woodsmith - 032
TRANSCRIPT
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ountry l ssics
Q UILT R AC K B LA N KE T C H ES T
N O TE S FR O M T H E S H O P
O 3
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WOODSMITH
W elles' technique for applying it (de
sc rib ed o n p ag e 7.)
This is a real hands-o n ap pr oa ch to
f in is hin g. W i th
other
f in is he s ( li ke
var
n ish or lacq uer), yo u p ut it on , stand back,
a nd h op e it turns out a r igh t whenit .' sd ry .
B ut w ith p olym erized tu ng o il (and Frank
Welles' m eth od o f p uttin g it 011) , you rea lly
get inv olv ed w ith the w hole p rocess.
When I t rie d th is t ec hn iq ue , I f elt t ha t
f in i sh ing wasn' t just a c ho re at th e end of a
project . . . was
an esdensiou of t.he
project. A nd for the fitst tim e I'm begin
n in g to en joy the art of finish in g.
DOVE ,\Jl.8.
Just the opposite is true of
th e jo in er y 0 1 1 th e blan ket chest,
wanted to tryout the new Leigh jil; for
c ut ti ng dovet ai ls. O n one hand, [hav e
to
marvel at this jig for its versatility, pre
cision, and conv enience. Bul I lost
the
f ee li ng o f
involvement,
T fl bad to b uild a co up le o f d ozen d raw
e rs w ith th ro ug h d ov eta ils, (w ou ld prob-
ably choose the Leigh jig to speed things
along. But for
tbe
bla nk et c he st,
wish
no w I h ad g on e back to lhe old w ays.
CARVING.
Kay
M u ld er jo in ed o w' g ro up
th re e is su es
ago,
and since then has been
learning the ~w ay$ of
Woodsmith K a v
d es ig ne d th e quilt rack for this issue. an d
as it was n ea rin g c omp le ti on , s ug ge ste d
that
so me c arv in g m ig ht b e
a
nice addition.
Iagreed.
T he n sh e ask ed , \Vho sbould w e get in
to
do it? W ho should w e
ge l in?
re
sponded. If yo u w ant carving, get. some
tools and you do it. l wasn't qu it. as
harsh as th at sounds.)
One wee k Iater, th e v in e a nd le af d esig n
was part of
th e
quilt r ac k. T ha t's r ea lly
nice, 1 said. How did yo u do it l
K ay quick ly responded , I r you want to
learn
carving,
get so me to o ls,
an d
(1 0 it
For years I've wanted to learn how to
carve, an d fo r years I e mad e
U{
excuses
for w hy couldn' t.
It
ta ke s an a rtistic
talent on't have ... W hat ife t h nlf
w a y th ro ug h a nd t he c his el s lip s ...
don' t
kno w w hat to ols to u se.
No
more
excuse . got
a
set of tools
(d esc rib ed in S ou rc es, p ag e
24) lind tried
it .
It s
easier than
ho ug ht it W ou ld be,
and ev en more fu n. B ut ra n in to so me
problem s, 1 thought I'd do som e carv ing
whi le wa tch ingT.
V.
Bu t n ow th er e's a pile
o f shav ing s im bedd ed in Lbe living room
carpet,
an d ol so
involved,
missed
th e
la te st e pis od e o f D a lla s.
NEXTMAIUl
Archie Krau.e
ABOUT rm s ISSUE: W henever w e build a
project for an issue of
W
(1(),/ mit l , o ne of
the Iirst
d ec is io ns we h av e
to
m ak e is w hat
kind o f design
Or
sty le sho uld it
be .
Two
p l'O je cts in th is is su e
(the
blanket
chest and quill rack) are designed along
country
J ines
which
is ou r
way
of
saying
we don 't know exactly w hat to call
Lb.
d esig n. B oth p ro jec ts a re so rt o f E arly
American, sort of'Sha ke r, an d m ostly g oo d
o ld -f as hi oned c lean d es ig n.
M uch of the sam e could be said of the
wood w e cho se f or b oth p ro je ct s. Cherry is
u sual ly thoug ht o f i n c on ne ctio n w ith E ar ly
American or Sh aker furniture. It' s a good
old-fashioned w ood that cuts easily (al
though it does hav e a te nd en cy to burn if
y ou h es it ate d ur in g a cut), and it responds
w ell u nd er th e k nife fO I'carving,
A ll in all. cherry is
a
n ice w oo d to w ork
w ith and fits th e co un try sty le o f b oth
pl'ojects. B ut there's one characteristic of
c he rry th at I r ea ll y l ik e.
ft
ba s to do with
o ne of m y fav orite words: patience.
You know how
go Oil and on about
being patient in alm ost. every aspect of
wcodworking. W ell. cherry is one of the
best examples o f w hen patience pay' off.
It has to do with the finishi ng s ta ge . 1
th in k e ve ry on e expects cherry to have a
d ee p rich red
colo r -
e ven b efo re it's fill
ished . B ut in
truth,
ch erry is o ften m ore o f
a pale salmon color (01' maybe
a dull
red
w hen it's fresh ly cu t.
To
fix
th e c ol or , th e e as y s olu tio n is to
ap ply a stain to giv e the wood that deep
burgundy
color
i t' s supposed
to
h av e. B ut
the b est w ay to finish cherry is w ith pa -
tience - just let it sit.
In
a
matter
ot
m on th s. c he rry
ca n
go
from a pale salm on co lo r to
a
ric h red . G iv e
it. year 01 two, and i t w i ll t urn a deep rich
b urg un dy c olor .
This ch ange is the result of exposure to
ultra-violet lig ht. W hich m ean s YOII have
to b e som ewhat c ar ef ul with projects made
of cherry. OIexample, if y ou w ere to put
a
p illo w o n th e to p
of
th e
blanket
c he st a nd
leave it th ere (01' six m onths, that area
wou ld not be exposed to light and w ould
n ot ag e
(darken).
It's the pict ure on the wa l l syndrome.
Po r the
first year
or two, you have to
be
c arefu l th at all parts of the project get
s o mewha t ev en ex posu re to tigh t.
OIL FIN.ISIIl S.
One other thing about
cherry and this country style. W e
thought both projects w ould look
best
if
th ey wer e f in is he d w ith
a
nat ur al o il f in is h.
B ut instead of the usual dull o il lo ok ,
wanted m ore of
a
s at in l us tr e.
W e decided to use Sutherland W elles
p olym erized tung oil, and follow Frank
Mar/Apr, 1984
umber 32
wdust
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First, 1
rem oved the original thumb
screw
and
bolt
Irom
t he b as e,
and.replaced
t hem wi th
a Y,' x I
sq ua re h ea d b olt, three
smal l wa shers (w hi ch ac t
as
s pa ce rs ), o ne
medium sized washer, an d a hex n ut.
Then I use
;t
so ck et on a ratchet to
t ig hte n th e nu t a lter acljustingthedepth
of
cut.
j
also use a sho rt e x te ns ion arm so the
handle of the ratchet clears the moto r of
, < . . . . . ._ . a . . T l J b ~ - - : /
US RATeHn fOtIGHTEN NUT
3
OOOSMITH
I I you d lik e 1 0s ha m a
woodWOrking
Up
with
om er
reader
of Woodsmlth.
send your idea 10 ;
Woodsmlth
TIps TechnIques 2 20 0 G ra nd
Ave.,Des Moi ne s Io w a 5 03 12
W e pay a
m lninwm
01
10 fo r
tips.
and 15or
more
fo r
special techniques
(thal
are
a pted
f o r p u bUca tion . P le as e g iv e a c om p le te e xp la na
t lo n o f yo ur fdea . t a S ke tc h is n ee de d s e n d
i t
along:well
draw
a n ew o ne.
SEND IN YOUR IDEAS
Carl Lampl
/a t ( J . r e J J .
Florida
saw . the thin sheet m etal legs w ould twis t
aro un d as the casters ro lled ov er rough
a re a. T his
no t
o nly m ad e it a real h assle to
m ove th e saw , b ut
it
also.ma de c ip pi ng th e
s aw ove r a re al po ss ibility
To solve the problem , Iadded braces
between the legs of the stand that are
made of I thin wa ll ed t ub ing. lb attach
th e b ra ces,
1
fla tte ne d th e
ends
of the
tubing in
a
vise, and drilled
1 4
holes
through the ends. Then the braces are
attach ed as low on th e leg s
as
possible.
The addition of th e
braces prevents
th e
legs
from
tw is tin g, and the c asters e asily
ro ll o ve r th e rough areas of m y shop floor.
ATTACH WITH I 80LTS
T he w re nc h is sim ply
a
sma ll p ie ce o f
V : ,
th ic k h ar dwood w ith
a
14
g ro ov e d ow n th e
center r cu t the g roo ve by d riIH ng y, en d
ho le s, a nd
routing out
th e w aste u sin g a
y ,
st raight bit on the router table. Then
1
added
a
14 hole
at
on e end fo r h an gin g t he
tool
from
I he d rill
press
table. N ote: T ho
o ve ra ll siz e c an b e
varied
t o what eve r
di
m en sio ns fe el g oo d ill
YQm
hand.
To usc the tool, just slip the v , groove
ove r th e head of the thumb
screw,
Jo lt n Se ide l
Atlanta G6oryi.a
REPLACEMENT THUMB SCREW
In Woodslltilit No.
31 ,
y ou m en tio ned b ow
painful it was
whenever
y ou tried
to
UghLen the sharp edged thum b screw on
th e S ea rs
9-HT-1749 router
hen
I first
b ou gh t m y S ears ro ute r,
r was
h av in g th e
s ame p ro blem. But 1 solved it by usin g a
t ot al ly d if fe re nt l ock ing s ys tem .
sc re w. T he w ren ch is m od eled a fte r a sm all
tool used ago
by apothecar-ies
fa,
loo sen in g grou nd glas s
of
medicine
bottles.
F L A T I E N _f:~
~
~~
SHEETMlAt tEGS
I.~
I
: i i = = = : I .
i
~
T li IN WA l lED J \
ruli
r
A l W U lla ll $
Westlake, Ohio
SPIDER LEGS
Recently , I purchased a Sears 10 radial
arm
saw.
including their four- leg ged shee t
metal
stand. 1
a lso purchased
a
set of four
retractable
casters
50
the saw could be
m oved around the shop .. needed.
It w asn t long afte, the saw w as set up
and the casters were attached that the
rough
0001'
in my shop
started
creating
problems.
E ve ry tim e
1
tried to m ove the
th e r ou te r. W hen the ratchet is not in use,
I keep it in the storage cabinet of th e
router
table, w here it s alw ay s h an dy .
T his sy stem w orks w ell for m e w hen th e
router is hand held,
as
w ell as w hen it s
mounted
on the router table.
THUMB SCREW WRENCH
Adjust ing and t igh ten ing
th e
thumb
screw
on the depth stop m echanism of m y
Sears
floo r m odel d rill press h as alw ays b een a
real hassle. rt never stays put. I ve tried
tightening the thumb screw with
my
fin gers, b ut it alw ay s w ork s lo ose f rom th e
v ib ra tlo n o f th e d rill p re ss .
Ive
even t ri ed
keepi ng a pair o f p lie rs n ea r th e d rill press,
but they alw ays seem to disappear just
w hen th ey re n ee de d.
Finally, [ d ec id ed to .make a smal l. spe
cialized wrench to tighten th e th umb
EdiWr's Now: Mr . M i lew sk i's 7 ll el ./ t{ )( lf or
temporary sal/ i.ing sleeves also , < Irk.
118illg 1/,. pressure sensitive adJlesi1Jl'8 for
disc sanders. The a .dvantage tg .
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WOOOSMITH
th e to ps
th e uprights, f ir st d r il l
tw u IIi h ole. - on e in ea ch COr
n er o f t he h an dle. D rill the h oles
rig ht o n th e m a rk ed
line
a n d th en
c u tou t the rem a in in g sha pe o f the
ha ndle w ith a
sabre
sa w . A ga in
cuta
little
wide of
th e lin e t o a llow
f or s an d in g la te r.
SAND EDGES_ To san d the
curved
edges
a t
th e L op an d b ot
tom of the u pright,
I
used
a
1
sanding drum mou n ted ill d rill
press.
T he n to
sand
th e s tr aig ht e dg es
ofthc 'Waste section.
Imou n ted a
fencetothedrillpressanduseditas
a g u id e lomov e t he u p ri gh te e n ly
__ across
the d ru m .
se e
Fig.
4.
On
the bottom c urve of the w a ste
sec
tion,
sw itched to a sa n din g bloc k to
smooth o u t th e p ro flle. A n d fin a lly , to sa n d
the h an dle o pen in g,
I
used a II
sanding '
drum o n th e d rill p re ss .
ROUND
OVER
EOGES To c om plete the
uprights. o un ded ov er the o utsid e edg es
(on ly) w ith a y rou n din g-ov er bit w ith
pilot. (T he in sid e ed ges a re left
square.)
However,
th e e dg es o n /x lth .sid es o f th e
h a n dle o pe n in g
are
rou nded ov er to m ake
the ra ck m ore
comfortable
to pic k u p.
STR T H RS
To jo in the tw o u prights a nd su pport the
qu ilt, fo ur stretc hers a re m ou n ted
in
th e
mortises.
AU
fou r sta rt ou t a t a rou gh
len gth of 29 . The tw o m iddle
stretchers
(B ) a r e r ipped to
3
f in a l w id th .
The
bottom
stretcher
0
is rip ped to a f in a l w i d th of
4 .
TOPSTRETCIJ 'ER.
Asf or th e to p s tr et ch er
e ,
it's m ade by la min atin g tw o piec es of
holes a n d en din g a t the other. The
secon d pa ss is m ade a t the fu ll
o
depth.
U se th is sa m e pro ced ure to ro ut th e (ou r
mortises on both uprights. Then I w en t on
to cu t
out
t he p ro fi le .
UT OUT PROFIL
To save time, a n d to
makesure that
th e
p rofile is c ut exa ctly the same on a ll fou r
edges,
made
8
tem pla te. T ra nsfer the
dimens ions
shown
in
Fig, 1 to II
piec e o f
h ea vy p oster b oa rd.
Then c a r ef u ll y
cut,
o ut th e tem pla te w i th
an X-a c to kn if e, tapeit down a n d markth e
p ro file o n o n e h lllf o fth e u prig hts. F lip th e
pa ttern ov er a nd repea t the
process
o n th e
ot her ha lf of the u pright.
CL.OUT PROFILE . Use a sa bre sa w (o r
band saw
to
remove lb e w a ste. Imade
the c uts just a little w i d e o f th e pencil
marks so 1 cou ld san d the profile to the
ex ac t size later.)
C UTOUT HAI 'IDLE.T o m a ke th e h an dles in
DISPLA Y AN HEIR LOOM
My grandmother (w ho is n ow in her you ng
9 0s) h as sp en t tw o a ftern oon s a
w ..
k fo r
th e
past
30 yea rs w ith
a
grou p of her
frien ds keepin g the a rt of
quilt
making
a l iv e . \Vhe n
e ceiv ed o ne o f h er q uilt.. a s a
gift,
w a n ted to fin d
a
w a y to c omplemen t
h er h a n diw o rk w ith som e of m y o w n. S in ce
sh e h ad added some special to uc hes to m y
q uilt (g ra nd mothers c all it lo ve), dded
some spec ia l tou c hes - c a rv in g - to the
q uilt ra ck [ bu ilt to d isp la y m y n ew heir
loom qu i lt .
This qu ilt ra c k is styled a lon g sim ple
co lonial ine s s o it w on t co mpete fo r atten-
tion w ith the quilt tha t w ill be displayed
o n it.
The ra ck con sists of tw o u pright sides
w h ic h a re sp an n ed b y fou r stretc hers m or
tised
into
t he u p ri gh ts.
TH UPRIGHTS
1
st a rted this projec t by edge glu in g
',.'-th ic k c herry
stock
together to
form
th e u prigb ts (A ).
U. .' NAT.E 511 ) 5.
To c rea te the 9 wide
by
32
high
uprights,
c u t three pieces of
stock
( fo r e ac h u p ri gh t) to
n
r ou gh le ng th o f
88 ' an d rip them to a rou gh w idth of 3v.. ,
see Fig. I. Then glu e a n d c lamp them
tog ether. W hen th e g lu e w a s dry ,
laned
b oth u prights fl a t.
(See
page
13
fo r
a
com
p le te e xp la n a tion of this tec hn iqu e).
TRIM TO FINAL SIZE.
Then [
trimmed
th e
u prig hts to th eir fin a l le ng th (32 ) us ing
a
pa n el c u ttin g jig on the table
s aw .
a n d
rip ped eq ua l a mo un ts off b oth ed ges to get
ea ch u pright to its fin al w idth (9 ).
ROUT MORTIS S
B efore c uttin g the profile on the edges of
the upr igh ts , m a rk ed th e po sitio n of th e
fou r :Y .-w i de
by
yt-deep m ortises o n ea ch
s id e p ie c e, s ee F ig . 1.Then r u sed a r ou te r
a nd a gu ide (en ce to rou t the m ortises.
POS ITIO :< PE I'CE .
T o po sitio n th e fen ce.
first
drill 1 4'- de ep p ilo t h oles to ma rk the
e n ds o f e a c h mo rti se . 1used a
y,,'
Forstne r
b it fo r th ese h ole s.)
T hen to p osition th e gu id e fen c e.
mount
a
0 /.' s tra ig ht b it in th e ro ute r a n d p la c e
the
stra ight bit in on e of the pilo t ho le s.
Trace
a rou nd the edge of the rou ter ba se w ith a
pen cil to m ark its ou tside a re, see Fig.
2.
R epea t the process w ith the rou ter posi
tion ed in th e sec on d p ilo t h ole.
N ext, c lamp tbe gu ide fen c e to tbe
w orkpiec e so the edge of the (en ce ju st
tou ches the tw o c irc les, see Fig.
3.
ROUT MORTIS.ES.
WIth the rou ter
set
to
c u t a b ou t d ee p, [m ad e
thefirst
p ass for
t he mo r ti se by starting
in
on e of th e pilot
Quilt Rack
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WOODSMITH
5
}
fiGURE 5
fl-G UR E 6
00 NOTMOVE FENCE'
ro
CU T
fOP AND OnOM
SHO UlD ER
UPRIGHT
Im,,2tl...~
'V,.
x
3',:'- -
72,~
3 80 AR OS )
I A A l0 3
V ,.
II
5YJ - 96
CUT T ING DIA G RAM
Overall Dimensions: 28 'W x 9 D x 32H
A Upright(2) 10/,.
J(
9
x
32
8 Middle Strotch.n (2)
11
x 27
l
3-
C TopStretcher (1) 1 x 27; x 1
o ottom Stretcher (l)
1)/,.
x 270/. )( 4/ ,
PlACE
ROUTER a lT
, 1 1
GU IO
1 f O t .
2
AG URE 3
.
' RADIUS
PlATE DOWN,
I
PAnERN.
R AN b RpE AT
prosnE fOGE
I R A D J U S . I- - _ _
,. M O R T I S E - , ~ O E i P
n
EN TEUO ON
U ~GHf
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I
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1
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MORtiSE ,
'h
OEEP
I
3
I
TAP E lE M
fRAC:
FUP
ovs
01 10
14 MORTISE . VI
DtU
C N TE RfD Q N U PR IG HT
I
r :~
ir
~-r
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1 - - 4 - - 1 C U R V
-F-~~=l I
AG UaE 1
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WOODSMI I H
r \ \ .
6
i
IGUflf
FlGU~E
B o n o _ STJl fTCHll t CARVING PAn~
RGURE
IGU IE
~~ tENONS
CfNTtREO ON SlO I
I_
I
o~tl (,I~as an iden
t ic al p au er n, 8~hown in th e
photo. To a ch ie ve th is e ffe ct,
th ere's a little
trick
involved.
lAMINATE PI ECES
B ut before gettin g to the
trick,
th e
fi t
~tcp i.o
laminate
enough .crap
10
get three
b lan k., w ith a ro ug h s ize o f 100/,
x 16 , se e Fig. 2. (I made the
three blank . out of m aple,
wal-
n ut a nd e he rr y.)
CIIO'CE OF ci.r. To glue-up tlrese
blanks, [ used W ilhold M arine Plastic
Resin glue. (This is a po wdered glu e t ha t's
m ixed with water to form a lhi n paste.)
This glue is w atorp ro of (in cold water) -
making it n ice for projects that will be
s ub je cte d to a n o cc ru ;io na l s o ak in g.
R ua
utting oards
A NICE COMBINATION ANYWAY YOU SLICEIT
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T A CI( I A C H IO A a D T O
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12
WOOOSMI1 H
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~yo AOlUS ON
AU
fOUR CORH S
)
,o.:Lo v ao
E DGE O F HOl E
DONOT SEl IT TO FUll DfnH
FINISHING STEPS
To complete these boards, cut a j
Y
radius
on al l four corners, and drill a j- diameter
hole in one corner, Then round the edges
with a
v .
round-over bit, and al so round
over the edges of the hole, see Fig. 16.
To finish these boards, Iused Martens
Wood Preservative. This is an oil and wax
finish that meets FDA requirements as a
foodadditive. (It s safe around food, but is
not intended for internal use.)
-_,_\
r -..
CENTER ,. HOLE
ON 1 y RA .D IU S MAaK
1 HOlE ,
CROSS SECtiON
CU T t RA D IU S O N EA CH CO RNER..... -
FIGURE 16
'0
-
tRiM
rw o
IL ANK S 1 0 FINAL SIZE
NO IE: DO NOI
TItIM
COMMON eOOES
I
.L .f-L.l-L....L...J
I~.- . . . . J
COMMON
EDGE
13/1
COMMON G
_../
--.. . ---- --
COMMO N ED GE- COMMONmGE
~
COMMON EDGE\
MUl S
PlACE WAXED PAPER SINEAtH BOARDS
rRiM BOTTOMfDGE to FINALWIDTH/
JY;
- r -
,
,
,
.
,
'r
.
FlGUR 14
-l'-
,0 '
-
: lRlM EOUAl AMOUNTS OfF
: B01H ENOS OF EACH BlANK ;
: I
It t ARRAN GE PI E CE S T O fORM THREE DI F feRE NT
GOM .IINA tlON5
NU,M8ER CODEr I) MAPl 2, WAlNUT 3) CHERRY
1
2 1
2 3
t
31 3 2
I~
\
ASSEMBLE THE PIECES
Since the segments were cut from a three
blank set, a of the segments are com
pletely interchangeable.
I
re-arranged
them (as shown in Fig. 12) to make the
three mix and match culling boards.
GLl;E UP.
After the pieces are arranged,
they can be glued together. But this can
quickly get out of hand (especially
if
there
are curved pieces).
To help bold all the segments in tine
wbileclamping. arrange them on
a
piece of
scrap plywood and nail cleats tight againat
the ends to keep the segments aligned, see
~ig. 13. TheIl befote applying the glue,
pick up the pieces and lay a piece of waxed
paper down to prevent them from being
glued to the plywood.
Apply glue to the edges of each segment
and clamp them together with pipe clamps.
Vh.n the glue is dry to the touch, lake off
the pipe clamps and serape the excess glue
off the joint lines. Then plane each board
Oat.
RAIS~O GRAIN. One problem [ usually
run into with cutting boards is raised
grain. The
first
time they get wet, the
grain raises and creates a very rough
sur-
face. To prevent this, sprinkle some water
Oil
the surface of the boards after they )
e
planed. Then when the water
dries
off,
sand lhesurface with 220-grit sandpaper.
Repeat this
p rocess
until ~hegrain
doesn t
raise any more.
cur
TO SIZE
One of the nice Lhings about this set of
cutting boards is the variety
of sizes.
But
before cutting them to the three sizes
shown in Fig. 15, all three boards should be
trimmed to one a standard si ze .
Trim J o ff both
n s
of each board so the
final length is I;lY, . (This should remove
the nail holes and any chipped out areas on
the ends of ~he boards.)
Then trim m l y one edge (as shown in
Fig.
14)
so th e final width is
10 .
(Note:
A ll
three
board
smust be trimmed exactly the
same way, if you want the pattern on the
final three-board set to match.)
To make the middle-sized board, trim
2W on the bottom end, and 2otTthe right
edge, see Fig.
lb. For
the small board,
trim 5 off the bottom edge, and 4 off the
right edge.
fiG U RE 12-
PAnERN ARRANGEMENTS
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1
OODSMITH
COMMON fOlMS
Of W IJIIN
C RPfNfttS
TR I NGLE
RIP TO RO~CII WIDTH. This
ripping process should actually
be donein two stages.
First
the
boardsare cut to roughwidth
but they don't
have
to be the
g a m e rough width. When I wa
gluing up the panel for the top
(lid)ofthe blonket chest (show
on page16), I knew I wanted to
end up with an Ill -,,;de panel.
Some of the
strips
in this
panel are only
2 wide
while
someare
4 - w id e
(t
W8 a
mat
ter ofgetting the most (the bes
parts) out of the woodthat was
available.
ALLOW ~:X1RAII'WTII.
As the
boards are ripped to rough
width. it's best to allowan extra
or so on each board. (The
secondStage of ripping
ill re -
long board. Sometimes tist doesn't ap- duce the width of the boards, sometime
pear until after a longboard is cut down to by as much 8
V .
smaller sizes. If a board is twisted (no ('IIECKOB TW IST . After the boards l o
matter howslight the twlat), don't use it. ripped to
rough
width, place them ona fia
GItAI)I
ASD COLOR:
After selecting surface (the topofthe table saw)and chec
bo.rd. that seem to be in pretty gond .ach board
lor
twist. (Place your fingersat
shape, llook at the grain pattern and the the ends of
th e
boards and
try
to rock
color of the boards. Thi. should be done them. (f they rock, they're twisted and
\\ith a degree of sensiuvity. \\'hen strips .houldn't be
used
from several boards are glued together,
SQt:AREr;PEDGES.
Irthe boards are
free
you want to be able to see them as a fin- of(\\;gt, (go ahead to the secondstage o
ished panel - without the distractions of the ripping process, The edges o( each
variauons in color and grain patterns be strip must be squared-up - so they're
tween adjoining atrips, straight along their length and exactly
Althoughit's difficult to findboards that perpendicular with the faee of the board
match perfectly in color. they should at
H O lI d o Y O l ge t lilt N ig rs s qu are ?
lea.t be kissing cousin. Then they should This is a procedure that'. open
to
much
be arranged SO the grain patterns looklike debate. The old-timers used a hand plan
they melt together. to lI
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WOODSMITII
4
When I need some help aligning the
board,1IO they're flush (which r duce' the
amount of planing later), I prefcr to UM
splines M:t in
groo\ es
refer
I
Fig, G,
The critical thing here is to cut the
grooves (for the splines) so they're all
exactly the same distance from the fal (
ll i~ :fI= ~~. f WIOTHOf SI UN :
L . _ : : . . . . : . . . . : __
LE SS HA H
OlP1 H
Of
GlOOYIS
r:
However, the only way to tell the grain
direction on thefatt of
a
board is to look at
the grain on the
tdgt
of lhe board,
se e
Fig. 5.
If
you're lucky. the grain tines on the
edge
wil l
gently cu...... ((lone face of lhe
other for the entil'( I.n,,'th of lhe board.
\Vben gluing up the boards, a Tange them
SO
the grain curves to the .ame fa on the
entire panel. (I draw arrows on both faces
of each board to keep things straight.)
But
\\,_1 i
wood, and sometimes the
grain pattern on the edge is WlI\,) - it
switcbes back and forth. When confronted
with this tuaticn, I make a democratic
decision: the majority of the grain pattern
win. That 18 , I
arrange
the b oa rd s t he
mnjerity of the grain angles lowul'll one
face of tl' panel to reduce tear-out prob
lem.
when
planing.
MAliK IIO,IIIiJ'S.
After all the board. arc
arranged for color and grain pattern, I
mark them to keep things straight tluring
the IIlu('-up
>tage.
The
easiest \\ a~ In do
thi. it o with carpenter s triangi., ~f.r to
~ill1.
J
ust draw a large triangle across all the
board s. Then, through the confusion of
what follows, the
board.
can easily be re
turned to their intended sequence,
DOWELS AND SPUNES
The
boards
have been chosen fo)'grain
an d
color, the edge< are cut square.
an d
I'm
,ady to glue them together.
\\ai/, [ o,, t
lOt( haoe
to
nse doire or
. I i . .
10
fltl 0
good joint?
AJr. ,in,thi, b a question lhar olK'n to
debate. It'.u u.II~'said that dow.1 ,hould
be UAt )for edge-to-edge joint..
I 1)('r80naUydon't ever use dowels fOI
edge joint~. It'sdifficult enough to gatlll'u
oPJlIl~ingdowel holes aligrn..fI, much leet of light
pa.,-..e,
on the edges of the
board .
Of eourse, this process ill reduce the
final width of eaeh
b o ar d -
by
as
much
as
v,', So, there has to be enough extra width
when you start out so there will be enough
lelt
to
make the panel.
In addition, the total width ol'the boal~ls
should allow an extra
v
(01' the width of
the panel before it's glued up, (Thig allows
enough
I
trim the panel to final giw alter
it'$ glued and clamped.)
A.IlANGE GItAIN PAnERN
AJ\erthe edges
are
squared up, the
boards
c i d
be glued together. But sp ( a
~'reud 5Otoothcarbide combinauon blade,
(Although
8
rip blade
can
be
use d ,
it
usually produces a very rough ~dgo,So I
prefer combination bJades.) The econcl
requirement is to make sure the bJade is
exactly perpendicular to the table, (~ute:
If the blade is even slightly off, the edges
will be beveled. 'Then when the boards are
clamped together, the panel will bow
aero.
it. width,
see
Fig. 3.)
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side (top) of the panel.
assembly time). can get iL Then let it rest (at least over-
To do this. place the race side o( the
APPLY CLUE.
To apply the glue, run a night) sa the glue in the joints has. chance
board against the fence of the table saw
bead down the edge of the first board.
to
dry
thoroughly.
and cut a groove on one edge. (Here 1use a Then spread it evenly over the edge with a CIlECK tO R WARP. The next day, check
40tootb carbide rip blade.) Then
cart
small brush. Tuse a nat artist's brush with for warp. Place a steel rule over the width
wheel the board (flip it end for end
SO
the \4 .long nylon
bristles
Another choice of the panel to see if it's cupped. Then
same face is still against the fence) and cut
would be a \4paint brush with the bristles check fOI'twist by placing the panel on the
groove on the other edge. cut back to about y long.
top of a table saw and try to rock it.
As for the splines, 1 like to use
V . Bow m uch glue
Sh llld
b< >app lied?
It's not unusual for one or both of these
Masonite. (It
fits
the kerf of the Freud After running a bead down the edge and problems 10show up. But they shouldn't
blade nicely.) The splines should be cut to spreading it with the brush, the glue be severe because the panel can be flat
width so they're a smidgen narrower than should have a kind ofglossy appearance
all
tened only to a small extent by planing or
the combined depth of the
grooves,
(This along the edge. If'the glue appears dull in a sanding.
allows a relief for the glue.)
spot or two, it means it 's soaked in. Apply a If the panel is excessively cupped Or
TESTCLAMP
little more. It's difficult to get too much twisted. there's only Onesolution: cut the
glue on - it willjust drip off the edge. It boards down the joint, lines and start over.
All of this work is for one purpose: to glue won't hurt the joint, but it makes a mess. ['ve had to do this more than once. It's
the boards together. Everything is ready, Note:
If
splines are used, you can glue frustrating, but it's the only solution ifyou
aUthat's needed is the glue and clamps ... them into the grooves, but it's not neces- want a Oat panel. (This is also why the
and patience. sary. After applying glue to the edges of panel should start out axtra-wide.)
Refore ~pplying any glue. I make. dry the boards, just slide the splines in the
sMOOTHING THE PANEL
l eSt run to cheek things out. This l~ tm- grooves, and push lhe beards together.
portant because it's the 18Stchance to catch After glue is applied to one edge ofeach Although every effort has been made to
any problems (and correct them) before
board, lay the boards Oat on the pipe make the pane as Oat as possible during
the glue goes on. clamps. Then
Ja y
strips of
waxed
paper the glue-up phase, it still has to be
CLA)IPS.
When clamping, 1 like to use over the top of the panel and position the smoothed. The easiest way to do this is to
pipe clamps. You need enough clamps S remaining pipe clamps. take the panel to a cabinet shop equipped
they're spaced nomOI'l1han 6 to 8 apart. TIGHTEN CL,IMPS. Then tighten the with a large drum or stroke sander. and let
Also, they should be alternated - one on clamps. Tfyou're using hand screws, place them do it. But that's no fun.
top, the next on the bottom, etc. This tends waxed paper on the ends of the panel, and One of the nicest experiences in the
10 equalize the cupping caused by the
tighten the hand SCI-e,,,,,first.
world (of woodworking) is to use a hand
clamping pressure, see Fig. 1.
As the pipe clamps are tightened, an
plane
to
smooth a panel Granted, it takes
Also, the clamps should be laid out on even line of glue should seep out between some IVOI'k, but it's a thoroughly reo
O lt surface. If they re on an uneven sur the board (This may appeal' as a line of wardlng- task,
face. it's more likely
that
the panel
will
be beads of glue.) That's good. You know A panel can be smoothed to near per.
warped.)
there's enough glue in the joint so it's not
feetion IVnh one plane: a jack plane. The
Now tighten the clamps just enough so
starved, but not so much that glue is slop. one
use is a 14 corrugated bottom
the gap between the boards disappears. ping allover the place. Record 05jack plane.
It
costs about $65.)
Then lay a long steel rule or framing AI..lCN BOARllS . Just as in the test clamp- When the plane iron is sharp and it's set
square across the width of the panel. You ing procedure, check lhe surface or the [ust right, there's no better feeling in the
may findUlepanel iscupped. This problem panel with a steel rule 01framing square to world.
should be solved before the glue gael on. make sure it's not cupped. If you're 1I0t There isn't enough room in this issue to
II you're SUI-ehe edges are square, then using splines 10align the boards. you rna
go into all the details ofplaning a panel, but
the problem is usually with the pipe
have to tap the boards flush. (1 like to use
the steps necessary to adjust, sharpen,
clamps. Loosen and tighten them, hying
one of those Stanley Dead Blow black and use a hand plane are discussed indetail
1
ge~ the boards Oush across the top. It plastic hammers to do this. You can make
in ood~mitll
No. 23.
may also help
to
fasten hand screws across pretty hefty taps without marring the sur-
CUT PANEL TO SIZE
the ends of the panel, see Fig. 1. Loosen race of the panel.)
the pipe clamps, tighten the hand screws.
S h ou ld l/I e= g lW i I II 4 s qlU lez u ou t
After the panel is planed smooth, the last
then tighten the pipe clamps.
be 1Uiplld off Wit/I d l rn p c lo th ?
step is to eut it to final size. Since the ends
GLUING UP THE 8 ARDS
The instructions on most glue bottles
ofthe boards are probably staggered, 1use
recommend that you wipe up excess glue. I
7
'When the boards are flush and fl-ee of
don't. 1 think that wiping with adampcloth
f Ef oK E S REWE
warp, 1 loosen all Lheclamps and turn the at this point dilutes the glue and forces it
TOpt WOOI)-
boards on edge. Then, before applying the into the wood - making it very difficult to
PlYWOOD
glue, place strips of waxed paper OVCl the remove later.
bottom clamps. (Ifany glue is-squeezed out l leave the boards clamped up Just the
and touches the pipe. there will be a ehemi-
way they are for an hour or two-s-unnl the
cal reaction forming a black splotch on the
squeeeed-out glue along the joints isdry to
woed.) Now I'm ready
to
glue. the touch. Then I take off the clamps and
I I J l I J . i ghtt i~est to use
use a paint.scraper (the kind used to scrape
The vast majority of the time I use paint off lhe side ofa house) to serape awav
Franklin 'I'itebond or Elmer'. Carpenter s the dried glue.
a simple panel cutting jig
to
trim off the
glue. Both ofthese are yellow glues that
ends, see Fig. 7. (Making this jig is dis-
set up rather quickly.
If
I need more as-
WHAT WENT WRONG
cussed in lVoocl$>IIithNo. 18.)
scmbly time, switch to Wcldwood Plastie After the excess glue is scraped off, place Aft:er it's cut to length, the edges are
Resin glue (8 powder ed glue that's mixed the panel on one end and lean it against a ripped down to final width to produce a
with water and allows 15 minute wall so it's M straight up and down as you smooth, finished panel.
WOOOSM ITH
15
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WOODSMlTH
6
LOCA tiON OF
ROOV
OmMJNED Y
tHI CKNESS OF CEDAI
WIDTH Of FR ME
~ = = = = = = = = ; ; ; ; = = = = = = = = = ~EM BER S 2V ~ ~
II
GROOVIS CUT I
V~
I
ON 8 TH S IO fS
I
V lC~ EE P
@
I
OF CENTia 13V .
II
I
SnlES
GROOVE
0li o W
1411.
Iq.
FRAME
MEMMItS
16V
t
I
@
I
T
ev .
1 4
MASONITE
PA NEl
c
CR OS S S fCD ON
FIGURE 1
end stiles A ); and on botJ t edges of th e
center stiles (B), see Fig. 8.
APRONANO DIVIDER GROOVes. The next
step is to cut grooves for mounting the
aprons and drawer dividers between the
frames, See Fig. 3. For mounting the
aprons eu t a v . . x
v . .
g ro ov e o n o ne face of
the back rails (C) and end stiles (A),
Y
from tbe inside edge, see Fig. 3. For the
drawer
div iders cut a Y .. x 1 / . . 1 g ro ov e o n
one face of the center stiles, centered on
their width.
III E RINGI II FRAlIle. Once the grooves
are cut, the frame members are mitered to
final length. The front and back rails (C)
are mitered
43W
long.from point to point.
and the end
stites
(A) are mitered to 18 11
lengths, see Fig. 1.
sonite panels, and cedar closet lining
(available at local lumberyards) attached
over the panels.
The
first
step is to cut the stiles
A
and
B
and
rails C
for
the
upper and lower
frames l to 2 longer than their finished
lengths, and to a final width of 2 \4 , see
Fig. 1.
PANEL GROQVES .Next, grooves ar e cut
for attaching the Masonite panels on inside
edge of each frame member. Using a piece
of the cedar as a guide, the groove is posi
tioned so that the cedar
will
be Hush with
the frame members after it s attached to
the Masonite panels, see Fig. 2. Then a
V.i -widegroove (matching the thickness of
the Masonite) is cut .deep on the
imi
edges of the front and back rails (C), the
Have you ever noticed how dovetails are
always hidden away on the corners of a
drawer? ft s never seemed quite right to
me that , one of the suongesc, and most
astheticaUy pleasing joints used in wood
working is constantly kept from view.
This hasn t always been the CAse. In the
18th and 19th centuries, country furniture
often used dovetail joinery because of its
strength and durability. Rather than
spending a lot of time and effort hiding the
joinery, craftsmen used the exposed dove-
tails as both an integral part of their de
sign, and as 8 display of their skill.
This is one reason why country fu r
niture, with its Simple. functional design
has always fascinated me. So it was only
natural to use this country style wben
I
decided to incorporate exposed dovetail
joinery in a typically old-fashioned project
- a blanket chest.
Unlike many of the modern hope chests.
with their overabundance of frills, this
chest is modeled after some of the original
country versions. The
drawers
are a good
example. Unlike
the
false fronts that
are
tacked on the modern versions, all three
drawers on this chest are
functional,
In keeping with the traditional theme,
1
decided tobuild the chest out ofcherry. . .
a wood that
was
very abundant. and often
used during this period. Although moths
aren t the problem today they were
at
one
time, Iadded cedar to the bottom of the
main box S O that every time 1open the lid,
the aromatic scent fills the room.
THE FR MES
The blanket chest consists of three sec
tions: the main box, the drawer carcase
that houses the drawers, and the kick
board assembly. I started by building the
two frames that form the drawer carcase ,
Both of the frames that form the drawer
carease are identical, and use typical web
frame construction that includes V I Ma-
Blanket Chest
A COUNTRY CLASSIC
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17
Cw.lP
U PP ER fR AM E O NLY
,/,-
1 2V ;
ROOVEfOR
l OW E ll f R M E
PfU FtAME
IG UR E
snus N D R IlS
ARE2 WIOf
O N lO WES t
FR~
N O G RO OV E
fRONT
RAILON 80TH fRAMES
. . -
W
RGUIlE 5
43;. 1
NO GROOVEON ONT IAtl
@
l--Jl'4'-- OH 18'1.
@
l V.
B Cf R il
lGURf
IOnOM fRAME Ci;OSS SEcnON
T OP F R AM E C R OS S s nO N
WOODSMITH
CI)TT>;KOl'S.
To join the center stiles (B)
between the front and back ails, stub
tenons are CUl on both ends to lil the
grooves in the rails. The final shoulder-to
shoulder length of the center stiles should
equal the
heel-to-heel
length of the end
stiles (1 30 /. ,).
~ANF.LS.
Once the tenons are cut, the end
panels U a'. cut 1(W. x 140/;' ,and dry
assembled
with the
frame
to
find the di
mensions for the center panel V . Then
measure the
center
opening, and cui
a Y o
Ma.~onitepanel to fit the groove to-groove
dimensions see Fig. 4.
ASS.:~IijI.'Y.
After the panel.
arc cut to
Size, dry clamp both frames together to
make sure that everything fit. and the
assembly is square, Once everything
checks out, glue both frames together ...
with the panels glued in place.
MOL ING
When the frames are d,,] .y. is trimmed
off all four sides of the L P J X i frame. see
Fig.
5. B y
cutting an equal amount
orr
all
foul' s id e s, t he grooves for the apron a n d
drawer dividers inthe upper frame remain
pe.fectly aligned with the grooves in the
lower frame, (In this case, the upper
f r am e
will
be a total of% smaller in both dimen
sions than the lower frame.)
IUllU~TTUE LOWErtt \A1E,Next, a rab-
bet is cu t on the bottom edge of the lower
frames so the ldckboard can bejoined 10 it.
Note: When cutting thi~ rabbet, be sure
it~n the face without the ix i groove.
see Lower
Frame
detail in Fig,
6.
IWIT
T n .: E O G . :
The top outside edges
on both frames
ar e
outed using
a V, co r
ner round bit, [eaving an
W
shoulder.
Note: On the upper f r am e, this molding is
cuton th e face ,q i thout the 1 4 x Vo groove,
se e Fig. 6. On the lower frame, this cu t is
made on the face ,uitlt the groove.
After the corner ro un d w as cut on both
frames,
1
softened the bottom edges ofthe
upper frame, se c Fig,
6.
This edge ca n be
amoved with a sander, or with a v ;
l'ounding over bit set for a ery shallow cut.
CDAII lANL G,
Next, the cedar
closet
lining is attached
over
the panels. First.
trim off the tongue and groove moldings on
the edges of the cedar. Then I ripped five
equal width pieces to fit the panel opelling,
leaving a small gap between each piece Ior
expansion, and cut the cedar
to
fit snug
lengthwise in the panel opening.
To glue the cedar to the frames, I used
yellow glue and clamped the slats inplace
using clamping boards and pipe clamps.
see Fig. 7.
SA:-1I , With the cedar glued in place,
lightly sand both the cedar and the frame.
(Note: Be careful not to oversand the
edges of the frame that mate with lhe box
and drawer carcase.) Then the frames are
joined with aprons and dividers 10 form the
drawer carease.
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WOODSMITli
T HE D RA WE R C AR CA SE
Aprons and drawer
dividers
are used to
connect the two web frames, and complete
the dr-awer carease assembly, see Fig. 9. I
started by cutting the aprons (D and E),
and the drawerdividers (F) 5 wide, and to
rough lengths, se e Fig. 8.
TON(JU
es. The next step is to form
tongue. on the aprons and dividers that fit
th e
V. widegrooves in
th e
frames.
On
the
drawer dividers (F), rabbets are cut on
both edges to form tongues centered on the
thickness of the divider, see Fig. 8. The
shoulder-to-shoulder width between the
rabbets should be 4 1:.
On the apron. (0 and E), rabbets are eut,
so the tongues are Gush with the insid.
race of the apron, Be sure that the
shoulde ..-to-shou lde r width is exactly the
same as on the drawer dividers
(4Vi ),
MITtRS. The back COI Oel'Sf tho aprons
are joined with a
mitered
spline joint to
help keep everything lined up during as
sembly.
Miter
the back corners of the side
aprons so th e tongue is
01\
th e h eel side of
the miter, se e Fig. 9. Then the front edge
on both end aprons is trimmed so the over
all length is 1 6 1 . Also, trim
back
the
tongue Onthe aprons to lit the grO()VC8n
the f rames, ;CeFig, 10
Next, 1inserted both end aprons D in
the upper frame, and mitered the back
apron
(El
to tit between them,
Mrr~REO SPLINE. While
the
saw
is still
setat4S, cut 14deepkerf'on the faceofthe
miters for the v , , thick Masonite splines,
se e Detail in Fig.
9 .
TRIM I)IVIOtRS.
Then the drawer divid
ers
F
are trimmed to the length of the end
aprons,
less the thickness of the
ba ck
ap
ron (s o the front edges of the dividers an d
aprons are flush).
I)RAWER GUII)ES, To complete the
drawer carease, [ cut Y x
0 / , .
drawer
guides, and glued them to the end aprons
and drawer dividers as shown in ~'ig, 10
11. Although all the parts for the drawer
carease are finished at this point, it's not
assembled
until after the kickboard as
sembly and the main box are built.
KIC KBOA RD A SS EM BLY
The kick board assembly consists of a
molded frame that's joined with miter and
splines, see Fig. 12.
The kickboard sides are cut 3 V wide
and long enough to fit the rabbet on the
bottom edge of the lower
Irame,
see Fig.
12.Then the patterns shown in Fig. 18are
traced on the kickboard sides, cut out
using a band saw, and the kickboard as
sembly is glued together,
MAIN BOX
Wit~ both the drawer car ease and kick
boar d
assembly finished, it's finally time to
cut some dovetails.
,,. .
51 .----1
18
FIONtlUCI TfMIlA Tf
I
~~ I Yo
/ ~ 't'
~~~1TI
~1-3-...j--_,....
- I - - s s - t . . - = i - l
-- .JI.-1.~
OP V IEW Cg NE DETAIL
F IGURE 13
~~~~ ~w
I(K: K80ARD SI DE t
s=
KtCk80ARD FRONlieACK
IGURe 12
I
@_../
r- -V--- ~
COINEa DETAIL lOP VIEW
~2Ao ONG
Mn1 IEO
SP lINE
CORNER
JO INT
lU~i A80VE HOULDER
F IGU RE
t
lENGTH OF DRAW ER DI V IDER 1S1S~~~~1
16~
ES S f.H ICk NE SS ~
OFGACI APRON-
ROUIE 1
c~ II; . \ 1 . y _
DRAWER GU ID E
frAIl
BUll JOiNt
TO LONG P O T
DR AW lR CARCA SE ASSEMBLY
G U itE 9
. t . . . .
t
TONGUES
DRAW ER OI V ID ERS
-ROUGH lINGTH4.. ---
I L - 0 1 1
_=~Cc.:.;;.;~:.=ON
~ . . l li l
--1
1--1, ,,'--1 '1
1 -'''' --1
j_ [@ I I
0
n
INO .... ON, 12 )
.L
O lO W OIVlOIAS (2
I
1 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . - 1 I 7 6V
I
OUGH OfMENS IONS
1 42\. 1
FIGURE 8
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19
G Lu t A ND C LA MP TO fO l OG E
OF lOX ON A U SIO(S
,
I 'SIOt CO'NEt
AGUI
fGUI 16
,~ UP MOlI>'NG
lOU NO O VU :
.
l~~
-
-
T
,.
~
, + . ' .
.
1
OV E
1--
. J
,
f . DEEP
I
R O UT T O W I DT H O F
eo x
SI DE
x
s
DlAWII OMDII
1
, .
t
O
o~
PlOH
.-
t. ..........
I
LOWE . f lAME
18\',,
(oi ),
1 4
< H I
tO W( 1 ' tA ME
~
K fC IC O O
KICKIOAIO
L.
CROSS SlCt ON
2~ ~ r-
t t
..)
N O
.)
_ rtACK
4 . .
1
11
NOll. II\lASUllMINTS INClUOf AN
IXl ,..- ,.. UHGntJOlt
CumHG DOVOAll JOINT
l OX C M M IN 1 40 N S
fIGURE'.
WOOOSMITH
CLl I~ ;I P.
The first step is to glue up
enough stock to produce two sol id-wo o d
pane].,;for the front and back
1)
with rough
dime,...ion. of 1 2 ~ 1 2 ,and two panels for
the end. (J)wilh rough dimensions
of
l2 x
IT. Secpage 13 for the step-by-step pro
cedure Iused.)
After the panel. a re glued together,
flatten them u.ing
a
hand plane or belt
sander. Then trim the panels for the front
and back to final dimensions of
1 1
y x
41Y and the end panels to 11
V
x 16\'\.'.
Note: S c the dovetail comers can be
sanded I luah after assembly, the mea
su rement s g iven 1 1 1 '0 Y
longer than
th e
final dimensions of the box.
UOVETAIL.~. used the layout shown in
Fig. H. and cut lhe dovetails using the
router jig s hown on p ag e 22. Of course.
if
the spirit move you, the dove ta ils can also
be
CUI
by hand (see lVood8mitlt No.
19).
After the dovelail. are cut, the box isglued
together,
and the
dovetail
comers
are
sanded
f lush.
ASSfMIILY
Once the main box is glued together, the
drawer carease is attached to lb. bottom
edge of the box,
I ~IEHFHAM.:,The first
step
is to attach
the upper ','ameor the drawer earease
to
the box. To
c lo
this, center
the
molded edge
of the upper frume a ro u nd th e bottom edge
or the box, see I ig. 1 5. Then clamp the
f r ame to the box, and drill pilot ho les for
'8 x I woodscrewa
1 \ 0 1
from lbe out
side edge or the rrame members. Finally. I
unclamped the f rame applied glue to the
bottom edge, and screwed the upper frame
to
the box.
_ PRO S.
To assemble the rest of the
drawer
earease glue
the
aprons
(with the
spli_ in the mitered corners), thedrawer
dividers and the lower frame in place.
Note: Be sure to keep the front edges of
tb e drawer dividers and end aprons inline.
KJCKlIOAlUI.
After
the
drawer
carease
assembly has dried, the klckboard isglued
to
th e rabbet
01 1
th e
bottom edge of
th e
10wN
clruwer earc ase trn m e, see Fig.
1 5.
LIP MOLDING
)Vith the bottom section completed, 1Dip
ped the cabinet light side up and started 01 1
the lip molding ror the top edge of the box.
To make lhe lip molding, rip enough
stock I-V.- wide for all (our 'ides of the box.
Then cui a 1Io' ,k-epgroove , from the
outside edge of the molding, see Fig. 16.
(Note: Adju.t the .. idth of this groove to
fit the top edge the eabinet.)
Ne,t, rout a Yo cove on the bottom
outside lodge or the lip molding, and re -
move the sharp comers on the inside edges
using II rounding over bit set at a very
shallow depth. Finally, miter the lip
molding to fit the rim of the box, and glue it ([)
in place, see ~ i lC~.17~, ~ ~ = = : - _ _ - = = = = = = = = = : . .~ = = = _ - = = = = = = = = =
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WOODSI-IITH
0
.
F IG U R E 1 8
THE LID
-
43Y ,,
Even though the first thing most people
-
ighig
come. in two models, a
12 (SH().$I50) a nd
a
24' ($25().$275)
version, (Xote: The dove
tails on the Blanket Che>;t
can be
cut with
either .ize jig.) Both models are available
from Garrett \\'8d~ or \Voodcraft Supply.
see Source.
on page 24 .
AlthOUgh th., price of the jig i. high,
after addillj( the cost of the long-shaft
carbideLipped bits and the propel' bush
illgs, the cost ofthe
1 2
jig can jump
as
high
as $220, and the 24 jig a lm o s t r equ ires a
second mortgage
lit
around $.~30.
Evcn though
the
LeighJig cuts beautiful
through t1ovetllil~,this kind ()finvestment
seems to make sense only ifyou have to cut
a 101of dovetails. In most eases, I think I
would take the time to cut dovetails by
hand, and pocket the difference.
V
diameter shank, and requires using a
router with a ~ . collet . . . something
many
roUlc
simply don't have.
Although most of these bits appear to
b e
fairly common,
1
discovered the bits we
had in our ~hop w ere to o short to a llo w a
full depth of cut below the template
fingers. The only bit. Iould lind that were
long enough are >old by the catalog
firms
offering th~ jig, see Sources. page 24 .
Note: The Y dovetail bit is icluded with
the
: or
\'en;ion of the Leigh jig.
ADJ~~TA8L SI'CI~CS.
Setting the
idlh
a nd
.pacinl between the
dovetails
simply require.
removing
the tOP slide
bar, loo~ning the finger scr e w s with the
wrench
provided, and reposhioning
the
fingers ' needed. The limitations on ho w
close the dovetail pins can be positioncd
are shown in the chart below. (Note: Each
finger extends to both Rides of the te rn
l)lale. So as they're moved, the size and
spacings fOl'bolh the tails and the pins
are
urrecled equally.)
Trying to HcLhe fingers on the template
for cutting dovetails to a predetermined
spacing (as on the Blanket Chest) is kind of
a headache. Although the jig comes with
instructions that clearly show bow it's
Traditionally, dovetails have
been eu t using nothing more than
a
fcw hand tools and a steady
hand. But recently, a new
method for cutting through dove
taU. - u~inl(a 1' 0 11 tel' jig - has
been developed by a Canadian
firm called Leigh. We purchased
the new Leigh jig to see how it
works,
and how ils dovetails
compared to tho~e cut using the
time tested method ... by hand.
What
we d iscovered
was that
the lA>ighjig cut through dO\'e
tail. that looked identical to those
cut by hand (their width and spac
ing>;can even be also(the template fingers.
R()U Tlllt 1 111'l .The Leigh jig can produce
three dirrerent size dovetails. using vari
ous combinations of straight and dovetail
router bits, see chart below. One major
drawback is that the
1 -
dovetail bit has a
L E IG H D O V E T A IL R O U TE R JIG
Tools
the Trade
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OODSMITH
Talking
Sho~
N OPEN
FORUM FOR OMMENTS ND QUEST IONS
G L U E B RU SH E S
accurate ouUine for lhe hinge mortise.
rI
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Allow 4 to 6 w eek s fo r
delivery,
Pr iees subjec t
to
change. call
Wood. ,ith Projccl.Supp1ies
P.o. Box 10350
Des Moines, 1A50306
800 444 7002
B Y PHON E
F or r as te r s er vic e u se o urTo ll
Free order line. P hone o rder s
can be p laced M onday th, u
Fr iday. 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Central StandardTime.
Before call ing. have your
VISA,
'M asterCard, or D ts
cover ca rd r eady .
B Y MA IL
T o o rd er by m ail. u se the form
enclosed
with
a current
tssue,
T he o rder form inc ludes
infOl'-
mation o n h an dling and ship
p ing charges and sales tax.
S en d y ou r m ail o rd er to:
Garrett Wade
~22l*12
/ ) }t.tJl J il J~qll
lt lt- i:n9
Boord 1 )t ,
i ~
O r f f l J f l . J () }a f Jt , d l oot~
P la.tJ. I ic
R n w
G ftt /\ l1 t V () ,l} in
/J e l l , . . / (
Tb eWuodworker8 Sto re
612-128-2199
8I I J Hk r l
C~I ~tf(1rtJlJ.v~.
C lt al ogor I nformat ion ,
LTERN TE T LOG SOUR ES
RDER INFORM TION
Tread t.lnC6
S r I ) . .
f n.l)9 ) .
l)Q l fd a, f J i J J f.
,,, ti ~ u
JtJ(,r( i f i ~
Woodotnfi
S II J..6;li).+J.S4
BI(lllkt:l
( / l .fot
H Q
I d . ,. , . , . . . :,tli,P
Bo o rd Ftlti lttlt C (tn.ln91 ~bt.
P l( I A tk R a b t ;ll l~
C AR VIN G PA nER N
'1 'h e f ull s iz e p at tern
fo\
the vine and lea
design on ttl(l ; Qtdlt Rack
as
IihO\VII Qt, I)~
6isavailable I re e, ( Th ere is a 1 .50
shippin
charge
Quilt Rack Pattern
8005-014 _ Fr e
TU N G OIL FIN IS HES
The f ou l' t u n~ o il f in is he s m e nti on ed i n t h
interv iew w ith Fran k Velie. (sealer, lo
lu st er , medium lus te r, an d h ig h lu ste r) a r
av ailable fro m th e s ou rc es l is te d bel ow . O
yo u
can call Suth er land We lle s a t ( 800)82
1245lo find a
dealer
near
you.
CA RV IN G B OOK S
If
) OU
would like more infermacion o
carving,
check
your
local
library
01 boo k
store. 'tVe have found the follow ing tw
b oo ks h elp fu l. T hey a rc a va ilab le from th
so urces listed helow in the M ail O rde
Sources
section.
,1f llc O/ QjTm.di tionn/ W ood Cal illg,
Tl Rook of \Vood CaJ 1Jill{l:Tech?IU/l
D e 8i gm a nd P ro je ct s.
Now: Al l or us h ere at WO< J< ll< mitiLf
The Book
oflVood
Ca l v ing : Tee /Ill/ que , De
~ i g Y l J < and Project.. ve'y h elp fu l. E ven
th ou gh it w asorig in al lyp ub li sh ed i n 1942.
remain s one of th e
best
im ro du ctc ry b oo k
Onlile techniques of
incise carving tha
, ,,e lve seen.
carv ing . W ith these carving tools, the
handle is placed in lhe palm of your hand
a nd you r
f ia ger s g \dde
t he cut ti ng edge.
Note: A s w ith all edge tools, we rec om
men d sharpening and honing these tool
before u sin g th em .
B LA N K ET C HE ST
Woodsmitb Project Supplies is offer-
in g three diifeJ'ent hardware Kits fo r th e
Blanke t Chest .a s shownonpage 16.The k i ts
include YOU1 'ch oice o f pulls (see photos
b elo w) and all th e n ec essary hardware to
complete Ute project.
B lanket Chest Hardware K its
732-100 Kit A 59.95
732-200 Kit n 59. 95
732900
Kit
C
59 .95
Al lo f t h e kits above include:
(2) 2' x 3
So li d Bras s H inges
1)Fu ll Mor ti se Ches t. Locl c'V itb Bras s
Key Esc utcheon
1)Sa tin Bra ss L id S up port
(Featuring
an ad jus tabl e tensio ning ro d.)
No te : F o r
the
aromatic
cedar
used
to
line
th e B la nk et C he st, c he ck at y ou r loea l lum
bel yard, home improvement center orhar-
ware sto re fo r b o xe d sets o f c ed ar p an elin g
used to lin e c lo se ts .
Blanket Chest Pull Types
t-'-'.
Pierced brass pull ,
l:
with a matc hin g k ey
.._. escuscheon ar e in-
e luded in this
kit.
KitA. (Chippendale-Style)
, This is a t radit tcna l
t
~
1 ~ style solid brass p ull
with a matching
escu tcheon p late.
Kit
B (C olonialS tyle)
LEIGH D OV nA IL JIG
Since wereviewed th e Leigh dovetailjig, in
198 4, th e c ompa ny has introduced a new
model. The new jig produc es bo l.h
lh, Ough
an d half-blind dovetails. The new
jigs
ar e
s t il l available in 12 an d 24 widths, Because
of the w id e
variety
o { op tio ns a va ila ble we
suggest that you get a cata lo g f rom on e o f
the com panies listed below in the Mail
O rd e r S ou rc es before
ordering.
CunlN G B OA RD S
Fo r the cutting boards, we used a p lastic
re sin g lue. (Itcome. in a p ow de red f orm a nd
m ixe s w i th
water.)
T his ty pe o{g lu e can be
found in m os t
hardware
stores and lumber
yards, or it can be ordered from th e s ou rc es
listed
below in th e M ili l O rd er s ec tio n.
he Ilnish
we
used on
the
cutting
boards
is c alle d M arte ns W o o d
Preservative,
it's a
o il an d w ax combinatio n that' s safe to use
aro un d fo od. It's a va ila bl e f rom th e s ou rc es
listed
below.
A s an alternative fi ni sh, \ \ oodsmith Pro-
ject Supp lie s is o ffe,;ng Preserve NuL O il
finish Preserve is 8 blend of natural oils
f , Omexotic nut m eats and p rovides an ex
c el le nt , non- tox ic f inish to, toys a well a s
b ow ls a nd w oo den k itchen u tens il s.
Nut OilFinish
4001-275
Preserve Nut
Oil
Finish .
s z Bottle . 8.95
CA RV IN G TOO LS
There are a number of sources [or the
ca rv in g to ols we u se d to in cis ath e de sig n o n
the Q uilt R l'ck as show n on p age 4.
Forthis
type
o f c a rv in g we would r ec om
m end a starter set. Woo dcra ft S up ply
(see ,\iail O rder So urce be low) ha .' \ se t
th at in clu de s a sk ew c hise l. th ree g ouges, a
,'eining
tool, and a V tool. T he se to ols w ill
be more than adequate for most incise
our es