american woodworker #157 december 2011-january 2012

8/2/2019 American Woodworker #157 December 2011-January 2012

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4 PieceSet#89-672

. 3/8' Rounding Over BIt, .3 4 124 112' Roundong Over BIt, .34-126 5/32' Roman Ogee Bot, 1138104 Classical Cove & Bead BIt, 3836;

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4 AmanclUlWoodworker.com DECEM . EII/JANUAIIY lOU

A m e r i c a nWoodworker.#157, December/January 2012

Features38 Limbert FootstoolBuild a replica of an Arts and Crafts classic.40 New Hope Blanket ChestInspired by traditional Pennsylvania design,this chest is a dovetailer's delight.47 Brush Care 101How to choose, condition and clean afinishing brush.51 Tablesawn Glass Panel DoorMake see-through doors in 6 easy steps.54 Stringing InlayLearn how to embellish fine furniture witha master cabinetmaker.58 Logs to LumberIn a search for wide boards, it pays to buy

whole logs.62 Why You Need a Moisture MeterIt cans save you lots ofmoney-and grief!

Departments8 Workshop Tips14 CNC Workshop22 Well-Equipped Shop28 A Great American Woodworker


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The Harris Poll2011 EquiTrend'

Paint Brand of the Year

"Kil l brand receIved the hIghest numencal EquItyScore. TNst Score Ind QualIty Score Imoog PllntCOIMgs Indu


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lVI,Olle On the Web at AmericanWoodworker.com

Moisture MetersPin or pinless? learn more atAmericanWoodworiler.com/WebExtras

Stringing by HandWe use a router (p.56), but you canalso use hand tools. See them atAmericanWoodworiler.com/WebExtras

Handcut DovetailsSee how Mar ioRodriguez cuts dovetailsfor his blanket chest (p.40 )atAmericanWoodworiler.com/WebExtras

Divided-Light Doorslearn how to make doors withmUltiple panes atAmericanWoodworiler.com/WebExtras

Get acloser loot at helical heads and carbide inserts at_I'kIIW""""".caa'W1bExtrasBrush CareSee how to make abrush last a ifetime atIIMrkMW"""""oCIIIIWebExtrIs

Find us on: facebook. Follow us on:6 Americ. .Woodworker.com DEC EM . E R/J A NU A RT lO 11

Al11.eI'icanWoodworker.#157, December/January 2012

EDITORIALEdlto< In Chief ~ n d y Johnson

Ed,to< Tom ClISl'SenIOr Ed,to< Tim JohnsonContributing Editor> Lonnoe Byrd

Spike urlsenImd HoldenAlanLKero - d ~ e Mano Rod"g ...z

OffICe Admonlstrlto< Shelly Jacobsen

AliT. DESIGNArt Dlrecto< Joe Gohman

Dlrecto< of Photography ....son Zentner

VIce President/Producllon Barbara SchmitzProduction Manager MIChael J. RueckwaldSYlterns Englrwer Denise Donnarumma

VP, Consumer Marketong Nicole McGu"eNewsstand Consultant TJ MontliU

Onhne Subscnpllon Manager jodi LeeNew Busoness Manager Joe luo

Assistant Marl


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Workshop Tips Clever Ideas From Our Readers

I 11 \,

Terrific Tips Win Terrific Tools!We'll give you $100 for every original workshop tip we publish. One Terrific Tip is featuredin each issue. The Terrific TIp winner receives a $250 gift card.

Emall your tip to workshoptlpq amerlcanwoodworker.com or send it to American Woodworker Workshop Tips, 1285 Corporate Center Drive,Suite 180, Eagan, MN 55121 . Submissions can't be returned and become our property upon acceptance and payment. We may edit submissionsand use them in all print and electronic media.

a AmerlcaaWoocIwol'ker.com DECEM.EI I / JA N UAII Y 2011

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Step up in style with our custom Rolling Ladder SystemOur new Rolling Ladder ystem combines clever design and a c1as ic look to give you a custom ladder that is both sturdyand elegant. imply provide the wood to match your fixtures and get building!The Rockkr Advantage makes building this sy tem easier than ever. An easy-to-folJow plan, premium hardware ofunsurpassed quality, and unmatched customer support help you Creat( with Confidmce.CalII-800-279-44410r go to www.rockler.com. U e code 341 to get FREE SHIPPI G!

"O!" . I .. t l l f l ' IlLI!" \011 I lf t f e e l .l l .t ill ,!.: ,i . i t ROlkln.Lol11 11-877-ROCKLERFru shippinK Off" cannot br IIpplird to prrolow ortkn or combinrd with 01"" promotions mdudmK Profmional C a t l l ~ ortkn. Not laUd at Rodtln Rrtlliltom or Intkpmtknt Rmlkn, 'Pmal ShippinK (haTtN may still apply for Exprm. I n t n 7 l l t t l o n a ~ Alaska, HawaIi and lNal,)/ol'miu iums,


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Wor shopTip con nued

Lumber-Drying ClampsI'VE DRIED MY OWN LUMBER for years, but I alwa had aproblem getting enough weight on top of the tack,to keep the upper board from warping. Here' aolution: U e clamp made from threaded rods.tart building the tack by placing hort pieceof 2x4 on your shop's floor. Next, place 2x4 acrothem. You'll need one about eyery two feet. Cut the epiece about 6"longer than the width of your lumberpile. Drill a 3/ S" hole, I" from the ends of each ofthe e 2x4 .

In er t 5/ 16" threaded rod through all the hole,then put a fender washer and nut on the bottom endof each rod. tack your lumber in the normal fash-ion, placing dry tickers between each layer.

When the tack i complete, place pnxlrilled 2x4son the threaded rods and use another fender washerand nut to queeze the tack. Tighten the nuts downnice and nug.

Luke Sleeves

Lamp Safety ScreenMY LATHE CAME with a lamp, but the lathe' manualhas thi weird warning: "Po ition the work lamp 0that wood chip do not accumulate inside the lamphade and po e a fire hazard."Now, where in the world could the lamp go?

When I turn, chip fly eyerywhere! It occurred tome that metal creening from the hardware tore10 JlmerlclUlWoodworker.com DEC EM . U/JA NUA RY 2012

would preyent chip from getting into the lamp, nomatter where it was placed. I used a ci or to cutout a circle about 1/ 2" larger in diameter than thelamp' hade and pre sed it into the shade. Frictionholds the screen in place. It worked 0 well, I addedcreen to my drill pre and band aw lamp, too.John English


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Our LatestAdditions ToOur FamilyOf PlanesVeritasili Small Bevel-Up Smooth PlaneComparable in size to a #3 bench plane, this low-angle smoother is9 long. 2516 "wide and weighs only 21b 12 oz. Useful for final finishingof surfaces, end-grain work and for shooting miters, it is easier tomaneuver and less fatiguing to use than a ull-size smoother. Thenarrower IPl4"wide) blade makes cuts easier to push through. Themachined and surface ground ductile cast iron body has a12bed angleand amovable toe fully enclosed by the body casting.The locking frontknob controls the toe to set the mouth opening, while astop-screw inthe throat allows repeatable mouth setting and prevents contactbetween the blade and toe. The Norris-type adjuster mechanismcombines feed and lateral adjustments for accurate and easy bladesetting. Set screws on either side of the blade prevent shifting.Yieldingan effective cutting angle of 37o minimize fiber tearing. the included25bevel blade is I/S" hick. lapped, and available in A2 or 01 tool steel.Bubinga front knob and rear handle. Made in Canada. Patented.OSP39.01 Small BU Smooth Plane, A2 $179.00OSP39.S1 Small BU Smooth Plane, 01 $179.00Veritas ili Detail Palm PlanesWrth aheight-adjustable palm rest for better in-hand registration,these miniature planes are easily maneuvered and permit fine,controlled cuts. The investment-cast steel body has a45bed angle and a ixed mouth, and uses abrass retentionscrew to secure the included 30bevel A2 toolsteel blade 10.06 "thick by J/s" wide). Thesoles are approximately 11/Z " long by 5/S"wide and are available in fourprofiles. The concave andconvex planes havecurved soles with aside-to-side radius of112". The double-convexIspoon) version has a 1/2" Flatside-to-side radius and a 4" ront-to-back radius.

Double Convex

12 bedAdjust mouth by Ioosenongfront ball knob and slidingforward or backward.

Enclosed IDe can beadjusted for fine shaVll'lgS(morwnum tear-out) oropened for heaV18r cuts.

Convex

The bubinga palm rest is removable for work in tightspaces. Made in Canada. Patent pending.OSP90_01 Flat Plane $S9.00

Hetght adjustablepalm restOSP90_0S Double-Convex Plane $S9_00OSP90_09 Convex Plane $S9.00OSP90.13 Concave Plane $S9.00OSP90.20 Detail Palm Planes, set of 4 $199.00

To order these planes, call or visit us online. Request acopy ofour free 284-page woodworking tools catalog or browse it online.

Size Comparison of Planes

Low-Angle SINoli Bevel-UpBlock Plane Bevel-lJp Low-Anglewrth tote Low-Angle Smoothand knob Smooth PlanePlane

Concave

Bevel-UpSmoothPlane Low-AngleJack Plane


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Workshop Tips contmued

Premeasured ShellacSHELLAC is a mainstay in my hop, both as a sealer andas a fini h. I mix my hellac from flake and usuallygo with a 1 lb. cut, wh ich is ideal for brushing ultrasmooth coats. I used to measure out the flake eachtime I made a new batch, but here' an easier way.

Mter buying a jar of flakes, I get ou t a postagecale and about a dozen sandwich bags. I fill each bagwith 1 oz. of flakes and place the bags back in the jar.Now, whenever I need a new batch of hellac, I justdump the contents of one bag into an 8 oz. Masonjarand fi ll it up with denatured alcohol. That make a 1lb. cut, no measuring required. I f I want a 2 lb. cut, Iput in 2 bags.

Tom Caspar

Learn how to brush shellac like apro atAmericanWoodworlrer.mmlWebExtras

Homemade Bench GripsBENCH GRIPS are hand for holding parts above thebench for routing, sanding or fini hing. To makethem, just cut some wood and rubber helf linerinto 2" to 3" quare. Glue the helf liner onto bothides of each square using prayadhe ive, uch as 3M

Super 77. Marlin Davis12 &maric:aJaWooclwodter.com DEC EM. E RI JA HU ARY 2012

Blowout BeaterA COPING SLED is a must-have acce ory for router tablework. It help you hold a narrow piece, such as a doorrail, perpendicular to the fence and backs up the cutto prevent blowout.At least, it' uppo ed to. On my led, the backuppiece i an integral part. Once you've cut one profilein it, it won't ufficiently back up a new profile. Theolution i to use sacrificial backup boards. WheneverI change bits, I attach a new piece of 3/8" thick hardwood to the led ' fence with double-faced tape.

ZackReming

Spindle-Sander SharpeningHERE'S A SIMPLE WAY to sharpen chisel using a 3" anding drum mounted in an 0 cillating pindle sanderor a drill pre .

Cut a quared-up 2x4 the length of the sander'stable. Cut a 2" deep by 1/ 2" wide slot at 450 near the2x4's center. Clamp the 2x4 to your sander's table.Place the chisel in the lot and reposition the 2x4 0that the center of the tool's bevel contacts the pindle.

Go low when you harpen, to avoid overheatingthe teel. Quench it in water fairly often. Continueuntil a wire edge form on the tool' back. Removethe wire edge with 600 grit andpaper taped on aflat urface, uch as the top of your table aw.Benjamin Parran

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PouuerLift.A Revolution In Table Mounted Routing.

The First MotorizedRouter Lift!Perfonn true Hands FreePlunge Cutting. Raise thespinning router bit intothe wood .. on the fly!No cranks or handles.

OnlyThePowerLift ..has a bi-directionalElectronic FootPedal that allowsyou to makemicro-adjustmentsto the spinningrouter bit (within.005") for maximumprecision and ease.

OnlyThe PowerLift. .DC motor action allows youto change the router bitabove the table .. in amatter of seconds.

Tap the footswitch tomake incrementalpasses, achieving cleancuts without ruming off therouter.

o Pre-mounted 1/4"thick AluminumRouterTable Inser t

OnlyThe PowerLift ..has aDigitalControl Panel(with mounting an n included),so you can set the speed, direction,and height of the lift.

o Make repeatable plunge cuts formortises and dados.The built inDepth Stop sets the maximumheight the bit can protrude abovethe table

Make your table a mortising machine. A jig that controlsthe work piece up top, combined with raising the spinning bit via the footswitch yields perfect mortises.PowerLift. #9450 .................... ................. $389.95

! See PowerLift "& Table Combos at MLCSwoodworking.com"CreativeJoinery"The Fast JointSystem makesunique customjoints. Includesan aluminumjig, five clamps,rwo router bits, and bushings.Thefour template set includes heart, key,half-blind and thru dovetail joints. Seeadditional II and 20 template sets at"MLCSwoodworking.com".Four Template et #9411.. ...$169.95

1-800-533-9298'R.OFSSIONAl R.OUTU BITS 'tVOODWOIOO"C PRODUCTS

"TopTableand Fence"The customizableRouter Table Topwith Fence featuresa 24"x 32" tabletop,miter slot, T-tracks,high split 36" longfence,and AluminumRouter Plate with guide pin.Tabletop, Fence & Router Plateif2393 _ 189.95PowerLift, Tabletop & Fence#2200 SAVE $40......_.-- . $519.95

Our "pro" 6 piececabinet makingrouter bi t setcreates raisedpanel doors,drawers and table tops ............. ...-1/ 2" shank bits include an undercutter orstandard ogee raised panel, ogee rail &stile set, glue joint, drawer lock, and doorlip. A wood storage box is included.Undercutter Set 0 #8389 ._. ...... II9.95Standard Se t #8387-.. . ._-_. II4-95

FREE SHIPPING!IN CONTICUOUS USA PO BOX l 'J AK. HY. PA, 1900' 1012


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CNCWorkshop By Randy Johnson

CNC Project GalleryAS CNCS BECOME increasingl common in mall woodshop , an amazing van ty of work iemerging. Although thi confinn the technical versatility of , it' an even greaterte timon to the creativity and ingenuity of woodworkers, de igners and arti alike. Thfollowing projects are but a ampling. To ee more, follow the w b links in thi article .

RIM/do Chair

Allura Side Tab/eThis table by Brooke M. Davis is available inHonduran or African mahogany. It is one ofseveral "luxury"designs that Brooke marketsthrough her website BrookeMDavis.com.See page 18 for another pierced CNC designby Brooke. Brooke also owns and operates(Make+SHift) atx,a design-on-demand shopin Austin, Texas.

MyHome Made ChairPlydea, a furniture company in Seattle, Washington ,manufactures this chair from zero-VOC prefinishedbirch plywood. Plydea makes a growing line of readyto-assemble products utilizing snap-together joinery.See more at Plydea.com.

Richard Garsthagen, of the United Kingdom,designed this cha ir in Adobe Illustrator and cutit from 12mm birch plywood. An animated slideshow of the chair being assembled can beviewed at AmericanWoodworker.com/cnc.14 .lmerlcaaWoodworker.c:om DEC EM . E R I JAN U A R Y 1011

8oz

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-


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POWERMATIC SPECIAL E V E N T EXCLUSIVE


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C C Workshop continued

PatternStudyJennifer Anderson, of San Diego, explored the versatilityof CNC in creating this piece; the deep pleating incouture fashion provided inspiration for the pattern.Jennifer finished the table with milk paint and shellac.More at JennlferAndersonStudlo.com. Shelter2.0Robert Bridges designed this for Design It Shelter Competition,a 3-D design contestorganized by the Guggenheim Museumand Google SketchUp. Robert and collaborator Bill Youngenvision this design as an inexpensive, quick-to-constructshelter for homeless and disaster-stricken people around theworld. Cutting the project on aCNC takes about 12 hours; itrequires 36 sheets of plywood plus hardware and vinyl sheeting.More information at Shelter2.0.com.

BronzedMahoganyBowlEd MacDona I turned this bowl on a wood lathe and then embellishedit on his shop made digital CNC ornamental lathe. The bowl measures5-1/4" tall by 7" dia. The exterior is finished with Sculpt Nouveau BronzeBand Tiffany Green Patina to create the lookof aged bronze. The interioris finished with Minwax wipe-on gloss polyurethane. To view pictures ofEd's ornamental lathe, visit Vectric.com/forum and search for the postWrapped and Sculpt Nouveau."

Nice Carvings is the name ofMelissa Jones'sign business-a fitting name given the quality of her work. Melissa started herbusiness carving signs by hand and many of he details in her current work are still added by hand, such as the distressed lookof the Maximum sign. Most of Melissa's signs are made of high-density urethane (HDU) foam sign board, such as the 36" dia.Deerkill Day Camp sign, while wood is the material of choice for others, such as the Maximum sign. Melissa finishes most of hersigns with a primer coat of Kilz and top coats of Sherwin Williams latex paint Melissa creates herdesigns with Vectric AspireCNC design software and cuts them on a Shopbot CNC. View more of Melissa's work at NiceCarvings.com.

16 JlmericaJlWoodworker.com DECEMIUIJAHUARY 1012


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NEW FROM FORREST!

PlyVeneerWorker BladeDesigned Specifically for Cutting Plywood and Plywood VeneersThis commercial-quality blade is ideal fornp and cross cutting two-sided plywood,whether finished or unfinished. It IS alsoperfect for cross cutting solid woods. Infact, there's no comparable blade on themaritet today.The PlyVeneer Worker If'IW) uses thesame highprecision technology that'sbehind our popular Woodwor1


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CNC Workshop continued

IntertwinedBrooke M. Davis designed this 55" x 18" mahogany table top. While this elaborate carving would likely be a one-of-kindtable if done by hand, the CNC allows Brooke to reproduce versions in other woods and finishes to suit a customer'sneeds.You can view the complete table (with legs) at BrookeMDavis.com.

18 JlmericaJlWoodworker.com DECEMBER / JANUARY 2011

Doug HaHner, owner ofHaffner Signs, Wyoming,Illinois, creates what hecalls "dimensional signs- ones that you can walkaround." His own businesssign (photo far left)highlights his "dimensional"approach to signmaking,as well as his designingand sculpting talents. Thebase of he sign reads "THESKY IS THE LIMIT UNTILYOU DECIDE IT'S NOT:and the other side says"AGOOD SIGN CAN TAKEYOU A LONG WAY." Dougworks in multiple materialsincluding wood, foam,sculpting clay, plastic andmetal. He's very pragmaticabout his approach; whilehe uses a CarveWright CNCfor much of his work-such as shaping the innerfoam layers for his rocketand carving letters forthe panels on the sign 'sbase-many of the detailsare modeled by hand. Thisincludes the rivet headson the base. So eachrivet would look unique,he added and shapedeach one by hand. Seemore of Doug's work atHaffnerSigns.com.Whileyou 're there, make sureto check out his awardwinning Robot sign .


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Type II PYA,No FoamlA,Dries Natural ColorIdeal Clamp TimeIndoorlOutdoor Use


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CNC Workshop contmued

Rose WindowUsing Vectric Aspire software, Michael Mezalick designedthis small-scale replica of he famed window ofNotre DameCathedral. Michael machined his replica out of 3/4" MDFon his CAMaster CNC, and finished it with Valspar"Stone"spray paint This window and other CNC-made products areavailable at Michael's website Shop.CarvedDetails.com.

Bison PlaqueTim Merrill, of Henderson, North Carolina, carved thisbison out of mahogany. He highlighted i t with a darkstainand set it in an alder backboard. The bison and landscapebackground designs are available through VectorArt3D.com.Tim holds the well-deserved title of "Vectric Archimage"onthe Vectric.com forum for being the member with the mostposts and a reliable source of helpful information.

20 Amar icaaWoodwodtar .co l l l DEC EM . E R J " NU" R Y 20 11

Autumn WreathJim Creco of Mebane, North Carolina, machined andfinished this project The design was created by MichaelTaylor, a graphic artist turned CNC project designer. This isoneof hundreds ofCNC deSigns that Michael has created.His plans are available through his website CarveBuddy.com, as well as CarveWright.com and VectorArt3D.com.

Carved Blanket ChestReuben Foat, a graduate student, made this in the furnituredesign program at San Diego State University. Althoughmost of his designs start on paper, Reuben is also an avidRhino CAD user. As for the CNC, Ruben says, "It wasn't untilgraduate school that I got my hands on a CNC. It has been agame-changer for me." See more of Ruben's CNC (and laser)work at ReubenFoat.com.


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he ell-Equipped Shop

Make Your Own Stain MarkerFINDING A FELT-TIP MARKER or touch-up tick that actually matches the color of your project i a real crap hoot.What if you could make your own, using your own tain?You can, using the Perfect Match tain Marker. Itworks like an old-fashioned refillable fountain pen andwill hold any water, oil or lacquer-based tain.It' imple to fill. Fir t, you remove the felt tip. Thenyou pull on a plunger to uck up the tain. Replace the tipand you're ready to go.

In addition to touch-up, you can use the tainMarker for accents or highlighting.SOURCEPerfect Match Stain Marker, perfectmatchstainmarker.com,866-962-7537, Perfect Match Stain Marker, $6.

22 &mericuWoodworker .com DECEMIERIJANUARY l O l l

by Brad Holden

Thicker GlueYOU 'RE ASSEMBLING A CASE with dadoe , holding thepieces vertically. You apply the glue .. . and it run rightdown each dado, pooling at the bottom. Ever wanted athicker glue that would tay put?Titebond thinks so. They've just come out withsomething they call No-Run, No-Drip glue. Titebondsay tha t it' the highe t-visco ity PYA wood glue on themarket. No-Run, No-Drip also has a trong initial tackand an open time from three to fiveminutes.Thi glue seem ideal for trim carpentry, where you'd like a piece ofmolding to tay put once you tick itin place and also have enough timeto wrangle that pin nailer. A thickglue certainly has a home in thehop, too, for ituation whereyou want glue to tay inplace, not run down anddrip all over your benchor other parts of the project. But it' not for piecesthat have to lide pa toneanother, like a mortiand tenon joint. Thicki good, just not all thetime!SOURCEFranklin International,tltebond.com, 800-347-4583,No-Run, No-OripWoodGlue, 8 oz., $5; 16 oz., $7.

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The Well-Equippe Shop continued

Cordless dril lhanger

Router hanger

Universal Tool HangersEFFICIENTTOOL STORAGE is the holy grail of a small shop.Portable power tools need to be out of the way, yet easy tograb. That often means hanging them on a wall. But toolshave such odd shapes-how are you going to do it?Check out these wire shelves from Toolhangerz. Eachone is specifically designed for the tools we count on eachday, such as cordless drills, routers, circular saws, nailguns, reciprocating saws and saber saws. According to themanufacturer, they're designed to work with every majorbrand of power tool. Toolhangerz also offers non-toolspecific 8" or 14" flat shelves.The hangers are designed for a slat-wall, perf-board orsteel gridwall system.SOURCEToolhangerz. toolhangerz.com, 513-520-2660, Individual hangers,$9-$14; #100,10 Piece Kit, $90.

Nice Clamp,Nice PriceTHE BESSEY K-BODY REVO isan industry icon. Now it has anoffspring-the Revo Jr.-which is

about 15% less expensive.Comparing the two, you're not losing a lot by going with the Jr. The Jr. delivers 900 Ibs. of clamping force, while the" r." iscapable of 1,500 Ibs. (The Jro's 900 Ibs. is still moreforce than you need for many clamping jobs, such asgluing up doors or panels.)The difference in force is mainly due to the size of thebar. The Jro's bar is 114" thick x 15/16" wide; the Sro's bar is3/8" thick x 1-1/8" wide. The smaller bar makes the Jr. about50% lighter than the Sr. That's actually an advantage whenyou're trying to precisely position a clamp on a cabinet.Two other minor differences: The throat depth of the Jr.is 112" less than the depth of a Sr., and while the Jr. comes in12",18",24",36" and 50" lengths, the Sr. has a wider range.

24 Amuic. .Woodworker.com DECEMIER /JANUARY 1011

1 you need a clamp's jaws to stay absolutely parallelwhen you apply extreme pressure, stick with the standardRevo. If your clamping jobs don't require as much muscle,the Jr. is a pretty good deal.SOURCEBessey, besseytools.com,800-828-1004, KRJR-12, -18, -24, -36 and 50, $28$40 ea.


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Build anything you wantright from your Desktop.

With your brand n&N Shop80t Desktopyou can cut wood, Vinyl dumlnum. foam,plastIC - just about anything withprofessional speed, power and preClSlOf1.Choose add-ens tike the drag knife. plotterpen, diamond engraving bit and the n&Nindexer, and let your imaginatlOll soar!

Watch 1M Desktop In actionwith 1M optionalRo/atyInd8xmg Tool. Grut forpen /liming. CIlVIIIg IIIId lotmorelVIdeo.t$I/opbottooIs.com/dIsktop/

ShopBotTools.com8886804466

Dust Deputye Ultimate S249.00Shown leftKit Designed to fit Festool CTDust Extractors but can be usedwith any wet I dry VIC. Mode In the USA.(u.s. Patented Invention)5 30 Dol. dust contolners.(Any Size Works)


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The Well-Equipped Shop continued

Custom Dovetail BladesCUTTING DOVETAILS on the tablesaw presents a peskyproblem. Sure, you can cut the pins with a standard blade,but when it comes to awing the tails, as shown above,that blade won't go all the way into the angled corners.Forrest has a solution: a blade with angled teeth. Forrest stocks blades with 7,9 or 11.5 angles, tilted left orright, but they will also custom-grind a blade for you atvirtually any angle you wish. (You won't need both a leftand a right, by the way-you just reverse the workpieceto make a cut angled in the opposite direction.)These blades are part of the Woodworker II line. Theyhave 40 teeth, a 118" kerf, 5/8" bore and a 20 hook. Bladesship in 7 to 10 days.SOURCEForrest Manufacturing, forrestblades.com, 800-733-7111,#WW1040D12S, Dovetail Grind, $138.

26 AmericaaWoodworker.com DEC EM. E R/JA N U ARY 2012

Happy FeetIF YOUR SHOP has a concrete floor, you know how uncomfortable it is to stand on a hard surface all day. Your feet aresore and tired. Your back and knees ache. Well, here's ananswer: the New-Life anti-fatigue mat from GelPro.I've been using one of these mats in my shop forthe last few weeks, and my feet, back and legs have beenthanking me ever ince.New-Life mats come in tv ..o sizes and four colors. Iprefer the larger size for a workbench because I have moreroom to change my stance. The mats are 5/8" thick andmade from renewable soy-based material. They're verysoft-much softer than any other mat I've u ed-and havejust enough resilience to keep a spring in your step. The topsurface is durable; a non-skid underside prevents slipping.SOURCEGelPro, gelpro.com, 866-43Hi287, 20' x 32" mat, $80;20" x48" mat, $120.


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A Great AmericanWoodworker An Artisan 'sLife Story

Michelle HolzapfelTu rner-ca rver-machi nist-ph i osopher

bySp' CarlsenIT 'S TEMPTING (e pecially for magazine ) to pigeonhole woodworkers as cabinetmaker, or chairbuilder , or turner , for example. But there' not a pigeonholewide or deep enough to containMichelle Holzapfel' talent. Ifthere were, it would be accompa-nied by a very long label. "Turner-carver-machini t-philo opher"would be a good tart. Her technique and attitudes and the wayhe approache her work are a

unique and inten e a her fini he d piece.A roundabout journeyMichelle has worked with her hand

LuckyLeaf2008Cherry burl. gilded. polished and burned12 ' x 12 ' x5'

28 &mer1caaWooclworker.co m DECEMIEIIIJAHUAIIY 2012

for as long as he can remember. "Igrew up in a big family where people were elf- ufficient and knewhow to make things," he recall."My father was a machini t with abig workshop and my mother wasa very good earn tre , 0 wheth rI was helping guide a piece of plywood through a table aw or helping around the hou e, I ab orbedmy attitude toward working withmy hand at an early age."

Her carving kills were inadvertently awakened in a high choolprintmaking class. "We were making wood blocks for printing and Idi covered I didn't care about theprinting, but I loved carving the

....

"---i5""


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Terra Incognita2009Spalted maple burlS" x22" x 24"

blocks." From there he began tocarve addre sign for neighbors'houses. "U ing hand tool trainedthe hand, mind and e e in a particular wa that has pu t me in goodtead," he explain.She attended Marlboro Collegein Vermont for a few erne ters,married, and then in 1976, openeda woodworking bu ine in ruralVermont with her husband David.They created mo tly furniture. hetook on the task of turning the legs"on a crappy little Craftsman lathe,"he say . "I got boredafter turning thefir t et of legs, but

1 Loved working onthe lathe." Michellebegan turning little

Rage Correctly2009

Basswood. gildingand copper wire

14" x2Sx 2

weed pots fromcrap tock andhortly thereaf-

ter-remem ber-ing how muchhe loved carv-

ing-began embelli hing her turnings. The technique remain dominant in her work today.

Though mo t of Michelle'works involve orne degree of lathework, creating a ve el, plate orother "roundi h" object i only thetart of he r creative proce . Carv-

Dragon Panel (detail)2008

Quilted maple42 x 30" x 6

ing, painting, integrating, transforming and pyrographic shadingcome next.

For reason of both entimentality and bodily pre ervation,Michelle doe her turning ona machini t' lathe built by herfather. Rather than u ing tandard

DEC EMIE R/JA NU A R Y lO 11 &meric:&aWoodworker.com 29


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A Great .Am.erican Woodworker continuedhandheld turning tool, he u e aharpened blade of steel as a cutterthat' ecured to a tool re t. On amachini t' lathe, handwheel are

used to adjust the tool re t on boththe X and Yaxe , guiding the cutter to create the de ired hape. Theblade can be ground to create thenece ary cutting profile. While thimay not create the ultra- mooth,ultra-detailed urface orne woodturners trive for, perfection isn'tMichelle' goal at thi point.

Once the rough hape has beencreated, Michelle begin workingon it with carving gouges, air-powered grinder , electric chain aw ,and he r fathom Ie imagination.Her work i in pired by quilt makers , old Dutch master and herlove of gardening, cooking andsewing. "I've taken thing from my

Ophelia'sMirror2009Cherry, maple burl, birch bark and birchburlllimb scar34" x 17"xS"

daily life and the life of the mindand mined them for imagery, texture, form and narrative." Herworks peak for them elve . In fact,many of her piece have enti re torie to tell.Turning wood into artand viewers intoparticipantsIn rural Vermont, Michelle hasacce to a cornucopia of fabulou native hardwood and burl .When asked if he plan eachpiece or lets it evolve he chuckle ,"Often, when I look at a piece ofwood, I feel like Coyote when helooks at Road Runner and ee aroasted dinner. I can or t of eethe piece in it. But 99.9% of thetime that' not the piece I wind upwith. The wood won't let me do it

Phantom Limb2009Base: turned and scorched sugar mapleVessels :ash limbscar and turned andbleached spalted maplelS" x10"x10"

30 &mericaDWooclworlter.com DECEMIER/JANUARY 1011

Arrangement in black&white2008Spalted sugar maple, burned fabric. curly redmaple, spalted maple, turned and bleached36" x 22 " x4"

or I change my mind. It may be acliche, bu t I have a dialogue withthe wood ." The dialogue i oftenlengthy and complex, as Michellepends an average of one month

per piece. "I try to pace m elf 0I don 't fall apart," he ay . Mo t ofher works ell for between 5,000and 10,000, but through gallerie ,some piece have old for as muchas 20,000.

As one idea lead to another,Michelle ometime works intheme and variation. Recently,upon di covering a tash of boardwith limb cars and ro t, she beganintegrating turned pots into thecracks and crevice (ee PhantomLimb, at left). "It make it clearthat the e ve el are not for yourheerio ," she explains. "They' remore like actors in little dramas oftlle viewers ' own making."Michelle love mysterie andpuzzle , and like to intr igue andchallenge viewers. "I like viewerto participate, becau e that's whatreall brings a piece to life," heexplain . She equates he r workto black and white televi ion orradio, where the absence of color


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or a picture make the view rfill in the information. Th fe Imor in\'e ted and connect d tothe piece. """bile the viewer i n' tmaking th piece," h explain,"the 're makin en of the piecefor them Ive. They fe I an owner-

en . You trug Ie to wrench thework out of the wo d. You fi ht forSpike Carlsen i the authorof A plintered History ofWood: BellIe

hip even wh n the don't bu thepi ceo That can be a big differencebetwe n a ucc ful and a not-soucce ful pi ce."

You reall have to harpen 'ourelbow and move ahead." Michellemove with amazing vigor, laminaand creativity.

nder Race, Blind Woodworkm andBaseball Bats and th newly rele dRidiculously imple Furniture Pr0j-ects. Hi upcoming book,TheWoodworking Answer Book, will beavailabl in the pring of2012.

Michelle rna ' be a philo oph r,but having weathered the up anddown of profe ional woodworking for over 35 ea , h' al 0a reali t. "Being a woodworkerrequir chutzpah," h ay ." orne p ople have thi romantic notion of woodwork rs ittingaround communing with naturor gliding along on a magic carpet-but it' trenuou in every

VermontSpoons2010

Maple burl and gold leaf36 x42 x 6

A marriagemade in thewoodshopD.vid Houpfel has beenMichelle's partner in theworkshop and life fornearly four decades.He toospec ializes in one-of-a-kindsculptural woodworking,but on a larger scale. Mostof his furniture makesuse of mammoth burlsand chunky natural-edgeslabs.And while Michellestates, Our work is ike two

different solar systems; the Holzapfels recently have begunto collaborate (see Counter Chairs , at right). Do they have anywords of adv ice to other woodworking wanna-be coupleswishing to collaborate? "Whoever's ob it is gets to be thedirector,explains David. "The other is the m u l eWhat 's t ike living in a two-woodworker marriage?Michelle is left handed and I'm right; David says. Thebiggest area of conflict is when we have to pick up and carrysomething heavy. We each want to flip it a different way.Beyond toting heavy things, they've developed a peaceful,successful relationship.David is the more talented salespersonand photographer, while Michelle is better at keep ing booksand designing literature.They influence one another morethrough osmosis than direct conversation .Snce their stylesdiffer from one another. much of their collaboration simplyinvolves giving one another support."After 40 years we 've

learned to figure things out; explains Michelle.They share materials and tools. but they have their ownworkspaces . David 's s larger. because he works on larger

pieces. Since their work is mostly sculptural, their workshop isatypical; there are no tablesaws , ointers or planers and manyof heir tools are powered by acompressor.The world of artistic woodworking is cyclical and bothof heir careers have had ups and downs. At times Michelle'swork has been in the limelight; other times David has beenthe shining star.Through the years it'sbalanced out.

CounterChoirs10 11Spalted and burled ~ I o w birch,walnut and beech3r x22 x 1r

D I( IM II R /J AN U A R Y Z O 1 Z JLmericaJlWoodworker.com 31


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A new hardware kit includes the metal shanks and squarespindle needed to make wooden doorknob sets for interior doors(see Sources, page 35).

Tum the blank end-for-end and mount it in the scroll chuck. Thenuse aJacobs style chuck to bore a hole for the doorknob'smetalshank.

Turn the knobsFor each knob, use dried wood ranging from 2-1/2"to 3" quare and approximately 3" long. Mount theblank between centers and tum it into a cylinder withthe roughing gouge. Tum a 1/4" long tenon on thetailst k end- thi will be the outside (front) face ofthe knob (Photo 2). ize the tenon' diameter to fit thcroll chuck' ja\\ .Remove the blank, turn it around and mount it inthe croll chuck. Then use th Jacob tyle chuck todrill a 3/ 4" dia. x 1" deep hole in the end (Photo 3).U e the pindle/ detail gouge to roughly hap theback of the knob (Photo 4). At its b e, leave a flat orlightly concave area around the hole for th metalhank to eat again t. Thi eating area hould be nomaller than 1-1/4" in diameter. heck the hank'fit to make ure it lide in \\ithout binding and eatsflat again t the wood. Then remove th knob from

the lathe.reate ajam chuei-. bv mountin a 3" x 3" x 2" long\ te block in the croll chuck and mming a 3/ 4" dia.x 3/ 4" long tenon on the nd (PhotoS). Th roughedknob will mount onto thb tenon, 0 u'ue it lowly with

Make the doorknob first. Tum the blank to acyfinder. Then cuta tenon on the front end with a parting tool or a skew ch isel, soyou can mount the blank in ascroll chuck.

Use the spindle/detail gouge to shape the back of he knob.Make a rolling cut toward the hole in the end of he blank.

a parting tool or ke\ chisel. The goal is to create a fitthat' tight enough to hold the knob ecurel ,but 100 eenough to allow removing it when the tim com s-not a very large \\indow!Mount the partiall ' turned knob on the jam chuckand make ure it run true. It' helpful for initial haping to bring up the tailstock for extra uppon. Be ureto cO\'er the point of the center with a mall piece ofwood or other material oitwon'tmarth knob' frontface (Photo 6 ).e the pindle/ detail gouge to refine the hapeof the knob (Photo 7). At thi point, 'ou can hortenits overall length, detail i face, add a bead- whatever 'ou de ire. A ball hape or an as mm trical formboth function well as a hap for the hand. Finalizthe hape and then pull awa the tail tock to complete the turning on the very end. On the h ad tockend, turn the back of th knob to its final hap(Photo 8). Fini h- and the knob to 220 or 320 grit.I f 'ou plan to appl a fini h uch as m lamine onthe lathe, now i the time to do it. Melamine i a precatalyzed lacquer that' easil applied while the lathei running (ee ource).

DEC EM. E I JAN U A Y 1011 AmericaaWoodworker.com 13


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Mab a jam chuck to remount the knob for final turning. It's adisc with a flat face and a tenon. The fit between the tenon andthe knob's hole must be snug, so the knob stays put.

5Mpe the front of the knob with the spindle/detail gouge. Pullback the tailstock when you near the final shape, so you canfinish turning the front end.

Turn the escutcheonsMake the e utcheon from a dry face-grain blank that 'between 1 4" and 1/2" thick and has on flat face. utthe blank into 3" dia. dis ,on for ach e utcheon.Mount a 3-1 / 2" dia. x 3/ 4" thick di of MDF, pi 'Woodor rap lid tock onto a 3" faceplate. This d' provide a cushion of w te material that can be cut intowhen 'ou tum the e cutcheon. Tm e this "waste di "round and flatten its outside fa e (check with a mler).

e woodtumer' double-faced tape to f: ten thee utcheon blank to th " te d' c (Photog). Align thetape with the grain and place it on the blank' flat fac .uall . tw 3" long trip of I" "1d tape i ufficient.nter the blank and pre it onto the di . Brin upthe tailstock to erv a clamp. In tall a 2" quare pad

or di to evenl ' di tribute th pre ure. Wait about 20minute before tumin .Tum the Ulcheon to the d ired diam ter. As theblank is fa e-grain material,} u mt t cut a its edgto reduce the diameter, rather than into its ed . U ingth pindle d tail gou ,work from the fa of the blanJ..

t ward (and into) the w te disc. Do not use a partingtool or a kew chisel for this tep.

34 JlmericaaWoocIwodte ..co m DEC EMaER /J ANUAR Y lOll

Bring up the tailstock to support the blank. Install a pad so thepoint of the tailstock's center doesn't mar the end of the blank.

Refine the shape at the base of the knob, turning away the jamchuck as required for access. The final diameter at the base mustbe the same size or larger than the metal shank.

Drill a 3/ 4" dia. hoI through the center of the blank(Photo 10). Then hape the face of the utcheon \\1ththe pindle/ d tail ou e, working from mall to largdiameter (Photo 11 ). F m i s h ~ d the utch on andapply the finish while it' till on the lathe, i fd ired.To r mO\'e the e cutcheon from the waste disc,carefully lide a chi elunder an end-grain edge. Thengentl ' appl low, t ad pr ure to break the tape'bond and pry off the e cutcheon.Assemble and mount the doorknobsGlue the metal hank into th turned knob, u ingflexibl epoxy or glue uch as 6000 (Photo 12 andurce ). Allow plent}' of curing time (two to threeda ) before ou mount the knob on the door.You'll need orne r" and a latch mbl tomount the d orknob. U uall the door' exi tinglatch mbl ' works fine. For n w in tallation , youcan purchase the latch assembl alone at almo t an 'hardware tor or home center for 10 or Ie .

The rew length depend on the thickn of thdoor and the thickne of the e cutch on. I l}picalluse bla k or brass oval-head heet metal re\ to con-


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Use double-faced tape and pressure from the tailstock tomount the rough-sawn escutcheon blank on a waste disc that'smounted to a faceplate.

Tum the escutcheon's face with the spindle/detail gouge. Avoidtearout by working from the center to the outside edge.

trast or complement th w d. The d orknob hardwar kit h two n 'Ion barrel that the cre" threadinto from each ide to hold the e lIlcheon in place. If'ou use the exi ting latch mbl ,you rna ' be able touse its rew and metal pace in t ad of 11 w crewand th nylon barrel from th kit.Drill a pair of matching c unt rsunk mountinghoi in each e utcheon. Align the hole with thegrain to allow e nal mo\' ment and drill the holelight! larger than the r w hanks. metime ther w ize and pacing ar d t nnin d b} hole in thelatch embl .In tall th latch embh and mount the e utch-ons. D n' t o\'er-tighten th cre". ;\10unt one knob

on th pindle and cure it \\ith the ets rew. lidth pindle through the d rand lat h embl. Th nthread the remainin kn b onto th pindle until it fiftI again t the e clilch n -n ith r 0 ti ht that thknob won't tum nor 0 I that the kn b wobble.Wh n the fit' a t i s f a c t o r ~ . f. t n t!l I e knob to thpinrlle with the

See how to tum furniture knobs atAmeric:anWooclworbr.com/WebExtTas

10Drill a hole for the doorknob's metal shank after turning theescutcheon blank to its final diameter.

Glue the shank into the knob, using E6000 adhesive-it'sfleXible, so it's excellent for adhering wood to metal, because itallows for the wood 's seasonal movement.

Finish optionsFor a natural appearal1c t!lat \\;11 patinate O\'er time,u e a dI);ng-type oil ( uch pure tung oil or boil dlineed oil), or an oil/varni h bl nd. For a more durable fini h, use brushing \'arnish that' been reduced\\;th mineral pirits 0 you an ";p it on, or melamine,as m no n d earlier.SOURCES Alan LacerWoodturning, alaniacer.com, 715-426-9451,Doorknob Kit (includes 2 shanks, 1 spindle and 2 nylon barrels formounting the escutcheons), $21.95 each. Craft Supplies USA, woodturnerscatalogue.com, 800-551-8876,Vicmarc Four-Jaw Scroll Chuck. .991-0222, $239.99; KeylessChuck. .2MT. ~ 2 2 0 0 , $44.99; 1" Double Face Tape, .028-


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Tool Talk The Powermatic 15HH PlanerI by Tom Caspar

A powerful planer gets the job done much faster.

REMEMBER the '65 FordThunderbolt? The '67 Oldsuti ? Th '69 PontiacGTO? Th 're cJas ic mu -cJe cars-rod with powerful ngine , de ignedfor p d . The world ofplan rs has i mu cJe car ,

too-machine with pI ntyof ho r epower and th capacitto quickl mill doz n of board .Th Powermatic 15HH i an out-tanding xampl .heck out the p c : a 3hp, 240 volt

induction motor, a 15" \\ide helical utterhead an da 4' long cast-iron b d, all totaling more than 500lb . of wood-eating m tal. Thi i a hug tep upfrom rna t portabl plan , which have Ie powerand m . If 'ou have a portable plan r and are frutrated b how long it take to r mov a lot of material, rna be it' time to et out of the dan and movup to the muscJ -car cJMore work in less timeTher ar two wa in which a planer like the 15HHcan get the jo b done fast r. First, 'au can take a muchd ep r bite with each pass--about t\\ic much as

36 AmericaaWooclwodo:er.com DEC EM . E /J A N U A Y 10 11

a portable planer. cond,you can feed in multipleboards id b id , up toth full 15" width of themachine. Thi technique,call d gang-planing, dorequire caution. To avoidkickback, never gang planeboards that ar of unequalthi kne or boards thatare warp d in an wa. ang planing anI works \\ith boards that have be n

jointed fi t, then planed to the same thickne , onboard at a tim .planer with an induction motor, uch as the15HH, \\ill last much longer than a planer with auniversal motor (the typ found on rna t portablplan ). Thi planer' motor i rated to run continuousl '-a l l da , if nece ary. I f 'ou e a lot of planinin your future, and want a machine that won't wear

out anytim oon , then the 15HH or a imilar 240 voltplaner i the wa ' to go.Tames big boardsbig plan r is better quipped than a portable plan rto handl big boards, particularl long and h aone . The infi ed roller on the 15HH, which pull the

Q:ZZNZo'">'":5...or...


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Cruise through huge boardsThis planer's 4' long cast-iron bed can easily supportthis 3" thick, 80 lb. monster board.

wood through the planer, i a 2" dia. teel rod with errated ridge that bite into the wood. The infeed rollerof a portable planer, by contrast, i mailer in diameterand has a mooth surface; it relie on friction aloneto pull the wood through the machine. A erratedroller, backed b a 3 hp motor, can pull heavy timbersthrough a planer much better than a smooth roller.Muscle planers like the 15HH al 0 have two moothnon-powered rollers on the planer' bed, under thecutterhead, for a heavy timber to ride on. (They ' readjustable from 0" to 1/ 16" in height) . Portable planers do n ' t have thi feature.

The bed of the 15HH, like other muscle planers,i a long, olid cast-iron urface. It won't deflect ortwi t under the weight of a large timber. The bed of aportable planer i not nearly as trong or tiff, becausemo t of its length is compo ed of two folding tamped-teel wings.Snipe: not beat yetThere 's one aggravating problem that a mu cle planerwon 't olve for you, however: nipe. It' till there.(Snipe i the lightly deeper cut that a planer take onthe leading and trailing edge of a board.)

The be t work-around to eliminate nipe i thearne method you'd use with a portable planer: Buttyour boards end-to-end as YOU feed them .

Hog off a big bitePowered by a 3 hp motor, this planer can cut 3/16" deep onmaterial up to 5-1/2" wide, 1/8" deep on 15" wide stock.

Under the hood:a helical headThe carbide inserts on this planer'scutterhead are skewed at 14 Theymake a shearing cut, which producesa smoother surface with less tearout.A planer with a helical head is alsomuch quieter than one with a straightcutterhead.

Superior performanceMu cle i ju t half the tory with the 15HH. Outstanding performance i the other part, and that' mo tlydue to the planer' carbide in ert cutters and helical head (the "HH" in "15HH"). According to Pow-ermatic, thi head delivers a moother urface, withIe tearout, than a tandard traight-line cutterhead.Plus-and thi i a huge deal- i t' much quieter.Carbide cutters will plane many more board feetthan tandard HSS knive before getting dull. When itcome time to put a new et of edge to work, you justun crew and rotate the in erts. No leveling i required.

The 15HH use a Byrd helix head, which i currently tate of the art in planers. All of the in erts cutat a kew angle. orne mu cle planer have omewhatimilar head with carbide in erts arranged in a helical pattern , bu t the in erts aren 't kewed. They makea chopping cut, like a traight knife, rather than ahear cut. According to Powermatic (and this agreewith ou r own ob ervations) , a shearing cut minimizetearout. ....6

soU RC E:Powermatic. powermatic.com, 800-274-6848. 1SHH Planer.$2.999.

Get a closer look at helical headsand carbide inserts atAmericanWoodworlrer.com/WebExtras

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012 AmericanWoodworker.com 37


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Limb Foo stool

TWENTY-FIVE ' ars a 0 I fell in lovewith an old oak tool. ince th n, I'veused it as a computer d k, kid eat,nack table and tepladd r. 1\1 , toolwas built mor than 100 'ears a 0b the Limbert Arts and rafts Furnitur c mpan ' of Michigan, and it'till attractiv, useful and turd asthe da ' it w mad. He r ' how 'oucan mak 'our own.

You'll be abl to us typi al 3/ 4"oak boards found at a hom cent r.You'U ne d a 4' board that is 11-1 / 4"wide (it will be labeled a "lx12"), a3' board that is 2" wide and a 2' boardthat i 1-1/2" wide. ut the Ie (A)and top ( ) from th wid board.

Tote that both ends of ea h leg arecut at a 5 be \ I (Fi . A). ut thapron (B) to final I ngth from th2" wid material.p and enlarge the half-patterns for th I and apron (Fi .) . carbon paper to trac th mas mirror ima onto th wood. Drill

Build a replica of anArts and Crafts classic.

hoi with a 1-1/ " pad bit to tartmaking the I g cutouts (Photo 1),then finish , ~ i t h a ji w equippedwith a finN th blade. (You couldalso use a roll w.) ut the outlinof th apron with th jigsaw or us ab a n d s a w , ~ i t h a fine-tooth 1/ 4" blad .Wrap sandpaper around a hortlength of dow I to mooth the sawnurfac . ut notch in the Ie forrecehing the apron. Tote that thebottom ed of th not h lean at5, lik th top ofth Ie ; cut th mon a tabl wor use a handsaw.lu and nail the apron to theIe (Photo 2). Fi t, mark the top

by Spike Carlsenut the top ( ) to length. U thesam 1-1/" pad bit to drill hoifor the ends of the cutout (Fi . B),then cut between th hole with a

ji w. Round th come of the top.nter th Ie embl on th topand drill pilot hoi for mountingr w (Photo 3). lu and rewthIe mbl to th top.

ut th tr tcher (D) to I ngth.Po ition it betw n th I , t h nlocate th cent rs of th rew hoion the outside of the Ie . Drill holefor th decorative plu fi t, th ndrill pilot hoi for the rew. lueand r w the tr tcher in place(Photo4), then glu in the plu .

ru-


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DrII holeswith a spade bit to begin making the leg cutouts. Usea jigsawor scroll saw to cut the rest of the pattern.

DrtI pilot holes through the aprons for fastening the top withscrews. Use a combination bit adjusted to drill a hole that's thefull length ofthe screw.

Fig. A Exploded View

fUI' the aprons to the legs. Use a sliding bevel to make sure bothlegs angle out at 5.

Futen the stretcherbetween the legswith screws. Installdecorative buttons to conceal the screw heads.

Fig. C Leg and Apron PatternsFig. B Top Cutout

Cutting List 0Yera Dimensions:1"" , '/2"Wx 18"LPart Name Qty. ThxWxL

A leg 2 114"x O-1IT I t-J14"B Apron 2 3/4'x 2" x1rTo download full-size plans of the leg and apron, go toArnericanWooctworbr.comlWebExtras

(0 Top 1 3/4"111-114" x 1"Stretchtr 314" x11/2'x 2-13/16"

DECEMIERIJANUARY 2012 JlmericaaWoodworker.com 39


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Dovetail-friendlywoodThis chest is made from butternut,a relatively soft wood that's perfectfor cutting dovetails by hand.

Built-in tillThe chest has a small storage box-a"till" built right into it. To prop up thechest's lid, just open the till.

40 AmericaaWooclworlter.eGm D lC I MII R ' JAN U A R Y 2012

Breadboard endsThese pieces keep the chest's lid fromwarping. I made them from red oak.for strength.


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I'LL BET that there' a blanket che t omewhere onyour honey-do Ii t. It ' a u eful piece that looks greatin almo t any room. And it' aJ 0 the perfect projectto develop-or te t-your dovetailing kills.

Choo ing the right wood for dovetailing canmake all the difference in the world. I f you u e aden e wood that pHnters easily or has quirrelygrain-watch out! So let me hare with you ju tonemagical word: butternut. Th i wood i a dovetailer'dream come true.

Butternut is relatively oft, like basswood. It takelittle effort to aw an d easily surrender paper-thinhaving to a harp chi el. Your dovetail will reallytand out when the wood i fini hed becau e but

ternut' en d grain trongly contrasts in color withits face grain. Plus, butternut has beautiful figure: Itlooks a lot like walnut, a clo e relation.While mo t of thi che t i made from butternut,I u ed red oak for the lid's breadboard end and thecove molding that run around the base. Th e e partswill probably get dinged over the years, 0 I cho ea wood that is more durable than butternut. Combining woods like thi may ound unu ual, but cabinetmaker of long ago adopted the arne practice,particularly on che ts that were going to be painted.I wouldn't paint thi che t, of cour e, bu t I like theeffect. It' quite triking, and honors tho e craftsmen' practicality.Dovetail the caseThe front (A), back (B) and ide (C) of the che tare 16" wide, 0 you'll probably have to glue themup. I u ed two wide board for the front and ideand a number of narrower board for the back.When you glue the e piece , take every precautionto make ure that the joints are even an d the wholeas embl stay flat. Rip the panel to final width,then trim them to final length using a cro cu t led(Photo 1).

Layout the dovetails (Fig. C) . I tart with thetail (they go on the front an d back piece ). Witho many tail to layout, I make a template fromaluminum fla hing (Photo 2). On the wood, I fir tmark the ba eline of the tails with a marking gauge.Then I place the template in po ition an d u e aknife to core line for the ide of the tail . Finally,I remove the template and core the baseline an dthe side line even deeper.I cut the tail to the line, aw mo t of the wastebenveen them with ajeweler' aw (Photo 3), thenpare the baseline from both ide. I lav out the pindirectly from the tail ,a in u in a marking knife.I cu t the pin a little fat. then undercut them a bitand chamfer their in ide edge -to make as emblyeasier-and pare to the line.

Mario Rodriguez shows you much moreabout his dovetaili gmethods atAmericanWoodwortcer.mm/WebExtras

&.gIn bu ildingthe chest bygluing up largepanels for thefront, back andsides.Trim themto length using acrosscut sled.

Lay out thedovetails byusing a template.I made this onefrom aluminumflashing. Deepenall of he lines byscoring them witha knife.

Cutting dovetailsrequires manycareful steps;you can find outmore about howI do iton the AWwebsite. Here, Iuse a eweler'ssaw to removemost of the wastebetween the tails.

Make the partsfor the till beforeassembling thechest. The till'slid pivots on thisdowel.

D IC I . I I R / JANUARY un AlDericaaWoodworker.com 41


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Fig. A Side View

l

Flg.CDovetail Layout andBase Detail

c

I-Y" " ~ I O P,fN' # ~ s c . ~ U J tJ4S";c,f'

Fig. 0 Cross Section of Lid

fY,," ~ 4 1 > ~ O t . l N . ] ) O V c ~

_ F ; ~ W = J w ~ Flg.EEnd View ofTill

Fig.FTill Housing Jig(see Photo 5)

42 AmericaaWoodworker.com D ECE M ' E ~ / J A N U A Y 1011


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Make the till and bottomAfter all that do\' tailin , 'ou'r not quit read toglue the case to ether. First, you must make an dfit the parts r the till (0 throu h ) and the bot-tom (H) . Th e piece \ ~ ; I l go in id the c as ouas emble it.The front (E) and bottom (F) of th till fit into

ho u in let into the front and back of the case (Fi .B). The till' lid (D) pivots on a dow I ( , Photo4) .Make a templat to rout th hou in and to drillthe dowel hole in the front and back piece (Fi .F). (The ie tw a ' to ma"e thi templat i to glueeparate pie e together, as hown in the drawin .)

When you r ut the hou in (Photo 5), us a 5 "o.d. guide bushing and a 1 4" bit; thi \ ~ ; I l r ult inhousin that are 5 16" ,,;d . Mak th till' frontand bottom piece. ut tenon on their end tofit the hou ing (Fig. E). Make the lid. Drill dowelhole in its end and in rt the dowel. B vel thback d e of thi piece it \\ill win freeh. Te t fitall three piece of the till 0 you d n't run into an}trouble wh n gluin up the cas (Photo 6).

Liquid hide gluetakes the rush out ofgluing and clampingaw or rout a groove on the b ttom edge of all

four id of the che t (Fi . ). When) u as emblthe che t, the ends of th roove will b \; ibleon the id pi ce ; that ' K, becau th will bcovered b th cove molding ( ) that run all thewa ' around the che t. lue the che t' bottom fr ma number of pie e of) Ilow poplar. Rip it 1 4" nar-rower than the di tan e between the bottom of therOO\'e in the front and back piece (to allow for

expansion and ontraction). Trim it about 1 16"horter than th di tance b tween the b ttom of the

gro "e in the ide piece (0 it ,,;11 lide in easily).l i t a 1 4" ton Ie all the wa\' around the b ttompiec and t t i fit.

Glue the caselot has to happen all at once "hen )O U as emblethe c you'll need plenty of time before theglue ets up . I u e a liquid hide lue which has anop n tim of about 1 hour ( ee ur e . pa e 43) .To tart the proce ' ,apply lue to the dO\ tail onthe back panel and the real pin of the . ide pan-el. emble the three pit:ct: and dri,e the jointshome, forming a ML'" (Photo 7'ext, lip th bOllom p nd illlo plac . Add thfront an d bottom ofth till , then the till' lid. Appl .glue to th front pin 0 the id pand and the tailof the front panel. Pill the r nt p nl'! in p itionand radualh lap it illl pI u'll to line upthe till piece at th am tim .

Rout grooves mtothe front and backpane ls to holdthe till. Th is routertemplate alsolocates the holefor the dowel inthe till's lid.

Cut tenons onthe ends of thetill's front andbottom pieces.Make sure theyfit in the groovesyou routed. All ofthese parts, plusthe bottom of thechest, must easilyslide into placewhen you gluethe case together.

Glue all ofthecase together inone shot. With somany dovetails toassemble, this cantake a while. Use aslow-setting liquidhide glue to giveyourself plenty oftime.

Plane the jointsflush. For cuttingend grain withoutchatter, I use alow-angle jackplane.

DECEMIU / JANUARY JO l l Amerlc:aaWoodwod,.r.com 43


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StretcherChest bottom

11

Cut the frontof th e base onthe band saw.The sides andback of the baseare just straightboards. Dovetailall of these piecesand glue themtogether. Gluetwo horizontalstretchers insidethe base.

Fasten the baseto the bottom ofthe chest. Drilloversize holes inthe stretchers, sothe bottom is freeto expand andcontract.

Glue and nail acove molding allaround the chest.Shoot the nailsinto the basepieces.

44 &mericaaWoocIwol"lrer.cOlll DEC. MI. I l / JA NUll II Y JO U

After the lue drie ovemi ht, often the queezeou t with wann water and remme it \\;th a putty knifeor chi el. Plane all of the joints even (Photo 8).Plane all around th top and bottom edge to venthem up as well.Attach the baseMill th base' front (J), back (K) and ide (L) . uttheir dovetail (Fig. ) and aw the cutout in thefront piece. tart the cutout b drilling large-diameter hole at each end , then aw the re ton th band-aw (Photo 9). Glue the piece together and even upth joints.Glue two tretchers (M) in ide the bas . Drillover iz d hole near the nd of each tretcher, thenfasten the base to the case with cre, and washers(Photo 10) .

Forged strap hingescomplement the chest's

handmade lookRout th cove molding ( ) on two ide of a

long board that' at least 3" wide. Note that it ' no tquare: the molding i 5/ "deep, front to back, bu t3/ 4" tall , in order to cover the groove for the che t'bottom. and the molding, then rip both ide ofthe board to make the final piece. ut the moldingto length and attach it to the b with glue and 1"pin nail (Photo 11 ).Make the lidMill the board for the main panel of the lid (P) andthe breadboard en d (Q) to exactly the arne thickne . Glue the pane\. Rip it 1/ 4" extra-wide, but trimit to final length. Rip the breadboard en d to finalwidth, but trim them about 1/ 4" extra-long.

l i t the groo\'e for the breadboard end (Fig.D) on the table aw. To en ure that the groove areexactl cent red , I u e a tandard 1/ " thick bladeand make t\vo pas e , one from each ide of theboard (Photo 12). ut the tenon on the end of themain pan I u ing a dado t (Photo 13). I cu t themju t a hair fat, then u e a houlder plan to get aperfect fit.Glue the breadboard end to the panel (Photo14). ppl ' glue onl to the front half of the joint,leaving the back half unglued to en ure that thepanel won 't plit when it expand or contracts. Afterthe glue drie , rip a little bit off of both ide of thelid to arrive at the final width. often the front andide edge of the lid u ing a 1/ 2" roundover bit.To fasten the lid, I u e forged hinge that have ahand-made look (ee ource). ut morti for thehinge and rew the hinge into the morti e . Placthe lid up ide down on 'our bench, then center the


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che t on th lid (Fig. ). Ro ll th che t over on itsid and in tall the rew at the nd of the hin(Photo 15 ). tand the che t up on its b e andreadju t the p ition of th lid, if nece ary. Onethe lid' overhang i. even all around, in tall theremaining crew. Finall ,in tall the hasp (it doe n'trequire a morti ) and nail its eye to th front of theche t SOURCESTools for Working Wood, toolsforworkingwood.com, 800-426-4613,Patrick Edward's Old Brown Glue, 20 oz. bottle, $20.95.Nathan's Forge, nathansforge.com, 410-848-7903, Blanket ChestHinges, 12" L. $75/pr; hasp and eye are special order.

Mario Rodriguezhas been a prot; . ionalwoodworker for over25 'ears. He teache.at PhiladelphiaFurniture Workshop,philadelphiafurnitureworkshop.com.

Cutting List vera Dimensions:n" Hx 8" Wx 9-1n"0Part Name Qty. Material ThxWxL

A Ftant ...... 3/4".16".)6"B Ba


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P Pc IIPremier Adjustable Rail" Stile Systemwith Gla s " Double Profile cuttersEntry" Interior Door Bit Set French Door Bit Setthin Kerf Glue Line Rip Blade Premier Fusion BladeValued at over $1 ,OOO!

WI Our 2 5 ~ Y r . DVDJu t tak a brief online urveyaboutm rican V\ oodwork r.You'll b eligible to win a DVDcontaining all our i ue for th I t25 ear _Th winner will b cho nb ' a random drawing nJanuary 31,2012.To take the urvey, go toAmericanWoodworker .com/ Survey

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How to choose, condition and clean a finishing brush.

IT'SREALLY TEMPTING to bu an in xpen ive brush for finishing. y )' upend 4 on a tandard paint brush

and throw it awa rather than takinthe time to clean it. You rna buy 40uch brushe over the next 10 years.. . that' 160! much better plani to buy one or tw high-


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Chinabristle badger hair Ox hair

High-quality nnl' ' ' '","' ' '

1

2

3

c

ThehHdofahigh-quality brushwill be thick andhand-shaped to achisel point. Lookfor bristles madefrom top-qualityChina bristle(sometimes called"imitation badgerhair") or ox hair.

A quick soakbefore each usefills the bristlesand coats themwith mineralspirits, so thevarnish flowseasily from thebrush onto thesurface. Watchas you insert thebrush-you canactually see thesolvent wick upthe bristles.

A four-st.., rinsewith previouslyused mineralspirits removesthe varnish.Notice thatthe solvent inthe three rinsecontainersgets clearer asthe brush getscleaner.Use freshmineral spirits forthe last rinse only.

CItrus cleanerremoves most ofthe mineral spirits.Spray it into thebristles and work itthrough. Then rinseit out.

41 J lmaricaaWoociwodlu.com DH IM IU / JANUARY 1011

Bnl.,h that are 2" "ide al the workhorse in myhop, becall',e the\ re the mn t \el'oC your \-amr h bmsh for anvthing but "ami h.

How to clean and maintain your brushleaning i n' t glamorous, but it tal.. I than 10 minutto do thejob right, and it' rewarding how ft and luxurious th bri>tl feel at the end of the pr . It may h Ipto whistle whil you w rk.Stage 1: Remove the varnishtart with a four-step rinse to remove the vami h (Photo3). Thi. . tem reuses mineral pirits from pre\iOl

clean in for all but th > last rinse--and it clean . urvarnishin pan at the same time. Tip: To ke p from contaminating an entire can of vamish, almw work from apan rather than the can. And \ h n the ob i done, neverpour the \-ami. h remaining in the pan ba k into the can.After mpl\ing the pan, \\ipe it \\ith a paper tow Ito remOl any remaining \'ami h. Then gentl pour afew ounce of th first-rin > mineral piri\! into the pan.Thi pr \i uslr-u edoh 'ent can be l d again becalit ' been tored long enough to let tll \ ' a m ~ h from thepr \ious cleaning settle to the bottom of th ontain r.

Vi orousl work the bmsh in the mineralpirits. 111goal is to r mOl as mu h varnish as possibl . w ep thbott m and th ed of th pan as u work. hake outthe bntsh and pour the dirt)' mineral pirits ba k into tl1efi t-rinse container. Then repeat the proc using thond-rinse min ral piri and again using tlle third ril

Aft r thre rinses tlle bntsh is nearl cI an. Wipe OU lthe pan \\itl1 a clean paper towel and rin th bntsh nemore time, lU ing fre h mineral pirits. When 'ou're finish d, pour th . pirits into tlle third-rin! container. IfV u an c lor in the h nt after tllis fourth rin ,doit again. t r the thre containers until th varnish has

ttled out, and they'll be read ' for the next c1eaninStage 2: Remove the mineral spirits1ineral piril! can leave an oil\ re idue , t thorough Iclean the bri til' you hm > to remove all tile mineral . pir

its. To do thi , I recommend giving the pirits a double-


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whammy. tart by praying citnlS c\ aner into the bri ties,working it through the bnlSh and rin in it out "ith wat r(Photo 4). 'e t, squirt di hwashin ap into the bristland \igorOlISI work them into the palm of ou r hand(Photo 5). It ' K to realh ghe the bri. tl a work uLrab them and pull them, 0 the cleaning proce alsoremove any 100 bristl . Thoroughh rin the bntShand then repeat the pro e. . The . ap \\ill lather muchmor asily th cond time, .U1 indication that the bris-tl are clean. Make ure to rin e all the ap from thebntSh befor Ol l proce d to the n xt tep. Keep workingthe bristle even after you think the bntSh i ap-freeyou'll be amaz d how lon g sud keep forming.

hake out the bnlSh an d then pin it to removc thewater it ti ll ho lds (Photo 6). pinning fan the bn t hhead. Work your fingers through the damp bri tIto r hape th head, or lLSC a bnlSh comb. 'oticc thatthe bri tle f, I ft and clean, Iik your hair feels afterhampooing. Wrap the bnlSh in a paper tow I (Photo7). Then hang it up and let it dry for at least 24 hou .

water make. natural bristle go limp, the bntSh won't beusabl again unti l the bri . tie are complete! ' dry.Keep the bnlSh wrapped in the paper towel until thenext lISe or tran fer it to a cardboard or plastic Ie vefor trav ling to ajob ite. \\'hen u remO\o the bntSh, it\\i ll be oft and flexible, as good or better than new.

SOURCES

Scott Holmes m\TI and oper-at An Esoteric Finish in Houston ,TX. where he pecializes in cus-tom fini hing an d woodworking.Scott also teach finishing classesat area woodworking tores.

Rockier, rockler.com, 800-279-4441 , Natural Badger-Style Ch inaBristle Brush, 2", ' 23466, $23.49Tools For Working Wood, toolsforworkingwood.com , 800-426-4613GramercyToois Finishing Brush, 2", 'GT-SHEBRU.20, $43.95.

See Scott demonstrate brush cleaning atAmericanWoodwortrer.mmlWebExtras

Short term storage

otshwuhingso.p removesany mineral spritsthe citrus cleanermissed.Work thebristles hard towork up a latherand dislodge anyloose bristles.Then thoroughlyrinse the brush.

Spin the brushto fan the bristlesand shed theexcess water.

Wrap the brushin a shop towelto hold its shape.Then hang it upto dry.

There's no need to completely clean the brush if you plan to useit again within a day or two. Instead, just complete Stage 1 of thecleaning process described above to remove all the varnish. Thensuspend the brush in fresh mineral spirits.Make sure the bristlesdon't touch the bottom.This is different from conditioning thebristles fora few minutes before using the brush (Photo 2). Lettingthe brush stand on the bottom of a container for an extendedlength of time will distort the bristles.

6

7

DEC EM . U /J A N U A R Y 10 1 2 AmericaaWoodworku .com 49


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'"


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Cut a centered groove In one edge ofall the stiles and ralls. usinga dado set.

Stop block

RaIse the blade and cut a deeper stoppedgroove in both ends of both stiles. These stoppedgrooves are the mortises.

Cut a rabbet on the inside face of all four pieces. Don 't botherto change blades-just use the dado set and set the fen ceaccordingly. This rabbet will house the glass panel.52 AmericaaWoocIworker.com D .e . . . . . . JA N UA.Y l O l l

Cut grooves and mortisesIn tall a 1/ 4" wide dado t in the table aw and po i-tion the fence to e actl\ center the groove in thframe to k. Make one p on each face ofa te t pieceand then check the groO\ . I f the cond p widenthe groove or leave fr h aw marks on one houJder,the groov i n 't exactly cen teredo

Once you 've dialed in the tup, rai the blade to1/ 2" and cut a groove in all the tile and rail (Photo1). Then rai e the blad to I" and make topp dcuts on both ends of each tile to create the morti e(Photo 2). the groove i perfectl centered, theblade impl deep n it. To po ition the top blockfor the e cu , mark a vertical line on the aw' fenceat the center of the blad ' arc. Then mark the widthofa rail' in ide face (measure from the outside edgeto the rabbet) on the top edge of a te t tile. Carefullcu t a groove in the te t tile, topping when the twoline meet. hut off the aw-hold the tile in po i-tion until the blade top pinning. Then butt thetop block again t the nd of the tile and clamp it.

Adado set cuts boththe tenons and the mortises.To cut each morti e, hold the tile again t

the fence and advance it into the blade until itmeets the top block. Tu m off the a\ and letthe blad top. Then r move th tile and flip itend-for-end to cut the other mortiCut rabbets and tenonsLower the dado et to 1/ 2", et the fence and cut1/2" wide x 1/ 2" deep rabbets for the glas onthe back face of all the tile and rail (Photo3). you 're u ing the dado et rather than aregular blade, cut a rabb t on a t t piece first, tomake ure the rabbet' width i correct.U e a miter gauge to cu t the tenon cheeks on therail (Photo 4). Add cutters to widen the dado t to

13 / 16" and in tall a acrificial fence on our aw' ripfence. tart b making te t cuts to dial in the tenonthickne. t the blade h ight to 1/ 4" and make ap on each face of a te t rail to cut a t non. Te t-fitthi tenon in one of the morti . If it wobbl , thetenon i too 100 e; low r the blad and tart over. I fthe tenon bind , it' too tight; rai e th blade a tinybit and tr y again.

Once 'ou've dial d in the tenon thickne , oucan cut the cheeks and houlde . Th e houlders areoff: et, though, 0 you have to cut the tenon one idat a time. Mark the outsid fac on each rail and cutthe ch eks and houlders on tho e fac first. et theacrificial nce I" (th depth of the morti e ) fromthe far edg of the blad . Make a te t cut on a crap


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Fig. AGlass Panel Joint

piece. Then check the tenon' length to make ureit matche the morti . It ' OK for the tenon to bea tiny bit horter than the morti e, but it can't belonger. Adju t the fence, i f nece ary. Then cut thetenon cheeks and houlders on the outside face ofboth rail.To cut the cheeks and houlders on the in ideface, ju t et the acrificial fence 1/ 2" from the faredge of the blade and rep at the proce . It ' a goodidea to give yourself orne wiggle room when you cutthe cheeks, 0 you can true the fit (Photo 5) .Install the glassGlue the tile and rail together, cut morti e (ordrill hole ) for the hinge and knob and appl thefini h. Then in tall the glas . Thin wooden trip thaturround the glas and hide the rabb ts look the be t(Photo 6), bu t metal or plastic retainer clip will al 0do the job ..6

Jim Stack workedfor 20 years in commer-cial cabineunaking andfurniture making hops.He has written sevenwoodworking booksand most recently was

nior Editor of PopularWoodworking books.

See how to make divided-light door frames atAmerkanWooclworker.comlWebExtras

Cut tenons with offset shoulders on the ralls.The tenon's lengthon the outside face matches the depth of the mortise in the stile.Its length on the inside face matches the width of the rabbet.

Test fit the joint. It's best to cut the tenon shoulder on the insideface a little short at first. This allows you to to dial in a perfect fitby adjusting the fence and making a second pass.

Secure the glass by nailing in wooden retainer strips with pre-drilled nail holes. Lay a hammer on the glass with a paper towelin between. Then just swivel the hammer to drive the nails.DIC I . I I I I / JANUAIIY JOO &mericaaWoodwodler.com 5J


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54

STRINGING is a fonn of inlay that'somewhat like pin triping on a hotrod. It outlines a particular area,uch as the bellflowers on the leg atleft, and then directs your eye to anew pot, uch as the banding at thebottom of the leg ( e photo below).Once you've taken that in, the tringing leads your eye back up the legagain. It ' powerful tuff.

The art of tringing reached itspeak in late 1 th c.cntury Federaltyle furniture. I f you like makingperiod piece , mastering thi art i_ akill you'll really enjoy. You can usepower tool for almo -t all the workor tep back 200 years and use p -cialized hand tool that are till available today.I teach both methods in myc\asse . I like using traditional tools,but I'll admit that power tool ar

ario Rodriguezfaster and easier to figure out.let' tart with a router.Rou th groovestringing i set into very narrow andhallow grooves. I use a Dremel rotarytool for routing them. It ' lighter andmore maneuverable than a laminatetrimmer, but more importantly, itaccepts mall-diameter solid-


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Adjust the top on the plung ho the bit will cu t a groove that'about 3/32" deep. Attach a fence tothe base and adjust it to the properdi tance from the bit Rou t thegroove, tarting an d toppin atintersecting centerlines (Photo 2 .U e a template (Photo 3) or atrammel for cutting curve. (Bothbase can be et up like a trammel topivot on a point.) A template is moreversatile than a trammel and e ierto et up. With a template, yOU canmake elliptical or erpentine cune .With a trammel, you can onh makecircular arc .

The exact thickness of the template is critical. To explain thi , letme how you how the bit and template work together. After makingthe traight cuts, you'll adjust thebit 0 that its hank extends belowthe base (Photo 4). The hank willthen ride directly against the template, like a router bit with a olidpilot. Here's where the thickne ofthe template come in- i t hould beufficiently thick to guide the bit, butno t so thick as to force you to extendthe bit too far ou t of the chuck. Thatcould lead to exce ive run-out orcause the bit to lip. For thi particular bit and base, I make my templatefrom 3/ "Baltic birch plywood.

Experiment with your templateon crap 0 you know how to po i-tion it in order to hi t your l ines-there i an olE et involved. Reversing the template allows you to makemirror-image curve (PhotoS).

When you're done routing,clean the debri out of the groove.harpen the comers and interection with an X-Acto knife. Nogroove houJd end with the radiu ed

cu t made b the router bit.Make the stringingI make my own tringing, althoughyou can certainly buy it, too (eeSources). Pale, uniformly texturedwoods such as holl , hard maple, yellowheart and satinwood work best.Making our own tringing allmyou to use any wood you want andsave a few bucks. tart with olidpieces an d mill them foursquare, 1"thick. Install a zeroclearance in er tan d a thin-kerf blade that' suitable

Begin .. , routingthe straightgrooves with a1/32"bit. I use aDremeI equippedwith a StewartMacDonald base.The base hasashop-madewooden fenceattached to it.

Routuptoamarked line.This base's opendesign allowsyou to easily seewhere to stop thecut

2

)Stopl1ne

Malee. template 3for cutting thecurved grooves.The closed endsof the templateprevent you fromovershooting yourmarks.

Extend the bitso that its shankextends belowthe router's base.This part of the bitwill ride againstthe template.Cutthe groove.

Dle IMI l I l / JANUAIlY uu Am e r ic _Woodw odEu . _ 55


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FllpowrthetempIItte tomake the samecurve,going theoppositeway .

Imakemy ownstringingwitha shop-madeslitting tool. FirstI cut some pieceson the tablesawthat are slightlymore than 1/32"thick. Then I usethe tool to cutthem into strips ofequal width.

Sand the stripsto exact thicknesson the drill press,using a jig withan adjustablefence. Ifyou bevelthe front edgeof the fence, thestringing willcome out with aslight taper.Th ismakes it mucheasier to install.

Run yellow glueinto the straightgrooves. Use asmall syringe toavoid overfillingthem.

for rippin in your tablesaw. Adjustthe fence to rip piece that are about1/64" thicker than the width of thegroove you routed (in thi case, thepiece hould be just a bit over 1/32"thick). w them using a featherboard and a push tick.Rip the trip about 3/16" wide(Photo 6). This op ration isn't reallpractical on a tablesaw, 0 I use ahop-made litting tool. Pulling thetool down the sawn pi ce a fewtime re ults in uniform tringingthat' pliabl enough to bend intomo t curve. tringing that' ub tan-tiall narrower than thi breaks tooeasil , I've found.Next, take the trip down to theirfinal thickne . I'v made a drumsander ji g for thi jo b that al 0 givesthe tringing a very light taper, topto bottom (Photo 7). (Commercialtringing isn't tapered). haved tothe correct thickne and taper, thetringing hould enter the groovequite easiJ and fit tight when fulleated. e a fine-gntsanding leeve.While the drum-sander jig workspr tty well, I prefer a manual ji g thatuse a blade to hav the piece. It'quieter and works almo t as fast.o matter how ou do it, the tapering proce is a bit fussy. Th payoffcome when you can lay a mile oftringing, with no trouble, in a matter of minute.Install the stringingCut the tringing to length. Comersand intel ection don't have to bemitered; butt joints are OK. However, all joints hould be tight andab olutel free of gap. Any gapor hortcomin are glaring, oftendetracting from the overall effect.Be careful and take your time. I usually feed a blunt end into a groove,remove it, then adjust the end' anglewith a marking knife or X-Acto knifeo the piec fits tight. Then I' ll cutthe intersecting piece to fit again tit .I usuall dry-fit all the piece beforegluing them in. They're not very dif-

For more information on how to usehand tools to make stringing, go toAmericanYlooctwolter.mmlWebExtras


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ficult to remov , bu t th will breakon occasion.a syring with a narrow tip toinjectjt t th right amount of . 110\\glu into th groov (PhotoS). tartwith the traight tringing, on pieeat a time. Fill th groove with glu ,th n push in th tringing with yourfing rs until it bottoms out (Photo 9).I f n ,appl extra pr ure witha mall block. Wh n th tringing isseated, wipe awa an exc glu.

either a block plan or acard crap r to I vel th tringing (Photo 10). With ith r tool,first make a couple of light pto d termin the tringing' graindi r ction. B careful. Aggre ivecraping or planing can di lodg

the tringing or cause the grain totear out, creating a flaw that' nearlimpo ibl to repair. When thetringing i flu h, and it with 1 0 or220 grit paper.Curved piecesurve r quire pecial attention.me piec can be bent uffi-cient! b lowl feeding them partwa in the groov . I f 'ou feel thatthi might cal the piece to kinkor break, heat it on a curved iron(Photo 11 ; urce ). H at willmake the tringing more pliable;when it cool, it will r main bentIf tho doe n' t work well enough ,dampen the piece with water beforepre ing it onto th iron.In an case, cut a curved pieceof tringing a bit extra long beforebending i t Trim one of i nds andbutt it up to a comer or inte ction. Pre the piece partwa intothe groov in order to mark its finalI ngth (Photo 12). SoIIIIliSOURCES Stewart-MacDonald, stewmac.com,800-848-2273, Precision router base, 'S260,$53.65. DrillTechnology, drilltechnology.com,616-676-1792, Solid carbide endmill bit.SAPFM 1 1 3 2 ~ $950. Lee Valley, leevalley.com, 800-871-8158,Curved-Tip Syringe, '25K07.05, $2.95.COIIerite, cOllerite.com, Sealing Iron (forbending stringing), IC0VR2700, $30. Ready-made stringing is available fromInlay Banding. inlaybanding.com, 704-221 -2147.

Push thestr' .... nto thegroove. It shouldstand proud byabout 1/32". Gluein the secondstraight piece.

lAwIthestalngln,with ablock plane or acard scraper.

11ghtcurwsmight requireyou to heat thestringing with aniron to render itmore pliable.

o.t.mInethe lengthof acurved segmentby inserting anextra-long piece inthe groove.Oncemost of he pieceis inserted, markthe end to be cutButt joints arefine; intersectionsdon't have to bemitered.

9 ._..-


58/68

toby Lonnie Bird

In a search forwide boards, it paysto buy whole logs.

VISITORSTO MYSHOP often ask whereI buy the wide, matched cherry andwalnut boards I use for reproducingclassic American furniture. Theircurio ity ratchets up a notch ortwo when I tell them that I usually buy logs, not boards."Ervin, a local farmer whohas a bandsaw mill, aws thelogs for me," I ay. "I dry thelumber myself in that old metalbarn down the hill."

That' when the que tionreally fly: How do I find tho elogs? Do I have a kiln? Whynot us t purchase dried lumberfrom a retailer?

have a kiln, nor do I need one. I airdry the lumber in that barn, thenmove the particular boards I needfor a project to a corner of my hop,

Let me give you the hortanswers to tho e que tionfirst, and then we'll go into thedetails. I find the logs throughlocal uppliers-you'll oftenfind many ource in your area,i f you ask around. No, I don't

For reproducing old fumiture, I buy whole logsthat are large in diameter.This walnut log camefrom a ocal forest and measures 27" across at thebutt end.

58 Jl.mericanWoodwork.r.com DEC EM1 .1 ' III NUll I Y '0 U

where they continue to dry untilthe 're ready to be milled.As for buying wide, dry boardsat retail-well, that gets to the heart

of the matter. It's a que tionof co t and quality. There area number of very good lumber dealers who tock wide,matched boards that all comefrom the same tree-but oftenthat wood is expensive! Thosedealers must charge you forall the work involved in saw-ing, grading, tacking anddrying the lumber. Doing thiwork yourself can save a lot ofmoney As to quality, I reall preferworking with air-dried boards.Some dealers do air dry theirwood, or use dehumidificationkilns, but most lumber is quicklyproces

american woodworker #157 december 2011-january 2012

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