1 v .

,
'

’
•
:
•
-V f.

TIPS'TOOLS'TECHNIQUES

Built-Up Moldings ^Selecting Circular Saws

Hand Plane Jointer ® Hand-Held Routing Tips
 EDITOR’S NOTE

Issue 19
editor
executive editor
Janua r y
Donald B. Peschke
Douglas L. Hicks
1 995
Cutoffs
managing editor
associate editor
assistant editor
contributing editor
Richard
Tim Robertson
Phil Totten
Mark A.
S. Peters

Williams
O ne of the things I enjoy most
about woodworking is the opti-
mism of woodworkers
attitude and enthusiasm. Whether I
their

talk to someone in person, on the phone,

—
quick project to give you a “taste" of a
new technique. In this issue, there's a
simple Wall Mirror. It's based on the built-
up molding article shown on page 12.
SELECTING TOOLS. The second new
creative director Ted Rralicek
through the mail, or via electronic mail, feature is Selecting Tools. We've set out
art director Cary Christensen
senior illustrator Kurt Schultz they're usually excited about some new to write articles that will help you se-
illustrators Will Niskanen idea or technique. lect the right tool for your needs. But
Roger Reiland They're also always looking for a way with two important differences from

photographer
Mark Higdon
Crayola England
to improve something their shop, a — the 'tool reviews" you're likely to find
project, or a finish. Along with this in other magazines.
design director Ken Munkel come lots of suggestions. “Hey Don, First, we don't receive any of the
senior designer Kent Welsh how about? Or have you ever consid- We buy them at full price
tools as gifts.
."
shop manager Steve Curtis ered? And I sure would like to see. . just asyou would. This way we don't
shop asst./facilities Steve Johnson IMPROVEMENTS. It's no different owe anyone any favors.
circulation
when you get a bunch of woodworkers This also assures us of getting a regu-

Circulation Director: Liz Bredeson Subscrip-

together to publish a magazine. This lar production model and not a tool spe-
tionManager: Phyllis Jessen Direct Mail Mgr.: desire for improvement is just as strong. cially prepared by the manufacturer.
Troy Dowell 'Ne wsstand Sales: Kent A. Buckton
In this issue, you'll find a number of The end result is an honest, unbiased
publishing services
improvements. Nothing drastic. Just look at each tool. (In this issue, we fea-
Manager: Gordon C. Gaippe
Cheryl L. Cynor
Draphic Artist:
things you've been asking for like — ture circular saws, see page 8.)
corporate services more tips, a special department for the And second, instead of providing a^^
Planning Director: Jon Macarthy Controller: small shop, the Lumberyard, and the single viewpoint, we've carefully se-^P
Robin Hutchinson Accounting: Laura Thomas
Finish Room in every issue. lected a team of testers with a wide
* Bookkeeping: Julie Greenlee Prod. Manager:
Carol Quijano Info. Services Mgr.: Joyce Moore We've also included two new regular range of skills —
so that you can easily
Elect. Pub. Coordinator: Douglas M. Lidster features. We're calling the first feature identify with one of them.
Application Specialist: Linda Morrow Support
Assistant: Nick Thielen Administrative Assis-
a Hands-On Project because it uses one I'm excited about these new improve-
tants:Cheryl Scott, Julia Fish Receptionist: of the techniques in the issue. It's just a ments. Let me know what you think.
Jeanne Johnson Building Maint.: Ken Griffith

PROJECT SUPPLIES
Art Director: Cindy Jackson Catalog Products
Manager: Bob Baker * Inventing Control/Prod.
Manager: Mark Mattussi Project Supplies:
Linda Jones Technical Support Jeff Janes
CUSTOMER SERVICE STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION
Supervisor: Jennie Enos* Customer Sei'vice (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685)
Reps.: Jennifer Murphy, Joy Krause, Sara Kono, I. Title of Publication: ShopNotes. 10629696. 2. Date of Filing: September 21, 1994. 3. Frequency of issue:
la. Publication No.:

Anna Cox, Lonnie Algreen, Karla Cronin Bimonthly. 3a. No. of issues published annually: 6 (six). 3b. Annual subscription price: $19.95. 4. Complete mailing address of
known office of publication: 2200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, (Polk County), Iowa 50312-51306. 5. Complete mailing address of
SHIPPING DEPARTMENT the headquarters of general business offices of the publisher: 2200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50312-5306. 6. Full names
Supervisor Nancy Johnson •Fulfillment: Gloria
:
and complete mailing address of publisher, editor, and managing editor: Publisher and Editor: Donald B. Peschke, 2200 Grand
Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50312; Managing Editor: Richard S. Peters, 2200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50312. 7. Owner:
Sheehan, Chuck Carlson, Sylvia Carey, Larry Prine
Woodsmith Corporation, 2200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50312; Donald B. Peschke, 2200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines,
Iowa 50312. 8. Known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds,
mortgages or other securities: None. 9. (Does not apply.) 10. Extent and nature of circulation:
Average no. copies Average no. copies
ShopNotes ® (ISSN 1062-9696) is published bimonthly
each issue during of single issue published
(Jan.,March, May, July, Sept., Nov.) by Woodsmith Cor-
preceding 12 months nearest to filing date
poration, 2200 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312.
ShopNotes © is a registered trademark of Woodsmith Coip. A. Total no. copies printed (net press run) 274,829 240,970
©Copyright 1995 by Woodsmith Corporation. All B. Paid and/or requested circulation:
rights reserved. 1. Sales through dealers, street vendors and counter sales 15,821 29,032
Subscriptions: Single Copy, $4.95. One year subscrip- 2. Mail subscriptions (paid and/or requested) 228,932 199,697
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ada/Foreign, add $5.00 per year. D. Free distribution by mail, carrier or other means, samples,
Second Class Postage Paid at Des Moines, IA and complimentary, and other free copies 49 49
at additional offices.
E. Total distribution 244,802 228,778
Postmaster: Send change of address to ShopNotes,
F. Copies not distributed
Box 11204, Des Moines, IA 50340-1204
1. Office use, left over, unaccounted, spoiled after printing 15,254 9,017
Subscription Questions? Call 1-800-333-5854, Sam
2. Returns from news agents 14,773 3,175
to 5pm, Central Time, weekdays.
G. Total 274,829 240,970
E-Mail. Prodigy: EDJE97A, CompuServe: 75330,2301,
II. 1 certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete.
Internet: 75330.2301@compuserve.com, American On-
(signed) Donald B. Peschke, Publisher/Editor
line: Donpeschke.

2 ShopNotes No. 19
 ISSUE NUMBER NINETEEN

Contents
Projects & Techniques
Hand Plane Jointer Hand Plane Jointer page U
This shop-built jig produces a straight, square edge on a
workpiece by converting your hand plane into a jointer.

5uilt-up Moldings 12
A router and some ordinary bits. That’s all it takes to
build up your own detailed moldings.

Wall Mirror- 14
Use our simple built-up molding technique to make this

handsome wall mirror in just a few hours.

Cutting Guide . 16
A unique tracking system on this cutting guide lets you use Circular Saws page 8
your circular saw or router to produce straight, accurate cuts.

Routing Profiles 22
Create decorative profiles that are smooth and consistent
with a hand-held router and our step-by-step approach.

Departments
Selecting Tools
Circular Saws_ 8
Buying a circular saw? Our team tests eleven popular
saws and offers practical suggestions on what to look for.
Great Tips
Cutting Guide page 16
Pipe Clamp Tips 20
From gluing up flat panels to keeping clamps from marring
the work, here's a collection of our best pipe clamp tips.
The Small Shop
Clamp Storage System. 24
This convenient storage system organizes all of your
clamps so they're right at handwhere you need them.
Readers’Tips
Shop Solutions 28
Our readers offer their own shop-tested solutions to com-
mon woodworking problems. Plus two quick tips.

Lumberyard
Lumber Grain 30
There’s more to lumber grain than appearance. It also
affects the stability and cost of a project.
Finish Room
Danish Oil 31
A natural-looking finish that’s easy to apply. And you can
repair it too. All this makes Danish oil worth a closer look.
Clamp Storage System page 21+

No. 19 ShopNotes 3
 JIGS & ACCESSORIES

*
Hand Plane
fmmm
Jointer
All it takes to get a perfectly
square edge is a small hand
plane and this shop-built jointer.

piece across the plane here is the depth of the groove.

to produce a clean, Since the blade on a plane
crisp cut. As an added doesn't extend clear to its side,
benefit, we found that the groove lets you “bury" the

R ecently, one of the small

hand planes in our shop
turned up missing. But even more
the jointer worked just as well
with large pieces, refer to page 7.
So it’s also an ideal project if you
blade below the surface of the
fence, see Fig. la. This way, when
the workpiece is held tight against
mysterious than its disappearance don't have a power jointer. the fence, the blade removes a
was the place it showed up — in FENCE. The jointer starts off shaving across the entire edge.
thisshop-made jointer, see photo. as a tall plywood fence (A), see TABLES. Once the groove is
It seems that one of the guys Exploded View and Fig. 1. To se- cut, you can add the two tables.
was looking for a wT ay to get a cure the jointer, the bottom of the Like a power jointer, there's ani
straight, square edge on some fence tightens in a vise. And the infeed and an outfeed table to
pieces that were too small to top supports the workpiece. support the workpiece.
plane by hand. Or pass safely groove. After cutting the Before determining the length
across the power jointer. So he fence to size, the next step is to cut of these tables, you'll need to po-
built a “holder" for the plane that a wide groove. In addition to ac- sition the plane so the blade is
works like a jointer. cepting the two wood tables, the centered on the length of the
With two wood tables for sup- groove provides a recess for the fence, see Fig. 1. Then the tables
port, you simply run the work- plane. The thing to keep in mind are built around the plane.

4 ShopNotes No. 19
 a

JIGS & ACCESSORIES

BLANK. The tables are made

by gluing up two pieces of 34"-
thick hardwood. (We used maple.)
It’s easiest to start with one long

blank that’s ripped to width to fit

the groove, see Fig. 1.

To provide continuous support

for the workpiece, the tables butt
up against the ends of the plane.
So with the plane in position, cut
the infeed (B) and outfeed table
(C) to match the distance from
the ends of the fence to the plane.
notch. Depending on the plane,
you may need to notch the outfeed
table to fit the adjusting mecha-
nism. (The notch shown in Fig. lb
provides plenty of clearance for a
standard size block plane.)
chamfers. And to keep your
hand from hitting a sharp corner
if it slips off the workpiece when
jointing a workpiece, chamfer the
Hardware
exposed edges on the tables and • #4 x 3/e" Fh
(1)
fence, see Fig. 1.
Woodscrew
ATTACH TABLES. Now it’s sim- • (2)V4"x3V2
u
r

ply a matter of gluing the infeed Carriage Bolts

table flush at the end. Then use sides of a plane aren’t necessarily the front knob of the plane. And • (4) V4 " Flat
the plane as a spacer and glue on 90° to the sole. The screw allows a short block (E) fits under the cap. Washer
the outfeed table. you to correct for this by tilting To provide a stable work sur- • (3) f/4" Wing
ADJUSTMENT SCREW. To en- the body of the plane so the sole face, the bottom ends of the sup- Nuts
sure that you end up with a is 90° to the fence, see Fig. 2a. port blocks rest on top of the vise • (1)V4"x2V2"
square edge on the workpiece, SUPPORT BLOCKS. Next, we when you tighten down the fence. Carriage Bolt
you’ll need to install an adjust- added two support blocks to keep So the blocks are cut to length
ment screw in the groove, see the plane from falling out of the and glued in place so the bottom
Figs. 2 and 2b. That’s because the jointer. A long block (D) supports ends are flush, see Fig. 2b.

No. 19 ShopNotes 5
 JIGS & ACCESSORIES
Pressure Bar & Guard

At this point, the jointer has a

“pocket” for the plane to rest in.

But there’s nothing to prevent it

from rocking to the side as you
make a cut. That’s where the
pressure bar comes in.
PRESSURE BAR. Like its name
implies, the 'pressure bar (F) is a
strip of 3/4"-thick hardwood that
presses against the side of the
plane, see photo aboveand Fig. 3.
Pressure is by
applied to the bar gle hole through the width of the the workpiece from catching as
tightening wing nuts on a pair of bar, see Fig. 3.And, as before, you feed across the plane. And|
it

carriage bolts. chamfer the outside edges of the the other removes the sharp cor-
The bolts pass through holes pressure bar. ner. Here again, there’s an Vs"
drilled through the pressure bar, chamfer around the top edge.
tables, and fence, see Figs. 3 and GUARD ATTACH GUARD. The guard is
3b. An easy way to ensure these Now you’re ready to add the held in place with a carriage bolt
holes alignis to carpet tape the guard. It covers the exposed part that passes through the hole you
pressure bar flush with the top of of the blade so you don’t cut your drilled earlier in the pressure bar
each table, see Fig. 3a. Then lay hand if you accidentally slip off and a hole in the guard, see Fig.
out and drill the holes. the workpiece, see photo. 4.To keep the guard off the plane
Before installing the pressure The guard is a piece of s/4 "-thick blade, a washer is used to raise it
bar, there are two things left to stock with a gentle curve at each above the pressure bar. Finally,
do. To accept a carriage bolt that end, see Fig. 4 and the Full-Size thread on a washer and wing nut
holds a guard in place, drill a sin- Pattern below. One curve keeps to tighten the guard in place.

GUARD FULL-SIZE PATTERN (shown with Vfe" squares)

W-RAD.

6 ShopNotes No. 19
 JIGS & ACCESSORIES
Setup
The few minutes it takes to set up the jointer can
make a big difference in the quality of cut you get.
smooth CUT. To produce a smooth cut, the jointer
needs to be secured tightly in a vise, see Step 1.
Also, to keep the blade from digging into the work-
piece, adjust the depth of cut to remove just a thin
shaving, see Step 2.
SQUARE edge. In addition to a smooth cut, you’re
also looking for a square edge. So you may need to
tighten (or loosen) the adjusting screw until the sole
is square to the fence, see Steps 3 and 4. Whether you’re working with a wide board or a
Finally, after tightening down the pressure bar small workpiece (see page 4), the key to getting a
and guard (Step 5), simply make as many passes as smooth, square edge is adjusting the jointer cor-
necessary to get a straight, square edge, see Step 6. rectly and then making a series of light passes.

Step 1. To provide as much support as Step 2. Now adjust the blade so it ex- Step 3. After removing the pressure
possible when making a cut, tighten the tends just a hair beyond the sole of the bar and guard, set the plane in its
jointer in a vise. For added stability, the plane. To check the setting, a test cut "pocket" and use a try square to check
support blocks rest on top of the vise. should remove thin, wispy shavings. that the sole is 90° to the fence.

Step 4. If you need to square up the Step 5. With the pressure bar tight- Step 6. Finally, keeping the face of
plane, tighten (or loosen) the adjusting ened down against the plane, use the the workpiece tight against the fence,
screw. Now check the plane again and workpiece to set the opening for the use firm, even pressure as you push it

readjust the screw if necessary. guard. Then lock the guard in place. across the jointer.

No. 19 ShopNotes 7
 SELECTING TOOLS

Circular Saws
Our Testing Team
(from left to right)

Steve: Whether he’s in his shop cutting up

plywood, dimension lumber, or hardwood
boards, Steve often relies on a circular saw.

Cary: A circular saw is the tool of choice

when Cary needs to break down large
sheets of plywood to manageable size.

Ken: /A professional carpenter and cabi-

netmaker, Ken uses a circular saw exten-
sively to cut a wide variety of materials.

Doug: When he's not remodeling his house,

Doug gives his circular saw a workout by
helping friends with projects of their own.

A
the
pile of
That's
truckload
sawdust and
all that
plywood and
of
was
cutoffs.
left of
were the only ones
carbide-tipped blades
to
some-
thing to consider when compar-
come with
—
we put a

With saws
new
blade on each saw.
carbide-tipped

in hand, the testing

2xl0's that we up to test the
cut ing the prices of the saws. So to began. To provide a reliable com-
circular saws shown below. But keep things on an equal footing, parison, each team member made
Prices when the dust finally settled, what
we had to show for it was definitely
Black & —
worth the effort the best (and
Decker
worst) circular saws for the money.
300 $59.00
200 $49.99 team. To get a wide variety of
100 $39.00 viewpoints when testing the
saws, we deliberately rounded up
Quantum a team of people with different
3100 $67.00 woodworking interests and expe-
rience, see photo and list above.
Ryobi Of course, one of the problems Spindle Lock . A large, flat spin- convenient to use than the
W660 $79.95 with this is you're likely to end up dle lock button located near the pointed button located on top of
with more than one ‘"best” saw. front of the Quantum (left) is more the Sears saw (right).
Sea re But that's not necessarily bad.
10625 $79.99
10224 $59.99
Each person picked the saw that
10223 $49.99 was best for him based on the
type of work he does most
Skil frequently. Which is just
5350 $66.99 the kind of information I'd
5250 $53.03 want when buying a saw.
5150 $44.71 procedure. Unlike the
final selections, the testing
procedures for each saw
were identical. We started out
by buying all the saws we could
find (eleven in all) that fell in a
medium-price range ($39-$80),
see margin at left.
Of these saws, the Ryobi, and
the top end Sears and Skil saws Quantum Skil

8 ShopNotes No. 19
 SELECTING TOOLS

^
the exact type of cut over and over were handier to use than those on
using a different saw each time. the Sears and Ryobi. (See center
Some of the cuts (ripping eight- photos on opposite page.) The large "try square
foot 2xl0’s for example) tested Cary: I usually stick with wrenches that come with the
the power and performance of the the same blade when breaking Black & Decker 300 and the
saw. While others (like crosscut- down plywood. So I can take or Quantum provide more lever-
ting plywood and making plunge leave a spindle lock. age than the short, stubby
cuts) gave us a good feel for the Steve: When it comes to chang- wrenches on the other saws.
overall balance of the saw. ing blades, another thing I like is

At the end of the day, we all got the “try square” wrenches that guard all the way forward and
together to compare notes. And I come with the top end B&D and grasp the front handle at the
quizzed them about what they Quantum saws. (See photos same time —
like the Skil saws.
liked (and just as important) what above.) The long handles give me (See photos below7.)
they didn’t like about each saw. plenty of leverage. And they don’t The short lever on the Ryobi
es First things first How easy dig into my hands like the short required such a long stretch, I
was it to change blades? wrenches on the other saws. almost had to let go of the handle.
Ken: Since I cut a lot of differ- m What about the operation of And the Sears saws were just too
ent materials, Fm always chang- the blade guards on the saws? bulky to hold comfortably.
ing blades. So that makes the Doug: That’s where I noticed a Ken: One curious thing was the
spindle lock on theQuantum, and big difference. Especially since I top end Skil saw tried to eliminate
top end Sears, Ryobi, and Black make a lot of plunge cuts and have this stretch altogether by adding a
& Decker (B&D) saws a real plus. to manually retract the guard. remote “lift.” But I couldn’t even
Steve: Even on the saws we To make a controlled cut, I want use this lever without letting go of
tested that had spindle locks, the a saw that’s compact enough so you the front handle of the saw and —
ones on the Quantum and B&D can draw the lever on the blade this seemed dangerous to me.

Blade Guards The compact de-

. the front handle at the same time, (center). Unfortunately, to use the
sign of the Skil(left) lets you re- This provides a more stable grip remote “lift” on the Skil 5350 (right),
tract the blade guard and grasp than the long reach on the Ryobi you have to let go of the handle.

Sears Ryobi Black & Decker

No. 19 ShopNotes 9
 SELECTING TOOLS
Adjustments & Controls
IB The adjustments and con- right.) So even though I

trols are also something to con- can’t accidentally turn

sider when buying a saw. For the saw on, all I have to
example what about something
,
do is push the lock with
as simple as turning on the saw? my thumb and squeeze
Doug: It can't get any easier the handle.
than with the Quantum and B&D Ken: It’s not that easy
saws. Since they don’t have a with the Sears and Ryobi
“safety lock,” all I have to do is pull saws. Since the lock is on
the trigger and I’m in business. top of the handle, I had to Safety Lock The Skil has a safety lock on
.

Cary: But a saw without a stretch my thumb way the side of the handle (left) that's handier to
safety lock gives me the jitters. If up over the handle. use than the top-mounted Sears lock (right).
you have kids around like I do (or E8 How about the ad-
grab the saw without thinking), justments to make a bevel cut or Skil. No matter how much pres-
an accident waiting to happen.
it’s set the depth of cut? sure I applied to the wing nut that
That’s why I liked the safety Steve: I make a lot of bevel locks in the adjustment, the base
still slipped when making a cut.
T
lock on the Skil saw^s. It’s on the cuts. But one saw just about makes
side of the handle. (See photos at that impossible —
the lowest priced But the plastic knobs on the
Quantum, Ryobi, and the top end
B&D saws locked down tight.
(See photos at left). And they’re
more comfortable to grab onto
than the cast metal wing nuts on
the lower priced B&D saws.
Ken: Anything is better than
the lever that adjusts the depth of
cut on the Skil saws. It’s tucked
between the blade guard and the
Depth Adjustment The plastic knob nut on the B&D (center). But neither back handle. Not only is it hard to
on the Quantum provides a
(left) are knuckle-busters like the depth get at, but the lever also sticks —
more comfortable grip than the wing adjustment lever on the Skil (right). it’s a real knuckle-buster.

Performance _
FI One of the keys making a to B&D, and Quantum saws. Prob- But when I grab the handles of
controlled cut is the iveight and ably because when grab the
I the Sears and Ryobi saws, my
balance of a saw Hoiv ivould you . back handle, my hand is at a fairly hand a steeper angle. So it
is at
rate the overall ‘feel” of the saw? low^ angle. (See photos below.) So feels like I’m hunched up wiien
Cary: Using the Skil saws was it’s easy to push the saw straight making a cut —
almost like I’m
as comfortable as slipping my through the cut. working against the saw.
hand into a w ell-worn
T
baseball
glove. They’re compact, light-
weight, and have good balance.
Steve: I liked the balance of the
Skil saws too. But I’d say that the
Quantum and tw o upper end B&D
r

saws nudged them out. Sure,

they’re a bit heavier. But with
their large bases and comfortable
handles, these saw7 s have a nice
solid feel. Hand Position. Since your arm tiring to use as the Ryobi saw
Ken: One thing I noticed was I is held at a lower angle when (right) that requires you to hold
didn’t get as tired using the Skil, using the Skil saw (left), it’s not as your arm at a steeper angle.

10 ShopNotes No. 19
 SELECTING TOOLS

Just as important as weight

and balance is the qual ity of cut. Smoothness Of Cut
Does the saw run smooth ? And
SKIL
does it have enough power so the
5358 & 5250
saiv won't bog down
Cary: Even when I was ripping QUANTUM 388
“two-by” stock, the two top end B&D 380 & 200
Skil saws ran like a well-tuned
SEARS
car with plenty of power.
RYOBI
What surprised me is that the
lower priced Skil saw didn’t fol- SKIL 5150
low suit. This saw seemed badly B&D 100
underpowered. And it rattled ROUGH SMOOTH
like ice in a blender.
Steve: Talk about a rattle prob- out line. (See photos below.) Since So I chose the Quantum. It’s a
lem. I could feel the vibration of I change blades quite often (and strong running saw. And when
the Sears and Ryobi saws they vary in thickness), this means you add on the spindle lock and
through the handles, the board I I have to position a different part the fact that it has a dust collec-
was cutting, and the sawhorse. of the notch on the layout line de- tion hook-up for a shop vacuum,
Probably a good sign there’s pending on the blade I’m using. it’s a lot of saw' for the money.
some unnecessary wear going on That’s why I liked the adjust- Steve: Except for the fact it

in the gears and bearings. able indicators on the Quantum doesn’t have a safety lock, I like
Doug: But even with the vibra- and the top end B&D saws. To the Quantum. It wall take care of
tion, I felt that the Sears and just about any job I can
Ryobi saws ran strong. In There’s more consider than
to think of in the shop. And
fact, if all I wanted was with its wide base and com-
just the price tag when
brute power, I’d go with the fortable handles, I’m sold on
Ryobi in a heartbeat. selecting a circular saw. rock solid cut.
its

But I’m looking for a saw Doug:

I can see myself

that has plenty of power to do the compensate for different blade getting a lot of remodeling done
job, yet runs smooth enough so it thicknesses, I just loosen the with the top of the line Black &
won’t weai* me out after several screw and adjust the indicator. Decker. It’s similar to the Quan-
hours of cutting. I thought the tum in the way it looks, feels, and
Quantum and the two top end
CONCLUSIONS performs. But it costs less. All in
B&D saws were just the ticket. E8 Okay lets sort things out.
,
all, a tough saw to beat.

m There’s one other thing that Based on the type of work you do, Cary: There’s no question about
figures into the performance of a which saw would you buy? the saw I’d choose —
the top end
saiv —
accuracy. How accurately Ken: If I could just slap on a Skil saw. It’s compact and light-
could you cut to a layout line better height adjustment, the weight. Just right for those long
Steve: Most of the saws have middle of the line Skil would be an reaches when I’m crosscutting a
some type of fixed notch to help easy pick. But changing the depth full sheet of plywood. And it’s the

you track the blade along the lay- of cut would drive me nuts. smoothest running sav^ of the lot.

FINAL yL
PICK
TESTER
Si<5MBFIRST
CHOICE
SECOND
CHOICE
LAST
CHOICE

Ken Quantum Skil 5250 B&D 100

Steve Quantum B&D 300 Skil 5150

Indicator. Unlike the fixed notch Quantum (right) can be

tor on the Doug B&D 300 Quantum Skil 5150
on the Skil saw (left) that marks adjusted if you use blades that
the path of the blade, the indica- vary in thickness. Cary Skil 5350 Ryobi B&D 100

No. 19 ShopNotes 11
 TECHNIQUE

Built-Up
Moldings
All it takes to create detailed
molding is a router, a handful of
bits, and our simple technique.

ne of the things that usually catches my eye So use a simple technique to make these mold-
I

on a fine piece of furniture is the detail on the ings myself. Allit takes is a router (or router table)

molding. But since moldings like this are usually and a handful of ordinary bits.
made on industrial shapers and molders, they're ADVANTAGES. In addition to being a lot less ex-
expensive and often hard to find. pensive than manufactured moldings, building your
own moldings has another advantage.
You can make them from the same wood you're
using for the project you're building. This way, the
molding will match the rest of the project perfectly
when you apply the finish.

STRIPS & LAYERS #

There are two basic ways that you can create these
moldings. The technique is similar for both. It's just
a matter of “building" them up one piece at a time.
STRIP MOLDING. Strip molding is what I nor-
mally apply to the top of casework (such as a large
cabinet or grandfather clock), see Fig. 1. I make
these by gluing up strips of wood that have a profile
routed on one edge. Then the molding is mitered
and attached to the cabinet.
To make strip molding, all you have to do is rout
the front edge of a board and then rip the strip to
width, see box below. (For more on routing profiles,
see the article on page 22.)

Slep-by-Step

First: Rout Profile. For safety, start Second: Rip Strip. With the routed
with an extra-wide workpiece and rout edge against the fence, use a push can be glued and clamped together
the edge in a left-to-right direction. block to rip the strip to width. with the back edges flush.

12 ShopNotes No. 19
 TECHNIQUE Building Blocks

LAYERED MOLDING. Layered molding is basi-

cally aglued-up stack of full- width boards with the
profile routed across the front and ends of each
board, see Fig. 2.

Layered molding is faster to make and easier to

install than strip molding because you don't have to
deal with mitered corners. All you have to do is cut Round-Over. Round-overs come Cove. Coves also come in a va-
each layer to finished size and then rout the profile. in many sizes. They look best riety of sizes. It's the profile I

Note: When gluing up layered molding, the on the top of a molding. use most often on the bottom.
pieces can become quite slippeiy and slide around.
To keep the strips aligned during glue up, refer to
the margin tip below right.
The only disadvantage I've found to layered
molding is the exposed end grain. But by sanding
the ends several grits finer than the rest of the
project, it's less noticeable.
Design Note: As a general rule of thumb, I limit Roman Ogee. A Roman ogee Straight Cut. One of the sim-
the width of layered moldings to workpieces around looks good in
the middle or at plest ways to top off a profile is
5" or less. Anything wider has a tendency to warp
the bottom of a molding. to add a straight-ripped edge.
with the changes in humidity.

PROFILES As you’re making profiles, try experimenting by

One of the things I like best about built-up moldings rearranging them in a different order to change the
isyou don’t need a whole cabinet full of router bits. overall appearance of the molding. Or change the
For the six profiles shown below, I only had to use thickness of the pieces that make up the molding.
fourcommon router bits: a cove bit, a Roman ogee You can vary the number of strips or layers, or even
and two round-over bits, see box in upper right-
bit, the bits you use to rout the profiles. The possibili-
hand corner. ties are endless.

To keep layers
aligned during
glue up, nail a few
wire brads in one
of the layers. Then
snip off the heads
of the brads.

No. 19 ShopNotes 13
 N PROJECT

Built-Up Molding

Wall Mirror
This handsome
A
page
s

12,
we were working on
built-up molding article on
we experimented with a
the the project in mind for
the strips. So
too surprised
I

when he
wasn't

mviTor gives number of different profiles. I showed up the next day

wasn't the only one that noticed with this wall mirror,
you a chance to
the leftover strips laying around see photo at right.
experiment the shop. THREE BITS. What in-
with built-up Kurt Schultz (our Senior Illus- trigued me most about
moldings. trator) picked up the strips and the wall mirror was it only re- ingly different moldings for the
started stacking them as if they quired three router bits to make top, bottom, and sides of the mir-
were a set of Legos — creating all the profiles: a V/ round-over, ror, see Side View below.
a V4
"
different profiles. Roman ogee, and a %>" cove The frame for the mirror con-
After playing with them a few bit. By simply rearranging the sists of four parts — each a built-
minutes, Kurt told me he had just moldings, Kurt created strik- up molding, see Exploded View.
There's a top and a bottom, and
two identical sides. To build the
TOF EXPLODED VIEW mirror, I started with the sides.
MOLDINGS OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
25V0
1

W x 2%"D x 267/&“H SIDES

Each side is built-up of two pieces
of hardwood, see Fig. 1. (I used
cherry.) The 34"-thick base piece
has a cove routed on the out-
side edge. And a V/ round-over is
routed on both edges of the top
V^'-thick piece. (For tips on rout-
ing smooth, consistent profiles,
see the article on page 22.)
SIDES
Once you're through routing
the profile on each workpiece,
glue and clamp the two pieces to-
gether. Here, the top piece is cen-
tered on the width of the wide,
flat surface of the coved piece.
(For a tip on keeping the pieces
aligned during glue-up, see the
margin tip on page 13.)

TOP & BOTTOM

With the sides complete, the next
step is to make the top and the
bottom moldings. These pieces
t* are made much like the sides, but
3/&" GOVE with three important differences.
sorroM
MOLDINGS
J
Vz"
A—
ROUND-OVER
First, there are three layers in-
stead of two. Second, the ends of
each piece are routed. And third,

14 ShopNotes No. 19
 HANDS-ON PROJECT

the top and bottom moldings are the finish. For this mirror, I thick cardboard and a piece of V4"-
arranged in a different order. wiped on three coats of Danish thick Masonite, see Fig. 5.

JOINERY. To keep the joinery oil, sanding between coats with To complete the project, install
simple, but still provide a strong 220-grit sandpaper. turnbuckles to hold the mirror in A cove, a round-
frame, screwed the built-up
I Once the finish was dry, I had Then screw on a
place, see Fig. 5. over, and a Roman
moldings to the sides. But since I my local glass shop cut a Vfc’-thick pair of hangers to mount the mir- ogee bit are all

didn’t want the screws to show, I mirror to fit the rabbet. Then, to ror on the wall. (Turnbuckles and you’ll need to
came up with a simple trick to protect the back of the mirror, I hangers are available at most make the moldings
conceal them. covered it with a piece of Vs"- hardware stores.) for this project.
Start by gluing and screwing
one layer of each molding to the
sides of the mirror, see Fig. 2.
Then hide the screws by gluing on NOTE:
SQUARE UP
the remaining layers, see Fig. 3. CORNERS WITH
CHISEL
Note: To make aligning the lay-
ers easy, glue on one piece at a
time — allowing the glue to dry
between each layer.

MIRROR
With the frame complete, you’re
just about ready to add the mir-
ror and the mounting hardware.
But there are a couple more
things to do.
RABBET. First, the mirror fits
-THICK
f
in a V£"-deep rabbet that runs MIRROR
along the back inside edge of the
frame, see Fig. 4. To make the /6-THICK
rabbet, used a %/%" rabbet bit
I CARDBOARD

mounted in a hand-held router.

FINISH. Second, after you’ve TURNBUCKLE
w/SCREW
squared up the corners of the rab-
" 1/4"
bet with a chisel, sand the entire HANGER
MASONITE w/SCREW
project up to 220 grit. Then apply

No. 19 ShopNotes 15
 FEATURE PROJECT

•
Cutting Guide

S ometimes a power tool

seems to have a mind
of its own. Take a circular
A unique tracking system on
this cutting guide ensures
make a cut. (Note: You’ll
need to build a separate
carriage for each tool.)
saw or hand-held router for straight, accurate cuts. NINE-FOOTER. Since I

instance. Even when you wanted to be able to cut the

clamp a straightedge to the workpiece, they often fulllength of a sheet of plywood, the cutting guide
wander off course in the middle of a cut. is over 8-feet long. In fact, to support the carriage
To produce a cut with dead-on accuracy, I built a at the start and finish of a cut, it's a full 9-feet long.
cutting guide for my circular saw and router, see TWO SECTIONS. But storing something that long
photo above and on opposite page. can be a hassle. So I built it in two sections — a
CARRIAGE. The unique thing about this cutting and a four-foot section, see Exploded View.
five-foot
guide is the circular saw (or router) mounts to a With the long section clamped in place, you can cut
carriage that hooks onto the cutting guide. across the width of a full sheet of plywood. Or
Because the carriage is “captured” by the simply connect the two parts to cut down the
cutting guide, it's impossible to stray off length of the sheet.
the line as you slide the tool along to

EXPLODED VIEW

16 ShopNotes No. 19
 FEATURE PROJECT

Cutting Guide
Although the two sections of the
cutting guide are different in
length, they're built exactly
alike. Each section consists of
four parts: a base, tray, cover, and
fence, see Exploded View. And FOUR-FOOT
there's a single “key" that joins <D TRAY SECTION
(%" PLY)
the two sections together. ri0) COVER
BASE. To provide a platform FENCE NOTE: BASE. FENCE. AND
®eASE COVER ARE Va" MASCNfTE
for the carriage to ride on, I be-
gan by making the base (A) and
base extension (B)> see Fig. 1.

These are strips of VT'-thick Ma-

sonite that are cut to finished
length and a rough width of 8",
see Figs. 1 and 2. Later, when you
make your first cut with a circu-
lar saw, the base pieces will be
trimmed to final width.
TRAY. The next step is to add a
plywood tray (C) and tray exten-
sion (D) to help stiffen the base, width of the cover pieces. (For a complete hardware kit, see
see Fig. 1. To accept the key KEY. After attaching the tray page 18.) The holes are located so
(added later), there’s a wide, shal- pieces to the base (here again, I you can also store the key on the
low groove that runs the length used contact cement), the next long section of the cutting guide.
of the tray pieces. step is to cut a plywood key ( G) to FENCE. Now all that's left is to
Forming this groove is a simple fit the groove, see Fig. 2. The key add the fence pieces (H and I), see
two-step process. First, use con- spans the two sections of the cut- Fig. 3. To form a lip that tracks
tact cement to glue on a Masonite ting guide and locks it together. the carriage, these pieces are cut
cover (E) and cover extension (F) To make key is
this work, the taller (wider)than the thickness
that are the same size as the tray held in place with threaded knobs of the then glued and
tray,
pieces, see Fig. 2. Second, cut a that tighten into T-nuts installed clamped in place. (We used yellow
3 "-wide groove centered on the in the bottom of the cutting glue.) Note:To keep the carriage
from binding, be sure to wipe off
Exploded View. the excess glue before it dries.

Router With the cutting guide clamped across a wide

.

panel it can also be used to turn your hand-held router into

,

a precision too/ when routing dadoes (or grooves).

No. 19 ShopNotes 17
 Saw Carriage
I built two carnages for the cut- SAW
ting guide — one for a circular BACK, CARRIAGE
saw, and the other for a router.
SHOE
#6 x 1" Fh
Whether you build one or both, a WOODSCREW
special hanger on each carriage BACK,
CLEAT
hooks over the fence on the cut-
ting guide to track the tool in a
straight line, see photo at left.
OPENING"5 ^
BASE. The saw carriage starts FOR SAW BLADE
AND GUARD
out as a %" plywood base (J) for
the saw to rest on, see Drawing
and Fig. 1. To allow for a system of
7
©
KEEPER
fi)
brackets that hold the saw in place, 7
FRONT
STRIP SHOE
the base is cut 2" longer and wider
than the metal base of your saw.
#6 x Fh
OPENING. The next step is to #0x13/4" Fh
WOODSCREW FRONTS
WOODSCREW
To ensure straight, make an opening for the saw blade CLEAT^ FOOT
accurate cuts, and guard. To locate this opening,
1

a hanger on the
n
first position the saw 34 in from HANGER I ::."

carriage hooks one edge of the base (for a side DETAIL ] 1 KEEPER
cleat added later), see Fig. 1. -V- STRIP
over the fence on
*

the cutting guide. Then mark the opening and cut

out the waste with a sabre saw.
hanger. Now you’re ready to 7
CUTTING GUIDE E3ASE

add the hanger. To track the car-

WASTE FOOT
riage in a straight line, the hanger
has a groove that slips over the
fence, see Hanger Detail. one edge of the carriage rides on hardwood front cleat (N), and a
This groove is built up from the cutting guide, the foot sup- Masonite shoe (0) that form a lip
two parts: a hardwood rail (K) for the metal base of the saw to
7
ports the opposite edge and
and a Masonite keeper strip (L). keeps it level when making a cut. slide imder, see Fig. 2. To make this
After rabbeting the rail, the work, the cleat is cut to match the
keeper strip is glued and screwed BRACKETS height of the front edge of the saw7
in place to form the groove that After gluing the foot in place, you base, see Fig. 2a.
locks the carnage on the fence. can add the brackets that secure BACK BRACKET. After attach-
FOOT. Once the hanger is at- the saw base to the carriage. ing the front bracket with glue
tached with glue and screws, FRONT BRACKET. The front of and screws, added a small back
I

the next step is to add a Ma- the saw is held in place with a two- bracket. It's up from a
also built
sonite foot (M), see Fig. 1. Since part bracket. It's made up of a back cleat (P) and shoe (Q), see

Hardware
11
• (4) V4 x IV2 " Threaded Star Knobs
11
• (1) V4 x 1” Threaded Star Knob
• (5) V4 " T-Nuts
• (5 ) V4" flat Washers
• (13) #6 x 3/4 m Fh Woodscrewe
• (3) #6 xl” Fh Wood screws
• (3) #3 x 3/4 u Fh Woodscrewe
1

To order a complete hardware kit for the cutting

guide and both carriages, call ShopNotes Project
Supplies at 1-300-444-7527.

Kit No. 319-6319400 $3.95

18 ShopNotes No. 19
 FEATURE PROJECT
Figs. 2 and 2b. But to make it easy
to remove the saw, this bracket is
held in place with a threaded
knob that tightens into a T-nut.
SIDE CLEAT. To make sure the
saw stays put on the carriage, I
added a side cleat (R). This is just
a strip of Masonite that's glued
and screwed to the base.
REFERENCE EDGE. All that's
left is toclamp the cutting guide
to a bench and trim the base to
final width. The edge that's cut
provides a reference to indicate
the path of the saw blade. This
way, it's just a matter of position-
ing this edge on the layout line to
setup a cut.
Note: The reference edge is
used only when making a cut with Depending on your
a circular saw (not the router). saw, youmay need
to modify the front
or back brackets.
Router Carriage
Like the saw carriage, the router
carriage has a base that supports ROUTER
the tool. But to provide maximum CARRIAGE
depth adjustment for the bit, this
base (S) is made from V^'-thick FIRST: ATTACH THIRD:
HANGER TO BASE MOUNT
Masonite, see Drawing. ROUTER
Here again, a rail (T) and a
keeper strip (U) combine to track
the carriage on the fence. Only this
MOUNTING
time, you'll need to allow for the SCREW
difference in thickness between
the two bases.
This is just a matter of making
the rail taller (wider) and the rab-
bet wider, see Detail. As before, a
Masonite foot (V) is glued to the
base to keep the carnage level.
MOUNT ROUTER, When mount- Eh SCREW FOOT
0/4" MAS.)
ing the router, don't forget to pro-
vide some knuckle room between SECOND: TO DETERMINE
GLUE ON FOOT KEEPER STRIP WIDTH OF FOOT,
the handles and the rail. The sim- (V MASONITE) SEE DETAIL
plest way to do this is to mount the
router so the handles are at a 45° HANGER
angle to the rail. DETAIL
To locate the holes for the bit
KEEPER
and the mounting screws, it's STRIP RAIL
easiest to remove the plastic base
S3ASE
on the router and use it as a tem-
plate. Then drill counterbored CUTTING GUIDE
shank holes for the screws and 1 imniiiiiMw
attach the router to the carriage. SIZE FOOT TO ALLOW Va" CLEARANCE FOOT

No. 19 ShopNotes 19
 GREAT TIPS

Pipe Clamp
Tips
The secret to using pipe clamps
is to plan ahead. Here’s a collection

of our favorite tips that will solve the

most common problems you’re
likely to encounter.

Clamp Fade

Clamp Marks. A common prob- Plastic Padding. One way to Wood Padding. Another simple
lem with pipe clamps is it's all too pad the jaws of a pipe clamp is way to pad the jaws is to attach a
easy to apply too much pressure to dip them in Plasti Dip (avail- small piece of Masonite (or scrap
and crush the workpiece. able at most hardware stores). wood) with carpet tape.

Preventing Stains

Stained Wood. Pipe clamps can Masking Tape. The quickest and Inner tubes. A more permanent
discolor a glued-up panel when easiest way to prevent discolora- solution to preventing stains is to

the iron in the pipe comes in con- tion is to isolate the pipe from the slide lengths of bicycle tire inner
tact with the wet glue. wood with masking tape. tubing over the pipe.

20 ShopNotes No. 19
 GREAT TIPS

Clamp Extenders

A Short Reach. Sometimes the Pipe Coupler. You can extend Shop-Made Extension. Or you
pipe clamps you have on hand the reach of a pipe damp by can build a simple wood exten-
just aren’t long enough to reach adding a pipe coupler and an sion. It's shaped like a “T" and is
all the way across the project. extra length of threaded pipe. notched to accept the clamp.

Flat Panels

Uneven Pressure. As you tighten Dowel Rods. To compensate for Shop-Made Strips. If you don’t
down the pipe clamps, the jaws this and center the damping have dowel rods handy, round
exert uneven pressure which can pressure, slide a dowel rod be- over scraps that are the same
cause the panel to bow. tween the jaw and the workpiece. thickness as the workpiece.

Pipe Clamp Spreader

It doesn't happen very often, but
occasionally we'll have to break
apart a freshly glued-up case or
separate the rungs from the legs
of an old chair in need of repair.
The best method I've found for
doing this is to convert a pipe
clamp into a pipe clamp spreader.
To do this, first reverse the jaw
with the handle so it can push
outward instead of inward. Then
to provide a runner for the jaw to
travel on, thread a short length of
pipe in the threads of the jaw.

No. 19 ShopNotes 21
 TECHNIQUE

*
Routing Profiles
with a Hand-held Router

Five simple
O ne of the quickest and easiest ways to create
a decorative edge on a workpiece is to use a
hand-held router. And the secret to routing a clean,
chip-free profile is to use a simple step-by-step
steps to create
technique, see box on opposite page.
perfect profiles
with a hand- SECURE WORKPIECE
held router .
The first step to routing a decorative edge is to
secure the workpiece to a bench or work surface.
The obvious choice would be to clamp it in place. But
since a router has to ride on the surface of the
workpiece, the clamps often get in the way.
If you own a workbench with bench dogs, the
solution is simple. Just set the dogs slightly below to balance the router), is to temporarily build up the
the surface of the workpiece and adjust the vise to edge by clamping a scrap to the workpiece, see Fig. 2.
hold it secure. If you don’t, you can clamp each end
of the workpiece to your bench. Then rout up to the
PILOT-GUIDED BIT
clamps, move them, and continue routing. Once you’re sure the workpiece is secure and the
router is steady, the next step is to select a bit. To
ROUTER SUPPORT make a controlled cut when routing decorative
In addition to securing the workpiece, you’ll also edges, I use a pilot-guided bit, see box on page 23.

need to keep the base of the router level and flat as For the profile to be uniform, the thing to keep in
it rides over the surface. If you don’t, the router can mind is the pilot must be in contact with the wood
tip and gouge the workpiece. Fortunately, there are at all times. So try to anticipate the curves and
a couple of ways you can prevent this. corners and keep the pilot pressed firmly against
One method is to carpet tape a scrap block to the the board’s edge. Also, for the best contact, make
base of the router, see Fig. 1. The scrap acts as an sure the edges of the board are smooth.
outrigger to support the router base during the cut. Note: When using a pilot-guided bit, be careful
Another way to provide support when routing when you make cuts that remove most or all of the
the thin edge of a workpiece (where it’s too narrow edge. This leaves little or no material for the bear-

22 ShopNotes No. 19
 TECHNIQUE
ing to ride on. To get around this, leave at least
1

Vie" of material for the pilot to ride on. Or place a

scrap piece under the workpiece, see Fig. 3.

DIRECTION & SEQUENCE

Besides the bit, the direction that you feed the
router also affects the quality of the cut. The gen-
eral rule is: outside edges —
rout counterclockwise,
inside edges — rout clockwise, see Fig. 4.

The other thing important to do is take a

that’s
minute to look at the grain direction. To prevent
chipout, rout in the same direction as the grain
when possible and pay particular attention to areas
where the grain appears to change direction.
The sequence you use to rout the edges can also
prevent chipout. Since end grain is unsupported at
the edge of a board, you’ll need to take care to
prevent it from chipping out.
One solution is to support the end grain by tem-
porarily clamping a piece of scrap to the workpiece,
see Fig. 5. Another method is to make the end grain
cuts first (and allow it to chip out), then clean up the
corner when you rout the edge grain.

LIGHT CUTS
But one of the most effective ways to ensure the
smooth and consistent is to take a series
profile is
of light cuts. By taking smaller “bites,” there’s less
chance of the wood chipping out.
One way is to start with about one third of the
cutting edge exposed. Then make a cut and gradu-
ally expose more bit until the full profile is reached.
Another way is to start with the bit set for a full
cut. Then use shims (such as V4" Masonite) to reduce
the depth of cut, see Fig. 6. The shims are carpet-
taped to the base of the router and removed a layer
at a time between cuts, see Fig. 6a.

Pilot-Guided Bits Perfect Profiles

Secure the workpiece. Start by se-
1 curing the workpiece to your bench
with clamps or bench dogs.

2 Support the router. Next, use an

or scrap block
outrigger to support
the router and prevent it from tipping.

3 Usecut
the
a pilot-guided
as you
To
use a
rout,
bit. control
bit that
has a ball-bearing pilot.
Rout in correct direction. For a

Solid Pilot. As a solid pilot Ball-Bearing Pilot. But when a

4 safe cut that also prevents chipout,
rout in correct direction and sequence.
rubs against the edge of the work- ballbearing pilot rides along the
Take light cuts. To ensure a smooth
piece during a cut, it tends to burn
or burnish the surface.
edge, the bit spins freely inside
and leaves a clean edge.
5 and consistent profile, take light cuts
and sneak up on the final depth.

No. 19 ShopNotes 23
 Clamp
Storage
System
Most clamp racks are
designed by other woodivorkers
for their own clamps. This
organizer can be customized
for your clamps.

O ne of the problems IVe had

with clamp racks is they're
always designed for someone
and spring clamps. There’s even a
storage box for odd-shaped
clamps, glue bottles, and brushes.
hold the pegboard. It consists of
identical top (A)
pieces,
and bottom (B)
and two sides (C), see
else’s clamps. But not this clamp L-HOOKS. Each hanger has L- Figs. 1 and 2. (I used “two-by”
organizer. It's a modular system hooks screwed into the back. The dimension lumber.)
that can be customized to store advantage of using L-hooks is rabbet. To hold the pegboard,
the clamps you have. they can’t fall off or pull out of the a VV'-deep rabbet is cut along the
The heart of this system is a pegboard like traditional peg- inside edge of each frame piece,
pegboard frame. It mounts to the board hooks, see box below. see Figs, la and lb. (I used a dado
wall and accepts custom hangers blade in the table saw.)
designed to fit your clamps. CONSTRUCTION JOINERY. The frame pieces are
CUSTOM HANGERS. The hang- I started on the clamp storage held together with a simple rab-
ers hold bar clamps, C-clamps, system by building a frame to bet joint. The rabbets are cut in
the ends of the sides to accept the
top and bottom, see Fig. lb. Then
Improved Pegboard Hooks the sides are screwed to the ends
of the top and bottom.
PEGBOARD. After the frame is
assembled, it’s ready for the peg-
board (D). But before cutting the
pegboard to fit, there’s one thing
tokeep in mind.
Since it’s easiest to screw
through the holes that are al-
ready drilled in the pegboard,
make sure the holes along the
Tilt Hanger : Installing a clamp Lock It. Then lower the hanger outside edges align with the cen-
hanger is easy. First, tilt it so against the pegboard to lock ter of the rabbet in the frame.
the L-hooks can slide into the the L-hooks in place. Now the To complete the rack, soften
holes of the pegboard. hanger can ’t fall off or pull out. the edges by routing a chamfer
along the outside edges.

24 ShopNotes No. 19
 THE SMALL SHOP

\ At this point, you can either

mount the pegboard rack to the
wall and start building the clamp
hangers. Or if you have pipe
clamps or large bar clamps, build
the rack below and mount it to
the frame before attaching it to
the wall.

PIPE CLAMP RACK

The pipe clamp rack is designed
to hold pipe clamps and large bar
clamps. It consists of three parts:
a support base that keeps the
clamps up off the floor, and two
cradles that separate the clamps,
see Fig. 2.

SUPPORT BASE. I started build-

ing the pipe clamp rack by cutting
the support base (E) from “two
by” material, see Fig. 2.
To provide a “pocket” for the
end of each clamp to rest in, lay
out and drill a series of holes in
the base, see Fig. 2. Note: In or-
der for the clamps to lean into the
Shop Tip
cradles, I drilled these holes at a
5° angle, see Fig. 2a.
Now you can complete the base
by routing a chamfer on all the
exposed edges and the rim of
each hole, see Fig. 2.

CRADLES. To build the cradles

(F), start by cutting two pieces of
“two-by” lumber to size. The easi-
est way to make sure the slots
pipe clamps in
align in both cradles is to carpet
place, add a sim-
tape them together before drill-
ple turnbuckle.
ing the holes.
Then remove the waste with a
sabre saw or band saw. And
chamfer all the exposed edges.
MOUNT RACK. Unlike the other
hangers, the pipe clamp rack is

screwed to the pegboard and

frame. This helps distribute the
weight of the clamps.
And by mounting the support
base at the bottom, the weight
from the pipe clamps will be
transferred directly to the floor.

Now the pegboard frame can

be mounted to the wall with the
pipe clamp support base resting
directly on the floor.

No. 19 ShopNotes 25
 THE SMALL SHOP

C-Clamp Hanger
Storing C-clamps has always been
a challenge. This hanger lets you
slip them on or off without having
to open or close the clamps. It
and four
consists of a base, a head,
pegs to hold the clamps, see Fig. 3.
The base is a piece of 3/4 n -thick
m
stock with four 3/4 holes to accept
the pegs. To prevent the clamps
from sliding off the hanger, I
drilled the holes at a 10° angle,

The wood pegs on see Fig. 3a.

this hanger make

The base attaches to the peg-
it easy to slip your
board by way of the head. It's
C-clamps on or off. 2 14" wide to provide plenty of
room for the L-hooks to screw
into. And it’s rabbeted in the back
to fit over the base.
To assemble the hanger, just
glue and screw the head to the
M
base. Then glue in four 3/4 -dia.
dowels for the pegs and attach
the L-hooks, see Figs. 3a and 3b.

Spring Clamp Hanger

The construction of the spring
clamp hanger is similar to that of
the C-clamp hanger, see photo at
left. But there are only three
pegs instead of four. And the base
is slightly longer to accommodate
three sizes of spring clamps, see
Fig. 4.

Also, because spring clamps

don't weigh as much as C-clamps,
I used a smaller diameter peg
To save space, (^"-dia.) instead of the stouter
this spring clamp 3/4"-dia. pegs that were used for
hanger is de- the C-clamp hanger.
signed to "nest" Since the rubber tips of the
your clamps. spring clamps prevent the clamps
from slipping off the hanger, I
drilled the holes for the pegs
straight into the base.
And to allow the space on the
hanger to be used the most effi-
ciently, position the pegs in such
a way that the smaller spring
clamps “nest” over the larger
spring clamps. Then complete the
hanger by adding the L-hooks to
the back of the head.

26 ShopNotes No. 19
 THE SMALL SHOP

Bar Clamp Hanger

Most bar clamp hangers I’ve seen
require that the jaws of the clamp
be closed before the clamp can be
hung on the rack. This hanger
eliminates that.
The base of the hanger is a
short piece of'“two-by” stock with

a series of slots in the front, see

Fig. 5. The slots are wide enough To hang a bar
to hold most of the bar clamps we clamp on this
use in our shop. hanger just slide
,

To reinforce the narrow tongues down the bottom

created by the slots, I glued a jaw and slip the
top piece cut from Vfc"-thick Ma- clamp in place.
sonite to the base before cutting
the slots.
After the slots are cut, file or
sand a chamfer on the front cor-
ners of each tongue to help guide
the clamp into the slot and pre-
vent it from getting chewed up.
Then to complete the hanger, SAND
OR FILE 5/ ,,
1V
install the L-hooks, see Fig. 5a. CHAMFER /?e /te
.

Storage Sox _
If you’re like me, you have a num-
ber of odd-shaped clamps that
can’t be hung on a conventional
clamp hanger —
clamps like band
clamps, toggle clamps, and angle
clamps. And other glue-up sup-
plies like bottles of glue, brushes,
and rags you like to keep handy.
To provide a convenient place This storage box is

for all of this, I built a simple stor- perfect for storing

age box. The box is constructed odd-shaped
from 3/4 "-thick pine and V&"-thick clamps and glue-
Masonite. And it’s held together up supplies.
with rabbets and countersunk
screws, see Figs. 6 and 6b.
The rabbets on the ends are cut
to fit the front and back of the
storage box. And a groove is cut
near the bottom of all four pieces
to hold a bottom made of 1/8"-thick
Masonite, see Fig. 6a.
Once the box is glued and
screwed together, rout or sand a
chamfer around the inside and
outside top edges. Finally, install
the L-hooks (they go into the
ends) and hang up the box.

No. 19 ShopNotes 27
 TIPS & TECHNIQUES

Shop Solutions
Router Biscuit Jig
LIP
5/a"x42")
(

WORKBENCH

BASE PIECES
(5" x 42")

NOTE:
ALL PARTS
ARE VV'-THICK
WORKPIECE MASONITE
the idea of using biscuits
I like

to edge join two boards. But I

can’t afford a biscuit joiner. So I
A2." RADIUS f. PE _j!l
A

made a simple jig for my router ,

-yr >

that uses a slot cutting bit to cre- ROUTER BASE

ate the slots.

The jig is easy to make. It’s a
1" DIA.
double layer of Masonite with BEARING WORK CENTER SLOT
2" DIA. 5/32 "- BENCH CUTTER ON
scalloped edges, see Drawing. (I BOARD THICKNESS
^ THICK SLOT CUTTER £
cut the scallops with a jig saw
and used a drum sander to
smooth them out.) This way as I made the jig with two scal- A lip glued to the bottom,
the bearing on the slot cutting bit loped edges to provide a variety serves as a stop. It automatically
follows the scallop pattern it cuts of spacing for the biscuits. The positions the jig on the w orkpiece
T

a perfect my case, I use a

slot. (In scallops along one edge are for the correct depth every time.
2"-dia. bit with a l'-dia. bearing to spaced 4" apart. But the scallops R. Brucken
cut a slot for a #10 biscuit.) on the other edge are 6" apart. Martinez, California

Add-On Dust Coliector

My band saw creates a lot of
fine dust each time use it (espe-
I

cially when resawing). So I made

a dust collector to vacuum up
most of the dust as it comes out
under the table, see Drawing.
The dust collector consists of
two pieces of plywood and a
length of PVC pipe. Install the
PVC pipe in one piece of plywood.
And cut a hole in the other piece
for your vacuum hose. Then glue
the pieces together and attach
the collector to the band saw.
Pres Kimball
Lebanon, Oregon

28 ShopNotes No. 19
 TIPS & TECHNIQUES
Workmate Roller Support

I always have problems cutting an outfeed support that fits into I used a roller from a copy ma-
large pieces of plywood or long my Workmate. (Editor’s Note: Or chine.(Check local print shops or
boards on my table saw. Not for you can clamp it to a sawhorse.) copy machine stores). But a type-
—
most of the cut just the last few The support is a roller attached to writer roller would also work.
inches when it’s unsupported. a piece of plywood with a pair of Bill Paulson
To solve this problem, I made wooden brackets, see Drawing. Marietta Georgia
,

Cord Protector
My table saw sits in the middle
of my shop. That makes the
power cord that runs across the
floor a real hazard. It seems I'm
always tripping over it or drop-
ping something heavy on it.
So I made a protector for it. It’s

just a piece of wood with a groove

in the bottom for the cord. The
top beveled so you don't catch
is

your foot. And a Masonite piece

holds the cord in the groove.
David Kinsey
Ripon Wisconsin
,

Quick Tips Send in Your Solutions

I have a lot of “short” scraps Forstner bits can be difficult to If you'd like to share your original
that are just too long to throw line up when starting a hole. solutions to problems you've faced,
away. So I made a storage bin out That's because the centerpoint on send them to: ShopNotes, Attn.: Shop
of plastic buckets (the kind dry- the bit is so hard to see. Solutions, 2200 Grand Avenue, Des
wallcompound comes in). I stack To solve this problem I use a Moines, IA 50312. (Or if it's easier,
them pyramid style and bolt template and draw a full circle — FAX them to us at: 515-282-6741.)
them together. Then add a ply- not just the centerlines. Then all We'll pay up to $200 depending on
wood base to tilt the buckets and I have to do is line up the rim of
the published length. Please include
keep the pieces from falling out. the bit with the circle. a daytime phone number so we can
Joe Coffey Bill White call you if we have questions.
Alamo ,
California Williston, Vermont

No. 19 ShopNotes 29
 ,

LUMBERYAR

Lumber
Grain
When buying hardwood I have ,
When this wild-grained
a hard time telling the difference wood is stained, the softer,
The key to between flatsawn riftsaivn, and
,
more porous early wood
quartersawn lumber. Is there a will soak up more stain and look single board has both types of
identifying
simple ivay to do this? darker than the harder, less po- grain, what you'll actually see is
lumber grain
Jerome Lewis rous late wood. wild grain running right along-
is “reading” Manhattan Kansas riftsawn. When I'm sorting side nearly straight, clear grain.
,

the end of for more attractive boards, I'm Another reason I look for rift-

the board. The simplest way to tell the dif- looking for riftsawn lumber. In sawn wood is for its stability —
ference is to look at the end of the this case, the growth rings are it's less likely to warp or cup than
board. What you're looking for is flatsawn lumber.
the angle of the growth rings. QUARTERSAWN. The straight-
This angle determined by how
is est grain comes from logs that are
the lumber was cut, see Drawing. quartersawn. Here, the growth
flatsawn. On flatsawn lum- rings will be 60° to 90° to the face
ber, the rings will be 30° (or less) of the board, see below.
to the face of the board, see be- In addition to really straight
low. In many cases, especially grain, some hardwoods (such as
with boards coming from large red and white oak, cherry, and
diameter logs, the rings will be hard maple) exhibit highly fig-
parallel to the face. ured face grain (ray flecks) when
Flatsawn lumber is the most quartersawn. And when finished,
common type of lumber you'll greater than 30°, but less than 60° these woods can be quite striking.
come across because a log yields to the face of the board, see below. Also, when the humidity does
the most lumber when cut this Riftsawn lumber generally has change, quartersawn lumber is

way. Because of this, it's the least straighter, clearer grain than the most stable of the three dif-
expensive cut available. flatsawn lumber. Usually, rift- ferent cuts of lumber.
But flatsawn lumber tends to sawn lumber is mixed right in the The downside to quartersawn
move a lot with changes in humid- same stack as flatsawn lumber. lumber is it requires larger logs
ity — it often cups or warps. And In fact, many boards in a flat- to produce reasonably wide
the grain swirls in many direc- sawn stack will have both rift- boards. And since there's more
tions over the face of the board. sawn and flatsawn grain. When a waste, it's the most expensive.

Flatsawn. On flatsawn lumber Riftsawn With riftsawn lumber,

.

the growth rings are 30° (or less) the growth rings are greater than on a quartersawn board are 60°
to the face of the board. The grain 30°, but less than 60°. The grain to 90°. On certain hardwoods,
is the wildest of the three cuts. runs fairly straight across the face. the face grain is highly figured.

30 ShopNotes No. 19
 ,

FINISH R

Danish Oil
T he visitors to our display
area here all have one thing
in common. As they browse
time to soak in. (This
varies depending on the
brand.) If you notice dry
through the projects, they run spots, apply more oil —
their hands over the surface of especially on end grain
the wood. Especially the projects that absorbs the oil like a sponge. with fine (220-grit) sandpaper.
finished with a Danish oil. REMOVE EXCESS. Now simply As an option, some manufac-
The reason is simple. Danish oil wipe the surface of the wood turers recommend using Wet-or-
penetrates into the wood fibers. “dry,” see photo B. Leaving oil on Dry silicon carbide paper (600-grit)
So unlike some finishes, it leaves the surface creates a soft, gummy to sand in the oil, see photo above.
the wood looking and feeling as layer that won’t make the finish This forms a thin paste that’s
natural as possible. any more durable. wiped off as before.
But there’s more
Danish oil
to The only problem is the oil that SAFETY NOTE. As you clean up,
than just good looks. It’s hard to remains in the pores of the wood the thing to be aware of is the oil

imagine a finish that’s gives off heat as it

easier to apply. A look

Danish oil 'penetrates into the cures. This can cause a
at what’s inside ex- pile of oily rags to spon-
plains why. ivood fibers. So it leaves the surface taneously combust. So I
INGREDIENTS. Even looking and feeling natural. spread the rags out on
^though there are a num- the floor and throw
ber of different brands (like can still “wick” back out and form them away when they’re dry.
Watco, Deftoil, and Nordic Oil small puddles (especially on wood REPAIRS. A last note about
Finish), most Danish oils have with large open pores oak or
like Danish oil. You can repair it if it
three basic ingredients. ash). To keep these puddles from gets damaged. Small scratches can
To produce a satin sheen, there’s hardening into rough scabs, I be “blended in” by applying an-
a natural oil (like linseed or tung check the project every hour or so other coat of oil. (Just be sure to
oil). Because these oils are slow- and wipe off any oil that seeps out. remove any grime or wax with
drying, you have plenty of time to ADDITIONAL COATS. As a rule, mineral spirits first.) If the
work the finish. Next, to allow you’ll need to apply several coats of scratches are more severe, sand
the oil to penetrate, it’s thinned oil. To produce as smooth a finish lightly around the damaged area
with solvents. Then resins are as possible, I sand in between coats and apply another coat.
added to create a harder finish.
Note: Some manufacturers also
add pigments to color the oil.
Even so, a Danish oil finish still
doesn’t offer as much protection
as other topcoats. So best to it’s

use on projects that won’t get a

lot of wear. For example, a clock,
display cabinet, or wall mirror.

APPLICATION
Regardless of the project, there’s
nothing complicated about apply-
ing a Danish oil finish.
FLOOD SURFACE. The first step A. Flood Surface Using a foam brush
. B Remove Excess Now wipe off all the
. „

is brash (or rag) to flood

to use a saturate the surface of the wood with oil. excess so the wood looks “dry. " When
oil

the surface, see photo A. The im- If dry spots appear, just wipe on more oil the oil cures, apply additional thin coats
portant thing is to give the oil until the wood won’t soak up any more. until you get the desired sheen.

No. 19 ShopNotes 31
 Scenes From the Shop

A Perfectly straight accurate cuts. That's

, what you sections. Lock them together to rip the full length of a
get every time you use Cutting Guide with either
this sheet of plyivood. Or use a single section when you
a circular saw or router. The guide is made up of two only need to cut across the width of the sheet.

A You don't need an expensive shape,r or molder to A If you don't have a power jointer in your shop or if
,

make professional looking moldings. Instead just use

,
you've ever felt uncomfortable jointing small work-
our simple technique to build them up a piece at a time. pieces, this Hand Plane Jointer is just the ticket.
ShopNotes Issue 19
Centerfold — Cutting Guide
Exploded View