Harvest Table * Wal:Maunted Organizer “Tool Tote * Breadboard * Combination Squares Vol.21/No. 122 (onine Harvest Table INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Ore Ue Mine NM s(o2 0 ‘hoard This Weekend LV G/CM AN ACOM elon olle Hand Tools fo the Worksite Cut the Clutter With Our WalHMounted Organizer See TRUM AINE ne) Wi of Using BreadboardNo. 122 April, 1999 "* Publisher Donald B, Peschie Editor Terry. Sirohman Associate Editors Jon Garbison Vincent Ancona Art Director Todd Lambirth Senior Mlustrators David Kreyling Dirk Ver tees MikeMittermeier caearive resources rested To Kate Pope Devoe Key al Daapere Han Wale Ea bo lamas Snes « Shep Crfsnan Sen or Phtotrpher Caraga rape Reid ea ROOKS ‘Bie tor: Dogi Hse: Se Lier ‘Soilr Grphic Detgnen” Cone Cknoet, ChaytT Sarena Eton: Joh in Ce usps» Guphichen: YaN en ‘aRCULATION Subsrbersenicr Dire Daan Now Diane: Drator sa arn Buon or Ta fits Paton May. Rukjnkinss Renova Mar. Paps Rs Bile er RedecConmralam = Ce Marden aa Sclommerds ulsepionte: Jor Kewne “CORPORATE SERVICES Wee Prd of Plain nd Pane: Jon Moca» Corliss econ Se Aan Lae Tt ‘st ape Nar Sl" Resa aso Fat Production Dr. Gang Chair» Pradacton Astaont. Sto’ Rusies” HleteteFulng Petr ‘ML ster Nort ldmcnsatr tan + Pres nae pec Ty A Cat Mini ‘igh Now fs Menaer Gordon: Gaps = He? Sit Decor Gone Renton sf Conon a ara schocr» Web Seat Woy Ciba Assan, Ren Keke * Ais son aia Fh seems onsen, Shs fies rope incr Seelam dg at Kee WoOSMHITHL MAIL. ORDER perans 8) Ser + Case orice ge ‘ates Tesh Sone: Noten tin it Nay Downs Cit Sere Rope Aa Cooma ‘riskenbrot, dum Red. Deheah Rich» Hardon Silnacarey. Banspule Fa Tals, ShirytKnoy SWoODSMITH STORE. Masager Dave Lt = Aston Manag: Yl Snes se Se Sa Pat Lowy Wankel Stone i Das Kash Smith lary Mortage, HarehdCosian = OSE Manto Vike Beene annem, wprntete ie ip te sntcon Predin iS. EDITOR'S COLUMN SAWDUST er favorite room inthe house Kasbeen the kitchen. Insome ways, ifs lot ike my woodworking shop. ‘There are same big pieces of eau: rmentio work on,a variety ofhandtools to use, and everyone in the family ets ‘0 enjoy whats "built there. ‘Of course, you need a place to put these "projects’ — mountains of mashed potatoes, platters ofmeat, and fresh balked pies. Nothing fancy, just large table with four sturdy levs—the kitchen equivalent ofa workbench. Hereinthe Midwes, soften called a harvest table, Thaf because at har- vest time, extra hands were around to ‘work the fields. Naturally, feeding all those people required a big table. “That's justthe kind of project want- ed to build for this issue, But before geting started, there wore a fee design considerations to take care of. ‘97K. First ofall, most of us don'thave to feed a large crowd of farmhands today, So we scaled down the size of the fable abit Stl, ifs big enough to seat x people comfortably and have plenty oftoom left over for serving plas full of food. LEGS Another modification we made ‘was io the legs. They're strong and sturdy lke you'd expect on a country ‘able. But instead of using atradition- al tumed les, we've come up with a unique doable tapered leg that features 1 special routed profile Woodsmiih TOP. Although the table smaller and the legs are different, there's one ‘thing I didnt want to change — the top. Inkeeping withits racitional her itage, ifs made of solid wood and capped with breadboard enck. Ofcourse, any time you glue up a large panel, like a table top, you can count on having a certain amount of shrinkage (or expansion) depending ‘on the time of year and type of wood (ve used pine.) But we ran info asur- prise with the top on this table, Asalways, whenever we bay lumber, ‘weassume thata few boards will wamp ‘orshrink. So we et them stinthe shop for several ays. And then we picked thebbestpizces'o alueup forthe op. p> Before adding he bradboardends, 1 ‘we decile to set the top aside for a few days. Tmeiad we did, The tophad shrunk V&" across the width of the panel, Even though we purchased the ‘wood from an indoor lumberyard, it ‘wasa longway from beingdy. Finally, we atachedlthe breacboact endl caps. While they started off flash ; with theedaeofthe panel, Iknowthey Won't be flush fortong, As the hurtid- ity changes, the top panel ill contin- ‘ue shrink and swell Since youcantheep wooxfrommoy- ing. the trickisto come up witha way tokzeptheend caps nplace. Oursohi- tionistouse adjustable, shop built fas- tenets. Formore on allthis, check out ‘the afcle beginning on page 6. No. 122i) Inele) INSIDE CONTENTS Features Country HarvestT able.. Breadboard ends, tapered legs, and solid pine construction give ‘hiv harvest table a “countr’® took. Buta handy storage drawer i each end makes it practical as well Breadboard . - 18 Instead of “loafing” around this weekend, how about bulding this e breadboard? It doesn't require much in the way oftime or materi- is. And maybe you'll even gei a warm loaf offiesh-baked bre out ofthe deat Country Harvest Table. poge 6 Breadboard poe 18 Breadboard Ends. Pomel. = Here's « closer look at a traditional woodworking technique. Although they've been used for generations, breadboard ends are i still one of the best ways to keep a wide panel flat TOON OO ever. cavers etve R22 A removable bin on each end makes this tool toie "expandable" so youll have plenty of space for tools and hardware. And when you ‘get back io your shop, the bins come offjor use on your bench. Wall-Mounted Organizer. 28 Gracejully-curved sides and a coved drawer front make this orga- niger atiracitve as well as praciical. And while tt doesn't take up much space, it can hold a lot of “chutier."” Combination Square... Je? A combination square is like a trusted old friend, just when you think you know all ts secrets, you Team something new that Imakes it even more useful and valued Tool Tote page 22 Departments Tips & Techniques. Shop Notes . Sources ... - 16 35 No, 122 ‘WoodsmithTIPS & TECHNIQUES Locking Stave Joints Mitered stave construe tion is. great for making rmui-sided "eylinders” oF ‘turning blanks, But Ihave problems whenit coniesto ‘gluing up the saves. Once you've got glue on the joints, the pieces become ‘ery slippery, and ifs diffi caltto clamp them up. Ive tried using splines in the miter joints, but aligning the slots for the splines can also be tricky. ‘So recently, Feame up with abetterakemative. Instead of simply miter= ing the individual save pieces, loreated ashoulder or “notch” on ene edge of each piece to hold the square edge of the piece nex: to it, The shoulders prevent the pieces from shifting during assembly. Theshoulders arecut by tikinga stacked dado head cutter, By varying the degree of tilt and. the height of the daco blade, you can create shoulders for six, eight, or twelve- sided “eylinders.” Foreightsided cylinders, the dado bladeis tied 45°, se2 Fig. 1. Youll have to "sneak up" on the final heightofthebladebymak- ngtestcuts until the pieces fittogethereverly. ‘The dado set is tited 30° forboth sxandtwelve-sided cylinders Buttheheight of the blade is different for cach. Fora hexagon, the blade is raised sos level with the thickness of the workpiece, see Fig, 2 For atwelve-sided cylin der, the dado blade is mised a bit higher, sce Fig 3 (Again, youltiaveto steak up” on the final height by ‘makingtestpices) évard Lesny Camp Wi, Pemsylanan Rip Fence Gauge Harguoed Bock Since I don'ttrust the np- T could muster, So instead ping gue on therail ofiy I made a simple se-up table sai, | used tocheck gauge for my rp fence ‘the distance between my rip fence and my saw biade with atape measure But trying to hold the end ofthe tape againstthe whose rip fence and adjust it at fo hod rule ‘the same time took 19° Rule more coordi- nation than Myset-up gauge consists of nothing more than a block of hardwood and a 12"-long steel rule, see drawing at let. 1 simply cut a sallow dado across the bottom edge of the block to hold thenule. Then] epoxiedthe Woedsmith rule into the dado so that it ‘was flush with the edge (face) ofthe block. To we the gauge, [just clamp it to the rip fence, see photo. This way, the gauge moves along with the fence as I adjust it, lav ing. me with both hands free to align the fence Gilena siiets Nanitle Quebec editor's Note: Ifyou have a steel rip fence, you could luse sma magnets 10 hold the gauge to yourfence. No, 122® Clogged Forstner Bits I have a number of daily in the larger sizes. Forster bits in my shop This is annoying because made by various manufac- I have to stop the drill and turers. I've noticed that _ clean out the bit. some of the bits tend to When started compar- clog up with wood chips _ ing the hits, I discovered more than others, espe- thatthe "mouth" of the bits: ‘soe View Table Saw Slot Cover To help control the dustin the dust coletor, To block ‘myssmall basement shop,1 off this opening and hookedupadusteollecor —inctease the aiilow around to mytable saw. the saw blade, I made a Tae only problem with simple cover this was thar the opening The cover isjusta pieve in the front of my saw for of "-thick stock with a the blade tilt wheel cut notch cut outto fit overthe down on the efficimey of arbor of the blade tiking weren't all the same, Onthedits thatclogged,the sides of the movthwerenear Iyparallel,On the other bits, the ‘mouth tapered ont toward the top to eject the cchips cleanly. Tnorderto cre atemorercom forthechips, 1 modified the bits that clogeedby”‘opening” upthe mouth, To do this, file or rind backthetopedges of the opening, see craving. There'sjust onethingto ‘atch out for Be care nt tofile orarind ary ofthecut- ‘tingedges ofthe bit. Don Lavester| saw, ahardboard spacers, sandwiched between the flipper and the cover. The cover can be quick- ly removed when I want 10 tit the blade © make a bevel cut echnis, se drawing To hold the cover in place, [ackied a wood knob ancl a hardboard "tipper" ‘that can be turned to lock overthe lip ofthe opening, see detal ‘a To allow the flipper to fit over the metal lip in the opening of the Reggie Brown ‘Crttenden, Kentucky QUICK TIPS To clean up glue Tomakeiteasietofinish squeeze.out when glue large projects, Luse an ingupaproject,Iimme- old mechanic's erceper. diately sprinkle sawdust Bysettingtheprojecton ontheexcessglue. The the creeper, Icaneasily sawdust absorbs seme _roiatcitinorderto finish ofthe moisture, making all sides, And when I'm iteasy to sorape offthe done, {roll the project slue/sawdust mixture out ofthe way while the with a putty knife, finish dries, Rober! Rowman, Jr ks Hei, ws Daniel Fran Rentou, Wasngion Woodsmith Norfolk. Virginia ¢ Finger saver. To hold brads and small nails while ianmering, Richard Baker of Brooksville, Florida, uses an alligator clip.COUNTRY HARVEST TABLE The design of this table is pretty simple. But from the tapered legs to the | breadboard ends. there s more woodworking here than meets the eye. I ‘some ways, buildingthis harvest table isa lotlike taking along oad trip, Half the fun is just getting to yourdestinaton, fs stopping atthe litle roadside diners and taking some side excursions that make the Journey mote enjoyable. Withthistable, the ste tipshave moreto dowith the eonsirvetion. All inal, # nota terribly difficult or unusual project to build, But there are afew things bit out ofthe ordi nary that make for some interesting, woodworking challenges. TWPERD UMS Take the leas for example, They have an unusual dou ble taper profile. But unlike most tapered legs, {didnt cut these on the table saw (they'te too big for thet), Instead J used adifferenttech- nique that involves band saw The top ofthe table isa giued-up panel with breadboard ends, But instead of simply pinning the ends tothe top, leameup with a different method that uses some common hardware items, see detail on oppo- site page. This helpsstrenhenthe | Joint and allows the ends to be tight- ened ifthe wood shrinks overtime. FINSE, Finally comes the finish. ‘Normnally I don'tiketo cover up the beauty ofnatural wood. Butthistime, I thought [would try using a stain onthe hase ofthe table. And Ihave to say, Iwaspkeased with theresults The finished product also has some pretty neat feanures, see photos atlefi. like a builtin drawer af each ents storsilverware andnapkins, 43 And bolt-on egsihat come offquick A Ashallov draver on each end of & The legs on this table are remov- ly so the table can be easily moved. the table provides a convenient lc. To align and position them, So even when the building is com- place for Soring silverware, nap- sub tenens on the ends of the plete, youll have a nice reminder of kins or placemats ‘aprons jit ino shallow mortises. the road you took to get there. 6 Woodsmith No. 122 FSSHardboard splines keep boards by y nd op fis over tenn on etd offop pane! . = a Fished VIA Construction Details OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 30'1,"H x 36"Wx 65" Bead molding nated to s_—battom of rons atcha te anrons ‘inh knoek-aoum ‘omrer brackors Diowersidos oe fur fo = ‘send By tho eS ge ofa ton ee NOTE: Table is built aia cstueton GimSec PED ard "be pire Mock MATERIALS & SUPPLIES CUTTING DIAGRAM A Legs (4) 34 x3 - 28 B Side Aprons @) ‘x3 - 52 C End Aprons (2) “ax 314 - 26 D Bead Molding {2X 1-13)(rgh.) 4x68 Pino (Mood Two Bos E Center Divider (1) 1 v2x3*4-29'12 F Drawer Supports (4) %4x2%a-27v. G Glue Blocks (12) s'2xi'v2-s'7. aera car : H Drawer Fronts (2) sax. 15% [Spel] N_ Drawer Sides (4) t2xa're.20% J Drawor Backs (2) Ye xz'0-15% en K Drawer Bottoms (2) '% ply. - 19% x 26% L Upper Guides (4) %ax.- 26% peste M Lower Guides (4) ‘42710 -20% N Drawer Stops (2) 14 X88 4 518 O Top Panel (1) 4Ny x36-61V2 P. End Caps (2) 114 X3-36 eZ + (4) 2" x42" Comer Brackets. * Bie x + (80) Ad Finish Nails TH sii= 1843" Hanger Bots + @Y + (42) Table Top Fasteners + (4)b/ie= 18 Nuts + @)'4" Washers * (12) #8 x°/¢ Rh Woodscrews + he Washers + (1) = 20Threaded Rod 36" Long (gh) + (2) 1°-dia. Wood Knobs w/Screws ‘Also Needed: 48° 48" sheet of VA" plywood for crawer bottoms and Vin" hardboard for spines No 122 Wootsmith 7 aA A sbeca( beading biris used t create the bead en the Jegs, seepage 35 Jorsources. i Le I ven building this table by mak- ingthe legs, I wanted the legs to be strong enough te support the table, bat I didit want them to look 00 heavy, So tapered them, (Note: If ryou don’t want to make the leas, another options fo purchase turned legs, se box on opposite page) ae ‘Now, tapering a table leg to meke qremlont it look more slender certainly isa't a. ofeg afer new idea, But the legs on this table actually havea double taper. long. narrow taper gives the leg its basie shape. Then a shor, steeper taper near the hottom creates a foot" for the leg to sand on, ee photo at left ‘The square blanks for the lees (A) are ghied up ont of three sepa- rate pieves, But to avoid cutting through the joint ine when taper- ing the legs, the two cuterpieces of the log are thicker than the center piece, see drawing at right. ach leghas two mortises near the found it easiest to make these mor- tises while the legs were still square. So after squaring up the blanks and ‘cutting them to length, I stepped over tothe router table and routed the Vi"- swide mortises, ee Fig. 1 Shop Note: Using a stop block will ensure that all themortisesare the same length. [Notice that the mortises are open ended at the op, This isto alow the Jegstobe removed fiomihe table for moving orstorzge, see Figs. (The [BY a legs will be fastened to the aprons pr with knock-down hardware.) Pi BEAD After completing the mortis- = ¢s, the next step is to make the bead detail nearthe top ofeach lez This s done in two stages, First, a pair of Kerfs recut onal four sides ofeach leg to establish the shoulders of the beads, see Figs. 2and 2a. ‘Next, the edges ofthese keris are ES rounded over on a router table, using special beading bit, see Figs. 3 and block to hold the lg at 2 45° angle Leutthe tapers on a and saw intend 3e and photo in margin while making the cu se: Fig 4a, ofa table sav, To do this, start by Once this was done, I cut away a TAPERS At this point, you're ready —_ laying out the end of the long tapers ‘sinall section ofthe inside comer of to create thetapers on thelegs. This _ on the bottom (end) of each leg, see ‘och leg, see Fig. 4, Thisissimply to isatwo-step process. Fist theleng Fig. Sa, Then lay out the tapers on ‘create a flat surface forthe leg brack- _ slender tapers are laid out and cut, one face of the leg. ‘ets that will be used to connect the Then you can make the short tapers. Now cutalong the laycutlines, stay- legstothe aprons, [made thesecuts that create the "foot" of each leg, ing justto the waste side, see Fig. 5. on the band saw, using a simple V- Because of the size ofthese legs, This allows you to come back later Woodlsmith No. 122and sand down io the layout line, . faces in the sime manner, drawing the layout ines on one face ata time and then mekingthe cuts before mov- ing on to the next face. Shop Note: Youll want to cave one ofthe waste pieces from tapering the legs. Itwill be used later when sanding the ars. Once [ had all the long tapers roughed out Iclaned up the feces of the lees by sanding down to the outlines with a stationary bel sander (You could also use ahand plane.) SHORTTAPERS To create atapered foot atthe bottom ofeach kg, Feut some shot tapers, beginning just 2" fiom the bottom ofeze leg. Thesetapers are cut in the same manner 38 the Jonger ones — I drevs layout lines aroundeach leg and on the bottom of the leg, Then I cutthe tapers on the TFlasout tne band saw, see Figs Gand 6a. ARCS. To create a softer transition between the fwo tapers, and to make the tapered foot stand out from the ‘egalitilemore, | sanded a shallow arc ® _astabovethe sar ofthe shor:aper To do this, [ started by drawing a tine round eachleg 2" above the start ofthe short taper. Then using a 3° dia, sanding drum on my dril press, ‘hollowed out the area between the 1 shimmed the eg using one ofthe helped support the workpiece. Inyout line and the start ofthetaper, wedge-shaped waste pieces left over SINDING. Finally. to complete each see Figs. 7and 7a, from tapering the legs, see Fig. 7. A leg, I cased all the sharp edges by ‘And to hold the tapered leg evel, tong board undemeath the leg sanding them lightiy stot ith over gauge ¥ sanaing Lzze ord to cant press abe No. 122 Woodsmith 9sie D MOLDING aM OTE: Ai aprene: ero 258 ‘constncted wit We tick ‘mater ® a » eT ia Aprons & Divider Thelegs ofthe tableare connected by a ftamework consisting of four aprons and a center divider, sce drawing above. This ewates a sable founca- tion for the top. Later, drawer sup- ports will be adided between the aprons an the center divider. To make the aprons, | started by cutting the apron blanks to size. For the vo, long side aprons (B), this is simplya matter ofeulting accuple pibbes BAM bioK tock 65 sna Bos drawing above. Butthe end aprons (C)arealit- tle different. They have a rectangu- lar opening inthe center for adraw- er, So fo create this opening, T glued upeach end apron outof four separate pieces, ee Fig. 8, KIA, With the apron blanks cut to DAMS Next eutseveral dadses on hold the leg bracket, sxe photo on size, next Tout a kerfon the inside the apronstohold theccaterdivider, nextpage. (This ismede in ho puss face ofeach apron near the top edge drawer supports. and leg hardware, ¢s with an ordinary saw blade. forthe fasteners that will be sed to se densi! and’b!Fist,a'i6"swide Whenthetableisassembled,acen- attach the top, see detail a dado is cut near the end ofeach apron ter divider will fit between the two 259 NOTE: Fished ‘pening should meee DRS Woodksinith No. 122,side aprons, preventing them from BTR) meet Beplo aise comer thick divider in place, a dado is cut racket ‘onthe inside face ofeach sde apron, see detail bon cpposite page. While 1 was at it 1 cut similar adoes onthe end aprons. Butthese dadoes are narrower since they're ‘izedto hold the /4*-thick drawers portsthat are added later, see detail ‘x! on opposite page. TENS. Once all the dadoes and ‘grooves are cut, you can cut the tenons ontheends oftheapronstofit the mortises in the lees, see detail’ ‘noppositepage. Thesetenonsdonk set glued into the mortises on the ‘kgs, Their eal purpose isto simply help align the legs with the aprons A The les are while tightening up the leg bracket |?!" satached 10 the bandware, Because ofthis, the tenons 6 ‘aprais ofthe table are only W long swith metal comer EAD MDING.To dress upthe aprons rackets. and support the center divider and ‘drawer supports, I added a bead tnolding (D) to the bottom edge of ‘the aprons, see dtl’ on cpposte paw Thismokcingis madeby round ing over the edges ofa thin pice of stock, then ripping the mokding to width, ee Figs Sanda. Afiercutting itto length, the mold ing is attached with glue and finish nals, se detail '¢ cn opposite page Once this is done, youre ready to attach the legsto the aprons. FARDIMARE In order to llowthe legs tobe moved fromihe able formov- ing or store, the legs are fasiened totheaprons with knock-down hard- ‘ware rather than glue, see Fig. 10. Insialing the hardware involves nothing more than screwing @ hang~ cerbok into each leg. (The hanger bolt isinstalledby threadinganutonone endandthenusing awrench o screw ing on opposite paze. thedrawersupports(F).These/4"- it into 2 hole driled in the lex) The This center divider (E) is apiece thick pieces are simply cut to fit bolifits nto able inthe comerbrack- of Vy'thick stock, eutto fit nthe between the center divider and the @, and a washer and nut areused to dadoesinthe side aprons, Butbefore end aprons and glued in pace, see pall the leg tight against the aprons, it can be installed, a pair of dadoes Figs. Il and lla see Fig. lOaand photo inmargin. need to be eut on both sides ofthe GLLE 3LOCES. Although the divider NER DIWDER. Even with the haté~ divider. These dadoes will hold the and drawer supports are glued into, abe aansadonedintdeawersipporsihat readies, daosstheend rin ihe pics take for a very steady base forthe _and they should Tine up with the doesa'tmake fora very strong glue table. To help strengthen and stiff-dadoesinthe endaprons. Once thisis joint. So l added glue blocks (G) to ‘en the table, as well as provide a done,thedividereanbesluedinplace. each corner, see Figs. 1? and 2a means of supporting the top, Ladded DRAWER SPORTS, Afier gluing the These pieces are nothing more than al-thick center divider, see draw- center divider in place, you can add tianguiar-shaped blocks. No. 122 Woedsmith nDrawers a an ‘One ofthe things I really ike about ST ia thistablearethe draversinthe ends ve i an In fact, seving how handy they are -ORAWER SIDE makes me wonder why more tibles ie don't have this feature Pattinga drawer ina table does create one problem though. Because of the overhang of the tabletop, the drawers have to be 24 pulled outextra far in order t get atthe contents, To solve this prob- lem, I made the sides ofthe drawer Jonger to suppor the drawer. ‘The cawersare sizedtofitinthe ‘openings in the aprons with a Vie" 2 gapall around, The drawer front cenicred (H)isjoinedto the drawer sies 9” """ (D with a locking rabbet joint, see detail'a! (For more on thisjoint, see the box on page 16) ‘The drawer back (J) isjoined to ‘the drawer sides with a tongue and dda joint, see detail Tongues cut ‘ont ends ofthe drawerback ftinto ‘dadoes cut in the drawer sides, And the plywood drawer bottom (K) simply fits into grooves cut near the bottom edge ofthe drawer front and dawer sides, see detail'b! DIAVER GUIDES. Before the drawers drawer opening, the lower drawer er fronts and are fastened with a screw ‘canbe addedtothetable, you'll need guides (M) are positioned so they from the inside of the drawer. ‘to make and install some drawer st Vie" above thebattomothe draw- To make the drawers stand a ait ‘guides, seeFig. 13. Theupperdraw- er opening, ee Fig 13a proud from the front ofthe aprons | er guides (L)are ghuedtothe draw- Once the drawer guides are added admawer sop (N) tothebsek «er supports so theyre lush with the installed, there's just a couple of of each drawer compartment, see top ofthe drawer opening. details to attend to, Fst, Ladded 2 Figs. Mand I4a, Thesearejustpleces But to prevent the drawer from wood knob to each drawer, see detail of "4"-thick stock glued across the ‘wearing grooves inthe bottom ofthe ‘b These are centered on the draw= lower drawer runners. aH NOTE: Orawor stop is ‘lied’ placeoe panet NOTE: Top panel ie sandodor ‘Blgned to finished thickness @ Top Panel wera With the base of the table complete, cs you ean now focus on making the top. There really two steps involved in making the (op, Fis, a lay, Mat panel is assembled from sx sepe- rate boards, Then, breadbeard end caps are made and attached to the ends ofthe panel, “Thetop panel (0) is made up of six 6'avide boards, see drawing at right [stated by planing the sock just encughsothatall the pisces were ‘consistent thickness, Shop Note: Dont get too carried away with the planing. Leave your selfenough material so that you can more sand the entire surface flat ater top polis ssembly and sill end up with atop ged, thats about IW thick. ome Althoughtheboardsforthetopare poe ripped to a width of 6’, leave them a lime long fornow. They'll getirimmed ‘to length after the top is glued up. SLNES To help keep all the pieces aligned during the eluc-up proces, [ used hardboard splines, see detail'a’ ‘These fit into grooves routed along, thc ees ofeach pose see Figs. 15 centr gore and [5a. (For more on this, see page hada 17) Then the panel can be glued up. AT TOP. Even with the splines, there’ a prety pod etates at yout FLATTENING A LARGE SURFACE toppane! wil sill have sometmeven spas (mine did) To get a good, at surface, | sanded my panel smooth _ Toflatenalargepane, about surface ofthe panel so Lcan ally so you don't sand too with a belt sander, see box at right the onlythings youneed are check my progress as 120. much in one spat (Becareful here—you don'twanito _abeltsander,astraghtedze, along, sce Step I. Finally, check your work Femoveany more materialthan isnee- and a big can of elbow Then, 1 simply work the with stop essary to achieve a flat top) grease. Other than this, helt sander over the entire asscon a the top is reason- TRAMINGTIEINDS When itcomes io there'snotreallymuchto it top, concentrating on the _ably lat sce Siep 3. You don't trimming the ends of the top, you _Thiketosiartby senbbling high spots, see Step 2. Keep want to remove too much have acoupl of options. One method a pencil line over the entire the sander moving contin material from the top. isto wea handheld circular saw with a staigitede for a fence. But {find that thetable saw leaves a nicer fin ished cut with less chipping. ‘The problem with cutting a piece this wide on the table saw is geting ‘a squar> cu, since you cant really wseamiter gauge, ‘Thetrick [used wasto attach anin- rrrto the boitom ofthe panel that fit {nto the miter gauge slot on my table saw. Then with someone to helpsup- 4 Senile line aioss the 3) Woxk the sander across port the end of the panel, I simply [entire surface of the to} lm tho grain ot frst. but fin- ‘rimmed each end, (Formoreonthis {0 Serve as 2 reference. ishupsending wit hegian, procedure, see page 16) No. 122 Woodsmnith BbBreadboard Ends ‘Once you've reached this stage, all that remains istoaddthe breadboard end caps and aitach the top to the base ofthe table. ‘To make the breadboard ends, 1 started by cuttingthe end caps (P) to width and length, see drawing at right The thickness ofthese peces should match the thickness of the rop panel (0) Amortise ismadem each endcap to fit over atenon that will be cut on the ends of he top panel, see detail V ‘Thismortise is %" wide and stopped tbo ends, see detail An easy way to make the mortise isto use 2 router table and %'-ci, spiral end mill bit The workpiece is 4ust dropped down over the rotating bit and pushed forward until you reach theend ofthe mortise, (Ifyou den'thave abit tis size, see page 17 foran alternate method using a table saw tocutthe mortise.) The t ng the montise is knowing wheretostopand start So [ drew a couple ofindex lines on the topofimy routertable taserve asref- ‘erence points, see Fig. 16, Since the mortise is fairly deep (iVi"), Teutit in several pases, raising the bit W between each pass WN. Afier completing the mor- ‘isesintheendeaps, you eancutihe ‘tenons on the ends af the tap panel, ‘These are also made with a router. But since the top pan! is too large and heavy to maneaver safely on the router table, | found it easier to use a. hand-held rower with an edge guide, see Figs. 17and 17a. Toallow the topto expand and con- sractvith humidity changes, the ends ofthe tenon are trimmed off with a hand saw, see detail 'c' The tenon shouldendupabout Vk" shorterthan the mortise at exch end. HARDWARE Nommally, a mortise and tenon joint is glued together. But if the end caps were glued to the top ‘pane ofthetable, they wouldnt allow for any wood movement, So instead, Tused threaded rodsand barrel nuts to hold the end caps in place, The threaded rods acta draw bos, allow- ing you to pull the end cap snug ‘gains the top panel ifthe end cap happens to shrink overtime, Essentially, ech end cap isheld in place by four threaded rods. One end ‘of eec rod is threaded into a barrel ‘nutthatisinsertedinthe-cap. Onthe ‘ther end, anutand washer se-veto hhold the cap tight against the top panel. Dilling oversize holes forthe threaded rods allow for expansion ‘and contraction aeross the top. All the hardware is insalled from Woodsmnith the bottom ofthe end capsandthe top ppanel so that it won't be visible once the table is assembled, To star with, place the end cap on the top panel ‘and lay out he locations forthe hard- ware, see Fig. Nowall you nsedto do iscrill holes forall the hardware. First four “ie’- din, holes are drilled in each endcap forthe barrel nuts, see Fig. 18 Next I-dia. counterbores forthe ‘washers and nuts are drilled in the underside of the top panel with a Forsiner it Then one sie ofthe hole is squared off with achisel to create a flat bearing surface for the washer ard mut see Fig. 1 ‘ Finally, youll ned to drill "dia, cross holes forthe threaded rods in the ends ofthe panel and end caps, se> Figs. I) and 1a, Drilling the cross holes in the end cap is pretty straightforward using a dril press. ‘ itBut the top panel is too large to place on a drill prss. To overcome ® bis, Cuseda porate dr. and in order to be able to drill the holes deep enough, I created clearance notches in the tenons for the ehuck of my dil, see Fig. 19, ATIGINGTHBEND CABS. Once you've ‘gotallthe holes drilled, all thats left isto attach the end caps. To do ths, ‘stat by inserting the barrel nuts into theholes inthe end caps Next, insert the threaded rods into the cross holes in the end caps and thread them into the barrel nut. Nowsliptheendeap onthe end of ‘the top panel, taking care to make sure that the threaded rods enterthe shank holes in the end ofthe panel Finally, secure the end eaps by plae- nga washer and mut on the end of each threaded rod. | Before attaching the top, I routed ‘an Vs" roundover on all the edges. ‘Then I finished the top ane the base ‘ofthe table separately, 0 box below. ATTAGHNGTHET0® When the finish is M® _ dy.yoncanatarhthe op. Todothis. Tused metal "2? fasteners, see Figs. 20 and 20a, These simply fit into the kerfs cut near the top edge of the aprons. Then small weodserews are used fo secure the fasteners to the underside ofthe top. se Fig 20b. d FINISHING THE TABLE Normally, Idont ike w paint ingihe op). Thisservestwo STAN Next, 1 | the projects | make because I purposes. On the tase of the stained the base feel that it hides the natural table, the shellac serves as a ofthe table, using beauty of the wood. Bui the stain controller, preventing the a commercially country design of this table sain from penetrating deeper prepared water- ‘seems to lend itself to a more in someplacesthanin others. based stain. (1 colorful finish, And on the topofthe table, used General $0 1 decided t0 use a cole the shellac gives the wood a Finishes! Coun- ‘ored stain on the base of the warm, ambercolor that you try Colors. — table, Unlike paini, stain might expectio find on an old Slate Green.) 1 allows the grain ofthe wood piece offumiture appliedtwo coats to show through abit And by To make the wash coat, | of stain, sanding leaving the top of the table miixed about2 io 3 ounces of the surface liglt- ‘aturl, you stll get the warn orange shellac flakes with a lyaftereach coat feeling of wood, quart of denatured aleohol. 70? (OAT. Mfer the stain had ly between coals. But since the 7 VAMH COMT Before doing ay Thewafterthe shellac dried, dried, 1 finished the entire table top is subject to more ‘taining, however, I applied a sanded itvery lightly with 400- table with a wipe-on oil wear and abuse, I applied a ‘thin wash coat of orange shel- grit sandpaper, just to knock — used two coals onthe base of couple extra coats to build up Jac to the entire table (Includ- down the "whiskers" the table, again sanding light- a thicker finish, No, 122 Woodsmith 15TIPS FROM OUR SHOP Crosscutting Table-Sized Panels in the past when timming and get a dean, square the ends of long, wide, cut with no chipout. lued-up panels, "we used What Idi was screw either a cireular saw ora a temporary runner to SS eA hand-held router. But io the bostom face ofthe cbove. wanta snug fit, Dut not so crossentthe top panel for top panel. Like the manner tight that it will bind, the harvest table on page on my miter gauge, this 1g runner to fit in. Nest, aid outtwo lines 6,..came up witha different harcwood stnp wouldrice yourtable sawslot (made oneach end ofthepanelsa rethodusingmytablesaw. inthe set onthe table saw mine outafa’'x°4" strip ent line and a line for the With thetable saw, Feould andguide helongpenelso of solid wood.) Size this runner, 0 Figs. 1 and la. ‘use my good croscutblade the cutwouldbe clen and runner carefully — you The runner should beoca | edithe same distance from 7 wot the cut line asthe sawblade Es sere isfromthe mitergauge Sot) Withthe ines drawn, the runner can be screwed to the panel. (used a fram ing square to align it) And withthe manerin pase, simply flip the panel over : and get someone to help er gave st support it as you guide it : cover the saw. E9 HOW TO MAKE LOCKING RABBETS I The drawers on the harvest tle ard Withalocking rabbet,a short tongue is organizer, Lused alocking rabbet joint tut on the frontpiece, see Steps I and 2. the front comers, see photo. Its much (Lused a table saw buta router table will stronger than a simp butt or rabbetjoint, ako work.) Thistengue simply locks into ond itsnotas difficult as cuting fovea. a dado cut onesch side piece, se Step 3. (Or the ends oftne frontpiece, cutaslot_ #y Tocomplete the tongue, itneeds tote Mp Flraly fll tie tongue on the fort, to leave @ W-wide tongue that's as trimmed to length. Sneak up on thee cutaS4"x54"dadooneac sida pleco, Jong as the sie pieces are thick Cz). cut. unt the tongue is Wong. (Check the setup with @ test piece.) 16 Woedlsmith No, 122Ifyou dont have cet milli (9skiia) torout the stopper mortises onthe ends ofthe table (refer to page 14), youdonthaye io buy one. You can do the lion's share of the work — ‘with the table saw. Safely cutting a stopped ‘mortise on the table saw requires few shop-made accessories, First, you'll ‘want to sorew or carpet tape along, tall auxiliary fence the rip fence, se drawing. (Note that this auxiliary ofthe table so youcanadd ‘stop block.) Then set the fence “ie” from the inside edge ofthe saw blade. ‘Next, adda stop block to the front end ofthe fence, see drawing. This block prevents kickback and postions the workpiece at the start ofthe cut. When the piece isagainsttbe stop block and. the blade is raised IM’, the back ofthe blade should be Wie from the end of the pieve, see «detail a! in drawing above, Finally, to hold the piece againstthe fence and table, I added a featherboard beside the piece and ahold Adding Splines When gluing up a long panel, like the top of the harvest table on page 6,1 typically add splines. These loose "keys fitinto grooves routedon theinside edges ‘ofthe hoards, see photo at right. This way, all the pieces are forced into alig- ‘ment, which means less planing and sanding when the glue dries The key to routing the ‘erooves onthe edgesoftho oansistouse hand-held rouferand a slotcutterbit, soo drawing. A honé-hold router works better than No. 122 Aue, fence down above it see drawing Like the stop block at the beginning ofthe cut, the hhold down also indicates the postion ofthe piece — this ime atthe end ofthe cut though the piece wort buttagainstit), se Fig la. By now, youmay have suspected that the proce- dure sits with the blade lowered. Sobefre youput the workpiece in place, you'll need to count the either a routertable or tbl: saw because it will follow any variations in the sur~ face ofthe boards. Ifthere's any bow overthe length of the board, the router will keep the slota uniform dis- tance from the top edge, see detail a at right To ad splines, start by routing losin allthemat- ing surfaces, moving the router Iefito-right, see drawing. (Be careful net slot the outside faces.) Then forthe splines, lusu- ally cutlongstrpsfrom/4" hardboard, see photo, ‘number oftums ittakesto raise the blade iVi" high and nete where the Fandke endsup. (Mine ended "7 flock" efter being turned two and «halfrevclutions) With the piece in posi- tion, turn on the saw and raise the blade, Then push the piece forward until is back edge is flush with the hold down, see Fg. 1. Now youtean turn offthe saw and lower the blade Woodsmnith Then flip the piece around and make another pass. Atthis point, you've cut thesis ofthemortise, but you'll need to reset the fence and make one more passto remove the waste inthe center, (The montise should end up 3"-wide) Finally, since the blade has acirealar shape, you'll needtocleanupthe ends of the mortise. (Lusedasharp chisel to dothis) © Hardboard splines will eep long pieces aligned when lung ap a panel Jor a table-top.WEEKEND PROJECT practical kitchen project is too nice to hide in a drawer. \ \ T sen growing up. {often watched them togetber pinned them with eigesare ash Soto eee blanks any mother bake bread. [would dowels. (For more on breadboard aligned, madea simplejigwithanL- stand on a chair pulled next to the ens, se page 20.) shaped comer, see drawing below. kitchen counter and ask her ques-_BREADBOARD ENDS To make this (Be sureto wax the jigso the pieces tions: "What’ the yeas for? Why do breadbcard, I stated with the ends. aren't ghied o it permanently.) youkneadl the dough? Wier'sitgoing The mortise on each ofthese pieces _SIAPE ENDS. fcr the end caps are to be ready to eat?” is 9/4"-long, So rather than drill orgluedup, the last thing to do is shape ‘These days, im the cne wearing —routit, Lavoided euitinga mortise at them. First, a smal, round channel ‘the apron (though ifs covered with all. Instead, Imad cach end cap (A) _is routed on the edge so the breed- ‘sawdust, not flour). And typically, 1 outofthree VV-thickblanks, cutting boardisa ite easerto pickup. Then ‘gets fewiquesicns whi Imworking. exch’to finished size Qss" x Hi/8"), acurveis cut slongits outside edge With this cherry breadboard, there see drawing below lef The rounded channel onthe ends ‘was one question that Kept coming For now, you can set all but two gives your fingersa litte shoulderto up: "Whatare theend caps for?” Blanks aside. These two blanks will grab whenpicking up the beaboard. ‘The answer is simple. The end caps bocome the centerlayer ofeach end Ando rout this semi-circular profile, preveittthe thn panel from cupping cap. Onthese blanks, [cura simple you don'tneed any curved fences or ‘The rick isto atach these end caps notch (iVie" x (W). This way, when Special jigs, i's routed while the blank so the panel can still expand and.con- each end cap is glued together, the is square. Soallyou needisa y2"- ™#o stipe the depth ofthe mortise, see detal'a! aboverright AndIalloweds Vi"gap | Stine) Sesiomrsnips ~~ ntl atezch end. BS ee eer ASHBY. Now the ends can he attached to the panel The trek is to allow the panel to expand and con ‘tract with changes in humidity. The oH solution is a combination of glue and y4''ia dowelpins, see drawingabove. First, dryassemblethe endson the panel and drill three VV'-dia. holes all the way through the ends and tenons, see ig 5, (Mekesure youbackupthe cuts sothere isnt any chipouton the bottom face ofthe end caps.) ‘Next, remove the ends and slight- lyenlarge the holes nearthe outside | si ofthe enon, see Fig. 6. (Leave the a - After pinning center hole alone so the panel will — _ _ the breadboard expand cut from the center.) ends with dowels, Now the ends can be glued to the thepnsare panel. I spat glued the tenon at the ‘pared flush center and put just enough glue on ‘with a chisel the pins to keep them in place. Trim und sanded and sand the pins flush, see margin IK smooth, photo. Then sand the panel and ends flush. 1 sanded with the grain of the panel first. Then | “hit’ the ends remove the cross-grain scratches. ‘Afinish on abreadboard, to my way ofthinking, is strictly optional. But if] you'liketoadda cost ortwo, Pdres- ‘ommend a penetrating cil finish that) ‘won't build a film on the surface. No. 122WORKING muse Th (OO BREADBOARD ENDS Despite the name, breadboard ends arentjust for breadboards. They can be used anytime you have a flat panel that you want to stay flat. mi, eres a riddle for you. What do sworkkenches and breadboard have in common? Ifyou suid that each one is 4 goed place formaking sandwich, ches and breadboards are work surfaces, they neod to he relatively givedup earals flat. Which is why you offen find | {2720,eu7 umordown, breadboard ends on both, TOP Breadboard endl help prevent glued-up panels from eup- ping, see Hig. L Howdo they do this? It's realy pretty simple The fitover rons on each end oti serene ‘ofthepanel. By capturing these One tenons and holding them ft, the] ced caps prevent the panel from curling up lke a big potato chip. But thats not as simple as it | jrovertny for cupping sounds, They also have fo allow for the side-to-side expansion of the wood as it swells and shrinks OPEN MORTISE& TENON. There are a withthe walls ofthe breadboard end swith seascnal changes in humid- number of ways to join a breadboard "springing" open after a while, see ity. In order to accomplish this, end to a panel. Ono ofthe simplest Fig. 2a. In addition, some poople don't breadboard ends arent usually 38 w cut a amove cn one edge of like the fact that you can see the slued in place Instead, they're offen the end cap to fitovera tenon cut on exposed tenon on the edges ofthe pinned with dowels or seeured with the end of the panel (an. open mor- panel. Fer thesersasons, [ike to use hantare in such a way asto allow — tise and tenon), see Fig. 2 a different style of breadboard end. for some wood movement. (Ill — Thismethod works fine. But ona (L)SDNOKTRE. By making a closed explain more about this ter.) coupleofoscasions, [ve had trouble mortise inthe breadboard end, the WOOD MOVEMENT Panels with broalboard ends tend to bea bitfinicky whenit comes 0 humidity levels, The end caps may be perfectly ‘Tush with the eds ofthe panel when they're first attached. But depending on the time of yearyou build theproject, f the pal may expand or contract later when the humidity level changes, soe photos. as Pans! Contracts Woodsmith No. 122Closed mortise consoals ends of ‘walls ofthe mortise cant spring open, Rerice should te tho wale ofthe mortso seedrawing aright Andthen ones ‘tight tep ae batom om “epinaig” coe 1%) thecap is installed, the tenon is hid- seondoanwon? i den from view. This is typically the construction I use when making small projects that have breadboard ends (lke the breadbcard on page 18) The trick is to allow the pane! to move inside the mortise, < GROWING 200M, When you were a Expansion > | kkid trying on new shoes, remen OTE: Mert i a = E : Iengor than tonon E ber iow the shoe. salesperson feet aa ee Sis: nei | ‘would always pinch the toe of the Pane! exparsin — shoe to show your parents there was plenty of growing room? The same thing applies to the mortise ‘on a breadboard end ‘The mertise needs to be longer than the width of the tenon in order for the panel to "grow" see detail 'a' above right, Typicelly, I allow W at each end ofthe tenon for panel expansion (On larger projets, T might even increase this to Vic) PINNING THE JOINT. Making. an extra large mortise provides the room for | ‘expansion. But the end cap has to be 48 to gwve it the freedom to expand 28 wll Tha's were the dowel pins come into the picure, Instead of gluing the cap conto the panel, ifs pinned with ‘owels, see Fig. 3. Normally, 1 pin mortise and tenon joints by Gilling a le through both pieces and then driving ina shor length of dowel and trimming i lush with the surface, But when attaching bread- board ends, I add one more sep, Toallow the panel to move, | elon- Although the reasons behind sbrink in width since theyre fail ge all the holes in the tenon them are different, the breadboard wide (3"), This could possily ere- (except the center one} before dri-endson the table also have to allow ate a loose joint between the end vingin the dowels, see Fig. 3a. This for wood movement across the wich cap and the panel. To solve these allows tho panel to expand out in ofthe panel. And since the panel is problems, I used mechanical fas- both directions, while thecenterpin fairy lage, itS not unreasonable to teners 10 atach the breadbcard ends ‘anchors the end cap to the panel thinkthatthe movement could be «sto the table, see Fig. 4 LARGE PANES. T also used bread- much as W between sexsons, By drilling oversize holes for the board ends on the country harvest But the size of the top intro- hardware, mechanical fasteners sill | table onpage 6 butforasiightly dit duced a couple new problems. 1 allow the panel to expand anc con- ferent reason. They're really more was worried that dowels woulintt tact But they offer greser strength forappearance than for keeping the be strong encugh to hold the end than wocd dowels, top flat. (They help to hide the widecaps to the panel, especially since And ifthe end cap shold shrink, 7% — exzarse ofend grain on the ends of the ends of a table are subjected the hardware can simply be cinched thepane.) Since the top is ached 19 a lo of stress from people lean- down abit, palling the end cap back to a base, cupping int zs serious ing on their elbows tight against the panel, sce Fig. 4a, ‘concern as with the smaller panel | was also a litle concemed that This way, you know your top will of the breadboard. the end caps themselves might always be flat and look good, d No. 122 Woeadsmith a alTOOL TOTE This handy tote can be expanded by adding a small bin to each end. Plus, it has a pull-out tray for holding a plastic box full of hardware. [crete rte sty fo have when itcomes to hzging gear around — especially when yout got shree handfuls of took t9 4ragio the "job sit." Mostofhe time, though, atee sis tucked away, sim ply gathering dust on a shelf ‘This tool tte is alittle different Its sill a great way to carry yourteol. Butithas a couple features that rake itabitmoreversatile ‘The main tool compartment here is compact — it's sized to holda few ‘ocls and isnt so large that twill get in he way. But forthose bigger pro- jects that require afew more toos, I ‘wanted to be able to “expand” the ‘ote. So I buil ovo bins that can be added to each end, kind of ike sad dlebegs on 2horse, see photo below ‘And! to make this change quick ani «easy, used simple interlockingcleats, Whether you use the bins or not, in your suitcase, the box will keep all Phis, you can make good use of the tote is designed to carry more those tiny piecesorganized. Youcan these bins even when they're noton than just tools — most projects evenhave one box for nals, screws, thetoteIsetmine onmy workbench requirehardware too, So beneaththe and drywalll anchors, and anotherfor ‘o hold small hand teols. (There are maincompariment, there's atray that electrical supplies, and so forth. Note several ideas for organizing the holds a plastic tackle box, see photo Thistoteis sized toholdabox F/4'x insides ofthe bins on page 27.) below. Likethe shavingkityouthrow 74-11", see page 35 forsources, Removable bins. Optional bins make a handy addition to this iote. They are added and removed eesiy using @ ‘simple mieriecking cles system. Plus, the insides of tie bins can be organized in & vanity of ways, see page 27. Hardware tray. Most projects require hardware as well 25 (005, so this foe is designed to hole pastc teckee bor full ofharawere. Or ityou'é rether store small tools, you can meke 2 tational drawer, see page 25 2 Woodsmith No. 122‘ME EADS, To begin building the tote, S spe | Tatined with the two y2thick end ® 4D pieces, see Tow Exploded View. Se ‘These will endup SVi" wide Call) So Sorat eos T pled ipa lone bank (obo 1) eee ‘and then cutthe two ends oat sie from this blank, see cetal' 2 gota groove and : arabe forthe bottoms there are two) and stopped dadoes forthe han- des, se Exploded View and Cut oropve and routed ontheroutertable inonepass abe! fr batom “The dadoes "stop" atthe groove on N08 St ‘each end piece, so Lcutthe y2"-wide NOTE grooveandrabbetatthebottcmedge round a eutage 1e_ first, see detail'a, ee Next, since there was a Vy"dia bit ses Ofer neces) intherouteralreay,Irouted thecon- tered dado forthe handle, see Fi. 1 Torout the topped dadoes theres past the piece forward until the bit | reaches the groove — you'll be able tohear when the router bitstopscut- ting. Then carefully hold the piece whileyoutuinthe router off MW —_Afterthe center dado was cu, 1 ‘mounted a'//’ straight bit in the { router, adjusted the fence ane cat the dacloes for the two side pieces, see Figs, 2 and 2a. Again, stop the cut when you reach the groove. ‘enihicendpanels see deuil “above. ofthe tote fs ready to be assembled. TUTE SDES & BOTTONS. The ends are Withthetonzuesonthesidescom- (The hanle will be added later.) To ready forthesidesandbottom panels plete, Idry assembled the ends and_join the sides and the ends, | simply that fit between them, soe Tote sides. Then I measuredbetween the “glued them together, But attached Exploded. View. I began with the grcoves to find the size ofthe two the bottom pieces with elue and sides (B). These V-thickpiecesare hottoms (C).These'2"thick panels addled serews for extra strength. ‘cutio finished size G"xIlVi"). Then are simply glued up and then cut to Whenthe glue was dry, [outed a arabbet iscut on each end tocreate final size.(Mine were 9" II") Vie" ckamferaroundthe sce fces of tongue thatfits into the Vi" didoes ASSEMBLY. Atthispoint,the mainpart the tote, see dtail'b' above,el Handle ‘With he toteassembled, I added the handle, When the tis fll oto, thohandlehas to beboth strong and comfortable. Otherwise if'sn01 going todoyoumuchgood. Thehandie on jaye? pao thistoteisa’”thick, chued-up panel di paracara, with arcunded opening for your han se Handle Exploded View. CUT TO S12, To make the handle (D), I ghucd up a blank that would end up 7W wide (ull) and tong enough to fitbetween the dadoes in theends (11 Vi), see Exploded View, (CUT TOSHAPS. Afercutting the blank tosize I aidcutthe final shape ofthe handle, including the opening, see detail Vat ight Thetop comers.can be cut and sanded smooth. But to rakothohandle opening ifscascst = to dill alia, hole ateach end fist andthencutoutthe materialbetween—jyyove them with asabre saw, see Fig. 3. EXPLODED TUNDLE PADS, When you have the VIEW ‘openingcut out, slide yourhand init to testthe fit I found that /2" stock b. ‘was lit oo thin to carry comfort- ably. So I made the handle just abit thicker by adding a couple Vi" hard- Doaud pads to the faces, ‘These handle pads (E) are pret- AA 12 "thick handle ty seaightforward. Simply cu them 1s 0 thn to old conjeribiy — tosize (Vi x4!61) Then roundover the edges with a Vs" round-over bit especially when the Safety Note: Because these pads are ote is full of tos So loaded'/*"- thickpads to each side of the handle narrow, when routing the ends youll ‘want t take a couple precautions I dle with sandpaper. used an auxiliary outer fence with a AL this point, the tool to's main small bit opening, and I supported compartment is pretty much com- TRAY the pieces through the cut with a plete. However, since the tote will The opening under the totes main backer board, see Fig. 4, probably get set own on the top ofa compartment was designed fora slid- ‘Afier the pads have been glued to table or other piece of furniture at ing tray, sce Tray Exploded View, The the handle, I atached itto the tote. some point, | wented to prevent it idea here i the tray will hold a plas- Here again, I simply serewed it in from causing any scratches. So the tic tackle box fll of hardware. (For place, see detail ‘a above. Then I sof-lastthing I did wasackisome rubber sources, see page 35,) And to make Woodismithz iteasy tog theplisicbos in and out, Left the ends open. (To build a tra- ditional, four-sided érawer forthe fete, see box below.) IONE & BACK, The tay is simple. 1 starred by cuttinathefrontandbzek © pieces to size from "thick stock, 0 see Tray View. To make sure thetray yew BUTTON slid in and out easily, I sized these GH" arcoara) pieces Vie" smallerthan the opening inheight and width, see detal ‘a To hold the bottom pane, a 26". wide abet 5" deep iseuton the py Te hote ou- bottom edze ofthe front and back sted age pieces, see Fig 5.1 did this on the router table with a/4" straight bit BOTION. Now the tray bottom (G) can be cut fiom Vi" hardboard. It determines the depth ofthe tray, 0 it shoald be sized so the tray is the same width as thetote. (My piece was 8/4" x 106") Then the tray canbe | 96414 sued and screwed together. Frirooe- TURY BUTTONS. To prevent the tray fiom accidentally sliding out, [added turn buttons (H), see Tray View Z ] A Wenreuraing and detal’b! These fi” hardboard | thecamers ojtie pecesare small and awkwardto work L | turn tutors, with, Sol started with an extasong, locking pliers will V2¥-wide stip, euting, off I"-long Jeep you fron pieces. To round the ends, Iused «| sigignt sanding your «drum sander, holding the pieces with H: JSingertps, locking pliers, ee photo t ight Then they can be screwed to the tote, DRAWER OPTION Asslicing tray is great for boxes of ard tom panel so they'teslighily shorter ‘ware, butyou can also make a drawer than the front and back pisces (Is ‘forholding small tools that would other- To add the sides, | glued them in ‘wis: getburied in the bottom ofthe tote. place. Then I secured them with brack by ‘To make the drawer, you can cut the _mailingthem int the front and back, and ‘rontand back (F) to size and cut the rab screwed them to the boitom. betalona the botiom edge as you would withthe tray, se above, But before moy- ingon to the bottom, cut arabbeton the ends ofthe front and back pieces. These should be sized to hold the sides of the drawer, which willbe V’"thick, With the front and back pieces com- ee and glue and screw the tray together, v Nae cate ao ue ply cut two drawer sides (I) to fit between the rabbetsin the front and back pieces. The sides sit on top ofthe bot- No. 122 Wootsnith 25A To attach the bins ‘othe tote Lused wo sets of tte locking cleats with beveled edges, Side Bins ‘The lastthings | built forthe tool tote were removable side bins, see Bin Exploded View. These allow you to "expand! the tte whenyycu haveajob thatrequiresa few more tools. And -whenthey're not attached to the ends, theycansiton your bench toptokeep small toolsin reach. BIN SIDES, To begin, I cut four Vie= thick bin sides (J), These pieces start out V0 wide and are cut to length to match the height ofthe tote, see Bin Exploded View. With the sides cut to size, 1 routedthree VB"-doep grooves in each using a VV-tia straight bit in the router table, soe detail 'W at ight, ‘Thetwogroovesontheout side will tap the froat and back pieces. The third groove is centered. (IT Thold a divider that’ added later) With the grooves cut, I angled the top, ousicle cor- net of each side piece — this makes the toolsin fronta litle more accessible, see etal’ atright To do this, [first laid out and cutthe profile ‘on one piece. Thon after itwas sand- ed smooth, [used thispiece to trace the profile on the other pieces. ‘The last thing to do to the side piecesis soften their elves, [routed a Vie" chamfer around the outside face and along the front inside ede ofeach, see Figs. 6 and Ga, BIN FRONT & BACK, With the sides complete, the rest of the bin goes ‘together pretty quickly, Icuttwo Vi" hardboard panelsto size to makethe bin front (K) and back (L}, see Bin Exploted View, These piecesare cut to length (SW) so the bin ends u ‘eights match the profile onthe sides. BIN BOTTOM, Atthis point the bins canbe gluedtogether. Whilethe glue vas crying, I cu y2"-thick booms (M) to fit the openings. Then I the same width as the tote, Their attached themwith glue and screws. Nore: peo eutide “ron! eeges dee exo" NOUNTING CLXTS. To make the bins removable, 1 used simple intelock- ing hardboard cleats, see Bin Exploded View and drawing in mar= ain This way. gettingthe bins on and ofithe tote takes only a few seconds, Temporary Gace (4, sie % ‘WoodsmithAlleight oftheclats(N) areiden- tical These Vi" tardboard strips are cutiVi? wide and 8" long with a 43° bevel cutalong one edge. The real trick is to mount these cleats so that when you set the bins onthe ends ofthe tte all the edges will ine up, The solution isto use a simple 4/4 wide spocer, see Fig. 7. T started with the bin first. The cleats here point down, an the top cleats glued flash with the top ofthe bin, see Figs. 7 and 7a. To position the bottom cleat, I used the spacer. Next, I worked on the tote, This time, the bevels face up, and the bot tom cleat is flush with the botiom edge ofthe tote, see Figs. 8 and 81, ‘The procedure here is the same as ‘nite bins except you can screw the cleats in place as wel as glue them, ‘While theclets interlock, each bin really just hangs on the end of the tote. Soi eould fall ofifbumped just right. To prevent this, I added more tum buttons (H) «the ropofthe tote, see Exploded View and detail? BIN DIVIDERS, Firaly, to keep the tos in the bins a litle more organized, You can divide the space inside the bins. Ishida single bin divider (O) into each bin, see Bin Exploded View. Butthere are other ways to organize the space. Fora couple more ideas, seth box and margin at right Cl MATERIALS & SUPPLIES 1 Ene (2) Vix8le- 8 B Sides (2) Nigh d- 11k C Bottoms (2) tte 11% D Hendled Tex 7Ve- 11% E Handle Pads (2) "/gtdbd. - 1Vs x 4V2 f Tray FronBack (2) 1x 2fe - 10fe G Trey Bate (1) Vindbd. - 8% x 10%e H Tum Butions (6) Vanda -/2.x 1 1 Drawer Sides (2)" Tox 171: = 8% J Bin Sides (4) Vex AB Ik Bin Fronts (@ “nda. - 8V. x 6V L_ Bin Backs (2) Yahdbd, - Bia x 8 M Bin Botioms (2) "x3! -8 N Bin Gleats(@) “nea. - 1x8 (© Bin Dividers (2) ahdbd. - 6/4 x Bs “Needed onli biking kaw instead of ray + |) Rubber Feet w/Screws + (24) #8 x 1Vs" Fh Woodscrews: + (6) #8x1" Fh Woodscrews No. 122 BIN DIVIDER OPTIONS Aligned ‘idoer noid ols nove) J aidan) A Rig insdation ates a gvod, ligheweiht filer Jor holding snail hard took CUTTING DIAGRAM 4x9 4. Pro (panod Whit) mW, Mi, 438 -4'Pino (planed ¥2" tic) ¢ 2 Pelee ges | DEEDES Leora 110 4'Pho (parod Vr © > J Fale ZA [Also Neodeat 49° x 48° shoot of ¥ herdtosral + (Q) #8 x°is" Fh Woodscrews + (6)#9 x 1V¢ Fh Woodscrews + (1) 47 « 7" -11" Plestic Box (Piano 3600 Series) Woodsmith 2WOODWORKING Oe This project features bins for mail, a generoi drawer, and a handy | writing surface. Aotzoine tee ces anuphillbatle. Mailpilesup; the ils get misplaced, and there's never ‘stamp or apen when you need one. Soto help create "apace forevery- thing,” Ibuilthis simple organizer It features two mail bins (big enough to hold my favorite woodworking magazines) anda good sized drawer forsmallnotepas, pens, stamps, and envelopes. There'seven avwriting sur- face incase ou neadto writ yourself 304" wide with parallel edges, areminder. Gomething! seem obe way, you wort need to worry abut sav) Justremetnber date impor doing more of these days.) the straight cut on the upper front tantthing heres thatthe curves end SIDES. To build the case ofthe orga- edge later ee the Side Profile Detail. up graceful and smooth. nizet,[ started with the two After the parels were glued up, 1 Whenthe profilesare cutard sand sides (A),seeFig. |-These laid out the curved profile on theired, the sidesare nearly complete. All ‘Vishickpanelsare too wide front edges, see Si Profile Detail at that's let isto cut some dadoes and tocat from asingle board, 30 left. Whille this profile looks little arable, sce Case Exploded View. you'll need to glue up two intimidating, dont worry. Youdant To holdlthe horizontal dividers that panels, To cut down on the have to be an artist to draw it. create the drawer opening, Icuttwo ‘waste, I glued together Lr Everything can be laid out with a com¥8"-deep dedloes in eac side with an shaped blanks. And ifyou pass. Shop Tip: Carpettape the pan- auxiliary fence on the miter gauge to, want fo save a little time es together «0 you only have to lay support the piece, see detail c' and ‘when cutting the profile, out, cut, and sand the profile once. Fig 2.Ifs important thai these dadocs. ‘make the long pieve exactly Tp cut the profile, | used a band align, sol used the np fence as astop. tem nieces favs parr apes = Lstaveopanet ee fei eon oasto Cape ape roto 8 Woudsmith No, 122