TAUNTON 'S

•
1

0.::.., No. 227

-
 For A Free Catalog Or To And Your Local Woodcraft Store, Visit woodcraftcom Or Call 800·225·1153.

FESTOOL Domino XL OF 700 Joiner Set

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www.finewoodworking.com JULY/AUGUST 2012 3

 Fine JULY/AUGUST 2012 - ISSUE 227

WoodWorking
.--.-.---.--.

Got Ru st?
New protL'Ct:In!S thrdshed old favoritc.~

15
DOVETAIL
in our lest'>
BY THOMAS M e lliENNA
GUIDE

35 Shaker-Inspired Hall Tab le

Archc. .d aprons and splayed legs add babncc
and gr.lcc
BY CHRISTIAN BECKSVOORT

up front Foolproof Crosscut Sleds

[nnoY".uivc approach guarantees pcrfL'C\ results
6 On the Web BY ALAN TURNER

8 Contributors 48 Seal First for a Better Finish

Choose wisely for best results
10 letters
BY PETER GEDRYS

14 Methods of Work
Align a Jointer's outfeed table
52 Fine Furniture with Bi scuit Joints
In seconds For surprising prl'<:ision, anchor the tool,
not the workpil,<:e
Simple saw guide for accurate dovetails
BY MICHAEL C . FORTUNE

18 Tools & Materials

Low-vibration sander is easy on the 58 Why You Need a Compas s Plane
hands Crt:'.Ite smooth curve~ that arc fair to the 1.!1'c
New approach to handsaws and hand
BY PAUL SCHURCH
Best doweling Jigs fOf the mooey

22 Handwork 64 A Revolution in Chairma king

The right way to sharpen your scraper Whcn you .'iCparate the S<."3.\ and hack from U1C
structure, it gCls C;lsier
26 Fundament als BY MICHAEL C . FORTUNE

Make your cutllst a · parts list" Instead

74 Curved Moldings on the Router
Tabl e
18 VIBRATlON·FR EE
SANDER OvL-r....lnn jig Icts you form complex profiles
with standard hit~
BY W . MICKEY CALLAHAN
 64
EASIER WAY TO
MAKE CHAIRS

in the back
80 Readers Gallery

84 Q&A
• Designing dovetails for strength
and style
• Advice for spraying finish outdoors

88 Master Class
Super-strong 3-way miter

96 How They Did It

The back cover explained

Back Cover
Irregular perfection

30
STOP RUST BEFORE
IT STARTS
 THIS MONTH ON FlneWoodworklng.comj extras
Visit our website to access free _b !I""';ns, available May 31.. While you .... the.e, don~ miss our collection
01 free content, including tool reviews, an extensive project gallery,lInd must..... ad blogs. Fine
WqqQWorking
Art Director MI<haei Pek<wich

Managi ng Editor Mark Schofteld

Senior Editors Thomas Mellennro

Matthew Kenney
JO""thM Blnzen

Ass,,"late Editors 51<!'" Scott

Ken Sl Onge

Senior COP'Y/ Elizabeth Healy

Pmdu<:tIon Editor

Associate Art Directors Kelly J. D""'on

John Tet,,,,,"lt

Administrative Asslstanr Betsy Engel

Shop Manager Will illm Peck

. . VIDEO: Simple Tricks for Shaker Legs Contributing Editors cnfiS~tm Betl,s.oort
Chmtilln 8ecks'o'OOf1 (pp. 35-41) puts II bit of Yankee IngenuHy Ga,,"tt Hack
to work, with a great "".1 .... of lips and trkks for 5uper-<lmooth. Rola ... Jonn"""
pem.ctly t apered Shaker legs. Steve Llltta
Michael FortUrIf:
. . VIDEO: Cure for Card-Scraper Ills
Methods of Work Jim Richey
learn how to avoid tile top two mistakes most woodworkers
make when sharpening a card "".aper (pp. 22-25).

Senior Web Producer £d Piml~

Web Producer u... Mo,.,,"

FIM _ " " IISSN: 0361·3453) Is J)\JbIIshed

blmonthty. wltI1. specia l seventh Issue In !he winter, by
The Taunton Press,I""., Newtown. CT 06470-5506.
Telephone 20342&8171. Penodlca ls postage paid at
Newtown, CT 06470 and "'- addltlona l malll", _ 5 .
GST paid registratIM 1123210981

Become an online member SuIMcrlptlon Ralel: U.S , $34.95 lor one ye8l. $59.95
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Yoult also get more than 30 ~a", of magazine archlves ..1 you, fingertips, including 1.4OO-plWl articles )'Mrs IGST IncILJded, JIQY1Ibie In U.S funds). OIJtsIde
lind IH'Oject plans. II>e U.S.jCanada : $41 .95 for one year, $73 .95 for two
years. $104.95 lor II1ree years lpayable In U.S. turds).
Single <:OIl'i U.S., $7.99. Single C<>P'i CMIada, $8 .99.
VIDEO WOR!I;SHOP
_Send addres5cllanges to FIne~,
The Taunton Press, Inc.• 63 S. Main St., PO 80Jc 5506,
East Meets West Newt<Mn. CT 06470.5506.
Build a graceful hall table chock-full of Aslen
~ Post: Rerum undellwtraOle C8II1IdIan addresses
flair. Tlmoth)' Rousseau takes you through
to Fine Woodworilinil'. c/o WorldwIde MaUers, ""'.,
every step. Including:
2835 Kew DIM, WIndsor, ON N8T 387, or email to
how to produce accurate patterns rnnfsOtaunton .OOn1.
from drawings, Printed In the USA
patte,n-cuttlng .Ied techniques
for the router table. and
how to cre ate curved. tapered legs
with a thickness planer.

6 I'I'E WOODWORIi.I'C;
Request product Information online: Go to finewoodworklng.com/marketplace or call BOo-71D·6DOS

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Tenons?
Cartainly ' twin, double, squared or

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10' 700 S ,,0.'"... oaI
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Through Dovetails?
No hood · scratching here, just a
foolproof way to make parfect boxes
Half-b lind doyetalls? Ideal for high
quality classic drawers from a busy
workshop. Them's 9\IeI"l a neat routs to
secret dovetails
The w~ K _ . Is ~ty Itself. The drop pin loIlaHs the path .., the template
"" the bl CUI!! the same path .., the wood . We make .tmdIird templates lor the
lJSU8I thing. bulthe lJO.JSl.I!ll thing. lI\<e can. !of toys ....t", shaped bm<es ...
ooinaIs? Thet." lip to )0'>.1 . .. the possibilities ",e lnI"nIled

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www.finewoodworking.com J U LY / A UGUST 2012 7

contributors
Fine
WqqQWorking
""""'<tIsln" Senior Step.... n Giannetll
Vlce Pres ldem ..,""net,• •un'on.com
Mvertlslng Direct,.. Pete, Badeftu
2OJ..304.3572
pbad .... - . un'.n.eom

Sen ior National Unda Abbe!!

Account Manager 2 0 30-31*3538
," _ _ unton.com

Assoolate Accoum Jeue R<>SetIKIIeln

Manager 2OJ..304.3590
jroMn&c!>ol' -...,'on.com

Mvertlslng Sa les Diftnft r.h,ckey

Asslslam

Direct,.., Krist en Lacey

Corporate Marketing

Senl<>< Mwrtl..rng K.,"" LulJen

Marketing and
w. Mickey Callahan ("Curved Moldings on the Router Table" ) has Operntlons Manager

been a professional woodWorker and furniture maker for more than Assista nt Mwrtlslng
25 years. He received his formal training In furniture and cabinet Marketing Manager

making from North Bennet Street School In Boston. In addition to

Member Aud~
making furniture , he has taught at NBSS and at numerous other Bureau 01 Circu lation
locations. He Is also co-founder and past president of the Society of
America n Period Furniture Makers (SAPFM). Olgtta l Marlcetlng SII", Ezrin Lo,..".,
Direct,..
Favorite tool? "My Stanley-Bailey No. 7 jointer handplane. It's over
100 yea rs old and Just feels right. It has never let me down." Senior Consumer Melisstl RobO n. on
Marketing Manager

Peter Gedrys ("Seal First for a Better Finish , does most of his Olrector, eCommerce Mlch&el Stoltz
work In a converted bam next to his house. But he also finishes
Interiors, which gfves him a chance to see how the other half lives.
He has done restoration work on the Morgan Ubrary and Museum
In New York City; his lasl Job was In a Park Avenue penthouse. T ht: Taunt on PreSS
If I weren't a ftnlsher, I'd be ... When we asked Peter this question, Imp,,,,,,,,, ['" h. od. '"' I,.;nl ·
Jrw!opendon' ~. _ 1975
his wife Kathy quickly Inter}ected "rich!"
""'-"-"', ""'" .10 Ja,n R"""",

Instead of the usual biography, we asked longtime contribuUng editor Presldem Sull'lnne Ro","n
EVF' '" CFO Tim<>!hy Rfth,
Christian Becksvoort ('Shaker4nspJred Hall Table") a few questions.
SVIl Creatl", Susan Edelmftn
DescrIbe the view from your shop window: "A lawn with apple, ash,
Svp, Mwrtlslng Step.... n Gia nnetti
maple, and pine trees, a stone wall, and the woods."
SVIl Operatlons Tho""", L.w.ed.,..
What Is the oldest tool In your shop? "I stili have m y father's old, SVIlTa unton Inte ractive 1,0""" Renon
handmade, wooden router plane.' VP, Editorial Direct,.. AMtOie Burkln
Length of your commute? "Ten seconds.' Vp, Editorllli Direct,.. Marift Taylor
Number of moose slghUngs In the fa m ily garden, annually( VIl Single Co"", Sa les Ja, Annis
(Becksvoort Il\Ies In Maine.) 'On average, about one a year. One vp,Cons.ume r Marlcetlng Nancy Hanbe<.
year we had a you ng bull that came out of the woods every Y? '" Conll'OHer Wsyne Reynolds
VIl fl nance K.t"r Wo,tIt
evening, a ll summe r long."
VIl Human Res<>ur<:es C8ro1 M' ,<>III
Advice to an aspiring professional furniture maker? "Keep your day Job.'
VIl Ful ~lIm e m PIItricift Willh,,,,",,n
_.cfrnapzlr>M.books._._.".
_ _ _ _ kif • • FftIH_kIinI
...
We are e reeder-wrrtten megazl ne. To nw..o •. FIno_. . . FInoCooldrc
For more InformaUon on our contributors, I h "'_'
earn ow to propose an a ... e, go to ........-.00"'
go to FlneWoodworklng.comjauthors. I FlneWoodworklng.comjaubmtsslons..

8 rl~E WOODIl'ORKI /I, G

Request product Information online: Go to finewoodworklng.com/marketplace or call BOo-71D·6DOS

Itftfmmtnd.d:
Pin and Pinless Heters from
PI_ ...t.r Ugnomat ilave been tho!
_i_i.l.igllo E/ D Woodworker's Choice for
over 30 years .
• A«UlAn
.QUAUTY
.DUlAltUTY
.2.TEAR WARRANTY

PHASE-A-MATIC INSlm I'A~<;AGE ~CHOOI

OF fiNE CAHI\Jfl!I....... "ING

,""lir.•lIed to "'" T~J<.h i ~ nl

James Krenov
with Robert Van Norman
$(own IV....-k Aftlsan Prugf~m
NilK! ,\,\onth Cr.ftsman l'Togram

1.877.943.9663
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You lake pride in yo. . .. and )'DUI tools shouk! be no dltt~rent. T~e Porter Cable 23 gauge Pin Nailer is designed
to drive into dense , yet won't dimple Ihe softest wood.loutmlta powerful oil-tree design, dry-fire kl;k out, low
nailmdicator and ii's the fight balance 01 features for a line finish.

~,rl" ':,bI',"" """, vrSlf potfertable.com DIS/Of) by a re/ai/er 'I_yoU.

letters
,. ... :l lO ...

From the Editor Goodwill table

Thank you to Garry Bcnnelt for sharing
your tabl e witb us ( ' Garry Bennett's Un-
GET INSPIRED Trestle Table," FWW *219 and in vi deo
AT FINE WOODWORKING LIVE! on FineWoodworking.com). A close
Woodwor1dng Is a solitary pursuit. That's a good thing and a bad one. On one hand, friend w anted a table for her laundry
room , but ga~'e me onl y dimensions to
It Is deeply saUsfying to carve out your own retreat, one that Is always waiting for you
work with . So [ used your desi gn. I used
Just the way you left It, a place where you can be at peace and simply create. old·grov.w fir. as hard as oak , recl aimed
On the other hand, we are social aeatures. It Is one of the Important vr.xys we make from a foundati on of a 50-year-old w ater
tank here in Haw aii. After pulling all the
meanIng of oor lives. I feel great when I finish a piece of furniture and It looks the way
nails out, th e board~ planed out nice.
I Imagined It would, but I feel even better when someone else sees and appreciates You made my friend happy. No sooner
Il Also, working by myself at home, I can run out of steam. Have you experienced the did we have that ta ble assembled than
woodworking doldrums, where you Just don't feel like making anything? she sat her grandchildren on it an d fed
them lunch. I don't th in k it's going to
The cure Is simple: Get together. and get make it to tile laundry room. Goodwill
InspIred. I've seen this phenomenon work again Tah le is an appropriate name for this
and again. It has happened to me at furniture piece. You arc a gift to many of us who
appreciate w hat can he done w ith one's
shows, or Just about any exhibit of work made by
hand~ an d vision. Keep building pieces,
my fellow artisans. And It happens al conferences, Garry. And I than k you again for sharing.
too. In each case, I encounter beautHul work, - STEWART MIYAMOTO, Kailu a Kona, Hawaii
and experiencing It In person Is so different from
seeing It In a magazine. I can touch the finish,
see the tool marks, and get a much better Idea
of how It was made. The technical demos are
Inspiring, too, leWng me look over someone's
shoulder, ask questions, and Interact with everyone around me.

So, 10 take you beyond the magazine and webslle, we created Fine Woodworklng
Uve, our flrst-ever conference, this August In New York's beaullful Hudson Valley. It Is
long overdue and promises to be one of many. bringing together passionate readers
like you and our most power-packed authors (and editors, too) for a weekend of
sklil-bullding demos and overall camaraderie. I guarantee you will leave Inspired and
IIchlng to gel back Into the shop and create.
-Au Chr ist ian. Inspired by Sennett. This version of Garry
Bennett:s Un-lteslle rBble was built for a
• Aug. 2-5, 2012 laundry room, but It:s proven too popular
on the patiO.
• On the campus of SUNY New Paltz, N.Y.
• Conference pass: $449 (early-bird special
Power-tool safety
of $399 ends July 16)
In the past 90 days, two very
• Info at: Flnewoodworklngllve.com experienced woodworker rriend~ have
endured serious injuries to their fingers.
• Special banquet speaker: Nick Offerman
Both arc angry (and embarrassed) th at
they succumbed to w hat th ey describe

10 fI ~ E WOODIl'OR K I I\ G
 CR A FT S MA NS HIP
Teaching Creative Excellence

Fine
WqqQWorking
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COP'jllehI 2012 b)' TIle Taunlon Press, In<: No

reproduotion wrthC>Ut peomlssion of The Taunton
Press, Inc

J U LY/AUG U ST 2012 11
letters "'""""'"
as rookie mistakes. lloth accidenL~ were
al the end of a long day against a real or
Insulated glass In front doors
imagined deadline.
In a sidebar in Josh Finn's
\Vhcn most of us make the first cut 10
anicle "Build Your Own Front
create a proouC(, we start out v.ith aJl the
Door," FWW '*22(" there is a
proper precautions, using our guard~ and
recommendation to bed insulated
push sticks with respect and a little fear.
glass in clear silicone. My company
BUI we get complacent as we succeed
builds custom doors, and our glass
with our task. Then something doesn't fit
suppliers have warned against this
juSI right, so we back up a step and trim
practice because it can damage the
it up in a hurry to gel it right and move
ruhber sealant used in insulated
on. It i~ late. We arc tired, and a liltle
glass fabrication, possihly allowing
frustrated .
fogging. So we use Infinity urethane
SlOp and think! The most dangerous
caulk to bed door glass. It works
cut of the day i~ the lasl one. ThL~ i~ a
great and has the extra advantage of
Icner to myself, and I hope it may help
accepting paint and varnish.
someone else, too,
~ DAN DLtV IER, Ch a.les ton. S.C.
~ PET E R AL LSO P P, Ho mewood , Ala . Try urethane lutfNHI. Used to bed glass In
e door, silicone mey cause fogging.
Inspired by StartWoodworklng.com
I was inspired to make these tables after
watching the free series of videos on issues he didn't have time to fully end. Then I slotted the length of the
how to build a Shaker table. I ch anged explore. His first project \\'as the Windo;or larger tube. maki ng it a "C," I carefully
up the all -walnut dl"sign, going with a rocker you featured in April 201 1 (FWW opened the factory-glued seal on the end
com hi nation of maple '218) He made himself a steam box to o f the bag; it's double -folded. Now r just
and walnut , Thi~ bend the wood. attached to a wallpaper fold the end o f the bag over the smaller
is my first piece of steamer. When he Clrried the rocker tube and snap the larger one over it! I've
furniture. In order into the house, just before Thanksgiving, never had this fixture blowout, and it
to complete it, I also I realized I was the one who really works like a champl
built a workbench benefited from all his hours in the shop. - BRIAN WELCH, B•• lin , to n, N.J .
so that I would ~ KATHLEEN MI LLER , Pl usu t Hltt , Dhio

have a surface to 'I..ln.-d la. plastic RJ!d over bag

work on, and found How to make vac bags re-usable tubing cut Into a and press
C-clamp C-clamp tubing
[nany great deals on rve got to weigh in on the editoria l
over bag and
lools online through reply to the question of bag or no bag smaller tubing.
C:raigslist and eBay. in issue #225. TIle que stion was why
~R O BERT FEREBAUER , you downgraded vacuums v..~th pre-fil ter
Ri chlB nd , Wash . bags that would keep their HEPA filters
from clogging, preferring instead the
Sweet retirement! vacs with a self-cleaning feature. In the
Pille IVoodworking has long heen my response to the reader you explain that
husband's bible, He has been taking it bags are not reusable. You Jrnow as well 'h-In.-dla .
for years. many times when we thought as I that woodworkers are resourceful. plas!tc ---f--~
tubi ng
we could ill-afford it. He drove a semi for rve had a Fe.~tool C:T33 for many years,
32 years. He was gone a lot and always and rm still on my first bag. I figured
looked forward to hi~ retirement years in
his woodworking shop. After reclaiming
out a simple way to make the bag re-
closable. I got some plastic tubing of two
0.,
Vacuum

hL~ shop from the barn cat~ who had sizes, 'h in. and % in. out~ide diameter,
taken over, he began poring over those and I cut them to the width of the bag

12 rl~E WOODIl'ORKtl\G
 methods of work
,. ... :l lO ...
EDITED AND DRAWN BY JIM RICHEY

STEP .1: LOWER THE TABLE

For straight cuts,
outfeed table must be Mlike short cut wit h outfeed
table lowered.
r------ ----

STEP 2 : RAISE IT

Raise table so
it is level with
workpiece.

Best Tip Adjust a jointer's outfeed table

perfectly in seconds
Changing jointer knives is a tedious task made even Now push the board forward until the toe of the
more so by what often comes next: resening your snipe is over the outfeed table. Adjusting the table to
outfee<! table to match the cut of the new blades, the right height is simply a matter of raising it until it
If the table isn 't perfectly level with the knives at is level with the txmom of the snipe. That's it!
their highest point of revolution , you'll wind up with After ma king this adjustment, I run a few pieces
CUL~ that arc tapered, convex, or concave, Getting of wood over my jointer to be sure the faces are
Daniel Kay has the adjustment right can he fussy and frustrating. perfect.
always loved buildIng I came up with an accurate approach that also -DA NI EL KAY. Lev ack, Onl. , Ca na da

things: using Le~ happens to be dirt simple. All it takes i~ a piece of

and Meccano sets as solid-wood scrnp with a straight, flat edge.
a child, erecting a log Before starting, make sure that the infeed and
cabin In his teens, outfecd tables are parallel and the knives are A Reward for the Best Tip
and then designing properly adjusted in the cutterhead, Lowe r the send YOUToriginal tips ill f'wrnow@
and building a infced table for a cut of about 3/16 in, and lower the taunton.com OT to Methods of
home with his wife. outfeed table so it will be out of the way. WOrk. Fine Woodworking, PO Box
OYer the years, Stan the jointer and, while fimlly holding down the 5506, Newtown . CT06470. We
pay $100 for a pu blished lip
that passion hal board on the infeed table, slowly feed the stock into with illustrations ; $50 for 000
refocused on building the jointer. Stop the cut when the leading edge i~ with out . The prize for this
furniture and other about h in. over the outfeed table. Stop and unplug issue's best tip is a Fine
household Items. the jointer, clamp the guard out of the way, and roll Woodworking OVO archive.
the cutterhead so the lmives are out of the way.

14 rt ~ E WOODIl'ORKt l\ G
Simple saw guide for accurate dovetails
I cut my dovetail s pin.~ fin;! and then s.:;rihe the taiL~
from the pins. In this sequence, it 's important to be
accurate when cuning the tails, $0 they ntate well with
the pins.
Following the scribe lines with the saw <;an be
challenging, though, in part because the tail CUl~ aren 't
perpendicular to the end of the hoard. To avoid cuning
at an awkward angle, you can tilt the hoard in the vise,
but this is no guarantee of great result;;. Workpiece
This simple little guide-a rectangular block with a
dowel through it- is [he $Olution. To usc it, first make
a shallow starting cut, then bring the guide close to the
saw and align it with your planned cut. Rest the saw
against the guide and proceed. After a few strokes, you
can remove the guide and let the kerf guide the saw the
rest of the way.
- ALEJANDRD BA LBIS. Lonlueuil, Qu ft.,C anad a

A sharp solution for

filling nail holes
Cross-graln
blank for plugs Square a hollow chisel by eye
Face grain
matches Mortlser
workpiece.

The hollow chisels used

on mortisers are difficult
to square to tlle fence, evcn
when using an engineer's
Not long ago, r square. Here's an easicr way
refinished the woodwork to gct the job done.
in my living room , planing away old First, use a spring clamp
stain to reveal lovely tight-grained fir. to secure a straightedge to
Because the new finish is clear, I wanted to fill the the chisel. Second, rotate the
nail holes with something nicer than sawdust and glue. hollow chisel until your eyes
I have a Plugger drill hit (available at lcevallcy.com) tcll you the straightedge is
that reams tapered holes for plugging with sharpened parallel with the fcnce. If you
doweL~. l1l;S worked , but the finish soaked into the end don't trust your eyes, measure
grain of the plugs and darkened them too much. the distance from each end of
So I decided 10 try cutting cros.';-grain dowels with the stTaightedge to the fcnce,
ends that matched the surrounding face grain. These when the two measurements
can be fragile, but J found J could sharpen them in an are equal, the chisel is
old schoolroom-style pencil sharpener and tap them parallel.
gently into place with a hammer. When the glue cured I -SERGE DUCLOS.
planed the plugs level. sanded, and finished. The re~lL~ De lson, Qu e., Can.da
look great.
-EDDIE FROTHINGHAM , Corvallis, O, e.

www.finewoodworking.com J U l.Y / AUG U ST 2 012 15

 methods of work "'"""""
Quick Tip
A simple and relatively Inexpensive way to get rid of the air and
Framing extend the shelf life of finishing products Is to use one of those
square gadgets that remove air from an opened bottle of wine. Most wine
shops sell them for about $10 to $20. Just pour fin ish Into a clean,
I empty wine bottle, Insert the rubber stopper that comes wIth the
gadget. then pump out the air. I've had urethane In a wine bottle for

I over a year and It's fresh as new. Extra stoppers sell for $1 or $2 each.
- GEORGE COVEL, Shushan, N.V.

Two parts
of a larger Clamp straightedge
glue-up to workpiece side and Glue up In stages for a square case
framing square. Gluing up a case piece of any kind can he a workout.
You 're racing to get glue applied to all of the joinery, to
get the assemhly under clamps, and then to check and
adjust for square hefore the glue sel~.
Straightedge For glue-ups like this, I've found it helps a great deal if
cwo o f the pie<:cs are already sct and finn at right angles.
It 's easier to get a single joint glued up squarely, using a
framing square as shown, and afrerward, this sub-assembly
. '. can act as a square reference for the rest of the piece. This
makes the larger glue-up much more manageable.
The technique will work with most types of joinery,
including dadoes, biscuit~, and many others.
-KURT MEYE RS. Flag.taff , Ari z.

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16 fI~ E W OOD Il' ORKI I\ G

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tools & materials
,. • • 1 ...

• POWER TOOLS

Low-vibration
sander is easy
on the hands
HIS PAST NOVEMBER I
HAO CARPAL-TUNNE L
SURGERY on my left
hand, aftct having Ihc
, .,
homedepot.com
righl onc donc .<;cvcral ycars ago.
[)octors said my prohlcm~ wcrc a direct
wcight becomes a benefit. Variahle
result of 36 years u~ing tool~ thaI shook and
vi~lcd. J wi~h I'd owned the new Bosch ~peed and an easy-Io-sct trigger lock
combinc with comforcable grips 10
low-vibralion .o;andcr all of Ih:u lime. It has
significantly less vihr:ltion dun any electric ::-..._ _ _ _ _ _ _- - - - make hig sa nding chorc.~ as pleasant as
; ,
o ;andlng gct~.
sander rYe used, I:Iking much of the drudgery out of the
TI1C sandcr l~ cxemplary at containing dUM.
job whilc nuimaining peak perfOrtlUTICC.
In fact, thc built-in syslcm proved a.~ cffecti\'(· as having the
The sander is hcavy. corning in at a touch more tlun 6 lh.
sandcr hooked up to a shop vacuu m. I ran the same test with
with thc dust caniSl:cr illSl:alled. That weight makes the tool
thi.~ sander th:u we used in our 7bolr 6 Sbop$ survcy in 2009
awkward to usc with one hand, hut a removahle handle on
( F\flW'"202) , and thc rcsult~ were a 9 1% collection rate with
the from makes it a comfOl'tlhle two-hand sander. It's great for
the onboord sysI:cm and a 92% rate with the vacuum anached
sanding pancls, cahletops, or any large surface where the added
... impressive . Thc machinc i.~ l"Ca.<;()nahty quiet. (00. At ear level
I measured 9 1 dccibcL~ usi ng p too.grit paper on a cherry hoard
damped tight to my wo rkhench 101'. All in ail, thi.~ sander is
comparahle in performance to the Best O verall in FWW.-zQ2
(Fc.~lool ITS ISO/3 EQ).
You can huy the 1300ch S3ndcr with either a >- or 6-in. pad, or
in a kit [hat has ooth si 7.c.~. If you're huying one, I'd recommcnd
the larger pad (<m own here) hecau,'iC it feels bener halanccd.
- Rolmldjobnsoll [~(l contributing editor.

Dust _tw. Th. 80seh sander has lJ fltle~ dust canister thlJf woms lIS
- ' , lJt collecting dust lJS lJ I'KUIIII"I.
• HAND TOOLS Saws
,
New approach to handsaws each
the pai r)

IN RECENT YEARS, SEVERAL SMALL COMPANIES

have Introduced high-end gent's or dovetail saws
with designs gleaned from entlque example •.
That quality II elso reflected In thei r price, with
IIOme cOltlng as much as $250. But by defying
tredltlon, Verltas hal managed to produc e a pair
of hlglHluallty gent's saws at the very reasooable
price of $49 each.
The 1aW1, produced al both a rip and e crosscut,
have 20 and 22 tpl, respectively. They're small
(8-In. blade, 13'f..ln. overall) and easy to control
for delicate cuts.
The crosscut veralon 15 effective es e general
cut-off law for small parts. It cuts a clean, thin kerf
and -drives " nicely, keeping to the line and leaving
minimal tee rout. I was equelly Imprelled with the
rlpsew. Befo re putti ng the saw to wood , I followed
Lee Valley'. advice and lightly ltoned the teeth on
both Iides to reduce the set slightly. Onca tu ned,
It Is a great dovetail saw. It's easy to c ontrol and
cutl a clean, thin kerf.
this effort by Lee Valley 15 worth epplaudlng:
Great tools at a great price. ,,
- Marlo Rodriguez runs the Philadelphia the traditional brass back for a polymer as rigid and strong. TIle
FurnIture Worltshop. a woodworldng school. thin blades leave II clean. narrow kerf, makIng the SIIWS Ideal for cutti ng flne Joinery.

• ACCESSORIES
, t C;CJ{L E R
Best doweling jigs r'
____$14
o""ow
7'.,''""g~''"''''''"'''m'''""o''"'~''"'
each
for the money rockie r.com

videos , you can easily add a shim to

IF YOU'VE SEEN MY LATEST VIDEO PROJECT change that distance, offsetting a leg
«Getting Started in Woodworking, Season and apron , for examplc_

-- -
3: free at StartWoodworking.com) or my •• J love the simplicity of these jigs.
recent article on doweling (Fundamen- You can eithe r usc the lines o n the jig
tals, FWW '-222), you know I'm a fan to align it with layout mark~, as when
--s5 '
of the little S14 doweling jig from
RockIer. My only complaint was
- lining up dowels for a panel glue-up,
or line up the edge of the jig with
that it came in just one size, % in. •• the end of your stock. The jig only
RockIer fixed that hy offering the docs tv.-o holes at once, hut for a
same jig in 1/4-in. and h-in. sizes, row of dowels you just drop a dowel
meaning you can huild a much wider into the last hole you drilled , which
range of furniture and furniture parts, from spaces the next one perfectly. These
th in frames and boxes to hig leg-to-apron joints. jigs arc very solid and accurate, and you
The Vi-in , jig will center a dowel in I/.!:_in._thick could huild a houseful of furniture with
piece.~ , the lAl-in. model works perfectly in lit-in. just a couple of them and a cordless drill.
stock. and the 1;2-in. jig is designed for l-in,-thick I can't think of a cheaper, easier method.
workpieces. Of course, as J demonstrated in the - Asa Christia lla is editorofFWW.

J U l.Y / AUG U ST 2012 19

tools & materials """""" Mode l No. 1824
$1 ,350
woodstock ln t.com
• MACHINES

High-end
hybrid saw SPECS:
Motor: 2 hp, 8 amps at 220v (can

4--.
be rewired for 110~)
THE NEW HYBR ID TABLESAW FROM SHOP FOX is an
Arbor runout: 0.002 In.
impressive saw for the money, with fealliTes rivaling
4 Table size: 27 In. deep by
those on ~me high-end cabinet saws. 55 In. wide
The fence, for inst:lnce, is well designed. It has slick Table flatness : center and left
nylon face.~, slides very easily, and locks down securely. extension were flat; right extension
had a O.Ol6--ln . warp.
The cast-iron top and 'wings are nicely ground and vcry
Trunn ion: cast Iron, mounted to the
f1at. 111(' extension table i~ a f1at Jaminate-covcred hoard unders ide of the table
that could easily suppon an undemlOunted router. Roth Rip capacity: 30 In. to the right of
blade height and angle adjustmcnt~ are velY smooth and the blade
easy. The riving knife and hlade guard are both easy to
remove and adjust. The dust collection works well.
Though the lohp motor WOO '! keep pace with a 3-hp cabinet (6 ft.). The insert plate, though stiff, i~ thin, making it difficult to
saw, it has plenty of power for most home shops. I was able make your own zero-clearance plates. However, you can huy
to rip 5/4 hickory and cut 'X-in. -wide by 'X-in.-deep dadoes blanks to fit this saw (grizzly.com, model Ko. 1'23279, $25). But
in spruce, though at a slow pace. The saw isn't without these shortcomings are small potatoes. If you're a hobbyist in
naws, It had a hit more arhor runout than I'd like; fortunately, the market for a serious tablesaw, this one packs in the value.
perfomlance wasn 't compromised. The included miter gauge - Peter Ereu, a woodworker ill Manchester, N.H., is the ullofficial
is nimsy (just buy a bener one), and it has a short power cord tool I"Iwwu}erfor the Guild of New Hampsbire Woodworkers.

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20 fI~E WOODIl'ORKI I\ G
Request product Information online: Go to finewoodworklng.com/marketplace or call BOo-71D·6DOS

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 •
•

To walch i'ekovlch sherpel'lll scraper,

10 to FIMWooctworkl,....comj ul ....

22 P: 'WOOOIS" IlId (:
 hen you think of
working with hand tooL~,
Hone the surfaces first
You won't gat a clean, sharp hook unless you start with pertect ly flat,
the humhle card scraper
smooth, 90 ' angles on all four corners.
i~ probably nO{ the first
tool to come to mind.
But what it lacks in sex
appeal it makes up for in ease of setup
and \.L<;e \\~th 00 ri~k of teamut. Whether
or not you \.L<;e a haodplane, the scraper
i~ still a must-have for dealing with any
!Carout from the planer or jointer and for
tricky grain that a handplanc can't handle,
What transfornls tili~ piece of steel
into a tool i~ the hook on its edge.
often mi'>!akenly referred to as a "hurr."
Creating the hook is the key to good
perfonnance. But a few common missteps

THE LITTLE BLOCK THAT DOES IT ALL

The Inventio n of chalrmakar Brian Boggs, this
simple block makes It aasy to ilia, polish, and
hona tha scrapar for graat results.

Block, 1 .".In. _ _ ~_

square by 81n.
long

when burnishing the hook prevent most

woodworkers from getting the best out of FIle tile edges. Pili the scraper In the kerf (left). 11"Iat makes It easlar to clamp In a IIfse and
their scrapers. I'll show you the best way. because the edge barely sticks above the block, Its Impossible to file It out of square to the
faces (right). Jake long, smooth strokes with a slnglfH:ut mill file to expose fresh steel.
A great hook st arts wit h a polished edge
Just like a plane blade and chisel, a Polish the edges. 11"Ie block
scraper has a cuning edge. And just supports the scraper and keeps
It square to the diamond stone.
like the edges on those tools. it need~
Last, ra-IIone the faces to
to be polished and scratch-free to remove the slight burr there.
work its best. So, before you burnish
the scraper, you need to polish the
faces and edges, I usc a OMT fine/
extrafine combination diamond plate
($90, woodcraft. com), because it's more
durable than waterstones and the polish
it provides is good enough for a scraper.
A les.<;-cxpcnsive alternative is wet-or-dry
sandpaper on glass, Start with 320 grit
and work up through 600 grit.
A simple \vood hlock helps with this
task (and it comes in handy when you're
burnishing, too) . A band'iaWTl kerf runs
most of its length and hold~ tile scraper
square for filing, poli~hing, and honing. For

J U l.Y / AUG U ST 2012 23

handwork "'"""""
hit the softer steel. Also, use a single
long stroke to get from end to end. Shon
ones can create an uneven surface.
Filing leaves a hurr along the corners.
It 's easy to mi~rake thi~ hurr for the hook
you'lI hurnish later. Although the hurr
could take a shaving, it would leave
a rough surface and the ragged steel
would hreak dov,'Tl and dull quickly. So,
it's import:lnt to remove the hurr and
poli~h the edge. To do thi~, leave the
1. Drew Ute edg• • Keep scraper in the block and place it on the
thfl burn/shftf flat, so that diamond plate. Usc a folded paper towel
the edge extends straight
as a cushion for your hand and press
out from the scraper,
making It easier to tum It
down on thc hlock and scrapcr together
Into It hook. Jake two light as you polish the edge. The block keeps
passes on each &CIge. the scraper square.
At thi~ point, there probably is a slight
burr along the corner. To remove it,
alternate bctween polishing the face and
edge on the extrafine diamond plate. The
result should he a smooth. sharp corner,
the foundation for a great-performing
&Craper. This sharp edge yield~ a single
continuous hook--one that leaves a
smooth surface and lasts a long time.
2 . TUm tIN hook. TIle
goal Is a small hook with
Keep the pressure and angle low
II shallow angle. So, keep
the burnisher nearly Burnishing properly is easy, hut doing
perpendicular and take it wrong i~ easy, too. It's at this stage
II couple of passes IIslng where common mistakes are made that
moderate pressure. limit the perfonnance of the tool. The

,
1 ' -2' first mi~take is using \00 much pressure.
Outing demonstrations, people are
always amazed at how little pressure J
use when turning the hook. The area
of contact between the burni~her and
scraper cdge i~ so small that just a little
pressure equals a lot of psi. Using too
much pressure creates an unnecessatily
large hook , which is difficult to re-hone
now, we'!! just lay the block on top of the thi~ work-hardened edge to softer steel, whcn dull. It can also ctimp the steel,
scraper to poli~h the faces. nli~ distriblJtcs which makes turning a hook easier. which ruins the edge and requires re-
the pressure C'.'enly along the flexible It"s import:lnt to maintain a 90° angle filing. To gct an idea of the pressure
SCr:lpt.."'1" and ensures a nice JXlJi~h along when filing , so insen the &Craper into the necessary, extcnd your index fingers and
the entire edge. Using your fingers would hlock with the edge just barely proud of run onc along the othcr. Use modcratc
leave shiny spots where your fmgers V>'ere. the surface (no more than }'64 in.) and pressure, hut not enough to deflect your
After the faces are scratch-free and clamp it in a vise. Thi~ will force you finger, and you've got it.
polished, move on to the edges. The to keep the file square as you work. As Creating the hook involves first
first step is to file them square. On a long as you 're not hitting wood. you drawing the steel with a burni5hcr to
scraper that's been used. this is especially should he within a fraction of a degree create a razor-thin cdge that extend~ out
important. Thming the hook multiple of square. On a work-hardened edge, from the scraper, and then turning over
times causes the steel to become brin/e, the file skips and skates across the steel. that edge to create the hook.
much like bending a paper clip back and Keep filing until you rake a consistent To draw the stcel, lay the scraper flat
fonh until it breaks. Filing cut~ through cut. You 'll feel the difference once you on the hench and rest the hurni5her

24 fI ~ E WOOD Il' ORKt l\ G

 Two ways to use it
Hon.ng ala low ""&Ie allows YOI.I to remove
stock quickly or tUt 10000lI rd for II IlmOOlh f1nl$h.

For a" -ureulw cut. kHp til., scr.".'

n_rly nrtk.'.nd don't tI •• 1t. Bending It
just ntdUCIIS how much ofrha hook enga~s the
wood (rlght). I<&eplnlyour thumbs lI(HIrt .preads
the pressure over the entire edlrt lind makes- for
II better shavtng (lIboVlt).

fiat on the scraper. 1\., you push the

burnisher along the edge, kccp it fiat , but DUST MEANS DUll
apply pressure 10 the edge. At'iO, angle
lhe bu mL~hcr so Ihal the tip L~ forwa rd of
me handle. Two light passes will yield a
very slighl hook along the edge.
Now iI's nnally lime 10 tum the hook
and here's where mL~takc number
twO comes in: using 100 much angle.
The angle you bumi~ al i.~ important
bccl.Usc il dClcnninc.~ now much
you need 10 lilt the scmper forward
before it startS cutting. If you bumi~h WIlen the shllVln~ stop coming. you can
:n 10", you'll need to tUt it th:l! far In Just repeat the drawing and fuming steps
usc. If you burnish aT ] G or 2°, it will for a fresh hook. But after you'\le dOlle
Go /ow tor l/4hf shavln". TIle 1l00k 15 I/ISS
dramatically :lIter the perfonmnce of that a few tim8$, youTI need to file the
eng;tf1ed and tllere3 less force on It. Save tillS
the tool, allowing you to scrape at an edge again.
teclln/qua for flna/smootlling.
a lmost vertical angle. With the ,-;craper in
this position your thumhs--the driving
forcc-are behind the cunlng edge. You wanl a lighl, smooth in g CUI. Ho n e at a from the edge. Whe n T pass a bumL~hed
can get your m:l.'>.~ heh ind the tool a nd sha ll ow angle a nd get twO tool.~ in o ne. scT:lpcr around 10 an a udie n ce, I' m
push fo r a rea lly aggressive cut. On the To ru m the hook, place the scraper invari:lbly met with "wow, Ih at's a ll?"
other hand, scraping with more forward back in the block w ilh ~ in. protruding. TIley're equally surprised when I la ke a
tilt put~ your thumbs ahe:ld of the cuning ReSI the hu m L~her flat o n the edge and big old shaving with il.
edge and the scraper wnnl~ 10 pivot angle it just enough to be sure that you When the edge dulls, just d raw the
back an d OUI of the cut. More downwnrd arc in contact with the corner you are edge Ixl ck u p and ru m the hook again.
prc.'>.~urc and Oexing i~ nCCCli.'lary 10 honing. You ~hou ldn't come cio;sc 10 It last~ longer the SlXond a nd third
keep il C1lg:lged You are p ulling the tool contacting the block. Aga in, :Ingle the lime )'OU mm it, because the steel gct~
through the CUI instead of pushing it. bumL~her front 10 back so that you d T:lw progrcs.~i\'Cly harder. BUI ewntua lly the
l1le great th ing :lOout honing at a the steel OUI as you move forward. Two steel becolTlC:'> brinle a nd iI's necessa ry 10
shallow angle is that while you can I:lke swipes on each comer a re all you need. file off the edge and stan again. 0
a really aggressive CUt, you can aL'iO tilt The TC5lIhing hook is s mall and can
the scr:lpcr fanher forward when you ju.<;( be fell by ru n ning you r fi nger up Michael Pekovich Is FWW's art director.

J LL Y / A UGUS T 2012 25
 fundamentals
Make your cutlist
a 'parts list' instead
LUMBER· BUYING STRATEGY WILL GIVE
YO UR PROJECT A SMARTER START
BY ASA CHRIST IANA

maginc for (I moment trot you take the time to make one, It will
Iud the run of:l fumiture facto!)': help clarify your ideas about how
all the lool~ you nceded a! your the piece will go together and how It
dispno;al and a boctom1css st:\ck will look-the joinery you will U!iC,
of mugh.'illwn chcny, maple, and the lumbe r species and thicknesses
walnut to pick from . you need, the (orre<;t grain patterns
It's:J. nicc daydrClffi , isn't it? NO! for e ach part, and so forth .
exactly. Done thoroughly, the drawing i~
·P.1rt.~Ii.'>!," much hencr than · cutli'>!."
On a rushed as:o;cmhly line, the the most direct way to fully document
Where a cutli~t might encourage you to
worker doesn't gel to choose board~ rour project, [1'1 literally have a clear
think in simple terms of s izes and saw
individually or map 01.11 furniture parts picrure of every pan that goes into it.
CUL~, a . pa.rt.~ li.~" tells you 10 think of
for the I~ ap~rnnce of the grain. And you'll need that knowledge when
the componcnL~ as di.'ilinct parts, each
You , on the other hand, Iuwc :1 huge you head tn the lumberyard.
having a different role in the finL~hcd
advanugc: the lime 10 choose juS! the
piece and in many ca.~s coming rrom
right tumher-ju.~tlike the lime )'00'11 Make a woodworker'. shopp'ng II.t
different types of board.~, C\'Cfl
spend making sure every join! comes Every new wocKlworker cvenrually
though they might he
togctheT strong :lOd true. hears a bout the adv:antages of huying
lumber from a ~cutli!'d," an organi7.ed the .s:lmc
Choosing lumhcr l~ a PI'OCCM, maybe
the mo.<;t Importanl one of all. Here's invcniory o f all the wood needed to
how to do it :0;0 you come home with complete a project.
the right boards [0 make your project Recently, though, I decided
come ali\'e. I like the Icnn

Start with a drawing

If you aTC not working from
a detailed, c\irncnsioncd
drnwlng like one ofdlC
exploded IIlu.~tr.ulons in FWW,

_ Asmart buyer
makes a smart list
The most ba.1c parU lis' 'neludfl the
type and number of aKh pari. alone
wtth dlmenllons. Make your list more
helpful by 'nelud'n, notH about the
type 01 crain YOU_"t In eac:1'I part and
the rouCh thlekneu.

26
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fundamentals """"""
species. Regardless of what you decide
to call your list, compile it thi~ way'
Spread the drawing out in fron! of you
and refer to it as you make a list on a
separate sheet. Write down the name
of every pan in the project-one to a
line. On each line, note how many of
that piece the project requ ires ( "4 legs."
for instance), and the part's finished
thickness, width, and length, including
joinery.
If you buy your lumber from a
lumberyard that sells roughsawn stock,
be sure to al'iO list the thickness of the
rough stock you want for each pan.
To get a lA·in. finished thickness, for
example, you·1I want 4/ 4 roughsawn
board~. For gOCK! measure, add roughly
1/2 in. to the width and an inch or two to
Sf.,. on&-brlllfl tile
Attach It to II clipboard
".t. the length of each piece.
Make note , too, of instances where
(rIght) or leave It In the you·1I want to take part~ from the same
tablet 50 It's easier to make
board for good grain and color match.
notes 115 you work. Also
brlng /I tape measure, /I And, just to be safe, you might al.'iO want
block plane, lind a lumber to mark down types of grain: nat~awn ,
crayon (and /I friend?). rift~awn , quanersawn.
Lumberyards s tllC/( boards Because you'll almost never find
of each species by thlck- board~ that fit your needs exactly, you·re
nI'ss. so It makes sense likely to INind up with a bit more stock
to choose 1111 of your 4; 4
than you strictly need. That's fine . You·1J
boards lit the same time,
for Instance. Sort by eye lit want the extra for test cut~ or repairs. In
first, looking for the grain fact, if you think you may have cut it
lind wIdth you want Use too close, th row in one nice extra hoard
the tape meas ure to gauge to be sure.
the amount of c/llllr stock
between defects.
How to pull diamonds from the rough
All of this ,",,'Om lead~ to the lumberyard,
where you will find those beautiful
finished pans in the piles of rough
lumber.
Remember; The decisions you make
here are ones that you wilJ live with for
years to come. So take your part~ list,
and take your time. Stan by spending
a few minutes to make friends with
your lumber guy. Explain that you are
a furniture maker and need .'iOme extra
time to pick through the piles.
For the two walnut end tables I made
recently for our free video series,
Getting Started in Woodworking , I
needed a couple of 4/4 f1at<;awn
"'erk out parts. Once you're home, It's easy to get mlX&d up about which boards roll In tended for hoard~ for the tabletops , each with

which part. To keep things straight. It can help to marie the parts directly on the stock with /I lumber a very nice grain panem, so J could
crayon before you leave the lumbel)'llrd. cut it into three pieces. match the grain

28 fI~E WOODIl'ORKII\G
_ One table from three boards For this tabla, Chrlsllana used a single board for each of the three majo r components.
greatly enhancing the consistency of color and grain In each IInlshed piece.

1 . TOP AND SHELF

Christ iana seleded 8 single, 4/ 4 board.
He chose Iia lsawn stock for Its attractive
ca thed ral gre ln pattern end found 8 board
long enough to yield three equal segments
of cl ear stock for the top end th ree
for the shelf.

Continuous grain w:'~'~,:,>C'//-:;;; Boards are edge-gJued

around the apron.
to ma ke up top's width.

2 . AP N
Stili sea rching
through t he 4/ 4
stack. Christiana
found e rlttsawn
board wit h streight
grain lines for the
apron.

To get th e streight grain lines In the

legs. too. Christiana searche d the stack of
8/ 4 st ock for a rlftsewn board with
enough length and width t o
yield all fo ur legs.

Tab le legs work

best visually when
tha grain runs
straIght up and
down t hal r length
at the edges, and rum it into a one that I (ould take all on all sides. So look lor
beautiful panel. of me legs from, going diagonal end grain. which
I al<;() needed some more 4/4 stock two across all the way signifies rlfisawn stock.
for the apron.~ and the shelves, nothing down the board with
really special hut still clear and close to very little waste .
final size. As I added hoards to my take- Following thL~ proc::ess,
home stack, I kept track by making a it's easy to make sure mat YOll
check mark next \0 the corresponding come home with the right board~ for
pan.~ on my list, Then I headed over to your project, and that you bring home
the 8/4 walnut for the legs _ Here I didn 't enough material withom buying too
want f1aLsaWll grain anymore; I wanted mu(h.
rift<;awn stock. That'.~ where me growth
rings are diagonal on the end grain, so
you get relatively straight grain on all
four fa(es of the leg. I found a nke dear,
You'll drive home worrying only about
potholes and sharp (UfVeS, instead o f
your project. o
~ Onlin e Extra
For II step-by-step video series on this
table project. go to FlnaWoodwo,klng
.com/ext,al.
J
narrow piece with very straight grain, Asa Christiana is editor afFine Woodworking.

J U LY/AUG U ST 2012 29
30 FI'~ 1lI00DWOIIKI\G
 f you live in a humid area of the country, sion travel. Rust fonnation can be accelerated

I you are more than likely familiar with the

menacing presence of rusl, especially if you
work in an unheated basement or garage shop.
with the addition of a stronger oxide or acid-
the salt in sea air, for instance, or the moisture
from your fingertips (ever see prints on your
left untreated, rust will cat away iron and steel hand tools?). The process also speeds up with
relentlessly, like a hoard of hungry tenllites on temperature variations that cause condensation.
dead wood, causing extensive damage. To help In an unheated garage shop, as a cold night
protect your expensive woodworking tools, you tums to a wann day, condensation settles on
need [ 0 lake sleps 10 prevent rust. One way i~ (0 the tops oftahlesaws, jointers, and handsaws, as
coat iron and steel surfaces with a rust inhibitor. well as on hand tools left on a hench.
But which one? The corrosion starts on the surface and spread~
Look on any woodworking forum or wehsi!e, like a rash. A~ corroded metal flakes avvay, fresh
and you'll see a 1m of "cxpcrt" recommendations iron surfaces are exposed to the oxygen and
about which produCl~ to use. To end the dehatc, water, and the process begins anew until the
Fine Woodworking put 20 of these commonly meta.! di~integrates. The key to stopping the deg-
available prcventers-from waxe.~ to natural oils radation is to prevent vvater from mixing with
to pctroleum-ba-.ed products-through a torture iron and oxygen. And that's what these various
leSI to sec which ones really do work best. coatings are meant to do.
The test results aren't the only answer to stop-
ping rust. In the end we'll give you some oound 10 days of hell
strategies for fighting rust in your shop, Before We tried the rust preventers on a cast-iron table-
you can go to battle , however, it's important to saw top and some samples of A2 tool steel (an
understand how rust fonns. iron alloy). All of the samples were subjected to
extreme environment~ (sec "A recipe for rust:
Water Is the Instigator below). The rust came on strong. We surted see-
Put simply, rust (iron oxide) i~ a foml of corro- ing it on the tablesaw 101' after only one night,
sion that occurs when hath iron and oxygen are and on the tool steel within 48 hours. After 10
exposed to moisture, whether in the air or on the days. it was clear which product~ were wnrking
surface. That moi~ture i.~ the medium through and which were failing.
which the players that chemically cause corro- The top seven performers were CRC Indus-
trial 3-36, LPS 3. Moovit, Rust Block, WD-40,

A2 SAMP LES

TABL ESAW TOP

JI; LY ! AlJG Il ST 2012 31

THE BEST
OF THE BEST
We picked CRe Indu. t,lal3-36
from tlMl top .....en performers
as the Best Ove,all becau.. tt
worked _II on boUI ca. t Iron
and tool steel and did not le.-v,
an obJectionable . ticky or slk:k
residue on the chlHI. Ho_ver,
It does ha...e a petroleum odof.
Though th. ameli dl"lpat.. ,
some may find the . pray
offensive to UI. on hand
tooll. For tho •• people, we
recommend ullne the CRe
for machine. and Moovlt for
hand tools.

WD-40 long-Term Corrosion

Inhibitor, and 3M Rust Fighter
BOESHIELO 19 CAMElLIA OIL
1. H owever, a ruSt preventcr
$10 (4 oz.) $1.2 (8 oz.)
L~ useless if it interferes wil h rockler.com JllI-nlel..,n.com
your wOC>dworking. So \\'C did
further [cst.~ so see if any o f
the l Op picks wou ld dl~tor
wood, o r interfere with fin -
ish c.~ o r glue adhc.~ion . We
took the extreme path :Igain,
applying the productS direct·
ly 10 wood ~mplc.~, [cuing
them d ry, and then applying
both a wa lcr-h:lscd urc!!l:. n.:: PERMATEX RUST PROOOLO P02000 RENAISSANCE WAX
and an oil-ba sed po lyu re- TREATMENT $11 (16 oz.) $22 (65 ml)
thane. We aL'IO put a dah of $10 (10.25 <>z.) amazon.CDI"T1 amazon.com rockler.com
yellow glue on the tre~led
boards !O sec if the product~
affected adh esion. All of Ihe
product.~ disco lored wood
wh cn applied directly 10 II, hUI
none of them interfered wllh
the topcoats. The only product
that resisted glue adhesion was
LPS 3. On mal S3mplc Ihe glue
popped off pretty easily with SLIPIT TOPCOTE BY 80S11)( TOPSAVER
a chisel. $10.25 (1.2 oz.) $19 (10.75 oz.) $26 (8 oz.)
.rluty-eom woodcrlft.com wooderlft.com
Next, for a more fCalistic con·
lamination tc:lt, we applied Ihe
top six products 10 A2 steel
samples, ruhbcd them a cros.~
some sample board~, and al>-
plied the oil- and water-hased
finishes on top of Ihe hoord.~ .
None of the samples sh()\\'cd

32 FI"\I! W O ODW O IIl(""(;

FAMILIAR PRODUCTS FADED FAST
Willes and natural oll-b..ed products have often beln tovted 8S rust preventers on machine.
and hand tooll. But the1 didn 't fare well In our testing.

OILS SLIPPED UP
Camellia and Joloba 011.
~ iilS
are natural pnKIucts ,~
(made from vacatable ••
011), so they hlW••
plaalant odor. That
--
l:J\l"Iha {)il

--
-'. -.
@- quality I, partially why

WAXES WANED
-- they at. used often by
hand-tool aflclonadol
as a p,otBelant.
But In our testl, the
Wilts. wClrk well al lubllcantll, especially on the products were marginal
bottom. of planal and on machine tops, but the)' performers,
don't offer much protection agalnlt rust.

CRe INDUSTRiAl 3 · 36 J01081. OIL lPS 3 MOOVIT

$6 (11 oz.) 110 (8 O'l.) $15 (11 01.) 110 (10 oz.)
Ile-nlel$tln.com Idlndutlrlalsuppty.com luvattey.com

RUST BLOCK BY RUSTERIZER ARMOR RUST· OlEUM STOPS SC JOHNSON

EVAPO· RUST Si6 (32 oLl RUST RUST I NHIBITOR PASTE WAX
$9 (16 oz.) ,ampler•. com amalon.com $11 (10.25 ,)2.) amazon.com $7 (16 oz. ) The Home Depot

WAXILIT WD -40 WO -40 LoNG -TERM 3M RUST FIGHTER - 1

$16 (7 oz.) $5.50 CORROS I ON INHIBITOR 117 (18 ..... )
tee..alley.com Most hardwa re ",,-ore5 $16 (6.5 oz. ) amazon .com amazon.com

J LL V / A UGUS T 2012 33
any dL<;coloration of the wood,
and there were no problems Other ways
with finish adhesion.
Last, to find out if any prod-
to manage moisture
ucts left an objectionable
residue on hand tools, we The wlpe-on or spray products we tested
applied them to some chi~eL~ aren 't the only weapons available In the
and then basically felt them , battle against rust. Aside from heating
comparing an untreated chis- the shop or using a dehumidifier, two
el with the treated ones. The other options are deSiccants and volatile
eRe Industrial 3-36 and Moo- corrosion Inhibitors (Yels) . These
vit were the favorites here. products prevent corrosion of critical
Each of these products were components In contalnad spaces , such
very close in feel to the un -
as boxas, drawers, and cabinats . Each
treated chisel.
does the job differently.
We also applied the prod- SolutIon. for endosed .".c.s. Volatile corrosion DeSiccants ara mada from a number
ucts to a jointer t:lble and gave Inhibitors (VCls) and desiccants help prevent rust
them a feel for any objection- In drawers, tool cases. and cabInets. vels fonn a of porous minerals, Including calcium
able residue. Most of the prod- protective coating on tools while desIccants and silica , as wall as manmade
ucts left a slick rurface on the draw moIsture from the air. compounds . They help
cast iron, a plus for machine prevent rust by removing
tables.111c only tv.·o that left a moisture from the air via
Visible and t:lctile residue we re the procell of adsorption
3M Rust Fighter 1 and LPS 3. (vs . absorption). When a
substance Is adsorbed , It
The best defense remains separate from Its
Making a choice among the
host, which essentially works
product~ was tough. 3M Rust
as a storage drum. And that
Fighter 1 and LPS 3 perfomled
storage area Is limited. A
perfectly in both torture tests,
but we didn·t like the sticky desiccant compound can

feel of the coating that both become saturated , or full .

left on the tool steel and cast Some desiccants, such as
iron. Other products did well silica and a few calclum-
on one s teel but showed based products , can be recharged , or
kinks in the other. In the end reactivated , with heat to remove the
we picked eRe Industrial 3-36 stored mOisture and used again.
as Best Overall. If you prefer yels emit mOlecules that settle on
a non-petroleum product for metal surfaces , forming a protective
your hand tools, we recom- layer that repels moisture. yels are
mend Moovit.
made by a number of manufacturers
But the best defense against
rust has multiple prongs. Aside
- from proprietary chemicals and often are

from weatherproofing and Infused Into a porous carrier material,

heating the shop, we also rec- such as foam. They are disposable and
ommend using a dehumidifier cannot be recharged--t;ome last Six
to help control moi~ture. And months, others work for up to flve years.
because none o f the product~ Desiccants and yels both are designed
we tested can be applied to the to work In enClosed spaces, and you
inside of power tools (rust can purchase them based on the square
degrade motor components), footage of that space . To get the most
we recommend keeping des- protection from both products, the
iccant~ or corrosion inhibitors
DIy til. _Ir. You also can curb storage space needs to be as airtight
in tool cases (above right). 0
moIsture with a dehumldlfler-just as possible. If a drawer Is left open , the

I
remember to emply It regularly. For protective tool coating emitted by a
Thomas McKenna. senior editor, basement shops, a masonry waterproofing paInt keeps yel will diSSipate, while a desiccant will
fights rust daily in his basement moisture from migratIng througtt the porous concrete
shop. walls. Garege floors should be sealed as well. become saturated quickly.

34 rt ~ E WOODIl'ORKI I\ G
Shaker-Inspired
Hall Table BY CHRISflAN liCK.VOGRT

Arched aprons and splayed legs

add balance and grace

his long, narrow ullle, which 'de.~igncd years ago, i.~ a kind of chameleon. You

T can use it in a variety OfW3yS and In all sort~ of pla~: a~ a hall rabie, a di.o;play
tallie, behind a <:ouch, nr even as a .~idcOoo.rd-Hkc scrving tallie. No maneT
where you put this piece, It looks good and rl!.~ in. The design is srurdy bUl Iook.~
light and atlJ'acti\"l~, thank.~ In brgc part 10 the spbyof the tumed and tapered legs.
Unless I'm doing:In CX3C1 Shaker reproduction, 'spby alliable legs that are rumcd
and tapered. Omc""'io;e, they Icnd 10 l<Xlk pigeon -toed and slightly unstable. And for
a long, narrow uble like thi~, there's more run just 3J'1PC3r:lnct! al stake. The splayed
legs make the base wider at the noor than under the 101', giving it a surer st:ance.
For the maker, pan of the he:lury is that [hL~ gently splayed stance is ea~y to
cre:ile with just a few simple, mglcd CUt1 althe tables:!w. ThiS pmjecl i~ perfect for
gcning acquainted with angled joinery. and for working with the lathe. The angles

--
}I LY I AI'CI ST 1012 35
 by 16 In. wi de
by 50 In. long

long ralls. ¥. In. thick

b)l3'1. In. wide by
40',1, In. long Short ralls ,
Tenons,'" In. % In. th ick b)I
thick b)l 2V, In. 3 % In. wi de by
wi de by lin. long 11 ¥. In. long

'I. In. dla.

LIGHT AND LIVELY

l
Be.:ksvoort varies his table from
straight ShaKer by splayi ng the legs.
Arched aprons add to the sense of
li ghtness.
Convex
en ds,
%In.
J legs,l% In. squ are al
top and 29',1, In. long
r ~~
"----""
~
50 In. L 16 I . -"

,., ,",

~;bul lnose
30'1. In
To p<Jrchase
-" _ ___) radius . '" In. digital plans and
a complete cuWst
lor th is table and
other projects, go to
FoneWoodwofl<ing
.com/Pla nStore.

arc all small and easy to cut, and the turn- ting this transition from square to round . corners; I suggest prac tl cmg on cheap
ing wnn't overwhelm you. I'll show you With the hlank centered in the lathe and stock until you master the technique.
a no-nonsen.~e way to get a nice straight the transition point marked on the stock, Once this is done, use a roughing gouge
taper o n those legs, a deceptively difficult set the lathe at approximately 2.200 rpm to start cutting the taper at the bottom o f
tuming task. and use a !I,-in. sp indle gouge to rum the leg. checking your progress with a pair
away from the mark until you have a few of calipers until ynu 've reached the I-in.
A straight approach to round legs inches of true round. Next. cut the transi- bono111 diameter. Then use the gouge to
These legs are square at the top where tion using a diamond-point tool held o n connect the top and bonom diameters. I'm
they join the aprons , with the turned por- edge, carefully entering the cut at about a a furniture maker, not a turner, so I don't
tion beginning 4 in. ftom the top. The most 45° angle. It takes a steady hand to make bother trying to get a perfect taper and
difficu lt pan of the turning i~ cleanly cut- this cut wilhom knocking ofT the square smooth finished surface wi th the gouge

36 fI~ E W OOD Il' ORKI I\ G

TURNING FOR NON-TURNERS
You don', need to be a ful~tlme turner to make perlect tapers. Becksvoorl marks the
high spots with one long block end sands them smooth and straight Wllh another.

Mortise,
'{•• In. 1 '4ln deep II)'
·/o ln. wldeby

-i-~t~c'~~~ In. long

1111-:-
r-
-L}
Pommel,
4 in.

1.,.I~.dI8.
From . qUIIN to I'fNjnd. Atter turning the first few Inches of lha round s&Ct/on with a spindle
gouge. use a dlamond-polnt tool (Inset) to cut a clean bevel at the transition (ebOVfl/eft). layout
the beginning oflha cut and then plunge In at 45 ', A 45 ' mark on the tool rest Is a good vlwsl
gulde.AftelWsrd. use a roughing gouge to rough In the taper (right).

-,
25Y:o In.
M agh: mark." To Identify high spots on Pressed Into acUon. Held against the spinning workpiece. the block
the turning. start by cOVflr/ng one edge of a leaves graphite on the high points. Use the spindle gouge to take down
hardWood block with pencil lead. tIIese areas. then repeat until tile taper Is as straight as possible.

$MIMI' sandIng block.

Use a straight piece of
leg blanks,
1'>'. In. stoCk. one face covered wfth
square by 80. to 100-grlt sandpaper,
29'h In. to straighten the taper. Then
long hand-sand through 400-grlt
and burnish with 0000 steel
~,.

) Adhere the
sandpaper to the
wood block.

J U LY / AUG U ST 2 012 37
ANGLE THE SHOULDERS TO CREATE THE SPLAY or a skew chisel. Instead, I get the result~
I'm looking for from a 2-ft .-long p iece of
Each epron and leg assembly Is sp layed 85 II unit, so the
hardwood. I color one edge with pencil
8_ ~ gle per JOln":~.
Joi nery Is an1Illd,_,_",_,_,_m_'_'_'_"_"TIl ~ -'!- ___ it~:.:are
":"~":cut":·~at":':2·""~'angle.
:"~":'_'_'_Olllders graphite and hold it against the turning
while it's spinning. The graphite marks the
'I'•• ln. °Il In. high points, which I then take down w ith
-.--1"- a gouge or skew chise l. After three or four

Mortise is
T
2"" In. 2% in.
tries, the taper should be fairly straight. but
not perfect.
The other side of the hardwood piece

1V"".-1=~!--=----::---=----~~
cut slightly (or usc a separate piece, if you prefer)
taller to L~ covered w ith 80- or 100-grit sandpaper.
accommodate
the tenon Holding that edge against the spi nning ta-
per assures flatness . I then hand-sand the

""~
entering at II
slight angle. spi nning leg with 150-, 220- and 400-grit
1%ln.
sandpaper, slOpping the lathe between
grits 10 sand with the grain. Last, I usc 0000
CUT THE TENON ENDS steel wool for a smooth, glossy surface that
is ready for a fini~h .
Set the miter glluge to
cut the angled ends. Before moving o n 10 the aprons, go
ahead and CUI the moni.<;cs on tv.'o ad-
jacent sides of the square sections of the
legs. The moni.'iCS are cu t a t the usual 90°.
Putting the splay in the table's legs is a
malleT of culling s.ome fairly simple angled
pinery on the aprons. That 's next.

WIteI'e file splay com •• from. Angle the ends of Easy way to splay
the pieces, which become the reference for angling The end~ of the tenons, and the tenon
the shoulders (below). shoulders, are cut at a 20 angle, making
each apron longer at the bottom than it is
CUT THE LONG SHOULDERS at the lOp. When the resulting pinl~ come
together, the lOpS of the legs lean inward
1. Leave tile
gaugeat88 " and the feet splay out. You might think you
to cut the first need compound-angled shoulders, but be-
shoulder and cause the apron~ tilt with the legs, you don't.
cheek. Flip the
workpiece end With the apron slOck milled to final
for end to cut thickness and width , trim each workpiece
the second. to length with a 2° angled crosscut on the
2. Set the tablesaw. Pay attention to the orientation
::;;;;;;;;; ===-
-
gauge to
92 " and cut WJty odo7 A dado set cuts the cheeks and
of the pic<;e for each cut- make sure that
each end is angled in the right di rection.
the opposite shoulders at the sarmt time. Angle the miter gallge
shoulders and When a ll the ends are cut, switch to a
IIntll the end of the workpiece rests flllsh against
cheeks in the the fflnce. stacked dado set, which will let you CUI
same way. the tenon checks and shoulders simulta-
ANGLE THE TOP AND BOTTOM neously. You'll once again guide the cuts
TOO with the angled mi ter gauge, this time us-
ing the tablesaw's fence to SlOp the cut at
TIlt blade 2 ".
the te non shoulder. Note: You 'll on ly be
able 10 CUI one check and shoulder on
each tenon with your initial miter-gauge
.'iCtup. To cut the opposite s ides at the COT-
rect angle , you'll need to reI'>Ct the gauge
to 2° in the other direction. I find it e asier
to make all o f the cut.~ at one .<;clling first,
Fln.' ellts. nit the blade 2 · to match the angle
of the existing sholiider (above). YOII can Cllt before resetting the gauge.
two pIeces at once. Then sever the waste at tha Last, I cut the top and bottom shoulders,
bamlsaw. sl:lnding the workpieces on edge against

38 fI~ E W OO DIl' ORKI I\ G

the m iter gauge and angling the blade BEVEL THE TOP
to make the cut. I fin ish the work a t the
bandsaw, running the workpiece against OF THE BASE TO MATCH
the fence to sever the was te and com- When the base Is dry-fit, Ihe top of each
plete the teno ns. To make sure that th is component will be canted Inwe rd. So II's
straight tenon has room to fit w hen the ne cessary 10 trim Ihe top edges level.
mortise is angled, J plan for a little top-
to-hottom slop in the fit, and I use a kn ife '"
to make wedge-shaped trims as needed
for clearance. Joi nter
fence

Angled cuts create a flat surface

Top edges
At this point, you can dry-fit the legs and
apron.~, holding the a ssem b ly together )811S
v.ith a hand clamp to sec how the joinl~ fit.
With the base together, you'll see th at
the top edges of the aprons-a nd the top aFletten tlte
2 · angle. epron~:~~p:.~"~:~~:~::~"
trio;" the..
apron tops so
inside comer of e ach leg-all tilt inward. against the tabletop.
So the next step is to make all o f these sur-
faces nat and in the &;lme pla ne to accom-
modate the top. To do this, dL~assemble SlIme for tile legs. To
the base an d run the tops of the aprons mark tha top oftha lag
over the jointer with the fence ti lted 2". for trimming. start by
Mark the p ieces carefully and make sure marking thalnslda cor·
you orient them on the jointer s.o that the naf (red dot). Begin the
correct portion of the top edge (the out- layout at this comer.
Usa a bevel gauge set
side comer) i~ removed .
at a 2 · angle to carry
Trimm ing the tops of the legs a t the thal/nas around the
proper angle requires a compound cu t. corners.
TIle cut il~elf is easy to execute, but you'll
need to pay a ttentio n to the layout a nd
the setup on your tablesaw. To ma ke it
as foolproof as possible, J use a pendl or
colored marker to darken the inside corner
on the top of each leg. That comer s hou ld
remain after the cut is made. Next, use a

TOPS OF LEGS GET A COMPOUND CUT

SET THE BLADE ANGLE

-i'i::-;>,,","' angle

SET THE MITER AN GLE

SS· miter angle

...---1...

:rwo degrees of seperetlon. WIth the h/ghlll1J!ted comer at tha bottom rear. a com-
pound cut on the tablasaw removes a thin wedge of material.

www.fin ew oo dwo rki n g .com J U l.Y/AUG U ST 2012 39

FINISH UP bevel gauge set at 20 to strike pencil lines
marking the cut~ on the two inside faces.
THE BASE On a saw with a left-tilting blade, orient
the workpiece wi th the marked comer rid-
UI)' out Ute a plOll
ing the table at the rear of the cut. Tilt the
a rcbes. A flex/b/e
straightedge and a blade 2° a nd angle th e miter-gauge fen ce
ber cla mp create an clockwi<;e the same amou nt. Position the
easIly varilld, reg u- stock so the bl ade just removes the layout
ler arc for tracing. line o n the leading edge o f the workpiece.
Bandsaw the curves A short length of 31ft-in. stock under the
lind sand them narrow e nd of the leg will give you greater
smooth.
control during the cut. You may also find
it helpful to practice on a p iece of l ~4-in , ­
square scrap first.
With these cuts made an d the joinery
fined, the re-assembled base s hould now
DRILL POCKET HOLES have a flat top w ith all ei gh t p arts flus h
IN THE APRONS
and in the same p lane . The tahle 's feet ""ill
not sit flat on the floor at this point , but I
_ _ _, First drill
don 't flatte n them until the top is attached,
with 8 ~n.
Forstner bit.
in case the sligh test warp or stress in the
top causes the base to skew.
ti~~ is· from 9 0· Arches make the pie ce loo k light-
Fo!low thet with Befo re glue-up , cut the arches into the
'1..-In. twist bit lower edges of the aprons. To layout the
oversize curves, I damp a flexible straightedge be-
wood movement). tween the jaws of a bar cl amp, tightening
until I reach the desired amount of bow.
For vi~ual hamlony, it's important to vary
the amount of bow between the long side
a prons and the short end~a shallower
bow will appear more pronounced on the
shorter pieces. On the long aprons, I p ut
j ig clamped to fence holds at an the top of the bow at 23A1 in . from the top
drll~press table for the screws that will anchor the top to the base. o f the ap ron . On the end~, the apex should

PEG THE APRONS TO THE LEGS

PI" the teltOllL After gluing up each

Joint. BacKsl'OOrt drills through the leg and
through the tenon for a walnut peg (above).
The pin adds Interest and offers a bit more
Joint strength. WIth the sJde assemblies
glued up, Join them with the end aprons
(right). Use bar clamps with rubber pads on
the Jaws to accommodate the angled legs.

40 fI~ E WOOD Il' ORKt l\ G

FINISHING UP

$h.". .nd .rt4tch fl•• top. After currlnt and

smooth/nlll shallow arc III eael! end of the top,
8&cksvoort IIses /I blOCk pi/me lind Jltndpeper
to shape II sllillt bill/riM" prom" on 1111 four
edges. 00 the end iTlll) first (aboYe). To attlch
the top. Becksvoort centers the bllse. thltn uses
1/ scratch awl to trlmsftlr the hole toeal/ons, pre-
drills the tabletop. end driveS file screws (right).

be 2SAl in. from the top . Cut the arch on

the handsaw and smooth the curve wit h :l
spokcshave or ~nd hy hand.
Al l fou r rails and the :<;quare portion.~ of
the leg... should now he ~ ndcd to 4OIJ.grit,
glued, and pinned I u.~uaJly glue up the
£9."0 long sides first, pio them, and then
glue in the shon rails and pio them.

Subtle curves accent the top

The top o f this Illhlc i.~ 16 in. wide. Ideally
a .~inglc hoa rd would look the most at-
FJMten tile feet.
tr:Icrivc, hut stock that wide i.~ not al ...."a~
Plane e pendl to
ava ilable. So SOfllclimes 1 use a n S,in. or
flatten one side
9-in. ooard, 9 ft. 10 10 ft. long, cut in half, $lIgJrtly end use It
ma tched as well as po.~~ihle , and glued to mem the feet
side-tQ-side. After the glue i.~ dry, r cut the for trfmmlng with
top to CJi:act width and Icnglh. e rasp. Afterward,
Tla ndsaw a conycx l/4-in. curve on th e chamfer the

-
Circumference
cnd~ , again us ing a straightedge and cla mp
with a file.
to layout the curve. All four edges arc then
given a slight bulln ose radius. Thi.~ can be
done either with a router or \\'I th a bloc k
plane and sandpaper. Finally, smooth the movement in the top . Now.-.crew the base to Ihe lines. I rasp eac h foot flat, so there
top With a hand p lane or by .~andlng to to dle top . i.~ no wohhle, then U.<;C a file to add a sma ll
al least 400 gril and poll~hing with 0000 chamfer all the w:ty around.
Sleel wool. Good trick for leveling legs To finish the rabie, [ remove the top and
To attach the lOp, ccnter Ihe base up!lide The last step befoll' finishi ng is 10 nat- oil Ihe rable with a 50/50 mix of Tried &
down on the underside of the lop. I anchor ten the Ixmom.~ of the ]('g.<;. Thm the table True Varnish O il and spa r varnish. After
the ""'0 end holes with drill bit.~ (or 16d right side up and SCI it on your l:lblcsaw, letti ng it dry for 24 hours, I ru h everything
nails) and usc an awl to lran.sfer the posi- bcnchto p, or another re liably l13t surf:lcc. down wil h 0000 Slcel wool, then add ""-0
tions of the side holes to the underside ] position a pencil fla t on th is su rf:lCC 10 or three more coat.~. 0
of the tOp. I dri ll slightly oversize holes tr.Ice around each leg, rum the tahle up-
along the sides, 10 accommodate ~n:1I side down, and lL<;C a rasp and me to trim Christian BecksWlOn Is a oonflibuting edifDr..

www.fin ewoodwo rkin g.co m J LLY / A U GUST 2012 41

 he tahlesaw may be your ~hop 's mo.~t valuable cutting runner.~ at the hench. Then, I.',-jlh the runner in the miter slot, I
tool, but for preei'>C, repealable crosscut~ it need~ a little trim each individual base piece with a sawcut that creates a zero-
help from a sled. The sled holds the work ~rely with clea rance edge that is perfectly parallel to the blade.
it.~ long edge at a precl!ie right angle to the blade. so To hclp ensure that the runners don 't wiggle in the miter slots
you gCl perfectly M\uaTC ends when cutting pieccs to length, the and yield inaccurate CUts. I lightly clamp them snug against the
key to gap-free joinery. With a ZCl'fHlearancc slot cut through it, in.~idc edge of the slOl~ when gluing on the front fence.

the sled even prc\-·em.~ chipout at the edgc.~. And, at the critical step of attaching the rear fence, I found a way
The trick to building an accurate ~Ied has alwaf!i been to get the 10 easily fine-tunc the angle during glue-up.<;Q thai it is perfccrly
runners 10 fit the miter slots ~nugly without any wiggle room, and square to the blade and stays thai way. Anncd with these simple
to attach me rear fence perfectly square to the blade-neither is techniques, you can crank OUt a number of slcd.~ .'>lIited to specific
easy to pull off. The techn ique I U"ie at the Philadelphia Furniture tasks, instead of struggling to mlke iu.", one. Instead of the typi-
Workshop ~implifics hoth tasks and en~urcs dead-accurate resull~. cal medium-size sled, which is undersized fOl" plywOCKl cut~ but
Por staners, I assemble the base in {\1m pieces, first: anaching the tOO bulky for narrow crosscuL~ in .<;Qlid stock, you realty want the

42 FI'\f! WOODW O RI(I\"

So simple, you'll want to make two
The truth Is you , .. 11y need It I. .st two different Uiblasaw !lied$, Ind th~ method
Is so atralptfo1Wlllrd thai now you ten h~. them.

NARROW SLED HANDLES MOST TASKS FOR SHEET GOODS , .. DEEPER VERSION
The edvent • •• of this &led.I Itt. compact $Ize. AI 13 In. bet_n the fronl To hendle sheet ,00<11 for cablnel pro}&cls, you nHd e sled
end raa, fences li nd 48 11'1. WIde, II Is lI&tIt and convenient for ever yday that will handlee 2 ....n•• wlcle piece 01 plywood. Most home
use. The splice betwlten tile fene" Is MfFOW to minimize bulk and weight woodworkers will 1.l1li Ihls sled lar IIIIS than the one shown al
while stili offering t noup room lor most &011<1 $lock. Thlllels extra length r!&ht. but they'l need one eventually.
on Ihe right to support 10nC. r pieces like table legs and shelves.
I- 18 111. -I
I- 4SII'l. -I
I
II
I
Ii
II
II
II
II
II
II
T
1 6 In.
II
II
II
II
II
ii Ii
1 " .... In. II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
I

r _______~L~:':':":·~~
, iJc
,"~------------, Jc
blI""·=~:.:-,::f'J~ I =a~"';'+==~==.dl 'T'" - 40 In.
'I
18 In.
_ _ _ Front fenee, 1'10 In.
Front fence top, centered (WeI kerf.
1"'_ 11'1. thick by 2 In. wide by 9 In. long thick by 3 In. wide
by 48 In. long

(
Left-hand base.
'n-InAhlck MDf.
16 In. wide by Rlehl ·hand base
18 in. 100' ~_ ~n.·thlck M DF, 16 in.
Wide by 30 In. long

Nan 511CtJreS the

rltllt side of the
rear fence for
1I1itnmen r.

I~

Screw down
the lef! end of
Ree. l ence, 1\,. In. thick by
the fence (01
3 In. wide by 48 In. long
alignment.

\ Rear fence top,

\ 1\,. ln. thick by 21n.
\ wide by 12 In. long

Runners. ~ In. thick

\
by V. in. wide by
15 In. long

JLLV / A U GUST 2012 43

 Make the base in halves
Mill tile ru"".I'S. Start by
Glue and nail
runner to base.
cutting the pieces oversize
PencU IJ line to relieve Internal stresses
perpendicular Ilia! might cause th e wood
to the edge. to move. Then trim them
to final dimension. Orient
the grain as shown so that
most of the swelling or
shrlnk/ng will be vertical
and will not aff&et the
runner's fit In the slot.

Distance is 14 Ir!. longer

than miter slot to blade. MOF base

-
GI.,. tile rllnner In place. Turner uses an MDF tem-
p /a /ft c lamped to the sled's base (above) to help locate
the runner Ilnd ensure It Is straight. While pulling the
runner against the MDF template, Turner secures It with
18-gauge na ils (right).

If you want to save the time spent

on milling hardwood runners for
a precise fit, you can buy a set of
longer-lastlng aluminum ones from
Kreg. They are pre-drliled and
come with nylon adjustment
screws for a perfect III
In the miter SlOts.
A 31).ln. bar
that can be
halved to
make the
sma ller
sled Is $24
,
at amalon.com. Attach the
bars using tho procedure for the hardwood
runnafS. but subsllluta cyanoacrylata glue
with accelerator for the yellow glue, and use
»"1m ••ell b ••• for • p.rfef:t nt. Wltll the runner In fhe mller 5101. cut away fhe screws With a centering bit Instead of nails.
excess MDF. The Msutflng edge /5 a perfect zero-claarance ftf against the saws blade.

44 rl~E WOODIl'OR KI I\ G
 Add the
front fence
UthU)' a.mp tf'M
"... t . .lfMr. When
tlulng the front fItnce
In piKe, II lon,bar
cl.lmp kHps fIl.
~ .11gMd.1t ~
hok1s the nmrKtlS snug
atalnst the/nside
edges otth.
mltlH" slots.
IIlIm/nat-

..,.
In, any

~~

Press runners snug to

fna InsIde. end tM sled
wlllal ....ys run true.

(wo shown on p. 43. You might even add onc with

a wider slOl rOT dadoes and bevel cuts. I'll build the
smaller sled here, the one you' ll u.o;e 90% of the time.
tel's gel st:lncd

Build the base from two pieces

Por the sled's IWo-p:lrt basc, 1 fa\"Or \I'z.in. MDF for it..
nat surfaces and consistcm thickneo;.... MOl' aL'iO takes
a fini.~h wcll, which let.. W3X work effcai\'l'ly a .. a
luhricant on the sled's hottom.
I'or the runners, I suggest either maple or white
oak, milled with the end gl'3in running \"CrticaJly to
minimize Ihe effect of 5Clson31 swelling and shrinking.
Mill the piece...... Iightly OVCr.;i1.<!, wait 24 hour.; , and
then trim them to filUl dimension. Their final thickness
should he IClI.<; th:m the depth of the miter sl()(.~ to leave
room for dchri~ in the hottom of the ~IOL~. Trim each
runner to precise width for iL~ siC)( and then mark them
for right and left-the slot.~ may vary slightly in width.
Attach the runners-With the runners prepared, it
1.< easy to attach and align them.
Measure the distance from the slot to the hlade on
each side of the hlade, and then mount each run-
ner with yellow glue so that each half of the base
overhangs the sawhlade path hy al lca~t 1,4 in. I usc
a picce of MOP a~ a template to help locate the run-
ner and to brace against to kccp the runner straight.
While tnc glue is still wet , secure the runners with a
nail gun, or c1amp..~.
When the glue dries, it '.~
time to trim each sled half
for a prcctsc fit around the hlade. Por each piece, place
the runner in the siC)( and UJ;C the saw to cut away Sc:ntws IIoIcf rite '-nc.. Wlrh ,lie fronr fenc:e tJlMtd down, llImer drlves It set1es of
the CXCC.<;.i IA in. TIle inside edge of each panel now scnrws Into pt&-drllied hohIs to locI( If In place. Its sqlUlteness 1$ not critical.

www.finewoodworking.com J L LY / A U GUST 2012 45

 How to align the rear fence perfectly
Tile sled's rear fence must be periectly pe rpendicular
to the blade to ensure square crosscuts. A
g1ued-<lown fence provides lasting
accuracy, but you must get
II right before the
glue sets.
Here's
how:
I
TEST AND ADJUST
O Make test cuts in
wide stock and mINe tMe
fence accordingly witM a
UJp or two.
A GLUE, SCREW, AND NAIL
V Apply glue and set the fence back in place.
Drive a screw from under tMe left end to act as a
GET IT CLOSE
O
liS
Posltlan tne fence
square Bs possible
pivot, then add one naji at the other end.

to the blade and mark Its

IQCation.
GN AND MARK

matches Ihe exact path of the sawhlade, one on the

right and onc on the left.

Attach the front fence and square the rear one

Use an accurate comhination square to mark lines
perpendicular to the sawcut edge for the front fence.
Some 8/4 hard maple, carefully milled, is a good
choice for the from and rear fences because it is hard
and stahle, and il~ light color reflects light well, making Squa,.n. Hold the combination
knife lines and other marks easier 10 see. To reduce square against a front and rear tooth
weight hut add stiffness, add a piece about 8 in. long and align the fence wtth the square:S
to the center of the front fence where the blade comes blade (above). Pencil a line on the
through. The main section of the fence i~ about 3 in. base along the edge of the fence so
you can keep track of Its location
tall: the added piece is 2 in. tall. To attach the fence, (right).
apply glue, POP in some nails to hold it in place. and
then add screws for a bener glue joint, It's only there
to hold the halves together, so it doesn't maner if it is ECURE THE FENCE
not exactly square to the blade.
Carefully prepare the stock for the rear fence. It has
a built,up section similar to the front fence, but it~ sur-
faces must be nat, square, and parallel to one anotber.
]l.filling in stages will relieve any internal stresses, 50
glue on the extra piece and then mill the fence over-
•
size, letting it rest a few days before taking it down to
final dimension. The front and rear fences don't have
to be the same thickness; I used what I had on hand.
Just be sure the front fence i~ at least 1 in. thick and
the rear fence at least 11;2 in. thick.
With the partially assembled sled on the saw, place the
head of a combination square against the sawblade and
use the rule to mark a line square to the blade where
you will position the rear fence. Place the fence on thi~
mark and pencil a line along the fence's entire length. Apply lIIu. alld OIIe screw. The f&llce will Nail tile ouler elld. The nail will flex
Now comes the most imponant part, anaching the pivot on this screw while you adjust It to Its Just enough to allow subtle adJUst-
final position. ments to the fence's poSition, but will
rear fence dead'square to the s.a.wblade path 50 tbat
othelWlse hold the fence In place.

46 rt~E WOODIl'ORKII\G
 FLIP THE OFFCUT
Rlppillg !he offcut hlgtlllgtlf5 1
and maglllfles any I
jnaccuracy jn the Cllt. J

Reer fence

Wide stock lor checking

\ the crosscut angle

TH E GAP DIRECTS THE ADJUSTMENT

Work qlllckly before the Il'ue tacks UP and tap /he fence 10 adjust for square.

/If.k• • r..t cut. Right away, make a crosscut III wtde

stock to rest wlNtther the rBBr fence /s square.

you wIll he able to crOSSCUI al exactly 90° for year:<; 10 If lhe gap Is at the back,
come. l'lere'~ how you do it. mO\'e lINt fence beck.
GCt e\'erything ready. Rip a piece of MDF anoul
12 in. wide and 3 ft_ long wim straight, ~rallcl edge,<;.
Tht<; will he used to test me accuracy offhe rear fence.
Now drill from the bottom for a screw on OTIC cnd of
the ...Jed hase, and he ready to .<;hOOl a ~ingle IS-ga.
n:lil from the bonom on the opposile end. Apply the Butt th. p'.~ topth. ,. A
gap Indicates tIlat the fence Is
glue, lief the fence on the line carefully, then dri\'(' If the;ap Is al {he f ront.
slightly out of square.
the screw and naiL Now CTOSM:I.II me MDP tcst ple<c. mO\'e fhe fence forward.
Pull the sled back and slide the two freshly CUI edges
together, keeping them snug against the fence. If the
rear fence is straight. the edges should meet tighlly,
wilh no gap. Now, nip over one of the lesl pieces,
keeping the ~me jusi-cut edges 100000her, and put the
IWO halves logelher againsl the I"C:Ir fence . If Ihere
still l<; no gap, the cut is perfectly squ:lre. If Ihere is
a g.1P, lhi.<; gap is double me amounl the fence is OUi
of Mluare. With a sleel hammer, tap Ihe nailed end of
the fence 10 COrrecl, and test cut again, using the !;:lme
procedure. Assuming thai you've .'iCrCWcd down the
lefl side of ule fence and nailed the righi, if the gap is
al the fencc, tap the right·hand cnd of the fence back. A tep c ' - . til. ~p, Firs t mark the base wtth a pflncl/I/lle 10 help show tINt fenceli
If Ihe gap i<; away from the fence , tap the righl side movement. A new last cut s/l0W$ no space between 1M workpiece and offcut (right).
forward. With ordinary yellow woochvorking glue, YOI.I
should ha\'C about 3 to 5 minutes of open lime to test
:lnd adiust, so work quickly.
When you have it dialed in iuS! righi, put clamps
on to secure the rear fence 10 Ihe sled ba.>;c unlil the
glue drlc.<;. Then go back and install screws from the
bonom 10 he .<;urc. You now have a sled that will cut Put th. tJlIHlP 'n
dead iKJuarc, every time. for many years to come, 0 cl.m,... Then. aftfK the
glue dries, drive a series
Alan Turner Is all attomey, woodworlfer. and owner of of screws from under·
neath to complete the
Philadelphia Fumiture WOl1lshop, a woodworlllng school.
a55embly.

www.fl n cwoodwor ki ng.com 47

 First ora etter
Choose wisely for best results BY PETER QEDRYS

nc a~pcct of finishing [h:u

O C3UM'-S great confusion i.~

sealers lind their usc. Pan
of the problem stcm.~ from thinking
that sealer.; are [0 clear COOL.. wh:l!
pri~r is [0 paint and th:u all IXlrc
wood soo....kI he scaled fiTSlln fact, [he
firsl COOl of mo' flnl~h act.~ :IS a .<;eater.
But using the fir-n com as a scaler i.~n't
alwa~ the best choice-if that were
the case, this would he a very short ar-
[Idt'! Ck'~r finbhcs \~Iry II:rcatly
III how ~ff,.."-·(i\'c they Me

a~ 5Cak-rs , and Ihere

arc many limes when
you should go with
l>01l1cthing dse. How-
t'\'er. a pmdUct :,,,k1 a.i
a ' sanding sc:\k"T" mayor
liMy no! ~ tht: soIuhon Now thaI I've
gOi rou C'(mfuM;d, It.,f~ ddl'''' into the
world of .seal~. I II make the choice fex
your ne.'" projt.'(1 cas)', and your fin~1
flnish will he hener than {,."\'cr.

When to seal bare wood

111C first coal of any finish on any
wood pcnelr:ltcs tht' fibers and
1,,:IX.,S th., surfac., fedillJ.:
rough and uneven
afkr it dri"~ .

Shellac is the wonder-product

There are many types of sealer, but If you could use only one It would be
dewaxed shellac, either from a can (left) or flakes. It Is readily aYallable,
cheap, has no sllon, fumes , 'OCIS on easUy, and sands well. It is compatible
with any finish and wood. Use It on all Interior projects except those that will
be subject to substantial heat or humidity.
Finis What can
a sealer do
for you?
SAVE TIME AND FINISH
ON POROUS WOODS

After three coats

of wlpe-on poly,
A saalllr can IIIYII the side of this but-
yOLl tlmll and monay, I ternut board ssa/&d
hIIlp you avoid wtth a 2-lb. CLlt of
dewax&d shellac
This coat needs to be sanded dllllltllTl, and relult
h~15 Ilood bu/Id and
smooth, to provide :I good In a bIIttllr-looklnJ an IIVlIn sheen.
foundation for suhscqucm ftnlsh. The uM&a/1Id side
coats to build on. absorbed the poly
UIMMlfIIy.
Varnish doesn ' t s a nd
well, so seal flm- NO!: all
types of finish sand easily,
e;pedally wtKm applied 10
bare wooo.. Vamio;lllCnd~ 10
gum up the sand(Xlpcr and
Many cherry boards
takes a long limC' to dry.
wli/absorllan
You can overcome lhc.'>C oll-baSBd finish
problems by scaling with unllVlln/y, /eavlng a
a <:Oat of dcwaxcd shellac. blotchy appaarance.
Hov.'CVer, J neyer usc shclbc A jAb. clltof
with ClI:tcrlor varnishes. Because of shel- dIIwalrIId sh&llac
limits absorption
lac'S hrinle nlturc, Icmpennure nucrualions
In the tnoIlI porous
cao "''CakeD iL~ Ixmd to the subsl:r:l.fc :md
c::iIUSC Ihe finish [0 fail. In this case you
hlVC:I couple of options. You can thin the
....
area, for an IIWIII

varnish by 50% with mineral spirits and ap-

ply il to the hare v:ood. It takes longer 10
dry ::md is harder to sand than .~hcllac. hUI
you gCI :l durahle exterior finish. A more
cxpcn.~lvc option is a marine-grade scaler The advantage to
that Is stearate· free, such as Inlcrlux's In- applying a 2~b. cllt
of $hel/ac rather
Icrprirnc Wood Sealer (j:lTlleslowndistribu-
th.!n a thin coat
IOB.com), sUitahle for interior or exterior of IIMIIIsh as a
work ( For more on Slearatcs, see "Why to _1ft, coM Is that
avoid liOITle :o;ealers," p. 5 \.) shellac pawrlers
For oil·b a sed finishes, sea.] to avoid when sanded (left)
blotching-With oil or oil-and-varnish but varnish gums
fini~he.~, rhe prohlem is not poor ~and­ up the sandpaper
(rlg/lt).
ing, bur rather exces.~ivc or uneven pen-
etration. Porous woods such as butternut
~m to drink this type of finish and nevcr
create an even sheen. Others such as pine
TAME OILY WOODS
and cherry can end up blotchy. And on
alotost all wood~, thc end grain The oI/s In some
fUm.~ darker than the OlheT tropical woods can
surfaces. T hinning delay OT &VeIl " , .
\'tint an olI-based
thc firs! coat
finish from curing,
IftlWlng It stK:ky. The
rlgJIt slda of the
I)oIIrd was sea/lid
wlrh shallllC, which
prevents this prob-
lem.

) 1 LV/AtJG! ST 2012 49
 Why seal? (continued)

Vinyl sealer for kitchens

and bathrooms
The pros spray this for most of their seallng. It
has all tha advantages of shellac but also stands
. " ". up to high heat and humidity, making It a good
----~ choice for kitchen cablneb , tabletop!l , and
-- - bathrooms. You can apply It by hand but only to
small araas because It dries very fast .
ADD WARMTH
waterborne finishes can lelWfl some
woods, such as che"y, looking gray. TIle
right-hand side of the sample was sealed
wtth dewa"ed garnet shellac for a warmer
look.

Pad on s mall surfaces or

spray like a pro. Although
vinyl seli/er Is desIgned to be
sprayed (left), you can plld
It on If you work quickly and
, SEAL BETWEEN OIL AND WATER In small arells (above). Vinyl
Applying a waterborne topcoat over sealer Is Ideal under solvent
an oll-based pigment stain Is asking lacquer and two-pert ca talyzed
for trouble. DewaJred shellllc seals In finishes. The maIn drawback Is
tha stain lind gives II good base for the tha fumllS, so wear a respirator
topcoat. when spraying or warlling with
poor ventilation.

only makes these problems worse. Again, base for the \vaterhome fini~h, shellac can
shellac comes to the rescue. Instead of enhance and wann the overall tone of a
sealing, the aim i~ to let absorbent areas o f fini~h, particularly if you use darker grades
the wood soak up the washcoat while the such as de\\'lIxoo garnet. Th is is henei"ioal
rest of the surface i~ minimally changed. v.~th waterhome fini~hes , which can have
To do this, apply only a thin, I-lb. cut of a cold and somewhat lifeless appeara nce.
dewaxed shellac and when dry, lightly Us e vinyl s e ale r in h o t or m o ist a r-
sand it with 220-grit paper. You will see ."-Vinyl - ha.~d sealer may he consid-
slightly less shimmer from figured woods ered the modem shellac. It drics quickly.
but the o .....erall tone will be more even . forms an exccllent barrier, and bonds so
Se al ers minimize raised grain-Some well that vinyl resin is tile base for many
waterhorn e finishes are quite alkaline, adhesives. Like shellac, it will also lock in
which promotes grain raising when they are conl:1minant~ and seal oily woods. u.~ it
After the board was colored with a water- applied to bare wood. Manufacturers sell for interior project~ only. However, it has
bllsed dye. the near slda was sealed with
neutral-pH sealers, laheled sanding sealers, far hener heat and moisture resisl:1nce than
dewaxed shellac- When a waterborne
topcoat WIIS brushed on, It removed some but you sacrifice some durability (.<;CC op- shel lac, so it is a good sealer for ki tchens
of the dye on tha fllr side, but not In the posite page), so the bener choice is once and bathrooms. Although sold to be used
sealed 111811. again shellac. A~ well as providing a smooth under solvent lacquers or two-part coat-

50 fl!\H WOODWORk.I\G
 Why to avoid
some sealers
Marine-grade sealer
for the great outdoors
Only the toughest finls hoslurvlve the sun , salt, and water
ex perienc ed on 8 boat. You can either thin a hlgh-quality
marine varnish and use that as a sealer coat , or look for a
marine sealer that doesn 't contain st earates.

Petroleum
Stoddard Usually, In
I
woodworking,
your best choice
Is a tool or
product speCifically
designed for the job. That's not the
AvoId .hellac. Shellac Is too brmle to USB as an exterior sealer and wtll fall with case with many products sold as
S8\1ef8 wood movement, so you can either thin the varnish topcoat by SO" with · sandlng seala... ,~ whethar waterborne
mineraI spirits, or use a mllrlnfl-grade sealer that doesn't contain stearates. or oll-ba sad, The lattar consist of a
vlnyl-alkyd rasln that seals , a fast-
drying solvent such as toluene that
ings to which it is chemica]!y related , it can cause rL~heye, where contamination repels allows you to recoat In under an hour,
be used under any type of finish . the fini~h and leaves linle craters. Again, an and zinc stearates or metallic soaps
TI}{~ downside i~ that vinyl.o;ealer is fomlU- initial coat of shellac i~ the answer. to make sanding eaSier. Thesa last
Iated to be sprayed, and is nO[ the friendliest components are the sealers ' Achilles
SNIT. But you em pad it on after thinning it Sealers between finishes heel. They make the saaler soft and
Cv.~th lacquer thinner), and protect yourself When doing a multi-sICp finish , product
tend to produce a weak bond wtth the
v.~th gloves, a respir:J.tor, and good ventila- compatibility is a hig t<;sue , We aJl know
substrate and subsequent coatings.
tion . If applying it by hand, it works hcst that oil and water don't mix, so it is gocd
Closely examine the description of
on small projects because it dries rapidly. practice 10 apply shellac or a vinyl sealer
It doesn't sand as well as shellac, so some hem'een an oil-based stain, grain filler or the can 's contents : Like the example
sealers include SICarates, but hener one,~ glaze, and a waterborne clear coal. Oth- Shown above, If you 58e either
usc a modified nitrocellulose resin 10 help erwise you run the risk of poor adllesion. stearates or soaps mentioned, then go
with sanding, Examples include Sherwin- Sometimes two similar products must with another type of sealer,
Williams' High Solid Vinyl Sealer No. Th7F5 be kept apart to avoid a fatal anraction. A -PoG.
and M.L. Camphell'sC1OO 25. lloth come in water-based dye can bleed into a water-
a minimum size of 1 gaL, but Behlen's Vinyl borne topcoat and leave a muddy, blurry
Sealer come.~ in quarts (wocdcraftcom). appearance, A thin coat of sealer will lock
Seal in the oib in problem wood.'i- in dIe dye or stain and allow you to topcoat
TIle oils in some tropical wood~ such as with ease, If you plan to usc an alcohol -
rosewood and cocobolo can prevent oil- ba'>Cd non-grain-rai~ing dye, brushing shel-
based finishes from curing, leaving them lac as a topcoat can he problematic because
sticky. The same is true of the chemicals in the alcohol in the shellac 'will reactivate dIe
aromatic red cedar and the resin in pine. dye . Overcome this by spraying a very thin
In all caws, applying a coat of dewaxed first coat of shellac. Trust me; Making the
shellac 10 the bare wocd isolates the oil- right choice.~ will save headaches down the
A tfakytfnIM. On this window seat, a
based finish aod allows it to cure nonnally. road. Guess how I know thali 0 waterborne topcoat was applied over a
Finally, if you are refinishing an old piece stearated sealer. The weak bond between
of fumirure, surface contamination, particu- Peter Gedrys is the rmner of Architectural tha two types of finiSh caused the topcoat
larly silicone oil from fumirure polish, can Finishes in East Haddam, Conn. to delamlnata after It was scratched.

www.finewoodworking.com J U LY/AUGUST 20t2 51

 f you ask a furniture maker ing a solid-wood frame around to jerk the machine sideway~

I 300m joinery for fine fur-

niture, you're sure 10 hear
about <Jm.'CUiL~, mortises, len·
a veneered panel, tabletop,
or door, or joining a leg 10 a
veneered pane l. BisruiL~ also
when you ~Iart Ihe cut. Al.ro.
hiscuit joiners C:ln he difficult
to ho ld and Ihey h:we small
ons, dadoc.~, and even rnbhcl~. leI me huild more adven- fences, so th ey jump around
nUl I'd he surprised if bi:o;cuil~ turous fumilUre that would and lift 01T the work. 1·lnwcv-
were mentioned, unless only be difricult with traditional e r, I've found a glCat solulion
10 explain how they h:lVC no joinery. to all of Ihese problems: Thm
place in high-end work ThaI's Perhaps the higgest reason your bL~il joiner inlo a sta-
a s ham e, because there lire why hiscuiL<; have been dis- tionary tool by alia ching it 10
some joints where a oi.'iCUit missed by many fumirure mak- a s hopmade t:ll>le.
is the best solution. They're er.; i<; thai hi.<;ruit joiners .seem Att:lchcd 10 the 131>Ie, the bi...
great for joining thc raib and ina.pahle of accuT':u,:y. The cut- cuit joiner really docs h3ve a
stilc'! of a face fr:lmc , 31t:lch· ler's rotation ha~ a tendency place in fine furniture. I'll show

JIG CURES THE JITTERS

Tile biggest problem with a biscuit Joiner 15 how much II wtmlS
to mo~e around when you use II handheld. To stop It cold. bolt
It 10 Ihls lable.

Bon It down. ArtllChed to a l~bIe,

• blsculr joiner ~ "MIlt,
10 COIttrol
and produces spof-on Joinery.
Table Is allKlled

-•, 1I
~ 10 feel: willi
drywall SCTWW!l.

- ,

Plywood lable,
¥. In. thick by
-
16 In. wide :":..._/
24 In. long
Ba~k foot Is Insel
1'1t In. from ba~k
Feel, 1'1, In. thick edge of lacle.
by 221n. long
by 2"", In. tall ~~--J

, _ ""Hn," f,.m,"".';',f. ''.In.

of lable are used 10 caplUre
the boll lot fhe biscuit joiner.

oflhe toot Feel ani spaced

4% In. apart
 yOIlwhere it's .~ma!t to use one
and how to get the best rcsult~.

When and where to use

biscuits
lliscuit~ can be used to join
two :;olid-wood pans, mu ve-
neered pallCl~, and :;olid v,ood
to a \'Cnecrcd panel. Bu t they
can't be used everyw here.
Don't usc them for heavily
stre...<;Cd joints , like tho.o;e in a
cha ir, or for joint~ thai hold a
lot o f weight , like tho.o;e anach-
ing .~hel\'Cs to a bookcase.
OK, th at cove~ w here \0 usc
them, but not how. A strong
bi,.;cu it joint i~ a balandng a ct.
You need e n ough biscuit~ to
cre ate adequate glue su rface ,
but not so many
tha t their slot~ sig-
nificantly weak -
en the two parts
you ' re joining. I
follow these guide-
lines to detennine
how many hi<;cuit~
a joinl can handle
a nd where to put
them: First, biscuit~
s hould be at least
j/i6 in. from the top

surface and % in.

Stop JIIocII: does dcNrbIot duty. It augn, ttte Slot lIN . tIN. Bec.use of the table lIfId the stop b/ocJI., you above the bottom
,a" and stl,. with ttte cutter. And tl«.9uH the need worry ebottt only two thIngs: holdlnl the sllie firmly
o ne. Second, sl(){.~ should be
cutten rotaflon forces tttem Into rhe stop, It eplflSf the jolflflr alld pelshlnl the culter Into tile Illte.
at least ~ in. aw ay from any
prewnls them from sIIlftJnt durin, ttte cur.
edge-any doser and the re-
R."..t tw fII. maini ng material i~ too weak.
,.11. The stop block Likewise, the minimum spac-
lIasn't moved, so ing between sJot~ is Y. in., but
Just pelf down ttle ! typically space them 2 in. to
rail and cut tllll
3 In. apart.
slot. You11 n&ed to
Finally, go easy on the glue
flip the parts to
do filII JoInt at tllll and app ly it o nly to the slots
opposite end of tllll (spread ing it around) and, of
rail, so you won't course, the mating edges o f
be referllnclnloff the pans. Then wait at least
tile same face. But 24 hou~ after glue-up before
don't worry: Thll you .~and or plane the pans.
blscults will ItIII
m<;C\lit~ are compres..<;Cd during
IIfHI up.
manufacture, and water in the
glue cau:;e.<; them to expand
and push out on the ma te-
rial sUlTOllnding dle s lot. That
Cfe:Jte.<; a slight hump on the
.~urfacc_ If you sand or plane
too r.oon, tha t hump becomes

54 FI,\1! WO ODW O IIKI\"

 NT_~u,H
STAR TWIT H THE M IT..,E,R,--,J"O...I ... ....,","o'"o''"",<I'O' "'"'o'od<","""",,"o'' ,jo,'"o,.,,"
....',""..".,"".'"poo'"o.,fo,',mc',."'O',rl,"o.c',o_.,'"",,",.___

Loc.t. tile stop block. Align th8 Joints Clamp the stop In plac •• Its point Is at the :rwo Jobs etaln. The stop both aligns the parts
centerline with the Joiner and trace the parts Intersection ofthe two lines. located so that and provides some resistance against the
edge on the table. Repeat for tha second part. the parts fit snugly between It and the joiner. cutter. St///. hold the part firmly against It.

SLOT THE EDGE-JOINTS NEXT Continuous splines remove too much wood and weaken the Joint. Biscuits are a beller choice.

Soll6--wood edging Veneered pane l Cut .'ots for the

trame .. edge. A
Edging is slightly offset. fence clamped to
Biscuit the table keeps the
\
workpiece firmly
against the Joiner,
but lats you quickly
sJldeJt from OM
slot to the next

OFFSET THE FRAME, AND PLANE IT FLUSH

Tape under the panel centers II on the thicker
edging. Plane the offset flush after assemb ly.

-
the penel
the offset between the frame and panel. Make sure
to slot the panel with the face down. Lean Into the
panel to keep It against the joiner during the cut. A
short support stand (bottom right) comes In hamly.

www.finewoodworking .com JU L Y/ A UGUST 2012 55

 an indentation after the bis.cuit
drie.~ out and shrinks.

lock It down
After a lot of frustration aod
sloppy joiol~, and just a~ I was
ready to give up on the biscuit
joiner for fumiru~, I decided to
try :;omcthing new. I designed a
bcnchtop table and bolted my
joiner to it (.<;ee p. 53). Anached
to the table, it can't jump be-
ClU.<;/! of the cuner's rotation or
lift o ff the workpiece. Now it
lives o n the table and J a lmost
never need to take it off.
Th e table is nothing more
than a plywood b ase aoacbed
to two sled feet. The feet have
SHIM THE JOINER flats that all ow me to clamp
Pllnels afe typically set bllck from th e edille the tahle to my workbench,
ola leg. To creete thet offset, put II shim putting the biscu it joiner at a
under the Joine r. The thickness of the s him comfonable height. The joiner
determines the amount of offset. t~ bolted to one edge of the
plywood, leaving a large open
Veneered paMlI
workspace where I can tem-
porarily attach stop blocks and
toggle clamps as needed_
. TIle Slop blocks (and an oc-
Clsional fence) do two jobs.
Firs" I sct them up so that they
align workpieces to the cuner.
Second, when possible I 10-
CIte them.<;() that they help the
Pvf:. IpecwlHHlH tIN}oInw. The spaCM raises lIle workpiece resist the force o f
cutter to offset the slots In the leg. Vafy Its thkkness to the cun e r, and thai makes for
vary the offset and n!mOVll It for slottfnt the parlel.

Hold file let witt!

• clam". Fortune's
Da-St5-Co-slyle
plunge clamp 1I1'Il5
on a 5qUIIn! of
plywood so that he
can put It whefll'l'llr
It's needed on a
variety of bl5cult/n,
5etups.

56 Ft'!! WOODWOIIl("I\"
 CONTROL THE OFFSET
Adding tape 10 t he table ensures
that the pane ls align the way you
want.
SaUd-wood edging
Is planed flu sh
Slight offsel after glue-up.

Biscuit

'"
Side _~/
Tape creat• • an o""'t. TIle top Is raised slightly and, after
assembly, It ends up Just beneath the top end of the side.

a cleaner and more accurate

slot. A~ for the toggle clamps,
I put them on their own bases,
which arc then clamped down,
making my work much more
emdent hecaus.e it 's quicker 10
clamp down a block and un-
clamp it when you're done us-
ing it than it is to screw down
a clamp and unscrew it when
you're done , Also. it keeps the
table free of screw holes. Add a clamp for
I glue IOO -grit sandpaper Ute side. Attach
10 the faces of all of my stop It to a square of
blocks so they grip better. I plywood that can
also rabbet the bottom edge. be clamped to the
because biscuit joiners eject teble. TIIat way, It's
quicker to switch
dust from the from o f the ma-
between using the
chine. Without the rahbet. dust clamp and not. Be
builds up on the from o f the sure the side Isn 't
stop block. plL~hing the work- resting on the tape.
piece out of alignment. 0
Michael C. Fortune is a contributing
editor.

www.fi n ewoodwor ki n g .com

•
 ompass planes, also

C called circular planes,

have a rich hL<;tory nUl
are strangely overlooked by
modem woodworkers. In the
past, they WCIl' used by ship-
wrighL~, carriage builders, and
fumirurc makers. Today, for
swee ping curves, Ihe plane
is still unchallenged. il beat~
a spokeshave on wide siock
because il has more mass
and momcnrum, with a long.
adjustable sole thaI creales
smoother curves, free o f flat
spcx.~ and kinks . And it's faster

Create smooth
Why You Need a curves that are
fair to the eye
and hand

BY PAUL
S C HUR CH

than the contoured and flexible

sanding blocks that I've used in
the paS(. I usc this plane for all
~rt.~ of furniture parts, as well
as for routcr templates.
I grab myoid Stanley com-
pass plane for both regular
curves with a unifonn arc and
organic curves with an CVCT-
cha n g ing radius, called "fair
curvc,~: using the adjustment
knob to alter the curve of the
~lc on the ny. Since almost
all of my fumirurc has curved
components, almost every

•
project is lOuched hy a com-
pass plane.
I usc the tool on solid wood ,
plywood, and MDI'. I 1L<;e it to
smooth the hand~a'\vn curves
on router templates, and then
I usc it aga in on actual work-
pieces, to remO\'{' the machine
 NTAGE PlA~ES NEW MODElS

STANLEY IS STiU KI NG KU N Z : GOOD

You can find 100II Stanley No. U3 AFTER A TU NE-UP
'clrcul.r" planes on Itle used tool Whh some elbow .,.e...,
market for $50 you can get the t(unl 113
to $200. They Chcuiar Plane ($300;
are nlcel)' mllde hlghlandwood"worklng
and comfortable .com) working welt It Is
to USII. with very based on the Stanley
1111111 slop between No. 113. lind Is II
the movlne parts. clo5llsecond In
qUIIUt~.

Com". an~".
You can get a good
grip on Stanley-
stylll compass
planes. and th e
R ECO RD HAS ISSU ES all/us/ment knob
Reeord No. 20 compass Is easy to reach on
planes .re also Byallable th e fly.
IIMd. but l!ley af.
uncomfortable
to hold.

ANAN T ISN ' T AS PRE CISE

The Anant 113 Circulllr Plane
($240. hlghlandwood
worklng.com) Is
al50 bllSlld on Iha
Stanley, but hIlS
rough castings
,.. 1" 'n fII' lind too much
slop In tha moylng
knllCkl•• To let
good ruults wltfl parts.
/I compass plane,
you need to push
harde, on the front.
Unfortunately. th.
RfH:ord has" IItt/e
locking knob nfl'r
the front that dillS
Into your hand.

mark s. Although the tool artide, "Drawing Big Curves," design c hanges, re:lchlng its p bne. and the front-knoh ad -
handles concave and convex in FWW"'17S, pinnacle as the Stanley No. justment on the No. 113 style
curves w ilh equal lplomh. 113 Circular Plane. The adtust- works herter for me th:ln othe r
there L~ a limit 10 how light a Where to get one, ment of the from :md TC!I r sole system~.

curve il can h:mdlc. However, and which one to get occurs in un ison with a si ngle Alt h ough Sta nley stopped
my favOrite curves :Ire long The first adjuMable-sole com- adjustment knob, bending the m:lk ing the No. 113 in 1942,
and graceful, and Inc
comp3ss pa:;..., plane was designed by spri ng-stccl sole inlo :I conVCl( there are plenty on the used-
plane handles them hcautifulty l.eonard Bailey in 187 1. T his or con<::I¥e curve. I I1nd mysclf tool market. You can get a good
Por t ips on designing :lnd u.~ St:lnlcy No. 13 was a crude af- constamly miero-adjust ing the one on eBay for between $SO
ing fair, organic curves,.sec my fa ir and went through many curve w he n using a compa:;..~ a nd $200. If you buy an older

J LL Y / A U GUST 20 12 59
 plane, make sure that both sole
p latcs arc ri~·ctcd cleanly and
:';CCurcly to the plane body, and
that ncithe r i~ hen! or twisted
rrom the plane heing d ropped.
ALo;o, there should he lirue-to-
no play in thc adjustment gears
or the anns that connect the
:;olc to the plane body, and no
mis.~i ng or cl":1ckcd JY.lrt.~.

Comfort ",..1. Your o thc r ma in compas.<;-

pbnc option on the vintage-
Start by IlIklng
Ihe plane llpart. tool ma rkct i.~ the Record No.
especllllly " If.. II 20. nu t I find these uncom-
new one. 1100 ullng fort ahle to hold, with a small
II file to knock off locking knob that d igs into the
tile burrs lind sllllrp
l13.ck of my fm nt hand.
edges tllat would
dig Into your I14nds. As for new tools, th ere arc
two circu lar planes being ma n-
uflctured today, both based
o n th e Sta nl ey No . 113: th e
German-made Kun z, a nd th e
Anant, w hic h i~ made in India.

TO FLATTEN THE SOLE

Se.'IM mCNltft. First, pur palnrllr"s caulk Into StOllIl tIN bottom. Adjust tile SINe "1It, lock FI.r wll.,.. It m.tt..... You mlgllt not be able
Ihe moutll to klltlp Walllr lind ebrasMJ tift from down the plane using a vise 1100 blocks liS 10 rellclI rile sllllilow depnlsslons just sllead of
getting undllr tllll rlVIIted SOIIl, w11l1relt will /)II sliown, and sand the area arouoo tile moutll end /)lllIlnd tile moulll, but tile nllrrow llress on
IIl1rd to remlMl. flat, finishing wltlllloning stones. ellcll sldllllre crttl(lll refarence surfaces.

-
Lube Job. Use alight allllkll cllmellill to /ubd-
cale the moy/ni parts. lind to ptOlect IIU of tile
e>cpOYHl stfHII In general.
1JtIdo:., dll",.....kw Is • toM IIpgaH.
An IItt~lIl"f(el clllpbrallker will stabilize Ihe
stock bl6de for smooth".. cuts.

60 FI"\1! WOODWOIIl("I"\"
co :A Press down here.
C 'E

Ollfsld. In. Wltllllil curves. alWays p//IIrI8 from h'l" to low to work with the graIn and
8~".pp avoid tearout. On concave curves. fhls means p//IIrIlng from the ends toward the center.

CONVE
C RHE. "'~
d~"
here.

No pp. On outs/d" curves. set fhe tap close to zero, but Ino"" out. Work from the centltr O~rd, and whether concave or convex. try
always feel free fa adjusf on the fly to Improve tile ,etlan. rfl\lflrslng direction If you are gettIng tIMrollt.

r look a vcry close look at bOlh Start with a tune-up keep the water and wet grit clamped upside dov.'Tl on my
planes and found thai the Kumr: All of Ihe available plane.~, new from getting under the riveted bench, moving the plane lightly
is fairly wclJ-m:lc hincd, and or old, need a tune-up to do sole, where it will be difficult over the hell to do the initial
v.urks well afler a runc-up. 111e their best work. Some require to impos,~ihle to remove. 111en flattening. A diamond plate
Arum ha.~ rougher ca.o;tingo; lmd more and sornc les.<;. nip the plane over, adjust the makes a good intermediate
a .~loppicr 111 i>cl'>.'ccn critical Start by taking the pla ne sole as flal as pOM iblc, and ste p , b ut I always finish by
part.~ . completely apart and filing all clamp it in a visc as s hown polishing the sole with my
I was happy 10 discover that the sharp edges down to make on the opposite page. If the watcrstoncs.
Lie-Nielsen Toolworks is 31:0;0 handling more comfortable. sole l~ especially bumpy. 51art In the end, there might be a
v.'Orking on a compas.~ pbne, Next, you might need to IC'o'e1 flattening it with 220-grit WC!· dcprc.<;''iCd area in front o f or
and is pf:lnning a lalc-20 12 the sole. But first, squirt some o r-<lry sandpaper on a block. beh ind the blade o pening that
release. caulk down into the throat to I've even u.'>Cd a bell ~nder, you can't quite remo\'e, hut a.<;

J LLY / A U GUST 2012 61

Quldler, aItorter atrok... Plana more quIckly
than you would with a normal bench plana, wIth
shorter strokes of 6 In. to 1.2 In. And focus the
pressure on the front ofthe sole (above). On the As the curve changes and the plane stops
return stroke, tip the plana upward (right) to lfIIOld ma kIng shavings, the Stanley design ma kes It
dulling the exposed blada. easy to fine-tune the sole between strokes.

long as the narrow sides of the

opening are polished, you 'll
have a good continuous sur-
face to p lane on.
Last, blowout all the
moisture, and lubricate all
the metal part~ with camellia
oil or another silicon -free
lubricant to keep them running
smoothly.
The full monte- Although
I'd never tried these upgrades
before, I also tested both a
be tter aftermarket blade and
thicker chipbreaker to sec if
Work In aeetIon .. I could improve the perfor-
On long pieces with mance even further.
changIng curves ,
The chipbreaker had a sig-
work one section
at a tlma, adjusting
nificant effect, stabilizing the
tha sale as you go. standard blade for less chat-
ter and a smoother cut. Be
aware that the chipbrcaker for
a compass plane must have a
slightly different hole pattern
than one for a bench plane.
Ron Hock made a custom
model for my testing, and has
agreed to make more for $30
each (No. BK113; HockTools
,com). As for the thicker blade,
I wouldn't bother unless you
buy a vintage plane that has
a rusted or pined o ne. In that
case, most lo/.&-in. -wide bench-
plane blades will work, ~ith

62
thicker ones requiring you to
file the mouth a hit.

Successful planing
1bc pla ne L~ ca.")' to u.<;c. hut a
few li ps will help a 101 f or a
sun, always press down hard-
er on the from of a eom pas.~
plane. That kccps the blade
engaged in the ",'OOd, and also
happens to cre3le a slight gap
Octwccn the ooek of the :-;ole
and the surfacc. for good plan-
ing action, the size of th:l1 gap
should be diffe rent for in ner
and OUler curves. Por inside
(concave) curves, i\Cl the curve
of lhe :-;ole a hair (Y.i2 in. or:-;o)
shon of the desired shape. Por
out~ide curves, the hack of the
wle should he close to l.eTO.
barely touching the wood as ",.ldng t_pIaoteL After Illying out Ills curves on paper, li e glues th"t to templ" te $tock lind pl"nfl5 to tile
line. Wllere" SlInder would IfIfIVlIlI bumpy surfllce. the comp"n pltme cre"tes ,mootll, flowing curves.
you !iel the curve. If you are
having a difficu lt time getting a
good shaving, make sllght ad·
justment, to the :-;ole and hlade
as you plane. You'll get there.
11le orner key is to take quick
6- to 12·io. strokes, shorter and
fasler than you would with a
bench plane. Also, since the
blade L~ exposed, lift up the
baek slightly on the return
!ilrokc 10 avoid du lling il with·
OUI breaking )'OU r rhythm.
For long, changing curves,
tackle the job in scction.~, tum-
ing the .o;crcw.adjustment J..TlOb Rofllllll"g out. Tempillte routing doesn't work well on tMcw WOtkpleees, so Sd'Iiirclllflys these out wftll
tile tempJ"te (left) and tflen bIIndSllWS close to the line (right).
to dial in the proper arc as
you work the plane along !he
length of the curve. If the g~in
hegin.~ tcaring in Ihe direction
of tr:lvel. change your direc-
tion, the same way you would
with a regu lar ])ench plane.
Perlect C:UrveL
This plane has strongly in- Sclliircll tllen U$fl5
fluenced my design work and Ills compass pillne
Furnirure making, giving each to qLllckly remove
piece an organic fccl and gl'3ce til" bandsllw
unolxainable in any other way. marks fInd leave II
smootll surf/IC" for
Try it II might become one of
fI,..,/ s.andlng fInd
the 1TlOS1 cherished hand tools finishing.
in your collection. too. 0
Paul Schilrth builds fum/lUre in
Santa Barba/a, Calif.. and teaches
widely. Go 10 Schtlrthll'oodWOIt
.com frx info.

www.fin ewoo d wo rki ng.co m J LL Y / A UGUS T 2012 63

 have dC~i8ncd dozcn.~ of chairs during my career, and made add the scat and h3Ck In it. As a result, the legs and rails can

I scvcr:ll hundred. Whenever r design one, I strive [0 make it

beautiful, comfonlhlc, and strong. Meeting those goals often
means the Ch3irs arc difficult [0 huild, with parts meeting at com-
be square to one another, which simplifies the joinery. But the
scat and hack can be highly contoured for comfort, and then
anached 10 the base wilh ~crcw~ (l have a great technique
pound anglcs. And then all thno;e part~ must be hand-shaped so for the shaping).
they join scamlcs.~ly. A chair like Ihi~ i~ fo r a dining tahle, :<;0 you' ll be planning 10
SO, I hegan looking for a [Ci'\,~ complex way to make chairs, ma ke at least four, hut more likciy ,~ ix or eight. Since you're basi-
while remaining true 10 my design gools of beau[}', comfort, and cally taking your wood ....'OI'king into production mode, I'll show
strenglh In trnditional chlinnaking the leg.~, rail~, seat, and back you some nifty jigs that will make the pmces.~ go more smoolhly
are pan of a single unit, which complicates conSlruction quickly. and quickly.
With Ihis design, J horrowcd from fechniquc.~ developed in Scandi- I've now made a 101 chairs thi.~ v,'3y, and I couldn·t be ha ppier
navia during the mid-2OI:h century. Uy scpanning the seal and back with the results. The basic s tructure and technique is nexihle
from the legs :md r:aib, you huild the chair's base fiTS( and then enough 10 accommodate a V';lricry of de.~igns , Best of all, C'o'eTl a

64 FI'\f! WOODWORI(\\" 1'1........... ~ .......... IP'J"h" JIartnan

SQUARE FRAME MEETS COMFY CURVES To purchase digita l plans arid
a complete autlist for this
All tha Joints In this
chair are straight, so '"1oln.
W""...c;-' ena ir and olher Pfojects, go to
FlneWoodworlling.com/PianStore.
II"s much less difficult
to make tliSR most
nl l-',,",
3'1.ln. Back. lin. thick by ~ Il ' Tapered plugs
others. Add Fortune's
clever approach 10 the
:I. II ,
19 In. wide by 8 In. tall

\ Screws ho!d back and

curved parts, end a Seat, .1 Yo In. thick Back leg, '1, ln. thick by seat to char,.
full set of six or eight by 21'1. In. wide by 2'1. In. wide by 30'Jo In.
Is w1ihln the reach of 17¥.. ln. deep long
first-time ct18lrmekers. Back rail,
'1.ln.thlckby
lY,ln , 2'h In. wide by
Wedges
~ '1..!n . radius
B In. long

W~r
,
Double tenon.
" % In. thick by
2~. ln. wide by
1'1, In. 1"1, ln.long

I ",,", T r
2'1,ln
T Cleat, '10 In. •
square by __~
B In. long

Side rail, 'loi n. thick

by 31'0 In. wide by
I ' 16'1. In. long
Front rail,
131n
'1o ln.thlckby
2'1, ln.wldeby Sliptenons,
15 In. long "A.ln.thlckby
10 In.
% In. wide by 2 In.
long
Slip tenon.
'Join. thick by
1"10 In. wide Front leg, 1'1. In. thick
by 2'1. In. long by 1'10 in. wide by
17°Jo ln. long
~n. ~In.
FRONT LEG SACK LEG

BACK RAIL

15-in. radius
, DOUBLE MORTISE I
34'1.-ln .
DETAIL
, ,
radius 1"" In. l ',i;ln.

,•
I "'i
'I.. ln.
P
• in.
FRONT RAIL
2'1. In .

•
""
1'1.. 1 •

SEAT BACK SIDE RAIL

JULY/AUGUST 2012 65
Ultimate jigloLSlipJenons,,-_ -
Th is JI,.. usefulness ,oel far beyond this article. View port, '10 In.
We first presented It In FWW '197. but we've by 6 In. long
Included It he., to< those of you wlttlollt access FlYe-star
.",'"
Guide !tIIII, 'I. In.
thick by 1 In. wide
by 12 In. long
by 6 In. loog.
same width as
rooter base

• plywood, 'h in.

Guide. UHMW~,.
plastic.,..11'1. __-_~""'!
J by 10 In. wide
by 12 In. long
by 3Y:. In. long
'.
08dO,",,::,:"p _______ %.-In .
by '/, In. wide
holes,
spaced
Mounting block.
hardwood, 1'~ In. 1"" In.
apart
thick by 3% In . wide
ROUT THE by 1 2 In. long _ ____

OOUBLE Ho ld-<lown
The holes on the back clamp
MORTISES side lire counter/Jored _ - - _
to le.we T-nuts slightly
below the surface.

BOTTOM ONE FIRST

Set thllJlg for the monlse fe,rlles! from
lid.,.
the top

'rT'c;;;;:::_r~_;Router
Rill

Support b lock, hardwood,

varies by Job. This one
Is sll ed to hold the ralls
against the top of the jig.
lock Ute fo9 of tile JJ4. Then
Top edge of ,.Ir Is clamp the workpl&ee In place and
aplnst I~ejills rout the bottom mortise. In. thick In this case
,IIImpln, 'Urlll~.
EN D GRAI N
NOW ADD A SPACER
MORTISES
This lets you cut rhe top monlse ",lthou!
MOU NT
changing your set up.
VE RTI CA LLY
Rout the ends
of the rails with
the worKpiece
clamped against
the support
block. which
sta)'S exactly
where it was
wlle<1 you were
routing tile face.
grain mortises.

iliac Use. 1JIe spacer lets you keep

the avera" setup /oc:I(ed In and
Add " ~n"f"lcll spec,.between
the ii, and fop ~te of the ,./1.
ready for lIIe nut workpiece.
- 0 -- Mort'. . fli'
tulck,.,.. For..
STEP 1:
ROUT TH E LONG MORTISE
t UM &dds a Ionl
pI_ o( plywood "..."J ~;;:"~ro;;;;;
behind the vertl-
elfl dlImp/ni sur·
f _ and notched
to tit llround the
CUT THE STEPPED JIt"I mounthll
block. so lie elfll
MORTISE AND TENON use a Slop block
Had fortune used II Illp tenon to quickly Ioc3te
here, the mortise In the end ,rain 1111 of fM legs
of the rail would be 100 close to (lind fhet\ e lot
the double mortlses for the baek w!'len )'Gu 'nt milk· Mortise
.,,.In ..(IIII. twQ..nute
rail. wllllkenln, thelloe rail . Inl sill 01'" ellftt
IIlum lnum cutting
chelrs). end mil l

Anoth.r .,uIc.r STE P 2:

toth. ,..cu• . ROUT THE THROUG H-MORTISES
',joIn.
When rout/n,
the two through·

2'1, ln.
bllck lei, Fortune
mortIses In the
puts II smell bloek
:!~~~~~~~~~~;!~~~
In the JII to lock

JJ
In their lentrh.
Switch It to tile
ot her end of the
JII (01'" the sllCOlld
mort"'. • • • •
% In.
"'. In •.(Ila. two.nute
aluminum cutting
IIInd mill
novice chainn:aker can u,o;e the technique
and make grcal chairs right aW:ly.
CUT THE STEPPED
TENON
One jig handles many mortises
The curved legs give the chai r an air of
JWo.part cheek&. After
complcxi[}'. 13m thaI's an iIIu$ion. The rait~
cutting thinner cl!eek s lit
and Icg.~ ITlCCt :It right ~nglc.~ and .~Iip len· tile tlfld of thll board, /ower
ons hold them together, except for an in- the dildo set, adjust the rip
tegral tcnon where the ~idc 1':111 joins the rence, lind cut thll thicker
back leg. M:lking the joinery comc~ down bllSII sllCflon of the tenon.
10 routing a hunch of ~tr:lighl mortises.
111C slip tcnon..~ arc basically straight ~ticks
planed (0 fit. As for the curves in the legs,
don't SWC:lllhcrn. Usc the drawings to get
you dose :lnd trust your eyes when nuk-
ing templatet'!. Form the doubl. t.lIOII.
While the legs :lnd roil.~ are still straight FortuM makes aI/ ofthll
and square, hut before routing the mor_ euts at tile bIIndsaw, us-
In; dIagonal cuts to clMn
tise!; , d ri ll hole.~ in the b:lck leg.~ and ~ide
out the WllSt ll between the
r:l i L~ for allaching the hack :lOd ,o;cat
tllnOll5.
I rout a ll the mortises with the help of
one shopmade jig, starting wilh the double
monL<;cS that join the side r:liI~ to the front
rail These arc orienled horizontally. be·
cause vertical mortises CUI aCl'Ol'.~ 100 much
grain and weaken the r:llt~. The double

www.fi newoo d wo rkin g .co m 67

ligs diaLin too ieg..shapes, too,_
When you ... e making e sel of chelrs, It pays to ma ke Jigs for t he repetitive t asks, especia lly shap ing.
Your parts ere guaranteed to be exactly the same and you'll get th em done much quicker.

• ANGLE THE TOPS OF THE BACK LEGS

The curv&d beck Is sc rewed onto bevel ed tapers
at the lops of Ihe legs, so Ih ese cuts a re critical.
Stop, hardwood,
'I. In. thick by
3'1. In. wide
This Jig handl es the teper, end t he ba nd saw
lable creales t he bevel.

Screws are used fo adjust

position of leg On Jig.

Fence. hardwood, Y.ln.

square by 10 In. long_''

2", In. Top of leg registers

against stop.
TIlt bandsaw _ _ _,
table 18 ".
Fence, hardwood,
',i; In. thick by 2'h In.
wide by 8 In. long

Base, 'i..ln.-Ihlck particleboard,

, - - 8 In. wide by 40 In. long

Gu ide bar, hardwood,

' -_ _- sized to fit mller s lot
on band saw

mortises are laid out so dlat the ones in dle

face grain and the ones in the end grain
can be routed v.~th a single setup on the
jig (and a 'l'l6-in.-dia., two-f1ute aluminum -
cutting end mill). The secret is a spacer.
Rout the bottom mortises on the front rail.
Then put the spacer hetween the rail and
venical da mping surface on the jig. This
moves dl{~ rail out so you can rout the top
morti<;e;;. I rout the entire through-monise
from one side of the rail , taking shallow cut~
(about ~ in.). I don't use a backer block,
becau<;c I've never experienced tcarout with
thi~ type o f end mill (it is a n upcuning bit).
Just don·t take too big of a cut.
Now rout the mortises in the .~ide rail's
end grain, adjust the jig·s stop block, and
rout the double moroses dlat ioin the back
rail to the side rails. Then set up [0 rout
the vertical mortises in the front legs. Put a
%-in.-dia., two-flute aluminum-cuning end
mill in the router and adjust the jig to center
dle morti<;e;; on 1~-in .-thick material. Once
OIIeJlg, two lets. two e ll4fe • . The angled table (18 oJ and }Ig combIne to cLtt a compollnd angle dlat's done, adju~t the jig to center the bit on
on both legs In one sholA wooden guIde bar on the bottom rides In the table's miter slot. %-in.-thick material and rout the matching

68 fI~E WOODIl'ORKII\G
CURVE THE
FRONT LEGS
fortune bandsaws all
the curv.. on these
chaIrs. clean!n, up
with hand tooll wh ere
possible. For concave
surfaces, he uses louler
templates.

C,.." VI' with • Roulld_rs 011 fIta; toUter tabl., too. Fortune us es
pert of II ~..In. radius roundover bit to put II softer edge
router. A flush-
trlmm/III bit leeves on these front legs. Tile pin a t rear helps him enter the
8 c/lI~m. fair surf&ee. cut SlIftJly.

morti<;C.~in the end grain of the front rail. Time for tenons from the blanks. For the tenons thaI fi t
Finally, TOUI the mortise in the back leg To make the slip {enoll.~ , s tart With 1"\\'0 :l slopped mortise on one end only, use
for [hc imegral lc n o n on the side rail. The blanks milled 10 the final I h;ck ncs.~ and :l hand~aw to ClJ{ a .~mall kerf (with the
tenon is StCpped, with a large base section width . Rip a groove down both faces o f gmin) on that e nd. Now cut the integral
that carries the weight , ;)nd;) pair o f sm;) l1- one blank. The grooves give the glue :I tenon inlo the ~ide rail. Stan al the tahle-
er wedged through-tenons th;)t Jock Ihe place to go. Next, round ovcr the edges ~w, cutting Ihe <:hccks with a d ado seI.
join!. Rout the mo nise for the lenon's base of Ix>th blanks to match the ends of the nlen head to Ihe band~aw and cut Ihe
first and then the t1)I.'O through-mo rtises. mOTtio;es, Finally, cut individual slip tenons two sm;)11 thmugh-Ienon.~. Finally, cut slots

WlHlp.aJlape4
NOW TAPER THEM ..... & ...
With Ihelr curves cut, Fortune beYels and t8pefS the legs with sleds. He 11".,.., nltlng the
holds Ihem In plaC9 by lleond, .e8enln, p85t the blade when neceSSllr)'. leg Into the txade
creates a n angle
FIRST CUT 2',. In. on the side and
Let Is tilted 5' and fed raising the foot
foot-flrst throtJgh blade. (pushing It far-
Support ther out than the
Hardwood
wedge, S'
~:>-.
~
..<::) ::-:'-- up foot.holds
block
leg); top) cuts a
tapa' along the
leg ); length.
0\ Sase, 'Io-In..thlck
'------ particleboard ,
2'1. In. wide by
Fence, 1S'I. In. long
~In.·lhlck Small cutout In
particleboard,
3Ya In. wide by - _ _, SecondJ~

18".ln, long
for t I N _
and side. 1l1e
SECONO CUT wedge"!! angle
Legis tJlted ~O · and Is doobJe tha t

.,...
fed top-flrst througJt 011 the first JIg.
and the leg Is
fed through the
"",,"<-7< StJppOrt bJock. 2tO In.
hitJ1. hOlds up fool
txade top-tlrst. so
Its raised 011 the
during cut trailing end.

69
 [V:~"~~~;~~2,~",~"~,:,k~,~~~,:,~~~~, con qUe:=:..,.,::;;;;;;;;;;~;;;;;;;;;~;;;;
:.,.....,...C"",U
them from solid sll'lbs. both tedious tKhn lques, Fortune
cuts curved sections on the bandsaw and then simply
stacks them. Little cleanup Is requ ired.

ANOTHER INGENIOUS JIG

You'll need two Dfthese, one to form tile curved sect/ons fo r the seat,
and the other to handle the sligh tly different curve of the back. Both jigs
work the same. TIle seat Jig Is 24 In. wide by 36 In. deep witll reference
lines 17'. In. apart. The one for the back Is 21 in. wide by 19 In. deep. with
reference lines lin. apart. *See plan (p. 65) for rad ii.

Base. "', ·In.

particleboard

~~ Cut th. Inshht curve IIrst. No clamps are needed.

~
Hole In base fits because the force of the cut pushes the blank
over pivot pin In ,.' ~
agelnst the stop. But as the blank gets narrower, use
a rm below. • ~

,.. ;;~ "'\ a bit of hot-me/t glue on the leading end.

'" ") ~~~n. pivot Ba ndsaw

).~ Center
Plywood base
SU p pOr1

CUT INSIDE CURVES HERE *Inslde

radius
Stop. hardwood, 11n.
wide by 12 In. long
-, "Thickness

_~ _ _ _ j- . outslde
-
..
';~

_ radius
Pivot hole -.f.l---~-
StoP.
hardwood,
-
~
. -
Riser block,
hardwood.
2 In. thick I
l in. wide
bjl3"" In.
long - ,

by 2 In . wide
by 3 In. long
~ ..-----,--\->-
, I

Toggle clam p (on

Ot"., sId. now. The other side ofthe Jig has a sma/lar redlus, so the
blank ends up thinner at the edges than In the center, eliminating tha
CUT OUTSIDE CURVES HERE t op 01 riser block)
Pivot hole need to taper It by hand.

in the tenons for the wedges and make them.) Then cut the compound taper at the usc a template and rout the part~ nush to it
the wedges. top of the back legs to fit the curved hack at the router table-making sure to always
Clean it up with a block plane. rout down the curve and \\~ th the grain.
Shape the parts and assemble the base Next, cut [he curves on the legs. Trace The front legs arc also tapered along
Now shape the legs and rails. Stan with the the profile from a full-size tem p late, rough their length an d across their width. Both
side rails, whieh have a beveled taper on out the shape at the bandsaw, and then tapers can be done at once at the ba nd'iaw.
their top edges to accommodate the curved clean up the curves. Convex curves arc I use an L-shaped jig that h as a tapered
s.eat. cnle beveled edge sits higher than the easily smoothed wi th a handplane, but shim added to its venical side.
front legs and rail so that the seat clears concave curves arc trickier. For those, I The raiL~ are much casier to shape. J ust

70 fI~E WOODIl'ORKII\G
 GLUE AND SHAPE THE BLANKS

Cut It out at Ute band. .lI'. Use hot-me/t glue to hold the blank In place.
Fortuna puts the blank In the cradla first and then adds a few drops of
glue along the seams.

US E A CRADLE FOR CONTROLLED CUTS

Again. you need one for the sea! and one for the back.

Support, Y..ln. particleboard, _<:::~,

4 In. wide by 191n. long.
curve on to p edge matches
outside radi us of back

Base, 'h-In.
particleboard,
9 in. wide by
191n. long

Clamp It up In sedlolls. Fortune starts by gluing up pairs of ribs and

then glues those together Into a single blank. Cauls across the blank's
wIdth keep the ribs aligned, which makas It much easier to smooth It.
l'!.ln.

trace the curve onto the bonom edge, cut

it out at the band~aw, and rout it flush to
a template at the router table.
After shaping the legs and rails, assemble
the base. Glue the front rail to the front
legs. Next, glue the side rail~ to the back
legs. Wedge the tenons. Then glue the back
rail between the two side rails and wedge
those tenons. This creates an assembly
made up of the back legs. back rai!, and
side rails. Let the glue dry. Finally, glue and
wedge the sidc rail~ into dle front rail. After
the glue has dried, trim all of the wedg-
e.~ and tenons, cutting them close with a
hand<>aw and handplaning them flush .

The secret to a comforta ble seat Soften the edges. Fortune hogs off most of the wasta with a Shinto saw rasp and then follows up
A chair is either made or broken by how with files (left) and sandpaper. To smooth the curves, usa a sanding block that 's bean shaped to
comfortable it i~ . With traditional methods, match the radius (right). wrap tha sandpaper around the ends oftha block and staple It In place.

www.finewoodworking.com J U LY / AUG U ST 2 012 71

Assemble ilLstages
To avoid making an unintentional rocking chai r,
glue up 8 single Joint or subassembly at e time .
Then add subassemblies together for e square ,
solid elmlr.

Slope th _
_ II.. Use e
rllt-tall file with
II diameter
that matches
the bit used to
rout the mor-
tl~.ln.for
all but those
mortises on
thebKk legs
(use II 'I..-In.-
dIe. file there).
An angled
gu/deblock Put 1I'1Ift In Ute mortI•••• Spread some on the area around the JoInt, too. but not on the
ensures that tenons. TheyJI swellsnd the Joint will be much f1arder to get together. Assemble the front legs
the shape Is first. Fortune elevates the parts and uses shaped c8uls to create a flat surface for clamping
corra-ct. and protect the legs from the clamp heads.

Jben glue tile allle ,.'Is to tile back lep. Don ·t use II
caul fNfJr the through-tenons. They need to stick out II bit
forthelolnt to be pulled tight. Hammer In the wedges right
away. After the glue Is dry, tha tanon won't spread for tham.
Also, sink tham al/ tha sama amount so that after being
flushed to thalag they are sama thlcknass (looks bettar
than wedges tha t vary In thickness) .

shaping the scat and back for comfort is difficult , hut the tech- make al l of the ribs (use a second board for the seat).
nique I use on thi~ chair makes it easy. To cut the curves, I use my bandsaw and a modified circle-
Both the hack and seat arc made by cutting curved ribs from cutting jig. It has a large base that pivots on a center point. The
large blanks and then stacking them on edge and gluing them blank s its on top of the base as I feed it through the blade. I then
together to create a curved blank. The concave side becomes the advance the blank 1 in. closer to the blade and make a second
scoop that your back and backside rest against. cut to free another rib. Repeat un til you 've cut out all of the ribs.
Because both the back and seat are made in the same way, The outside curve is cut from the other end of the base, so rotate
I'll show you how to make only the hack. Start with a flat~awn it, adjust the centerpoint. and cut the curve on all of the ribs .
board. The grain exposed by the bandsaw cuts "viII comple- Next, edge-glue the ribs together [0 make the curved back blank.
ment the curve. Also , the board should he wide enough to I do this in steps, first gluing up the ribs in pairs . Then glue all

72 fI ~ E W OOD Il' ORKI I\ G

 Fi nish fII. u •• end eHitCh the uclt. When tlulng file baek rllll befWlHtn the side rlllls,
Fortune dry-fits tile front IlIg IIssllmb!), to keep things sqUllre (left). 11Ien, wilen gluing on tile
front le~ lie elamps " board to th t back rell (eenter), providing ala'l/f!, flat clamping surface
so tllat he can get a clamp on both sides offhe twojo/nfl. F/nlll!)" the back gets pilot holes for
tile serews. making If ellslllr to get the screw In (rll ht) lind preventing splits II10ng filII grain.

EASYTO CHANG E THE LOOK

A cllfHtyle chllir Isn·t rl&hl for every

the pairs together. Afte r the glue is dry, I smOO(h the

din"" tllble , blJl by adding 1'"
In. 10 the
helcht of the back lees lind IIdJustlng
inside and outside curves using shopmadc .sand ing the b&ck's dimensions. you get II more
hJock.~. I st:l rt with PI 2().grit s:andp:lper and work tradltlonel dlnlnl chaIr.
up 10 P220-gril.
Now s ha pe the perimeter of the hack. lJecau!;C il's
curved, you need:l C1':ld le to hold it: a piece of MDF 17 In.
for the ha.'IC :lnd rI\-'O .~uppotts, I)()(h curved o n Ihe
lOp edge to match the cu rve or
the :;cat hack. Draw
the perimeter s hape on the hac k a nd cut it at Ihe
oondsaw, w ith the table ."CJuarc to the blade. Sand
the CUtS S.rTlOOlh
10 In.
Finish the ba!;C, the seat, and the back. For a
chair like this, J use
Waloo Danish Oil. Then
screw the !;Cal and hack Original
bllck
in place. D profile

Michael C. Fortune Is a
contribIJtlng editor.

Smen comfort. Reminiscent

of file dusk chllirs found
at caras. Fortune's design
combines a wekomln, SHI
and back with stra/gllrforwotrd
joinery. It's a chlllr you c.tlI /xll/d
and that IMIf)'OIle wm WIInt to
sit In.

J LL Y / A U GUST 2 012 73
 Curved Moldings
on the Router Table
Over-arm jig lets you
form complex profiles
with standard bits

BY W. MICKEY
CALLAHAN

w: ctherit'S
a gooseneck
molding for the top
of a tall clock or hand<;{)mc tJim for an arched
opening between two rooms , curved molding
over the cuneI'. In rum, you
guide a template, which
you attach to the work-
piece, against the rube. It's
basically an upside-down,
has long been a challenge to cabinet makers and trim shopmade version of a
carpenters alike. commercial pin roUler. Us-
If time i~ no constraint , you em make molding the tr:lditional ing off-the-shelf roUler bit~ with thi~ jig, you can =te almOlil
way' by hand \\ith carving gouge!;. If money i~ no any curved molding profile.
object. you can have sharer bits cu<;tom-gmund
to your desired profile. For everyone else, Decide on the deSign, then make a template
a simple over-ann guide on the roUle!" 1lI- Your first task is to create the molding's profile or cross sec-
ble i~ the way to go. A small rube act~ as tion. If you 're making an exact replica , look for roUler bit~
an adjustable bearing surface suspended that matcb each section of the profile as closely as possible to

One jig, many uses

-
Gooseneck mold ing Is but one use for
Ihls over-arm router Jig. You cen add
style to a room with arched doorways
and entrances outlined with elaborate
molding. Subtle curved prome! also
wo rk well on some contemporary
pieces. Wllethe r you ere starli ng from
scratch or replacing missing moldings.
PERIOD CLASSIC ARCHITECTURAL CONTEMPORARY
you can use this Ji g.
DETAILS ELEMENTS FURNITURE

74 FI l\ E W OODWORK II\ G
 ~_ _ MaSler template, -Y'''n.·
MAKE THE ROUTING TEMPLATE
thick plywood 01 MDF

Routlnl template,
'Mn.-thlck plywood

On. templ4rte crwete. r- ~ Use the completed master template to create the pair
of temp/ates that actually ,ulde the blank$ that wfll form tha left- and rlght-slde mold/ngs.

If you have mirror-Image

,
moldlnls, keep the template
In the correct orlentetlon.

,
Slrelght bllCk edge ,
guides return molding.
,
,
, ,
Rou#t out tIN c#rv.d.todc. Before attach/nc the templates to the blanks. use them to
dntw the outline of the curved moldmg (left}, and then bandsaw just outside the line (right).

Use mllster template this edge.

to marl< upper edge.
curv.. SCrew the template to the blanks (lBft), then use a ftush-trlmmlng bit
to bring the blank .ven with th e t.mplate (rltht). The over-armjlt won't work accurately R.i,," molding
unless this Is don •.

minimize cleanup :o;croping. If rou create your own design,

fe<!1 free to adjusl il closer 10 bil~ rou already own. For
the gooseneck molding on my Philadelphia-style secre-
tary, I chose a commonly u.'ICd crown profile, a large cove
flanked by an oge<! :lllhe top and a thumbnail at the base.
With the cro.'\.~scction profile drawn, you need to deter-
mine the moldi ng's from proflle-it~ length and the radii
of its run'ct;, Create a fu ll·size master template OIlt of
IA-in._thick plywood or MDF. P.ltIend the template a few
inches:1I each end :lnd Ctl.'rure that the edgc.~:lre smooth,
square. and p.uallel over ito; entire length.
You now need to creale the rout ing templates that will
attach 10 the vllorkpicccs and guide them. For a gooseneck

JLLY / A ll GllST 2012 75

ADJUSTABLE OVER· ARM ROUTER GUIDE
Both th e hellht 01 the PVC t\lbe ancllhe extension
01 the erm cen btl edJusted to match moldln., 01 l 'Y.ln. thick PVC ~\lmbl n l pipe,
different hellhts and depths. wldeby251. 1 5 In. Ionl by 2 In.
Internal dla. or
2~ In. external dla.
l'Y...ln.-dla.

V..20 bolt.
3"'" In. loog

T4ntck embedded
fl\lsh with and
screwed to plat/orm _~,
- -
2 In. Of) ~ __ Washer
center

, _ _ _ V...n.·wlde
sawke rl
In T-track .

Hardwood
Guide clamped platform. 20/. In,
to router teble
t hick by 5 In. wide
, _ _ by 13 ..... In. long

•
CeltfertlM
tube. Before
cl.tmplng IfHt
guide ro Ihe

:v. In.
.....
route, table .
~~
Ihal Ihe PVC
lube Is aactl)r
cenlllflod ow,
2~n. ,"';,,, ,"~w, llIe route,
coIlel 10 IHISUnI
eccurala cuts.

like thti one, the left nnd right piece<; are mirror ima~
of each mher, .o;o I mnde two templates. In thL~ case, I
traced the mnster templnte onto two pieces of th_in._
thick plywood Ihal were 6 in. to 9 in. longer than the
final molding and 3 in. 10 4 In. wider. This i~ Oecnus.c
the routing templnte was nlso u.'iCd to create the rerum
molding that attnchc.~ 10 the lower end of the gooseneck molding.
Bnndsaw 1(32 In. oUL~lde the traced li ne. Now mount the master
lempl:ne on the plywood with either hradi or douhle-sided tape.
being careful lo line up the Icmpble on the traced line, Use n pal-
tern or nush-cutllng hil with the bearing riding nlong the master
tcmplnte's edge to clcanly Oush-cut the muting tcmplatc's edges.

Prepare the stock and attach It to the templates

Thc stock nccd~ to he wide enough to accommodnte the curve,
thick enough to accommodate the profile, a few inches over in
length, nnd with the gra in running parallel to the cenrral section of
the cun'e. In this case, I also needed stock for the retum moldinw;.
For long arehitCCNral molding, you will need to join pieces of 8n-tn cNtl. Adjust Ihe heliJrt of the tube untJI llIe bottom
wood together end-to-cnd You can do this before the shaping Is just aboVe !ha /oW(Jr edge of the l emplelll. Then slide In llIe
using splines or tx'ickbying the piece, or you ca n simply shape adjuslabla arm as sh_ 10 sat up a mBlIBg'eablll cut.

76 Fl,\1! WO ODW O IIl('''(;

E] !!Q!!liliJ~----
The blanks should
be extra-/ong.
giving you 8 pl_
IO star! and SlOP.
Routing template
screwed to blank

"..
1V..ln.-dla. mortising bit; Freud NO.1S- l0a Roulllt out Ute ••• ta/n .t~.. Don't try to remove too mue" at once. Make a serles of passes to
rOlJgh In the prof/Ie.

tala! moB passes and

. I . core-box bit; ffeud No. 18-138 IeaYe more Irregularities to be SUllpeQ.

D NEXT SECTION

Roman ogee bit: __~..

eMT No. 859·564
ModH'y til. bit. Callahan used a Roman agee
bit with the bearing and stem removed.

D EXTEND THE OGEE COmpl.t. til. pro"". Callahan flipped the

workpIece t¥rIfJr $0 that the template was
rIding the bearing offhe bit when cutting
the thumbn811 profile.

Thumbne ll with bearing bit:

Freud No. 85-344
'¥.-In.-dla. corll-box bit ;
Ffeud No. 18-122 --_~

Ra"", tile......,..You can use. ~.-du,.

cora-boll bit to extend the agee profile.

www.finewoodworking.co m J LL Y / A U G U ST 2 012 77
 smaller. more managea hl e pieces and splice them together later.
Curved sUir r:liling.~ arc a good e lOmple. Either way, avoid any
shan-grain o r cTOss.-gt:lin stock that can weaken the Mructure.
Keeping in mi nd that there would he right and left moldings.
I tra ced the curved outline o f e a ch muting template onto the
stock, making s ure to Jahelthe te mplate!' and stock accordingly.
Once you've done this, bandsaw the .~tock ( 0 within Vll in. o f the
tT:Iccd lines, and screw them to the routing templates with their
band'l3wn cdgc.~ s lightly o\'Crhanging the templates' edges. Make
sure the screws are placed to avoid heing hit later by a router bit.
Defore you screw on tile rerum .qock, paint the end that "viii
enter the router bit white , and when dry, trace the outline of the
molding·s p rofile onlo it. ThL~ ou tl ine allows you to position the
guide ann and tile tOUter hil very accurate ly for each cut.
The return pieces sta hili ~.c the template o n the router uhle. If
you don't need return pieces, attach support hlocks the same
.,.,,11 .nII smoott. ",m. • .cr.".,. A psen&ek scrllper 15 Idlllli for height as the cun·ed stock .
cleaning up th e different parts of the profile. With a flush-trimming hit ,
trim th e curved edges of the
.~tock flus h. On the back side
of the gooseneck piece s, align
and trace the out~ide or uppe r
edge o f the master template.
Thi.~ determines the finished
width of the molding.

Set up the guide and cut

Clamp the over-a nn gu ide jig
to the muter uble, and extend
the ann until tbe PVC rube is
centered owr the collet. T he
race of the rube acts as a hear-
ing surrac e ror the templa te.
It i.~ impcrati\"e that you keep
I'Wfall cfer.lfa. ThJI tradlt/oMl ~ moId1nt
the same conUCI spot on the
gets a ' - mont touc:IIes. Use the master templllte
and a nail (abIMt) to /NOff( the location of the ~ rube th mughout the cut and
sette at !he top. lind bon! the hole using It Forst1t<tf" not pivot the jig arou nd that
bit whose dlametfK /NOtches the roselt" C
rltht).

CUt CNrt ate moIdMt- BIIndsaw just 0IItsJde the 11l1li that you drew before n1III UN _ ..... Altach the master templlltll to the top edge of the
wttInt the profile (SH P. 75). molding and IIS& It to fUlde • I'fu$h-trfmmlng bit to clean up the top edge.
Raise the bit to finish fhe job.

78 FI,\1! WOODWOIIKI\"
spot. ic.J..!.llly.
thL~ spot :.hould
he at the pomt Mitering
of th e tube fan he.'>!
from the hack (l( the a curved
router lahle.
Usi ng a I ·in -di:! molding
monising or ,uaight hll.
I remon"<i ~tock in.\ide the
moldin!,(s cove profile, as
showTlun p ,...., You C"Jn creaw
a series of "ep·cul.'> h~ adlus"ng
the heiWtt of the bil and lhe in/out
position uf the :mn gUide. M:lke .'oure
all fou r blank~ arc CUt before changmg
the height of the hit (lr the arm guidc's
position You C"Jn Jbo t'slal)h~h th~' fillet 1)tO.
tween thc cOI'e :Ind ogee using thi~ h,\ ,,"ext,
i installed a COVe! or core-tXlX hI( Ideally the bit
should have.1 cutting r:l(lius c1o;.c 10 the CUlV;lIure of
the co\"t~. bm you can ll:«: a ~m;l lIer bit and make st"\"cral
overlappin" CUh You e m come back bIer ~nd fine-Iune the
coved ~Ul"facc wuh a Cltrn'<! cabinet scra jX'r or .'oandpaper.
i created the ogee profile III the :,al11<.' m;mn~·r. Again, you ('an
lL';C smaller r:ldiuS bilS if you can'l 1000':llc a single hit \hal malches
the desired shapc.

Rnal shaping and assembly

With Ih e pieces still :Iltached 10 the lempbl.(e.~ for stahility, usc
a gooseneck scr:lpcr 10 refine the CUIVC!i. If you usc sandpaper,
be careful nOi 10 round olocr the profile.
Remove all the SCCIion.~ from Ihe lemplale.~, and set a.~ide the
retum pieces. If your gooseneck molding tenninalC!i in a rosene,
(sec MaSler Clas,~: 'Cal"l-oc ~ rosetle," FWW - 194), 011 away the
lip of the mold ing on the d rill preo;.<; with a bil whose diameter
malches Ihat of the ro:;clte.
To crC31e Ihe top edge of the molding, bando;aw dose to the
IT3Ced line you drew C3rlicr, and then attach Ihe ma~ter lern platc
and use il to guide :1 flu~h ·
trimming b it. By m:1king the
moldings overlong :1~ recom- ATTACHING THE MOLOING Elongated
SCrew /loles
mended, you now h3ve plenty at back
of cxces.~ .~tock on which to allow case to
pr:1ctice cutling the miters. expand.
While Ihe DOliOm mller is
u~ually do..~e to 45°, the upper
miler (if there is no rosette)
L~ usually a compound :1ngle
Ihal requires some trl:ll :1nd
error.
Now Ih:11 cUlVed molding~
hold no fc~r, go ahead with
Ihat highboy, build that clas- A l'uuyltt. Sometimes the miter JoInl
sical cmryway, and trim that I'It$ rltfIlthl! ffrst time." not, you may Gooseneck
arched built-in D tIHd to !tim thl! cuts or mcd"" tllll molding
Return
profile untllthl! comer comes lote!her.
molding -1--"
W. Mickey Callahan Is a period.
Almilure maker in IofassachUselts.

www.finewoodworking .co m J LL Y / A U GUST 2012 79

J~~g~rs gallery
LARRY GREWE AND JOSEPH CORSON
Meeting. Pa .

NeigIlbofs Grewe and Corson talked about maldng this Pennsylwnla

secretalY together !Of about lour years before Corson, 90, convinced
Grewe, In his earty 70s, to go lor It. Being tile Iess-experienced fumltlJre
maker, Grewe was a bit reluctant to take on the challenge. ~ I
realized that to-.0'" on It with a friend and neighbor would be a true
learning experlence and stretch trf'J abilities," he said. They chose cheny,
because It Is a bit less Ionnal than the walnut used In the lonnie Bird
piece that Inspired It (AtW *154,155, 156). The piece Is 21 1n. deep
by 38'1'. In. wide by 851n. tall: It Is finished with tung all.
PHOTO: AARON AND ~ATTHEW GREWE

DAN SOUTHERN
Huntington Beach, Calif.

A stone lantern encountered on a 1J1p to a Japanese

garden Inspired this turned box (5% In. dla. by
7'10 In. tall). But the handle was bom from
KYlEE SEBREE anotller source: a photo of a pendant
Escondido. Calif. In a Jewelry-making book. This Is
typical of Southern, who olten blends
This KreIlOY-lnsplred cabinet on stand (lOY. In. deep by contemporary lines with p!1mlttYe art
23 In. wide by 45Y.ln. tall ) was Sebree's final project at styles In his pieces, which Include
the Inside Passage School 01 Flnfl WoodWorkIng In Brltlsh Intricate carved Insect sculptures, t1k1s.
Columbia. Sebree says lie enjoyed maldngthe veneered masks, and other sallptures. This box Is
carcase appear as ooe piece. "I looked at that plank of made of big-leaf maple burl and ebony. The
European cherT}' for months, noticing the sllgIrt Inward bend finish Is linseed 011. To see mote of Southern'S
In the grain, 50 wilen I finally dedded 01'1 the wood I knew work, go to woodenaddk:tlons.com.
It was going to be II cur.oed p1ece~ lie says. the outside of
the cabinet and the doofs life cherry; other WGOds am Port
Offord cedar, Afromosla, ItllHan oIlYe, lind sycamore. The
finish Is shellac and wax. PHOTO: INGEBORG SUZANNE

80 FI,\1! WOODWOItKI\"
 PETER MARCUCCI
Woodbridge, Ont. , Canada

A Charles Rohlfs 1898 desk chair Inspired Marcucci to

make these mahogany chairs. As he made each one, _ _ __
he cha nged th e design of the back and other details.
The first (center) shares the same back shape and cut-
out design as the ortglnal Rohlfs, althougllit Is not as
elaborate. The second (left) has 8 simpler back, with a
walnut center and tJlm. The third Is based on a flatware
pattern Marcucd admired. The chairs are 161n.
deep by 15'hln. wide by 4710 51 In. tall;
t!ley are finished with oil-based stain and
urethane.

GREG BROWN
Deerfield. N.H.

This carved urn stand

(11'h In. dla, by 30 In. tall) was
buUt 10 sit beside a Samuel
MCintire parlor chair thai Brown
made a few years ago 'IriIh a
simple "mellon: 10 hold a drink,
and It, 100, Is based on a Mcintire
piece. The stand has a number
01 challenglngtumed and carved
elements, The column and base
feature 11\'8 different types of
GEREMY COY
foliage, w1th a grape-leaf motlf
Wa shington, D.C.
descending the shaft. The base
Modeled alter a Shaker sewing chest, this cablBei was made to was coopered to avoid end·graln
hold a Japanese teapot and rups. The top Is a cherry slab, sliced carving and, 8rown says, am
from the log where two branches flowed together; the dark crack plO'tide an elTldenl LISe of my
along the center sIlows that meeting place. The structure of the precious mahogany.' The finish Is
carcase Is cherfy, the drawer fronts and skIe and back panels shellac and wax. PHOTO: MARl!.
are IIr, and the drawer pulls are wenge. Coy made the piece by SCHOFIHO
hand-Including the milling and resallrfng. He allows that the
lumbef)'ard used electricity on the wood before he got II. but
·once It entered my studio, I onlytouchncllt with hand tools." The
cabinet Is 18 In. deep by 37 In. wide by 36 In. tall; the finish Is
an oll/yamlsh blend and wax.

www.f lnewoo dworking.com } LL Y/ A U G Il ST 2 012 81

readers gallery""u,",
JOEL SHEPARD
Seattle. Wash.

This tanSil entertainment cabinet (26 in. deep by 72 In.

wide by 96111. taU) offered Seattle designer and builder
SIlepanl the peffea way to Indulge his &(asdnatlon with
all·tfllnp Japanese and expl0f8 my CtJriosItles eYOO
further," The piece conceals a ~de-saeen television
and stereo components, wfttJ plenty of room for storage.
The wood Is elm, the
traditional hardware
was Imported from
Jaj)iln, and the finish
Is aniline dye, walnut
stain, and lacquer. The
piece was commissioned
by II longUme-"and
very patient!" Shepard
adds-tllent It took him
apj)l'OXlmately 1,200
hours to build I PHOTO:
RAIN GIIIMES

NICK BOYNTON
Missoula, Mont.

Boynton has made several variations of this hall table

• (16In. deep by 30 In. wide by 29 In. tall), including
dining tables and coffoo tables, base<! on a Japanese
Tor1l arch. This one Is cur1ywalnl/t veneerand solid
wood, ftnlsl'led with 011 and lacquer. Boynton says
people often asll how he mortised the cuMld stretchers
through the curved legs. He bandsawed the parts, laid
the stretcher oYer the legs, and recorded the mortise
angle with a bevel gau~. Then he marked how far the
leg needed to slide onto the stretcher, and tapered tile
stretcher sllgtltIy so It WOIlki slide In tightly with no glue
needed. The top Is attached wltIl a dowel at each leg.

ubmissions
Reaoers Gallery provides design Inspiration
by showcasln, the work of our reaoers. For
54.1bmlsslon Instructions ancl an entry form .
go to FlneWoodworklng.comjRG.

82 FI,\1! WOODWORKI\"
 DESIGN SPOTLIGHT

RAYMOND FINAN
Arlington, Vt.

When FInan set out to design a tr1angulartable

(19% In. deep by 21'" In. wide by 26Y. In. tall),
his flrst thouglrt was to gtve It straight sides
and square, tapered legs. Then he decided to
soften the triangle with slightly boWed sides.
The qulcksketch reminded FInn of something
,-l--- - - - - - . . , In his car·raclng background:
the rotor In a Wankel rotary
engine. Searching online,
Finan discovered that the
sweet shape he'd stumbled
lIpon for his tabletop was a
Reuleaux triangle, a form well
known among mathematicians
and gearlleads If not among
woodworkers (you can see
A SOFTER TRIANGLE
some of Its unusual properties
Finan's tBble Is also at
'" demonstrated at http://
the heart of the wankel whlstieralley.com/reuleallX/
rotaryengJne. reuleaux.htm). In addition to Fjrst, dIHW an equUatsIHI
making FInan's table more distinctive, the triangle whose Corners - - /
represent the centerpojnts
Reuleaux shape made It more functional by of/he table's three legs.
adding to Its surfa<:e area. The shape Is easy to
layout using trammel points (right). To make Then, uSjng a compass or
the legs more compatible with the curves of trammel paints, place the
pin each
the tabletop, he decided to turn and taper ,I turn.
them. Rnan made the tabletop from an old ,,~

board of curly ash and the legs from white oak

stained to simulate the look of fumed oak.

ZACH MALCOLM
Portland, Ore.

- -- Malcolm says this mahogany

sideboard (24 In. deep by 72 In.
wide by 36 In. tall) was the most
Involved furniture project he has
tackled. He set out to use simple
curves In the top. ralls, and
stiles, and balance them with the
symmetrical drawer array.lttook
him about 300 hours to make the
piece, which Is flnlshed wtth 011 and
shellac. The drawer pulls are ebony.
PHOTO: GARY ROGOWSK I

www.finewoodworking.com J U LY / AUG U ST 2 012 83

Designing dovetails
for strength and style
Q: Do I really need to use higher angles when I'm
cutting dovetails In softwoods like pine? Does the
dovetail angle affect the strength of the Joint?
-B il L FONTANA , Warc:uhr, M.u .

A: NO. ALTHOUGH SOFTWOODS ARE MORE compressible

than hardwood~, you nL't.'<in'\ change the dovl.--uil K_p Ute ,..fm ''#If. For a strong, lIandsome dovetail Joint, spacing 15 more
angle to add strength to the joint. Any anglc between Important tllan tllfl angles of tile pins and tails.

rami 15 0 will work, regardless of the wood. But

stay within that r.mgc. If you go below 7°, you'll start A RANGE OF ANGLES WILL WORK
to lo..>;e the mcch:mkal strength of the dovetail. Go
If tllllre's not enoogll An angle tllal's
abO\'c 15°, :md you'lllc:!vc too much short grain at too severe leaves
Anything between flni'fl, !he dovetail
the tips of the lails, which .... 'C'.Iken.~ the joim.:ry. 7 ° and15 ° 1s0K. loses Irs mechanical unsupported grain al the
Thin stock i~ pcrh:lp.~ the onc c)u:eption. I( you're stlllnllfh. tips, weakening the }oint

do\,{:ta iling stock lcs.~ than ~ in. thick, go with at

least a 100 angle. h incrc'.Iscs the glue ~urfac:e and
SUL-ngthcns the joint-OOt only slightly.
When It c()mt!.~ 10 ,n:tking a stmng dovetail joint, the
spacing and size of the dove(aib L~ far more important
than the :mgle. 1'he trick is to balance (hal strength
with aesthctic.~, which mC'Jns finding the SWI.:C\ spot
OC""twL"(.on \ \VO extremes
At one extreme are skinny, widely spaCI..-d dovetails.
ThL")' look hand-cut, hut the joint i.~ 'vC'Jk Ix.--causc SPACING AFFECTS BOTH STRENGTH AND LOOKS
most of the material has Ix:cn removed from the pin
hoard while nearly none has Ix:cn removed fmm the
\ail boord. 111e other extreme is removing roughly
I..-qual amounl~ from the pin :lnd tail JxyJrd~. Doing
so produces a nlL"ChaniC'Jlly strong joint, hut one that
look.~ machlne-cut, and to my eye, unappealing.
The art of do\·I..'1ailing is to :dm somL""where lJCtwecn
those cxtreme.~. 11le ultimate goal is a strong joint that
l(x)k.~ handmade.
-CbrlsUtw 8eck.woon Is (l cOIuri/mUllg editor:

Ask a question Cunlni slrlnny,

RemCNlnt abou1 one-
Do you him! question you'd like us to COnsld8f ~
tI " "'" third 011l1li malenal
widfll)'spaced eunint !!qual amounts
column? 5eod h 10 Q&A. F/ne WoodWorking, 63 S. Main dovetails removes from tile pin boa'" and
from the tail board Is
SL Newtown. cr 06410 , or email twqaOtalinlon.com. 100 much rna/flrial tall board /eaves a join!
a tood compromise from the pin board, tha I Is very slrol1t, bu1
between stlllngth
WNkMllni lhe joint. lOOks machlne-(:ut
and aestllet/c5.

84 FI,\1! WO ODW O IIKI\"

 Advice for spraying finish outdoors
Q: I'd like to spray A: YOU CAN SPRAY SHELLAC or any
shellac for a finish , flammahle fin ish o\Jt~ide, but pick a
but I don 't have day with moder:lte temperature (55 0
an explosion-proof to 75° F) and humidity (unde r 70%),
spray booth. Ciln I and find :I sha ded spot ""'llh no direct
do It outside? sunlight. You should avoid strong
-ERNIE RUXTON, wind~, but some air movcmCnl-
Twin Falls. whether from a light breeze or a box
Id. h" [,"-will prevent overspray from

----........
landing on the p icce.
Even if you do have a suitable
~-­
e nvironment for spraying, there are
-,- '
a few potential problems to guard
against. When sprayed, shellac's
solvent, denatured alcohol, dries so
quickly that it can prevent the shellac
from "flowing ou!" correctly. It also
can lead to a rough or grainy finish
because the shellac partially dries by
the time it hit~ the surface. Avoid both
problems by using denatured alcohol
ClJeck the I.beI. You
w ith a low methanol content, such as
can identIfy /ow-metllano/
Behlen Behkol. dena tured II/collo/ by Its
- Jeffjell)itt is a finishing expert a nd lack of a ·polson" warnIng.
regularcolltriblltor to FWW.

Cost Effective 2-Styles

Stronger than Pins S-Lengths
Easy Installation S·Woods
. Versatile

VIsit us at: IWF booth 3216

Available at :
leI: 1-908-689-7600
www.sawtoothshelfsyslem.com
I

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BEG INN!:R TO ADVANCED mill AVA ILABLf
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WM'Y.AIIROWMONl" ORG

JUI.Y/AUGUST 20 12 85
Q&A '0",'"''
Clean routing: It's feed, not speed
Q: I jet • lot of bum A: CHANGING THE MOTOR SPEED WON'T
marb When I rout MOp hum marks, hut you can minimize
chefTJ. Will chan&tnC them hy moving the mUicr faster.
the router'5 motor Bum m:lrk.~ come from the heal
5peedstoplt1 released hy the friction of a spinning bit.
- IEITH MUNRO , The longer the bit stays in the wOCKi,
C"lata. Pilei, Onl •. the more cut.~ it uke.~ and the more heat
e.ud, ;1 crcatc.~. Feeding the routcr OV{'T the
wood fa~ICf mcan~ fewer cuts per inch,
lcs.~
heat, lind lc.o;.~ burning.
Reducing the router speed won't really
help. A slowcr·spinning hit needs to
remain in the wood longer, which Icad~
to more heat, and more hurning.
Don't slow d_n. rll" /ollt!!'
Check your bit, too. A dull or dirty hil
til" bit stllysln til" wood, til"
will stntgglc to CUI wood, generate a 1m more burn mllrk. YOIl11."",
of heat, and cause bum marks. Cleaning Move til" bit f, stllT to IIIlIve ,
o r repladng the bit should help. burn4re" edt!!.
--Gregory Paolini is afreqllNlf
COIl tributor to FWW.

Correct a wobbly chair

Q: I mlseut the A: I REC\JT WOBBLY LEGS with a fllL~h-
length of my chair's cut .<;.:lW :md a guide that rests on a flat
legs, and now It surface like a uhlesaw. Balance the chair
wobbles. What's tI'Ie on the .<;.:lW and add a blob of hot glue (0
best WiJf to fb It? a side of all fOUf lego;-e"en the one that
- JOK N WASSERMAN , t~ r:lised slightly-to free7.e the chair in
AUlII ~, Tu .. position. TIle n bu ild a guide ming a piece
of SCr:lP barely thicker than the largest gap
u nder the leg.-; and notch it to fit around
the leg. Saw around each leg, then move
the chair and fini~h the CUl~. Chamfer the
end~ with:l r:lSP " ..hen you're done.
- Michael FQrt/lnc t~ a COlllri/:mtillg editor.

StMf .IM • t'/at ...,.,._ UsaIJ u.. UN pllM. Cut lightly arolloo
splotch of hol-mett flu" 10 lock the 1111 foIJr Iftt5 wtth tI fluslH:lIt saw.
chlJlr In position 00 tINt ttlbli!SIIW. tiM ltHHI damp the chair elsewtlere
to IInIsh the cllls.

S6 FI,\1! WOODWOIIKI\"
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www.finewoodwoTking .com JU L Y/ A U G U ST 20 12 87
master class
.& .I .I .I 1

Super-strong
3-way miter FRONT RAI L

SIDE RAIL
CO MB INATION OF HAND AND POWER TOOLS
MAKE S IT SURPRI S ING LY STRA IGHTFORWA RD

BY ANDREW HUN T ER
STILE

t first glance, thi~

double-tenoned lapping miter joint
miglll :o;ccm a~ complica ted as it~ name. I am sure
some of the Chinese cr.l.ttsmcn using the joint more
than 500 rears :lgo pllZ7Jcd over it, too. But once you
have taken the time to create an accurate layout, thi~
;ntriC:l1C joint can be made quickly and precisely.
In China it is known a.~ the rice dumpling joint, after the
three-way mitered fold of:l dumpling, and ha.~ been in usc
s ince the Ming dyna.~ty (1368-1644). Since its earty history,
stalt to fini.~h . Hov.'C\'Cr, ii's wonh mentioning that because the
Chinc<;/! fumiNrc h!lS hccn COTlStructed predominantly v.ith
dl!"CC pan.<; of eaeh joint arc so different, in an actual project
miter joinl~. In addition to its su-cngth, mitered joinery teL<;
I layOUt all !.he like pieces, move on to !.he next set of like
shaped profiles mcct scamlcs..'ily Curvcs can now inco curves
pieces, and then lay OUt lhe last set. I do the samc with the
without the need for a more diffICUlt cope.
consh'UClion. [ cut all the .<;tiles first, Ihen I CUI all !.he morti'>C-
This oak ca.hiJlCt MS 16 scpar:lIc comcn;
only rails (.<;ide rail, above) , and then the rails with one lenon
all with thi~ mitered join!. For this article,
and one mortio;c (front rail, alx»'C).
I'm c!emonsrT:Uing one join!
Whether the tel'lon.~ are through- or COTlCC3led is a maner of
made from
personal preference. I u:>;c through-tenons. AL<;(), bccau.o;c dlcre
is so much mechanical sireng!.h 10 this joint, [ am able to leave il
unglued. which allow.; for any repairs in years 10 come. BUI feel
free tn lock ynur foint~ with glue.
The key 10 a successful
three-way miler joint is an
accurate layout. It is importanl
to begin With straight. square
stock and 10 really take
the time 10 draw nUl C\'ery
line accurately. Once you
"'.1I1y.
. , . . , . " aItd arc confident your layout is
O SEEITIN
MOTION HunlfH" cullhe three-way miter
16 limes 10 creale a/l o f lhe
perfect, you ca n brea!.he easy.
Carefully excavating to !.hese
comen; In his oak dressIng
lines should leave you wi!.h
cabinet (right). 11Ia joint lends
little o r no fitting.
IfNI rft/fHIy to the pJece,
whlch consists 01 two stacked
u_ Andrew Hunter designs and builds
custom furniture in his studio
inAc:cord, N.Y.
 JleciselaYQuUsJ\ey
Begin by Ilibellnillhe outside fBees of 8ach plece and I15ln, them
e~clu51¥ely
II' reference IUrfecH for fOCllllnt the layout lines. Hunter lays
out the slUe finn , then UIeS an adjustable $quare 10 transfer mOSI of the layout
lines to the two faits.

III.,. rile bott_ sIJo,u/dMs 8JIIf 4S " 1IlIt.,. tII'St. Start

tile miters about ~ In. from tile end 01 the worl(plece to let
STILE the tenons ptOfrvde.

JWo tenons top til.

'" ," .~ In. 7·;"'t,·
;-(1"1 I I sUIe. On the end,
lay out foor pairs of
T '-r'""'I T perpendicular lines

I
l''!o\..ln
~
.'"
T
••
". ¥. In .
.1
at &qual distances
from each reference
face. 1Wo oftha
relll/tJng squares
wtll become tenons .

1 IE 1'"",.111.
.t
v»
v.
' IT
Mark the waste ten-
ons 85 shown and
carry the /Illes down
to the baseline on
ellch Inside face.
TOP VIEW FACE VIEW

Front ,aliI. ".n.

FRONT RAil 71IIs pJece has /I
'Ita In. vert/cal thfOU~

' ....~
.,--..l:;;::;2:: " 71 t" T
monIse that ItO-
cepts the long tenon
from the stIJe. A
beeflftf hortzontal
IBIIOII goes through
'!.In. the second raU.
1 ~ 1n.
i Transw most of the
layout from the stile

l-,,~_ .. using a square, but

~:;:::t------I
flo mark d/r&etJy from
the stile to locate
the mortise wallop-
posite the baseline.

BonOM VIEW FACE VIEW

SIde ,." ltets
mortl_. onl)'. A
SIDE RAil stopped mortise
undltrneath ao-
cepts the short
tenon from the stile,
while It rectangular
througJl-mortJse
accommodates the
10IIJl tenon from the
l tV.. In. front rail.

:V. In.
BOTTOM VIEW FACE VIEW

JLLV / A U GUST 2012 89

master class "'"""",,
stile
Some slick hand-too' and machine tips
will get rid of the unwanted materiel end
leeve you with two perfect miters end
two tenons.

~JlIc at the touUlr fabN. Using

II ."..-In. spiral bit, work slowly
(about one-thlrd-depth Intervals) to
clean out between the layout lines.
Marie the bit's loeatlon on the fence
so you can eyeball when to stop
the cut before the bottom shoulder
line. After en Inltllli rougJI pass.
go back ami clean up rlght to the
pene/II/ne. Th/s step will/eave you
wtth fOLir perfect tenons. though
you only need two of them.

Remove tile fto'ont 18lI0II. Use II Forstner bit Follow up with II "end. .w. Carefully cut off Get ,Id oflhe back tenon. WIth the front
In the drill press to remove the section of the whet remelns of the front tenon. tenon gone, you IIave access to the back one.
tenon that you wouldn't be able to reach with II Drill between the two side tenoll5 to remove It.
handsaw. Clean up the bottom ofthe JoInt with e chIsel.

Outside mit.,.. .re ..sy now. Cut the two mitered shoulders with e cut one tenon short. Finish by cutting one of the tenons short to
handsaw. tIIen shave right to tile line with a shoulder plane. accommodate the tenon that will come In from the rail.

90 rl~E WOODIl'OR KI I\ G
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master class "'"""",,
Tackle the rail final rail combines all the elements
without tenons ThIs piece combines elements of the other two. It has one long tenon, one through-mortlse, a
mitered lace. and e mitered shelf. As with the other two parts of the Joint. Hunter makes the
Of the two ralls. tha side one front rell easy to cut, and you'Ve alreedy done ell of these moves on the first two pieces.
has no tenons, and Hunter
likes to tackle !tun next.
This piece 15 the most
stralghtfolWllrd of
Ihe three.

Mortl.e first, tllen tile tenon. Drill the mor-

tise and square It with a chisel, than saw away
the sldes to reveal the tenon:S cheeks. Use a
shoulder plane to clean those faces to the line.

Fln/.h up tile telJOll. Again with a handsaw Add tile ahelf. like tha other rail, this one gets
followed by a chisel, cut away the remaining a mitered shalf that holds the mitered laps of
waste to leave the tenon. the stile.

:rwo mortl... ami • miter. US6 a drill press

to remove the bulk of the mortises. and then SHAPING IS THE FINAL TOUCH
chop to thal/nes with a chisel. TIIen use a With the Joinery complete. you can shape the outside faces of the Joint. This Is where the genius
chopsaw to cut the miter. Hunter cuts Just of this Joint becomes so apparent. Superior strength asi de. you can seamlessly transition any
outs/de the layout IInlls and then shaves profiling you do from one face of this Joint Into the next.
right to the line with e handplene or chisel.

CreatJnt _ protfle. Cut tha dllSlred profile on ROIlflIl tile alYpe .et tile btble. .w. Rip the
Cut tile mitered ahelf. Use II handsaw to a piece of scrap. then transfer the shape to the fa cets first, than flne-tuna tha shape with a
cut the ¥...In.-iI&ep shelf that will accommo- stile. Mitering tha ends of the scrap makes the handplane. Reassemble the joint and trace tha
date the mitered laps of the stile. Clean It up trensfer easy. profile from the stile onto the ralls.
wtth e shoulder plane.

92 rl~E WOODIl'OR KI I\ G
 Ideas & know-how
for avid enthusiasts
Cooking I Home Design
Home Building I Woodworking
Sewing & Crafts I Gardening

EE! Taunton STORE

inspiration for hands-on living·

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www.finewoodwoTking.com J U l.Y / AUG U ST 2012 93

 See ad';enlse, Index on page 11
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www.finewoodworking.com JULY/AUGUST 2012 95

Go beyond the lathe
for beautiful vessels
BY JONATHAN BINZEN

he beautiful overall shapes Liam Flynn creates on hi~ lathe

immediately draw the eye_ Yel much of what make<; his "essel~
so memorable happens afterward. TIle signature dounle lip
found on many of hi~ pieces is made on the ladle hut mcxlified at
the workbench. And all the nUling i~ done with the vessel off the
lathe. A lathe by nature gcncrate.~ perfectly symmetrical [ann!;;, hut
Flynn has found a way to produce rumed "esseL~ that are equal parts symmetty
and asymmetry, perfection and imperfection. He may be aiming to find "the perfect
line,· but while he's pursuing it he let~ the irregularities of work done by hand and
by eye become part of the composition. Flynn rums and carves his pieces while the

THE DOUBLE LIP

Many of Flynn'. vessels feature
a distinctive double lip with
an asymmetrical profile. He
creates the lip partly on the
latha and partly at tho bonch.

&ta",Is"'ng tIIa Inner lip.

After hollowing the vessel with a
bowl gouge, Flynn uses a hooked
scraper to deflna the shoulder of la.t I8ffle .t.... UsIng a round-nosed scraper that:s
the Inner lip. He uses the same tool been ground back at an acute angle. Flynn shapes
to smooth the Ins/de walls. the recess between the Inner and outer lips.

laceplate

Hlnge~
Faceplate leave. the lathe.
Flynn turns all but tha bottom
Inch of the vessel, then takes SlanUng the lip. Rynn makes a sawkerf to provide a depth gauge as well as a
It to the bench for carving. He relIef cut (ebove left) before carving down the outer IIp. WorkIng toward the kerf,
uses a shopmadejlg (above) Flynn uses a shallow gouge to cut an Incline (right). Having reached tha bottom,
to hold It solidly In the vtse. he does the same thing from the opposite direction.

fI~E WOODIl'ORKII\G
 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
For quick access to advertisers, go to www.flnewoolfworklng.comimartetpIBceorcall 800-719-6906

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www.finewoodwoTking.com J U l.Y / AUG U ST 2012 97

how they did it """""" FLUTE MUSIC
Aynn stays at the bench to c arve the flutas. WlKln most of the c arving Is
done , he returns to tIKI lathe t o turn the foot , tlKln completes the flutes.

Freehand fllStJng. Flynn cuts the flutes without layout IInas (far laft). preferring tha
sllgJltly Irregular effKt It creates. When only a small space 15 laft unflutfld, dlvldars
halp him assess the width of the final flutes (abcMt).

wood is still green- he c hainsa'NS

the blanks from sawlogs-so there is
always some dL~lortion of the overall
shape as the p iece dries. To minimize
distortion, he CUL~ out the b lank so
that the vessel's heigh t is oriented
perpendicular to the length of the
log. He o ften turns the vcss.cls from
English oak (American oak~ wou ld be
suitab le , too), and he uses the prominent
medullary rays as a guide whi le he 's
roughing out the turning: If he has it
oriented properly, the rays should fonn bck on tile laflIe. After unscrewing the faceplate, F7ynn puts the vessel between centers on the
vertical lines on nvo s ides o f the vessel. lathe to tum the foot. 11Ie vessel Is held between a cup center In the tall stock and e cylinder chucked
Flynn hegins a piece hy screwing his Into the headstock (left). He leaves a small spigot (rlgJlt), whIch he removes later with a chisel.
blank to a faceplate and turning the
outside fonn down to w ith in an in ch
or so of the foot. Then he hollows t he
inside and creates the double lip .
Kow comes the carving. Flynn
takes the vessel off the lathe hut
leaves il SCTCV>'cd to the faceplate--
which he uses to help ho ld the vessel
for carving. With most of the carving
complete, Flynn removes
the fa ceplate and
mounl~ the vessel
between centers to
Pest production. To do the last bit of fluting,
finish ruming the foot. Flynn Inverts the vessel on a cylindrical post
Then he comp letes the clampfld In a vise. Perfection Is not his aim.
carving off the lathe. 0 Flynn says. "T1leyl'"e Imperfect; that's the way It Is.
They're not machlne-made.· Certainly not.

98 fI ~ E WOODIl'ORKI I\ G
t ~, •