cieaation Aunty ‘Rot ane Nvstnd St Keat Al Manage: Grd C, Gaye * Senor Graphic ‘Drama Rebert ih. Wier «mie Aut Chal. Cae Control in Hatkinscns Acorn La, "Thnaes thei rele Prion ‘Mage Carl ijn lf Serica Bong: eye lere- Blot. Pub, Crnator Dowgea tersApp Spa Linda Moers eds ‘Amitrsic Cher Soxt fla P+ Rec: ean ise Building Mt: Ken Geith _Maruting Dirt Roo Maer Catalog det Dinetor Cis Juckaen Fulfilment Slonager Valet WesesCelaiog Prades Manager Ba) BakersProjet Supple Lindasonese echnical Siyport Jefidaneee Rect: Cpatha Remar ‘Sayer: Jeanie Exos + Cystoner Service ‘Repraetates lene Nurpiy, Soy Johns, Sars Koo, Anne Cox Kei Aasors ‘Superior ferry Cannon «Pufilent loa ‘Shahan Deol, Crack aren inary ane cea Gee eo tan ShopNot e varmsarclsamaskcWraiCoq. Sepik one orn ‘Serohen eo fou wash as Co ‘eer 500 ea ‘Se mtg id Shi 1 Deveney, ogists 18s ‘Svereion Qoeiom? Cat 8.285554 Sam 1m Cte weg the projects that appear in an ise as much as a year in advance, This gives us the time to design the projects, work out the bugs, and redesign them if necessary. An example ofthis process is the Sliding Table shown on page 16. SLIDING TABLE. We knew from the start that we wanted a shop-built ver~ sion of a commercial sliding table. It ‘would mount to the left side of a table saw and allow for easy crosscutting of panels up to 24" wide. After determining what we wanted to do, the next step was to figure out: how to do it. And that took some time, About six months. ‘The problem wasn't coming up with a solution that worked, It was eoming tap with a simple solution, We started by designing a table that ‘used! components similar to those found, on commercial tables — roller bearings, and metal rails, Although it worked well, it was difficult to build and expen- sive, (The bearings alone cost over one hundred dollars.) So we tried to find an inexpensive substitute for the bearings. After look- ing in dozens of eatalogs and rammag- ShopNotes Issue 15 May 1994 ees pki ne of the most Impressive ing through all the local hardware parla aie act things about watching Steve stores we tried using replacement ‘assooure corres Richard 8 Peters, (our Shop Manager) wor! wheels for a sliding door. This worked “asustunt eorrox ‘Tim Hobertson what he doesn’t do when he first re- fine and was inexpensive. But once ‘cowrmpuria enon Philip A. Totten ceives plans for a project. He doesn’t again, it was very difficult to build. ae start cutting wood and fitting joints. ADIFFERENI APPROACH, The solu- | aeeaemeres CaryChrstensen | Instcadhecaimly-sitsatthe workbench tion that Jan (our Senior Designer) Reefer ‘wistseuiee (sometimes for hours) —and plans. came up with was to use a different ‘usermurons Will Niskanen, Like Steve, I’ve always felt that ad- approach altogether. He got rid of the Roger Relland vanced planning is one of the most im- rollers. And substituted plastic lami- ee : portant (and often nate. ‘The results monoamines Crayola Englind | overlooked) steps 5 were surprising tna vobetas feo Won inwoodworking, ‘We start planning many etapiethatslid semonoctnnere Jun Hale vec Andthesameis of the projects that appear smoothly, was in- is ee true for t wood iman issue as much asa expensive, and : working maga- fi simple to make, sop seetiexourries Seve Johnson ie. We stan year in advance. ‘(Pormareonthi aa planning many of see page 16.) SHOPTOTE. But not all projects re- quire as much planning as the Sliding ‘Table, Every now and then someone shows me aproject that Ijust can’t wait to build and feature in the magazine. ‘That's what happened when I first saw a prototype for the Shop Tote shown on page 10. It looked like a deep tray with ahandle, but when I lifted up ‘the handle I diseovered that only half of it came away with the tray. That was when I realized the handle was “split” and there were actually two trays. T knew then that it was the kind of interesting project I wanted to build — and feature in ShopNotes. ASQUEAL. Aroundhere the squeal of ahigh pitched router usually goes un- noticed. But when the squeal comes out of a baby, ivs another story. Recently, production eame to a standstill when ‘Terry and Christy Strohmanbrougt in their new kaby boy. All the crew gath- ered arvund to weleome Richard into ‘our extended family. Note: Terry mentioned that Richard already has # roll-around tool chest. ‘And he uses it every day — it’s his changing table. No. 15Contents Band Saw Circle Jig__________4 Cutting perfect circles is easy with this shop-made jig for ‘your band saw. A builtin lape and indicator letyou quicky ‘sot uo to cut almost any size circle. Belt Sander Maintenance ____8 Allittakes to keep your belt sander running smooth and trouble-free is a routine cleaning end inspection. ‘Shopioses< = ee 19 ‘A unique design provides a handle for each tray of this handy tote. Then the two halves combine to form one grip tocarry pars, tools, orhardware wherever youneed them. Epoxy Systems ____14 Zn in depth look at using epoxy systems in tho shop: from measuring and mixing. to tips on application. Plus ‘step by step instructions on how to make your own filler. Sliding Table 6 Ityou've ever tried to crosscut a large pane! on a table saw, you'll appreciate this shop-built sliding table. It features a built-in fence that slips on and off for quick and accurate set-ups. Chisel Techniques __________24 Making a controlled cut with a chisel depends on using the right grip and a few simple techniques. Shop Solutions ________28 Five Shop-Tested Tips: C-Camp Hack, Hole Saw Feliet, Cut-Off Gauge, Pinch Blocks, and a Tip for Keeping Power Cords Out of tho Way. Spnnge > Sasa 30) Two types of springs io improve the performance of your Shop-bull gs ana feaures, Sources =. 31 Hardware, project supplies, and mail order sources for the projects in this issue. ShopNotes Sliding Table Chisel Techniques page 24IR te Band Saw Circle Jig There's only one adjustment to make with this jig. Just select the exact size cirele you want and cut. Ov of the easiest ways to blade, Allyouhavetodoisset the (In my case, they're 21” Jong.) cut it on a band saw, Allit takes circle you want. is apin tospin the workpiece on. BASE The problem isaecurately posi- wake a perfect circle is to adjustable rail for the exact size TONGUE. The next step is to ceut 2 tongue on the base pieces for the adjustable rail that's added later, see Fig. 1. The tioning the pin to get the correct I began work on the jig by build- tongue is ie" thick and is cen- size circle. To solve this, we de- ing the base. It consists ofafront tered on the thickness of each signeda circle cutting jig thatal- (A) and a rear base (B).'To make base piece, sce Detail in Fig. vith two iilenti- CLEAT: Before the hase pie« ows you to quickly set up for an these, I started exact eut, see photo. cal pieces, see Fig. 1. The size of can be joined together, there's There are two main parts to the pieees depends on your saw. one more thing to do — add an the jig: a“split” base, and anad- "To determine their width, L-shaped cleat to the front base justable rail, see Exploded View. measure from the teeth of the (A), see Fig. 2. ‘The base serves as a ear sawblade to the front edgeofthe _Thecleat eonsists ofa front rail ‘ge forthe workpiece and allows you table and add a4" (714"),see Fig, (C) whieh acts as a stop to auto- toslide both it and the jigintothe 1. (Note: If your saw has a rip matically align the pin with the saw bladeas youstart theeut. fence, you'll need to measure to blade, And a keeper (D) that ‘Then aclest on the front ofthe its front edge.) To find their forms allip to cateh the table top. jig catches the saw table and length, measure from the inside Both pieces are the same locks the sig in place with the pin (throat) edige of the table to the length as the front hase 21"). But automatically aligned to the saw sawblade andadd 14", see Fig.1. their widths are different. weasunme tare EXPLODED VIEW (OVERALL DIMENSIONS: WHE 2D SIDE RAIL INBERT ve at Materials & Hardware ‘A Front Base (1) 7V4"x 21"-94" ply B Rear Base(1) 714" x 14" -5/4" ply © Front Rail(t) 34"% Bho" 21" D Keaper (1) Ba to" 21" E Side Rail(1) —94"x ic" 1444" F Runner (1) Yen Ba" 144" G Serp () Yorn ve 14" H Top/Bem. (2) tYe"x 14"-Yo"Plex. (16) #6 x12" Flathead Woodscrewa © (4) #8 x54" Flathead Woodscrews © (7) #4x%e" Flathead Woodscrews © (1) #6 Common Nail + (Vex 2" Thumboorew * (Ye Threaded Insort © (1) 48" L-R Reading Self-adhesive Rule 4 ShopNotes No. 15JIGS & ACCESSORIES To determine the width (height) of the front rail (C), measure the thiekness of your ta- ble top (or table top plus fence) andadd Ys for clearance (1%e"), see Figs. 2a and 2b. The keeper (D)is easier — it’s just 149" wide. ‘After you've cut these pleces to size, they can be attached to the front base, see Fig. 2 SPACER. With the cleat inplace, the two halves of the base can be joined together. To create a uni- {orm gap, | clamped a temporary spacer (a Hs" square piece ofhard~ ‘woodl) between them, eee Fig. 3 (Note: Save this spacer, you'll use it later for the adjustable rail.) SIDERAIL & RUNNER The two halves of the base are connected ‘aside rail and a runner, see Fig. 3. The side roil (B) adds strength to the jig. It's cut the same width as the front rail (155") and screwed to the base flush with the edge. ‘The renner (F) allows you to quickly slip the jig in place and is 1 NOTE: MEASURE AIS RUNNER (SEEFIG.2) TODETERMINELENGTH (oF FECES. NEASURE FROM THROAT EDGE OF TABLE TO "| cut to fit in the miter gauge slot ‘on your saw. To loeate it on the base, first measure in from the ‘throat side of your saw table to the edge of the miter slot, see Figs. 1 and 8. Then transfer this FROM BLADE TEETH| tothe bottom ofthe jig and serew ‘the runner in place. ‘To complete the base, all that's lett is to remove the spacer and trim the rear base (B) to length, see Fig. 4. CUTRABBETS vit eanor ator 7 ~_ PoSmON IDE RAL “AND ScReW NI PLACE MEASURE FROM BOrtoM OF rence "AND ADD WAST 2 DISTANCE FROM | ra ‘THROM Ibe TO FRONT i RAIL CUTRRONT RA ANOREEPER TOWATN © rege Pent or ExOE KEErERO—~ 2 pane: 4} mor: WITHOUT FENCE hy — No. 15 ShopNotes Win RUNNER IN SLOT, SECOND: OT REAR BASE.Adjustable Rai: 22 aatarS ieee e After trimming the rear base to size, work can begin on the adjust Note: able rail, This ral slides between (Renee the halves of the base so you can adjust the position of the Jin, see Fig 5.[tsahapedlike an -beam — a hardwood strip fits between a Plexiglas top and bottom. TRIP. Youlve made the strip (G) already. Its the spacer you = used earlier, see Fig. 5.All that's | (g,, 35 Joftistoeutittomatchthelength | {7° "S42 ser F of the rear base (14). Then sand sone about Yo" offthe width and thick ness, This ensures the rail will slide easily, and the top (added next) willbe fluah with the base. TOP& ROTTOM. The 14'-thick Plexiglas op and bottom (H) are [ thesame length as the strip (1d), see Fig. 6. As for their width, they're cut to slide in the rabbets in the baso (114). NAY Before you assemble the rail, | "| CNEENDONLY TOP VIEW first scratch two indieator marks a e on the bottom face of the top | piece, see Fig, fa, These marks F LOCATE PIN reused with the measuring tape added later to position the ral ASSEMBLY. Now you can as- semble the rail. To ensure align- ‘meat, it's good idea toscrew the top anil bottom to the strip with it in place in tho base, soe Fig. 5. PIN.To complete the rail, just add a pin for the workpiece to spin on. This is 2 #6 common nail with the head cut off and filed to alight crown, see Fig, 6b. LOCKING SYSTEM With the rail complete, T added a simple lock- \gsyster tohold the ral in place ‘threaded insertand a thumb- serew, see Fig. 7 = ‘The threaded insort fits in a Ss centered hole in the side rail, see 7a] Fig. 7. The thumbscrew threads | _ fn the insert to pinch the rail against the base, see Fig. 7a. FINISH. All that's left is to ap- ply two coats of tung oilto the jig. ‘This protects it and also ereates a surface that the selfadhesive rule (audited next) willstiek to. NOTE: Du %9e"Pivcr HOLE GP OFF HEAD AND FILE CROWN SERAL TOF numecenen saratae LOCKS SUDING RAL. TeusecreW 6 ShopNotes No. 15Adding the Tape Oncethe finish hasdriedyoncan [TL fadd the measuring tape. I used a self-adhesive lft to right reading 5 tape and cut it in two pieces, see e wy Fig. 8. (Ror a complete hardware Kit, see page 31.) TWO PINCES. The first_pieve -gocsin therabbetin the rearbase 7 (B), and is used when cutting S small circles (2 to 26" diameter). ‘The other piece fits in the rabbet WELEHOHDIRe ee in the front base (A), ani is used : toon when cutting larger circles @26"to 48! ciameter), see Figs. Sa and Sb. USING THE JIG. Inuse, the ad- fa. REAR BASE aera justable rail is inserted into the BUTTTATE AGAINST s base so the pin end is closest to paar rosimon sag the saw blade, see box below left. HAH WA: "no aes ‘And to cut larger circles, the ad sae jstable rail is turned around Tara] the pin end is away from the saw = 3 blade, see box below right. eee Cutting Small Circles Cutting Large Circles Dril aoe" hole in a the underside of FRONT BASE S Pusit.nc suowny REAR BASE FORWARD (0. Stan CUT Emel ‘SLIDE OUT RAL AND AtuUsT FoR. ckearcAToHes TABLE Base oa Step 1: Slide the Jig Forward. With workpiece rest- Step 1: Flip Adjustable Rall. For larger circles (more ing on the pin, turn on the saw and slide jig slowly than 26), remove adjustable rail and tip it end for end. forward. Continue until the cleat catches the table, ‘Then siio itin the base and set it for the desired cut NOTE: Tem CORNERS ON LARGE ‘SPN WORKPIECE ON PIECES 10 CLEAR THEOA? ONSAW Step 2: Spin the Warkplece. Now to cut the circle, Step 2: Extra Support. To cutlarger circles (over 26") slowly spin the workpiece in a clockwise direction use the same technique that'sused for smallercircles while applying downward pressure. except | add extra support under the workpiece. No.15 ShopNotes, 7Remove packed-in dust with a snail brush and vacuum to keep it irom aging up the belt sander. An abrasive pad (ko @ Scotch Brite pad) and some lecquer thinner make quick work of cieaning the rolers. hen it comes to removing a lot of material quickly, ny belt sander is a real work horse. But the heat and dust that this generates ean eventually take their toll on a belt sander. ‘That's why Hike to invest afew minutes on some preventive maintenance before putting it back on the sel, In most eases, all it takes is some routine clean: ing and a cheek for wom parts to keep your belt sander running smooth and trouble free. CLEANING One of the easiest (yet most effective) things you can do to avoid problems is to give the belt sander a good “once-over.” REMOVE DUST. Toprevent dust from working into the motor or hearings, the first thing is to re- move the packed-in dust. Tuse a small brush and vaewum to avoid driving the dust farther into the sander, see top photo below. ROLLERS. Dirt anil grease can also aeeumulate on the front and ack rollers and cause the helt to slip. To clean the rollers, I use an abrasive pad and some lacquer thinner, see bottom photo below. WORN PARTS: Besides the routine cleaning, 1 make it a habit to cheek and replace worn pats. Note: You can get. re- placement parts at most repair shops. BRUSHES. With use, the “brushes” on your sander may need to be tangalar pieces of ear- on that transfer the electric eunent to the motor, see Fig. 1. ‘As the brushes wear down, you'll notice more sparking than usaal around the motor, And when you apply pres: sure, the sander will tend to bog down, Ifthe brushes are extremely worn, the sander may not, even start or will only startintermittently. ‘ShopNotes rae) Belt Sander ° Maintenance Routine cleaning and an decasional cheek ‘for worn parts will keep your belt sander running smooth and trouble-free. ‘To check for wear, just remove the retaining caps and slip the brushes out, see Fig. 1. What you're looking for here is the lengih of the brushes. Some brushes will have a “wear ine” that indicates when they need to be replaced. But for others, you'll reed to check your owner's man- ual to see how long they should te. DRIVE BELT. Another common problem is the sanding belt “stalls” when you apply pressure ‘on a workpiece. ‘This can often be traced baek to the rubber drive belt that transfers power from the motor to the back roller, see Fig. 1 With use, this belt gets brittle, and the “teeth” start to chip and break. To check, just remove the cover on the side of the sander and replace the belt if necessar PAD AND PLATEN. Two othé parts that may need attention are the cork pad and the thin metal platen (plate) that the sanding bolt rides across, see Fig, 2. To produce a smooth, even surface ‘when sanding, the platen and pad need tobe fat, But what happens is the frie- tion and heat that are generated when sanding eventually start to ‘barn the back edge of the platen. And the cork pad dries out to the point that pleees oft gettorn out. ‘To replace the pad and plate all that’s needed is toremove the metal bar that holds them in place, see Fig. 2. As before, new ‘replacement parts are availableat No. 15most repair shops. (For informa- tion om a different type of platen, 500 the box belov:) TRACKING Perhaps the most frustrating problem to deal with is when the belt ust won'tstay on the sander. Ti either shoots off the open end Or it slides into the housing and slices the belt to ribbons, BELTSTRETCH. When this happens, the first instinct is to adjust the tracking knob, Bat often the problem is the sanding belt itself. Sometimes it has stretched out to the point that no amount of adjustment will make it treek accurately. So the first thing I do is install a new sanding belt, Tf that doesn't work, it’s most likely the tracking system itself. Basically, this system has two parts: the back drive roller and afront roller assembly, see Fig. 3. BACK ROLLER. The back roller has a slight “erown” that centers the sanding belt and keeps it from sliding off. With use, this crown ‘wears down and eanses the belt ‘to wander. ‘Tocheckthecrown, hold amet- alrule against the roller, see Fig. 3, Ifthe roller has worn fat, placing it ie bost handled at a re- pair shop. ApwusTMeENT NOB TIO. | sero | No.15 FRONT ROLLER. The second part of the adjustment system is the front roller assembly. It con- sists of a fork that holds the front roller and an adjustment knob, see Fig. 3. Turning the knob tilts tthe fork and tracks the sanding belt one way or the other. Ifthe sander has been dropped ‘ordamaged, the fork may be bent: ~FRONT ROLLER ‘chown ShopNates: Here again, replacing it is a job for the repair shop. FINAL THOUGHTS. But taking your belt sander to the repair shop is the exception — not the rule. Even when you push your belt sander to its limits, a regular leaning and inspeetion for wear fare usually all that's needed to keep it in top ranning condition Graphite Platens "The basie idea of this graphite platen is simple. As the sanding helt runs aevoss the platen, the graphite lubricates the back of the belt-and makes it run cooler, ‘The platen is made frem a flex- ible, canvas-tike materiel, To in- sall it, you'll need to trim the platen to fit your belt sander and punch holes in the end for the screws that hold down the retain- A graphite platen helps 12- ing bar, s00 photo. (For sourves of duce heat build-up ard ex- sraphite platens, see page 31.) tend the life of your belts.SOI ag» Shop Tote A unique “split” handle design provides a handy grip for each tray and allows you to stack them on top of each other. Ws Steve (our ‘Shop Manger) walked into the workshop the other ~~~ day, the first thing I noticed was the sly grin on his face. Then 1 realized he'd brought a prototype of a project for me to look at —a small tote for onganizing and carrying around hardware, hand tools, or whatever, see photo above. ‘TWO TRAYS. At first glance, I thought that it was just a deep box with a handle. But on closer inspec- tion, I realized that there were actually two tray’, one ontop of the other, END VIEW Materials ‘A Fronts/Backs (4) Yo"x 2/2"- 14" B Ends (4) Ye'x 2ie"- Be" © Genter Rallo(2) Ye"x 2¥2"- 15" D LoworHandle (1) Ve" Ma 13" E UpperHandle (1) “V2'x5"-15" F Bottoms(3) —4¥2"x 13/2" -Yo"Mas. G Narrow Bottom (1) 4"x 1372"- Ye" Mas, H Dividers (6) Yarx2ie"- 4° 1 Short Diidero (2) Ye"x2¥o"- Bt2" * Two layers of Ya" Masonite 10 ShopNotes EXPLODED VIEW Intrigued, [lifted upthe top tray only to find that “nalf” of the handle came slong with it (Steve's grin got wider). The other “hall” of the handle was built. into the bottom tray. Ingenious. This way each tray has its own handle, And wien the traysare stacked up, the handles combine to forma heavy-duty grip for the entire tote. DIVIDERS In addition to the unique handle de- sign, this Shop Tote also features a set of built-in dividers. These dividers allow you to customize each tray to help organize its eontents, (For more en this, see page 12.) No. 15Cer e Tray Farts Since the basic parts of the upper and lower trays are identical, I started with blanks wide enough to make both trays, see Drawing. atright. Then trimmedtheindivid- ual pieces tofinished width later. ‘FRONT,BACK,& ENDS. All of the ‘tray blanks are the same width (height) —514". But their lengths are different. The blanks for the fromtand back pieces (A) are 14° long. Then they're rabbeted on each end to receive the end pleces, see Drawing and Detail at right, The blanks for the ends (B) are 99}<" long. CENTER RAILS. After the front, back, and end blanks are eut to size, the next step is to make a blank forthe two center rails (C), Handles After the tray pieces are eut to size, you can turn your attention to the handles. On his original tote, Steve used hardwood han- les. But I was concerned they ‘might warp and prevent the trays from sliding together. ‘MASONITE. To get around this, Lused a material that was more stable than solid wood — Masonite. NoTE: aus pune cur ‘stbcK ae | NIGHED WiDr see Drawing. To determine the Jength of this blank, measure the distance between the shoalders of the rabbets on a front or back blank. (In my ease, i's 13° Jong.) ‘To make each handle, T glued up a biank made from two layers of V4"-thick Masonite, see Pig. 1 Bach handlo blank is the same length (13"), The only thing dif- ferentis theirheight (width). The lower handle (D) is 74’ tall. But since the upper hanile (B) rests, ‘on top of the lower tray, it's 242" shorter (5 tall). 5 ee currasesre on FRONTIBACK BLANKS curT0 WIDTH, Now yeu ean rip all ofthe tray pieces (A, B,and) to their finished widths (2%). Then set these pieces aside, they're used later, HANDLE SHAPE. To make sure the handle shapes mateh, | earpet taped the blanks together and laid ont the shape on top, see Figs. 1 and 1a. Then with the blanks still taped together, cut out the shape. ROUND-OVER. Finally, separate the pieces and round over the holes and top edges only on the router table, see Figs. 2 and 2a, FIRST: GLUE Up Two LATERS 1 ‘OF te" MABONITE FOR EACH HANDLE LOWER HANDLE THIRD: Lay OUT SHAPE on ToF| HOLES ONY LOWER CARPET TAPE ‘Tose 2 eNOS ROTO ip. oR0B8 SECTION Note: our To? EDsE ano| No. 15 ShopNotesLower Tray Now that tho handles aro com- plete, you ean start work on the lower tray. The lower tray uses the taller (7Hs") of the two han- les, see Drawing at right. CUT GROOVES. The first step is to eut grooves for the tray bot- toms that are added later. These Yg'-wide grooves are cut on the inside bottom edge of each lower tray piece (including the handle), see Figs. 3 and 3. ‘TAPER HANDLE. Next, to make it easier to slide the upper tray over the handle of the lower tray when it's assembled, I sanded a slight taper on the ends of the handle, see Fig. 4. ‘may porroms. With 7 the handle tapered, the 4 next step is to deter | E mine the size of the tray dottoms, see Fig. 8 To do this, first: dry clamp the tray together. Then position the eenter rail - (©) and tandle (D) 80 they're centered on the width of ASSEMBLY. After the bottoms the tray, see Drawing above. have been eutto size,all that's left Next, messure each of the is to assemble the lower tray. ‘openings and add 4" to both the Start by gluing the center rail to length and the widih. Now you the handleso the grooves on each an cut two ¥e"-thick Masonite are facing out, see Fig. 4. Then bottoms (F) tosize, see Fig.3.(In apply glue to the remaining tray my case, they're 41s" wide and parts and nail the tray together, 1314" long) refer to Fig. 3 P alerts - Ser masonry B | SECOND: ony ciate Rav TOGETHER a ‘GLUE CENTER RAIL TOHANDLE ‘ON ENDS OF HANDLE 12 ‘A Te upper tray is a conveniont way to keep some of your mast often used tools right at hand. Fv thetower asic @ handy ciece Ev oi * ing and organizing screws, ‘nails, and assorted hardware, ShopNotes No.15e Upperitray ee Ss Ee} After you've assembled the lower tray, youcan begin work on ‘the upper tray. CUT GROVES. Just as you did with the lower tray, the first step isto cut 14’-wide grooves inall of the tray pieces for the Masonite bottoms, refer to Fig. 8a and the Drawing atright. ‘TRAY BOTTOMS. To determine the size of the tray bottoms, I again dry clamped the tray. Only this time, [ clamped it up arvuend the handle of the lower tray. This does two things. First, it ensures that the sides and ends of the upper tray will SER tray. And second, it po- sitions the upper handle and center rail in the correct positions for the handle of the lower tray to slip through, see | Drawing at right. Note: To make sure ‘thore’ enough clearance for the upper tray to slide over the handle, I inserted a paper shim (posterbourd) between the handle and the center rail before nailing it in place, refer to Fig. 6. Although the length of both bottom pieces is the same (1346"), their widths are different, The the center rail side is 6" nar- rower than the other side. (In my ‘case, its 4" wide.) The other bot- tom (F) is 416" wide, see Fig. 5. ASSEMBLY. After you've cut the ‘bottoms to size, the upper tray can beassembled. Here agzin, I gined, clamped, and nailed it together on align with those on the lower narrmo hotiom (G) that fits on top of the lower tray, see Fig. 6. 6 CLAMP UPPER TRAY ON ‘SECOND: vey LAW TRAY SOP OF LOWER TRAYIO Nace (ore me. 6) ENOURE ALIGNMENT NARROW BOTTOM Pa ee MASONITE) set of dividers, see Fi just pieces of ¥"-thick stock cut to fitinside the tray. ‘The dividers (H) for the lower tray and one side of the upper tray are the sume — 214” high (wide) and 4" long. But the short dividers (1) for the other side of the upper tray are only 344" long. ‘When they're cut to size, posi- tion the dividers in the tray and nail them in place, see Fig. 7. No. 15 FROM gr THICx STOCK DIVIDER a NOTE: ShopNotes 13Epoxy Systems about ten minutes. Slow harden- ers offer amuch longer assembly time—upto an hour, This makes it the perfect choice whenever F« years the only younced to glue up a project that type of epoxy I hasa let of parts ‘used was the “five minnte” vari- In addition to this, epoxy does ety sold at mosthardwarestores. some things other glues can't It It was great for quick repairs — can bond dissimilar materials to- to mend a cracked plate or fix a gether — like metal to wood. I broken toy. often use it to glue a bolt ina jig. Ie wasnt until I discovered ep- Or to repair astripped-out serew. oxy “systems” that Irealizad how And singe epoxy only requires useful epoxy can be for woodworking, Its ex. Tt wasn’t until I discovered. tremely strong, virtually working stores. Or they ean be mail ordered, see Sources on page 31) ‘THREE STEPS. There arethree dasie steps to working with any epoxy system: measuring oat the two parts, mixing them together, and applying the mixture, MEASURING By far the most important step to working with an epoxy system is measuring. When measuring out the parts, make sure you follow the directions, Some manufacturers al- waterproof, ant doesnt ¢POary “systems” that Irealized toy youto vary the mix ra- shrink at al how useful epoxy can be. ‘TWO PARTS. Likethe five minute varieties, an epoxy sys- that the parts touch each other tem comes in two separate parts: for a good bond, it’s the perfect aresin and ahardener.Whenthe solution for those awkward situ- two parts are mixed together, a ations where you just can’t get a chemical reaction occurs that clamp onto scmething. hardens or “cures” the epoxy. ‘customize. But the thing that ‘What makes an epoxy system [like best about epoxy systems is special is you can vary the curing they allow you to customize the time by choosing the type of epoxy to fit your application. By hardener. Fast hardeners cure in varying the mix ratio on some Epoxy Systems Tips © Use an epory system when you need a bond that’s strong, waterproof, or won't shrink. + Select a hardener to provide the working time you'll need (alow, medium, or fast). ‘+ Meacure out only what you'll need. '* Mix thoroughly, scraping the container often. * Add sanding dust (if desired) to make a filler: ++ No clamps required, Just immobilize the parte. + Remove any equeeze-out before epory cures. + Heating up epoxy causes it to cure faster, + Cooling down epoxy causes It to cure slower. 4 systems, you can change the curing time. Other systems provide a vari- ety of fillers that can be used to change the com- sistency of the epoxy. (or more on this see the hox on page 15,) DRAWBACKS. The only drawback to using ep- oxy systems is they ean be expensive. And since they come in two parts, they're not as conven- ientas premixed glues. (Epoxy systems ean be found at some wood- ‘ShopNotes tos. Others don't, and they ‘warn that an improper ra- tio can result in a mix that won't, cure (what a mess), or one that is weakened if it does cure, ‘The most typical mix ratfo ts ‘two parts resin to one part hard- «ener, But depending on the prod- uct, it ean vary up to five parts resin to one part hardener. ne trick that I discovered ‘when measuring out epoxy is to only measure out what you'll need — you can't save the left~ overs. (If you're working on a large job, it's best to use several smaller batches.) ‘As you messtre out the parts, it saves clean-up time if you pour them into a disposable container (such as a plastie yogurt cup or a small ean).Just keep in mind that as soon.as the two partsare com- bined, a chemical reaction begins and the epoxy mixture will get hot. So don’t use Styrofoam eups —they can melt. SAFRTY TIPS. There are a cou- ple other things to keep in mind No.15@ when working with epoxy. First, avoid skin contact — Wear gloves. Second, epoxy fumes ean be haz ardous Somato sure theres ade- uate ventilation, And wear a respirator and eye protection. Safety Note: If you do get ep- exy on your skin, dow use a sol sent (steh as laeyer thinner oF Genatured aleshal) to remave it Solvents oaly drive the epoxy in Geeper. Instead, nse a waterless hand cleaner dike Goop) used by silemecharioa Once you've measured out the two parts, you're ready to com- bine them. Stir the mixture well, seraping the eontainer sides often. Mixing takes anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes depending on the size and shape of the container, and the amount and type of epoxy you'ro mixing. ShopTip: It’s a’ good idea to write the time you mixed the ep- oxy on the cup or ean. This way you'll know how mush time you have betore it begins to set, APPLYING Before you apply the epoxy, first make sure the parts to be joined are elean and free from dirt and dust. If you're gluing wood to ‘wood, I've found a freshly cut or planed surface worksbest. Andif you're giuing metal to wood, it's ‘good idea to slightly roughen the metal before applying the epoxy. ‘Toapply the epoxy, Tuse a dis- posable glue brush. The secret to good bond is to apply the epoxy to both surfaces. This ensures that the glue joint wont be ‘starved” — that there will be plenty adhesive fora strongjoint. Note: If you're going to add a filler (Such as sawdust) now is the time to do it, see box below. Once the paris have been coated, all you have to do ia press them together and hold them in place long enough for the epoxy to set. (You don't have to apply a Using Fillers with Enoxy lot of pressure. So this can be done with string, tape, or even rubber bands.) ‘After the parts are immobi- lized, it's important to serape off any squeeze-out with a putty knife while it’s still slightly soft and doughy. Once epoxy has cured it’s difficalt to remove 's tough on your todls, HEAT TRICKS Since epoxy generates heat as it cures, you can (to some extent) control how long it takes to eure by varying the temperature. If you want a quicker eure, use ‘a heat lamp or hair dryer to heat up the joint. If you need more working time, work in a cooler place (ike your basement). Or use a portable fan to help dissi- pate the heat that’s generated. ‘One Final Note: Never throw runueed epoxy in the trash before it’s completely cured. The heat it generates as it finishes curing could start a fire, One of the unique features of an ep- oxy system is that you can mix in an additive or “filler.” This allows you to vary the consistency (anywhere from thickened honey to peamt butter) to suit your application, ‘Thin for most gluing jobs. And ‘thicker when you need a filler that also creates a strong bond (such as ‘Step 1:Mix the resin and hardener together thoroughly end apply a coat to both surlaces to be joned. No. 15 repairing a crack or split on a turned bowl, see Steps 1 through 3 below). Although epoxy system manufic- turers sell a variety of filers with strange names (plastie fibers, siliea thickener, and phenolic microbal- loons), Pve found that good old sav dust works best for woodworking. Bat not ordinary sawitust — sanding ‘Step 2: Now you can add filer to the remaining mixture. Keep adaiing filer until desired consistency is reached. ShopNotes dust (it’s finer than sawdust). ‘To make your own, just picka serap piece of Wood that matehes your project and sand it with fine (820) grit sand- paper. (For this, [like ta use a power sander with an attached dust bag.) Note: Mixing in sanding dust helps the epoxy takea finish better. Bat ike aay adhesive, it won’. accept astain. Step 3: Apoly the thickened mixture to one surface only. Then bring the parts together and allow to cure. 15[zvua eae Peake Sliding Table Straight, accwrate crosscuts on wide panels ... that’s the idea bekind this shop-built sliding table. rosscutting a wide panel on the table saw ean ea real juggling act. One hand to balance the workpiece (the saw tble in front of the blade is too small to provide much support). And the other to steady the miter gange (that is the runner hasn't already come cut of the slot). ‘MORE SUPPORT. One solution I've seenin alotof production cabinet shops is a sliding table. ‘To pro- Vide more support forthe workpiece, astiding table extends in front of the saw table. ‘There's only one drawback with most commercial tables. They're expensive. So I decided tobuild my ‘own shop-made version, see photo above. CONSIDERATIONS. Basically, I had two things in mind when working on this sliding table. First, it hhad to erosseut. workpieces up to 24’ wide. And second, I wanted an easy-to-build table that didn’t have a lot of complicated hardware. A. Guide System. To ensure ac: curate cuts, a built-in guide sys tem tracks the lable straight and true. Applying plastic laminate to the parts creates a sliopery sur- face for the table fo slide across. B. Fence. Loosening a pair of knobs makes t easy to remove the fence. When you put it back (on, a unique stop system iets you quickly reposition the fence so it 90° to the saw blade. 16 ShopNotes SIMPLE DESIGN. Theend result isa table with a simple, straight- ‘ forward design. It slides on two railethat are supported by ashl- low tray, see photo A. And Tused plastic laminate to create a slick, durable surface for the table to slide across. FENCE. ‘To ensure acearaey when crosscutting, this table also features a fence that can be adjusted 80 it’s precisely 90° to the saw blade. And when ‘you're notusing the table, just loosen a pair of knobs to remove the fence, see photo B. REPLACES EXTENSION, Like most commercial tables, this sliding table replaces the left extension ‘wing on your saw table. To provide clearance when you pull the table back, you'll need to move (or eat off) the rails that guide the rip fence, see the photo ‘on the opposite page. | Hardware ‘© (42) #8 x 2" Fh Woodocrews (18) #8 x04" Fh Woodecrews (8) #8x1" Fh Woodscrews © (6) #Ox1" Sheet Metal Serows © (6) %e" Flat Washere © (1) 96" 3" Carriage Bolt (2) 30" Lock Nuts © (1) Se" 110" Fender Washer © (1) 9e"Flat Washer © (1) Ya" 14" Hitch Pin © (3) 96"x He" Lag Screws = (2) 4" 112" Cap Screws © (8) Ve" Flat Washers © (3) 4" Threaded nserts (2) Vax 1" Fender Washers (2) Ya" Press-On Knobe © (1) Ya" x12" Hex Bolt = (1) Ya" Hox Nut No. 15uaa ee EXPLODED VIEW OVERALL DIMENSIONS: We AO" Ln SA To provide clearance for the siding table, reposition (or cul) the rails that guide the rip fence sothey're flush with ATLEAST 30°94 Sexe" 64" (85 80.) A Base (1) B Ralls (2) C Side Pieces (2) Table D Core (1) E Edge Pieces (2) F End Pieces (2) G Fined Guide (1) H Adustable Guide(1) — Yex2¥2-27 Leg Assembly 1 End Leg (1) J End Leg Foot (1) K Braces (3) L Side Leg (1) M Side Leg Foot (1) Fence N Fence Pieces (2) 12x 40-YePly 12x 3082-94 Ply Bax -12 10x16 -94Py 10x 30%2 - Y4 Ply Bax Ia-2 9% x 294-26 ShopNotes[Ie The Tray ‘The heart of the sliding table is a Jong tray that mounts to the side of the saw table. This tray simply replaces the left extension wing. Because of this, you may need to move (or cut off) the ralls that ido tho rip fence, refer to page 17. BASE.I started work on the tray by making a plywood base (A), see Figs. Land 2. The length of the base determines how far you can slide the table back and forth. To provide enough travel to eut 2 24"-wide panel, I made the base 48" long, see Fig. 2. RAILS. After cutting the base to size, the next step is to add a palrofrails. The railsactas glides for the table to slide across, see Figs. 1 and 1a. And they're part of the system that tracks the ta- Ue in a straight line. SE RECE ‘The rails (B) are narrow strips Lawns Note: TABLE SAW LATER (EE PAGE}) of hardwood (maple) that fit in shallow grooves cut in U base, then run the same edge against slide back and forth on. & seo Figs.2and2a.Toprevent the the rip fence to cut the second Attaching the laminate strips table frombinding, the important groove, see Figs. 3 and 4, is easy. Just cut aversize pieces thing is that these grooves are LAMINATE, After serewing the and giue them in place with con- ‘parallel to each other. rails in place, the next step is to tact cement. The only problem is An easy way to ensure that apply a strip of plastic laminate tothe rails are narrow, so it’s hard. they're parallel is to cut one the top of each rai. This ereates a to hold the router steady when groove, reposition the fence, and hard, slisk surfice forthe table to trimming the edges flush. ‘To NOTE: ary ovensze evens 2 (OF PLASTIC LAMINATE, TEN ‘TRIM FLUSH With ROUTER (Gee Deval) Garatce Nore: eas MADE ROM 34 IHICE STOCK 3 we a ee 4 ESP seaie 1 X DLCCK SUPFORTO.— ayanate 18. ShopNotes No. 15IEC keep the router from tipping, 1 carpet-taped a support block to the base, see Fig. 2b, Talzo wanted a slick surface on the bottom ofthe hase. That's be- cause the harlware that secures the table to the tray rides against the bottom as you make a cut, refer to Fig. 1a. GLIDE erRIP. Here again, 1 used a strip of laminateto create a slippery surfaee. After laying out the location of this “glide strip” as shown in Figs. 5 anda, T ran pieces of masking tape around the lines to avoid slopping contact cement onto the base. SLOT. With the glide strip in place, the next step is tocuta slot jn the base for a bolt that holds the table in place, refer to Fig 1a. ‘To prevent the bolt from binding as the table slides back and forth, Tout a Ye"-wide slot, see Fig. 5a. SIDES. All that’s left to com- plete the tray is to add two side pieces (C), see Fig. 6. Both pieces are made from ‘}j/-thicke hard- wood and are rabbeted to fit the edge of the base, see Fig. 6a, But before atiaching the side pieces, you'll need to drill holes in NOTE: use conrcacr GuDe STRIP. ag Sa installed on the saw table. To lo- cate the mounting holes, T used the existing holes in the edge of the saw table as a template, see Fig. 7. Note: Position the side piece 4" below the saw table and flush at the end, see Fig. 7a. DRILL HOLES. Now it’s just a matter of drilling holes for the mounting bolts. The size of these hholes depends on the bolts that held your extension wing in place. ‘The thing to keep in mind is enough so you can get a socket wrench inside when tightening tthe bolts, ece Fig. 78. Then drill oversize shank holes to allow ‘the tray to adjust up and down, (C drilled 12"-dia, shank holes for 6" dia. bolts.) ATTACH SIDES. After gluing ‘and serowing the side pieces to the base, the tray is basically complete, But didnt attach itto the saw table yet. This makes it easier to work on the table and One of them soe ty ean be wo dl Use cuntebors lange Ig hae ded ter CE eS soenece 6] Ba arama 7 oT reo no oe (oeeric.7) \ MOUNTING HOLE (ger) a Gurieroeer >s SIDE PIECE Nore: aox2%h sive Pieces Mave woosscew Kom CROSS SECTION ECE FLUSH wath END OF SANTADLE ‘TOLOCATE MOUNTING NOLES POSITON SIDEPIECE SGPBELOW SAWTABE cBunrersone _ Troe tea) No. 15 ShopNotes 19To create a slick surface that rides against the glide ‘strip, | made a washer irom a sorap of laminate. ERT eek The Table With the tray complete, work ean bbogin on the table. ‘To produce accurate cuts, the table needs to be flat and sturdy, So I built it up from a plywood core (D) and wrapped hardwood edge (B) and ond pieces (F) around it, see Fig. 9. Then T eov- ered both sides with plastic lami- nate, Note: To avoid accidentally “eatching” the laminate, I routed a small (14') chamfer around the top edges. SIZE. To fit inside the tray (and still have clearance on each side), the finished width of the table is 12°, And it’s 27" long to mateh the length of the saw table, TABLE (ete oera Supe TABLE FLUSH Wil END oF “FRAY TO LOCATE HOLE FOR LOCK PIN a. canes 2017 S (2a Sores | Sonal ZAI \ TSS waswee [en aE] pe | occ neon ae | \. oithae congas toce nurs) S%eterige \WMDIHOE Orit ‘MOUNTING SYSTEM. The table is held in place with a carriage bolt that passes through a coun- terbored shank hole drilled in the table and the slotin the tray, see Figs. Sa and 9, Inuse, this bolt is held in place with two lock nuts, see Fig. 8a, After slipping on aspecial washer (see top left margin), the bottom lock nut is tightened just enough | NOTE: nip eno ano ence neces Nowarcr reese Gr core ae ENO ECE 1 “GOT ALASTIC LAMINATE (26° 3 PeWoOD) —© core EDGE PIECE @ tohold the table in place, yet still allow it to slide easily. GUIDES. But. the bolt. doesn't keep the table from moving from side to side. So I added & pair of guides, see Fig. 10, These guides run against the inside edge of the rails which tracks the table in a straight line see Figs. 1a.and 10b. To make this work, one of the guides is fered (G), and the other is adjustable (H). (drilled a se- tres of overlapping holes to form adjustment slots.) Attaching the fixed guide is easy. It'sscrewed in place 2114" in from the edge of tthe table. The challenge is posi- tioning the adjustable guide, A spring keeps tension on the adjustable guide while you di pilot hoies in the center of the slots. Tear OVERLAPPING HCLES: OXF PANHEAD SCREW Sie WASHER ‘What you're looking for here is to get the guide so its snug against the rail, but not so tight it’s hard to push the table. The thing that worked well for me is to temporarily fit a spring be- tween the guides at each end of the table, see bottom left margin. LOCK PIN. Finally, to keep the table from sliding when it’s not in use, addeda lock pin. After drill- ing’a hole through the side piece (© and into the table, 1 used a cotterless hitch pin that I picked up at the local hardware store, see Fig. 8b. (Fora complete hard- ShopNotes ware kit, see page 31.) No. 15ieee ek e We Lege os ee After completing the table, 1 added two legs for support: an endlogand a side leg, see Fig. 11. END LEG ‘The end leg (1) is just a 12-wide piece of 34"-thiek plywood, see Fig 12 To determine the length of this leg, measure the distance from the top of the saw table to the floor and subtract 4". (in my cease, the end legis 30" long.) LEVELERS, After cutting the leg to size, the next step isto add a pair oflevelers. Those are noth- ing more than lag screws that tighten into a hardwood foot (J) sglued to the bottom of the leg, see Figs. 12 and 12a, ‘ATTACH LEG. To make it easy to attach the end leg, I bolted the tray to the saw table and tempo- rarily propped up the opposite end. Then, after positioning the @ £08 contered on the wiatn ofthe tray and flush with the end, it’s simply serewed in place, see Figs, 1 and Ia. BRACES. Next, to help stiffen the leg, I added a pair of braces (K), see Fig. 12. These braces are just triangular-shaped piecos of %'-thick plywood that are ‘glued and screwed to the leg and the base of the tray, see Figs. Maand 12, ‘SIDE LEG ‘To support the other end of the tray, the next step isto add aside leg. The side leg (L) is also male from %'-thick plywood, see Fig. 18. To avoid accidontally kicking it, L cut a taper on the lower part. of the leg. Here again, I gined on a hand- ‘wood foot (M) and drilled a hole for aleveler, see Fig. 182. As be~ fore, the side legis serewed to the base ofthe tray, see Fig. 11a. But this time, I screwed on a single plywood ‘brace (K) that’s cen- ‘tered on the width of the leg. [- Ne wee Nore: Foor 1s MADE FROM MIRC STOCK 13) NOTE: curse meace DON WIDTH OF SIDE CES feo. SIDE LEG FOOT No.15 ShopNotes 21RTT The Fence ‘This sliding table has a fence that can be quickly sets0 it’s 90° to the saw blade. When it’s not needed, the fence lifts off the table. Editors Note: Therebalsoa,ence featured in ShopNotes No. 14 that can be used with this sliding table, It features a builtin stop block and measuring tape, see Sources on page 31. FENCE, The fence consists of two hardwood ferice pieces (N), see Pig. 16. After gluing up the fence, T routed a chamfer on all the edges, see Fig.15s, ‘The fence is held in place with two cap serewsthat pass through holes in the table and tighten into threaded inserts in the bottom of the fence, see Figs. 14 nd 14b. (1 added press-on knobs to the screws ‘tomake the fenee easy to remove.) Building in an adjustment s9 you can square up the fence is easy. Just drill a slotted hole in the table, see Fig. 16. But what I wanted was to slip the fence off and put it back on without having ‘to reset it each time. To do this, I added a simple ‘stop. sTop.The stop is a bolt that threads into an insert in the end ofthe table until it hits the shank 14 fvasiier] meScae THREADED yee of the cap screw, see Fig. Ma. To make this work, you'll need to drill ahole that intersects the ad- Justment slot, see Figs. 16 and 16a, ‘The next step is to locate the holes for the threaded inserts in tthe bottom of the fence. This is Just a matter of squaring up the fence so the end butts against the saw blade and then transferring the hole locations, see Pig. 17. ATTACH FENCE. After drilling ‘the holes and installing the in- serts, you can attach the fence. To prevent it from dragging on the saw table, I slipped fender ‘washers between the fence and the table, see Fig. db. Then I threaded a hex nut onto the stop to keep it from loosening up. ‘SECOND: BLADE AND MARK Locanion oF Howes. RIL, g-DI, OVERLAPPING Hots torommsior Ln —" FIRST: irr exo oF FENCE AGANST BLADE ULL DEEP HOLE 2 ShopNotes No. 15e Adiustinent aes Sates Se As with any precision tool, youll need to adjust the sliding table to produce accurate cuts. Basically, ‘you're looking for three things here. ‘VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT. First, the sliding table needs to be flush with the surface of the saw table. ‘Thisis simply a matter ofbacking off (or tightening) the levelers to raise (or lowor) the tray, soe Steps 1 and 2 below. SQUARE FENCE. Once you've got a continuous flat surface across both tables, the next step is to square the fence up to the saw blade, see Step 3, At this point, you can make « test cut to check the accuracy of the setup, see Step 4. PARALLEL TRAVEL. If the test cut isn't square, chances are the problem is the table isn’t sliding parallelto the miter gauge slot. "To correetthis, you'll need to shim the tray out just abit, see Step 5, Step 1: Tighten Bolts. Wih 2 straightedge across the saw table and the inside edge of the sliding lable, raise (or lower) the tray until both surfaces are flush. Then tighten the mounting bots, AE SiRAoHTEDSE AckosewbTH Stop 2: Adjust Levelers. Now place the siraight- ‘edge across the wiath of the table to cheok thatthe outside edge is level with the saw table. To raise (or lower) tho table, back out (or tighten) the levelors. Step 3: Square Fence. After squaring the fence up to the blade, tighten the knobs that lock down the fence. Now thread in the stop unti ithits the cap screw and tighten the ‘jam” rut ‘BECOND: erin reay ANDRETIGHTEN BOLTS Step 4: Test Cut. The accuracy of tho setup can be checked by making a test cut. To provide the ‘best indication of whether or not you'll need to shir the tray, use as wide a panel as possible. No. 15 Step &: Shim Tray. If you need to shim the tray, loosen two of the mounting bolts and slip paper shims over them. Then retighten the bolts and repeat Steps 3 and 4. ShopNotes B(forinstanee, when cleaningouta mortise) is'an overhand grip. @ Here again, hold the blade be- twoon your fingers. But this time, = grasp the chisel with your thumb eC. ni es on the end of the handle, see photo B. ‘The idea here is to bend your bow and bring the chisel in close to your body. Then, to make a cut, pushdown withyour thumb as you It’s easy to make precise, controlled cuts with a chisel when you use the right grip wnd a few simple techniques. Sarina BLADE GRIP. But. there are ‘can't remember when I've letsyou makea controlled cut. times when T dont hold the han- Duilt a projec: without using UNDERHAND Grp. When Idle at all, When using a mallet, I a chisel. Granted, much of the holdthe chisel in a horizontal po- hold the blade of the chisel like a ‘work is done with power tools. sition to make a eut (paring a pencil, see photo C. This gives me Butit seems 'malways reaching tenon for example), [ use an un- pinpoint control over where the {or a chisel tomake thefinal par- derhand grip. To do this, hold the cutting edge enters the workpiece. ing euts that get a project to fit chisel comfortably in the palm of This grip also comes in handy together just right. your hand and grasp the blade when using the chisel like a scor- Whether I'm cleaning up a betweenyourfingers,see photo. ing knife. For example, when mortise, paring a tenon, or flat- This allows youto ead the eut- making a slicing eut with the cor- tening the bottom of a groove, ting edge of the blade into the ner of the blade, refer to page 27. ‘this means using the chisel like a work exaetly where you Want it. MIXED BAG. But there's no sin- scalpel to remove extromely thin Asyou‘lean" intotheeut,youean gle grip that works all the time. slices of material. stop the blade at any point by As you ean see inthe following qy While a sharp chisel is impor- pinching itbetween your fingers. examples, I use a “mixed beg” of tant, there's more to it than that. OVERHAND. Another grip I grips, switching from one to the ‘The secret Is to use a grip that use toslicedown intoa workpiece other to get the job done. A. Underhand Grip. To make a horizon- tal cut, grasp the handleof the chisel in ticalcut, an overhand griplets ycu pare the chisel lets you pinpoint where the an underhand arip. Pinching the blade straight down. To help guide the blade, cutting eage enters the work This is between your fingers stops the cut. hold itJoosely between your fingers. especially handy when using a mallet. @. Blade Grp. ong tho blade ot @ a ‘ShopNotes No. 15Mortise ‘One common way to make amor tise is to drill a series of overlap- ping holes, then remove the rest: ‘of the waste with a chisel. To produce a tight fit, the im- portant thing is to end up with sides and ends that are vertical. ‘The solution isto use anoverhand grip and pare straight down, sues. I start with the sides, In addition to the grip, the width of chisel you use can help produce a straight, vertical eat, see Step 1. ENDS, A similar approach works well on the ends. But this time, select a chisel that matches the ‘width of the mortise, see Stop? ‘CLEANUP. To clean up any re- maining material, T've found that pivoting the blade across the side of the mortise creates = crisp, clean cut, see Step 3. BLADE SPAN ronsurrorr watch size oF CHiSEL TO WoRnSE To suppor the blade, use a chisel that's wide enough to span across two of the ridges and pate straight down. 1 Tenon It doesn't takemuch of "step” on the shoulder of a tenon to keep ‘wo pieces from fitting tightly to- gether. Even though there's not ‘much material to remove, paring off this “step” can be a challenge, WIDTH OF BLADE. ‘To avoid damaging the adjacent shoulder, Tusea chisel that's narrower than ‘Next, with a chisel that’s the same width a3 the mortise, pare straignt down on te ends using an overhand grip. ‘the the thickness of the work- piece, but wider than the thick- ness of the tonon, see Step 1. ‘TWO GRIPS. What gives me the best control here is to use a com- bination of grips. An underhand grip as you pare toward the base Of the tenon, And an overhand grip to remove the shavings. ae ‘Asa fnalcleanup, press the fet ppart of the blade against the '810@ of the morse and pivot the handle to slice off thin shaving. To keep from eutting too deep into the stepped shoulder, I slice the remaining waste off with a shearing cut, see Step 2. ‘Fetoanes8 OF TENOM, "ickness oF “Til OF. SHANINGS rane deren writ esse ‘on "6000" SHOULDER CAEL \\ To pare the step off a tenon, start with an underhand grip andlead the cutting edge into the step at a high point on the shoul- No.15 dr. After making several paring cuts down toward the base of the tenon, tim off the shavings by cutting straight down ShopNotes. With the flat part of the biade ‘held firmly on the “good shout. der, pivot the handle to make a shearing cut across the shoulder. 2 Using an over- hand grip aliows you to pare Straight down when cleaning amorise. Anunderhand gr helps contro) the cut when paring the “step offa tenon.Make a sories of light paring cuts to remove the waste lett behind after routing a hinge mortise. Hinge Mortise Unlike a lot of chisel work that’s hidden when the project is as- sembled, a mortise for a hinge is ‘quite conspicuous. Too large and it looks sloppy. Too small and the hinge wor't fit. ‘Thesolution isto“neakup"on a perfect fit, Whether you rout out most of the waste first or cut ‘the mortise by hand (see box be low}, this requires a light touch, "THIN SHAVINGS. It’s tempting toremove thewaste with asingle cut, But I prefer to use an over- hand grip and teke a mumber of thin shavings, see Step 1 ‘TEST FIT: As you approach the layout line, check the fit of the hinge. If you still need to trim a bit off the edges, a blade prip lets you shear off just the right amoant of material, see Step 2. (ste Detatsy To remove the waste that’s loft aftor routing a hinge mor: tise, start by holding the chisel at fan angle and make thin paring the chisel unti it's vertical. Cutting a Hinge Mortise couls inside the layout line. Then work your way back to tho line, gradually raising the handle of ‘SIDETO TRIM EOE Using the corner of the blade as 2 pivot point, shear down crass the edge of the mortise to make the final clean-up cuts. Tfyou only have afew hinges to install, sometimes t's easiar (and just asfast) to ‘eat the mortises by hand. Startby laying outlines for the mor- tise. The key isto position the hinge so it’s square on the workpiece and then trace around it with a sharp pencil, SCORE LINE. To keep the wood bers on the surface from tearing. out, the next step is to score a line with a utility knife, But not right on the lay- out line. ‘To compensate for the thick- ness of the pencil lead, I score the line inside the mark, see Stop 1. FLAKES Now it's just « matter of wasting out the material up to the score line. What I've found works best 4s to cut a number of thin “flakes” by tapping the handle of the chisel with a mallet, see Step 2. TRIM TO FIT.Once the bulk of the waste is removed (Step 3), you ean trim the edges of the mortise to fit the hinge. Here, I start with the chisel held atan angleand pare off thin slices, see Step 4. As you approach the pencil line, gradually raise the handle of the USEA BADE UPTO SeORE UNE Nhe etm lesa tiney ieee score a lineon the insicleof the marks, RIP AND MALLET TO CUT FAKES 12, ii tho bevel down, cut a sores of ‘lakes’ along the length of he mor- liseby tapping the handle with a mallet. To remove the waste, use your ger as a depth stop. Then ft the flakes by paring up to the score line. 26 ‘ShopNotes No. 15@ one Baa) wee Sometimes the bottom of a groove (or dailo) isn’t perfectly flat. Or the saw blade leaves “tracks” that make it hard to fit the pieces together. To smooth the hottom of a groove, Tuse sev- eral different techniques. DEPTH STOP. Since there's no support for the blade at the end of the groove, an underhand grip lets you use your finger as a sin- ple depth stop, see Step 1 BEVEL DOWN. Another way to avoid cutting too deep is to place the bevel of the blade face down, ‘see Step2. And since this raises the hhandle, there’ more “‘anuekle room’ inthe middle ofthe groove. KNIFE. Toremovematerial from the corner ofa groove, I hold the blade of the chisel and use it like a scoring knife, soe Step 3. Use the chisel with the bevel face down to keep fr cutting too deep into the bottom of a groove. Use Biape ‘oRiP to INnpc FINGER ‘Acts AS DEPTH [ An easy way to clean out the comer ofa groove is touse the chiselasa knife andslice the wood fibers with the comer of the blade. To make a smooth-bottomed cut, place the beveled side of the blade down and “plane” along the groove. if groove (or dado), use your finger as a depth stop tokeep the blade from cutting too deep. chisel! until it's vertical, SAVELINE.The thing to keep in mind is that the peneil line represents the outside of the hinge. So T pare up to the mark, but make it a point to “save” the peneil line, ‘TeST FIT. While you've working up tothe line, i's agood ideato testfitthe hinge. To getitto fitperfectly, you may need todo alittle more trimmingaround the edges. As before, a shearing cut leaves a crisp, clean edge, see Step 5. SMOOTH ROTTOM. To get the hinge to sit fiat, the bottom of the mortise tay also need attention. When smooth- ing out the rough spots, i's best to hold the chisel with the bevel face down to avoid cutting too deep, see Step 6. Sora veRTicaL TOUNe. > @ 763s ae png Cuts baok tot pono ino. us remember'o Save he ne 5 you need to tin the edge after @ To avoid cutting too deep when test fiting the hinge, rock the chisel) cleaning up the bottom, make thin on its corner to remove a thin shaving. paring cuts with the bevel face down, No. 15 shopNotesee me ShopSolutions ° C-Clamp Rack NOTE: GLUE TOENDS END CAP Nore: Bracrero Ane ( ve tried a number of different | Série croex ‘ways to store my C-elamps. But the handiest solution I've found is this pull-out storage rack, see photo above. It mounts under my bench top and pulls out like a drawer when Freed a clamp. ‘The pull-out storage rack con- sists ofa U-shaped frame with an angled bar for clamps to rest on, see Drawing. ‘Two end caps secewed to the frame serve as staps fer the rack and help strengthen the frame. And to make it easy to pull out the rack, [screwed a drawer pull tioned so the drawer pull is lush iditor’s Note: Larry's clamp to the front end cap. with the front of the bench top, rack is designed to hold 244" to 4" ‘To mount the rack tothebench, see Side View. C-clamps. If yourclampa are dif- T used a pair of L-shaped brack- Larry Conner ferent you may have to modify ets, see Drawing. They're posi- Longview, Washington the size of the clainp bar. Hole Saw Relief When using a hole sav, trapped 2 sawdust can build up alot of heat. To reduce the build-up, I first | mrenmanno were drill areliet hole for the sawdast, | deit retier re Hote ovreDe, waste ‘The relief hole should always | HOME OUTED | be in the waste portion of your workpiece. For example, if you're making a wheel, dril the relief on the outside, see Fig. 1. And if you'remalking «hole, drilla relic? _@ hole on the inside, see Fig. 2 é Frank Coats San Jose, California 28 ShopNotes No. 15Cut-Off Gauge ‘On my power miter saw, the bade guard makes it hard to see the cut line, To solve this, I made asimple gauge that allows me to use an “ofiset” reference mark that’s easy to see, ‘Tomalke the gauge, first damp aserap of woodto the fenee so one end extends past the blade, see Fig. 1. Then to create the refer- ence mark on the fence of the chop saw, seribe a line on tho fence that corresponds to the all you have to do is cut the serap tolength and saveit as a gauge. ‘To.use the cut-off gauge, start by measuring and marking the workpiece you're going to cut as you normally would. Then align one end of the geuge tothelayout line and mark the workpicce at the other end of the gauge (this is the offset), see Fig.2. Now simply line up this offset ‘mark with the seribed line on the fence and cut the workpiece to length, see Fig. 3. ‘Tom Bogan The Colony, Texas ql meg) (Sener 3 ,; 2 : EO axe l ATEN rt aR ee sant fhccrees @ Pinch Blocks sera ener hind oeup Poors eek ain ar apply the clamps. To prevent this, coanren Islip a pinch block over each glue | INSIDE CORNER joint until I get the clamps set. Large Lecter witha noteh eut init to match the thickness of the panel. Once the clampsare tightened, remove the biocks before the glue dries. Roopinder Tara Willow Grove, Pennsyleania Fower Sanding Tip ‘To keep the cord on my portable sander ont of the way when sand- ing, I suspend it from the ceiling by achain of rubber bands. (The hain Tuse is made up from six large rubber bands that I col- lected over a period of time from Qe Suny newspaper) ne end of the chain is looped around the cord (about one foot from the plug). The other end is No. 15 PosmioN Pinch Block ‘OVER SWE JONT looped over a serew hook ‘mounted in the ceiling. ‘Now when I'm power sanding, the cord doesn’: drag on my pro- ject. And when 'mthrough sand- ing, I just reach up and slip the chain off the hook. This way, it stays on the power cord ard is ready whenever I'm going to sand, Clyde Bachman Olympia, Washington ShopNotesmall details can make a big diference, Take an ordinary spring, for instance. Sometimes that’s all it takes to improve the performance of a tool or 2 shop- built Jie. Depending on what the designed to do, I use two difter- ‘ent types of springs. A compres- sion spring like you'd find ina ball point pen. Oran extension spring like you'd see on a sereen door. Note: Both types af springs are Compression Springs xR WEN vou [EodaeN vine NUIo—— PEuT Neen Anordinary spring can dramatically improve the performance of a tool ora shop-built jig. readily available at most hard- ware stores. Basically, a compression spring is designed to push. To make this work, it consists of a series of open wire coils. When the coils are compressed, the ends of the spring exert pressure outward. QUICK RELEASE. Because of this, I often use compression springs as a “quick release” on a FENCE Sern ceers EW FROM MOINS ‘OUT OF ADLUSIMENT NOTE: Heavor: JuAcHINE SexeW ‘A. Quick Release. To quickly posi- tion a workpiece, springs pop up ihe ‘bar on this shop-buit clamp. Extension Springs B. Constant Pressure. A spring holds the machine screw on this micro-ad- justable stop exactly where you set it CARRIAGE: C. Return. After you make the cut, the spring retums the radial arm saw carriage to its starting point. 30 D. Hold-Down. This spring-loaded hhold-down prevents thin stock from chattering as you make a cut. ‘ShopNotes jig that has a built-in clamp, see Drawing A. When you loosen the lamp, the springs pop up the bar that holds the workpiece down. ‘This allows you to quickly reposi tion another workpiece. CONSTANT PRESSURE. Another plaee I’ve found where compres sion springs work well is when ‘you need to exert constant pres- sure. For instance, to keep a ma- chine serew that’s used as a rmiero-adjustable “stop” from vi- brating out of adjustment, just slipa spring over theshank of the serew, see Drawing B. Unlike a compression spring, the wire coils on an extension spring are wound tightly together. When the coils are stretched part, the tensionthst's produced mulls the spring back together. RETURN. Thismakes itanideal choice when you want to return something to its starting point. For example, running an exten sion spring between the carriage of avadial arm saw and an anchor point pulls the blade safely back behind the fence after yout make ‘eur, see Drawing C. ‘HOLD-DOWN. But an extension spring can also be used to apply pressure dounaurd. When rip- ping thin stock that has a ten- dency to “chatter,” Tuse a simple spring-loaded hokd-down, see Drawing D. This is just a piece of ‘wood that pivots on an ausitisry fence as you slide a workpiece un- derneath. As the spring pulls beck. to its relaxed position, the hold- down applies pressure downward, No. 15a esas. Sources Fence described below). Then make a cut. You ean replace the simply slide it forward to make _ simple fence shownin the Sliding the cut, Note: The Sliding Table "Table article with the Miter replaces the left extension wing Gauge Fence shown in Shop- SkopNotes Project Suppliesis of- fering some of the hardware and suppiies needed for the projects in this issue. We've also put to- ‘gether a list of other mail order sourees that have the same or similar hardware and supplies. Catting precision circles is easy with the Band Saw Jig shown on paged. A built-in measuring tape ‘and indicator allow you to quickly and accurately set'up the jig to cut almost any size circle, ShopNotes Project Supplies is offering a hardware kit for the Band Saw Cirde Jig. The kit has all the hardware you'll need, in- cluding the measuring tape and Plexiglasstrips (you'll need to cut them to lengtiy. All you need to Beasrpiyie34 piywood ana Vand 'Y, "thick hardwood. '$15-6815-100 Band Saw Cir- ele Jig Kit. $8.95 ‘SLIDING TABLE ‘The Sliding Table shown on page 16 allows yon to acenrately ent wide panelsonthetable saw.Just set the panel on the table and position it up against the fence (you ean also build the Optional on your table saw. Notes No. 14, see photo. ShopNotes Project Supplies is ShopNotes Project Supplies is offering a complete hardware kit offering a hardware kit for this for the Sliding Tabk Allthatyou fence. This kit includes all of the have to supply is %'-thick hard- hardware you'll need, including wood and plywood, and tie plas- the measuring tape and indicator. ticlaminato. $15-6815-200 Sliding Table _—-Fene» Kit. Hanlware Kit '$15-8814-100 Miter Gauge $17.95 $11.95 ae ‘To help reduce heat build-up on your sanding belts, you ean re- pplaco the platen with one made from graphite. They're available atsome woodworking stores. But if you can't find them locally, see the sourees listed below. EPOXY The article on epoxy (Shown on page 14) provides an in-depth look at using epoxy systems in ‘A You can add anacjustablesiop the shop. An epoxy system con- tothe Siding Table by building the sists ofa resin and hardener. Plus optional fonce shown above. a variety of fillers or additives. OPTIONAL FENCE ‘You may be able to find these at some woodwarking stores and By adding a stop to the fence on home outlets. If you can't, they the sliding table, you ean increase can be ordered from some of the your accuracy whenever you mail order sources listed below. MAIL ORDER SOURCES Similar hardware and supplies may be found in the following cotalogs. Please call each company fora catalog or for onlering information. Constantine's Systems Taree ‘0-8 10-5514 Geta peg Stee ‘mt Sy Str bss) Eyoey Stee No. 15 Ginn Woodware Sone ‘in pio GrmpitePlaton ‘ShopNotes ORDER INFORMATION BY MAIL BY PHONE ‘To omer by mil, use the For fastest service use our order form that comes with Toll Free onder ine. Open the eument issue The onter Monday through Friday, 00 for inclules information on AM to 400 PM Central Time. hhandingand shippingchanges, Before calling, have your and sales tax. VISA, Master ant, or Dis- Ifthe mail rderformisnot cover Cardrealy. avallable, please call the toll fee number at the right for 1-800-444-7527 ‘mare information on specifi charges and any applicable Note: Prices tye! to change sales ta er uly 1,300) BLCircle Jig The Band Saw Circle Jig (shown on page 4) “carries” a workpiece into the blade at the start of cut. This allows yous to start with an oversize blank pre-cut it to the desired diameter. built-in tape to select the exact size circle yo. Sliding Table To provide support when crosscutting wide panels, the Siding Table (shown on page 16) the saw table. This table features guide system that ensures accurate c laminate creates a slick surface for there's no need to ad, just use the eed, Ins puls back in front of a simple, adjustable i's. And plast lato slide across.