NO.

64

NOTES FROM THE SHOP

$3.50

No. 64

EDITOR'S

August, 1989

COLUMN

Sawdust
EdllOr Donald B. Peschke
OosIgn00t00l0< Ted Kralicek
MMaging Editor Douglas L Hicks
AssIstant Edit"'. Douglas M. Lidster
Kent A. Buekton
Terry J. Strohman
ProjGct Dosigntl< Ken Munkel

Technlcalllluslt8lO<S David Kreyllng

cary Christensen

RodStoakes
Chris GIowaeIcl
CusIomer_ Sandy Baum, Mgr.
Jackie S1roud
PatKoob

Usa Thompson
PIqod 5""" ... Leslie Ann Gearhart
<:00_ Paul E. Gray

C<lmJ>utot

()perotJOns Ken Miner

AdO'lnl$lralWO ASslS. Cheryl SCott

Jean Carey

Bolk,tingMnlntonanco

Archie Krause

WOOl)SMITH STORES
Goo",01 Manogor Steve Krohmer
Manogot
Store Manogors:
St loUIs. MO
8ofI<AlIey, CA
Oos_tA

Mall<0bng

Steve Dozier
Jon Behrle
Micllael DeHaven
KentWelsh

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SAMPLE COPY: VW!J WlI send a free sample copy 01 ~sm#h to anyone. Just
send us his/he< name and address.

hat's the most difficult thing about

building a chair?
The joinery? Maybe , .. because you're
faced with a lot of menise and tenonjomts,
Although they're not the easiest joint to
make. they're not lhat difficult either. Uyou
C3Jl drill a series Of holes, you've just about
got a mortise made, And af you can cut a
rabbet on the end of" board. you're halfway
to forming a tenon.
\Vell, how about the curved pieces on a
chair? Most chairs have curved back legs or
curved staison the back that conform to the
shape 01 the occupant. Anything that's
curved isalittle more difficult to make. And
there's also the image of bending thepieces
10 the curved shape. BUIcurvcdpieeesdon't
haveto be bn,l pieces, Thecurved pieceson
the chairs shown in this issue are easily cut
on a band saw.
Okay, you can cut a curved back leg On a
band saw, but it's an 0<1<1shape that's almost
a free-form sculpture. How do you culthat?
Actually. h's probably the easiest part of the
chairto cut -if you use a template. Even an
exotically curved loA'can be cut on a band
saw just by following a template. And the
same templale Can be used to do the final
smoolhingand shaping on a router table.
Howaboul tile upholstery? Because [was
working with rabrie. f had this vision onearo.
ing how to sew. But tile upholsteryfor these
chairs requiresno sewing skills, Basically. if
you can use' staple gun, you can upholster
these chairs.
Okay Don. then what is the biggestproJ>.
lemwhenitcomeslobuildingachair?lthink
it's the..,,,,bi'lanon of all these things (joinery. cutting curves. upholstery) that creates
apprehension. Yetitalsocreates intrigue because it's nOltypica,1 woodworking,
Uke most projects, when taken ODestep
at lime, chair building is not all that
demanding. !lut in the process or building
these chairs, Idiscovered two things Ididn't
really anticipate.
First, chair building takes a 101of time, It
look me aboullOO hours to build and finish
a set of six chairs, 11131'5nota lotof!imeper
duur,bUIthe hours lend toadd upwhen you
build ase tof chairs, You'reactually building
a lot o!indivldual projects- they all happen
to be the sam e,
That leads to the second discovery. Although chair building may not be mass production. it is ntilltiple production. Each
piece forthe first chair must beacioneofthe
pieces lor all the other chairs. To get this
kind of repeatability means using templates

Woodsmim

and production techniques to ensure identical shapes.

I found that using a template was the key.
We've included an article (page 18) On the
basic technique of how to use a template to
make the back legs for the chairs. Bul this
technique applies to any project that needs
several pieccs- 011Identical.
!Xffil'lStON1'A'llY..Although the chairs required some ingenuity to figure out the technique to repeat shapes, tile table we built to
accompany the chairs required ingenuity of
design.

'Vhat wewanted wasanextension tableone in which leaves could be added to extend the size of the table. The problem was
that I've never been particuJar!yfond oftypicalesteesiontables. ThetopisusuaUycutin
haHsothe 1W0halve1!C3Dbe pulled apart to
add the extension leaves.
This type of table works, but it seems a
shame to cut the table top in halfjust to extend il a fewUn>es uyear (usuaUy on Thanksgiving. Christmas. and farnlly reunions).
Therestofthe timeyou havetocontcnd with
that crack in tile middle of the table.
The solutlom Build a table with a solid top
(not cut in hall) and pul tile leaves on runners so they can be pulled out al tile end$ of
the table to extend its size.
This system is nOlhing new. But it is sort
of a mindtwister to explain.11le idea is that
Ibe extension lea"es are On runners. These
runners are mounted at an angle under the
lable top. 'Vben )'ou lin up the top (it just
'lIoats" on the 1t'RS and aprons). the exteasion leafcan bepulled out. Since the runners
are mounted at an angle. tile leaf win raise up
10 be level with the surface otthe tabte top.
lralso means the leaves are always part of
the lable - not Siored in the closet where
they might warp or could be scratched. All in
all. this extension design makes a nice
dining roo m lable for the 362 days. year
when the leaves are 'lot extended.
NEw P,ICES, There comes" time when a
business needs financial guidance. If nothing else, you have to know where you stand,
and predict where you're going, Thauneans
accounting.
Paul Gray has joined us as our corporate
controller. Fortunately, he's also a woodworker (andw3sa subscriber 10 lI'oodsmitir
even before he was hired), so he has an undel'SWlding why we spend so much money
00 wood and power tools.
S\"TISSUE.The next tssue of IVoodsmitir
(No. 65) win be mailed durin)! the week of
October30, 1989.

No. 64

FRO

FELLOW

WOODWORKERS

Tips & Techniques

ALIGNING

DRAWER FRONTS

In Woodsm.ilh No. 62 you

showed how to align Ialse
drawer fronts in a cabinet using
a four-screw method. Iusca slmilar method when mounting a
drawer front tlta thas a band pull
with mounting screws. The
rnoullljrtg holes lor the hand
pulls serve as the adjustment
holes lor the false front
To use this method. first drill
four countersunk shank holes

through the back of the drawer

front (lor the screws that will
hold the false front.in place). see
Fig. ia, Alter these holes have
been drilled. drill two holes lor
the pull through the false front
Next, temporarily clamp the
false front onto the fronl of the
drawer. Now comes the trick.
Stick an. awl through the pull
holes in the f,use trent to mark
their location 0)1 the real front.

BENCH STOP
At Urnes Iwanlto plane orscrape
a project on my workbench. but
I don't have a dog system or an
end vise to stop the piece,
To solve this, I made.a simple
bench stopoutofUlin hardwood
scrap, then screwed it to the-end
01my workbench.
ntis works fine. but there are
times when I don't want the stop
stickingupabovethetopsurface
of !he bench. So. I altered the

bench stopso itcould drop down

cut of Ihe way.

To do this, drill a series ofW

dia. holes in the shape 01an "L".

No. 64

Then remove the clamps and

drill W'diameler holes at the
marks through the drawer front
Oldy (not the lalse [rant).
To align the false front, mount
it with two roundhead screws
that go through the pull mountinll'holes (in the I,"sewnt) and
through the W'dia. holes (in the
drawer lront) and finall into a
scrap block (inside the drawer),

see Fig. 1.

near each end of the slop. 'Then Sometlmes when using the
clean the Lsbapes out using a router (able. irs laugh to get a
chisel.
.clean finished cut that doesn't
Toanaeh the stopto thework- bum. To get a good cut. I use a
bench, posltion the top edge of two-pass system-s-but I only
the stop flush with the top of the have to make <18 selling for the
workbench. Now tighten the height ofthe router bit.
stop to the bench using two No.
To do this, 6.'St set the router
S x 1" roundhead screws with bit 10cut at !he fidl1t8Jht and
washers placing the screws at check it with a test piece 01
the lOp of the "L" slot. Keep the scrap. After the height of the bil
Screws just loose enougb s.othat i~ set, tape a piece of cardboard
the stop can be raised and (approximately II.lt'lhick) to
lowered.
the top of the router table, in
1'0 use the bench SlOp, lift it front 01 the bit The cardboard
straight up until the screws bot- should be about as long as U,e
tom (Jutin the "L,"111en 10lock table and just a little wider than
it in place. slide it left to Iheend Uteworkpiece.
olthe "L," see drawing.
Wilh the cardboard in place.
This bench stop worked so the workpiece will be raised
well lor me.Iadded another stop slightly SOthe first cut does not
on the adjacent e:dge of the cut 10 the complete finished
bench. Now J have two stops at depth. Then. to make the finish
90' from each other, which is cut, remove the cardboard. This
handy fors<tuaring up two frame lowers the workpiece $0 YQur
pieces into the comer.
next cut will be a full cut,

C!iffmYLHicks

Woodsmith

aligned. secure.

it with

screws

U,rough the countersunk holes.

Alter screwing tile false front
inplace, removethescrap block.
and install the pull. see Fig. 2.
H(LrlJey Freeman

Halifax, Nova.f;colia

GLEAN ROUTING

8"reva.,yJ., l\'ortJ"Caroiilla

To adjust the false front.place

Ihe drawer in the cabinet. I.! it
needs adjustment.
pull the
drawer out and genlly lap the
false Irontwitha mallet Once i~s

/)(rve lI'ortM"

Spri?1gjieldDnio

CLAMP PADS
Placing clamping blocks between pads on a C<:lamp and the
project (to protect the surface)
usually takes ~,ree bands. On.
tohold the Cclamp and another
two to hold the blocks while try.
ing to tighten down the clamps.
To solve this problem. ruse
seIf.sticking pieces 01round felt
on Ihe pads of my C-elamps.
These inexpensive pads are used
on the boUom of jewelry boxes
and found in most hardware
stores in a variety of diameters.
Robert A71d~son
Chandler, A";"O)U1

SEND IN YOUIrTIPS

Iiyou'd like to share a tip

with others. send in your idea
to Wcodsrnhh. Tips &. Tech-

niques, 2200 Grand Ave,,Des

Moines, Iowa 50312.
\Ve pay $15 for accepted
tips, Please send an explanation and a sketch il needed
(well draw-a newone).

FEATURE

PROJECT

Dining Table
It looks like a standard Danish Modem table. But beneath the top
are twO extension tvings that add another 43" to the overaU length.
But wait a minute ... hotv do those exrensions actually tvork?

he biggest problem wilh this table is Irying 10

explain how iI works. I had such a hard lime
explaining me design 10 everyone. mal I finally went
down 10me shop and JUSI buill il.
When Ifinished. everyone said. '"Tha(sniceDon.bul
I thought you said mis table had leaves?" I couldn'1
resist showing off a little; ISimply lifted one end 01me
free Oooting lOPand pulled thel.aHrom Imdn-Ih~"'blt.
I didn'l evengerachanee 10pulloul theothcrleaCbcfore
someooe fiRedme table 101>011
to see how iIworked.
HOWrrwORXS. On most extension tables the lable
top is cut in hal! and each halns attached to some sort
ofrunners. To extend Ihe tableyou pull Olehalves 81""
and the leavcsdropin-on
top ef the runners.
With this tabte the leat'C' are attached to Ole runners.
When you wanuocxtend the table. lift uponeend ofthe
top and pun out a leaf. When the leaf is lully extended
me top drops down and rests on tOl' of the runners.
Once you understand how the runners work. build-

ing this table is very straight forward. The joinery isn't

complicated and the only hardware you Deed is lour
hanger bolts and a few screws.
CI1T11NG1HTOJ'.Thetopand the leaveson this table
arecutfrom asingle sheet ofoakpJyv.ood. To make the
grain of the plywood tOP match up witlt the leaves. I laid
oul mycutsasiflbe leavcs were part olthe top. see the
CutlingDiagram.
Since the leaves fit under the table top (when in the
stored position). they are slightly smaller (narrower)
than the top. see the Detail in the Exploded \rlCw.
11IELEes. One other interesting {eatoreon this table
ismelegs,aodbowlheyremow>tedtotheaprons.
The
legs are mounted so they stand at a 45' angle. They're
mounted to the table's aprons wilh corner blocks and
hanger bolts. Thisroakesthemremovableand
theycan
also be tighlened if they loosen over time.
FINISH. To provide the table with extra protection I
used two coats ofpolyurethane, sanding between coats.

Woodsmith

No. 64

EXPLODED VIEW
TOP EDGING
TABLETOP

,, 1'
TOP

--

-- ---~
-~
-._--_

LEAFEXTENSION DETAIL

UfT'fDGf
OFTA8lt

GUIDES KEEPTOP
CENTEREO ON BASE

PUll. lEAf
STRAlGHTOUf

SUPPORT ARM GUIDED

SUPPORT CARRIAGE

MATERIALS LIST

CUnlNG DIAGRAM

A TGP(l)'

d X MV,,

B leaves (2)'

%x~~~33

C SId& T(1) Edgl<lg (2)

o EndTol) Edging (2)
E Eod leal edging (4)
F St<fe leo! Edging (4)
G Side'AplOns(2)

"., x 1%-36rgh,
'Il x 'AI, 35 rgh,
'AI-22'''' rgh,

H End J\prons(2)

I CGmerIllo<:I<.S (4)
J Top Bloce.(2)
K LowerBloce (l)

l Crosssroess (4)

54'A:

,,., x 1~~56
(gh,

'I.",

~.,lt31"'-4W,
% x 3"., - 27%
1%x3-'
'If,)(,2 - 2'1'

414)(2 28V~

~~xS60(2.18d.Ft.)

13(.. )( s

I
- 100

NO,G4

o I a

~. x 21-2 - I(W,

10/,x 2\(4-4911>
10/,x 3 - 271-'2
GuldG$(2l
'4x2'h-6%
These pleclil$ 9,e 0/,' P!ywbGd,

(6.9 ad. Ft.)

M

M SUj)portArmo(4)
N LegS(4)

JL

l~x 6~ 64 (5.8 8d. Ft.)

N

N
N

W.oodsmith

~LSONEDlD ONE 4' x 8'

OF~.&"ptYWOOD,FOR TA6U
TOP AND Lf,AVES

TOP AND LEAVES

11\c table begins by
making the.top.I cut

the plywood (or the

top (A) and the two
leaves (a) to size.
refer to the Exploded
View on page 5.
RQfJJ'TONGUE.In
order to mount the,
edging pieces thatcovertheplywood edges,
I routed Ii tongue on all the edges of each
plywood piece. To do this, mount an edge
guide and li't' straJgbt bit in the router, see
Fig. 1. Then rout a rabbet on the tOP and
bottom faces 01 tile plYwood to produce"
vs"-thick tongue, see Fig. 1a.

EDGLNC.After the longue is routed, you

can cut the four top edging pieces (C,D).
These pieces are resawn ro l;:'J" thick and

thenripped to 1W' wide. see Fig. 2.They're

cuttc rough length about2" longer than the

sides and ends of the plywood top. Also cut

the eight ?lst'widelear edging pieces (E, F),
see Fig. 2.
GROOVllIN EJ)(;ING.The edging is joined
to the plywood'pieces by cutting a ~"-wide
groove (to match the tongue) on the inside
faceof each piece. The groove is positioned
sowhen theedging isrnounted.thetopedge
sticks up about Vt6"above the topface of the
plywood. (It's trimmed flush later.)

ROUNDIlJ)GE. Before mounting the top

edginj1 pieces (C,D). also rout a \-in roundover on the i71sW"bottom edge, see Fig. 2.
APPLY EDGING.Now tbe edging can be
glued and clamped to the plywood. Miterthe
endsoffuetopedging
pieces (C.D) and glue
them to the table top (A). (For some tips on
this. see page 11.) Also miter and glue the
leaf edging <E.I') tothe leaves (8).
When the glue is dry. trim the edging
flush with the plywood. 0 used a Dush trim
router jig. see IVoodstitil No. 62.) 111eedging on the leaves (B) is trimmed 6ush with
both the top and the bortomface of each leaf.
ROUNI)OVEREOGING.1'0 complete the
top edging, usea If.!'' round-over bitand rout
the Oil/sidetop and bottom edges. see ,,"tg.3.

RIP FENCE

r..

~
ROUT
C<>ON1'Ql

DG-EGUIDE

ClOCKWIS(

NOTE'

TRIM [OGING RUSH

RIP FtNCE

a.

",.'

The next phase is to

(0 form a slightbevelon the bottom ofalHour

make the four notches. This bevel should slope toward the
aprons that hold the imide"ace 01 the end aprons (H). see Fig. 5.
jegs togetller. The
KllRfS fOR.SPLINES. To complete Ole
sideaprons(G)
are aprons, kerfs are cut at both ends or all four
very easy - just cut
two pieces of :"tI_
4
thick stock 3Ii'l"
N01CHESfOR
wide b~ 47.!"long.
SUPPORT ARMS
The end aprons (H) are also 31i'l" wide, but
l~~"I)E(JI'
only 210/," long.
i'o.'OTCH E~"APRONS.Alter the end aprons
are cut to length, you have to layout the
locationoltwo notches. Tbesenotchesallow
Ihe leafsI\Ppor1s to be pulled out. refer to the
Exploded View.
Tbe notches in each end apron are in
diffel'en\ positions so thaI the leaf sUPPOr1S
will bypass each other under the table. To
make the notches, raise the blade on the
table saw to cut 10/16"deep. Then make re-

aprons. These kerfs match liP with kerfs in

the corner blocks (I) so splines can be used

to align the aprons to the comer blocks. Cut

these kerfs 1\I," from the end of each apron,
V4" deep. see Fig. 4.

petitive passes to waste 6ut the notches.

Alter the notches have been-cut, use a rasp

Woodsmi[n

No. 64

CORMER BLOCKS
saw blade at 45' and cut a bevel off one end block isser backfrom the ends ofthe aprons,
ofeach leg blank, see Fig. 6.Nowtum IbeJeg refer 10 Fig. 8a.
SUANKItOIJ!. Later. the legs are mounted
each corner with a blank over and cut ilagain to form a trlal1gu
corner block (1). lar-shaped, piece so one corner has 3 l)'t'- to the corner blocks with :Vs"-&a. hanger
bolts. To prepare lor mounting these bolls.
-Since the COtner wide fiat face. see Fig. Sa.
blocks are cut from
KEJ.tFTHE BLOCKS. The corner blocks are drill a %"-&a. shank hole on the driU press.
tbe same sjze stock kerfed to accept 111' Masonite splines. These Center the hole On lbe inside lace of ilte
as the legs (N). r splines align the corner blocks to the kerfs comer block. see Fig. 8.
made the leg blanks ill the aprons (G.H).
ASSEMBlE TIlE APRONS. Now tile aprons
Start by positioning the .saw fence l'k" can be assembled by gluing and clamping
4" longerthan needed and cut a comer block
from the blade, and setting Ute blade height the COmer blocks inplacewith l1i" Masonite
(I) oft the end of each leg blank.
ClTI"TRE ~I..OCKS.So-start by cutting four to V4", see Fig. 78. Then cur a kerf in both splines,see Fig. Sa. (used a clamping block
leg blanks from 1:v,"thick stock. Cut the beveled sidesof the corner blocks. see-Fig. to support theCdamp and hold the comer
blanks to. width 0(3" and a length of31:..". 7. Note: The kerfs in the aprons are only square. (See Shop NOles on page 10 for
more on this technique)
Then to make the comer blocks. set the IV4"from the end oHheap",n so Ihecomer
The T:able aprons
are held togerner at

HOLO CORNER

8LOCt(:nGHT

AGAINST

F(NCE

o.
"0

BLANK

LEGS
The next step is

to

cut and, shape the

legs (N). First, cut
them to a finished
length of27W'.
CliM1PER U'GS.

The inside edges of

each leg (N) are
chamfered so the
legcan butt against theapronsata4S' angle.
Begin by setting the blade to 45' and position the sawfence 1" fromtheblade, see Fig.
9a. Now. cut a chamfer on one edge. then
tum the plecearound and cbamfertheother
edge. TbisshouJd leavea-V."wide nat on Ihe
inside face of the leg. see Fig. 9.
ROUND EDGES. Arter the legs are
chamfered.! routed both oul$ideedges with
a W' round-over bit; see Fig. 9.
Pll..OTHOl.ES. The legs are joined to the
comer blocks witl, a %"'<Iio.hanger bolt.To
do this. drill a pilot hole 1W' down (rom the
top and centered on the \1.1" nat on the inside
(ace of theleg, see Fig.lO.
Now. attach Ihe loglo the comer block by
screwing in a hanger bolt, see Fig. 11. (For
details. see Shop Notes. page 11.)

No. 64

ORJU~6
PI\OTHOlf

10

LEG

TQAOfPrt-l

Of 21n"

1 ';.a"

Pilot

IiO~

NT~~D
ON
ntJCKNESS
Of'ltG
GlUECoaNEQ:

81.OtKAND
SPUNE nuSh wmt
TOP OF APROm

....

MAS()NfTt
$PUNE

..

~
;'''_16 x 5"
KANGEll80LT

Woodsmith

WASHER _
ANONtn

SUPPORT ARM CARRIAGE

With the legs (N) attached to the apron assemblY,1 started workingon thesupportcarriage which guides the supportarms (M).
cur l'I.CIiS TO sIZE. AU the pieces (or the
support carriage are made from :v."thick
stock. Start by cuntngfourcross braces (L)
2lh." wide by lo:Y.i" long. Next, cut two top
braces (J) 2wide by,29." long. Then cut a
lower brace (K) 2" wide by 28\1.," long.

12

A'ITACB CRqSS BRACES.

Whe.n all the

pieces arecutto size, screw two o(thecross

braces (L) to the inside faces of the side

aprons (G). see Fig. 13. Center the lirace on

the length of Ihe apron and screw it to the
apron sothe lopedgesare flush, see Fig.12a.
!.OWER SIMCE. With the cross braces at
tached. tum ihe table over and screw the
lower brace (K) to (he center of the cross

braces (L).seeFig.13a.
table over-and
screw uie two top braces 0) to the top of the
aprons. They should be flush with the outsideofthe aprons and their edgesJlush with
the ends of the cross braces (L). see Fig. 13.
Next, slide the remaining two cross
braces (L) between the top braces 0) and
the lower brace (K) andscrew them in place.
TOP BRACES. Nowturn the

CNTt:R CROSS &RACtS ON

LfNGTH Of SIO APRON

a.

a.

TOP8RAC.E
J

~ND VI~W

,.

"'I -TOP

_-

"'~..

BRACtS
~

CR._OSS .RACE

<D

SUPPORT ARMS
Thefour support arms (M) are the key to
making Ibis table work. Since you want the
leaves to slide up 10be level with the main
top, I tapered the lOP edge o[ each arm so
that the leaves are level with the lOPwhen
extended.
cur 'I1IE BlANKS.To make the support
arms (M)'i>egin by cutting l:V."thick stock.
2V4" wide by 49lh.long.

curNOTCAF.S.llach arm isnolched so the theend closest 10the notch, see Fig. 14.The
edging (0) on the table lOP can fit into it, taper starts 1#'2" in front of the notch and
(See Detail in Exploded View.) Locale the tapers 10the end so irs 10/,,;,'wide. see Fig.
l"-deep notches 2OYz'! in Fromthe end of the 15. Shop Note: J used Ihe taper jig featured
support arms. see Fig. 14. To cut the notch. in lVoodsmithNo. 61.
SOFrEN 1HE END. Next, file the bottom
use thesame methodason the aprons (refer
10Fig. <t). but leave theiboucm flat
comer of each arm to a 0/'," radius, see Fig.
TAPER SUPPORT ARMS. After (lutting the
14.Thenfinish the supports by routing a !IIi"
notch, taper the lop of each SUPP9rt ann at reundover on both bottom edges.

TAPER STAATS 11h"

IN FRONT OF NOTCM

14

..

SUPPO)!T ARM

15
SUPPORT ARM

TOP

~------------------49~
SUPPORT ARM

'''.

ROUND
OVrR

NOTCH _DETAil

flU COA~(R
TO A

ENDVJEW

:f." RADIUS

Woodsmith

No. 64

AnACHING

THE LEAVES
Once the tapers
have been cut on the

outside edge of the notches, see Fig. 170.

With the leaf in place. slide it all the way
AITACR 11IE l.E.~VES. Now, adjustlhe leaf into the table, Now .adiustthe tapered end of
four support arms so irs centered On the support.arms. Using the am, so it's centered in the apron-notch,
(M),screwholcsare
No, Sx 111.1"
woodscrews, attach the Jeafto see Fig, l7b, With the arm centered. reach
drilled on the bot- thesupport aim auhe deepest counterbores under the table and screw in the rest of the
tomsideofeacharm
only. This allows' for adjusting the arm.
screws through thearmsand into the leaves.
so uhe support arm
can be screwed to

lite leaves.
ORlWNG11IEARJIIS. Begin by locatingthe
shank holeson lite bottom side ofthe support arms (M). Thesethree holesarespaced
Sl1!" apart, with thefirst hole located 2W' in
fromthe naJ'!'OWend, sec Fig. 16.
With the hole locations marked, place the
taperedside ofthesupportarm face down on
U,e <!riO press lable, Now. at the marked locations, drill'll,,;" shank holes centered On
lite thickpcss of each aim, see Fig. 16.
COIJNT&RBORJNG, Once the shank holes
are.drilled.eaohhole iscounterbored with 0

16

"".... COUNTER60R

NOTE:

PLA(_t TAP[RCO StDJ! DOWN

AGAINST IMtIU PRESS TAbU'
~6"SHANK MOll

DRIU H(5S TABU;

17

~8"bit so the screws can reach LIPinto the

leaf. But since the support ann is tapered.

lite counterbores are at different depths,
To gel the correct counterbore depth, set
tile depth stop on lite drill press so the bOItom of the bit s(Qps J" from the table. Now,
with the tapIJ>wljace of the arm still against
the table, counterbore the holes, see Fig. 16.
POSnl0N'I1J U!AVES.After the holes are
counterbored, the leaves are positioned on
the support rums. Begin by putting the arms
in place in the table, so thatthe inside of the

notches in the arms arc flush with the out-

L!.~

(OOR
ON$UPPOK
ARM

TOPVJW

l\ {NO APRON

lOP JS RfMOYED

KfEP

/9

ARMS
PARAII"

NOTCH
OUTSIDE
IDGI OF APRON

PUT MIDDLE

..sCRlWS IN
"'ST

side edge otthe apron, see Fig.17a.

Now place a leaf (8) on lOP of the arms so
tile inside edge of lite leal isllusb with the

S"PPORT ARM

. ,.J

INSIDE Of
"-II" ~' \..L.- fLUSH
Wlnt

m II
NOTE:

__EOG-OF lAfAND NOT(H

. r
MUST BE FWSH

CENTtR ARM IN NOTCH,

TIGmt"" REMAINING SCRoo .....

'.'~
LEAf....

,Noll L.:
APRON

.~ "'(1;)'

....

l-l

TOP GUIDES
.,

1\

Now that the leaves

have been attached
to the support rums,
the last step on the
table is 10 attach the

twoguides (0)

placing a piece of double-sided carpet tape

On the guides and checking ihefit,
Exceptfor applying the finish. the table is
complete. The table leavesshculd slide out
easily when lite table top is lifted.

10

the bottom of the

table lop (A). These
guides are what
keep lite table lop from moving around,
em TO SIZE. Beginning WiOl :Y:1"~lick
stock, cuttwo pieces 21o'.!"wide by 6%" long,
With the guides (0) cut to length and width,
cut a 45" tapered notch off each end, The
taper is cut so there's a 2"long nat lelton lite
bottom of lite guide. see Fig. 20.
After lite guides are cui out, rout a W'
roundover on Ihe bottom and end edges.
POSmONOF'IREGUIDES.
With the guides
completed, I located their position on the
bottom side of the table top (A),
First, locate the guides so U'ey're centered
on the length of the table, sec rlll.1S.
111en, measuring from the inside of the

No. 64

side lop edging (C), mark lines 3<'8" in from

either side, see Fig. 19.
TESTTHE 1.OCAll0N. Sioce the guides
""(st fit between the top braces 0). llested
their location before] glued them inplace by

18

UNGT'M OF 1HI TAeu:

-~

GUIDE (!!Tt::

::l
NOTE:

Woodsmim

GUIDE PRfV[NTS TABU TOP FROM SHIftiNG

SOME

TIP

FRO

OUR

S HOP

Shop Notes
CUnlNG

MORTISES

What's the best W'dy10make a

mortise? The method \IIC use is
to drill" series ofholc~ to rough
out tilC mortise, find then square
up the ends with a chisel.
So, what bit is best to use 10
drill the holes? Our favorite bits
are made by Vermont American,
They're available in three si=
and reasollabll' priced, see page
24. (For more on mortising bits,
see lI'ood6mitl. No, 26,)
The design of this bit makes il
ideal for dnltiol! mortises on a
drill press. Uk. a Forstnerbit, it
has a SCOnnlledge on the very

outside rim, This edge lessens

RPM for hardwoods.

I thinkthat's

the chance of Ihe bit wandering

when drilling the overlapping
holes needed (or a mortise. \Vith
a twist bit or brad-polnt bit, the
centerpoint tends to wander into

too fasL.llike to run these bits as

slow as possible to keep from
burning them up. On my drill
press. that's 380 RJ)~1.
~F.NCE. Before drilling, I
a previous hole.
moum a fence 10 the drill press
Unlike a Forstnerbit, ihe ver- [0 guide the boles for the mormont American bit 113$ a long tise in a straight line. However,
Ilute. This allows chips 10 be When drilling the mortisesin the
pulled out of a deep mortise.
curved back leg of the Chair (m
DRlUJ.SC SPEE!). One tI.ing this issue), I used a dowel stop
you have towatch wilh these bits pin so Icould follow !he curve.
is thedrilling SPeed, The instrucORlU.MOKJ1SES. To drill out a
tions that come with the bit say mortise, start by drilling the end
the best operating speed is 1100 holesto deline!he totallenglh of
Then, come back and clean up
any remaining ridges by moving
drill a series of holes the blt upand down while sliding
next to one another, the piece slde-to-slde, see Fig, 2,
SQUARE IoIl)S. Since the ends
see Step 2.
There will be afthe mortise are rounded, you
have IWO options: You can
some srnall rridges'
alonll the sides of square up the end. with 8 chisel.
the mortise. 1'0 re- Or. you can round over the
move these ridges, edges of the tenon with a file or
position the bn on chlsel, l Lhinkit's easier 10getan
each ridge and CUIit accurate fit by squaring up the
off, see SIep 3.
ends of Ole mortise.

the mortise. see

Step I in Fig. 1,Then

CLAMPING BLOCK
.\hen

Iwas building the Table

shown in this issue. I used

comer blocks to join thecomers
of the aprons and the legs to the

comer block, see

rag. 2.'1.

lines will form a right angle.)

cur our BLOCK. All you need Then I cut along these lines
to make the block is scrap using a band saw.
pieceof2x4 about 6" long. Begin
Nler the notch has been cut
by drawing two intersecting 45' out. I relieved the inside comer
lines that start 1II trem each end. of the block 10direct the clampsee Step I in Fill. I. (I1.ose two ing pressure directly over the

apron assembly. The problem

was how 10clamp the block (0
ihe "1)rOnS I0 get pressure
where it's needed.
The solution is
1
lO lise 8 clamping
1
block, see I'ig, 1.
FufsT: .....
lllist1aml.ing block
CUT MOCK
FROM. 21i14
provides a surface
that', parallcllo the
comer block SOyou
I'
can use a C<lanlp.
SECOND:
The shape of the
CUTOUT_
clamping block also
AtiAW11l<
&AND SAW
transfers the clampingfon:eso ilpushes
~
the aprons tighl
againsl the ends of

1
,-

fo
t
....J,-!,,_ _,-_
6'"-

splines, see Step 2. The retief

also preventsthe block (romputting any pressure On the very
end onhe aprons.
Afterthe block lscuttc shape,
use it (0 clamp the comer block
to Ihe aprons, see J'o'ig.2.

a.

CLAMPlf<fO PRlS5URI!

CI.,AMptNO

(IOCI!""K_-;;

...

Woodslllith

10

No. 64

HANGER BOLTS
.TIteTable au page 4 uses virtually no hardware. In fact the
only metal pieces in (he table,
are a few woodscrews and four
hanger bolts. ''''hile there's
nothing special about woodscrews, hanger bolts are not
something Iuse every day.
A hanger bolt has threads like
a I,ag screw on one end and machine threads on the other end.

~-t6x-S"
HANGER

80LT

..

I!!: .~,~
'

see FIg. 1. Hanger bolts come in

a variety 01sizes. and I used one
of the largest (W'-16 ,,5"). (For
sources.see page 24.)
You could use a 1'!8' screw to
attach the leglo thecorner blocl<
on the Table, burl used a hanger
bolt for tWO reasons.
first, the machine thread end
of the boll allows you to remove
thenur, and thenremove the leg.

SCREW IN MANGER
BOLT UNTIL
211::1"'5 ~POSED

/.\,~

,TURN OOTtA
NlITONLY

$ocm

the lOPnut is flush with the end.

Afierthenutsaretightagainst
each other. place a socket
wrench over thetop nutonlyand
tighten thehange: bolt into the
leg. see Fig. 2.
Then remove the nuts and fit
the hanger boll through the
comer block on the table and
tighten a washer and nut ul)tight
against the block. sec Fig. 3.
CORNER SlOCK

WRtNCH

'J.
F'D.

That's handy ifyou're moving or

you have (0 replace the leg.
the other benefit to hanger
bcus is that if the leg becomes
loose you can tighten up the nut.
Thefirsttime Isawthis typeof
bolt. I saw how it worked. but
wondered how do I screw it in?
The w.y Ido it is to double nut
the threaded end. Start by turning two nuts onto the bolt until

""
JAM NUT

"('

NUT
FLAT WASHER

TAPE CLAMPS
.1was getting ready to glue the

Use a clamping pad to protect

TAPE EDGrNG OOWN. When
Now, move (he seeond clamp
wood edging on the ends of the the tongue on the other end. see both clamps are in place, reach 4" farther away. tighten it, and
Table (page 4) when I realized FIg. 1a. Then place a second for a roll ofrape. The tal1f!luse is apply another piece of tape, see
that I only bad one clamp long clamp about 4" from the first
called filament packaging rape. Fig. 2. Continue moving the
enough to reach the full length
Shop Note: If you don'l have (It has fiberglass-strands in it.) clamp and taping until you reach
of the table.
long enougbclamps (I only had This tape is very -strong and the end ofthe piece.
Since the edging doesn't re- one) you can overlap thejaws of doesn't stretch.
When the glue is dry, remove
quire a lotof pressure J was able two short clamps as shown in
First, wrap" &' piece ot tape the clamps and tape, then aJ)J)ly
to get by using one long clamp, FIg. 1. I wrap the jaws with tape tightly boom the top of the table the next piece of edging USing
two short clamps and some to keep them frOID coming apart. around the edging, see Fig. I.
the same procedure.
packinglllpe.
FIT EDGING.
I 1
OVERlAP SHORT
found il best to miter
andglueonepieceof
.edging at a time.
Start by mitering a
piece so the miters
FIRS1:PO$mON
CI.AMP NEAR IND
align wid' the ends
of the plywood top.
ClAMPING. 0 nee
lfAVE FtRST
,LAMP IN
the edging' fits, rePOsmON
move it aod apply
glue to the inside
face. Then clamp it
in place USinga long
clamp about 2" from
the end, see FIg. 1.

No. 64

Woodsmith

11

FEATURE

PROJECT

Ladder- Back Chair

Chairs aren't as difficult to build as you might think. The trick is to
use a template to cut the curved back legs and slatS on the band saw and
router table. Then the legs are joined with mortise and tenon joinery .

uilding chairs: juSI the thoughl of it

brings out a certain uneasiness in
many woodworkers. Okay. 111admit this
chair isn'l the easiest project we've ever fe",
tured. But it isn't the most difficull either,
AI6rs~ the curved back leg and back slats
may seem inlimidating. Bul Ihey're f"i!iy
easy 10cui by using a template 10rOUjlhout
theshape on a band saw. Then use the snme
template to smooth then. on a router table.
JOINERY. I found the process of building
the chairs 10 be 1110retime-consuming than
it was difficult. It look me aboullOO hours 10

12

complere a SCt of six chairs. There are 22

mortise and tenon joints on each chair.
h may appear as though you have to CUt
angled tenons on the back slats. see Exploded View. Thai's not the case. All of the
tenens are CUIstraighl. on Square stock.
Then, after tile tenons are cut. the stock is
CUt on a curve with the band saw.
DESICN.The thing I like most about this
chair is silting in it. The curved back allows
the slats 10filthe shape of my body. And ifs
comfortable angle - straight enough for
eating.yet comfortable forsitting.

Woodsmith

WOOD. The chairs have a contemporary.

Danish modern design. Usingoakenhances
the centemporary feel. However, by using
mahogany or walnut, the chairs would take

on a more formal. traditional appearance.

IIPIlOI.STERY.Woodworking is nol the
only challenge when building. chair. you
also have 10 upholster the seat, On J>age 19
we show how lOupholster the seal (without
bunching at the comers).
FlNISJI.To provide a durable finish. I aJ)o
plied Iwo coats ofsatin polyurethane 10each
chair. sanding lightly between coats,

No. 64

LEG TEMPLATE

EXPLODED VIEW

.
,"'.

..

j-

~"

BACK SLATS

--

TtMP1..A'fE GRID
DIVIDED INTO

,. SQUARES

SEAT SIDE
RAILS

1-

..
...

1\~"

--

.-.

,"'.

,
NOTE:

~.DUP

AU. MOaTlSlS

.~.
,

FRONT

'~:\'~'.

FRONT LEGS

'"."'_

ru....

OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
17"3tJ,'" W x 38"H

8 I'fontLegs(2)
C SOOt Side 1loI1s(2) ~ x 2- t.~
D l.owelSld&Ro"s(2)~x 11'~
E 8ock5eoiRoft(l)
F F.ont5eotRoII(l)

~x216h

G Bock5101.(5)
H 8ockCleot(l)
I SOOt (1)

1Y" X 1. 161'>
.15
. ply. 15lt. X 15'/.

CUnlNG

~.2-151~.

1....__

.".:__

-,-1 ' __

" ...." 2\." .

" C.5 ad. ft.l

No, 64

UPHOLSTERY
IS' X IS' plGCO2' loom

x 21S

placo

1--

..L...__

,
j

f-.,

~,
.J

"-

...

-if

... :-t ....

f-=

-."

- ~.'1
f ..
,

I 12.",-

r...

roenc

---

1$......

14\fl,

,I

i[

#id

-":S'--_---'-~_b_..

,.,. f+:t

14\'t."-

....:..__

'/'-

..

,~

2.1BooldIt. 1 '. Ihlckook

3.8Boordh 1~.'IhIcl<OOk
O.5Booldll ~.'thlCkOOk
24' x 24'piece . plywood

2A'

--.
-- ''''.
-if

1 ,
_J i
I

;1
'I.}

......E.

LUMBER FOR ONE CHAIR

DIAGRAM

1~.-x,...., ... SO'" l3..1 ad.

I.'"_.__
I

SUPPLIES

IIiI.x'39f91t
Ihx Ihlm

LOWER
SIDE RAILS

fRONT LlGS

A Bocklegs(2)

,1,,-

~.r~"
_

fRONTfDG(

MATERIALS LIST

AllMO'''SlS---J==
l'J'I." FROM

SEAT RAIL

-.-

2"

AlSO NtlD 2."

PltG(
__J_ Of 1)."' PlYWOOD fOR StAT

W oodsm ith

! !

13

I began building the

chairs by making a
template (or the
back leg. The ternplate is used as a

guide 10 cui bOlh

back legs 10 the
"
same shape. and 10
L..---IIT-----' lay ourthe monises.
lAY OOT 1'MPlAn:. To make Ihe ternnlate, lay euuhe shape or the leg on apiece
of \4" Masonlte 4" x 38". O'ollow the grid
drawing on page 13. or send ror the full-siee
pattern. see page 24.)
Also lay out the tecauens of the.moruses
for the back SIaIS and back seat rail NOle
thaI the start and stop points 01these mortises are drawn square 10the back edge 01
the template. see Fig. J.
CUTl'ING1'"PIA1'. Afler the mortises
(Ire layed out. Icuuhe template a little oversize 00 the bandsaw, sec Fig. 2:I1I.n l carefully filed and sanded down to the line.
MOR'llSES. Since the templale is used as a
guide for the mortises. I drilled ouuhe mortises on the template, To keep the mortises
a consistent distance from the curved front
edge onhetemplate.I used adowelpin SlOP
clamped 10the drill press table. see Fig. 3.
STOP.To make Ihis SIOI>.drill a %" hole in

CUT TtMPLATt
$UGHTlY
OVfRS':UO~
mtNRll
TOUNI

"('IAINCI

cur

OUT ROUGHLY

1/.... OVIRS.ZfD

----'fASTfN
lfMPlAn TO
8LANK W1THDouaU'SIO(o

a piece of ~4"plywood and insert a short

length ol%"o([i. dowel. Now. clampthe ply.
wood 10the drill press SOthe dowel is 1/16"
behind the back edge 01the bit. see Fig. 3.
Toalign the Slop. mark a refereneelineon
the plywood straighl out from the center of
the dowel. As the plywood base is clamped
down. align the center 01the bit on this line.
ORJ.U.i\IORl1S~.Now the rnortisescan be
roughed cut on the drill press. (For more
infonnation on drilling mortises, see Shop
Notes. page 10.)As each holeisdrilled, keep
the front edge of the template against the
stop pin. and the back edge 90' to the reference line on the plywood base. see F,g. 3.
CUT OIIT LEG. When Ihe template is
completed. you can begin work on the back
leg)! (A). I was able to get two back legs OUI
crone IVt6"blank Ih81 measured Sv.." by 39"
(see lbe Cutting l)illgnlJll Onpage 13).

HallS

UNf

CARPETTAPC

Start by Iastening the template to the

blank with double-sided carpellape. Then
roughly cut out one leg about V." oversize.
see r,g. 4. (Save the waste fortheolherleg.)
Next, Icut out the leg exactly 1'16" overSil.<! by using' aguide block on the band saw.
Then it's cut to filialsize with. Ilush trim bit
on u router table. (Fora detalled explanation
of these steps, see tbe article 011 page 18.)
MAR.K ~tOR11SES.Before removing the
lemplate. draw through the mortises in the
temptateto mark the Jocalionofthemonises
on the leg. see F',g. 5.
~11RROREDSET. To make one chair, you
need a rnirrored set of back legs. Since both
leg reexactly the same shape. you can use

fRONTEOGf

Non:

the same lemplale - bui rhe mortises have

lO be cut into opposite faces. To do this. I
stuck the template on the back side 01the
blank. The" (,'01out thesccond leg lollowing
the same procedure as the firsllcg.
MOR'TISI3S. After both legs are cut out and
the mortises ouUined. you can drill the m out
USing' thl! same stop jig and procedure used
on the template. Theonly difference is these
mortises are W' deep. see Fig. 6.
These moniscs will be siightlycun'ed becausethcyfollowtheCUf''eorthelcg(sortof
a cooked hOI dog shape).To get the tenon 10
fil. Use a chisel 10square the front edge ofthe
mortise to a straight line. see Fig. 7. Also
square up uie ends of the mortise.

$UGHTLY PARI fRONT

SIDI10 SQUARf UP
CUIVt IN MOmsI'

\'
SQUARE
UPENO$
WITH ' ....

SI[ P.I.fOR
_UG
lOflNAl.$1U

(lusa

~-''''''K
MORT1SE$
8UCR.

fRONT 1,001

.MOVING
ltMPLAlt

Woodsmllh

L4

No. 64

BACK LEGS

CONnNUED

After drimn~ out five mortises for the slats

and one for the back rail. you can begin laying out the mortises 011 the J;"mt edge of
each back leg. These mortises will hold the
side seat rail (C) and lower side rail (D).
MORTISE IAYOl1l'. The trick is to layout
the mortises so they will beatthe exact same
location on both legs, Begin by laying one
leg down on its side at the end of a bench.

Then lay down a frarning square so one ann

of the square is Ilush with the end of the
bench and the other arm rests against the
ilatsectiOQ on the front of the leg. see Fig. 8.

Now measure up 12'1116" and 150)'16"from scrap block under the mortise locations to
the end of the framing square to mark the raise the leg up.off the drill press table. see
bottom of the mortises.The lower mortise is Fig. 9. (Stick the block to the legwith doubleW'long and the upper one 1%"Iong.
sided carpet tape.)
DRIll our MORTISES. To drill out these
Now, drill ~8"-deep mortises. moving lbe
mortises, start by clamping a straight piece spacer block along with the leg as you driU.
of 2x4 to the drill press taille as a fence, see Complete the mortises by squaring up lbe
Fig. 9. Po~ition the fence so the \I," bit is ends with. chisel.
centered on the thickness ofthe leg.
ROUND OVER EDGES. When all Ute morSince the back of the leg is curved. there tises arecui in the back leg, the only step left
isn'ta longenough flat spoton it to allow the is-to round over Ute edges and ends. To do
leg to sit down flat on the drill press table. I this. use a WI' round-over bitset :Vi6" high in
solved this problem by putting a 5'.long Ute router table, see.Fig. 10.

',,'
SCRAP
UNO!R

MORTIS(5 TO lVtL lfG

nUSHNDS

At th is point.

the
back legs CA) are
complete. Now you

can begin work on

the froot legs (B).

It's critical lbat the

mortises in the front
legs align with those
in the back legs.
CuTtING Tl\E .PlEeES. Start making the
front legs by cutting out two blocks J 'W'
square by 1m"long.
MOROSE lAYour. Once the blocks are cut

to size. layout two v.."\videmortises on the

back face of each leg to iOln to the side-rails

(C, 0), see Fig. n. These mortises are located the same distances (12:Vt6 and
J5JG") from the bottom end ofthefront leg

11

CUT ~ORnS$1.tI6FROM 001$10"

'''''(5

(8) asthe two mortises on the back leg (A).

Note thatthemcrtlsesareeet centered on

2x4 as a fence to the lop of the drill press

the thickness. but '/16" from (he outside

edge ofeach leg. (Here's where you have 10
start tltinking of the two front legs.as arnirrored set.)
After Ute mortises are layed out on the
back face of each teg. layout a 1%".long
mortise on the inside face of each leg tojoin
to Ute Irent seat rail (I'), see Fig. 11. Locate
these mortises 14'1116" up from the bottom
end of the legs, ?l16" from the outside edge.
And be sure they face each other, (/\gain. so
you end up with a mirrored set Q!legs.)
cur MOtmSES. Now you can drill out all
the ~6"-deep mortises on the drill press. (As
before, to help position Uw mortise in relalion to the edge of Ute leg. clamp-a straight

When you drill Out (he mortises on adja

cent sides, the bottoms will break through
very slighUy into each other, see F'tg. 11.
111arS okay, the tenonswiU be cutback later
where Uteymeet.
ROUND OVER EDCF.5. After squaring up
Ole mortises witb a chisel. I rounded over
the edges and ends of the (ront tegs on the
router table. First, round over the two edges
nearest the mortises with a V4u round-over
bit set :V,6" high, see Steps 1 and 2 inFig. 12.
Then ...aise Ihebitlo [out a full '14" roundoveron Oleinside edge (Step3) and both top
and bottom ends. Finally. switch to a W'
round-over bit and rouuheoutsideedge.see
Step4.

NOTE:
MAKE FRONT trGS
A MIRRORED SET

12

table)

OPPOSITE

(" es

"'.

ROUND-

OVOlSrT

3
Sfl'fUl1

No. 64

Woodsmith

15

BACK SLATS
Afler the legs are
complete you can
begin working 01)
the back slats (G).
Each slat iscutto the
curved shape from a
l%"thick block.
cer-ro SIZF.. Start
by cutting five
blocks of l:v.,"thick stock to a width of lW'
and lengtjl of 16\1!'\ see Fig. 13.
COT'rENONS.Irseasiest to cut Ole4"long
offset tenons on the ends of Ole back slats
before cutting the slats to shape. To do this,
first ...aise a 1:j<I6"dadoblade Va" highandcut
rabbets on the ends of the block, (Shop
Note: To cui a \\I.long rabbet with a ':VIs"
dado blade. I "buried" the dado blade VIs"
into an auxiliary fence, see Fig. 14a). Cut the
Va"ode.p,rabbets on the front face and top
and bottom (bul not the back) of the block.
To complete tile offset tenon. t cui a
deeper rabbet into thebaekface onhe block.
Since ies a heavy cut. make it in a series of
passses sneaking up Onthe finished heighl,
see. Fig. 14. Check the )il of tile tenon by
trying,it inoneoffhemortisescutin the back
legs. If the tenon is too thick, increase the
bladeheightstightlyandmakeanotherpass.
~1AKATJ::i.'tlPl.J)Tt. After all the tenons are
cut to fit tile mortises, you can cut the back
slatsto shape. Istartedby making a template
out of 14"Masonite, see'Fig.IS. CuI the template 15" long and 81>0u13"wide.
10 get the. curve, strike and cut a 36"
radius arc on the template. Shop Note: To
strike the radius, I made a trammel point
[rom a long strip of Masonite. see Fig'. 15.
cur ARC ON BLANK. After the arc on the
template has been filed smooth, attach the
template 10 the top of the slat blank with
double-sided carpettape, Besure to face the
arc on the template to (heft',n! 01 the blank.
(lbat's the facenea.:esvthe!Al" offsertenon.)
Now, ClII out Ihe curved 1r01,ltrace of the
slat VIS"from 'he template all the band saw,
see Fig. 16. (Use !he same guide ann and
technique used to cui out the back legs.)
Then mark the (ronledge of the template on
the blank and remove the template,
To remove the last >')6" up to the line, I
used araspanda drum sandertosmooth the
frontface onallfive slats. see Fig. 17.
cur Il.~GI<FACE. Then, to form the back
face, make a guide block with a pointed eod
and clamp the guide so the poimed elld is
1I't6"away Irom the blade, see Fig. 18. Next.
cut the back slat to shape by running it between the pointed block and theblade. (This
method keeps each slat a uniform 0/16"
thick) Now file (or plane) the back edge
smooth so it ends up about W' thick.
ROUNDOVjlR GiiS 11,. tast step on the
slats-is (0 round over the [our edges with a
V," round-over bit. see Fig. 19.

16

13

-----'CUT OfiP RAB8tT

BACK SLAT
(CtJtAvt

T \.\,,\,

1~., '~ ,

I '\' \, "
1-,.",,-1

.L

15

BACK SlAT TEMPLATE

C.ENTIRUNE

.... " MASONJTE

TRAMMEL POJNT

FAlliN TEMPLATE
TO&N<;KwnH

CA_PET TApr

roo'

SQOA.t TtMPLAT
TO C(NTERUNf

lOCAlE fflOT

NAIL S1UIGHT DOWN

FROM CENnR or TOOLATt

DON'T ROUND
OvtR tENONS

ROurV."'--~OUNQO,!fR
O~AU. FOUR t:'DGts

Woodsmith

ON8ACK FA~E

PJECH)

No. 64

SEAT RAILS
Next. you can make
the seat- rails and

side rails. I started

by resawing.enough
wood for the four
seat rails and two

lower side rails to

B" Ulick.

cerro SIZE.Now,
cut all of the seal rails 2" wide-andthelower
side rails 1" wide.see Fig.,20,Asfor length.
the seat side raiJs-(C) and the lower side
rails (D) are both CuI14W':long,

20f
f I
.1_

,. r
r,

.-~

NOTE:

AllllAflS

tao THICK

,.0
.--

(0", '1[1

1.s1~."

fRONT
.

SEAT RAIL

jONf"PlfC!)

14~

SEAT SIDE RAILS

(TWO PIECES)

@ LOWER SIDE RAilS

NOTCH

1"" ",.'

~C,

~~!2
-

.'\NOCFlt\,\r""ER ttNONS. There

are

a couple more things thai have 10 be done

before assembly. When the rails are
mounted into the legs. the tenonsonheseat
side rails (C) will run into the back and front
seat.rails (E,F), see Fig, 21.
To solve this problem at the back leg. I
notched the bottom olthe tenons Onthe seal
siele mils, Since the overlap at tile front is
very slight. you only need 10 chamfer the
tenons ofthe-side and front see t rails.

8AC'KlfO

NOTCH 80nOM OF.,sIDlsrAI

RAJI.TtNON WHOtt ff MOTS
lACK SEAT RAIL TNON

'~

f~

.1

~j

. '_U

j~.~
.....
?
d ~J; ~~.....
...
"~

P' ~

1/4'"J/-

.'#

..,,!j; ~

-[

1J6._P;

I.;

J'-~
..

NOTE:

1/.... ROUNDOvtR

ON AU FOUR lOGES

(TWO PIECES)

ASSEMBLY AND SEAT

,
~~-~~~:~T~o~P~V~'~EW~===::-1

Iclampingeach
started assembling
the ebai"by gl,\inganci
side independently.
Connect ~
the fronl and back legs witb tile side rails
checking Ibat the assembly is square.
Ailerthe side units are Jlry,glue tile front
and back railsand the backslatsbetween the
side units to complete thechair. (ShopNote:
I assembled the chair on top of my table saw
since it's the flattest surface in m~shop.)
CLEAT. The plywood seat is mounted to a
back cleat (H) that's glued to the frontface
o! the back seat rail (E). see Fig. 23,To al
tach the seat, drill screw holes through Ule
back cleat and thefront seat rail (1,').
SEAT. The last piece 10 make is Ille ~."
plywood"..t(l). see F1g.22.rt'scultoover
bang .Ill" on the front) but leave ~!! space
between the sides and comers oftheseatfor
the upholstery.
(For more on the
upholstery, see the article on page 19,)
Before upholstering the seal rout a \r.t..
~
roundoveron the top and bottom edges and
. ';.;,,1 ~l!roundoverunderthe (ront edge. see F.ig.
24. Finally,after finishing the chair, screw
the upholstered seatin place.

No. 64

with a V." rouud-overbircn Ole router table.

refer to Fig, 19,

21

.~

14\0\."

I"

1"-J ...

.....

-.#

BACK SEAT RAIL

lJ:a

a.

161~

il

The back seat rail (E) is cut the same

length as the back slals (l6W'), Since rhe
front legs are thicker.than the back legs, the
front-seat rail (E) is 0/11;" shorter (151l.").
ecrrexexs. Mer aliofthepieces are cui
to length, nextcut~'''.long tenons centered
on !neendsofall tile rails. sec Fig. 20a. CUi
the tenons to thickness and width to fit the
mortisesin lhelegs (l%"widetenonson the
seat rails and %(l~wide_tenons on the lower
side mils),
ROUND OVER EDGES. Next, round over all
four edges of each rail (but not the tenons)

23

)~8x lin"!
"' S(lI:W

._
--

I,.....

I
,

-- 8E1WEN'SEAT _
AND SlOE RAILS

SEAT

_<D

'/....
THAN DISTANCE
8FTWEtN RAllS

I.,..~

SPACE ATCORNRS

\Voodsmith

17

TECHNIQUE

WOODWORKING

Using Templates
T

so it's raised up high enough to rub against

the template, not the rough edge of the

he trick to making uniform curvedback legs fOrille chairs (shown in litis

issue) is to use a template. the template
makes culling out lite pieces a simple twostep operation on a band saw and router
table - a process that produces all the
piecesyou want withthee.xactsame
shape.

V4'! Masonite to make

1E~lPlAm.I used

lite template.

workpie-ce. The trick to this ann is to round

the end. and then cut a notch for your blade
toJilin. (Icuta %" notch for the V." band saw

It's an inexpensive.

hard

material that doesn't 113vevoids or knots,

and you can easily work a SD100th edge on it.

lAY 0111' PATl'ERN. Start by laying out the
pattern of the chair leg on the Masonite.
(Use the projec(s grid dr",wiog. see page
l3.) Another method is to euta full-size pattemout of paper and glue itrightto the Ma
sonite, Then cut out the.shape slighUy oversize. and carefully file right up to the line.
1V0RKcwtEFUILY.Any notchesor gouges
on theedgeottheternplatewillshowup later
on the finished pieces. SO it's important to
take-the time to work the edges smooth.
Ir'snot critical your templateisexactly the
same as the pattern. If the curve is slightly
different. that's okay. All yo"r legs will he
identical- Uleywill match you" template,
CIlI11N&'l'O SHAPE. Afler the template is
made, attach itto theleg blankwifh doublesided carpet tape. Then, ve.ryroughly bandsaw Ibe leg out of iheblank -so it's about 14"
larger than the template.
GUlO.tARM MU$f.

STfCKAaoVE

a.

Ne>..1,cut the shape again, but this time

carefully-so it's\l16'! oversize. (Since thenext
step is to rout the leg to exact size, there's
less chipout when only routing off 116".) Al
thougb you can make this cut freehand, I
clamped a "guide 311n" 10 the band saw to

make a more precise cut.

The arm ls made from a piece of V," Masonite glued to ihe top of .l~"thick block.
see Fig.}, The ami is mounted to the block
1;."

MASONITt

ARM

blade Iused.) Now clamp the guide 3rDl1O

the tableso the bladeis V's" Jromthe outside
edge ofihe curved end, see Fig.la.
To cut out Uteleg. push the leg blank so
the template rubsa,gainsothcguide arm, see
F'18'. 2. As you're cutting, move the r,ailend of
the blank to the righl or left to keep Ute template parallel to the blade.
ROlTI1NGTO f'tNALSHAPE. After the workpiece is cut oversize, you can routoffthe last
V.ls't wtrh a flush trim bit on ihe router table.
(I'or soureesotflush trim bits, seepllge24.)
Wilb the template still taped to lite top of
the workpiece, raise ti\e bitup untilthe beariog rides Oil lite edge of the template, see
Stel) 1 ill Fig. 4. Then rout in a clockwise
direction around the bit. see Fig. 3.
Since the Oush trim bit I used only has a
1"Iong cutting edge aod Ute leg is IV,,;"
thick.Ihad to lowerthe'bitto makea second
cut. see Step 2 in Fig. 4. (Note: You have.to
use a v.."..shank Hush trim bit when routing
a piece Ibis thick. The shank of a ~"shank
bit would mb against the workpiece on lite
fil!Stcut)TheOush trim bit will cutthe legto
the exactshape ofthe template.

&ANOS'AW

NOli:

KEEP1tMPlAlt

MASONITtl

PARAlliL TO SlADt:

TlMPiATIi

WORKPttCI!
BI;ANK
(ClAMP

FIRST CUT lEAVES "'0"

SHOULD1l ON BOTTOM

8ANOSAWN

.OG.

I.OwOt Stf ~ND

TRIM Off SHOULDER
WITH $ECQN'I)

dJT

,
j

(1/1'- OVQs.Zf)__.,.....

'lUSH
TRIM BIT

18

1CIIP flNGIRS
(lEASt OF arT

Woodsmirh

No. 64

TECHNIQUE

Upholstery
I

know\,eryliUleaboulfabricandfoarn.So
when it came time to upholster the
chairs. I went to a local upholstery supplier

for information and materials. As usual.

there was more to leam than I thought.
FOAMCUSIIION.The foam we used on the
chairs is 1I0t foam rubber. foam rubber is
latex robber. which is made from the sap of
the rubber tree. The foam I used on the
chairs is polyurethane foam which is a synthetic product.
There are IIvce different densities of polyI

urethane foam: low. medium. and high. The

higher the density. the less likely you are to
"boltom OUI"when you sit on It. High density
foam also will not break down as fast as low
density foam. I used high density foam to
make the cushions (or Ihechairs.
I'AllRlC. 111e fabric we used on the seals
also has some special features. First. the
back of the tabric hasa surface coating on it.
This surface coating keeps the weave of the
fabric (rom being distorted when it's
stretched tight.

-r AOUNOOvtlt

Secondly. we wonted a fabric that would

stand up well to everyday use but, would
look appropriate in a diningroom, The fabric
we used is a nylon/pclyester blend. 111e
thread size is fairly large and the weave of
the fabric i. miller loose, which gives the
seat a son texture and allows the air 10
escape (roon the foam when you sit down,
To gel professional quality results. Isuggest you go to a upholslery shop or a fabric
store and ask (or materials thai are intended
specifically for upholsteoy.

'.,
,.

nu

TlUANO-UL,A. _
Sl(1'IQN
POINr

on

, ROtlNDOV.
'OAM

Before !tll/wl.lering plywood, 1"01"ul

Clft ;l,"t,/tick foam 2 11Jid6"
Nex!. tilt III. ba..d Raw table to SQ'
1
al!
,uit!l, 14 ",)"Ol'fzdover
2
1ll>lgor til a". 111'11'100(186"t. Tllis
3
a"d bevel.each .dgr 0}'11I8fo",,,.Start
}\'O>l( bot 10m edge witl!
,'O.",d01l<)r. ltaw,
t" OlJot'htl.t1(/O,teoch 8ide. YO.lea" the be.,.t righl 0" th_ ~.rtrc",. o"laide edge
al~(i

OlM,'

OliUt'S

a'1ld

V2'

(l

TItCll/ilc poilll on-bollomfro"t ""nlC1'.

ofthefoam.

cltttl!6folJlltea.ily <~theba>odkit"'.

SMOOTH OUTSLDI
cultvt AntJt
~"OLSltIlllNG"

- CUTSUT

l--...,..:u::....

{_

'.;

.,' ,)
"'_000

CUI RICfANGU
OUT OF Q.OI CORH Ell:

rOAM

room i8 placed all lopoflhesetU1uith.

Cut (. pi"". of fabric to a .l.I" ., ~4"
CellI('/' tI.I(/(lm and the plywood on
4
the bcv,tfacillg dOWICUmUt-ctating
.qua, e, 1'0 keep tn fabric from
5
6
110.back .i<ieollil.labric. Align .ides
tll_lOaIltallow. it 10 be p!tlled <iolOnto a b,mc/.ing ill Ilteconwrc"t a recl4ltg16from. 01 the plywood "ot Witll 1)14.idt#! of the
8}}lOOtl, olt~$jdrCIlt'VEtWith()ltt bltt!chillg.

eaclt COrlLt.tr, UIClt Illit a pul! tab.

fabric I/wtltave lite ~III'uu

CORNER TAa

t>U..
CORNERTAa
.... TOWAIO CDfIIR
AND STAPtI OOWN

TAC"DOWN
~DU '1l.ST

lkgirtftillg ..oith Ihelridu. p~h down

J\'ow P"U Ih.~corner labs in iolcaro
lI'ith tht lalla .Iap/td do.... , .treW>
7
IAr plyw.otland plIJUhefobm lip 8 the center of the plllwood_ Lop the 9 th. "mailling fabric m'()lLnd Ihe
OI.d over the plylOood.. Use a s14ple
to conw-tabsol .....I/"'.I"pltd..rownfa;,ric.so fronta>od back of thoplll~oood.S14pledowlt
Oil

glU!

IQ(k thAf.bric ill plate every 2"OrS'.

No. 64

the laid i.ilt I)" 110lch.Stapl. 14b dowll.

Wooosmirh

fabric

wform

(}crea at Ihe ""rller.

19

DESIGN

ALTERNATIVE

Formal Dining Chair

A

up the first cut on the slat blank,

Attach the templatealong one

lier building the setotladder-baek chairs shown on

page 12. [ decided to modify the
design and build another style
wuh vertical slats.The basic constru ction of (Ids eh ai r is very similar. but changing the direction
and size 01 the back slats gives
the chair a more traditional or
formal look - especially when
iI's built with dark wood like
the Honduras mahogany chair
shownherc.
CONSTRtlCTIOl<STEPS. The
steps 10 building this chair are
almost identical 10 the ladderback chair. until ifstime to work
on the back SIaIS.Istarted by following nil of the same steps (or
makingthe legl; ason the ladderback chair (pages 14 to 15) with
one exception. Since the slats

edge 01 the blank with doublesided carpet tape so the top end
of the template Slicks out 1718"
beyond the end otthe blank. sec
Stel>1.
MAKE J'IRST CUT. Next, 1
clamped ule guide arm 10 lbe
band saw 10 make I". initial cut
away from thetemplate, see
Step 2. (illis is the same guide
arm used 10 cut out the back
legs. see page 18.)
Once the oversize cut was
made along the front edge ofthe
template, I switched to Ihe

"'6"

rcutertablctecteaaupthebaadsawn edge. This is done with a

flush trim bit mounted so the
pilot bearing rides along the
edge of the lemplate and routs
the leg smooth. sec Slep 3.
CIJTTOTIIICKNESS.Now thaI
you have established the Iront
contourorthe first SIal.the trick

are vertical rather than horizontal, you don't need four of the
mortises (Ihe middle four) on
the back legs.
'11c lOPand bottom mortises,
though. arc still needed in exactly uie Same locations to hold
the back lOP rail (G) and the
back seal rail (E) in place.

is CUlling the back race to the

same ShallCso the Sial will be a

(These two pieces are made

slighlly differenl on the vertical

Sial chair. There's more explaoation about
these pieces on page 22.)
HACK SLATS. All six back slats (H)are cut
out 01 one blank 01 1", .. -thick stock that
measures 6V,' wide by 2O,'long. see Step
I. The Irick is following the correct cutting

sequence 10gel nIl six stais out oHbe blarik

so each sial ends up the exact same thickness and shape.
USE HACKlEG 1Y..\lPIATE.Since the six
slats lollow the same contour as the back
legs, you can usethe back leg templatetc set

uniform thickness. To do this.

start by removing the template
from the blank and also remove
the original guide arm from the
baodsaw.
Then make a new guide block with a
pointed end. see Step 4. CIa.mp this guide
block 10the band saw table so it's't&" away
from the blade. Now. you dID CUtthe back
edgeoltheslatbypushingthefronl
(routed)
edge against the guide block The sial ",ill

1(1' TlMPl.An
'ARAWL

BACK SLAT
BLANK

WITH 8LADI

NOTE: AnA<::H
TtMPlATt 10

'''C'KLtG

TlMJ'<An

IlANJ(

Kl(' I[AIUNG

WITHDOuwstom

AOAIN'T~n

CARPnT....

ON

".Sf

PASS,---=::::":A

To mokt the back 8lal$, atan b!l

Clamp a guide onll to tM bond sow
Totrimtdge/lu.h wilht.",plat.e. sse
2
jlUJJhtrim bit ill ",w..,.tobleand run
1
fa.l.6l1illg th. back leg I.6mplat.eto a
uitk btode.. t bock VII"inside no(elt
3
beari"g again,t temptal~.Si,tce stock is
blank Ofllll."thick .tock ,uith double ine>ldof gllid,o,.",. TIll'" <:I'tfrollttdgeof

ided carpet tape.

20

slat by ."bbing lemplalt 010'19 arm.

WO<ldSnlith

Ihick,IOI''''''bit alld mok "",,,,d pa8$

No. 64

end Ul) a uniform WIS"thickness. and the

back lace will follow the same contour as the
front face.
RE.I'E'lT'ntESffirs. To gel anotherslat out
of the blank. just reJ)eal these steps. FIrst
reattach the. template so it's inside the cut
edge of the blank and trim it nush on the
rouler table (repeal Step 3).
Then remove the template and cut off
another WI6"Oiickslat (Step 4). Continue
this process until all six slats have been cut
lrom the blank.
SMOO1"RR'CKFACE.Allhispoint,the slats
should belairlyunilorm in thickness. but the
back races will be rough from the band saw
cuts.I smootlwd the back faces with asanding drum on the drill press. see-Step 5.
To do this, clamp the guide block (with
lbe pointed end) to the drill press table W
away from the outside of the sanding drum.
Then feed the slats ara steady rate between
the drum and the guide block.
The goal here is not only to remove the
band saw marks, but (0 be sure Ute slats are
sanded to a uniform W'thick (especially at
the ends). later, the ends fit into W'm6r
uses.It the slats are too thick, they won't fit
in, and if too thin. the fit will be sloppy.
ROUNDOVE.REIlGES.After allthe slats are.

BACK SLAT RAIL

CROSS SECTION
I

K
BACK

SlAT

,
l=-

A
B
C
D

~K

CUAT

F
G

H
I

lvl/

FRONT'UGS

t
8AC.K
Sf AT RAIL

CUnlNG

IkK:klegs (2)
rlt,.x 4 39 rgh.
Fr""tLegs(2)
l~x 1~17~
SeatS/deRol~(2)%x2-14\'2
LowerSideRails (2)% x 1 ld\'.!
BockSeotRolI(l)
~.x2-161~
FrontSeatRoll~n
% x 2 15'~'.
Boc1<TopRolI(l)
1".rllhdO'!l.-16'h
Boek 510t$(6)
\'.> x 1'/16 -:20.
BOCkCf<lol(l)
% x t . 15
Seol (I)
% PlY 15\14 X 14'~

FRONT
SlAT RAil

//'

sanded smooth. round over all four edges

with a \I.." round-ever bit on the router table.
see Slep 6.

MATERIALS LIST

\ r.-'.....,

i'.

.,

11A," x

I
r""

OVIRAU DIMENSIONS:
17""~'I\Y.lC 3a"H

DIAGRAM

6V." . 60" f3.3 3d. Fr.}

S!to

~l

'G'i" 11.3 S.d.

ALSO NfED 24"

:I

'J

24" PIECE.Of ~~.. PLyWOOD FOR SlAl

9J'I6"
fROM

GUIO
8UXK

KEEP

8W>'

PARALI.l'L WfTH

fRONT fACE OF StAT

To cu; a 8Iat'of'ltltiforrJ~thickness,
allsi" bMk .urt8 are.cut, sand
over aU
edullS of /!(leI!.
4 owmp
5A/I6r
!ofinaUJricknes. /)yfeedin{j thembe6Romul.
bacJ,; slat 1.it" a V,s" /'(>I",dove,bitoil.
!Jltideblock 1))itkapointed.end
'/16" o:wq.y from IiUJ aatll blade. TIll{/!trim. tween, d)'lt"n sauder a1zd a guide block
!Ire roiaer roble. Rout1Uil" liz. pie<6 on
!<YW'

off sfqJ, ool...e"" gil/Weblock and blade.

No. 64

(l,

cia.mpedto the drill!>ress table.

Wooosmith

edq.k.epingji""

ere au>ayfrom tIL_bit.

21

BACK RAILS
To mount the back
slats, the back rails
have to be made a
little thicker than
those on Ute ladderback chair.
BACK SEAT RAIL-

FITSt, cut the back

seat rail (E) 2" wide
and
long.but leave it a full 'l'4" thick.
see Fig. 7. Then cut ~4"long tenons on both
endsof the rail.
BACKTOPR!IJ.L. Next. cut the curved back
BACK
SEAT RAIL

top rail (G) following the same procedure

used for the back slats Oil the ladder-back
chair (refer to page 16).bUI make it thicker
by setting the pointed block I~'G"from the
band saw blade. Mter filing il smooth, this
will make the back lOP rail aboui :y." thick,
see Jlig. 7.
lAY our MORTISES. After these two rails
are cut.Iay out the mortises for the vertical
slats. To do this, align the two rails and use a
square to mark the mortises directly across
from each other.see Fig. 7.
ORlLl..\OR't1SES. Now drill out V.~'~leep

mortises with a W' bit on the-drill press.

Since the backseat rail (E) is straight. clamp
a straightedgeto the.drill press tableto keep
thernortisescentered on theworkpiece. But
on thecurved top rail (C) you wiU have to run
the workpiece against a dowel stop pin as
when mortising the back legs, see Fig. 8.
ROUND OVER .DGES. Mter the mortises
are drilled (don't square them up), round
overthe edgesoflboth rails with a V,,'! roundover bit, see Fig. 9. Then fit the slats into the
moruses.Ittbeyre too tight, you may have
to slighUy shave the ends, see Fig. 10.

ALIGN ENOS
OF RAILS AHO
LAYOUT

MORlIS(S
WrTH SQUARl!

ROUN.
AU fOUR

_s

BACK SEAT RAIL

AND SACK

lOP. RAfl

NOTE:
DO NOt SQ.UARE
UP ENDS OF MORTISES

ASSEMBLY AND SEAl

Wbenall Ule )jack slats fit into lhe mortises,
the cb.air can be assembled.
ASSEMBLY. Start by gluing a from leg, side
rails. and back leg to (orm a side unit. After
assembling the other. side unit, set both
units aside to dry.
Next, dry assemble the vertical back slats
(H) into the back rails{G,E). Theslatsarent
glued in since Lhere isn't anywhere they can
go once-the chai{ is assembled.
Now fit the back assembly and front seat
rail (F) between the side units, see Fig. 11.
To keep lbe chair Silting a.at I placed the
chair on top of my table saw.
U,\CK CL>\T. After the chair is assembled,
glue. back cleat (I) to the front face o( the
back seat rail (E), see Fig. 13. Position the
cleat so it'sJ,l.j"down (rom thetonedgeofthe
back seat rail.
SEAT. Since the plywood seat(J) on this
chair has to fit lll.side the back slats, i\,s cut
shorter (14%'1) than the ladder-back chair
and rests on the cleat; see FIgs. 12 and 13.
After the .!>air is finished and the. seal
upholstered, the seat can be screwed down
10the cleat and froot rail.

22

11

121

SECOND:
DRY A$SEMau;

BACKSLAlS
INTO RACK

NOleH

.~ PLYWOOD

5< '

RAIls

ASSfM6Lf

$10(
uNns~-...

,.

13

is
,

AROUND t.GS

14 ... lit"

FIRST:

..
'.,,"

SPACE';

1-

OYfRHANG
l,."

i~/

LtSS

~N,04STANCE
BawtEN Slot RAIlS
14?1i"

CRQSS SECTION

THIRD:
ASStM8Lf BACK

NOTE:

UNIT aETWEtN

WOR.KONA
FlAT SURFACe.

SIDE UNITS TO
COMPI..ETI!CHAIR

Wooosmith

No. 64

COMMENTS

AND

QUESTIONS

Talking Shop
MORTISING:

ROUTER VS. DRILL PRESS

'''8,,-

table and save all the trouble?

There area number ofproblems
ally s}UJW mortise8 bei17gClltO"
a. drill 111'68$1 Ha.ve 'ito" co>l- you can encounter when cutting
sidered. C1/,Ui'lJ} them: Ott the mortises onthe router I,<Ible.
"(>1tier table by plunging th
DEP1l-IWtITt\TIONS. First, the
l(:ood piecedoum. 011.tire bi't?
mortise is limited in depth 10tne
Jolm H. Righi length 01your router bit and how
Onekama, Michigan high the bit will stick above. the
top of your router table.Adrill bit
Without a doubt, it'seasier to gel can usualJycut adeepermortise.
.a cleo ne~'mortise with a router
REPE.~TPASSES. Next, unless
bit. But I sliU usually drililhem
the morlise is shallow. you will
out by making a series of holes probably baveto rout il.in anumwith the mortise bit and tech- ber of successively
deeper
nique shown on page 10 of this passes to keep from buming.
issue. Then I clean up the
Ifyou have 10 make a number
eheekscnhemorusebymeking'
ofpasses, sometanesthesecond
repeated cuts with the mortise pass is cut.in a sUghUy diffetenl
position from the first pass (rebit. or I use a sharp chisel.
So. why not use the router sulting ina stepped,mortise).
Why tloe 'Yoodsmilh

This happens

with some

arr CONCJ;:RJSS. Pinally, mOSI

standardstraight routerbits (explay io the depth tightening
cept spiral end mills and special
mechanism. As you increase the mortising bits) are made to cut
depth of Cui and retigHlen the on the.ide of the bit, not O.e end
base cellar around the motor. like a drill bit. This means that
thebitwon't be in theexactsame
the plunging operation can be
position and, cuts at a slightly especially hard on the bit,
differenl point. (This doesn't
SOMlITL'lES t DO sour, Okay,
happen with aplunge router.)
would you ever consider using a
ItIDDEN cur; Also. when morrouter to cut mortises? ,H the
tising on a router table you have mortise is shallow enough (V4"
to plunge the workpiece down or less) to rout in one pass. and
over the bit. You can't see I'm working with a number of
whether you are routing exactly pieces which need mortises in
where you want tile mortise. exactly the same locauons, yes,
One solution is to clamp start Iprobably would use the router
autl stop blocks 10 your router table. Because then the lime of
table, but this can be time con- setting up start and SlOP blocks
suming to geuhescaccurate.
iSjllSlilied.

routers because there's so much

MITER JIG REVISITED

.In Wo~",itl!No. 60 we fea- table saw wiU. a hardwood runt'oted a shop-made miter jig U,.I ner in the miter gaull" 5101. It
was a Iiule different from other runs on the lefl side .01 the saw
miter jigs we had seen. Since blade and the waste piece falls
Ihat article appeared last winter. away to the right. oflhe blade.
we've received a number of letWHY TilE KJ C){8ACK? The
ters and calls-about tbejig, and problem seems \0 come when
we've had (he opportunity 10 use cutting the second miter at the
backofthejig, Since thefinished
itin our shop for overayear.
The general consensus is that piece is on tile jig. it's always cut
it's one of the easiest and most off clean. But the waste piece
accurate jigs for cutting miters. doesn't have any support.
But we've also heard of a probWhat happens is this-There's
lem: occasionally a waste piece a uttle triangle Sj)linter or wood
Will kickbackas itfaJlsolfthe jig. on the trailing edge of the waste
The jig consists of a :v.1" ply- piece that never gets cui
wood base that's guided on the completely off. seel''ig. la. Since

there's very tittle support behind

the waste piece at this point. the
100Ul doesn't cut the triangular
splinter 0(1Clean.
As the blade comes.around,
one of the teelh can hook onto
0\01 lillie splinter.H It catches it
just right, it can throw the waste
~iecedownagainstthe table and
then U.e piece can bounce back
(kickback),see Fig. 1.
K1CKBACKVARtEl). \Ve'vetried
to produce the kickback on all
kinds orwoods, saw blades, and
molding profiles. Sometimes il
kicks back, sometimes it
doesn't, Changing the feed rate

...ol"""-PLATJORM
KffPSWASTE
PI(CE FROM FAWNG

AND tUCkiNG BACK

No. 64

\Xloodsmith

doesn't seem to help prevent it.

It there's a 'Situation where it
seems worse, it's when you have
a cut-off piece about 6" long.

Then it weighs enough so ifs

Ihrown out with some force.
SOl.lJl10NS.There are a few

simple solutions to the problem.

As we said in thearticlein No. 60,
ies a good idea to start by rough
cutting your pieces straight off
only 1'oversize beforemitering,
Also, while cutting, stand to
lheleftofthe blade.And don't let
scrap pieces collect near the
blade. This just provides more
clutter for uie waste oieceto get
caught up on and kick back.
The best solution is to attach a
plywood platform to the "ight of
the blade, see Fig. 2. The platform should be the same thickness as thejig base. '1l1~as the
waste pieces are cut away they
won'tfall down off the jig.
To hold the plywood in position on top of the saw table (it
doesn't slide with the jig), I
screwed a runner under the plywood lor a lighl friction fit in the
right nliler,gaugeslot.

23

PRO

ECT

SUPPLIES

Sources
CHAIR UPHOLSTERY
In addition to the. lumber. ply.
wood. and screws, the only sup
plies needed for Ibe chairs are
for the upholstery. (For more informatioa, see page 19.)
When I upholstered
the
chairs I used professional quality materials. The cost of these
materials may seem a little high
in the beginning, but Ifeel that
it's worth it in the end.
1'H"E FOA~t. The 211 polyurethane foam that [used for Ole
SC8llladding is sold 01 a standard
sheet size or 24" x 108".That's
enough lor six chairs and it cost
SilO at. local upholstery shop.
THE "AJlRlC. There are so
many different fabrics to choose
from thall had ahard timedeciding which to use. When I fmaUy
decided on the fabric. [foundout
itcost$25 a yard.
I ihought Ibat price seemed
awlully high until it was explained 10me.
Upholstery fabric comes in a
standard width 0154". Sine.. the
fabric I liked was 54" wide. (only
needed 2 yardsoflength recover
six chairs,
The total for my upholstery
supplies came 10 about $80, or
(as I like to think of it) a little
under $13.50 per chair.
We have listed a mail order
source lor foam padding. see

CatalogSourcesbelow. Look lor

code Cf' after the address.
CHAIR PArrERN
Wood.smith Project Supplies
is offering a luUsjm pattern for
the chair parts. tile pattern includes a leg profile with aU the
mortise locations marked, plusa
pattern lor both the horizontal
back slats and the vertical back
slals.
Chair Pattern
'764300 Chair Pattern, $3.95

BY MAIL
To orderby mail. use the form
on the protectivecover ofacurrent issue or write your order
on a piece of paper, and send it
with your cheek or money
order (please include $1.50
shipping Charge wilh each
order). fA residents.add 4%
sales tax. Send order to:
WoodsmithPrqjcctSupplies
P.O. Box 10350
Des Moines, IA50306

inlh.folltlwll't{JcaUl/ODS.HO!l)qversl!Jles al'ihizes-mayvary.
f01'

orcleringinformation.

Grizzly Imports
P.O. Box 2069
J3eUingharu,\VA98227...RB

Van Dyke's
P.O. Box 278
Woonsocket, SO 57385...cr

M.L.C.S. Limited
P.O. Box 4035
Rydal., PA 19046... RB

Wood.craftSupply
P.O. Box 4000
Woburn. MA Ol888 ... MB, RB
Woodline
1731 ClemenlAve.
Alameda. CA 94501...RB

24

for the code MB after the supplier's address.

Mortising Bits
278654llitSet
$25.95
(1) 1I." Mortising Bit
(l) :Va" Mortising Bit
(l) !I'l" Mertising Bit
Individually priced Mortise btts,
278.647 \I.." Bil
$7.95
278650 %" Bil.
$8.95
278653 \.'~"Bil
S9.95

ORDER INFORMATION

Simi/al'/141viwal" anti-supplies mall befrn",d

The Source
7305 Boudinot Drive
Springfield. VA221S0
...RB

bitsa "Forsmer'Type'tbit.) Look

HANGER BOLTS.
MOR'ISING
BI'S
The Vennont American mortis- TIle hanger bolls thaI I used on
ing bits that we talked about on the Dining Table arc 5" long.
page 10 are available as a set or These S" bolts are available
individually tlirough \Vood through \Voodsmith Project
smitb Project Suppljes, or Supplies.

ALTERNATE CATALOG SOURCES

Pleaeerefertc eaclt cat"log

from the source listed below.

(VCl1)lOnt American calls these

BY PHONE
For laster service use our
roll Free order line. Phone
orderscan beplaced Mon. H'nJ
E'ri.. S::SOAM4:30 PM CSf.
Before you call please fillout
the order forO! completely.
VISA or MC orders only.

1-800 444-7002
AIIo,.4 106 jL~ek.f'l"di!!if1<m1l.

Note.: Pricf~iJfl(l>iectto cha"ue

oft"" 1~89.

Flanger Bolts
764-100 BoIl5
$3.95
(4) %" x 5" Hanger Bons with

nuts and

washers.

Some local hardware. stores

may carry hanger bolts. but they
may only be 4" long. You can

counterbore the

hole on the

back of the corner block 10 a

depth oil". Then you willgel the
same threads into the leg.
ROUTER BITS
\Voodsmilh Project Supplies
is offering a collection 01 high
quality router bits needed to
make the chairs and table in this
issu.e. All 0.1 these bits have carbide cutters and steel bearings,
Router Bits
271885 Flush Trim ...$16.95
'This bit has a I" cutter length
and a Vo." shank.
.27.1-8,1 1lIs"Rndover.$23.95
v.."Shank
271821 lis" Rndover ,$26.95
!I'l" Shank
'2'7181411<"Rndover.$23.95
1I."Shank
271-82311." Rndover.S24.95
!I'l" Shank
'764200 W' Rndover.S26.95
y,"Shank
'764250 W' Rndover. $28.95
W' Shank
Router bits are also available
from some ofthe suppliers listed
below. See code RB.

PROJECT SUPPLY
UPDATE
The Old Fashioned Wall Phone
featured,i. Woodsmit" No. 42 is
now available through Wood
smith ProjectSupplies.
The kit includes: the. reproduction hardware.theelectrcnlc
parts 00 the inside ofthe phone
as well as all the wires and
plugs. (Wood not included) IncIuded areinstructions lor building and wiring the phone.
Note: We're otlering the
phone in touch-tone only.
742100 Phone Kit ...$139.95

Woodsrnith

~
~

No. 64