Great american
FurnitureFrom the editors of
MAGAZINE JULY 2003
SHAKER
Classic Candlestand ▼ 6 The Shakers referred to the leg design as “spider feet.” Surprisingly, this traditional form is not that complicated.
Press Cupboard ▼ 12 This fine case piece showcases both your collection and craftsmanship. Oohs and ahhs guaranteed.
Hand-tool Stepstool ▼ 19 Become a Neanderthal, if only for one project. This attractive yet highly useful stool offers step-by-step hand-tool instruction.
18TH CENTURY 62
Simple Candle Boxes ▼ 24 6 Beginning woodworkers will love this fast, classic project.
Butler Tray Table ▼ 28 A Chippendale table, complete with a removable tray top, is just what you need for serving tea and coffee to guests.
12 Pennsylvania Spice Box ▼ 36 An instant heirloom: This beautiful 18th century spice box doubles as the perfect jewelry box for you or your loved one.
ARTS & CRAFTS
Greene & Greene Side Table ▼ 43 Grace the end of your sofa or chairs with class and style.
28 Slant-arm Morris Chair ▼ 48 Build an Arts & Crafts icon that instantly will become the most sought-after chair in your home.
CONTEMPORARY 48
Nicolai Fechin-style Bench ▼ 58 Always wanted to try carving? Here’s your chance. The detail is meant to look rustic and simple so mistakes won’t matter.
Plywood Nesting Tables ▼ 66 Sleek and versatile (one table or three), this project is a great lesson in making perfect miter joints. 66
Rice-paper Maple Lamp ▼ 70 Build a simple lamp based on designs typical in a Japanese household that will look great in any modern home.
OUT OF THE WOODWORK: 43 Under the Rope and
Into the Doghouse ▼ 72
www.popwood.com 1 ▼ ▼
From the editor American Classics, Colonial to Modern
n so many elements of the United States’ Maloof, George Nakashima and the entire history, the concept of freedom is central. studio furniture movement. The love of liberty not only forged the I With this issue, we once again celebrate Declaration of Independence and spawned great American furniture, now our second the Revolutionary War, it permeated Colonial published edition, further broadening the col- life, giving rise to new ways of doing just about lections of woodworking projects in each of anything. It could be said the these cherished American styles. seeds of American inventiveness The previous edition can be flourished on the fertile soil of ordered at popwood.com. freedom. And no matter where your Woodworking and furniture woodworking skill level stands, design are but one of those inven- you’ll find detailed projects right tive seeds. Colonial furniture for you. For those just starting, makers didn’t just copy fashion- the simple 18th century candle able English and European fur- box or contemporary lamp will niture styles of the time, they be of interest. Intermediate re-interpreted them and made skilled woodworkers will find them uniquely their own. As a the Greene & Greene table and result, Chippendale, Pennsylvania spice box well Hepplewhite and Queen Anne within grasp. More advanced styles as developed across the Atlantic have woodworkers will find the Shaker press cup- their U.S. counterparts as built in the Colonial board and Chippendale-style butler tray table culture centers of Boston, Newport, New York a good exercise of their experience. and Philadelphia. Woodworkers whose interests run toward Other American styles following the 18th the use of hand tools will enjoy the Shaker century are rooted in freedom as well. For three-step stool or Nicolai Fechin-style bench. example, the Shakers, whose social and cul- Those who like to work at the lathe couldn’t tural foundations were born in their religious find a more quintessential Shaker form than beliefs, left England to find religious freedom the beautiful maple candlestand. on the United States’ shores. So no matter what your skill level or style Arts & Crafts furniture is but one mani- preference, you’ll find something in this issue festation of a broader philosophy, which re- for you. Isn’t it wonderful – great American jected the dehumanization of the machine furniture with all the freedom to choose! age and embraced the freedom expressed in good design with objects made by hand. Modern or contemporary furniture styles are one byproduct of the so-called American Steve Shanesy Century when economic, social and political freedom in the United States gave birth to such uniquely American art forms such as jazz, P.S. For more great American furniture the Broadway musical, movies, even rock ’n’ projects (or just great woodworking projects roll. In furniture we have the classic work of and technique articles) visit our web site at Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi, Sam popularwoodworking.com.
2 Popular Woodworking July 2003 2 Popular Woodworking March 2003
® ®
July 2003 popularwoodworking.com
Editorial Offices 513-531-2690 Editor & Publisher Steve Shanesy ext. 1238 • [emailprotected] Art Director Linda Watts ext. 1396 • [emailprotected] Senior Editor David Thiel Exceptional, full-featured ext. 1255 • [emailprotected] woodcutting bandsaws made in Italy to exacting Senior Editor Christopher Schwarz ext. 1407 • [emailprotected] BRIDGEWOOD® specifications Assistant Editor Kara Gebhart ext. 1348 • [emailprotected] Precision balanced cast Project Illustrator John Hutchinson iron wheels with ground- rubber tires Photographer Al Parrish Contributing Editors Rack and pinion blade Nick Engler guide height adjustment Bob Flexner Glen Huey Heavy duty, European tri- Troy Sexton bearing blade guides President-Magazines Roger Case Exclusive, double box- Executive Vice President Jim Gleim beam frame design for extra rigidity Circulation Lynn Kruetzkamp, Group Circulation Manager Jennifer Shaffer, Circulation Manager Cast iron rip fence Production Barbara Schmitz, Vice President Blade tension indicator Vicki Whitford, Production Supervisor Magnetic switch with Advertising thermal overload Advertising Director protection Don Schroder 331 N. Arch St., Allentown, PA 18104 Dust collection hookup Tel. 610-821-4425; Fax 610-821-7884 Foot brake with [emailprotected] micro switch popularwoodworking.com Classified Advertising Sales Joan Wright, Tel. 800-388-1820
Optional [emailprotected] HTC® Mobile Base Advertising Production Coordinator FOB, York, PA available Debbie Thomas, Tel. 513-531-2690 ext. 1219 Price subject to change without [emailprotected] PBS-440 PBS-540 Subscription SERVICES Subscription inquiries, 18” Bandsaw 22” Bandsaw orders and address changes can be made at popwood.com (click on Subscriber Services). 12” Resaw capacity 14” Resaw capacity Or by mail: Popular Woodworking, P.O. Box 5369, Table: 16-1/2” x 22-3/4” Table: 19-1/2” x 28” Harlan, IA 51593 or call 800-888-6880. Include your address with all inquiries. Motor: 3hp 1ph or 3ph Motor: 5hp 1ph or 3ph Allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. $1795.00 $2195.00 Newsstand distribution Curtis Circulation Co., 730 River Rd., New Milford, NJ 07646
Attention Retailers: Attention Retailers: To carry Popular Woodworking in your store, call Steve Hudziak at 800-894-4656 or write Magazine Retail Sales, Steve Hudziak, P.O. Box 5014, Iola, WI 54945-5014. Back issues are available for $7 ($9 Canada; $11 other for- eign). Send check or money order to: Popular Woodworking/ F&W Publications Products, P.O. Box 2031, Harlan IA, 51593; or call 888-419-0421. Please specify publication, month and year. VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT VISIT OUR WEB SITE
4 Popular Woodworking March 2003 Whether you are a do-it-yourselfer, a professional woodworker or somewhere in between, you have a world full of projects in the home or in the shop that will be easier and more enjoyable to complete when you use quality clamps, bench vises and miter boxes/saws from the Adjustable Clamp Company. Look for them under the Jorgensen, Adjustable and Pony brand names wherever fine tools are sold. Visit our website and register for our 100TH Anniversary 100-piece clamp, miter saw and vise set giveaway.
Made in the USA by the Adjustable Clamp Co., 425 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60622, www.adjustableclamp.com
www.popwood.com 5 ▼ SHAKER Classic Candlestand
uilt by members of the Mount candlestand shown in the book is part of the Lebanon community in New York While this is one of J.J.G. McCue collection, and resides in the during the first half of the 19th Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. A very century, this recognizable Shaker the most traditional similar cherry table resides in the form is actually their stylish in- Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York terpretation of earlier forms. The legs are a furniture forms, B City. derivation of a Sheraton design. The Shakers referred to the leg design as “umbrella” or building one of these Forgiving Form “spider feet.” I first found this table in John While I’ve included detailed patterns for Kassay’s “The Book of Shaker Furniture” small tables is not all both the pedestal and the legs on this table, (University of Massachusetts Press). The the form is actually forgiving. If your turning that complicated. ends up a little thinner in one area, or the legs end up a hair thinner at the bottom, it’s OK. It’s a nice-looking project that will allow you to practice your skills and end up with a great-looking table. Everything about the table connects to by Malcolm Huey the pedestal, so let’s begin there. I’ve in- cluded a pattern that gives the diameter of the pedestal along its length. While the turn- ing skills required for the piece aren’t taxing, some basic knowledge is required. Start with a 12/4 maple turning blank that is about 20" long. Turn the entire piece to round, finish- 7 ing out at about 2 ⁄8". That is the largest diameter dimension used on the pattern, but if you end up with less than that, adjust the rest of the dimensions to match that differ- ence. Turn the rest of the pedestal according 3 to the pattern, leaving a 1"-diameter x ⁄4"-
long stub on both ends. ▼
6 Popular Woodworking July 2003 Photo by Al Parrish. Special thanks to Sharon Woods for use of location.
popwood.com 7 ▼
When you’re done with the The jig is made from shop pedestal, the next step is to cut scraps and holds the two stubs of the three sliding dovetail grooves the pedestal in place and uses a for the legs on the base of the ped- screw to hold the pedestal ori- estal. The legs are oriented at 120° ented correctly to cut each groove. around the base of the pedestal. You need to use two different bits You need to mark the locations to cut the grooves. Start with a 1 accurately, but to cut the grooves ⁄2" straight bit to remove most of themselves I have borrowed from the wood, then follow up with an a few different books to make a 8° dovetail bit. Stop the groove 1 router jig that makes it nearly at the shoulder, 3 ⁄2" up from the foolproof. base of the pedestal.
1" 3/4"
1 3 Turning the pedestal is a great way to practice your lathe skills. While there is a 1 /4" pattern to follow, the lines are fluid enough to allow for personalization, slight 1 miscalculations or both. 2 1 /4"
3 1"
15
4 /16"
7
5 /8"
29
6 /32"
1
7 1 /16"
1
8 1 /8" 143/8" 1 9 1 /4" 193/8" 7 10 1 /16"
7
11 1 /8"
5/16
12 2 "
5/ 13 2 8"
7/ 14 2 8"
13 15 2 /16"
23/4" The dovetailing jig makes it 16 31/2" fairly simple to place the leg, run 17 the groove, then rotate the leg 1 to the next position. Note the 2 /2" screw in the diagram and photo 18 that’s used to hold the pedestal
in the appropriate position. 19 3/4 Indexing " 1" Illustrations by John Hutchinson screw 20 1 234 Pedestal turning & dovetail mortise
8 Popular Woodworking July 2003 Spider Feet could snap. Determine the loca- Rough out the legs by milling tion of the dovetail pin on each 7 three pieces to ⁄8" x 4" x 15". Use leg and cut the corner from the the scaled pattern to lay out the leg blank at that point. Before shape of the legs in pencil on the shaping the rest of the leg, cut the pieces. Make sure the grain runs dovetail pin first. the length of the leg, or your legs Set up your dovetail bit in a ▼ Classic Shaker Candlestand No. Item Dimensions (inches) material T W L 3 7 ❏ 1 Top ⁄4 19 ⁄8 dia. Maple 3 3 ❏ 1 Mounting plate ⁄4 5 13 ⁄4 Maple 7 9 5 ❏ 3 Legs ⁄8 3 ⁄16 14 ⁄8 Maple ❏ 1 Pedestal 3 dia. 20 Maple 1 ❏ 4 Wood screws #9 1 ⁄4 FH Steel FH = flathead
8º x 11/16" large diameter dovetail mortise To cut the mating pins for the sliding dovetails, a router table works best. By using an auxiliary fence clamped above the table, first one side of the leg is run (left), then the leg is turned around and the opposite side is run (right).
1/2" 273/4" 5/8" 14" 1x2 router 120º guides 3/4" 8" Bit slot 7/8" Leg to pedestal dovetails 4" 111/2"
Stop block Removable Varies - L-bracket measure router base plate Plan
Base plate radius
1x2 router guides Stop block 1" dia. hole 1/2" 1" dia. 4" Removable L-bracket 4" hole 3/4" 3/4" Indexing screw 3/4" 4" Section 3/4" 3/4" End elevation Router jig for leg
popwood.com 9 ▼
router table. Attach an auxiliary fence to allow you to hold the leg upright against the fence. Run a test piece on some scrap to see if your offset is correct. You want the fit to be tight at this point. You’ll hand-fit each joint later. When the test piece fits to your satisfaction, run each side of the leg past the bit, shaping the pins. With this important joint complete on all three leg pieces, head for the band saw and rough The leg shape is created by making a full-size template from the scaled A spindle sander makes what could be a daunting cut the legs to shape. Then use a pattern below, then transferring that to the leg blanks. A band saw task reasonably painless. By using double-sided spindle sander (or spokeshave) makes quick work of the roughed-out shapes. tape to hold the legs together, all three can be and finish shaping the legs to fin- sanded at the same time, reducing work and ished size. On the original Shaker ensuring uniform shapes. piece, the legs are also tapered slightly in thickness down to the feet. You can achieve this authen- tic look with a bench plane and some care. The next step is to fit each leg 10" to the pedestal. I re-use part of my 5/8" Dashed lines - 3/8" router jig as a stop on my bench final shape to hold the pedestal in place while I carefully pare away material with a chisel until each leg slides in 1 place with a snug fit.
2 Once satisfied, trim the lower stub off the pedestal, finish sand
3 the legs and post, and glue the legs in place. If your joint is well-made,
4 you shouldn’t need any clamping pressure. The Shakers used metal 5 6 7 15" Taper both ends 135º 3/4 to 1/4
8 " " 1" dia. 3/8 9 3 " hole 7" 10 33/8" 2" 133/4" 11 1 234567891011 45º chamfer 5" 2" both sides
Mounting plate Leg pattern
10 Popular Woodworking July 2003 plates across the base of the ped- estal to hold the legs in place, but our glues are more reliable. Allow the glue to cure and move on to the top.
Circle Top You now have a table base. The last two parts actually are the easiest. If you can find a piece of maple that is 20" wide, use it for the top. That’s what the Shakers did, and it looks great. If you can’t find a board that wide, look for a thicker piece, cut it in half along the width on your band saw and make the top bookmatched. While you’re scrounging for wood, 3 grab a piece that’s 5" x 13 ⁄4" to use as the mounting plate. To shape the top, I use a simple circle-cutting jig that mounts to my router. With the center of the No matter how accurate your machin- A circle-cutting jig attached to my router lets me make a true circle. Take increas- jig attached to the underside of ing, there needs to be some hand-fitting 7 ingly deeper passes around the perimeter of the top to complete the cut. the top, cut the 19 ⁄8"-diameter to make the legs just right. A sharp shape using a spiral bit, taking the chisel can make a big difference here. cut in three or four passes. When Don’t make the joint too tight, but not 1 too loose, either. the top is round, chuck a ⁄2" roun- dover bit in your router and round over the bottom edge of the top. Then do the same to the top edge plate over the top of the stub, then 1 with a ⁄16" roundover bit (or break add glue and drive a wedge into the edge with sandpaper). the saw kerf to lock the plate in The mounting plate is simple, place. When the glue is dry, cut except that to keep it like the the tenon and stub flush to the original, both ends of the plate top of the mounting plate. 1 taper to ⁄4" thick within the first All that’s left is to attach the 3 3 ⁄8" of each end. There are a top and add the finish. I use a couple of ways to do this, but I still water-based aniline dye made by think the safest way is to use a Moser that’s available from band saw to cut the taper, then Woodworker’s Supply (800- use a sander or handplane to clean 645-9292 or woodworker.com). up the surface. Traditionally, in my shop we dilute 3 Cut a ⁄16" roundover on all the dye more than the manufac- four edges and drill a 1"-diameter turer recommends. Be sure to hole in the center of the plate. make some sample boards to find Then drill a few more mounting a color that you like. Next, I fol- holes for attaching the top. You’re low that with a couple coats of now ready to finish sand the piece. orange shellac. I level that with To attach the base to the 360-grit sandpaper and then apply mounting plate, cut a saw kerf a brown glazing stain over the across the width of the top stub shellac. After I allow that to dry on the pedestal, running the kerf overnight, a few coats of lacquer It’s a good idea to drill clearance holes in the mounting plate before gluing with the grain. Slip the mounting finish the job. PW the mounting plate to the base. It screws on much easier the second time.
popwood.com 1111 Photos by Al Parrish
12 Popular Woodworking July 2003 ▼ SHAKER Press Cupboard
hen I first discovered this Lower Section First Once used to help press cupboard in John Kassay’s To begin, mill the parts for the lower case “The Book of Shaker according to the cutting list. Then mark linens, this beautiful Furniture” (University of the layout of the mortises on the legs. Shaker reproduction Massachusetts Press), it Because the sides and back are wide pieces jumpedW from the pages and begged me to of solid wood, you should use a double tenon build it. The original version that I built to accommodate seasonal wood movement. 1 serves as a showcase featured a blind-door cupboard, but a friend Next cut the ⁄4"-thick mortises on the legs. at a furniture show suggested I build it with Don’t forget to cut the mortises in the for any collection glass doors. I followed her advice, and what top and lower rails and back piece. These a difference it made. mortises will receive the two rail supports of china or pottery. This cupboard originated in the Pleasant and the two drawer runners. Hill, Ky., Shaker community in the late If you’re using a hollow-chisel mortiser, 1800s. It’s called a press cupboard because use the step method of cutting mortises – its flat, sturdy construction helped to press skip every other cut and return to clean out the clean linens stacked neatly inside. With the addition of the glass by Glen Huey doors, this piece becomes a Excerpted from “Fine Furniture for a Lifetime” showcase for any treasured copyright 2002 by Glen Huey. Used with permission collection. of Popular Woodworking Books, an imprint of F&W Publications Inc. Visit your local bookseller
or call 800-289-0963 to obtain your copy. ▼
popwood.com 13 ▼
CC 1/4"-deep by 3/4"-wide stopped dados U T Q 3 BB 41 /4"
S V EE 7/16"-deep by 3/4"-wide rabbet for back 251/2" P DD Y
151/2" 1/2" core box bit X plate groove
13/8" 11/4" T 1 3 W /2"-deep by /8"- R wide rabbet for glass Z AA
1/8" D 1 J /4"
C 11/4"
H
3/4" F G Leg mortise & tenon detail
E B
M L
A
GG K N
1 square = 1" 1 square = 1/2" Illustrations by Len Churchill Leg detail Crown moulding detail
14 Popular Woodworking July 2003 the sections between after reach- sand your parts, and glue and as- ing the end of each mortise. This semble the lower section. First will prevent excessive wear on glue the front and back sub-as- your mortising chisel. semblies, then finish by assem- Now turn the legs using the bling the side pieces. Remember diagram provided. If you’re not to install the rail support pieces a turner, I recommend you taper at this stage. the legs on the two inside edges Next, notch the drawer run- instead. The taper should begin ners so they fit around the legs. 1" below the lower front rail and Glue them into the mortises you sides, and the legs should taper cut in the lower front rail and 15 to ⁄16" square at the floor. nail them to the rear of the back
Now cut your tenons on the leg. Nail the drawer guides to the Step photos by the author table saw. I use a shop-made runners, flush to the leg blocks. Before I glued the drawer parts together, I ran the bottom edge of my drawer tenon jig, but a commercial jig Next build the drawer. The front over the jointer with the fence set at a 5° angle and the machine set to 1 will do fine. Test the fit of the drawer front is flush with the face make a ⁄16"-deep cut. This creates a slight bevel that allows the drawer to pieces of the lower case. If every- of the cupboard. You can see the close without the bottom edge catching on the lower front rail. thing works, proceed to finish layout of the hand-cut dovetails ▼ Press Cupboard No. Let. Item Dimensions (inches) Material Comments T W L Lower Section Case Pieces 7 7 1 ❏ 4 A Legs 1 ⁄8 1 ⁄8 34 ⁄4 Primary wood 3 1 1 ❏ 2 B Sides ⁄4 11 17 ⁄4 Primary wood 1 ⁄4" TBE 3 1 1 ❏ 1 C Back ⁄4 11 42 ⁄4 Secondary wood 1 ⁄4" TBE 3 1 1 1 ❏ 1 D Top front rail ⁄4 1 ⁄4 42 ⁄4 Primary wood 1 ⁄4" TBE 3 1 1 1 ❏ 1 E Lower front rail ⁄4 1 ⁄4 42 ⁄4 Primary wood 1 ⁄4" TBE 3 1 1 ❏ 2 F Rail supports ⁄4 2 18 ⁄8 Secondary wood ⁄2" TBE 3 1 3 1 ❏ 2 G Drawer runners ⁄4 2 ⁄8 17 ⁄8 Secondary wood ⁄2" TOE 1 13 5 ❏ 2 H Drawer guides ⁄2 ⁄16 14 ⁄8 Secondary wood 3 1 ❏ 1 J Top ⁄4 20 47 ⁄2 Primary wood 7 3 5 ❏ 1 K Drawer front ⁄8 8 ⁄8 39 ⁄8 Primary wood 1 1 1 ❏ 2 L Drawer sides ⁄2 8 ⁄4 15 ⁄2 Secondary wood 1 1 5 ❏ 1 M Drawer back ⁄2 8 ⁄4 39 ⁄8 Secondary wood 5 1 ❏ 1 N Drawer bottom ⁄8 15 ⁄2 39 Secondary wood ❏ 2 GG Wooden knobs 2 Primary wood Upper Section Case Pieces 3 ❏ 2 P Sides ⁄4 12 45 Primary wood 3 1 ❏ 1 Q Top front case rail ⁄4 5 ⁄2 39 Primary wood 3 3 ❏ 1 R Bottom front case rail ⁄4 1 ⁄4 39 Primary wood 3 1 3 ❏ 4 S Top, bottom & shelves ⁄4 11 ⁄4 37 ⁄4 Primary wood 3 1 ❏ 3 T Door stiles ⁄4 3 37 ⁄2 Primary wood 3 1 1 ❏ 1 U Door stiles ⁄4 3 ⁄4 37 ⁄2 Primary wood 3 3 1 ❏ 2 V Upper door rails ⁄4 3 ⁄4 16 Primary wood 1 ⁄4" TBE 3 1 1 ❏ 2 W Lower door rails ⁄4 4 ⁄2 16 Primary wood 1 ⁄4" TBE 1 3 ❏ 4 X Exterior door grills ⁄4 ⁄4 30 Primary wood 1 1 ❏ 4 Y Interior door pieces ⁄4 ⁄2 30 Primary wood 5 1 ❏ 2 Z Bottom moulding ⁄8 1 ⁄2 16 Primary wood 5 1 ❏ 1 AA Bottom moulding ⁄8 1 ⁄2 42 Primary wood 3 ❏ 2 BB Crown moulding ⁄4 4 16 Primary wood 3 ❏ 1 CC Crown moulding ⁄4 4 42 Primary wood 5 3 1 ❏ 1 DD Back boards ⁄8 38 ⁄8 42 ⁄2 Primary wood Made in many pieces 3 1 ❏ 1 EE Fixed door catch ⁄4 1 3 ⁄4 Secondary wood 1 ❏ 2 FF Wooden knobs 1 ⁄4 Primary wood TBE=tenon both ends; TOE=tenon one end; Primary wood=maple; secondary wood=poplar
popwood.com 15 ▼
Here you can see the layout of the hand-cut dovetails used to build the drawer.
Gang all the door stiles for the job and do the layout work in one step. This will increase your accuracy.
After you’ve built the drawer, slide it into the lower section and align the drawer front with the case front. Measure and cut stops for the drawer, then attach them with a screw and glue to the back leg as shown here. above. I used half-blind dovetails Upper Section Next at the front and through-dovetails To begin the cupboard’s upper at the back. The solid-wood bot- section, cut your sides and shelves 1 tom is a raised panel. The bottom to size. Lay out and cut the ⁄4" x 3 panel fits into grooves cut in the ⁄4"-deep dados for the shelves – sides and drawer front. use the diagram to lay out your Once you’ve built the drawer, dados. Note that these are slide it into the lower section and stopped dados that don’t extend align the drawer front with the through the front of the sides. 7 3 case front. Then measure and cut Also, cut the ⁄16" x ⁄4" rabbet for the stops for the drawer. Attach the backboards. Notch the front Here’s what the door stiles look like after cutting the rabbet for the glass. the stops with a screw and glue. corners of the shelves so they fit Attach one to each back leg (see in the stopped dado cuts. 1 the photo above). Next, using a ⁄2" core box bit square pegs through the sides and Here’s how to make it: Set your 1 Next remove the drawer, then chucked in a router and another into the shelves as you did to the table saw’s blade height to ⁄4" and lay out and drill holes in the legs shelf as a straight edge, cut a plate lower section. define the tenons’ shoulders on and through the case’s tenons for groove into the back of the lower the face sides of the rails. 3 the square pegs. Set the pegs and three shelves that’s approximate- Simple Mullioned Doors Next, move the fence ⁄8" 1 cut them flush with the case. ly 1 ⁄4" from the back edge. Make For the doors, lay out and cut the closer to the blade and define the Now glue up the boards you’ll sure to begin and end the cut just mortises on the stiles. Because shoulders on the back of the rails need for the top of the lower sec- shy of the shelf ends. these are glass-pane doors, cut a as well as the shoulder on the 3 1 tion. To attach it, I used shop- Finish sand the shelves and ⁄8" x ⁄2" rabbet on the interiors edge. Then finish the tenons by made wooden clips. I used a the insides of the sides, then glue of all eight door pieces. completing the necessary cheek biscuit joiner to cut the recess in the unit together. Check for Now cut the rails to finished cuts. Test fit all of the pieces and the sides, back and top front rail squareness by measuring the case size and get ready to cut the ten- then assemble the door frames. to accept the clips. Commercial diagonally from corner to corner. ons on both ends. This tenon fits Now rout the mortises for the desktop fasteners also will work. When the glue is dry, add the around the rabbet in the stiles. door hinges and install the hing-
16 Popular Woodworking July 2003 1 es. Hang the doors. Now cut stile. Now cut the long strips of ⁄4" three pieces form the basis of the 1 down the door stiles so they over- Mark the overlap on the op- x ⁄2" material for the interior opening for the glass. 5 1 3 lap ⁄16" in the center. Remember posite door and cut a matching dividers and the ⁄4" x ⁄4" strips Cut, fit and install the remain- to keep the stiles the same width. rabbet to produce the shiplap for the exterior glass dividers. ing pieces necessary to complete One of these doors will open joint shown below. With the door face down, fit and the door. Then repeat the proce- with a latching knob, and the Next, with the doors installed, glue the interior horizontal piec- dure on the other door. other one will open using a re- mark the location of the top and es, allowing them to rest on the lease inside the cupboard. First, bottom of each shelf on the door lip created by the rabbet cut on Finishing Touches remove the door that will have stiles. This will properly place the the inside of the door. When the glue in the upper unit 3 the latching knob and cut a ⁄8" glass dividers on the door so they Flip the door so it’s face up, is dry, mill the top and bottom 3 x ⁄8" rabbet on the back side of conceal the shelves when the and fit the long vertical exterior front case rails a bit longer than its interior stile. Reinstall this doors are shut. Also mark for a piece into the center of the open- required, sand the insides and 3 door and allow the rabbet to ⁄4"-wide vertical divider on the ing. Glue this to the two previ- glue them to the sides of the overlap onto the opposite door’s edge of the two rails of each door. ously installed pieces. These upper unit. After the glue dries,
This is how the tenoned ends look after you complete all the cuts. Create a shiplap joint by marking the location on the latched door and creating a matching rabbet on the other door.
The exterior glass dividers form the basis of the door’s glass grid. The interior horizontal pieces rest on the lip created by the rabbet cut on the door pieces. The exterior vertical piece is fitted into the center of the opening and glued to the two horizontal pieces.
Hardware & supplies 1 2 pairs • 2 ⁄2"-long door hinges 1 No. 8 x 1 ⁄4" slot-head wood screws 1 1 ⁄2" shingle nails for backboards 1 1 ⁄2" fine finish nails for mouldings
popwood.com 17 ▼ drill and install square pegs for the other door. It will latch through these rails. (By allowing against its neighbor’s stile. the glue to dry, you reduce the I used a reddish aniline dye to risk of the wood splitting at the finish this piece. After the dye- joint.) Cut the extra length flush job is complete, attach the top to the case. to the lower case using wooden Now make the crown mould- clips and apply your protective ing according to the illustration. top coat. I selected lacquer as the Set the blade of your table saw to cupboard’s finish. 40° and make the first cut with Nail the backboards into the board face against the fence. place using reproduction nails, The fence is set on the left side then install the glass in the doors. of the blade. Then set the fence On this cupboard, I used to the right side of the blade; lay Bendheim’s light restoration glass the face flat on the table saw in (for more information, visit the This case is unusual in that you install the top and bottom case rails after assem- order to cut the complementary company’s web site at bendheim. bling the case. They are applied to the front edge of the sides. Cut them long, glue angle on the opposite edge of the com). PW them in place and trim them to fit. board, achieving 90°. Keep your table saw settings the same and cut the angle on the bottom moulding that skirts the bottom of the upper section. Sand both mouldings, progress- ing to 180-grit sandpaper. Sand the outside of the case to 180 grit, then fit the crown moulding to the case and attach it with reproduction finish nails for an authentic look. Dowel the top edge of the crown moulding from the side into the front piece and sand it smooth. Align the bottom moulding with the inside of the front and This is the catch for the door without a knob. It turns into a This is what the latching knob looks like. sides of the case. Make the 45° 1 ⁄4" slot in the bottom of the second shelf that you cut using a cuts at the front corners, square biscuit joiner. cut the back corners and attach 1 with No. 8 x 1 ⁄4" slot-head wood Use water putty for screws into the sides. Glue and installing glass panes screw the moulding to the front. into the doors. Water putty gives a yellowed Then dowel the front corners as look that simulates age. you did on the crown moulding. I use Durham’s Rock Hard Cut the shiplap joints on the Water Putty. long edges of the backboards. Then finish sand the pieces. On the door without a knob, install the catch. Using a biscuit 1 joiner, cut a ⁄4" slot in the bottom of the second shelf to accept the catch shown at right. After fin- ishing, align the catch with the slot and install with a No. 8 x 1 1 ⁄4" slot-head wood screw. Then make a latch (also called a turn)
18 Popular Woodworking July 2003 ▼ SHAKER Hand-tool Stepstool
Discover what it was like to work wood 200 years ago when all you had was a few well-tuned saws, a couple chisels and a steady hand.
by Jim Stuard
Photo by Al Parrish
ack when the Shakers started were usually a young apprentice who prepared making furniture in the late 18th stock by hand while the skilled woodworkers century, the only tools available handled most joinery tasks. to them were powered by people. As time passed, Shakers eagerly sought There were no table saws, no elec- out power tools and technology to help them Btric jointers or planers. Instead, your tool kit do their work. But during the heyday of most consisted largely of hand saws, chisels and Shaker communities, hand tools handled
planes. Your planer, jointer and table saw most of the woodworking tasks. ▼
popwood.com 19 ▼
Today there is a group of wood- for that precision plunge router 51/4" 51/4" 51/4" 3/4 3/4" 3/4" 3/4" " workers who still pride themselves on your bench. 1 33/4" 4 /2" 41/2" on building furniture this way. These stepstools were used in They call themselves “Nean Shaker housing to get to the upper 3/ 4" 3/4" derthals.” And the way they com- drawers in the enormous chests 2" 2" 1 municate is, ironically, usually built for communal use. The stool /4" 1/4" 1 through the internet. We thought was placed against the lower part See detail for 8 /2" 1 it would be interesting to build a of a chest for support. If you want 61/4" dovetail layout 5 /2" project using only hand tools to to use this as a freestanding step- get a feel for how early Shakers stool, add a hand rail. 1/4" 3/4" and electronic-age Neanderthals The tools needed are as fol- 13/4" 2" 251/2" 1 1/ work. Admittedly, we copped out lows: clamps, a block plane, jack /4" 4" 1/ on one aspect of this project: We plane, a couple Japanese saws, two 8 2" 51/2" didn’t surface the lumber from sharp chisels, a coping saw and a rough stock using hand tools. We hand drill. For marking dovetails. 14" 3/4" rationalized this by figuring an I use a sharp knife, a square and 2" apprentice would have done what a sliding T-bevel. 1/4" would have been hard work. Begin construction by laying 81/2" I think you’ll enjoy unplugging out the panels for the sides. Use a 51/2" your router for a few days to tack- cardboard template to lay out the le this modest but satisfying proj- best yield from your panels. Illustrations by the author 41/2" radius ect. And if you cannot give up Because you aren’t going to make 33/8" 9" 33/8" your power tools, you can rest easy these cuts with a table saw, you 153/4" knowing that the early Shakers will have to make stopped cross- would have paid almost any price cuts and rips in the middle of the Profile
Clamp a straightedge to the back line of the stool, gently press the saw against it and rip the back edge (left). Use the ripping teeth on the back of the Ryoba.
After cutting the bottom, lay out the radius (below).
Cutting guide
20 Popular Woodworking July 2003 After laying out the steps, start making the plunge cuts in the When you’ve penetrated the other side of the panel, cut a slot The results speak for themselves. With a 1 panel for each rise and run on the steps. Remember to use the large enough for the Ryoba. Finish the cuts into the inside and kerf less than ⁄16", it’s possible to do larger ripping teeth for the long grain and the shorter cross- outside corners, but be sure to use the correct teeth for the some fine cutting. Notice the radiused cutting teeth for the cross grain. Start each cut by gently direction you are cutting. cuts that resemble cuts from a table pressing the saw against the straightedge and use a rocking saw. These marks are from the Azebiki- motion to use the entire length of the blade to make the cut. Nokogiri saw. panels to cut out the steps using for dovetailing, but I appreciate hand saws. I’ve found the best way the utility of the Ryoba’s two- to cut out the steps is with sided blade. Back brace Japanese saws. Begin by laying out your cut- gets two- ting lines in pencil on the sides. sided tail Courtesy of Japan The object is to first cut the back There is a style of saw called an edge of the side, then cut the bot- Azebiki-Nokogiri. In short, it’s a tom edge square to that. Then lay saw with a curved blade for doing out the steps from these two per- C a “plunge” cut in the middle of a pendicular lines. panel. The other saw I used was a Cutting a straight line isn’t Ryoba style. It’s a two-edged blade difficult, especially if you clamp a with rip teeth on one edge and piece of wood to your work to crosscut teeth on the other. There serve as a guide. Simply clamp the A are other Japanese saws designed guide to the work and begin mak- B ing the cut with your Ryoba. Use your fingers to gently hold the Hand Tool blade against your guide. Take it Web sites slowly and your cut will be true. Set up another straightedge Exploded view The Electronic Neanderthal and, using the finer crosscut teeth cs.cmu.edu/~alf/en/en.html of the Ryoba, cut in about 4" from
Shavings.net the front and back edges of the ▼ www.shavings.net stool. Now you need to mark the center of the bottom and lay out Shaker Stepstool Museum of Woodworking Tools No. Let. Item Dimensions (inches) material antiquetools.com a 9"-diameter semi-circle. Now cut T W L 3 3 1 the half circle on the sides using ❏ 2 A Sides ⁄4 15 ⁄4 25 ⁄2 Hardwood 3 1 Ralph Brendler’s Old Tools Page ❏ 3 B Treads ⁄4 5 ⁄4 16 Hardwood a compass saw. Clean up your cuts 3 1 brendlers.net/oldtools ❏ 5 C Braces ⁄4 2 ⁄4 16 Hardwood with sandpaper.
popwood.com 21 ▼
The best way to cut the steps I built a couple little jigs to is to make a plunge cut with the make cutting my tails easier. See Azebiki saw and finish with the the story “The 10 Cent Dovetail Ryoba, crosscutting against the Jig” below for details. grain and ripping with the grain. Now use the tails to lay out the Again, clamping a piece of pins on the side pieces. Cut the straight wood to your work will tails by making the first cuts with ensure your cuts are straight. the Ryoba and clean out the waste There’s nothing fast about this with a coping saw. Now try to fit process. Working slowly and de- the joints. If they are too tight, liberately will do the trick. Once use a chisel to clean up the joint. the sides are complete, cut the If they are too loose, you can glue treads and risers to size. Clean thin shavings into the joint to fill them up with a plane and make it out. Most people will never no- sure everything’s square. tice. When cut correctly, the joints Dovetails should tap together and be snug Start cutting the dovetail joints without beating on the stool. by laying out the tails on the When you’re satisfied with the fit, treads and braces according to the glue all the joints and mating After cleaning up the edges of the side panels, begin laying out the tails on the diagram. On hardwood joints, the edges together. Sand and apply treads. Use the diagram to help. If you’re going to use the training-wheels jig mentioned below, don’t lay out the sides of the tails on the top and bottom of dovetail angles should be at a 1:8 three coats of your favorite finish. 1 the tread. Simply lay out the ⁄8" spaces between the tails on the ends.Use the jig I used Watco, an oil and varnish ratio (7°). On softwoods the ratio to define the tail shape. Braver souls will start with a marking gauge and then, is 1:6 (9°). Cut the tails, then num- blend. PW using a sliding T-bevel set to 7°, make knife cuts into the wood to mark the tails. ber each joint for reference. If you can’t see the cut lines, use a pencil to put a little “make-up” on them.
The 10 Cent Dovetail jig 1 In the midst of laying out the dovetails for Then cut out a face piece ( ⁄2" x 3" x 5") these stools, I decided I wanted a way to out of plywood. Glue and nail the face on make the cuts for my tails as clean, accurate the angled ends of the “H.” Now use a Sides and quick as possible. There are 44 angled Ryoba and a coping saw to cut the notches cuts for the dovetails alone. So I made this out of the face and fit the jig to your dove- jig, and I think it will help the first-timers out tailing stock with a rasp. When you’ve got a there. Look at this jig as training wheels for snug fit, try a couple of test cuts. Gently hold cutting tails. the Ryoba against the jig as you begin to Spacer Basically, the jig is an “H” that fits over make your cut. The guide will do the rest. Face your work and guides your saw at the perfect It’s pretty easy to hold the blade in angle. Flip the jig over, and it cuts the other position and cut down to the gauge marks. way. Tails have never been easier to do. Begin As an added bonus, you can use the other 1 by cutting two sides pieces ⁄2" x 3" x 4" end of the jig to make square cuts. With from plywood. Then cut the spacer that goes practice, you won't even have to trim the between the two using falloff from your tails when fitting. stool. This will ensure your jig sleeves tightly 3 over your work. The spacer should be ⁄4" x 3 ⁄8" x 4". I glued and nailed the spacer between the two sides and then cut one end at a 7° or 9° angle. I cheated and used a chop saw for this cut.
22 Popular Woodworking July 2003 Tread
3/4" 1" 17/16"17/16" 1"
1/8" 1/8" 1/8" 51/4" Dovetail layout detail
1/4" Back Tread 3 2" 1 /4" brace brace 1 /4" 1/4"
3/4" 3/4" Dovetail layout detail
7º angle on tails for hardwood (shown) After defining the tails, remove the little triangle of wood between them with a coping 1 9º angle for softwoods saw. The ⁄8" gap is big enough for a small chisel to fit into for trimming.
Clamp a panel into a vise and use the tails on the tread ends and braces to mark the locations for the pins and brace notches. Use a knife to get a more accurate layout. Because they’re easier to fit, I don’t use a jig for the pins. Just lay them out from the tail marks, using a knife and sliding T-bevel set to 7°. Fit the pins to the tails with a four-in-hand rasp, remov- Those of you using the training-wheels jig can now cut all of the tails on the ing material from the pins until the tread can be lightly tapped onto the treads and braces. You’ll have to figure out which way the jig works best on side. Use a backer block to do this so you don’t split the tread. each cut. If you’re not sure, mark the tails with a pencil so there’s no confu- sion. I like to use the rip side of the Ryoba to cut dovetails. Some people use a crosscut saw for this cut, but the rip teeth are the correct choice.
popwood.com 23 ▼ 18th CENTURY Simple Candle Boxes
very time my wife, Terri, and I go has a one-piece bottom. But if you choose These simply made antique shopping, she invariably to build an even larger box then you should buys a candle box. She loves consider a two-board bottom that’s simply boxes once were used them, which is why we have them shiplapped together. The shiplap joint takes to store candles. Today all over the house. Look in any of care of any shrinking or swelling that might Eour cabinets or on any of our tabletops and occur with seasonal humidity changes. you’ll likely find one of these simple boxes The sliding lid on your candle box also they can be used for being used for storage or decoration. will differ depending on the size candle box As our collection of candle boxes from you choose to build. My large candle box decoration or your antique shows grew, it dawned on me: I has a beveled top, while my smaller candle should be building them. And so, I did. You box has a rabbeted top. I cut my bevels using spare change. can build several of these classic boxes in a my table saw, so when building smaller day and they’re a great idea for last-minute, candle boxes that require a smaller top, a homemade gifts. They look really nice on a rabbet cut is the safer cut to make. shelf and they’re a great way to hide all the Once you’ve determined the size of your things you don’t want lying about, such as candle box, the construction part is easy. spare change. And here’s the best The back of the box slips into two rabbets by Troy Sexton part: They’re very simple to build. cut into each of the side pieces. The front is butt-jointed into place between the sides. Some Thoughts on Size The bottom is glued and nailed into place. Before you begin, you need to choose the Once cut to size, the sliding lid is either bev- size of your candle box. The illustration, cut- eled or rabbeted to slide in and out of three ting list and the instructions that follow offer grooves, which are cut in the candle box’s the details you need to build the large box two sides and back. Cut a thumb notch on
that’s shown in the picture. This large box the top and you’re done. ▼
24 Popular Woodworking July 2003 Photos by Al Parrish
Photo by Al Parrish popwood.com 2525 ▼
Box First top on the back and two sides, as tom into place, as shown in the If you’re building a few of these The sizes and dimensions are shown below. Next, cut the bot- photo on the next page. boxes at one time, drill out the based on my large box. If you’d tom to size. If you’d like to make notch using a 35mm bit in your like to build the small box, check a two-board bottom for the large Lid Last drill press. You’ll need to make a out “Building the Small Box” at box, feel free. Simply cut a shiplap Now turn your attention to the jig, as shown on the next page. right. joint to join the two bottom lid. Measure and cut the lid to The thumb notch is drilled at a 1 3 First, cut all your stock to size. pieces. size. Cut a 14° bevel on the lid’s 15° angle, ⁄4" deep, with a ⁄8" 1 1 Next, cut a ⁄4" x ⁄2" rabbet at Before assembly, finish sand back and two sides using your offset from the back. one end of each of the two side the interiors of all your parts. It’s table saw as shown on the next If you’re building only one box, pieces, as shown below. Then cut easier now than later. Now glue page. Check the fit. cut away the notch using a gouge 1 1 3 a ⁄4" x ⁄4" groove ⁄8" from the and nail the back, front and bot- Now cut the thumb notch on and some sandpaper, as shown on 1" 1" the front end of the lid. The notch the next page. Using a gouge also 1/4" 3" 1/4" is perfectly sized for your thumb is a way to make your box look Construction Notes: to pull the sliding lid in and out. more authentic. 14ϒ A 1/4" d. x 1/2" w. rabbet 51/2" 5" B 1/4" x 1/4" groove C Fit bottom to opening and butt join D Thumb notch 1/2" 5" 1/2" Elevation-open end
3/8" 1/4" 43/8" D 1/2"
131/4"
C Use your table saw to cut the rabbets on one end of the two sides. The rabbets hold the back in place. 131/2" 121/2"
B A Illustration by John Hutchinson 1/2" 1/4" 51/2" 1/4" 5" Plan Side section- lid removed ▼ Simple Candle Box No. Item Dimensions (inches) material T W l 1 3 ❏ 1 Front ⁄2 4 ⁄8 5 Maple 1 1 ❏ 1 Back ⁄2 5 5 ⁄2 Maple 1 1 ❏ 2 Sides ⁄2 5 13 ⁄2 Maple 1 1 ❏ 1 Bottom ⁄2 5 12 ⁄2 Maple Use your table saw to cut the grooves at the top of the two sides and at the top of 1 1 1 ❏ 1 Lid ⁄2 5 ⁄2 13 ⁄4 Maple the back. These grooves must be right on for the sliding lid to work properly.
26 Popular Woodworking July 2003 Building the small box Following are some sizes and dimensions that will be helpful when Before finishing, sand the ex- Now that I build all of our building the small candle box. terior of the box and the lid. I fill candle boxes, we really don’t have • Overall dimensions: in my tiny nail holes with wood an excuse to buy the boxes when 3 3" high x 8" wide x 3 ⁄8" deep putty. You can finish these boxes scouting out antique shows. But 3 any way you like. I simply apply a that’s OK. Not buying candle • Built using ⁄8" stock 1 3 couple coats of lacquer, sanding boxes simply has led to bigger and • Rabbets on side pieces: ⁄4" x ⁄8" 3 1 between each coat. better finds. PW • Grooves on side pieces and back: ⁄16" deep x ⁄4" 1 1 • Rabbets on lid: ⁄8" x ⁄4"
Use the bottom piece as a place holder when nailing the front and back to the sides – it’s easier to line everything up this way.
When building multiple boxes at one time (which I suggest), use your drill press and a 35mm bit to cut the thumb notch on the lid. Make a jig to cut the 1 notch at a 15° angle, ⁄4" deep. I suggest doing a few practice runs first.
You can use a gouge to cut your thumb notch. Or, cut the notch using your drill press, then clean up any burn marks with a gouge. Leave the tooling marks Tilt your blade 14° when for an authentic look. cutting the bevel on the lid. If your lid is too small for this operation, simply cut rabbets to slide into the box’s grooves.
popwood.com 27 Photos by Al Parrish
28 Popular Woodworking July 2003 ▼ 18th CENTURY Butler Tray Table
hen we set out to build a bring out the good tea service for afternoon Nothing says “classy” tray table, we thought we’d tea. Having the head servant emerge with come across plenty of ex- everything in its place and setting it on the like bringing out a amples in the historical table base would appear most impressive. full tea service on a record. Truth be told, there weren’tW many. This form probably origi- Ellipses and Squares nated about 100 years ago, in the Victorian The top is a rectangle set inside of an ellipse. tray table. Here’s all era. A time when showing all of the trap- The wings actually touch at the four corners you need to know to pings of wealth included having the butler of the rectangle. With the aid of our com- build a proper tray table that lifts off its base. Butler not in- cluded.
by Jim Stuard
If you are going to change the size of the top, you’ll need to use an ellipse-marking jig (top). If not, cut out the wing patterns on the next page. Make copies of the wing pattern halves and tape them together. Glue the patterns on the appro- priate wings and cut out the oval-shaped wings. Next, clean up the edges of the wings with a block plane and prepare for
mortising the hinges (right). ▼
popwood.com 29 ▼
3 puter drafting software, I deter- Mounting the Wings Rout a ⁄8" profile on the top and the pattern at right, sand and rout 1 1 mined the perfect size of a rect- Mark the hinge locations 4" in a ⁄4" profile on the bottom. After with a ⁄4" radius. Finish sand the angle that yields equal widths on from each corner and transfer the this is done, remove the wings. top and wings and then set them all four wings. If you want to location to each wing with a Scrollsaw the handle holes using aside for finishing. modify the top and base sizes, knife. The barrels of the hinges you’ll need an ellipse-layout jig. don’t align exactly with the wing We built a simple ellipse-layout joint, so use the template in the jig, which first appeared in our illustrations at right to locate the Use 3/4" material for jig September 1997 issue. Although hinge recesses. Rout the recesses this issue is no longer for sale, on the table side first; then, with Use 1/4" spacer for we’ve posted plans for the layout a spacer, rout the wing side. routing wings jig online at popularwoodwork- There is some chisel work in- ing.com/projects/oval_layout_jig. volved in fitting the hinge’s 13/8" 3/ Begin by cutting out all the spring mechanism to the top and 4" radius parts according to the cutting list. wings. After this is done, attach Next, cut the wings to shape as all of the wings and test the fit. shown in the photos. Then put You will notice that after the wing parts in place against mounting the wings, all four can’t 11/2" the rectangle and, using masking fold up at the same time. Routing Stop nailed to edge of template tape, attach the wings to the top a roundover profile on the edges so they pull up tight. of the top and wings will fix this. For full-size enlarge 200%
Plan of routing jig for tray hinges
26" base size ▼ 43/4" 11/4" Butler Tray Table 1 No. Item Dimensions (inches) material 1 /2" T W L 5 1 1 16" ❏ 1 Top ⁄8 18 ⁄2 28 ⁄2 Mahogany 5 3 1 base See full-size detail ❏ 2 Short wings ⁄8 4 ⁄4 18 ⁄2 Mahogany 1/8 5 3 1 on the next page 13" 28 " ❏ 2 Long wings ⁄8 4 ⁄4 28 ⁄2 Mahogany size 3 1 1 ❏ 2 Short aprons ⁄4 3 ⁄2 14 ⁄2 Mahogany ❏ 3⁄ 1⁄ 1⁄ 1 2 Long aprons 4 3 2 24 2 Mahogany 1 /2" 1 1 3 ❏ 4 Legs 1 ⁄2 1 ⁄2 17 ⁄8 Mahogany 1 5 1 /4" ❏ 2 Stretcher halves ⁄8 4 30 Mahogany 3 1 3 3 4 /4" ❏ 8 Brackets ⁄2 2 ⁄4 2 ⁄4 Mahogany 3 1 ❏ 1 Tray foot stock ⁄4 ⁄2 24 Mahogany 23" 1 ❏ 43/4" 11/2" 1 /2" 43/4" 1 Center ball 2 2 3 Mahogany 1/4 11/4" 1 " 38" Plan
5/8" 5/8" 31/2" 31/2" See full-size detail on the next page 81/4" 18" 81/4" 18" 5 /8" 5/8" 5" 5" 43/4" 43/4" 43/4" 43/4" 13" 23" 1 11/2" 1 /2" 11/2" 11/2" 11/4" 11/4" 1/ 1/ 38" 1 4" 28" 1 4" Elevation Profile
30 Popular Woodworking July 2003 Hinge location
Handle cutout
For full-size enlarge 165%
Hinge location Short wing CL
For full-size enlarge 165%
Handle cutout Illustrations by the author
Make a jig to rout the hinge mortises. If you use the supplier that we named, use the pattern on this page to make a jig for routing the mortises. If you use a bearing-on- CL top bit, make sure that you use material thick enough to accommodate the bit and bearing when you make the jig. Short wing
popwood.com 31 ▼
The Pierced Stretcher ily attach the stretcher pieces The stretcher on this table is together with a screw. strictly for show, and the turned Next, make two copies of each C L ball centerpiece discourages stretcher pattern shown here. people from putting anything on This gives a left and right, and the stretcher, including their feet. the crosshairs in the center give Rough cut the stretchers to size, a good indexing point. Tape the For full-size enlarge 165% then use the pattern on this page pattern pieces together and affix to lay out the angled half-lap them to the stretcher blank. CL joints on the pieces. I cut the half Remove the screw and cut the laps with a hand saw and a rabbet stretchers out using a scrollsaw. plane, but a straight edge and a Precision is important here router would work fine. After because there is little room for cutting the half laps, temporar- error when fitting the stretcher
60ϒ
CL
For full-size enlarge 165%
CL Base stretcher
Base stretcher Layout of patterns on half-lapped stretcher
32 Popular Woodworking July 2003 to the legs later on in construc- tion. Take your time and do it right. Once the stretchers are cut and sanded, glue them together. Lastly, turn a small ball for the 1 center of the stretcher. Drill a ⁄2" 3 x ⁄8"-deep hole in the center of the stretcher and a deeper hole in the ball. Attach the ball with a dowel after finishing.
Fluting the Legs Use a router in a table to flute the legs. Set stops at each end of the fence and measure (include the bit width) from the mounted bit to the stop. The distance should be 1" less than the length of the leg. This gives a 1" space at the top and bottom where there is 1 no fluting. Using a ⁄4" round nose 3 bit, the first setup is ⁄16" from the Begin the stretcher layout by mark- ing the centers of each stretcher piece along the length and across the middle. Drill a small hole through each center and place a small finish 3 3 nail through both pieces. Place this /16" /16" assembly on the 60° angle and mark 1 1 1 both pieces at the edges where they /4" /4" /4" touch (right). Once you get the angle right, cut the half lap. First I used a Tenon size hand saw to define the edges, then I 3/4" Leg used a rabbet plane to hog out the waste (above). 1"
11/2" 3/4" 3/4" 1 1 /8" 3 /2" 21/2" 3 /16" Leg Apron Tenon
3/4" 3/8" Apron
Full-size 7/8"
Leave a square corner 4" down from Apron the top of the leg to index the top Full-size Full-size plan of table base corner Full-size elevation of table base corner
popwood.com 33 ▼
1 bit to the fence and ⁄8" up. The second is centered on the leg. The photo at left details the setup necessary to complete this pro- cedure. The diagram shows you the location of each flute. To complete the legs, first set the jointer fence at a 45° angle and cut a chamfer on the inside corner, away from the outer fluted sides. Set the depth of cut so there is an equal amount of width left on each remaining bevel. See the full-sized diagram for details.
Beading the Aprons The bead at the bottom edge of the aprons will cast a shadow line that separates the aprons from the corner brackets. After beading the 3 1 3 aprons, cut ⁄8" x 2 ⁄2" x ⁄4" mor- tises on the legs in the locations shown in the diagram. Then cut 3⁄ 1⁄ 3⁄ This is how you create a drop-cut flute: With the router running, hold the leg firmly and gently lower it onto the bit with the end the 8" x 2 2" x 4" tenons on the of the leg against the first stop (which isn’t visible behind my right hand). Run the leg across the bit to the other stop and lift it ends of the aprons. Now check straight up. Now rotate the leg 90° and repeat the process. Reset the fence to rout the flute down the center of the leg. Use a the fit with the mortises in the test piece first; then run the center flute on each leg. legs.
Assembly and Finish The base can now be dry assem- bled to get the finished size of the stretcher. Set the base upside down and lay the stretcher onto the bottoms of the legs, spaced evenly on all four legs. Mark the joints where they meet the legs. Cut the excess off and sand the ends until the stretcher fits snug- ly between the legs. Bore holes in the stretchers and legs for a dowel as shown at right. Glue the base together and clamp. While the glue dries, make eight copies of the corner bracket pattern, which is shown at right. Lay out the brackets according to the pattern and cut their cor- ners square with a miter saw. Note the grain direction for strength. Affix the patterns to your wood with spray adhesive and cut them out on the scrollsaw. Sand and 1 I beaded the aprons using an old Stanley #45 moulding plane. The bead is a standard ⁄8" and can also be made with a beading attach the brackets with small bit in a router table. brads and glue.
34 Popular Woodworking July 2003 Now build the tray’s feet, which keep the tray centered per- fectly on the base. First cut 45° 3 miters on the ends of some ⁄4" x 1 ⁄2" stock (called “tray foot stock” in the cutting list) and cut them to 2" lengths. Using the foot pat- tern below, scrollsaw left and right mitered pieces for each foot. Place the top and base upside down on a blanket. Center the inverted base on the top. Nail two of these corner pieces together and attach them to the top at the inside cor- ner where the long apron meets the leg. Leave a little clearance so the top won’t get stuck. Start the three-step finishing process with a thinned-down red aniline dye. Why red? This will accentuate the red that is already in the mahogany. Your goal is a bright reddish or pink color when After fitting the stretcher, lay out and drill dowel centers so that the stretcher will attach 5" up from the dry. So don’t be shocked if your bottom of the legs. table suddenly looks like it belongs in the circus. Rag it on, preferably with cheese cloth (it doesn’t leave lint on the surface). Wipe any blotches down with a clean rag lightly soaked with the thinner used for your dye. Next, reduce some neutral grain filler with oil- based mahogany stain to the con- sistency of heavy cream. Rub the stain/filler mixture across the grain Grain direction leaving a fairly heavy coat. Let it stand for a few minutes until the Full-size thinnest part of the application Full-size starts to dry. Rub the excess stain/ filler out across the grain and fin- Plan ish rubbing lightly with the grain. Apply three coats of clear lacquer, Full-size sanding between coats. And now Full-size it’s tea time. PW Full-size Full-size diagram of corner bracket
Supplies Lee Valley Tools 800-871-8158 or leevalley.com Profile 8 • butler tray table hinges #00W21.02, $6.70/pair Full-size diagram of foot for top • screws #91Z05.04, $3.20/100
Prices correct at time of publication.
popwood.com 35 ▼ 18th CENTURY Pennsylvania Spice Box
he idea of building this spice box Start construction by gluing up panels came to me after seeing a picture This heirloom (unless you have some nice wide boards) and of one in a book called “The cutting the sides, bottom, top and dividers Pennsylvania Spice Box: Paneled 18th century spice box to the sizes as given in the cutting list. Most Doors and Secret Drawers” by Lee of the joinery is done with stopped dados. E. Griffith (Chester County Historical serves as a beautiful T Though you can make through-dados with Society). I first built a raised-panel door and a table saw, stopped dados are easier with a later tried a marquetry door, as was pictured 1 jewelry box. router. I used a trim router to form the ⁄4"- in the book. If you ever thought marquetry wide dados in the sides for the drawer parti- would be an interesting skill to acquire but 7 1 tions. Cut each dado ⁄16" deep and 7 ⁄8" long, were scared off, check out my article in the starting from the back edge of each side. February 2002 issue, available for sale on our Locate the dados by using the diagrams. And web site. I’ll show you how to do it with tools remember: You are making right- and left- you already own, and skills you’ve already by Glen Huey handed pieces. mastered. Whether you choose to build this project with a raised-panel door or a mar- quetry door, you’ll be left with an 18th cen- tury heirloom that you or your loved ones will enjoy for years to come.
Somewhat Complex Casework The construction for this box itself is actu- ally more complicated than you’d expect from such a little thing. The sides are dove- tailed to the case top, while the bottom is fit into dados cut in the sides. The back rests in a rabbet, and the center dividers for the draw- ers are joined with dados to one another and
to the case. ▼
36 Popular Woodworking July 2003 Photos by Al Parrish. Special thanks to Sharon Woods for use of location.
Photos by Al Parrish
popwood.com 37 ▼
1 1⁄ While you have a ⁄4" bit set edge of the lower dado and stop- Four 4" dados are 1 1 cut in each side to up in a router, cut the ⁄8"-deep ping 1 ⁄2" down from the top edge hold the drawer dados in the drawer dividers to of the side. dividers. I like form the interlocking divider as- The next step is to cut the using a trim router sembly. You might be tempted to through-dovetails to mate the top for this step and nail the interior assembly togeth- to the sides. Use whatever dove- also using a template guide er now, but you need to wait until tailing method you prefer. I cut with a straight bit you can dry-fit it with the rest of mine by hand to give the piece an and a piece of the case assembled. authentic period appearance. scrap wood as a 3 Chuck a ⁄4"-diameter pattern- The last step before assembly straight edge. cutting bit in your router (a small- is to cut away the lower part of er diameter bit will do, just make each side up to the previously cut a couple of passes to achieve the dado, but leaving “feet” on either final width) and cut the dados in side. This cutaway allows you to the sides for the bottom using a attach the bottom (resting in the straight edge as a guide. Use the exposed dado which now becomes same setup to form the rabbets on essentially a rabbet) to the sides the sides for the back boards. The using cut nails, and allows the 3 bottom dado is ⁄8" deep and starts lower moulding to appear open 2" up from the bottom. The back below the cabinet, but makes at- 5 7 rabbet is ⁄8" x ⁄16" and runs the taching the moulding simple and full length of the side. makes it stronger. Use the mould- The door fits onto the case by ing patterns to locate the cut- cutting a stopped rabbet on the aways, holding the top edge at the left side piece and notching out bottom of the lower dados. 1 the right side. First make the ⁄4" After some interior sanding, 3 x ⁄4" stopped rabbet using a rout- round over the leading edges of er, starting at the top edge of the the drawer partitions a fair amount 1 lower dado and stopping 1 ⁄2" to give the interior a more finished down from the top edge of the appearance. You’re now ready to side. Next, square out the rabbet assemble the case. Start with the using a sharp chisel and mallet. dovetails, then slip the bottom in To notch the right side, I used my place and nail it in place up I switched bits and routers then cut a dado for the bottom in each side and a 5 table saw, again starting at the top through the bottom. Add the sub- stopped rabbet on the back edge of each side to hold the ⁄8" back boards in place. ▼ Pennsylvania Spice Box No. Item Dimensions (inches) material Notes No. Item DImensions (inches) material Notes T W l T W l Case Drawers, continued 3 1 5 1 ❏ 2 Sides ⁄4 9 ⁄8 18 Walnut ❏ 1 Top front† ⁄8 3 11 ⁄2 Walnut 3 1 1 1 1 ❏ 1 Bottom ⁄4 8 ⁄2 12 ⁄4 Walnut ❏ 18 Sides ⁄4" thick x (front width- ⁄4") 3 1 3 ❏ 1 Top ⁄4 9 ⁄8 13 Walnut wide x 5 ⁄4"long Poplar 3 1 1 1 ❏ 1 Sub-top ⁄4 8 ⁄2 11 ⁄2 Walnut ❏ 9 Bottoms ⁄4" thick x 6" wide x 1 1 3 ❏ 3 Horiz. dividers ⁄4 6 ⁄2 12 ⁄8 Walnut (length of front) long Poplar 1 1 ❏ 1⁄ 1⁄ ❏ 2 Horiz. dividers ⁄4 6 ⁄2 4 Walnut 9 Backs 4" thick x (front width- 4") Poplar 1 1 3 wide x (length of front) long ❏ 2 Vert. dividers ⁄4 6 ⁄2 4 ⁄8 Walnut 1 1 1 ❏ 1 Vert. divider ⁄4 6 ⁄2 3 ⁄8 Walnut Door* 5 3 1 3 3 1 ❏ 1 Back ⁄8 12 ⁄8 17 ⁄4 Poplar Shiplapped ❏ 1 Top rail ⁄4 1 ⁄4 11 Walnut 1 ⁄4" TBE 11 7 3 1 1 ❏ - Top moulding ⁄16 1 ⁄16 44 Walnut ❏ 1 Bottom rail ⁄4 2 ⁄4 11 Walnut 1 ⁄4" TBE 5 5 3 3 ❏ - Bottom moulding ⁄8 2 ⁄8 36 Walnut ❏ 2 Stiles ⁄4 2 13 ⁄4 Walnut 5 1 3 5 Drawers ❏ 1 Panel ⁄8 9 ⁄8 10 ⁄8 Walnut ⁄16" TAS 5 1 ❏ 1 Bottom front † ⁄8 3 11 ⁄2 Walnut TBE = Tenon on both ends; TAS = tenons all sides 5 1 1 ❏ 1 Center front † ⁄8 4 ⁄8 4 ⁄8 Walnut *Door width nominal, trimmed to fit after assembly 5 15 7 ❏ 4 Small fronts † ⁄8 1 ⁄16 3 ⁄16 Walnut †Drawer front sizes fit openings exactly. Trim to fit once your case is assembled. 5 7 5 ❏ 2 Split fronts † ⁄8 2 ⁄8 5 ⁄8 Walnut
38 Popular Woodworking July 2003 ▼ 1 1 /16" 11/16" 13" 13"
7/16" deep rabbet for 5/8" thick back 91/8" Sides dovetailed 7/16" deep dados for 1 to top 3 9 /8" 10 /16" 1/4" thick dividers
1 1 /16" 1/4" deep rabbet door stop Plan Horizontal box section 151/8" 1 1/2 3 /2" 12 " door 1 10 /16" 11/16" 1 /16" 11/16" 2" 81/2" 2" 91/8"
17/16" 3 1 /4" 1/16" reveal
3/4" 83/8" 93/4" 18" 133/4" door H-hinge
21/4" 1/8" reveal
25/8" 15/8" 5 17/8" 1 /8"17/8" 21/4" 93/4" 21/4" 6" 141/4" 93/4" Elevation Profile 13" 3 3 3 10 /16" /4" 1 /4" 11 /2" 3/4" Secret drawer
1/2" 1/4" 3/4" All dividers 1/4" 3"
7/8 5 5 1 2 " 5 /8" 5 /8" 133/4" 7 /8"
115/16" 37/16" 41/8" 37/16" 18" 41/8" 115/16"
7 /16" deep 5/8" 3" 81/2" stopped dados 3/4"
2" Illustrations by John Hutchinson Elevation - door & trim removed Vertical section popwood.com 39 ▼ top that is slipped into place inside detail routed onto the top edge. horizontally, and the shiplapped tenon joinery. While I don’t want the case (under the top) and at- Cut this next. The upper mould- joint is horizontal and falls some- to set you up for failure if trying tach it to the top using screws. ing uses a double-ogee design to where near the center of the back. my inlaid door (February 2002 This sub-top builds up the front form a miniature crown. See the Cut the pieces and mill the rab- issue), I’d make sure I had enough edge of the case to support the top diagrams to help match these pat- bets to form the shiplapping, but walnut for this frame-and-panel moulding. terns on your case. With the leave the back loose till after fin- door if things didn’t work out as After a dry test-fit, assemble moulding shaped, miter the cor- ishing the piece. It’s hard enough planned. the drawer dividers using glue and ners and attach them to the case to finish the small drawer divider To make the door, cut your one or two strategically placed using small brads. Nail directly spaces without a back. rails, stiles and panel to rough size. brads. Then slide the drawer as- through the moulding into the The drawers use straightfor- Select stock for the panel with sembly into place in the case, case. Cut the front mouldings to ward, traditional half-blind dove- some nice figure to make the door using only glue. fit first, then work back from the tails. Use poplar for all the parts really special. Start by running a 3 While letting the case sit corners to get the side mouldings except the fronts, which are wal- ⁄16" beading profile on the inside clamped-up for about an hour, mill the proper length. Set the brad nut. See the story “Traditional front edge of each piece. The in- the material for the top and bot- nails below the wood surface, then Dovetailed Drawers” for details. side edge of the bead should roll tom mouldings. Using the pro- use a matching wood putty to fill into the panel once it’s in place. 1 3 vided patterns, mark and then cut in the holes. Door is Last Next cut a ⁄4"-wide x ⁄8"-deep out the bracket feet patterns on The back for the case is made The first door I built for this cab- groove down the center of the the lower mouldings. The lower from two interlocking shiplapped inet was a frame-and-panel design inside edge of each door stile and 1 mouldings also have a decorative poplar boards. The grain is run built with haunched mortise-and- rail. Then make a ⁄4" x 1" mortise,
With the case dovetails cut and the bottom bracket for the feet cut out, you’re ready to assemble. The dovetails are simple, and the cleverness of the The door is fit into a recess on the right design shows as you’re able to nail the side. I made this recess by first running bottom in place in the rabbets through the side on edge over the table saw to the access made by cutting out the feet define the top and bottom of the recess. brackets. I then reset the saw, ran the blade height down below the surface of the table, and slowly raised the blade into the piece while running. The piece is then pushed through the saw to the end of the cut and the saw turned off. The waste is connected by small pieces of wood and can be cut free simply with a hand saw.
40 Popular Woodworking July 2003 ▼
With the drawer dividers assembled and installed, Haunch the moulding is ready to go on. The top moulding was made using a roman ogee bit in two steps, then nailed in place. The lower mould- ing is cut to provide the bracket base design 3 Mitered ⁄16" bead using the scaled pat- terns provided, then an attractive profile is run on the top edge. The rest 1 3 ⁄4" x ⁄8" groove is simply mitering and Door construction detail nailing in place.
1 1 ⁄4" deep at the top and bottom on the piece. Now miter the from the bottom end. tenon 1" in (including the blade 1 1 of each stile, ⁄4" in from each end. beaded profile. Tip your table saw’s Reset the blade to 90°, and by thickness) and ⁄4" high. Then use 1 The ⁄4" width should center on blade to 45°, and with the rail running each stile on end with your rip fence again to cut away the previously made groove, and resting on the inside edge, use your the outside edge against the rip the tenon waste on either side of 3 the depth of the mortise should miter gauge to notch the inside fence, trim ⁄16" from the inside the rail tenons, leaving the appro- 1 include the depth of the groove corners, 1 ⁄4" in from each end, edge of each stile, up to the height priate-width tenon to fit in the 3 itself. and at a height of ⁄16". While the of the previously cut 45° miter. mortises in the stiles. Now dry-fit Next, set up your table saw to blade is set to 45°, make a similar With the tenon formed, it’s the door together to check your 1 1 3 make the ⁄4"-thick x 1 ⁄4"-long cut on the two stiles, set at ⁄16" time to make it a haunched tenon. joints. 3 tenons on both ends of the door high, and starting 1 ⁄4" in from the Using your miter gauge, notch the I used a panel-raising bit in my 1 rails. The tenon is again centered top end of each stile, and 2 ⁄4" in outside edge of each door rail router table to shape the door
Traditional Dovetailed Drawers Not only is the construction of the drawers traditional, the secret hiding drawer bottom flush to the back. Assemble the drawers with glue, then spaces are as well. The spices kept in these boxes were already considered tack the bottoms in place using a few small brads. valuable, but the original builders wanted to make it possible to store Trim the drawer bottoms so that everything aligns in front nicely, then even more valuable items undetected. Behind both second-tier, shortened add the simple screw-on knobs to the drawers. Follow the same finishing drawers are secret drawers. It’s a nice touch, but it’s your choice. The sizes technique for the drawers as for the main case and you’re ready to start given in the materials list are for full-depth drawers in those spaces. You filling up your spice box. can change the dimensions as you like to add your own secret. Construction of the drawers uses half-blind dovetails to mate the fronts and sides, and through-dovetails to mate the backs and sides. The bottoms simply are tacked on to the sides and back using brads. This method of attaching the bottoms will prove sufficient to carry the amount of weight in these small drawers. Each drawer uses three dovetail pins per joint and all that I made were hand-cut. Start by cutting the drawer fronts to fit in each of 1 the spaces with about ⁄16" clearance on all sides. With all the 1 3 fronts cut, set up a router to cut a ⁄4" high x ⁄8" rabbet on the inside bottom edge of each front. The sides should align with the top of the rabbet, so go ahead and lay out your dove- tails on the fronts, sides and backs. With all the dovetails cut and fit, cut the bottoms to width for each drawer, but leave them a little long. The length of the drawer bottom will serve as a stop against the case back to keep the drawer fronts aligned properly. The exception to this is with any secret drawers. Leave a longer bottom on the secret drawer and make the front
popwood.com 41 ▼
Take your time fitting and attaching the door to the case. Because it’s inset on three sides, and the traditional hinges don’t allow for much slop, you need to get it right the first time.
Secret drawer using an “H”-shaped hinge that’s ing piece when finished. All the screwed into the right-hand edge basics of a larger piece, but it fits The drawers are built to match the traditional style of the original piece, with the backs captured in through-dovetails to the sides, and the fronts attached to the of the door and the right side of on your table. PW sides with half-blind dovetails. The bottoms simply are nailed onto the sides, which the case. The lock set requires a would be a poor idea in anything larger than these drawers. Though the materials recess routed into the back of the list doesn’t call out the pieces for it, I added a very typical secret drawer behind one door. Because each of the locks is Supplies of the drawers. fairly individual, use the actual Horton Brasses lock to accurately determine the 800-754-9127 or appropriate sized recess. The same horton-brasses.com panel. Allow the appropriate door using glue in the mortise- goes for the recess required in the 1 • lock thickness at the edge of the panel and-tenon joints, but allow the left-side piece to accept the bolt #LK-11, $9.25 for it to fit into the grooves in the panel to float loose in the grooves. from the lock. 1 • escutcheon #H-121, $3 stiles and rails. The flat of the I added squared pegs to the joints, To finish the piece, I filled the 1 1 11 • ⁄2" knobs panel will extend ⁄8" beyond the drilling all the way through the grain with a paste filler then ap- #H-42, $1.80 front surface of the door, while door at the center of each tenon, plied a couple of coats of blonde 1 2 • 2 ⁄2" hinges the back surface of the panel will sanding the pegs flush to the sur- shellac to bring out the beauty of #HH2, $14/pair fit exactly into the groove and face of the door. the walnut. Though there are lots Prices correct at time of publication 1 form a ⁄4" recess. Assemble the The door is hung on the case of little pieces, this is a very pleas-
1 One square = ⁄2" Base scroll patterns
42 Popular Woodworking July 2003 ▼ ARTS & CRAFTS Greene & Greene Side Table
Simple joinery makes a table in the classic style of the Greene brothers a rewarding and easy project for woodworkers of any skill.
by Steve Shanesy ▼
Photo by Tim Grondin
popwood.com 43 ▼
f you don’t mind a little 1 easier than band sawing such a to about ⁄16" from the line. The the part that will go to the inside cheating, you can make tight radius. After carefully band router will clean up the rest. of the table base as the side to this table quite simply. You sawing to the line, sand the band- To prepare for routing, set up nail to. Run each part this way. see, the “pegged” mortise- sawn edges so that they are a router table with a router and If you use cherry, do your best not and-tenon joints aren’t 1 smooth and straight. Next, on the ⁄2" straight bit as mentioned to hesitate in the corners of the really pegged at all. They are I the template, mark each pattern earlier. No fence is required for cut to minimize burning. simple dowel joints, and the edge with a line that represents this type of pattern cutting. To “pegs” are merely inlaid and ap- the ends of the two different begin routing, align the part so Shape the Legs plied pieces of ebony. But even lengths of aprons and stretchers that the ends match up with the Next, turn to the legs. First shape if you feel the slightest twinge of used in the project. lines previously drawn and so the bottom to the gradual taper- guilt about taking such short cuts Before using the templates to that the leading edge of the pat- ing curve as seen in the diagram. – please don’t. The brothers rout the design, first band saw tern aligns with the edge of the Start the detail 3" up from the Greene and Greene, renowned away most of the waste on the part. Attach the part to the tem- bottom. The slight curved taper architects and designers of the 1 parts. Using the template, draw plate using two small brad nails. removes only ⁄4" per side at the late Arts & Crafts period, didn’t a pencil line of the design on each You can putty the nail holes later, end of the leg. Now make a tem- hesitate a moment to use screws apron or stretcher, then band saw but even so, select the “b” side of plate of the pattern so you can in their classic furniture. So a little liberty on this project fol- lows right along in the tradition. When routing the I built this table from cherry. cloud lifts, the top-mounted bear- The legs require 2"-thick mate- ing on the straight 1 rial and the top requires 1 ⁄2"- router bit follows thick stock. The aprons and and duplicates the 7 stretchers finish out at ⁄8" thick. pattern shape If you use thinner material, you onto the table apron. Before rout- could reduce both the top and ing, most of the 1 legs by ⁄2", and the aprons and waste material is 3 stretchers could go to ⁄4" stock. removed with a That will keep the proportions band saw. Note just about right. the aprons ends are aligned with Prepare all your stock to the pencil marks on final sizes as given in the cutting the template and list. Next prepare the template the part is held to for routing the so-called “cloud the template with lift” patterns on the aprons and brad nails. stretchers. These are a Greene and Greene signature design and Here I’m rounding were borrowed from the Japanese. over the edges 1 with a ⁄4”-radius Cloud Lift Template router bit. Almost The two-sided template is made every edge on the 1 project gets this from ⁄4" Baltic birch plywood treatment. The with the two patterns (one is exception is where slightly longer than the other) parts join together, cut on the long edges of the same such as the apron piece. Plan on using the template and stretcher ends, along with a straight router bit and apron top edge. with a bearing of the same dimen- sion as the bit diameter. Draw the design on the plywood following the dimensions in the diagram. 3 The “lift” is ⁄4". Before band saw- 1 ing to the line, drill ⁄2" holes in the inside corners of the pattern. Drilling these holes is much
44 Popular Woodworking July 2003 19" 1 1 11/4" 1" 1" /2" /2" 1" 1" 11/4" 25/8" 25/8" 1" 25/8" 25/8" 7/16"
11/4" 3/8"
7 Breadboard mortise layout /16" Tabletop
▼ Elongated Greene & Greene Side Table screw hole No. Item Dimensions (inches) material T W L 7 7 3 ❏ 4 Legs 1 ⁄8 1 ⁄8 21 ⁄4 Cherry Breadboard 7 3 1 ❏ 2 Aprons ⁄8 4 ⁄4 16 ⁄4 Cherry Mortise 7 3 ❏ 2 Aprons ⁄8 4 ⁄4 13 Cherry Ebony plug with 7 1 1 ❏ 2 Stretchers ⁄8 2 ⁄2 16 ⁄4 Cherry 1/16"x 80ϒ chamfer 7 1 ❏ 2 Stretchers ⁄8 2 ⁄2 13 Cherry 1 3 ❏ 1 Top 1 ⁄8 18 ⁄4 20 Cherry 1 Breadboard plan detail ❏ 2 Breadboards 1 ⁄4 2 19 Cherry
20" 17/8" 1 7/8" 2" 2" 161/4" 20"
17/8" 1/4" typ.
13" 163/4" 183/4" 19" 2"
17/8" 1" Plan - top removed Tabletop plan 2" 2" 20" 19" 11/8"11/4"
Breadboard end - see details 1 2 /8" 5/ 43/4" 3 8" 1 /4"square 1 applied /2" typ. 9 ebony pegs 3 30ϒ typ. 21 /4" 4" 3"
21/2" typ. curved 1/ 5" 6 4" leg taper 3" Illustration by Joohn Hutchinson
17/8"1161/4" 7/8" 17/8" 13" 13/8" Elevation Profile
popwood.com 45 ▼
draw a pencil line for each side gated screw slots in the bread- The edges of the top and bread- Right-Sizing of the leg. Then band saw and board to anticipate wood move- boards that join together remain Dowels sand to the line. ment in the top. To make the square. As with the table base, A dowel that’s even slightly With the parts of the table square grooves in the breadboard pre-sand the top before assem- oversized in diameter can cause base shaped, go back to the rout- ends, use a mortising machine or bling the top and breadboard 1 all sorts of problems – the worst er table and insert a ⁄4" roundo- chain drill the holes and then ends. When done, clamp the of which is actually splitting the ver bit in the router. Run the square them up with a chisel. The ends to the top so they remain in part to be doweled. This not only profile on all the long edges of depth of the hole is 1". The size perfect position while screwing happens because the dowel is a 3 the legs, stretchers and aprons, of the small holes is ⁄8" wide by the ends in place. snug fit, but also because the 1 except for the top edge of the ⁄2" long. The longer holes are 1" glue in the hole has nowhere to apron, which remains square. long. go once you insert the dowel. If Ebony Plugs and Pegs the glue can’t escape, it can Before attaching the bread- The ebony plugs used on the 1 prevent the dowel from insert- Dowel Joints for Base boards to the top, go back to the table all stand about ⁄8" proud of ing completely and can actually To assemble the legs, aprons and router table and round over the the surface. The top of each plug prevent the parts to be joined stretchers, drill the holes for the long edges of the top and the is shaped so that it looks faceted, 3 from closing completely. ⁄8" dowels and sand the parts to outside edges of the breadboards. or slightly beveled on the top. If your dowels are too snug, 150 grit. Use two, 2"-long dowels there’s an easy fix called a for each joint and position them dowel skinner. In this project, I so that when assembled, the 3 found my ⁄8" dowels were too 1⁄ 3 apron sets back 4" from the out- tight for my ⁄8" hole. The solu- 1 side face of the leg. tion was to drill a hole in ⁄8" or 1 When all the dowel holes are thicker mild steel, that’s ⁄64" smaller than the dowel. Then drilled, dry-fit the assembly be- just drive your dowels through fore actually gluing it together. the hole with a hammer and When I assembled my base, I you’ll get a perfect fit. glued and clamped it in two stages. First assemble one set of legs, aprons and stretchers. Then complete the assembly after the first assembly is dry. Take care not to apply too much glue because squeeze-out in the joint is diffi- cult to clean up and can lead to finishing problems later.
Make the Top Now turn your attention to the tabletop. The breadboard ends with ebony plugs are another Greene and Greene signature detail. I made the breadboard 1 ends ⁄8" thicker than the top, 1 leaving them ⁄16" proud of the thickness of the rest of the top. They also are slightly longer. This additional length anticipates eventual expansion of the top. Prepare your top’s main boards and glue them up. When dry, square up the top and cut it to its final size. The breadboards are Simple joinery makes this project quite easy. A pair of dowels join each apron and 1⁄ attached easily with a 2 2"-long stretcher end to the leg. This vintage Stanley #59 doweling jig makes this process screw in each of the plugged especially easy due to its adjustability (see the story at right), particularly when 1 holes. Be sure and make elon- drilling the holes in the legs to provide the ⁄4” setback of the aprons.
46 Popular Woodworking July 2003 The ebony plugs for the bread- place. The glue cures quickly and 3 1 boards are first made as a ⁄8" x ⁄2" no clamping is required. long stick. Carefully make two Finish sand the top and base 3 10° cuts on one of the long ⁄8"-di- with 220 grit sandpaper. This last mension edges to create two of sanding must be done by hand the facets. Next cut them to due to the plugs projecting off length, but a little long. Fit each the surface. I finished the project one as they are installed. I fit using two coats of a clear satin mine by sanding. Also sand the finish spray lacquer that comes other two facets on the top sur- in an aerosol can. A wiping var- face. When ready to install, add nish or polyurethane also would a slight amount of glue and care- be appropriate. Whichever finish fully tap them into place. The you use, sand lightly between process is a bit tedious, but it coats for the smoothest results. takes just about an hour to com- You’re almost done. Attach plete. the top to the base using what- The smaller pegs for the mor- ever method you prefer. I used 1 tise-and-tenon joints are ⁄4" 1"-square wooden cleats and square. To make these, cut an screws. Again, be sure your meth- 1 ebony stick ⁄4" square and about od of attachment accommodates 12" long. Facet the top to make wood movement in the top. PW a shallow pyramid shape by sand- ing, then hand-saw off the shaped 1 end about ⁄8" long. Repeat the process until you have at least 24 “plugs.” To apply the “plugs” use No mortising machine? You can still cyanoacrylate (what most people speed along the process of cutting the plug holes in the breadboard ends. After call Super Glue). Carefully mark marking out the locations, drill out most the location of each plug, add a of the waste, then square up the ends tiny drop of glue and set it in and side walls with a chisel.
Old Stanley Doweling Jig The Best There was a time when I used a lot of dowels in furniture build- ing. Back then, the jig I used was the self-centering kind. A few years ago a woodworker friend showed me a vintage Stanley doweling jig he picked up at a flea market. Its design is quite similar to the current Stanley offering, but the quality of the materials are far superior to today’s models. The great feature of this design is the variability of spacing the dowel hole locations and the ease of aligning the hole center to your predetermined location. Since purchasing my own vin- tage Stanley, my self-centering jig hasn’t come out of the drawer. Chances are you can buy your own vintage Stanley #59 or #60 at auction on eBay (ebay.com). Just make sure the one you bid on is complete. The bushings for guiding your drill are interchangeable depending on which size hole you want. A complete jig would 1 5 3 9 1 include bushings for ⁄4", ⁄16", ⁄8", ⁄16" and ⁄2" drill bits. These rigs can generally be bought on eBay for about $25. If you do buy one of these tools without bushings (or if you need odd-size bushings), Stanley still sells them as replacement parts. Call 800-262-2161 during business hours and select the option “replacement parts.”
popwood.com 47 Photo by Tim Grondin
48 Popular Woodworking July 2003 ▼ ARTS & CRAFTS Slant-arm Morris Chair
all me lazy, but I’m a sucker for a through-tenons, but I’ll also show you a comfortable chair. Growing up, it The one piece clever way to get the same (likely even bet- was my Dad’s La-Z-Boy. When he ter) look without all the fuss and without wasn’t in it, I was pulling on the of furniture most sacrificing strength. I also left some of the handle to recline the back and back comfort to the cushion and opted for relax with a book. It’s quite possible that my identified with the C straight back rails, taking out hours of work. affinity for Arts & Crafts furniture stems from The cushions are loose, with the seat cushion that love of a comfortable chair. Arts & Crafts supported by a drop-in frame that’s criss- About 1900, a number of manufacturers crossed with jute webbing. offered reclining-back chairs called the movement is more As for the finish, fuming can give a great- Morris chair (the predecessor of the La-Z- looking finish to white oak pieces. But it can Boy!) in a variety of designs. The first Morris than an icon … it’s be dangerous (toxic fumes), very time con- chair was produced by British Arts & Crafts suming and still cause irregular coloring of designer William Morris’s company, Morris a very comfortable the wood. Instead, I used a staining method Co. But furniture maker and marketing ge- we’ve perfected throughout the years, which nius Gustav Stickley brought these chairs reading chair! gives a very good finished look and durabil- into homes throughout the United States. ity to the piece. Stickley’s first design was patented in 1901. It underwent changes through the years. Square spindles were added about 1905, and those spindles turned into broad, flat by David Thiel slats about 1909. Stickley’s chairs included pegged through- tenons, steam-bent back rails, a variety of seat designs, and a fumed-oak finish. While I can appreciate all the hard work that went into those original chairs, I felt that with the technology we have today, I could build a chair somewhat more simply, but still just as attractive and comfortable. The chair built here includes pegged
Photos by Al Parrish ▼
popwood.com 4949 ▼
leg will only give two opposing faces. striking sides. To improve this, Once again, with the glue some people have glued-up the cured, head back to the planer and legs from four mitered pieces and run the leg down to 2" square. joined them with what we would Make sure you take evenly from recognize as a lock-miter joint the veneer sides to leave equal today. This does a nice job of pro- amounts of veneer on each side. viding dramatic grain, but if you’re Then cut the legs to length. Now planning a true through-tenon in it’s time to do some measuring. the arms, the mitered version leaves a hollow center. Laying out the Mortises I chose Stickley’s method – As I mentioned earlier, you can veneer. By cutting the legs and make this chair with true through- the veneer to cover the non- tenons or cheat a little – your quartersawn sides of the legs from choice. I did both, making the leg By first gluing two pieces (cut from the same board) together to form the majority of the same section of board, the legs tenons true through-mortises, the leg blank, you get two quartersawn faces. By then adding thick quartersawn look like they’re quartersawn on veneer (also cut from the same board) to the two plain faces, you’ve achieved a leg while the leg/arm tenons are fake. with four quartersawn faces. After carefully planing the legs down to 2" x 2" size, all four sides – a nice trick. Use the article, “Through-tenon 1 the veneer face will be about ⁄16" thick, making it almost invisible. Start by ripping the two leg- Caps” on the following page to halves slightly over width and help decide which method you length, and glue them together. want to use. Start with the Best Wood run the boards through your When the glue has cured, run one Regardless of which method One of the secrets to good-looking planer to knock the rough surface glued edge over the jointer, then you choose, the locations of the versus average-looking Arts & off to see the grain more clearly. plane the opposite edge to form, mortises are the same. Use the Crafts furniture is wood selection. not a square leg, but one that is diagrams to locate the mortises 7 The best pieces use quartersawn Love Those Legs 1 ⁄8" on the non-glue seam face and mark them on the appropriate 1 white oak that offers amazing Legs on Morris chairs have been and 2" (or 2 ⁄8") on the glue seam faces of the legs. While you’re at cross-grain ray flakes – adding made dozens of ways throughout face. Then plane the veneer it, mark the locations of the ten- 1 drama and flair to what is essen- the years. Because the ray flake pieces to ⁄8" (or thicker if you’re ons at the tops of the legs as well. tially a plain furniture design. only will appear on the quarter- more comfortable that way) and The diagrams will help here. Note Quartersawn white oak is more sawn sides of the board, a square glue those pieces to the seamed that the front leg tenon is a com- expensive, but I think you’ll agree that the results speak for them- selves. Also, while this is a pretty ▼ large chair, a great amount of Slant-arm Morris Chair wood isn’t needed to make the No. Item Dimensions (inches) comments T W L frame. I used about 60 board feet 1 1 1 5 ❏ 2 Front legs 2 2 23 ⁄2 1 ⁄4 x 1 ⁄4 x ⁄8 tenon, top 1 5 for this chair. That gave me plen- ❏ 2 Back legs 2 2 20 1 ⁄4 x 2 x ⁄8 tenon, top 7 1 3 3 1 1 ty of room to pick the pieces with ❏ 1 Front rail ⁄8 4 ⁄2 27 ⁄4 ⁄8 x 3 ⁄2 x 2 ⁄4 TTBE 7 3 3 1 1 the best grain and still have lots ❏ 1 Back rail ⁄8 4 27 ⁄4 ⁄8 x 3 ⁄2 x 2 ⁄4 TTBE ❏ 7⁄ 1⁄ 3⁄ 1⁄ of scrap for some smaller Arts & 2 Lower side rails 8 3 29 4 8 x 2 x 2 4 TTBE ❏ 2 Arms 1 5 37 See diagram for fitting Crafts pieces for the future. 7 1 1 3 ❏ 2 Upper side rails ⁄8 3 ⁄4 26 ⁄4 See diagram for fitting, ⁄4 TBE 3 1 1 1 1 When you have your lumber, ❏ 10 Side slats ⁄8 3 ⁄8 14 ⁄4 x 2 ⁄2 x ⁄4 TBE decide which boards will offer the ❏ 4 Corbels 1 2 10 1 5 1 best grain pattern and mark those ❏ 2 Back posts 1 ⁄8 1 ⁄8 29 ⁄4 3 7 1 1 3 ❏ 1 Top back slat ⁄4 3 ⁄8 20 ⁄2 ⁄2 x 3 x ⁄4 long TBE for the arms, front and lower side 1 1 1 1 ❏ 4 Back slats ⁄2 2 ⁄2 20 ⁄4 x 2 x ⁄2 long TBE rails, and side slats. Having good 3 3 ❏ 2 Seat sides ⁄4 2 ⁄4 26 3 1 1 3 1 1 grain pattern on the legs is nice ❏ 2 Seat front & back ⁄4 2 ⁄4 20 ⁄8 ⁄8 x 1 ⁄2 x 1 ⁄4 long TBE 3 1 too, but I’ll show you a trick to ❏ 2 Seat cleats ⁄4 1 ⁄4 23 10° bevel on one length 5 1 make that happen in a second. ❏ 2 Pivot pins ⁄8 3 ⁄4 Trim to fit after installation 5 ❏ 2 Back stops ⁄8 3 If you’re working with lumber 1 ❏ 2 Back stops 1 2 ⁄4 One end rounded in the rough and you’re having 1 1 1 ❏ 2 Arm caps 1 ⁄2 1 ⁄2 ⁄2 See diagram for fitting 1 difficulties determining the grain ❏ Dowel/pins ⁄4 48 Cut to fit patterns, it may be beneficial to TBE=tenon both ends; TTBE=through-tenon both ends; TOE=tenon one end
50 Popular Woodworking July 2003 15/8" 19" 15/8" 1" G 1/2" 1/2" 1/2" 37/8" E 14ϒ 3" typ. 1/8" See arm & top rail 1 F 1/ 11/4" 1/ 2 /2" typ. details below 8" 8" 291/4" 1 51/2" 36 /2" 5" 1" L
31/4" 1 7 /4" /8" 7/8" 31/8" 11/2" 113/8" typ. typ. 3 1/2 2 /8" 131/2" 131/2" H 1 " 227/8" 41/2" J G 3" 3" 7" 1 11/8" 31/8" 2 2 /8" G 2" 2" 2" 2" 243/4" 231/4" 291/4" Elevation Profile Construction notes: A 11/4" x 11/4" x 5/8"l. tenon B 11/4" x 2" x 5/8"l. tenon C 3/8" x 23/4" x 3/4"l. tenon D 3/8" x 7/8" x 3/4"l. tenon E 1/2" x 3" x 3/4"l. tenon F 1/4" x 2" x 1/2"l. tenon G 1/8" chamfer, four sides 1 4 /2" 3/8" x 31/2" x 21/4"l. through-tenon 4" 131/4" H 1 3/ 1/ 11 /2" 91/8" J 8" x 2" x 2 4"l. through-tenon K Back stop dowel holes L 1/4" x 21/2" x 1/4"l. tenon Section 2" 11/4" 11/4" 5" 11/4" 11/4" 5/8" Arm plan 5/8" 51/2" 1/ A 36 2" 7/16" B 9 1/4 /16" 1 " typ. 1 29/16" 1 /2" 7/8" 31/4" 7/8" C 1/4" shoulders 243/4" D 3/4" 3/4" K
Arm section Illustrations by John Hutchinson
popwood.com 51 ▼
plete, four-shouldered tenon, By cutting the cheeks of the tenon while the back leg tenon is shoul- oversized to start, I was able to dered only on the inside and out- edge up to the appropriate thick- side. You could put a shoulder on ness, checking the tenon in the all four sides, but nobody will see actual mortise as I went. them, and it’s a lot of extra work. When your first tenon is the With everything marked, check correct thickness, go ahead and them again. This isn’t a place you cut the rest of them, then reset want to make a mistake. the saw to trim the tenons to Note that the upper side rails width, again checking the fit as don’t have through-tenons, only you go. Use the same technique blind tenons. The mortise needs to form the tenons on the tops of 1 to be only ⁄16" deeper than the the front and rear legs. tenon length to allow for glue If you don’t have a dado stack, space and to make sure the tenon you also can use a standard com- doesn’t bottom out before the bination blade in your saw and A hollow-chisel mortiser makes quick work of the through-mortises. A backing shoulder is tight against the leg. make repeated passes to remove 3 board underneath the legs reduces the tear-out on the exit side of the mortise. While I used a ⁄8" hollow-chisel mor- the material. It’s slower, but still you can use a router to create mortises, a through-mortise of this size will tax a tiser to make my mortises. If you works. I actually have found the router motor and will require routing from both sides, adding concerns about alignment. A better alternative would be to use a drill press to drill a connected don’t have a hollow-chisel mor- ribbed face left on the tenon by a series of holes, then square out the mortise with a sharp chisel. tiser you can use a drill press to single blade can make fitting the bore out most of the waste mate- tenon very easy. Cut the tenon rial. Simply clean up the edges over-size then simply plane the with a sharp chisel. high points off the ridges with a shoulder plane to fine-fit the Through-tenons tenon. Next, grab one of the legs and head to the table saw. To cut the Putting a Slant on Things tenons on the rails I used a dado You’re almost done with the rails, stack, a miter sled and a rip fence. but before you can actually fit the
Making the through-tenons is simple, repetitive table-saw work. Using a dado stack and a miter sled, use the rip fence on your first pass to define the tenon shoulder. Then back the piece away from the fence to nibble off the rest of the cheek cut. Flip the piece and repeat for the opposite side. Check the tenon’s fit in your already-cut mortise to make sure it’s a snug fit. It’s easier to take a little wood off the tenon than to put it Though you can mark the taper on the upper side rails using the information in the back on. Then do the same on the other end of the rail. To make the shoulder cuts, diagrams, it’s a good idea to check it against the actual chair. This will ensure that repeat the process, adjusting the dado height to fit the tenons in the mortises. the taper ends at the shoulder of the tenon on the back leg.
52 Popular Woodworking July 2003 While you could use a mortiser to 1 create the ⁄4”-wide mortises in the Through- upper and lower rails for the side Indexing marks slats, a router works well and leaves Tenon Caps a clean hole. By making indexing Rather than fuss with actual marks (indicating the infeed and through-tenons, a slightly outfeed sides of the bit) on the 1 oversized ( ⁄8”) through-tenon router table fence and on the back cap will give the same look but side of the rails, I’m able to stop and save time and effort. By using a start my plunge cuts accurately. Make your mortises in multiple wood blank and making the 1 passes. A ⁄4" bit is pretty small and cuts shown below on both ends any unnecessary stress will send you of the blank, caps are made very to the store for a new bit. quickly. This works not only for the leg through-tenons, but also the rail through-tenons in the legs.
I used a combination blade in my table saw to make the relatively 1 short tenons on the back rails. This With the blade set to the ⁄8" height, required three or four passes over define the very bottom of the cap on the tenon and left a “ridged” all four sides. appearance on the tenon. I took advantage of this and made the tenons slightly over-thickness, then used a shoulder plane to hand-fit the tenons to the mortises. I guess that’s what they call making lemonade out of lemons.
1 Shift the rip fence ⁄8" to the left to “lengthen” the tenon of the cap.
upper side rails, you need to cut a thick, that leaves room for only a cations, then go ahead and cut 1 taper on each upper side rail. First thin ( ⁄4") tenon. These tenons the mortises and tenons. dry-fit the chair except for the don’t need to be very long. I used Next, with the rip fence and sled upper side rails, clamping the my router table to make the mor- Caps or the Real Thing? out of the way, set the blade to a chair frame to pull the joints tight. tise in the upper and lower side If you’ve opted for real through- 14° bevel and bevel the top of the 1 Then slip the upper side rail into rails, marking the stop and start tenons, mark the tenons where cap to leave an ⁄8" side. the front mortise (if possible) and locations on both the pieces and they exit the mortises, then mark use the diagrams on page 51 and the fence of the router table. and file the bevels to finish off the a straight edge to lay out the taper. With the mortises complete, through-tenons. Otherwise, look Then cut the taper on the band it’s time to head back to the saw at the story “Through-tenon saw and you can go ahead and fit for a few minutes to cut the tenons Caps” at right to make the tenon the rear tenons. on the side slats. To do this, use caps and dry-fit them in the legs. You’re still not done with the the same technique you did for frame. The next step is to mark the upper side rails. Slick Slant Arms Finally part the cap from the blank. and make the mortises for the side To make the back, use the Stickley used three types of arms Watch your fall-off so it falls clear of 3 the blade! slats. Because the side slats are ⁄8" diagrams to mark the mortise lo- on his Morris chairs: a flat arm, a
popwood.com 53 ▼
With the chair dry-assembled (right) you get a good look at the through-tenons and a good sense of the structure of the chair. To finish off the look of the through-tenons, I first marked how much the tenon protruded from the mortise 1 (this should be ⁄4" in all cases) then 1 marked an ⁄8" line around the end of each tenon. I then used a file to simply chamfer the ends of the tenon (below) at an approximate 45° angle. Push towards the end of the tenon on all four sides to avoid tear-out or splintering. 1 5 ⁄2"
Move file in this direction
7 9 ⁄16" ⁄16"
Here’s very clever way to make the slanted arm. The arm at right has had the wedge cut from the front of the arm on the band saw. The arm on the left shows the wedge moved to the 1 underside of the arm, completing the slant. You’ll lose a ⁄16" of thickness at the front of the arm, but it’s hardly noticeable and the finished arms have a nearly seamless grain match. bowed arm (making a gentle arch After marking the through-mortise over the chair side) and the slant 1 location on the arms, I used a ⁄2" drill bit arm. For some reason the slant to make access holes through the arm at arm always struck me as most opposite corners of the mortise location comfortable. Besides, the slope is (left). Then I used a jigsaw to connect the just slight enough that you can holes, making a reasonably square and clean hole (right). Happily, because I was still balance a cool drink on the using tenon caps to face the through- arm. tenon look, the mortise only needs to fit The way the arm is cut to form the stub tenon and not be perfect when the slant is Stickley traditional. viewed from the top of the arm. The arm is formed from a single piece of wood. A wedge shape is marked out on the side of the top of the arm, then it is cut away on the band saw. That same wedge is then reglued in place underneath the arm, forming the slant. You lose a little thickness in the front part of the arm, but a the wedge shape on the arm. clearance holes at two opposing ing the overhang spaced cor- good blade in your band saw will With the arms slanted, it’s time corners. Then simply use a jigsaw rectly to the inside of the arm. make this fairly simple. The joint to make mortises in the arm. Mark to connect the dots. Then use a pencil to mark the practically disappears and the the tenon location on the top of The rear blind mortise is eas- exact location of the mortise. wood transition on the top of the the arms using the diagrams. ily located by slipping the front I used a plunge router free- arm is seamless. It’s a cool trick. The through-mortises are made mortise over the front tenon, then hand to cut out the rear mortises. 1 Use the photo to help you lay out by first using a ⁄2" drill bit to make clamping the arm in place, hold- I’m very comfortable with a rout-
54 Popular Woodworking July 2003 With the arm slipped in place over the front leg tenon, I clamped the arm in position with the appropriate interior overhang and marked the actual location of the rear tenon. I then routed the oversized mortise (using multiple depth- settings to achieve final depth) just short of the pencil lines and used a chisel to clean up the edges (below right).
Angle of shoulder = 6ϒ but follows rail's slant
Rout oversize to accommodate tenon angle Rear leg joinery er and this freehand operation Putting on the Glue Start with the two sides, first handy. Glue the front and rear wasn’t difficult, but you can also If everything seems to be fitting gluing the slats between the upper rails between the two sides. use an edge guide to ensure an ac- fine, you’re almost ready to glue and lower side rails. Clamp across Measure between the legs at the curate cut. things up. But first, before you the rails, then go ahead and insert top and bottom of the legs to make disassemble the chair, mark the the rail assembly into the leg mor- sure everything is square. If you’ve No Glue Yet! angle on each of the leg bottoms tises. As you clamp up each side, got a couple extra clamps, go While I know you’re antsy to glue that is keeping the chair from sit- align the upper side rail with the ahead and glue up the back frame something together, you’re not ting flat. It should be no more that tenon shoulders on the front and at this time as well. 1 ready yet. You need to disassemble an ⁄8" offset and should only re- rear legs. This will allow gluing While the glue is curing, slip the frame and mark the locations quire a 2° trim on the table saw. contact along the full length of the arms in place on the leg tenons on the two rear legs for the pivot Disassemble the chair, then the underside of the arm. Glue and then go ahead and make the holes for the back. Also mark the head to the saw and trim the leg both sides, then set them aside. arm caps, fitting them in place in pivot location on the back posts, bottoms. Pay attention to the While the glue is curing, cut the arms. After sanding the arms, then head to the drill press and length of the front legs (which the frame pieces for the seat, and glue the caps in place, too. use a Forstner bit to drill the holes. should be the same) and the back cut mortises and tenons to as- You’re now ready to fit the seat While you’re at the drill press, use legs (which should be the same). semble the frame. You could make into the frame. The seat rests on the diagrams to mark the locations With the legs trimmed you’re the frame with a more simple two cleats mounted to the inside on the arms for the back stop holes in for some sanding. But do it now, joint, but honestly this is where a of the front and back rails. Both and drill them, too. You should be because it’s a lot more difficult lot of your weight will be focused cleats are cut longways at a 10° able to dry-assemble the chair and once everything is assembled. I so making a strong frame is a good angle, then screwed in place on slip a couple of dowels into the worked up through 150-grit sand- idea. the rails. The rear cleat is mount- back now and get a good look at paper, then got things organized Take the side assemblies out ed flush to the bottom of the back how everything’s fitting together. for gluing up the chair. of the clamps, but keep them rail, while the front cleat is held
popwood.com 55 ▼
7 down ⁄8" from the top of the rail stay loose, again to make finishing to get the pegs all the way into the With everything finish-sanded, to allow space for the seat frame, easier. holes, I used an electric pencil it’s time to stain. As I mentioned and a little extra room. As a last step, drill and cut sharpener to chamfer the leading earlier, Stickley used ammonia to 1 With the seat frame free of the lengths of ⁄4" dowel rod to peg the end of each dowel. Add some glue, fume his furniture. We’ve come clamps and sanded, the front and through-tenons on the frame. I then pound the pegs home. Use very close to his finish using ani- rear edges also should be trimmed used two pegs on the front and a flush-set trim saw to cut the pegs line dye, brown glaze and a top- at a 10° angle and fit onto the rear of the legs for each joint, and flush to the legs. Sanding finishes coat of lacquer. cleat to produce an easy fit. a single peg in each of the side the job. I used a water-based amber joints. Make sure you drill through maple dye from J.E. Moser to put Final Details past the tenon, but not all the way Ready for Finishing the first layer of color on the chair. You’re almost down to the wire. through the leg. To make it easier There are a couple final details to 2" finish, including the corbels (the arm supports) and the back sup- port pegs. Use the diagram at right to cut and shape the corbels from 3 some ⁄4"-thick stock. A band saw and oscillating spindle sander make quick work of these pieces. 1" r. With the arms clamped in place on the chair, fit the corbels to the legs (the rear corbels need to be beveled to match the slope of the arm), then glue the corbels to the leg, making sure their top edge is flush to the leg tenon shoul- Here you can see the essence of the “reclining” chair. The four evenly spaced holes in the rear of the arm allow you to move the back stop to whatever location is most der and the underside of the arm. comfortable for your sitting needs. It can’t get much simpler than that. You might be tempted to glue the arms on at this point, but the 10" chair is much easier to finish with the arms loose. Turn to the back stops and use the diagrams to cut and drill the 5 1"- and ⁄8"-diameter dowels to form the stops. Round over the end using a sander or by hand sanding. While you’re working 5 with the ⁄8" dowel stock, mark and cut the two dowels that will 1" r. make the pivots for the back. The dowels should finish flush, or slightly recessed in the holes in 1 the back, with ⁄4" of space on either side of the back, between the arms. The back also should 1 grid square = 1" Corbel layout 21/4"
1 1" 2 /4" 5/8"
1" 1" 5/8" 3" Back stop Front leg joinery 1" 3"
56 Popular Woodworking July 2003 To assemble the back to the chair, drill a hole through the back post and into the 1 pivot dowel. Next a ⁄8" dowel pin is glued in place. The dowel at right was cut to the exact length of the hole and is just started in the hole. When slid all the way in, it will be flush to the surface of the post and a brown marker will blend the end of the dowel to match the post. If the back ever needs to be removed, the pin can be drilled out, and the pivot dowel easily removed.
Pegging the through-tenon joints adds a nice expressed-joinery look to the piece, but also adds extra strength to the joint itself. The pegs are hammered home into the hole, then cut flush to the surface of the leg. By using a saw with little or no set to the teeth, you avoid scratching the face of the leg too much. If you don’t have such a saw, slip a piece of paper between the leg and the saw. It’ll save you some frustrating sanding.
Because the dye is water-based, I Before dying, take some mask- first wet a rag with water and wiped ing tape and cover the locations the chair to dampen the surface. on the arms where glue still needs After the water evaporated, I went to be applied. This tape will stay back over the chair with 220-grit in place until after the final finish sandpaper to knock down the coat. Once removed, the arms can raised grain. By pre-wetting the be glued in place with a sure bond chair, the grain is raised hardly at unaffected by the finish. all when the dye is applied. After the dye has dried over- night, apply the brown glaze, let- ting the color infuse the grain and Supplies Interwoven jute webbing, nailed to the seat frame with upholstery tacks, serves to slightly color the chair, but wipe Woodworker’s Supply support the seat cushion. off the excess glaze or it will hide 800-645-9292 or woodworker. the grain. Again, let the piece dry com 1⁄ 4 oz. • J.E. Moser’s Golden overnight, then you’re ready for located to allow 4" clearance on add the loose seat and back cush- Amber Maple water-based a couple coats of lacquer. either side. To fix the back loca- ions. To support the seat cushion, 1 aniline dye Because all the surfaces on the tion, drill a single ⁄8"-diameter I attached interwoven lengths of #844-750, $12.99 chair are fairly small in surface hole through the inside surface of jute webbing to the seat frame Woodfinishingsupplies.com area, I was able to use a commer- each back post, pegging the dowel. using upholstery tacks (see above). 507-280-6515 or cially available lacquer in a spray While this is a simple way to fix The cushions are fairly simple woodfinishingsupplies.com can to finish the chair. While you the back, it’s invisible once the boxed-corner pillows and could 1 quart • Valspar Professional still need a well-ventilated finish- cushion is in place, and if neces- be handled at home. The back Glaze, choose the color ing area, no other equipment but sary, it can be drilled out to re- pillow has loops attached at the “warm brown” the spray cans are necessary. move the back at a later date. top that slip over the top of the #WL6100-25, $10.99 With the finish done, remove Slip the back stops in place back posts to hold the cushion in Constantines the tape and glue the arms in and the chair is nearly done. place. 954-561-1716 or place. Be careful clamping across That’s all there is to building constantines.com the finish. It can take days for the Comfy Cushions the comfiest reading chair I know. 5 ⁄8" tacks • $6.95 lacquer to cure completely. Depending on your comfort level It’s also one of the most stylish jute webbing • $32.95 Next, put the back in place with a needle and thread or a sew- chairs I own, and I can stare at
Prices correct at time of publication and slide the pivot dowels into ing machine, you may want to opt the amazing grain for hours. Enjoy. the holes. The back should be for a professional upholsterer to PW
popwood.com 57 Photo by Tim Grondin
58 Popular Woodworking July 2003 ▼ CONTEMPORARY Nicolai Fechin-style Bench
icolai Fechin (1881-1955) is best Fechin used only hand tools, and I want- This accomplished known for his paintings, but he ed to try to build this bench in that spirit. also was an accomplished sculp- However, there were two power tools I sim- artist built amazing tor, builder and woodworker. ply couldn’t part with: a table saw and a detail furniture with only Born, raised and trained in sander. The bench is assembled using simple NRussia, Fechin moved to New York in 1923 but sound joints. The back is built using lap and eventually to Taos, New Mexico. During joints. The ends of the assembled back fit primitive tools. the following six years, Fechin transformed into notches in the sides. And the seat and his family’s adobe dwelling into a monument stretchers are attached to the sides with Carving in his style to his building, carving and finishing skills. through mortise-and-tenon joints. Every wood surface in the home bears the is a great exercise mark of his chisel or his adze. The furniture, Build the Bench doors, windows and beams were shaped, The first step is to build the back of the bench for beginners. meticulously sanded and patiently finished with lap joints to create the woven effect. to a mellow, leather-like color. The total ef- Cut the pieces for the back to size according fect is nothing less than stunning. to the cutting list, then use a dado set in your 3 This bench isn’t an exact duplicate of one table saw to cut the ⁄8"-deep lap joints on of Fechin’s pieces. Instead, it combines ele- the stiles and rails. See the diagram for the ments of several benches. This is a great layout of these joints. by Christopher Schwarz project for beginners because you can make Cut the sides, seat and stretchers to size. all of the carvings on this bench with two Using a coping saw and a chisel, cut the three 3 1 chisels and a gouge. ⁄4" x 3 ⁄2" notches into each side to hold the
Because you’re dealing with 21 lap joints, your cuts need to be as precise as possible. No matter how careful you are, you might find a little trimming is neces- sary. I recommend you use a shoulder plane for trimming the sides of the
lap joints. ▼
popwood.com 59 ▼
1 1 3 /4" 461/2" 3 /4" 3 /4" All increments are 31/2" unless otherwise noted 3/4" 2 End stiles 3 Middle stiles 2 Middle stiles
31/2" 31/2"
Middle rail 33/4"
Shaded areas are half-lap cuts facing front, 31/2" 18" dashed areas are on the back 3 Top and bottom rails 3 /4" 31/2" 31/2"
31/2" 31/4" 31/2" 3/4" 3/4" 1 31/4"346 /2" 1/4" Elevation of half-lap layout on the stiles All increments are 31/2" unless otherwise noted Elevation of half-lap layout on the rails Design Note: 1" The 12" depth of this bench mimics the benches found in the artist's home. 2" 12" If you plan on doing a lot of sitting on this bench, increase the width of the seat and sides by 2" or 3". 1" 45" 3 3 11/4" /4" /4" 11/4" 49" Plan 12" 3/4" 1" 101/4"
1 1 3 /2" 41/4" 3" 3 /2" 33/4" 3" x 9" 33/4"
31/2" Carving 31/2" location 1/ 33/4" 1 4" 33/4" 36" 31/2" 31/2" 36" 3/4" 3/4" 6" 1" 2" 1" 6"
2" 23/4" 23/4"
2" 2" 81/2" 1/2" 81/2" 2" Illustrations by Jim Stuard
45" 3 1 8" 11/4" 3/4" /4" 1 /4" 2" 2" 49" Elevation Profile
60 Popular Woodworking July 2003 How to Carve the Faceted Depressions
1 There are about 250 depressions spaced ⁄4" apart on this bench. And while they are a lot of work, the effect in the end is worth every minute. Here is the fastest way to cut these details. First make a cardboard 3 1 template. Cut a rectangle on it measuring ⁄8" x ⁄2". Use this template to mark out all the depressions.
You must be careful when using an adze. The large ones will open up your leg. The one-handed adze will only chew up your thigh. With the one-handed version, you can work with the wood to your side (instead of between your legs) which feels a good bit safer.
3 back. Now cut the five ⁄4" x 2" edges with a drawknife. Then go through-mortises on each side in over the surface with a jack plane 3 the locations shown in the dia- to even out the places where you Using a ⁄8" chisel, mark the center of the depression. Pound the chisel with a 1 gram at left. Finally, cut the 2"- got a little aggressive. Finally, sand mallet to make this cut about ⁄8" deep. wide x 2"-long tenons on the seat out the rough spots. and stretchers. Now cut the arch on the bot- tom of the sides with a keyhole Add Texture saw or jigsaw. Shape the opening One of the nicest parts of Fechin’s with a rasp. Finally, finish the furniture is the wavy, undulating edges with sandpaper. surface he created with his adze. An adze is like a hatchet with the Carving blade twisted 90°. Many come Don’t be intimidated by the carv- with a long handle, so you straddle ing on this bench. Once you get the work as you shape it. I used a the hang of it, you’ll be able to one-handed Portuguese adze in- carve the entire bench in about stead. Choose an adze with a blade seven or eight hours. Begin by lay- that curves up like it’s smiling at ing out the snake-like carving on you – sometimes called a gutter the sides. Photocopy the pattern Hold the chisel at an angle and define the sides. You don’t need a mallet for this. adze. (I ground my blade to this on the next page and attach it to shape.) Add texture to all of the the sides with rubber cement. parts with an adze; shape the Make the circular cutouts using ▼ Nicolai Fechin-style Bench No. Item Dimensions (inches) material T W L 3 ❏ 1 Seat ⁄4 12 49 Poplar 3 3 ❏ 2 Stretchers ⁄4 2 ⁄4 49 Poplar 3 ❏ 2 Sides ⁄4 12 36 Poplar 3 1 1 ❏ 3 Rails ⁄4 3 ⁄2 46 ⁄2 Poplar 3 1 ❏ 5 Middle stiles ⁄4 3 ⁄2 18 Poplar 3 1 Clean out the waste on the two sides of the depression with the chisel. ❏ 2 End stiles ⁄4 3 ⁄4 18 Poplar
popwood.com 61 small wedges forsmall tenons, the Idid. make as Or mortises, the You glue seat’s the can tenons into bench. Glue back the together. smooth. to get carvings finer grits the progressively MultiMaster) and (called sander detail fantastic the Fein Power I used to do this. Tool’s time touch.to the the Ihad Iwish perfectly smooth is every carving result, The she grits. says, that is extremely endedthe with and fine grits coarse the with He started carvings. the of all sanded hand 1999terview in her that father Fechin’s daughter, in an said in Eya Fechin, who Nicolai is and cleanly. on how quicklydetails to do this previous on the story pagethe for back,on the sides. seat and See faceted depressions and square the sides. the way Carve you carved same the diametercarved in and bench’s 1 each are These back. onout the 24 the patterns spiral line. Now up to that waste the lay deep. go remove back Then and chisel. Make your cut about define all of thewithedgesdefine a all of 62 Spiral 1 1 ⁄
2 ▼ It’s now time to assemble the Now decision. adifficult comes " and " and out area. indicates scooped Dashed circle P o p 1 ular ⁄ 2 " Forstner bits. Then
W ood w orking 3 1 3 July2003 ⁄ 16 ⁄ ⁄ 8 4 " " " - End panelcarving w w w aste aste aste Nicolai Fechin: Painter, Builder and Woodworker Nicolai Fechin loved his tools. He had a large collection of English and German carving chisels, sharpening stones, a hand-pow- ered grinding wheel, axes, a large adze, hand drills and saws, according to his daughter, Eya Fechin, in an interview that took place in 1999. But he didn’t like power tools. He once rented an electric lathe, briefly used it and then returned it. “He felt that machines inter- fered with the feeling of the wood and got in the way of what the wood wanted to become,” Eya said. “His carvings were so You don’t need a bucket of tools to make tactile. They want to be touched. these carvings, just patience. First use a They should be touched.” 1 ⁄4" chisel or gouge with a wide sweep Fechin was born in 1881 into to define the edges of the carving as a family of craftsmen living on shown above. Then go back with a larger the shores of the Volga River. His chisel to remove the waste up to the line. father, Ivan, was a builder who A sharp tool and a little care will save ran his own shop and taught you hours of sanding later. Finally, scoop young Nicolai about construction, out the center of the circle with a shal- carpentry, gilding and carving. In low gouge, such as a #5. 1895, Fechin entered a six-year art program at Kazan. After graduating, he then entered the Academy of Art in Petrograd. After the Bolshevik Revolution, Nicolai was invited by the Carnegie Institute to come to the United States in 1923. After a stay in Pittsburgh and four years in New York, the Fechins moved ▼ to Taos, New Mexico, where Nicolai transformed his house. which Fechin often did. Wedges stain that was highly diluted with Brush on two coats of the shellac The sad part of this story is allow your bench to be disas- turpentine to even out the look. and sand between coats. Now tone that as Nicolai finished work on sembled for moving or storage. He always wiped on his finish. the entire piece and the recesses his beautiful house, his wife Attach the back to the sides and Finally, Fechin would apply in the carvings. asked for a divorce, so he was never able to fully enjoy the fruits seat with sheet metal screws. Johnson’s floor wax to his piece, To do this, wipe on warm of his labor. He never built again. Disassemble the bench to prepare allow it to dry and then buff it brown glaze to one area at a time, Nicolai and his daughter moved for finishing. with a soft cloth. The result is a then wipe it off with a soft cloth. to New York briefly and then to soft, smooth, low-luster finish. Allow the glaze to dry overnight. Southern California to a studio in Finishing I approximated this look using Then apply three coats of a clear Santa Monica. He died quietly in Fechin’s finishes were an art form shellac, dye and warm brown glaze finish, such as clear shellac. I’ll his sleep in 1955. in themselves. Eya Fechin said her (available at woodfinishingsup- admit it’s not as mellow a finish as For information on his work, 1 father used a small gasoline torch plies.com). Add about ⁄2 teaspoon Fechin’s is, but it approximates call 505-776-2622 or visit fechin. to darken areas on the furniture. of alcohol-based orange aniline the look with less work and gives com. Then he would use a common dye to a pint of orange shellac. the piece some age. PW – Christopher Schwarz
popwood.com 63 Photos by Al Parrish
66 Popular Woodworking July 2003 ▼ CONTEMPORARY Plywood Nesting Tables
f you’ve been looking for an excuse to After ripping the sheets, determine which buy a nice table saw blade – or at least One table or three – three faces are most attractive and mark these get your old one sharpened – this is the as the outsides of the tables. Next glue the project. While these tables are simple how you use these pairs together. To keep the sheets from slid- to build, precision and a sharp saw ing around during glue-up, pound a nail into blade will make the difference between a sleek tables is up to I each slab about 1" from the ends. These ends relaxing weekend project or a frustrating will be cut off anyway, and it makes glue-up exercise in gluing up miters. you. much easier. Stack the three pairs together, I made these tables using three sheets of then clamp across the stack using stout wood plywood. Essentially I ripped each sheet down cauls to spread the pressure. the middle and glued the two pieces from 1 After the glue is dry, square off one end each sheet together to make a 1 ⁄2"-thick 1 of each slab. Then cut the slabs to 68", 62 ⁄2" slab. Then I beveled the front edge and glued and 55" in length. Don’t pitch the fall-off thin solid-wood pieces to cover the slab’s by David Thiel pieces, they’ll be useful later. Next, rip each plywood edges. Finally, I cut the legs and top slab to 23" wide to give you one flat edge. for each table from the slab and biscuited the You could run one edge over a jointer, but pieces together. This method allows the grain the adhesive in plywood is murder on high- on the top to continue uninterrupted down speed steel knives. When you have one the legs. square edge, set the table saw’s blade to bevel 5 5 at 33˚ and rip the three slabs to 21 ⁄8", 20 ⁄8" Make a Slab 5 and 19 ⁄8" wide respectively. Again, be sure Start the nesting tables by ripping three to save the fall-off. sheets of plywood in half. Rip them just under 24" in width. You won’t need all that width, but it will come in handy later. As for the lengths, using the full 96" is a little wasteful, but it does make gluing the two halves to-
gether easier. ▼
popwood.com 6767 ▼
Homemade Veneer with a flush-cutting bit for the You’re now ready to run some solid back edges, and I used a jack plane lumber to cover the plywood to get the beveled edges nearly edges. I used soft maple edging on flush. Then I used a random orbit my birch ply tables. sander to flush the edges perfect- 3 Run out six lengths of ⁄16"- ly. To soften the edges, I used some thick solid wood for the edges. To 120-grit paper wrapped around a plane wood that thin, you prob- block of wood. ably will have to put an auxiliary bed board over the bed of your Make Your Miters planer – most planers aren’t de- The tables slip inside one an- 1 signed for wood that thin. other with a ⁄4" gap between each, With the strips ready, it’s time so accurate cutting and spacing is Spacers underneath the slab allow the solid-wood edging to hang over to evenly cover the edges. It doesn’t take a lot of pressure to clamp the edges, and too much to glue them to the slabs. Find the very important. To make the mi- pressure will force the front edge caul to slide. fall-off from the bevel cuts and tered corners and still maintain grab a couple other sturdy solid the grain pattern on the tabletops, strips. Use the fall-off as a clamp- first crosscut the three slabs into (22" x 22") and set the blade bevel have the extra difficulty of the first ing caul. By gluing the edges on three parts. Use the table saw with to exactly 45˚ and the rip fence miter trying to slide under the rip the slabs with the bevel facing up, the blade set to 90˚. Start by mark- to cut the miter exactly to the fence. Adjust your cut for any vari- gravity is on your side. I also cheat- ing the middle of each slab and width of the top. If you have a ance and consider adding an aux- ed a little by tacking the edge strips cut the top section from the left-beveling table saw you’re in iliary fence that fits tight to the in place with a few small brads at middle of each slab, allowing the luck as the inside of the table is table surface. Repeat this with all either end. Once again, the extra excess length to remain on the leg on the tear-out side. If you have three tops. inch in length will be cut off, so sections. a right tilt, that sharp blade is im- You’re now ready to make the the nail holes won’t show. You’re now ready to do the portant. Make the first bevel cut miter cuts on the legs. Start with Glue the edging to the three precision cutting, and you’ll see on one end, then spin the top and the 22"-high legs and work 1 1 slabs, then trim the edging flush quickly why a sharp blade is im- make the cut on the opposite end. through the 20 ⁄4"- and 18 ⁄2"-high to the plywood. I used a router portant. Start with the largest top Again, with a right-tilt saw you legs, then trim the extra 1" off the
Getting the Angle on Biscuits Most of us have used biscuits at some time. If you haven’t, they’re a great way to align a piece for glue-up, and more importantly provide improved strength to what may be a less-than-perfect glue joint. Many biscuit joints occur with two right-angled pieces mating, but biscuits work just as effectively on mitered joints. In our nesting table case we have multiple 45˚ joints that need critical The Porter-Cable model 557 jointer offers a 135˚ variable If your jointer’s fence is restricted to 90˚ of variation, alignment and could use extra strength. fence, allowing you to set the fence for just the right angle you’ll need to make your cut from the inside of the and hold the machine firmly against the piece for a very piece and carefully align the face of the leg with the How to cut the biscuits on the mitered accurate cut. face of the machine. edge is a question best answered by the type of biscuit jointer you own. At right If your jointer is designed for ... or if you’re are four options that will take into only 90˚ biscuiting, don’t feeling inside out, account even the most basic jointers. fret. We’ve got not one, but flip the pieces so two ways to simplify your that the miters face cuts. The first method is to out, clamp the clamp two beveled pieces pieces together, and together, miters in, to form a make your cuts from 90˚ pocket, then place the the outside. This is jointer into the groove the preferred formed and make your cuts. method of the two.
68 Popular Woodworking July 2003 Enough clamps and careful adjustment during glue-up will ensure tight miters and an evenly spaced opening from top to bottom.
The first miter cut on the center slab (on a right-tilt saw) will balance the fall-off piece on the blade. Be aware of possible kickback of the scrap piece. ▼ Unless your rip fence is tight to the saw table, the miter will have a tendency to slide under the fence during the second cut (on right-tilt saws). Recheck your measure- Nesting Tables ments to accommodate this, Or you can add a tight-fitting auxiliary fence to the No. Item Dimensions (inches) material standard rip fence. T W L 3 ❏ 4 Sides* ⁄4 22 22 Birch ply 3 ❏ 2 Tops* ⁄4 22 22 Birch ply 3 1 90° end to achieve the perfect care with the mitered joint. You’re ❏ 4 Sides* ⁄4 21 20 ⁄4 Birch ply 3 1 ❏ 2 Tops* ⁄4 21 18 ⁄2 Birch ply height. Check the spacing be- now ready to finish. I chose to 3 1 ❏ 4 Sides* ⁄4 20 18 ⁄2 Birch ply tween the tables by “dry-nesting” simply add a few coats of clear fin- 3 ❏ 2 Tops* ⁄4 20 15 Birch ply 3 as you go. ish to the tables, but any number ❏ 6 Veneer edges ⁄16 2 96 Birch/Maple of stains to match an existing *Sizes are of finished components, not cutting sizes. Assembly décor will work well. PW The hard part is done. The rest is biscuits and clamps. I used four 3/16" veneer on back edge of slab #20 biscuits for each miter joint. With the biscuits cut, the fall-off pieces from cutting the slabs to 22" #20 biscuits length come into play. You’ll stick 181/2" them between the legs while glu- ing up the miters. It makes glue-up much easier. First check the in- 15" ternal dimension between the miters on each tabletop. Try to be as exact as possible, then cut spac- ers from the fall-off pieces for each table. Finish sand the interior faces 201/4" of each table and the beveled front 1 22" edge of each piece before assem- 18 /2" bly. Put glue on the miters and biscuits and glue the tables. Pay careful attention to the miter joint Illustration by Jim Stuard where the top and legs join. Unlike the hardwood edging, you 1 only have about ⁄16" of veneer to 33˚ bevel cut sand to match the joint. on edges With the tables assembled, 3/16" veneer on front sand the outer faces, taking extra Exploded view edge of slab 3/4" plywood laminated together
popwood.com 69 ▼ CONTEMPORARY Rice-paper Maple Lamp
This Japanese-inspired maple lamp provides subtle light for any modern home.
by Christopher Schwarz ▼
70 Popular Woodworking July 2003 3/16" 1/ 8" hole CL
1/ 8" dowel Shoji waxed a bit paper Illustration by Jim Stuard
Apply glue to the Dowel assembly detail top two pieces only
See detail elieve it or not, the above the base where the four dowels idea for this lamp will be located. Here’s how: Draw came to me while two lines between the opposite Shoji scrutinizing some flea- corners of the base. This creates paper market lamp shades an “X” at the center of the board. made from used Popsicle sticks. 1 B Measure out 4 ⁄16" from the cen- The concept, I decided, was ter on each of these four lines. sound. But I wanted to make 1 Drill a ⁄8" hole at each location. some changes. 1 Sand your four ⁄8" dowels a So instead of gorging myself bit and put some wax on them. on 88 Dreamsicles, I decided to 1 Slide the side pieces onto the use ⁄4" maple strips. And instead dowels. When you’ve reached of creating a true oddity of your final height, glue the four Americana, I chose to look to the Dowels set dowels into the base. Glue the 1 Far East to create a lamp that into /8" holes top two side pieces to the dowels would be at home in a Japanese and cut them flush to the top. or any modern household. Now glue the shoji paper to First you need to cut the 88 the inside of the lamp. I cut out sticks that make up the sides. Rip 1 1 four pieces of paper and glued 1 3 some ⁄4"-thick maple into ⁄4"- /4" x /4" groove them to the inside using yellow wide strips. I found that a board 3/4" 1 glue sparingly. Add your light 7 that’s ⁄4" thick, 6" wide and 4' /8" fixture and you’re done. No finish long makes one lamp. Crosscut 1 is required. PW the strips to 6 ⁄8" long. Exploded view Now drill the 176 holes in the side pieces for the four dow- els that hold the lamp together. ▼ I made a jig to hold a side piece Maple Lamp in place on my drill press while I SUPPLIES No. Item Dimensions (Inches) material T W L drilled the holes. The center of Highland Hardware 1 1 1 1 3 ❏ 88 Sides ⁄4 ⁄4 6 ⁄8 Maple each ⁄8" hole is located ⁄16" in 800-241-6748 or 3 1 ❏ 2 Feet ⁄4 1 8 ⁄2 Maple tools-for-woodworking.com 1 1 1 from each end. Now it’s time to ❏ ⁄2 ⁄2 ⁄2 1 1 Base 8 8 Maple ⁄8 1 sand all the pieces. 1 • 11 " x 60' roll of ❏ 4 Dowels ⁄8 13 Build the base. First cut the Shoji paper, white 1 #216401, $11.99 base to size and cut two ⁄4"-deep 3 by ⁄4"-wide grooves in the bot- Local home center tom of the base. These should be 1 • 6' cord set w/ candelabra 7 base light fixture located ⁄8" from the edges. Glue the feet in place. Now mark on Prices correct at time of publication
popwood.com 71 ▼ out of the woodwork Under the Rope and Into the Doghouse One man’s obsession with measuring a fabled antique results in one furious wife, one naked boy and an accurate cutting list.
remember the first time I saw a picture of man, I stood back, pulled out a piece of paper Ithe clock at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, and started scribbling wildly. I took pictures. N.C. It was a reproduction of a clock in the I measured the rocks on the wall behind it, Stickley catalog. I looked at the picture of the trying to get a point of reference. clock in the catalog and instantly assumed I measured Daniel and had him stand next from the photo that it was a mantel clock. to the rocks behind the clock and took yet This was a severe underestimation. more pictures. Still, there was a critical dimen- The clock in the Great Hall of the inn is sion that was being missed. an 8'-tall, 4'-wide behemoth of quartersawn Now, those of you who are without sin can oak, copper and testosterone. Elbert Hubbard cast the first stone, but I had come there to son before she darted from the reservation (of Roycroft fame) had designed it for the measure that clock…and by God, that clock counter toward the boy as other arriving pa- resort’s grand opening in 1913. I looked at the was going to be measured. trons stood watching, aghast. picture. I looked at the empty corner in my Between a father and son, there is one We were “go” for launch. living room. I looked back at the picture again. phrase that is more significant and magical In an instant I was under the rope and on I’m not certain what happened next, but, as than any other in the human experience. the clock like white on rice. I measured ev- with all great epiphanies, I started down the Four simple words that solidify the bond be- erything I could reach. I clung to the rock long, spiraling path to certain disaster and I tween man and boy like no others can. wall and measured things I couldn’t reach. slowly picked up the phone. “I need a diversion.” All the while my son (of whom I am very A few weeks later we arrived at the hotel. Most boys wait their entire lives to hear proud) eluded his mother and danced naked There is only one word that can describe walk- their father utter that one sentence. It is a through the Great Hall. It was a moment of ing into the Grove Park Inn on a spring day: guarantee that the old man is about to do perfect harmony, and one that couldn’t last. aromatic. The building was littered with flow- something idiotic, ignorant, illegal or insane, You know what’s wrong with modern ers. Every square inch of floor space (save a and anything that they do to cover for him America? Hidden video cameras, followed small footpath to the front desk) was jammed (short of a felony) will be approved of – even closely by big men with walkie-talkies. I won’t 1 with flowers. I put my young son, Daniel, on applauded. My 2 ⁄2-year-old son understood bore you with the discussion that followed in my shoulders to look over the foliage in search the significance of the moment and rose to the manager’s office, but suffice it to say that of the clock. We found it. the occasion. we watched quite a bit of television before he There, behind a flower-wrapped red rope Thirty seconds later the boy was stripped returned our deposit and recommended that sat the object of my obsession: The only rea- naked and running full-bore through the we find other accommodations. son (other than the funeral of a wealthy rela- Great Hall. Dancing through the flower dis- Helga’s face was contorted with rage as we tive) that I would spend eight hours in a car play like Adam in the Garden of Eden and pulled into the Asheville Travelodge. Daniel, with my family. I was enthralled. The boy and yowling at the top of his lungs. It was a sight on the other hand, was wearing a smile that I parted company with my wife, Helga, and to behold. Being a good (perhaps passable) you couldn’t pry off with a crowbar. I may be my daughter, and made a beeline through the father, I checked to ensure that my wife was wrong, but, I think that’s what family vaca- jungle toward the giant timepiece. apprised of the situation before I continued. tions are all about. PW Frankly, I knew that I wasn’t supposed to In the few seconds that I watched her, Helga’s touch the clock (otherwise, why would they face turned from its usual pasty white to an Walt Akers now stays exclusively at the Travelodge have a rope around it?) So, being a civilized even more pasty white and then bright crim- when not at home in Seaford, Virginia.
72 Popular Woodworking July 2003 MOBILE HOMES. MOBILE PHONES. AND NOW, MOBILE TABLE SAWS.
Ours is an age of mobility, so it was only a matter 24-inch right extension wing, which gives you the of time before somebody came up with a table saw flexibility to rip bigger stock. And its 8-foot-long you can take with you—probably somebody who got cord not only When you can’t bring the work to the saw, just bring sick and tired of trying to rip huge pieces of stock makes it easy the saw to the work. in his cramped basem*nt workshop. to reach your power source, it’s
Introducing the Craftsman® retractable so it won’t trip you up. In fact,
Professional 10" Job Site Table if there is any downside to
Saw. When you’re planning on this saw’s portability at all, working in one place for a while, it would be this: the words, its sturdy yet amazingly light- “Hey neighbor, can I borrow weight aluminum legs provide your table saw?” just became a solid base for cutting. But a reasonable request. Finally, when you need to take your in case you were wondering, act on the road, all you have to the Craftsman Professional 10" do is fold the legs up, tip it up on Job Site Table Saw is quite a
its two wheels, and pull it value at just $399.99. So hop in your
behind you like a suitcase— mobile home, or whatever else you’re driving these it’s that easy. And because this saw only weighs days, and head for a Sears or Sears Hardware K about half as much as Craftsman’s stationary table Store near you. You can also order it by phone Y M
saws, it’s no big deal to throw it in the back of your (mobile, if you prefer) at 1-800-437-9686. Or get it C
car or pickup. Other professional features include a online (say, from your laptop?) at craftsman.com. ` ather M 28171.00 gilvy& O : : Job Cust ABCDEFG ™ St. 10 606 0400 IL 943 Superior W.
© 2003 Sears Brands, LLC 312 el Chicago, § 225 T
Job# W216108B Ad Code# C3039
Sears/Craftsman/Contractor Table Saw
This Advertisem*nt Prepared By: OGILVY & MATHER, CHICAGO
To Appear In: Fine Woodworking – July/Aug. 2003 This Old House – Sept. 2003 Popular Woodworking – Sept./Oct. 2003 Extreme How-To – Sept. 2003
Page 4/C Bleed: 9-1/4"w x 11-1/8"h Trim: 8"w x 10-1/2"h Live: 7-1/2"w x 10"h
Art Director: M. Wiegard / M. Gordon Copywriter: B. Raczka Traffic: L. Brown Production: L. McDonald Account Service: R. Mackey Simply the best! 800.234.1976 www.lagunatools.com
