oS i ee ees = Heavy-Duty Lathe Stand =Cutting Perfect Miters =Router Table Indexing Jig =Layout TechniquesJuly 1993 Donald. Peschke Douglas L. Hess ‘Terry J. Strobman Richard S. Paters ‘Tim Robertson, Philip A Toten. ‘Tel Kraliol Cary Christensen Kurt Sehaltz| ‘Wil Niskanen Roger Reiland Mark Higdon Crayola England Ren Munk! Jan Hale Svee Kent Welsh Stove Curtis Crealation cri Bredeson Sbritione Menoger: Ps Jen » Chelation Anal: od Cn Newt Sale Ker 3. Basen Anson Fito. Gorton. Galppes St Grophic ‘Deiguer: Rober H Walmer Controle: Pant B. Gray + Acconting: Laura Thomas» Bneleepinguisnne Spears Tn. Series Manaporeyt Moree lato Pah Conant: Dongs M- Lister» Admins tive Aste: Cher Sent, Jaa Fh Reepin ‘ae Jeanne Jobson Bl, Mant Ken Grit Merkatng Divetor: Raber: MurrysCatelo Art Directors Cindy Jackson = Catalog Products Menager: Oo Daker «Projet Supp Lins Sones Tee Support Jeff anes Stems ‘pertain Mare Regions Be Las Aonage: Valeri Wiese» Suprsino: Joma Enon «Cuter Serve Represented le tifee Murphy, dey Johnson, Stra Kono, A ‘Blansha, Anna Cox, Chris Lo ‘Suprsiaor:Sery Carson = Fulfiinent: Gloria ‘Shes, Don bees, ChaekCarbonSiaCare. Sieonnes bergen naar Week Corp. ee ee cere als EE icon umrau Saeco EE nge Moocciamn Pn NUS SRT ed 'm often asked, “Isn't it difficult to come up with new project ideas?” ‘The answer is no — coming up with ‘ideas is easy. The tricky partis working ‘out the details, The job of working out these details falls on the shoulders of the ShopNotes Design Department (Ken Munkel, Jan Svee, and Kent Welsh). ‘Sometimes everything about a pro- ject falls into place and there are very ew problems. But more often, design- ing projects takes lots of hard work and a fair amount of hair pulling, In fact, ‘Ken Munkel (our Design Director) has almost run out of hair to pull. LATHE STAND. The Lathe Stand ort page 16 is a good example of a project that went together smoothly. The idea ‘was to build a sturdy stand that would absorb the vibration of a bench-top lathe. Within a few days we had ironed out the details and were ready to start building the stand. ‘The secret to absorbing the vibration of the lathe was to make the stand as heavy as possible, So we made the top and the legs from heavy “slabs” of par- ticleboard and Masonite, ‘Then, to prevent the stand from racking from side to side, we needed to “tie” the legs together. We were also worried that the stand would be top- heavy onee the lathe was mounted. Here again the solution was simple. We conneeted the legs with a hollow beam. This prevents the stand from racking. And filing the beam with sand, adds weight and keeps the stand from being top-heavy. Like T said’ before, designing and building the Lathe Stand went rather smoothly. However it was a different story for the Indexing Jig on page 4. INDEXING JIG. The idea for this jig came about while [ was routing aseries of grooves in a workpiece. After each pass I had to readjust the fence and ShopNotes “tweak” it into position. What Ineeded. vwas a fig that would allow me to posi- tion the fence on a router table in pre- cise increments. But I also wanted some sort of miero-adjuster so T eould “fine-tune” the fence. Doesn't sound too complicated, right? Well talking about a jigis one thing — getting it to workis, altogether different. Designing the Indexing Jig was like Iknocking down a row of dominoes. The solution to one problem created an- other problem later on, For instanee, to “index” the fence in precise increments, weuseda threaded rod and a coupling nut. But then we needed a way to “lock” these parts to- ‘gether and still be able to position them ‘quickly. The solution was a spring loaded hold-down. But this eaused an- other problem, And s0 on... ‘The good news is that the Indexing ‘Jig turned out even better than T had hoped. In fact, several people here have already started building this jig for their router table at hone. DRILLBITCASE. Another project that’s real popular around here is the Drill Bit Case, see page 10. The unusual thing is the Drill Bit Case didn’t start out as a project for the ‘magazine. I made it for myself. A Sew days later, I noticed several versions of the Drill Bit Case had ap- peared in the shop. That's when I de- cided to feature it in this issue. HELP WANTED. We're looking for @ full-time editor to join our staff here in Des Moines. Candidates should have a first-hand knowledge of and a background in wi municating ideas. If you're interested, write usaletter explaining what you've been doing in the areas of woodworking and writing. Send your letter to Doug Hieks, Ex- ecutive Editor, 2200 Grand Ave., Des ‘Moines, IA 50812, He'll got back to you. No. 10Oi Course a Contents lidexitig Jiguess 5S sere = ee aid This i for your router table lets you quickly and accu- rately positon the fence. The fence can be moved in precise 116" incremenis or fine-tuned for an exact cut Dall BiiCase= << eee 0 Protect and organize your twist drill bits with this simple case made from wood salvaged from the scrap bin. Fenech Mitere = aes. 12 Allitiakes to cut perfect miters on the table saw is a few basic agjustments and our simple cutting sequence. Eat otandas=: _ 1D] S Lala NG Re SUE emo MAKE | orrostte sive pes Bese ae ea No. 10 ShopNotes 13To “micro-adjust” the angle of the miter, use a play- ing card asa shim. Cutting the Miters TO Eno or ror lor reer reces {ano PRavecT Preces A. oe oF or READIUET CAUCE tuino: MTER'B' ENDS. Or PRavact Mocks, Cutting a perfeet miter joint ona single corner is one thing. ‘The trick is getting all four comers (on a frame for example) to fit tightly together. To do this, I ‘make two frames: a test frame, and the "real” frame, ‘The test frame is just four serap pieces of wood used to ad- just the fit of the miters. This ‘way, any problems are ironed out. before cutting the project pieces. ‘The key is to miter the pieces in the proper sequence. SEQUENCE. To keep things or- anized, I lay outall the pieces in their “finished” position and mark the eutting sequence on the ends of the test pieces, see Fig. 5a. ‘Then, with the miter gauge set to 45°, the ‘A’ ends of the test pieces ‘andthe matching ends of the pro- ject pioces are cut. Note: To provide insurance against the work ereeping, lamp ablock to the fence, see Fig. 5 Move GAUGE. After cutting all the miters on one end, you'll need W to position the miter gange onthe other side of the blade and angle the head to the opposite 45° set- ting. It's okay just to get close, at least for now. "That's because the idea is to sneak up on the perfect fit by mi- tering the ‘B’ ends of all the test pieces, see Fig. 6a, Ifthere'sa gap ‘when you fit these pieces together, Just readjust the gauge and trim the miters again, see Fig. 7. ‘Note: Ifthe gap is so small that any adjustment only exagerrates the error, see the tip at left. COMPLETE MITERS. Finally, once you're satisfied with the way the test, frame fits together, yout ‘can miter the opposite ends of the project pieces. Since these miters duplicate the test miters, they're ‘bound to fit tight together ‘Note: To protect the tips of the miters, [use a stop block with a mitered end to cut the pieces to exact length, refer to Fig. 6. 7 Toe a. nce. "CouTex | e1ocrmse ciocwwest ShopNotes No. 10Miter Jig At yor dong a tof mitring, it might be worthwhile tobuld Spedal jig. Although this fg Is used in place of the miter gauge, the basic idea is the same — cut- ting fo complementary ra FENCE. The key is a two-part fence that corresponds to the two settings of the miter gauge. T gether, the two parts of the fence form a 90° angle, see Step 3 be- low. As a rezult, the overall angle ‘Step 1: Build the Base. The base consists of a ¥~thick piece of plywood and a pair of hardwood runners that slide in the miter gauge slots in the table saw. After cutting the plywood to length to fit the table, its cen- tered over the blade to mark the location ofthe slots on the edges of the plywood. These marks are used to position the runners be- fore screwing them in place. Step 2: Cut Kerf in Base. The jig 1s designed to carry a workpiece through the blade by pushing the base across the saw table. This requires cutting a kerf in the base for blade clearance. To prevent the two halves of the base from flapping up and down, a cleat is glued at the front edge before cutting the kerf The back edge is kept rigid by not pushing the base ail the way through the blade. Step 3: Attach Fence. To ensure the miters form a per- ect 90° angle, the two parts of the fence are positioned using a framing square. By offsetting the fence, you can extend pieces that are cut fo rough length past the blade. After screwing the ence to the base, it's just a mat- fer of pushing the jig through the blade to trim off the ends, No. 10 of the miters will aso be 90 Besides the angle, there's one other thing to consider. Ifyou cut your workpieces to rough length ‘before mitering them, the ends will extend past the blade. ‘To keep the ends from hitting the opposite fence, the two parts are offset, see photo. Note: This offset determines the widest ‘workpiece you can miter with the jig. (In my ease, this is 8". NOTE: use wp Fence0 ee ct DRILL COUNTEREUNK SHANK OLED AND SCREW ‘ShopNotes (OTmex Fence FORMS OVERALL [ANGLE OF 00"had visions of spending a quiet evening turning a project on my new bench-top lathe. But after going down to the shop to try it out, I was disappointed. Unlike the mooth- ‘running full-size lathes Ihad een, itrum- bled and shook as I was turning. Fortunately, the problem wasn't the lathe at all —it was the stand the lathe was mounted on. Even ‘though the stand was fairly rigid, it was still too lightweight to dampen the vibration set up hy the spinning workpiece SPONGE. To improve the performance of the lathe, T decided to build a heavy stand — one that ‘would worklike abigsponge to absorb the vibration set up by the lathe. ‘The trick was to add enough Stand A heavy top supported by solid legs and a “sand box” absorb the vibra- tion set up by a bench-top lathe. ‘weight to keep the lathe from rattling around with- out making the stand look like a wood boxcar. ‘After looking around for the heaviest, densest ‘material I could find, I found just what I needed — 34'-thiek particleboard. Two layers of this particle- board are built into the legs and the top ofthestand. BEAM. To add even more weight, there's also a hollow “beam” that spans between the legs of the stand. This beam can beflled with almost 60 pounds of sand to create additional “ballast” that dampens the vibration of the lathe, see photo below. KNOCKS DOWN. But all this weight can be a mixed blessing when it comes time to move the lathe stand. To keep it from becoming a “perma- nent” fixture in the shop, the stand is bolted to- gether so it ean be easily knoeked down, OTHER FEATURES. While I was at it, T added a pair of drawers to store my lathe accessories. ‘There's also a unique pivoting tool rack that posi- tions yourlathe tools within easy reach when you're turning. (For more on this tool rack, see page 21.) Cutting Diagram S1S0ARD FEET To add stability, a hollow wood ‘beam is filed with sand. This ar- ARS : Sexton ao syetHck HARDNCOD cchors the stand and dampens the | 4e"x96" aorxaer" erTcx vibration of the lathe. rare FENPERED MAGONTE 16 ‘ShopNotes No. 10FEATURE PROJECT EXPLODED VIEW Ye Kove Dover wees DIMENSIONS 60"Wx16°D x 32° FRONT/BACK aa TRIM LEFT DRAWER LEFT DRAWER aoxivefh RIGHT DRAWER WOODSCREW.. “FRONT/BACK MOUNTING: mor SIDE Oe: Peer eset ae (© (4) Ye" x 4" Carriage Bolts © (4) Vax 3i2" Lag Sorews © (4) %0" Washers © (4) 44" Washers © (4) Yo" Hex Nuts: © (2) Pare 12" Full-Ext. Dr. Slides SUPPORT CLEAT © (34) #8.x 112" Fh Woodscrews © (52) #8 x Y2" Fanhead Screws for © (10) #0 xtIs"FhWoodecreve attaching draver elideo car PIECE eansince bout Materials List Legs Top A Core Pleces (4) 1330-54 Farticleboard ——M Top Fleces (2) 14a x BBY - 8% Particleba. B Side Pleces (4) 13x50 - V4 Masonite N Cover Pieces (2) Mle x BBY - 4 Masonite © Side Trim (8) 4x 2%-30 © Top Side Trim (2) Dax2-1We D Cap Pieces (4) Vx Bie -30 P Front/Back Tim (2) %4x2-60 Beam Drawers E Bottom () Sixol4- se Support kai (1) nx 4ta-12 (wo pace) F Sidee(2) 4x6-4ale R Hanging Brackes() Sanat G Dividers (3) Vax Bia Ae Drawer Sides (4) Yex4-12 H Support Ceate (2) 94x24- 42 T Left Drawer Fr/Bk (2) Yan -12% 1 ud Saxe 40 U Right OrmerF/Bh(2) Sana 21% e@ J Edging Strips (2) Yaxia-42Ve V Left Drawer Bottom (1) tex 12%4- Ya Masonite K Mounting Rails (2) 4x5 -12 W Rb. Drawer Bottom (1) 11/4 x 20% - Va Masonite | Apron () 4x8-41 X Lett Fale ron) YandTe-18%e Y Rohe FaleeFrone()) — 94x470-20%He No.10 ShopNotes IvTo trim the edges flush, | used a flush trim bit in a hand-held router. FEATURE PROJECT The Legs started work by building the legs. ‘The unusual thing about the legs isthey're not your ordinary square posts. Instead, they're solid “slabs” that are designed to dampen the vibration set up by the lathe. ‘SLAB. To make the slabs as heavy as possible, they're built up from two core pieces (A) of 34!-thiek particleboard, see Fig. 1 ‘Then they're covered withtwo Y4'- thick Masonite side pieces (B). Note: The height (length) of the legs determines the finished height of the stand. To position the center of a workpiece about even with my elbow, I made the legs 80" long (high). ‘CONTACT CEMENT: When glu- ing up the slabs, [ used contact cement, to create an “instant” bond. The problem is getting the edges aligned. To do this, T cut one core pieve to exact size. Then built up each layer by attaching an oversized piece and trimming the edges flush, see tip at let. ‘TRIMPIECES.To cover the front and back edges of the legs, Ladded $4'-thiek hardwood (ma- ple) trim pieces. After rounding ‘SIDE TRIM Nore: ROUND OVER SIDE TRM BEFORE SLUNG It PLACE one edge of each side trim (C) pieee, they're glued in place, see Fig. 1a. Then, to cover the edges of the side trim, the cap pieces (D) are giued on, and the outside edges are rounded over. Once the trim is installed, the next step is to build the beam. This is just a box that connects the legs and can be filled with sand to help absorb vibration, Tt consists of a hardwood bot- tom.(B) that fits in grooves cutin the sides (P), see Fig. 2. The sides, are held together with dividers (G) that. are serewed to the bot: tom and glued into dadoes eut in the sides, see Figs. 2a and 2b, (APTACH BEAM. After _ascem- bling the beam, you're ready to BOTTOM DIMER (CENTER ON LEN $s —a4| Le | eo xe" Pn i ae i) s Sonar caRBAGE our 4 [xox 5" wooo- ‘exew ° ‘surrorr He END VIEW 18 ShopNotes No. 10@ siiachitto the legs. The ends of [B the beam fit over two support [ cleats (H) screwed to the inside of the legs, see Figs, 2 and 2c. To hhold the stand together (and to ‘make it easy to knock down), holes are drilled through the legs and the end dividers (G) before bolt- ing the beam in place. Lab. Next, I cut a lid (1) from ‘4!thick hardwood. Tt fits. be- tween the legs witha ¥4" of clear- ance for easy removal, see Fig. 8. ‘Tohold the lid in place, it's glued [4 into grooves in a pair of edging strips (J), see Fig. 8. This ere- ates a shelf with a lip for tempo- rary storage of lathe accessories. ‘MOUNTING RAILS. With the lid inplace, there are only twothings left to do. Two mounting rails (K) are screwed to the side trim pieces (C) so you ean attach the top later, see Fig. 4. And to sup- port the back edge of the top, an ‘apron (L) isserewed to the end of these rails, see Fig. 4 and 4a. Hes Op asi ES a See ee Like the legs, the top is built up 4"-thick hardwood trim pieces. ATTACH TOP. Now it's just a from two layers of %4"-thiek par- After ripping the pieces to width matter of attaching the top to the ticleboard. Here again, these top to match the thiekness of the top base. To do this, center the top ppiecos (M) are “sandwiched” be- (2"), the side trim (0) and from side to side and front to tween two cover pieces (N) made frontiback trim pieces (P) are back. Then, after drilling coun- of '-thick Masonite, see Fig. 5. glued on, Then the top is com- terbored shank holes, the top is ‘TRIM. To cover the exposed pletedbychamforingthetop edges secured to the mounting rails edges, I “wrapped” the top with and corners of the trim pieces. with lag serews, see Fig. 5a == a FRONTIBACK ‘CUFS¢ DEEP Taxi woobsceen Note: APRON Sate ouster ot SIDE TRIM No. 10 ‘ShopNotes 19Lert DRAWER FRONT/BACK 2e ® LEFT DRAWER FALSE FRONT GEERT The Drawers 6 HANGING 3 BRACKET ® ‘wooveckew SS Oxtie Fh 4 SUPPORT eurrort —aleultrfe— ] ‘Arn Once the top was in place, I built on these slides, refer to page 30.) twodrawers—anarrow drawer Note: Ifthe motor on your lathe for chucks and faceplates, and a hangs below the headstock, you'll wide drawer for tool rests and need to cut an opening in the top long accessories, Tb provide easy for the belt tofit through. access, the drawers are mounted Whether you build one or both on full-extension slides. (For more drawers, the openings are ere- LEFT BOTTOM e298 RIGHT DRAWER, FALSE FRONT ey Serre ASSEMBLING aah" FINISHED WipTH ShopNotes ated by screwing a simple T- shaped piece to the top, see Figs. 6 and 6a. It consists of a support rail (Q) that’s made by gluing up two 54"-thiek pieces and a hang- ing bracket (R) which is screwed tothe top edge ofthe support rail. Note: For additional support, the end of the support rail is serewed to the apron (L). DRAWERS. After establishing the openings, work ean begin on the drawers. They're held to- gether with a simple, but strong {joint —a locking rabbet, see Fig. ‘Tb. Before cutting the joints though, you'll need to figure out the size of the drawer pieces. DETERMINE SIZE. This is easy for the drawer sides (S). They're all the same length (12"). The tricky part is determining the length of the front/back pieces (T" and U) for each drawer. ‘To do this, start by measuring the width of the opening. (In my case, this was 2344" for the right- hand drawer.) Then subtract the amount of clearance you'll need forthe drawer slides. (Bach ofthe slides T used required 26" clear nee on each side fora total of 1".) The last thing to take into ac- ‘count is the locking rabbet joints. After subtracting" on each No. 10@ site), rended up with frontback [Be eRe ices that were 2194" long. nerpubensterraee war oube peat 24 slong. OF SLIDE FLUSH FLUSH WITH LOCKING RABBETS.Now you Cee uae ‘can cut the locking rabbets. This | vicoooéeew ~ is just a matter of rabbeting the front/back pieces to form a tongue, se Fig, Tp. Then eutting, dadoes' in the side pieces to ae- cept the tongue. Before ascembling the draw- ers, each piece is grooved to ac- cept the dmwer bottoms (V and FALSE FRONT W), see Fig. 7a. Then I drilled 7 “L holes in the drawer fronts fortwo FULLERTENSION| SS false fronts which are added later, Swe T see Fig. 7 INSTALL SLIDES. With the _ FALSE FRONTS. Next,to cover _edgesand ends. This lets you open drawers assembled, the slides the slides and provide a uniform and close the drawers without an be installed, see Figs. 8a and lookaeross the fiomt, [added filse hitting each other. To complete 8b. used apairofheavy-duty 12’ fronts (X and ¥) tothe drawers, the lathe stand, the false fronts slides for each drawer, see page refer to Fig. 7. [ent the fronts to are screwed in place using the B1 for sources. allow 1° clearance around the holes that were drilled earlier. Optional Tool Rack wextea |] ccuremou tet xse— our Heesoun)— —— cive Aosewoty Five Ar THis END| After completing the stand, Tbuilt a rack to hold my lathe tools. The unique thing about NOTE: | this rack is it pivots to give me easy access to vorroows | my tools when I'm tuning. And when I'm finished, it swings out of the way. ‘THREE PARTS, The rack is a three-part as- sembly that fits over the edge of the stand, see || Drawing. To keep tools from falling out, there's a row of open-ended holes in the top that are ||. sizhtiy ematlr thn the thik part o the har || ales, see photo. The holes in the bottom are || slightly darger than the diameter of the blades. PIVOR The rack pivots on a hex bolt that pasees through a hole drilled through the top ofthe rack and the front trim piece ofthe lathe stand, see Detail b. Two other holes accept a | steel pin that “locks” the rack in either the ‘open or closed position, see Detail a, i Nie No. 10 ShopNotes 21t's face it, all woodworkers problem I've found with lower [q ‘make mistakes, And most quality tapes is the markings can am be traced back to an error in very over their length, So before measurement or layout. But I've you buy one, cheek it in the store found that many of these ean be by extending the tape out a few avoided by using some simple fect and folding it back on itself, tricks and the right techniques. see Fig. L ‘The nice thing is none of these the tape together and make sure tricks require special tools. In the markings line up. fact, most of the layout problems SQUARES. In addition to a rule oT Techniques By using some simple tips and tech- niques, you can greatly improve the preci- sion of your woodworking. ‘Then butt the edges of FOLD TAPE BACK ON T've come across can be solved and tape measure, the squares in TTSELE TO MAKE OURE with three basie tools: a 12" rule, my shop get a lot of use. Regard- e tape measure, and asquare. "less of the type, it's important RULE.One tool I find myself that they be truly square. 212" — Here's a quick way to check a rule. A good quality rule should square. Place it against a straight havethemarkingsetchedintothe edge and draw a line, see Fig. 2 rule — not just printed on top. Now flip the square to see if the Etching actually “cuts”themark- blade lines up with the line. If it ings permanently into the sur- doesn‘, the square isn’t accurate. face of the rule. This way they TIPS. Once youcanrely onyour won't wear off over time. basic measuring tools, seethefol- | _ seconD: ‘TAPE MEASURE. Another tool lowing four pages for tips to sim- | "HRSQUAKE ANP Tuse oftenisa tape measure.’The _plify almost any layout. AGN ware Ne reaching for all the time General Layout Tips 2] FIRST: peace equane ncaner TOIRAIGHTEDGE AND DRAW UNE. ACCURATE READINGS Getting an accurate reading with rule can be a challenge, Unless you look at the rule from directly overhead, the thickness of the rule can cause an error as you read the seale. ‘Th prevent this, I stand the rile ov edge, see Drawing. Hold- ing the rule like this brings the markings flush with the work- piece and eliminates any error : S ee = eran ne Hikes ob AMEE RADI | READING ERkoR 2 ShopNotes No. 10® weasunme ve Using a rule to get an accurate measurement on a workpiece ean be tricky. The problem is getting the end of the rue to align exactly with the edge of the workpiece. ‘To solve this, use a stop block, | FRET: see Drawing, Just hold a serap of | ROLBSTorstock. ‘wood up against the workpiece ‘Thenpushtheruleagainsttheblock | PSONPE ur nonnsr ror svc for an accurate measurement. PARALLEL LINES ‘To quickly draw a line (or lines) parallel to the edge of a board, I use a combination square and a pencil, see Drawing, Start by setting the square t0 | co seiwanon the desired distance. Then posi- | “square tion the head of the square / [AGE reno a against the board. Now with a eoumAves, (OF BLADE AND FULL Boma pencil at the end of the blade, pull va eae ODRAW ALM both toward you to draw the line. @ : pe ii Measuring Inside Dimensions SCRAP BLOCK OPrORITE Sot WS Black Measuring the inside of a drawer or a box ean be a problem since the blade of a tape measure doesn’t fit in a eomer, see Det ‘One solution is to use a block anda tape measure, see Drawing. Use the tape to measure from the opposite side to the edge of the block, then add the length of the | {iexsOeemenr 70 block to this measurement. eNom OF BLock sare posse er info SauARe CORNER _SSRIMENSION AND CLAMP MEASURING STICKS Another solution to finding an in- side dimension isto use “measur- ing sticks,” see Drawing. They're “just serap sticks with pointed ends ‘Touse them, just slipthe sticks inside the box or drawer and ex- tend the ends until the points touch the workpiece. Then clamp | gxe op sanp eno the sticks together and lift them | orsnextoArowr ‘out. Now simply measure from point to point. No. 10 ShopNotesSe ee Lee Center Finding Tips CENTER OF A BOARD Quiet, what’s the center ofa board that's b1V92"-wide? Or 4g"-thiek? ‘Here's a trick tofinding the center ‘without any complicated division. First, position the “0” end of your rule at one end of the work- piece, see Drawing. Then angle the rule so the other end rests on pices visible by two J onan nts — the halfway point isthe center. Finding the center ofasomething round is easy with this simple jig, see Drawing. Just clamp a comt nation square to a framing square. ‘To use it, position the framing square so both “legs” touch the workpiece. Then draw a line along the top edge of the eom nation square. Now rotate the workpiece and mark another line to locate the center. . Sout tae WORE RECTANGLES & SQUARES If you've ever had to mount a nab centered on a drawer front, you know how tricky it ean be to et it exactly in the center. The answer is simple — don't ‘measure anything. Instead, draw a pair of diagonal lines from eor- = nertocomertoquicklylocatethe | "Oueonick ro cones center. Note: This tip works for one both square as well 2s reetangu- lar workpieces. IRREGULAR SHAPES FRE LAG TEMELATE WITH ‘To locate the center af a work- | ON SURFACE~ piece that isn't square (such as a turning blank), Luse.ashop-made template. It’s just a piece of Plexiglas with circles scribed in the surface, see Drawing. ‘To use it, place it on the work- pieeesothelargestpossiblecircle | yo. cenroxos fits inside the edges of the work |revrtare ro warn piece. Now use the center of the | WOR™ECE———" ‘template to mark the workpiece. 4 ShopNotes No. 10@ Measuring Round Objects DIAMETERS Measuring the diameter ofaround object can be difficult. Ifthe object is small, you can make a simple caliper with a rule and a pair of square blocks, see Drawing. ‘To find the diameter of the ob- ject, place it against the rule and butt the blocks up against the part. Then simply read the di- ameter on the rule. If the object is lange, you can use the same idea. But instead of a rule and blocks, use a framing square and a try square, see Drawing. CIRCUMFERENCE How do you cut a piece of veneer tape or T-molding to fit around a round workpiece? A tape meas- ure isnt flexible enough for amnall @ Pieces Andis awiovard to hold ‘one around a large object. ‘The best way I've found to do this isto use masking tape. T just. wrap it around the edge and spliceit foran exact fit, see Draw- 1g. Then to determine the cir cumferenee, just peel off the tape and measure it with a tape meas- ure or rule, see Detail RULE AND OUT BLOCK OP ACAINGT PART “ten READ THE ean SUAS AND FIRST: wear MASEING TAPE AROUND ‘CRELE AND SPLacE ENDS TOGETHER We OT DES LECT Apenny is exactly 94." ts hanay for quick measuring or laying out a7 radius on a corner. ‘There are a mumber of drafting tools that I keep on hand! in the shop to make working with cir- cles and eurves a lot easier. Cirele templates, flexible curves, and French eurves ean be found at your local art store. (For alternate sources, see page 31.) AA cirele template is handy for finding the center onsmall objects: or for laying out a radius, see photo. Flexible curves and @ Frenen curves make quick work of transferring and laying out curves, see photo. Templates: A circle template is a quick way to accurately lay out a radius or circle, or to tind the center of @ circle. Curves: Flexible curves and French curves are handy for laying out or trans- ferring graceful curves on a workpiece. No.10 ShopNotes 25‘ometimes it seems that I spend more time changing sandpaper than I spend sanding. So when I eame across some new produets elaim- ing to be longer-lasting, even “permanent,” T was intrigued. NEW BELTS ‘One product that has seen alot of change recently is sanding belts. ‘Two of the big namesin abrasives (Ne jorton and 34) have developed anew line of sanding belts. Both belts are easy to identify the Norton belts are bine, and ‘Ms are purple, see photo below. Each foature a man-made min- eral that lasts longer than garnet aluminum oxide sandpaper. ‘The mineral Norton has devel- ‘oped is called Norzon. As this mineral gets dull with use, part of 26 < Norton's blue sanding belts usea self- sharpening mineral called Norzon to last longer. 3's purple sand- ing belts feature a ce- ramic-ke mineral. that stays sharp longer than con- ventional sanding belts. eee A new breed of sanding products that claim to be longer lasting, ‘maybe even “permanent.” ‘the surface shears off to expose it exposes fresh minerals for ad- new sharp edges. Inother words, ditional sanding. its self sharpening. SPLICE.'The Secret to making a 3Mfs manmade mineral, Re- beltbi-directional isthe spicethat that’s harder than other abra- sives. It lasts longer simply be- cause it stays sharp longer BLDIRECTIONAL. Besides us- ing longer-lasting minerals, both companies have increased the life of their belts by making them bi- irectional. ‘This means you don’ have to worry about direction when you load the belt on your sander — it goes on either way. This provides an additional 15% to 25% more life from a belt that hasstarted tolose its cutting power. Why? Because reversing a worn belt helps elean it by dis- lodging wood partieles stuek in the surface, And at the same time holds the helt together. On a con- ventional belt, the belt is over- lapped and glued together, see Fig. L This creates “oump”in the belt ‘which ean only travel in one direc- tion without breaking, ‘To solve this problem, a butt joint is used, see Fig. 2, It's held together on the back side with{ heavy tape. This allows the belt to travel in either direction with- out coming apart. It also means the belt will run smoother with GRITS. Bi-directional sanding belts are available from both Norton and 3M in grits ranging from 50 to 150 (Norzon is avail- able in 180 grit). Note: Norton 1 | convennionat eur ENDS OF BELT OVERLAP BI-DIRECTIONAL BELT anand EAM TAPE REINFORCES BUTT JOWNT No. 10MD is; sccxttormss Norton ‘various size sheots and disks. ‘The Norzon belts I've used ‘off stock quickly and are a good choice when you need to remove a lotof stock in a short ‘period of time. ‘A On Perma-Sand, bits of tung- ‘The only drawback sten carbide are “brazed” to a is they cost three to five Ferma-Sand_ mela backing plate times as much as standard sand- jing belts, But they're worth it heat-resistant, tough, and re- sands of small points, see Draw- ‘when you need todo heavy sand- mains sharp a very longtime. —_ing below. If you were to examine ing, like leveling a workbench top. Perma-sand is available in 5", Sandplate witha magnifying glass, ‘Like the Norzon belts, 3M'sRe- 6',7",and8"disks. Andin quarter, you'd find a surface that resem- aati belts cost more—but only third, and half sheets. All are blesacheesegraten Thetiny points about twice the price of a stand- available in grits ranging froman shave away material like a rasp. ard belt. They're not as aggres- extremely coarse 24 toafine 320. Sandplate comes in various sive as Norzon, but that’s okay. I found the 60 to 150 grits of shapes and in three grits: coarse, Formost sandingjobs,Ipre- ...........|.______mco6mo4. medium, and fine. The ad- fer a belt that cuts slower - hesive-backed plates are i New minerals and metal Gesigned for holders made wera sanoparen —“82”dpaper” create sanding by Sandvik, see photo be © = products that last and last. '0w. But you eould just as ‘A totally different ap- easily buy a replacement proach to increasing the life plateand attach it toashop- of sanding products has been Perma-sand work best (the finer made holder. As with Perma- taken by two other companies: grits load up). They're especially sand, I found the lower grit Problem Solvers and Sandvik. useful for preliminary shaping Sandplates worked best. Both companies are using metal and roughing work. ‘The only drawback T've found instead ofmineralsto providethe SANDPLATE. Another metal to Perma-sand and Sandplate is cutting action. “sandpaper” called Sandplate is they aren't readily available, (For PERMASAND. Perma-sand is manufaetured by Sandvik, see a list of mailorder sources that made by Problem Solvers, Ine., photobelow. But unlike the prod- carry these produets, see page 81.) see photo above. It’s manufae-uetsmentioned above, Sandplate A FINAL THOUGHT. With these ‘tured by bondingbitsoftungsten is designed for hand sanding, not new produets you won't be chang- carbide to a flexible steel back- power sanding. ing sandpaper every few minutes. ing, see Drawing above. The car-_Sandplate is a thin steel Now you ean spend more of bide used is like the tips of your plate that’s etched with your time in the shop build- saw blades and router bits. Tt’s acid to ereate thou ing, and not sanding. 4A Sandpiate is made by etching a thin stee! plate to produce thou- ‘sands of small sharp points. Sandplate No. 10 ‘ShopNotes 27TIPS & TECHNIQUES ShopSolutions *° Pipe Clamp Edge Vise My workbench doesn’t have a bench vise. So recently when edge jointing a board with a hand plane, T came ap with a way to support the board on edge using pipe clamps, see photo. To do this, you'll need two lengths of pipe threaded on both pipe, see Drawing. (If you're us- Then to clamp the board n@® ends, with both pipes being ing the pipe from your clamps, place, just stand it on edge and slightly longer than the width of butit’s only threaded on one end, tighten the clamp. ‘your bench. Also, you'll need two your local hardware store should Joe Planisky sets of clamp fixtures for each be able to thread the other end.) Phoenix, Arizona / ADDITIONAL cua ret Supports for es Plywood m Cutting a full sheet of plywood by yourself can be quite a chal- Tenge. The easy part is guiding the saw — the trieky part is sup- porting the workpiece and eateh- ing the waste. ‘To do this, I use a pair of saw- horses and four pipe clamps, see Drawing. The clamps serve as ex- tra “helpers” to support. the workpiece and waste. ‘Depending on the length of your clamps, youmay need to eut spacer to fill nthe gap between the clamp head and the plywood. (Leut my spacers from serap 2x4.) Note: Position the clamps far eae enough back from the cut line so ‘Gurren the saw will clear. James T. Wypijewski Tucson, Arizona 2B ShopNotes No. 10Auxiliary Band Saw Fence 'm Rippingnarrow strips safely on my band saw is difffealt. The height of the rip fence prevents me from lowering the upper ‘guide assembly down close to the workpiece. This means too much blade ends up being exposed. So T made an L-shaped auxil- iary fence that clamps to the rip fence, see Drawing. ‘The base of ‘the auxiliay fence holds the workpiece out so the guide as- sembly can be lowered to cover the exposed blade. Tim Willis Athens, Georgia. es Quick Tips ‘WI noticed in the rust removal vinegar daily until the rust is mI've ruined a number of per- article in ShopNotes No. 7 you gone. To help speed up the proe- fectly good glue brushes by for- didn’t mention white vinegar. essa little, loosen the rust-with a getting torinse them out. So now Tve been using it as a rust re- plastic scouring pad between when I'm through with a brush, mover for years on small parts each soaking Tilimmediately drop it in a small Gedsta coors with goodresults, “The nie thing is, a gallon of container fillof water that T keep Just place the rusty part ina white vinegar costs around $2, on a shelfin the shop. sealed container that’s filled with Bill Schmidt Bruce McCampbell white vinegar. Then change the Oakdale, California Rawlins, Wyoming Shop-Made Cord Tie pene x FIRST: sarees SECOND: ATTACH REMAINING PIECE “AND F010 OVE To keep the cords on my port- is it’s always attached to the end able power tools neatly eniled, I of the power cord —Idon't have | | secure them with a shop-made tohuntaroundtheshopforit.But | Sy! tie, see photo. The tie is made best of all, a coiled cord can be Rateanee i s from two pieces of adhesive- tied quickly. Fala eeeny backed hook and loop fastener Por most of my cords, 1 use |. 44 we enone : sendfaeraia= | Vickze andicralabestcont ting ne Forlorn fie length Set ane fata Gist ewig extendoncnn tise ring | MARAE soe Tar siete coay in Tim ateate | lloe dyin pone na cee atm oi oo No. 10 ShopNotes 29PERT ne Ine way to increase ‘the usable space in a drawer isto install full-extension drawer slides. These slides let ‘you pull the drawer all the way out of a cabinet which gives you easy access to what’s inside — even the small stuff that tends to “migrate” to the back corners. CHANNELS. The seeretis asys- tem of telescoping steel “‘chan- nels.” As the drawer is opened, these channels cantilever the drawer out.in front of the cabinet. With the channels fully ex- tended, you'd think the drawer ‘would tend to sag. But that’s not the case. They're designed to carry loads that range from 75 to 150 pounds — strong enough for awhole drawer full of tools. BEARINGS. Even with that much weight, the operation is smooth. And the slides are about Pull-eactension slides let you pull a drawer all the way out of weabinet 50 there’s no wasted space ‘inthe back. Face-Frame Installation Toinstalla slide ona cabinet with a face frame, use a spacer t0 “build out” the back of the slide flush with the edge of the frame. as quiet as a caterpillar crawling across a pool table. That's be- cause the channels ride on a line of steel (or nylon) ball bearings. Tp prevent the bearings from working their way to one end of the slide, they're held in place with retaining clips see Fig. La. Distrib- uting the bearings evenly like this keeps thedrawer from wobbling. INSTALLATION. Although full- extension slides. are precision ‘made, you don't have to be ajew- ler to install them. Just press a “quick-release” lever to separate the slide into two parts, see Fig. 1. Then attach one part to the cabinet and the other to the drawer. Note: Cabinets with a face frame require a slightly different installa- tion, see the box below. ADJUSTMENT. Once the slides are installed, the horizontal slots in the cabinet. part of the slides allow you to move the drawer in orout,see Fig. 1. And the vertical slots in the drawer part let you adjust it up or down, BRANDS. Full-extension slides ‘are manufactured by several dif ferent. companies, and are avail- able through a number of woodworking catalogs. (For alist of sourees, see page 31.) Note: Sinee the clearance re- quirements vary depending on the slide, it’s best to have the slides in hand before you build the project. “FERNICAL SLOTS FROMDE ‘ADJUSTMENT UP AND DOWN 1 HORZONTAL SLOTS PROVIDE 'NDJUBTMENT I AND OUT. ie ~» BEARINGS PRESS GUCKRELEASE LEER 10 OEFARATE SUDE INTOTWO PARE ‘DETERAINE CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS. BEFORE ULDING 30 ShopNotesPROJECT SUPPLIES ® Sources ShopNotes Project Suppliesis of- lathe is to attach it to a heavy- fering some of the hardware and duty stand like the one shown on LAYOUT TOOLS supplies needed for the projects page 16. Sturdy construction and The article on Layout Techniques in this iseue. extra weight (ballast) eombine to (featured on page 22) describes a We'vealsoput togetheralist of effectively deaden any unwanted number of layout tools including: other mail order sourees that vibration. squares, rules, circle templates, have the same or similar hard- The end result is a lathe that and flexible and French curves. ware and supplies. runs smoother and quieter: Inad- Many of these are available at ition, this stand features two hardware stores and art centers. INDEXING JIG convenient pull-out drawers and They're also available from some ‘The micro-adjustable Indexing an optional lathe tool rack. of the mail order sourees below. ‘Jig shown on page 4) attachesto _ShopNotes Project Supplies is thefenceonyourroutertableand offering a hardware kit for the SANDING PRODUCTS eliminates the guesswork when Lathe Stand. The kit includes all ‘The sanding belts featured on positioning the fence, the hardware needed to build the page 26 last longer because they Note: The Indexing Jigis sized stand, along with two pairs of 12" use new man-made minerals and to fit the Router Table featured Accuride full-extension slides for a special splice that makes them in ShopNotes No. 1. Butt will fit the drawers. bi-directional, They're available any router table that has 10" to All you need to supply is the at some hardware stores. If you 1814" from the center of a router particleboard, %'thiek hard- can’t find them locally, see Mail bit to the back edge of the table. wood, ¥4’-thick Masonite, and Order Sourees below. ShopNotes Project Supplies is sand for “ballast.” Note: You'll Note: The “metal” sandpaper © Dsticring: a harvsvare kit that in- also need the eorrect size mount- described in the artiele may be ludesall thehardwareneeded to ing bolts, muts, and washers to available at local woodworking make the Indexing Jig. All you attach your lathe to the stand. stores. Or it ean be ordered from need to supply is the plywood, $10-6810-200 Lathe Stand __some of the sourves listed below. ‘Yf-thick Masonite, anda6" metal Hardware Kit.. 1 $39.95 rule for the indicator. DRAWER SLIDES. We used Ac- DRILL BIT CASE $10-6810-100 Indexing Jig __curide slides in the Lathe Stand, ‘The lid on the Drill Bit Case Hardware Kit “$19.95 but fullextension drawer slides (Shown on page 10) is fastened to are also made by Blum, Grant, the ease with a hinge and a hook. LATHE STAND and Knape & Vogt. See Mail Or- This hardware is available at One of the best ways to improve der Sources below for companies many hardware stores, or from the performance of a bench-top that carry full-extension slides, _ some of the sources listed below. MAIL ORDER SOURCES ORDER INFORMATION Similar hardware and supplies may be fornd in the following catalogs. Please call each company for a-catalog BY MAIL BY PHONE or for ordering information. ‘To order by mail, use the For fastest service use our Constantine's Problem Solvers, Ine, “The Wondemith Store | order form that comes with Toll Free order line. Open ‘oat? ‘oocaran ipsa the current issue, The onder Monday Gurough Friday, 7.00, ee FulBstewion Drover | form includes information on AM to 7:00PM Central Time. eater, its, faa Pel. | Nandlingandshipping charges, Before calling, have your Garret Wado Pall Benion racer Wooden and sales tax, VISA, MasterCard, o Dis- ‘Gost ee Silke Layne, S'S Sos Tithemalorderformisnot cover Gard realy. Teyeut ets Nove Siig Pr’ Tay TooSomplnta | available, please eal the tol Os. ‘ucta, Hardirare ‘The Woodworker's Store | free number at the right for 1-800-444-7527 cnc ‘a2 a rote information on specifi : Sie tant ts, fulBerwon Dror | charges and any applicable Not: Prise oubjctto change aM Sanding Belts Harteare sales tax. after September 1, 1993. No. 10 ShopNotes 31senes From t Before electricity, lathes (like the one shown above) stepping on the treadle. This motion was then trans- ‘were often driven by a treadle that was grurped by the ferred to the workpiece (chucked between the fixed head turner's foot. The east flywheel was put into motion by “and movable tailstock) by way ofa large leather belt he Shor