a

#88 August200|
nt nt
Tipsfor Better
PittureFrames
Savelots of money and get Perfect
frameswith the help of these 13 tips.
48

WoodenStormDoor 56
Make agreatfirst impressionwith
this combination storm/screendoor.

FoolproofTenons 66
Youll groove on our, simple, safe
and time-saving technique.We promise!

Bookcase
Craftsman
andMantel 75
Add style and characterto your home
with this classiccombination.

for
Bandsaws 84
Resawing
C
c Resawingcan stretch a
(u
bandsawto its limits.We
o
! put 17 bandsawsto
(I'
- the test to see
0)
: which onescan
really cut it.
P
o
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U
 Contents
DEPARTMENTS

& Answer
8 Question EDIT0R K e nG o l l i e r
SENIOR E D I T OT Ro mC a s p a r
ASSOCIATE EDIT0RS RandyJohnson, TimJohnson,

16 WorkshopTips DaveMunkittrick
C0NTRIBUTIN
ARTDIRECTORS
EG DtT0R G e o r gVeo n d r i s k a
Patrick Hunter, VernStreets,
Barbara Pederson

28 Product
Reviews COPYEDIT0RMaryFlanagan
FACT C H E C K I NSGP E C I A L TNSi T n aC h i t dJso h n s o n
PRODUCTION TEAMJudyRodriguez
SH0PASSISTANTS BenDavis, JeffLarson,
Al McGregor

36 TheWayWoodWorks R E A D ES
RE R V I CSEP E C T A L T RS oT x iF
eitipkowski
ADMI NISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS lori CaIIister.
RedOakPlywood ShellyJacobsen
G E N E R A LM A N A G E RB o n n i eB a c h a r
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERRicKStraface
M A R K E T I N GD I R E C T O R o b e f C
t atandruccio

92 Small
ShopTips B U S I N E S SM A N A G E RT o mC a s s a t a
A M E RI C A NW O O D W O R K ESRH O W
T R A D ES H O W E X H I B I TM A N A G E RC i n d yH e t m t i n g e r
(215) 321-9662 ext.46

1O4 GreatWoodl E X H I B I TS A L E SM A N A G E RB o bl e p a g e
(2 15) 32 1-9662 ext.42
PROMOTI0NMANAGERAndreaVecchio

Figured
Cherr,l P R O M 0 T I 0 NC O O R D I N A T 0JRo a n n eN o 6
ADVERTISING COORDINAT0R SusanBordonaro
A D V E R T I S IS NAGL E S
260 Madison Ave.,NewYork, NY10016;212-850-7226
CHICAGO andWEST COASTJim Ford(312)540-4804
NEWYORKDavidClutter(212)850-7124, TuckSifers
(212)850-7197
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING lhe McNeiil Gmun. tnc.
ClassifiedManager, Kristrer0hrenick,
(215)321-S62,ext 12
PUBLISHE BD YH O M E SERVIC PEU B L I C A T I OI N C S ., ,
a subsidiary of theReade/s Digest Association, Inc.
EDIT0R-l N-CHIEFGaryHavens
O F F I CAED M I N I S T R A TM I VAEN A G EARI i c eG a r r e t t
TECHNICA MLA N A G ESRh a n n oHno o g e
C H A I R M AC NH , IEFE X E C U T IO VF
EF I C E R
Thomas 0. Ryder
WORLDWI DECIRCULATION DIRECTOR
JohnKlingel
V I C EP R E S I D E NETX,E C U T IPVUEB L I S H E R
DomRossi
V I C EP R E S I D E NGTL, O B AALD V E R T NI SGI
RESEARCH Wayne Eadie
V I C EP R E S I D E NMTA, R K E T I NDGa w Z
n ieT
Q U A L I TCY0 N T R 0 ML A N A G EERr n i e
Satro
DIRECTOR 0F OPERATT0NS Thomas Tzoucatis

Howto reachus lssue#88. AmericanWoodworker@ (ISSN 1074-9152;

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American Woodworker A U G U 2SO

T0 t
 I
Edited
byTom Caspar
I
f,
:l

WarpedWood 7+l ;-. .1',q'1;;.i,.r;

Woes
Qi I ordereda milledpieceof ebony
throughthe mail lastwinter.lt looked
treat upon arrival, but after a few
daysit was so warped and twisted that
I couldnt use it.What givesl
Tim Avery
BoyCity,Ml

A. Watching your prizedebony turn

into a potato chip must'vehurt!
Chancesare this board had a fairly
high moisturecontent(10 to 12 per-
cent)when itwas shipped.Itarrivedin
a dry winter environment,wherewood
can havea moisture contentaslow as5
or 6 percent.Yourboard startedto dry
out as s oon as y o u u n w ra p p e d i t.
Attempting to keep a board from
changing shapewhile drying is a bit
like trying to stop a glacier,but hereare
somethings to try next time:
. Buy rough lumber. You'll need a
jointer and planer to mill it, but if you
. Usea moisture meter.Comparethe
moisturecontentof your new wood
with old wood storedin your shop.
Don't mill your new wood until it's
aboutthe samemoisturecontentas
the old stuff.
. Paintthe ends.Wooddriesout faster
throughits endsand can crackif it
. Stack your wood off the floor.
Concretefloors can be very damp.
. Place stickers between the boards.
A l l si des of your w ood sho uld be
equally exposedto air so they dry at
equalrates.
. Weight your boards. This helpskeep
them fl at and strai ght, but it 's no U
Y

start out with thicker wood yot/ll have driestoo fast.Paintslowsdown the i
guarantee.You'vedone about all you trJ
:)
more leewayif it warps. rateatwhichendgrainlosesmoisture. can do.
N
J

t
T

PeriodFurniture
MakersUnite F

Q. t love buildingreproductionfurniture,but I'm having

?
what you'relooking for. Don t be put offby the title; this is a
t

trouble gettint the detailsright.Where can I go for help? bunch of folks that welcomewoodworkersof all abilities. U)
F
U
U
ChorlesScon Membership is $35 ayear. Once a member,you can post F-
a
Shelbyville,
KY questionsthrough theirWeb sitewith someconfidencethat z
t!
you ll get a reliableanswer.
A. Bona fide measureddrawingsarehard to find, so your 2
In addition to the Web site,this organizationsponsorsan F
bestbet is to contactprofessionalwoodworkersin the repro- annual conferencein Williamsburg, Virginia, publishesa LrJ

duction business.There'sa group called the Society of newsletterand holds summer workshop programs. o

PeriodFurniture Makers(www.sapfm.org)that maybe just

8 American Woodworker A u c u s rz o o t
 Question& Answer
TheRightMortise/Tenon
Fit
Q. What's the right fit between a
morti se and a tenon? I' m goi ng
crazytrying to measurethem with
a dialcaliper!
MortyVolle
Florence,
SC
A. You'renot alone.This question
hasbuggedjust about everywood-
worker, but the answer doesnt lie
with precisioninstruments.
A crusty woodworker of the old
school once said,"If you need your
shoe to pound a tenon into a
mortise,it'stoo tight.If it just drops
in by itsell it's too loose.If you can
tap it in with your hat, it'sjust rightl'
Well,nobodywearsa hat in the shop
any more, but you get the idea.
If the fit is too tight,your glue-up
l0 American Woodworker A U G U 2SoTo 1
Iradeinruur
E0atf, tic
forasnop eDron.
@n us, we'II tell you howl
Dlrectorof FranchlseOperailons
Woodcraft FranchlseCorp,
3,04-422-5,4U2
or e-mall:
JAWUWWhArdWAre,enm
PO Box 180 . Souk Ropids,MN 56379
530O BriscoeRoad,P.O.Box245
Parkersburg,WV26102-0245
FOlWAO6Q
will be a nightmare and the joint
may actually fail. Water-basedglues
slightly swell wood, so a joint that's
tightwhen drybecomeseventighter
when wet.Way too much pressureis
necessaryto force out the air trapped
in a tight mortise. To make matters
worse,you may"starve"the joint of
adequateglue if it's scraped off the
mating surfacesas the tenon enters
the mortise.
If the fit is too loose,thegluewon't
bond the tenon and the wall of the
mortise. White and yellow glues
shrink as they dry and at most they
can tolerate agap about the thickness
of a sheet of paper. That's more or
less the amount of clearancein a
joint that slips together easily by
hand (or hat!).
selectionof cobinet
hordworein this
induslry.
Over 6000itemsin
slock.
Tosee our full line
visit our websile ot;
 Question& Answer

Salvaging
a RustyPlanelron
Q. I'vegot anold planethat mygrandfather left me.ld likero use
it, but its cuttingiron is reallyrusty.Do I needto buya newonel
Will Novock
Modesto, CA
A. Don'tthrowawaythatiron yet.Flattening thebackof a planeiron
is usuallythefirst stepin sharpening,
but youmightspendhoursto
getdownbelowtherustpitsto cleansteel.What a chore!
Here'sa non-standardmethodthat could rescueyour antique Honea smallbevelon the backsideof a rustyblade...
planeiron. Ratherthan flattenthe entireback,work only on the
leadingedgeto createaverysmall,low-angle bevel.Thiswill slightly
increase thecuttingangleof theplane,butyouprobablywon't notice
the difference.
Thecatchis thatyoumusthonethisbackbevelat a consistent angle
everytimeyousharpen. usea standardhoningguideto sharpenthe
mainbevelof the iron andsimplyturn it upsidedownto createthe
backbevel.If youpreferto sharpenwithouta guide,youcancreatethe
backbevelby layinga shimon top of your stone.Theshimslightly
raisesthebladethesamewaytheguidedoes.

Sourcc
HlghlandHardware,
(800)24l-674l,Standard
HontngGuide;$22.
...to quicklyget downto cleansteel.
12 A m e r i c a nW o o d w o r k e rA U c u s T 2 o o t

UltraCompact
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Getprecisely
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including
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Extensive
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vwwu.a
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drdo rott hrnd toolr powortoolr
routcrbltr routorrctl the Freudrtorc 1001W FayetteSt.SyracuseNY 13204
rrw bbdcr rhrnk retr ehapercuttori
Dust
collection 1.5ho&
 Question& Answer
SandingScratches
Revealed
Q. What can I do to see sandingscratchesbefore I applystain?
I alwaysmisssome of them until it's too late.
E.M. Hora
StGeorge,UT

A. Doesn't that drive you crary?Justwhen you should be

home free, wham! Now you're stuck with a lousy finish
and there'sno wayout. One simplemeasurecan preventthis
from happening again. Use a bright light to make the
scratchesvisible beforeyou stain.
A portable trouble light held at a very low angle to the
wood makessandingscratchesstand out like long shadows
at sunset.This raking light is the ultimate test for a well-
sandedsurface.Youmayseerandom orbit sanderswirlsthat
you never knew existed.
Check your progresswith the light betweeneachgrit of Unwanted scratchespop
sandpaper.As you move from coarseto fine paper, the out under a low-anglelight.
trick is to removeall the scratchesmadebythe previousgrit.
The onlywayto ensurethatyou'vesucceededis to actually
seethe scratches,and that'swhere the light comesin. Arl/

t4 American Woodworker AUGUST2ool

niilUour
[un
Lumber!
TheBakerModel18M
PortableBandSawmill will The new Delta store has over
cutyourtimberdirectly
i looo productsfrom a complete
excellentlumber,
ties,and line-upof unisawsto thosehard-
to-find machineryattachments.
squares. Youcanrunthe Extensiveproduct information
millallbyyourself includingcustomerratingsand
reviewswill helpyou choosethe
right tool for the iob. We'[[even
The 16.5-footlength
deliver to your door for only
model is shown here. $s.qg.

. Powered by a poqerful I3-, ZO-,ot 24-

norse power gasollneengane. ffi
. Cuts logs up to 30" in diameter. S A l 1 , M IDLILV I S I O N
' o,i?ya,, P0 Box128
tft3;isfiri'illqijf:t#lodfl
. BakerThin-KerfTechnolosvensures
Ellington,Missouri 63638
U.S.A. Visit the Deltastoreat
easy,accuratecuts with ffinimal waste
www.baker-online.com
and lower blade cost.
. Transportthe l8M behind vour Ail Email
: info@baker-online.com www.amazon.com/delta
ifff 'dr:tjirj
SUV,'pickuptruc( or jeep iruithinclud- Fax:573.663-2787 table saws radial saws miter saws
eo rralterPackage.
. Low budget priced. Phone:
800-548-6914
Canadian
branch:
800-387-5553
x,l:jm,y' @
From Our Readers Edited
uyRandy lohnson

Tp
Sillry-Smooth
Polyurethane
Everywoodworker I know useswater-bornepolyurethane.
Of all the waysI've seento get a silky-smooth finish, abra-
sive, steel-wool substitute pads are by far the best. The
coarsenessof the pad determines the final sheen.A green
pad (0) leavesa dull luster,gray (00) leavessatin and white
(0000), gloss. I start with a pad that's coarse enough to
remove imperfections. Then I work through the different
padsuntil I get the luster I want. I made a cork-facedblock
lrJ
Qla-in.cork glued onto a wooden btock) for flat surfaces. :<

For edge profiles and other contoured surfaces,I

-J

UJ

N
just fold the pad over hnd go. After a final J
J

buffing with a soft, clean cloth I have a @

flawless finish you just have to run

your hand over.

"",H:':#ii,

BetterBandsaw o
t4J
tr
c)
t!

DustGollection o-
o
o
a
lrJ
J

The dustport on my bandsawis smalland never z

f
rt'
workedverywell.To solvethisproblemall I didwas l!

F
(n
add a 2-Il2-n. dust port to the lower door.First
I drilled abunchof Il -in.holes.Thisis saferthen T
o-
E
one big hole which would exposethe moving (9
o
F
bladewheel:I screwedon the new dustport and o
:E
o-
hookedup my shopvacuum.NowI canreallybust a
a
the dust! F
u.
E
F
a
z
SamBaker E
lrJ

MS
Jacleson, 2
o
F
o
Source lrl
E
2-l l}-in.dustport,f 03J6l.l0;$2 6
LeeValley,(800)87| -8 | 58 or www.leevalley.com F

American Woodworker AUGUS

2 oTo l
 W o r k s h o pT i p s

NoTrace
ScrewRemoval
LastsummerI built someoutdoor furniture and used
brassscrews.Geezit'sa pain when thosescrewsbreakoff.
After I snappeda couple I couldn't find my screw
extractorso I had to getcreative!
I've got a set of steeldrill guidesthat I useto make
custom drilling jigs for shelf pegsand dowel holes.I
discoveredthat if I put the 3lI6-in. drill guide into a
block of wood and clamped this assemblyover the
broken screwI wasableto drill it out. Then I pluggedthe
holewith a pieceof wood and someglue.OnceI inserted
a new screwthe fix wasinvisible.I've tried this with brass
and mild-steel type screwsbut it doesn'twork with z.
U
hard drywall-typescrews. E

RonaldG.Early z.

Tacoma'WA E.
source
3 / | 6 - i n .d r i l l g u i d e #
, 8 2 l - 8 6 9 ;9 3 .
Woodworkeri Supply,(800) 645-9292.

18 Arnerican Woodrl'orker A U G U S2TO O l

l00t(
t||t!|lt
[ ilptfltI[B]tslt||t
ilil D0,
convert your table sawinto a moljer with the MagieMolder.
Tuilt a Porter-Cable
ffi- Store to Show it all.

,ffi# Seethe completetine-upof porter,Cable

the new Porter-Cable
pneumaticsandcordless
workingaccessories.
newPorter-Cabte
productsin
store.Over9oo itemsinctuding
toolsto the hardto findwood-
Seethe entirefleet of this year's
productsat the storethat hasit att.
+ rlfu-# -ii6ib';R

e6!
W
818.792,0226
A Division
of:
Visit the Porter-Cable
storeat
ffffits fiJilt
\SlU#/ lJ-rlLI
V Erferortrc-lrr- wvtfw.amazon.comI portercable
routers sanders cordless tools
generators the Porter-Cable
store
nailers& staplers air compressors
Workshop
Tips

Remove
SpilbdGandleWax
After our lastfamilybirthday partyI spentan hour scrapingbig
globsof candlewaxfrom severaltablesandour woodmantel.The
nextday,in response to my complaining,a coworkertold me
to try mineral spirits next time I m faced with wax on
wood. He saiditwonthurtvarnish,lacquer or shel-
lac finishes,but it doesdissolvewax. I had missed
one waxy messso I poured some mineral
spirits on a clean shop cloth and kept
wiping until the hardenedwax dis-
solvedinto the cloth. Mineral spir-
its removesa// the wax, including
any paste wax or polish that's been
appligd purposefully and it can also cut
into an oil finish.It's not a big dealto re-pol-
ish or re-oil. Justdon't usemineral spirits on
painted surfaces.Incidentally, I discovered
that mineral spirits works on ill-placed crayon
masterpiecesaswell! lrl
:<
Mac Simmons T
lrl

Massapequa,NY N

=
20 American Woodworker AUGUST2oo1
 WorkshopTips

SteelWool
Longer-Lasting
It's alwaysbugged me that steelwool pads don t last longer.
Each pad is made of thousandsof sharp-edgedsteel
strands.The problem is, they're packed together
so tightly they clog up right awayand most of
them neverget used.
I'm a die-hard tightwad,so I
came up with this trick to
extendthe life of my steelwool.
I unroll eachpad and shapeit
into a fluffy ball beforeI useit.
As the ball getsflattened,I stop
and gently pull it back apart.
Re-fluffing exposesnew sharp
edgesand releaseswood dust
and broken-off bits of worn-
out steelwool.
Denny Sutten
-
t!
Wilmington,NC
=
N
J
-J

American Woodworker AUGUSr2ool 2l

0nHome
UpTo50%
Sove Cost
Heofing
And neverhove to buy fuel-
wood, oil,gos,kerosene-
everogoin,
Hydro-Silis o uniqueroomheotingsys-
tem thot con soveyou hundredsof
dollorsin homeheotingcosts.
It con reploceor supplement
yourelectricheot,oilor gosfurnoce,
keroseneheotersond woodsioves.
Hydro-Sil isdesignedfor wholehouse ORDERTODAYAND SAVE . TWOMODELSTO CHOOSEFROM
or individuolroomcomfori.Hydro-Sil PORTABLE I IO VOLT-PERMANENT 220 VOLT
heotingworkslikethis:insidethe heoter
cose is o seoledcopper tube filled Sove wilh Hydro-Sil: Mony fomilies ore benefitling 220YolI ' To Areo Discount
Approx,
Permonent H eot Price Quontity
witho hormless silicone fluidthot will - you con too! s259
ll'sper- 2000wotts JUUSO.IT.
neverspill, leok,boilorfreeze. . Consumer Digest Buying Guide rotes Hydro-Sil A' I Stltl \^/.ttts
monenl.You'llnever lunouf.Running "Best Buy" for heoting- o product thot offers out- .l250 250 so,ff. s239
throughihe liquidis o vorioblewotl stonding volue for its price, wotts 200
5' .l000 .|50so.ft. s2t9
hydroelectricelementthot is only . 4' wotts .l00sq,ft, sr99
beingsupplied o gspodtAtslomouni Gronl M. (Accounlont): "With no insulotionor 3'750 wotts so.ft. sr79
windows, I soved 5.l7"when chonging from 2'500wotts
of power on on os-neededbosis. storm Hydro-Sil."
75sq,ft, sr69
Whenthethermostot isturnedon,the o i l t o Thermostots - CALLfor ootions
. Williom C. (Generol Controclor): "l reploced
siliconeliquidisquicklyheoted,ond
with itsheot reientionquolities, con- electric heot with Hydro-Sil.I om pleosed to report
your hove provided comfort, sofety, ond
tinuesto heot ofter the Hvdroele- thot units
"
ment shutsoff, sovingvou money. consideroble sovingson electricitv,
Thisexclusivetechnologygreotlyin- . R. Honson: "l connot begin to tell you how perheoter
creosesenergysovingsond comfort, pleosed I om with Hydro-Sil.Firsitime in 25 yeors our S.l5,00 shipping
electric bill wos reduced - Soved 5635 - over 40%!" TotolAmount
@
Order by Phoneor Moil,CreditCord or Check ' MosterCord-VISA
CREDITORDERS AccT,#
l -800-627'9276 EXp.
DATE MAlt TO: HYDRO-SILPO BOX 662, FORTMIL[, SC 29715
 WorkshopTips

NoMath0ctagons
I' m not a numb e rs g u y , s o I h a te measuring required! You can also do
complicatedformulas for figuring out this on your bandsaw.
dim ens ions .I ' d g i v e n u p ma k i n g SteveHaffner
octagonalwood blanks for my lathe Northrun,UT
until I discoveredthis technique.No

z
lrJ

z
o
=
E

Step l:Tilt your tablesawbladeto 45

degrees.Rest the stock flat againstthe
bladeand slidethe fenceover until it
touchesthe corner of the stock.Then
lock the fence into position.

perrorm:*: j,**,ffi'
"''*;{f
;?[:':::'
Router i:xH:;fi ;:::";xl;.,.
I\|u lf L|E t [y smoothoperationanda cleaneredge.

from Fein ltJ11,::'J',HffxH

il:,ki:';
start,dustcottectionport, andQCspindle.ThenewFEINRT-1800 is designed
for the cabinetmaker,
solidsurfacefabricatorandserioushobbyist.Catt z
UJ
E
1-800 441'9878for moreinformationanda deaternearyou, or visit us on o

the webat www.feinus.com. z

=
Finishing is justthebeginningf o
t'#lilf'Jii;;;,",'-:i,'?,Tf,T
Fe I n M
Ff
Step 2: Lower the blade half way.
Then lay the stock flat and saw off
the corners.

22 American Woodworker A U G U 2SoTo l

 W o r k s h o pT i p s
Cablnet{tldkefs WentS growt an
Ulta:Prcclslon lrvoodworklng sy$t€]ns Jofirwr $wllzfrfu wlt, 6' BalE.

EasierResawing Cabtnawtrrer, Sysbrn@ehownon

Wfriv (fuiFll. (Fns anilabta) When You Want...
I'm stuckwith a wimpy ll2-hp bandsaw the highest precision
the most accurate Saw Fence
that stalledwheneverI tried to resaw the absolute highest quality
anythingtall.Then my neighborturned or a precision fence for your
me on to a techniquethat solved my Shopsmith@ Machine
problem.I precuta | -l I Z-in.-deepkerf ,,,..,.,.ChooseJointech
Alcdub Mdis]|t Irrlp Rb Ce0acltt,Y&oum
Feoco,tbro:ldltsbbfiU a|d 3ol" RsoataHlw.
in each edge of the board with my
tablesawand do the final cutting on
my bandsaw.Now I can take advan-
tage of the full 6-in. capacityof my
bandsawand it only hasto do half the
work. My neighbor has a 314-hp
bands awwit h a ri s e r b l o c k a n d h e
saysit helps him resawboards a full
12 rn.wide.
RobCharles
Lindville,LA

professional, the Leigh Jig will mortise & tenons easily with
help you create your best work. Leigh attachments. And our
Versatiliry with precision make easy-to-follow user guide will
the Lrigh Dovetail Jig better than help make it happen fast! Call
the rest. Rout through and half- toll free now to learn more.
The Worldts Best blind dovetails, with variable
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 W o r k s h o pT i p s

Disposable
GuideBlocks
I'vebandsawedhundredsof puzzlepiecesusingvery smallblades.
I gaveup on the steelguideblocksthat camewith my sawbecause
when thoselittle bladescamein contactwith the blocks,theyd dull
right away.And, when I wanted to back out of a cut, the blade
would pop out of the blocks.
NowI makemyown guideblocksfrom scrapsof hardwood.My
bladeslast longer and don't pop out or wander becausethey're
trappedbetweenthe wooden blocks.The blockswear,but it's so
easyto just re-cut their endsor make new onesaltogether.
With the bandsawunplugged,I installthe new blocksby push-
ing them toward the bladeuntil they'relightly touching it. Then
I lock the blocks in place and spin the upper blade wheel to
make surethey don't drag on the blade. /W

KendrickGreene
If you havean original \Torkshop Tip, sendit
to us with a sketchor photo. \Wepav $200 for Perry,FL
eachone w_eprint.Sendto: \ilZorlisliop Tips, o
American'Woodworker, 2915 Commers z.
U
Dqive, Suite 700; Eagan, MN 55f2f . E
o
Submissionscant be re-turnedand becomeour z
property upon acceprance and paymenr.
E.

American Woodworker n u c u s 2t o o t

WideBelt Performance
About
113the
Gost!
5-Year
Warranty
30-Dav
Freetrihll
Madein
U.S.A.
Cabinetshop ownersacrossthe U.S. call Woodmaster's
26u, 38u and 50" drum sanders "the best kept secret in
woodworking."These commercial-dutysandersfill the niche
between slow hand methods and expensive wide-belt
sanders.And there's no sacrificein quality.
But don'ttake our word for it...calltodayfor free factsand
the names of Woodmasterowners nearestyou. This way,
you can find out first-handhow a Woodmastersandermight
be just the machine you've been looking for.

',921-6651
1-900
Ask for extensionDB66
WoodmasterTools,
Inc. 1431N.Topping
Ave.Kansas
City,M0 64120
 New and lnteresting Shop Stuff E d i t eb dy r i m
Johnson

troduct
rcviews
GabinetSaw Akuy,
so it's only lessby a penny.At $999.99,the Jet lwcs-10A
\r--l bri dges the gap betw een contractor' s saw sand i n d u s t r i a l
cabinetsaws.

for Less Comparedto the open-legdesignof a contractor'ssaw,the ]WCS-l0As

baseimprovesstabilityand dustcontrol.Itsmotor is mountedinsidethe
base,directlyunderthe arbor,insteadof extendingbehindthe table.This

than vertical arrangementlowers the saw'scenterof gravity and allows a

smallerfootprint.An angledsheet-metaltrough,locatedinside the
enclosedbaseunder the motor,improvesdust collectionevenfurther.

$t,oooI It directssarvdustright to the 4-in. dust port, which is locatedon the side,
under the motor cover.
The ]WCS-tOAstrunions,likethoseon a contractor'ssawaremounted
to the undersideof the cast-irontable.Theysupporta right-tiltingarbor
with adjustable positivestops.The I -314-hp.,totally enclosed, fan-cooled
(TEFC)motor hasplentyof power.We had no trou-
bl e ri ppi ng I-314-i n-thi ck ki l n-dri ed ash
usinga 50-toothcarbidecombination
'%L
blade.Unlike an industrialcabi-
wx;*;':-ry-*# net saw,the JWS-'0A runs
.-* 4
' on 120-volthouseholdcurrent,
-{
E although it requiresa2}-amp circuit.
U
O
=
E

F The sawtableis flankedby a cast-ironextension

O

l
z
on the left and a wider woodenone on the right.This wooden
tableextendsto the end of the 30-in.fencerails.The XactaFence,a com-

vgL
o pactthree-locking-point, parallel-side designwith plasticfaces,is stan- o
:
F
E
l
dard. 52-in.longrailsareavailablefor an extra$tOO. -,
o c,
q
O
o
F
The JetJWCS-tOAjoins theDewaltwoodworker'sThblesaw (DW746; a

I
L $900)in a coolnewcategoryof tablesaws designedfor the seriouswood-
)
U

i worker'sshop.Thesesawsaresimilarto industrialcabinetsaws,but not ui

L
F

asheavilybuilt. The bestnewsis that this categorynow offerstwo distinct a

I
c
choices.Jethas taken a conservative approach.The JWCS-10Auses E

time-testedcomponentdesignsto producea scaled-downversionof a F

O
I

classicindustrialmachine.The DeWaltDwT46 is innovative,from its L

blade-shrouddustcollectionsystemto its optionalslidingtable(g450). U

z
l
I
Y
l 0 - i n . T i l t i n g - A r b oCr a b i n e t T a b l e s awwi t h X a c t a F e n c ea n d 3 0 - i n .r a i l s , O
E
F
J W C S -l 0 A - P F $ ; 1,000 L

W i t h 5 2 - i n .r a i l st,a b l eb o a r da n d l e g s , J W C Sl O - - P F Xg; 1 , 1 0 0 2
o

Jet EquipmentandTools,Inc.,(800\ 274-6848

F
O
U
wwwiettools.com E
o
F
E

28 A r n e r i c a n W o o c l r , r ,rok c r A U G U 2SoTo l
 II
I

ProductReviews
AffordableLaser-Guided
Saw iI
Remember the steel-cutting laser that THE LASER
almostbisected|amesBond n Goldfin- APPEARSASA
ger? Now, for $200, you can have a DOTTED LINE
laser/cuttingmachineof your very own. through the
True, the Laser Tiac system on Crafts- bladeguard,
indicatingit's safe
man'snew 10-in. compound miter saw to adiust the
doesnt actually cut, but it swe helpsyou workpiece.As
makeaccuratecuts.The battery-powered the blade is
laser is contained in a disc that mounts lowered, th.e
on the sawspindleand functions asthe guard retracts
and the beam
blade'sthrust washer.The laser makes
becomessolid.
alignment fast and easy.
The laser beam staysput at the left
edgeof the blade,no matterwhat kind of
straight, angled or compound cut you
make. The only drawback is that you

cant activatethe laserbeam without starting the saw.Instead,the blade

guard is slotted so you can position the workpiece safelywhile the saw
is running.
U
E
This saw has a comfortable D-grip handle, table extensions,an
F
adjustable4-in.-high fenceand comesequippedwith a 40-tooth carbide-
fi
z tip blade.Its 15-ampmotor hasexternalbrushesand an electric brake.
=
L The owner'smanualisverydetailed andevencontainsachartto assist
an
u set-up for cutting compound angles.
F

C)
o
F
Crafuman
lO-in.
Compound
MiterSawwithLaserTiac,
#243l5;9200
Sears
(80o)377-74t4
www.sears.com/crafuman

MetalDetectorThat'sGoodandGheap
If youre planning to userecycledlumbet or harvestyour own,you've
gotta check it for hidden metal.A submergednail or screwwill ruin a
$100sawbladequicker than you can say"Iknewlshouldaspentg2Oona
LittleWizardmetaldetector!"
This battery-poweredunit scansfor metal up to ?-ll2in. below the
surfaceand signalswith LED lights and an audible tone when it finds
some.The businessend is only 2-in. wide, so it takestime to check a
board completely.The bestway to coverthe surfaceis to establisha grid,
working from end to end, firstwith the grain, then across.
The Little Wizardmay not be the fastestmetal detector to use,but
for the money,it can't be beat.

Little Wizard Metal Detector; #37539; $20

Harwille Tool, (800) 345-2396.www.harwilletool.com

30 American Woodworker n u c u s lz o o t
 P r o d u c tR e v i e w s

Excellent
MiterGauge
Buying a top-quality miter gaugefor your tablesawis a sure-
fire way to improve your woodworking.At a streetprice of
around$100,the new Miter 1000from Incra is a greatbuy.
It retains the important featuresfrom an earlier Editors'
Choicewinner (AW #81,August2000)for 970/ess.
The protractor head is preciselyindexedevery 5 degrees
overa l80-degreerange(+ gOdegrees)with additionalstops

at+ 22-Il2 and + 67-Il2 degrees.Any anglethat isnt indexed

is easilydialed in using the vernier scale.The bar includes
expansiondiscsso you can fit it preciselyto your saw'smiter
slot. The 18-in.-longextruded aluminum fenceis fully
adjustableleft or right and includesa scaleand a slidingstop.

I n c r aM i t e r 1 0 0 0 $; 1 0 0
TaylorDesignGroup, lnc.
(972) 4 r8-48 il
wwwincra.com
American Woodworker A U G U2SOT 0 l

II

lREsronE
IFURNITURE#
Elffil
;Make$200-$1,000adayt
!:,u:ii?.,*.l"::l:r::r*

ffi$mi;o.runru'
r Suppohr r _
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Nota Franchise
Tu.rnkeyKils
rProfessional
I sare-r-n,rasyLty3l!3!!9JLatest
rechniques
Stripping
Finishing
. partsMit<inq
I AdvancedClasses -
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llo Fp_"_tienceNecessary Repairing
Nat'lAffiliation
Advantages Veneering
I
*FreeCatalog
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I

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IW
World_'s
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e-mail:
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I
rrr-d
 Product Reviews

DialGaliper
SpeaksOur
Language

I confess.I'vealwayshad trouble deci-

pheringdial calipersthat arecalibrated
in decimals.This stainlesssteelgem
indicatesin fractions-measurements
I'm more at-home with. Thicknesses
down to llI28 in. are clearlyindicated
becausethe fraction scaleis the biggest
one on the dial.A smallerdecimalscale
occupiesthe dial'scenter.Both English
and metric measurementscan be read
from ruleson the beam.
Dial calipersare most often usedto
measurethickness,and areindispensa-
ble aidsfor milling lumber,sizingtenons
or measuringthe diametersof dowelsor
screws.By using a secondset of jaws,
they measureinside widths (of mor-
tisesor dadoes)just asprecisely.Depth
measurementsare alsopossible.Every
woodworker should havea dial caliper.
At lessthan $40,this is the one to get.

Woodworker's Dial Caliper

06.50.08;$37
HighlandHardware
(800) 241-6748
www. highland hardware.co m

American Woodworker AUGUST2ool 33

Product Reviews
Dust-Sucking
BladeGuard
Surveysrevealthat99.99percentof all woodworkers The bladecoveris madewith clear,shatter-resistantacrylic.It'sbig,
hatethebladeguardthat camewith their tablesaw.All wide and fully adjustablefront-to-backand side-to-side.
Dust is evac-
99.99percentof us shouldconsiderPennStateIndus- uatedthrougha clear2-Il2-in.-dia.hoseand a standard4-in. fitting
tries'newoverarmbladeguard/dustcollector.It's a at the end of the boom. The coveris slottedin back;an important
hugeimprovement. safetyfeaturebecauseit allowsyou to leaveyour saw'sstock splitter
and anti-kickbackpawlsin place.
One nuisanceis that the heightof the bladecovermust be man-
ually adjustedbeforecutting,for eachchangein stockthickness.For-
tunately,the cover is nicely counterbalanced, with the weight in
back,so adjustmentis easyand your view is unobstructed.
For blade changing or maintenance,the cover assemblyarm
retractsinto the boom. Penn StateIndustries'overarmguard is
designedfor sawswith rip capacityup to 75 in. and
STOCK SPLITTER
bladesup to 16 in. in diameter.Priced at lessthan
,,,',:.t':,'.
$300, it's less expensivethan other comparable
.',i"ji' guard/dustcollectionsystems./W

lndustrialOverarm BladeGuard/DustCollector
T S D Gl ; 9 2 9 8
PennState Industries
(800) 377-7297
www.pennstateind.com

34 American Woodworker n u c u s2t o o t

Power to Shape Your ldeas.

rr"Arld the Store to Make
o Them a Reality.
TheJetstoreis nowopenwith over
r 5 o J e tp r o d u c t si n s t o c k ,i n c l u d i n g
bestsellersand hard-to-find
., attachments. Complete
p r o d u citn f o r m a t i o n
including customer
reviewsmakecomparing
productq s u i c ka n d e a s yV . isit
the Jetstoreand seewhyJetis
oneof the fastestgrowingbrands
in theindustry.

Visit the f et storeat

www.amazon.com/iet
jointers
dust collectors planers v,s,r r
saws wood lathes the Jet store
shapers sanders planer-motders
The Way Wood Works byrim
Johnson

Red
Oak Plryood
Here'show to get the most from this
popularandeconomical material.
plywood hasbeen used to make all kinds of
/^\ak
lr.-f good-looking furniture, including classicArts
and Crafts-rtyl. pieces,for almost a century.There's
no reasbnwhy you can't get great resultswhen you.
use this economical substitute for solid oak. All
you have to do is pay attention when you choose
and use it. I1l show you how to pick good-looking
sheetsof oak plywood. Then I'll give you some tips
for cutting and finishing that'll help make your
project look great.

RotarY-Gut Oak PlYwood

is Economical 6
z
o
You can find red oakplywoodwith plain-sliced and =
rift-sawn faces,but rotary-cut accountsfor T}percent E,
z.
o
of what's on the market. The oak ply youll see at o

home centers is usually a mid-grade rotary-cut. 2

' ko
Hardwood lumberyards carry higher grades than E.
F
o
home centersand stock more expensiveplain-sliced J
J

and rift-sawn oak ply in addition to rotary-cut. a

z
While going straight to the hardwood lumberyard is z

necessaryfor someprojects,it's almost alwaysworth

=
E
lrJ
.o
it to check out the rotary-cut oak ply at the home I
lrJ
centerfirst. :<
=
Higher grades come with significantly higher
T

prices. Top-grade sheetsof 314-in.rotary-cut ply (L

(9
cost around $60; up to 50 percent more than mid-
o
grade. Fortunately, the dififerencesbetween these T
(L

grades are based on defects that often have littli o

LrJ
effect on overall appearance. F
z.
f
r
(continued
onpage38) ,:<
!2
Ifre dffirencebetweinrotary<ut This great-lookingoak Hoosier cabinet
E
F .

fL

'andploin-sliced
oakplywood isn't
features extensiveuse of inexpensive,
tarden-variety rotary oak plywood (seeAW
2
o
tr
c)
trJ
#77, Dec. 1999 for complete how-to). E

osdistinctiye
osit usedto be. 6
F
E

36 American Woodworker AUOUS

2OT Ol
The WayWoodWorks
(continued
from page36)
Fig. A HarvestingOakVeneers
Veneerforoakplywood is eitherpeeled
fromthelog,likepaper Another reasonto focus on rotary-cut oak ply
towelsfroma roll(rotary-cut)
orsliced,
likecheese
froma is that the differencebetween it and plain-sliced
block(plain-sliced).
isn't as distinctive asit used to be. Toduy'rsmaller
veneerlogs yield lessgood-looking plain-sliced
veneer.It'scommon for sheetsof plain-slicedoak
ply to contain narrow veneerswith numerous
splicesand unbalancedfigure patternsthat dont
bookmatch well.
Conversely,rotary-cut ply often looks better
GROWTH when it's made up of narrow pieces.Toduy'rrotary-
RINGS Rotarycuttingproduces a continuous ribbonof cut oak ply sometimeslooks betterthan its more
veneerthat hasa different-looking figure,because expensiveplain-sliced cousin! One variation of
the cut is virtuallyparallel
to the growthrings. rotary cutting being usedmore frequently resultsin
figure that more closelyresembles plain-sliced.For
"half-round slicingi'the log is mounted oflcenter so
only a portion engagesthe knife on eachrotation.

It'shordto frnd"perfea-
looking"Floin-slice
d oak
Plain-Sliced
Plain-sliced
veneers arecut the samewayassolid-
due to todoy's
Flyvvood,
oakboards,acrossthe log'sgrowthrings. smollerveneerlogs.
38 American Woodworker A U G U 2SoTo l

2004SuperGrind
Supercrindf&}
The only completewatercooledsharpeningsystem.\@ry
*Denotesincludedas standardwithSuperGrind
machine.
---*@'@e@ffil
I Stru an m tl
lF:H-r* lffin
1--AG--fl
r-tLfr
---
ry!
'Trfr5{ifii&Ti"'
- E -
r"'ir;?:::i!:J::.
chisels and spoke shave angle from 15'to 756. Fot any
*"",#,!jof,,tn!"*
Hm"li#ffi:lfl,,TM
shirrpening of-edge tiools. Wheels. and ftat.
blaoes. stone dia. ftom o1o" to 6',.

--:.--=
Thesharpening ET
systemthat -ffir==-
cangrind,sharpen,
hone ErI-rilE* * -E- - .
andpolishmostwood EE--I--
Planer/Jointer Blado Jig ScassorsJig Horizontal Base Ston6 Grader
workingedgetoolsto a beading tools & roughing gouges.
For HSSbladesof any
length.Min width l4';.
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Also for shears.
For grindingawayfrom the
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Forgradingthe SupeGrind
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finishthat wouldmakean fl*J:t

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 TheWayWoodWorks
Tlps for Chooslhg Oak Plywoorl I Be awarethat sheetsare usuallystackedwith the face
I Ask for permissionto look throughthe stackbeforeyou veneers in sequence.Appearance mayimprove(or deteri-
start.Somehardwoodlumberyardswon'tallowit. orate)slightlywith eachsheet.If your projectrequires
I Takea friend alongto helpyou look throughthe sheets. multiplesheets,sequentialfacesensurecolor and grain
Practicea scout'setiguetteandleavethe stackneaterthan matches.
you foundit. f Besureto look at thebackof eachsheet.Eventhoughit's
I Look for sheetsthat mostresemblesolidboards,Choose gradedlower,it may lookbetterthanthe front.
verticalgrainpatternsandstayawayfrom wide,flat ones. I If you don't seethe goodJookingmaterialyour project
I Expectto seeunappealing sheetsmi:tedin with thegood- deserves, comeback in a weekand look again.There's
lookingones.These sheetsareperfectlygood for parts likelyto be a freshsupplyof plywoodto look through.
that wonlt show.

Whenyoushopfor ookplywood,
don'tsettlefor whot'son topof thestock.

THECLASSICAPPEARANCES
OF ROTARY.CUT
ANDPLAIN.SLICED
OAKPLYWOOD
Rotary.cut figure is jaggedand often wild looking.Plain-sliced bookmatched and splicedtogether.lt's not unusualfor plain-
veneer is more orderly,with the familiar cathedraland oval sliced sheetsto be made up of eight or more pieces.Rotary-
patterns that resembleedge-gluedboards.Repeatingpatterns cut veneer piecesmay be wider; but sheetsalmost always
are visible in both sheetsbecausethe veneersare containsplices.

ROTARY-CUT PLAIN.SLICED

40 American Woodworker AUGUST2OoI

 The Way Wood Works
LOTS OFVERTICAL GMIN cah
make rotary-cut oak plywood look
just as good as plain-slicedoak ply.
Look for tight grain, consistent
figure and tall graceful cathedral
Patterns.

Vertical Grain Looks Best

Figure patterns for both rotary-cut
and plain-sliced veneers vary
widely, depending on the orienta-
tion of the knife to the log. If the
knife cuts parallel to the growth
rings, unattractive wide, flat pat-
ternb are the result. Thesepatterns
are more common and more pro-
nounced in rotarF-cut veneersthan
plain-sliced. In the worst case,
rotary-cut oak plywood resembles
fir ply (lower right), and plain-
sliced oak ply looks like it was
rotary cut (lower left).
Often enough, the rotary knife
cuts acrossthe log'sgrowth rings at
almost the same angle as a plain-
slicing knife. This rotary-cut veneer
is likely to contain vertical grain
and a more natural (plain-sliced)
appearance (upper left). Over
an 8-ft . length, plain-sliced cathe-
dral patterns frequently become
wide and unattractive (lower left).

Rotory<utook
can look
Plyvvood
just os goodos
ploin-sliced!

WIDE, FLAT GRAIN and jagged,

wild grain spoil the appearanceof
both rotary-cut and plain-slicedoak
plywood. Graih that's wide ond wild
looks worst of all.

42 American Wo odworker A U c u s2To o 1

 The Way Wood Works
FOUR TTPSTHAT MAKE OAK PTYWOOD IOOK GREAT

AT'TIESOME
DHttIl{G
POT'IIER
YOUGAT{
DRN'EAI{YUV}IME

Slmpty turn Up collar to adlust

torqte lfom tsO to 5501n. tbo.
The 24position adjustableclutch
lets you performa full rangeof tasks,
from drillinginto hard masonryto
precisedrivinginto soft woods.

2€peod giertox bts yon emecdvdy

wodrat boft hEh & bw speede,
Work in the low rangesfor higher
lorque. Switchover to a high rangefor
fast drillingin a varietyof materials.

CONSIDER FIGUREPATTERNSDURING LAYOUT.

Oeslghodtokeepyon h
corrptete cont'ol as 1touworlr
Midhandle design providesbalance
and control.Overmoldedhandle
improvesgrip& minimizesslippage.
On some projects,like the small bookcasepictured here, it's possible
to cut your plywood for appearancerather than economy.ll general,
cathedralfigure looks the most like solid lumber and edgeslook best
with the grain running parallel.Choose the best-lookingfigure for
visuallyprominent piecesand locate them first (numbers I through 4,
above).Hide lessattractive figure by using it on pieceswhere it wont
show.Cut the piecesoversizewith a circular saw or jigsawbefore
trimming them to final dimensions.

KERFSATVENEER

IMITATEA SOLID.WOOD BACK.

Cut kerfs in oak plywood so it looks
Irst to $oru off ltr rlertiltg, no\o
lnctuded a 301c. tlll aocessory Ht like individualboards.Arhin kerf blade
It featuresdrill bits, screwdriverbits, works best.Position the kerfs at veneer
spade bits and even masonrybits, all
organizedin one deluxefitted case. splices,so the breaks look natural.
Here's how to make the kerfs stand
Available at Sears, Sears Hardware, ouc Sealthe plywood with a coat of
and the Craftsman Catalog clear finish before you make the cuts.
at 800-437-9686 Stainwill darken the raw-wood kerfs,
but not the neighboringsealedsurfaces.

sElttRs THE COOD LIFE

ATA GREATPRICE
GUARANTEEDSM

44 American Woodworker AUGUST2OoI

 The Way Wood Works
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FullTop-To-Bottom
WallAreaScreens!
tr OWIK@windoVscreenchangesystemtr Do-it-yourself
kit,nocontractors
needed tr Meets
buildingcodes for
snow& windloads tr UniqueClimateControl System SANDBEFOREYOU SI\IN.
tr N0extras,
comes complete o Buyfactorydirect& Oak plywoodis machine-
saveo America's
#1valuesince1974. sandedat the factory,but it'll
fook muddy if you stain it without
FOR MORE INFO further sanding.Whenyou sand,you'll
SunPorch@ & BONUSOFFER: get the best results by usinga block to
Structures.Inc.

I
P.O.Box 368, Dept.AMW distribute pressureevenly.Oak veneer
Westport,CT 06881-0368
MAIL WEB
SITE isnt consistentlyhard ( the latewood is
! YESl3[t!i3133,3;
?jii,i:n'"J9f,"#l'*" COUPON www.sunporch.com harder than the earlywood),so fingertip

Name
WITH$2. (Bonus AMW)
Code: sandingcan result in an uneven,wavy
appearance.Before usinga water-based
Address stain,sand once,then raise the grain by
SunPorchoStructures,
Inc. moisteningthe surfacewith a damp
City P.O.Box368,Dept.AMW
-0368
Westport,CT 06881 sponge,and sand lightly again.
! State- zip - I
L---- _-_J

AVOID"BARBER POLE"stripes
by usinga wood conditioner
or
sealerbeforestaining.
Barber
pole is most noticeableon plain-sliced
figure,but it occurs whehever veneers are
bookmatched.Veneershaveone "tight"
face and one "loose" face as a result of
the slicingprocess.Tinyfractures occur
on the loose face as it curls awayfrom
the knife.Thesefractures causethe loose
face to absorb more stain.Bookmatching
puts tight and loose facesside by side,
and stainingresultsin noticeablestripes.
Conditioners and sealerssaturate the
surfaceof the wood so the stain is
absorbed evenly.But becausethese
products dont allow as much stain to be
Nothing saysdevotion like a Zippo.Io find one that lightsthe absorbed,a second coat of stain may be
fire in you,visitor callShepherdHillsCurtleryatl8Q0-717-4643. necessaD/to reach the desired color. IW
Lightercourtesyoi the Zppo at*wes. ZipDo. lt vto*s or we fix t free.1*Mooe in |JSA. zi11o.com FOR REAL

46 American Woodworker AUGUST2ool

 Blind Splines
L'ntil somebodydiscovers a miraclegluefbr end grain,n-riter
will needreinfbrcement.
ioir-rts Nailswork,br-rt poundingthem
in delicateframematerialcan be risky.Blind splinesoffer
invisiblereinforcement without nails.
Cuttheslotson a routertableusinga guideboardanda l/8-
in. slotcutter.Eachpieceis cut
face up (rnark the fhcesas a
reminder).Feedthe stockfion-r
the rigl-rtfbr or-recut and frorn
thelefl fbr the secondcut.
Cut thesplinesfl"oma stripof
hardwoodwith a I -in.plugcut-
terandorientthegrainperpen-
joint fbr strength.
ry
GUIDE
BOARD
dicularto tl-re

#
No-Mar
Wire Hangers
Did you evertakedowr-ra pictureonly to find that the hang-
ershavelefi son-re nastyscratches on the wall?For a t}ame
thatl-rugs then'allwithoutmarringit, try thisflush-mount
. o u n te rs i n ks c re w si n to th e frame and chi sel
s y s t em C
a rar-npout of the hole to avoid kinking the n'ire.Add
bumpersto the lower back of the frame fbr additional
wzrllprotection.

Fingertip Test
To get a rniteredframe to come togetherperfectlytwo
thingsrnusthappen:1.the top and botton-rmustbe exactly
equalin length;and2.thetwo sidesmustbe exactlyequal
in length.lt'snaturaltowantto graba tapemeasure to ver-
ify theselengths,but fbrgetit. When it comesto checking
framepartsfor equaller-rgth, no tool cancomecloseto your
fingertips.Pairup the fian-repiecesbackto backand-/bel for
any ridge where tl-rer-r-riters
line up. Your fingertip rvill
detectdifferences smallerthar-r the eyecanseeor yor-rrtape
lneasurecan measure.
F

-
$pline $led
c
L

s Through-splines are a great way to reinforce miters. They

a

alsoadd a snappydecorativeelementto any picture frame.

A through-spline is a thin pieceof wood that'sglued into a
slot cut acrossa miter joint. The splinecanbe madefrom con-
trasting wood for an accentor from the samespeciesfor a
more subduedeffect.Cut and sand the splineflush with the
frame edgesafter the glue hasset.
We built this nifty sled for safelycutting the slots for the
splines.The picture frame is held in a cradleasthe sledrides
on your tablesawfence.

FlG . A S pline S l o t S l e d
Buildthe U-shaped guideto fit snuglyoveryour
tablesaw fence.fwo 2x2 stripsarescrewed i
to a I
14 in. x24-in. pieceof MDFto formthe cradle.
A 3-degree bevelon the insideedgeof the cradle
helpsto holdthe framestocksecurely. I'

EasyBrad Pusher
One-half-inchbradsareidealfor securingmounted artwork
and glassin a frame. But, the awkward angleand potential
for damagerule out using a hammer.You could go out
and buy a brad pusher (a specializedtool used by the
pros),but why spendthe money?For a handy,shop-made
brad pusherjust modify a pair of adjustablepliers.Stick a
scrapof mat board on the bottom jawwith somedouble-
facedtape to protect the frame.Simpleand cheap.

ff'q-:r'r; *e#.,.*}'-'}

50 American Woodworker A U G U 2SoTo l

 A
I

Picture-Perfect
FrameMiters
Few things are more frustrating than trying to get good-
looking miter joints on all four cornersof a picture frame.
Three requirements guaranteesuccess:the miters must
be right on 45-degrees,the two sidesmust be exactlyequal
in length and the top and bottom must be exactly equal
in length.
Our miter sledensuresyou ll meet all theserequirements.
It alsooffersrepeatabilitywhich allowsyou to quickly cut con-
sistent parts for multiple frames. If yotive struggled with
making a crosscut sled for your saw relax. This sled is a
cinc.hto build. Beforeyou start, checkyour tablesawto make
Cut the first miter by clampingthe stock on the
surethe fenceand bladeareparallelto the miter slot and the
fence that facesthe operator.
blade is 90 degreesto the table.Then follow thesesteps:
1.Cut all2-in.-thick hardwood runner so it slidesin your
miter slot without slop.
2. Run a l/4-in.-deep dado in thebottom of thebase.Position
the dado so the edgeof the baseoverhangsthe sads line of cut.
3. Glue or screwthe runner in place.
4. Oncethe glueis dry, setthe basein the miter slot and trim
the overhangingedge.Usethe samebladeyou intend to use
for cutting miters.Werecommenda high tooth count cross-
cut blade.
5. Cut a triangular fencesupport.It'sessentialthat the apex
of the triangle be a perfect9O-degrees.
6. Notch the sidesof the support for spring clamps.
7. Fastenthe fencesupport to the baseusing a combination
squareto establishthe 45-degreeangle.
8.Add the fenceand handles.
Cut the second miter on the oppositefence
9. Finally,make a hardwood stop-block with a 45-degree with the newly mitered end locked into the
anglecut on one end. mitered stop block.

1-1l4" DOWEL
HANDLES

FlG. B PerfectMiter Sled

Thiseosy-
to-build
sled helps
cut perfect
miters
everytime. HARDWOOD
RUNNER

American Woodworker AUGUST2ool 51

 FourPoint Frame Glamp
This shop-madeframe clamp puts equalpressureon all four
cornersof your frame at once,for quick,hassle-freeassem-
bly. Use scrapsof paper towel under eachjoint to absorb
glue squeezeout. Setthe pivoting corner blocks to fit your
frame. Apply enough clamp pressure to hold the frame
together but still allowyou to align the piecesfor a perfect
fit. Finally, clamp tight.

FlG. C Four-PointFrame Clamp

Weused. hardmaplefor ourclamp,but anyhard-
woodwill do.Theclamparmsare 1 in. x 2 in. x
3 O - in.long.T hec l a m pb l o c ki s 1 i n .x 2 i n . x 5 i n .
andthe cornerblocksare 1 in. x 2 in. x 3-Il2 in.
Drilla 5/16-in.holein the centerof the corner
blocksand cut a 9O-degree notchintothe hole
witha bandsaw. Adda secondhole,3/4-in.behind
the first,for the carriage bolts.Useeight5/16 in.
x 3-in.carriage boltsandwingnuts.

Finishing Raek
Here'sa neat trick for securelysupporting picture frames for
finishing. Most frames are too light to hold stitl while you
. finish, especiallywhenusing a brush-on finish. This simple,
easy-to-storefinishing rack endsthe hassles.Dowelsareset
in holes drilled diagonally from the corners of a piece of
sheetstock.The frame is held firmly in the rack by its own
rabbet.Nowyop can brush or spray almost any sizeframe
with ease.

52 American Woodworker AUGUST2oo1

 Keep It Glean!
It's essentialto work in a clean environment during final
assembly.Wear a pair of lint-free darkroom gloves (see
Sources,page56) during final assemblyto keepfingerprints
offthe mat and glass.Protectthe finished frame with a pad
and keepa sharp eyeout for dust and debris.

There'snothingmorefist-banging
maddeningthan spottingYourown
eyelashstuck inside the glassafter
the picture is hung on the woll.

Grocery Ba€ Dust Shield

Dust and insectshavean uncannyknack for finding their way
into framed artwork. Professionalframers alwayssealthe
back of the frame with a paPerdust shield.You don t need
specialpaperfor this,a plain grocerybagworksjust fine (for
largerframes,usebrown kraft-paper availableat art supply
stores).Run double-facedtape along the inside edgeof the
frame and pressthe paper in placeto sealthe frame.

For a neaterlook,dampenthe paperwith a sponge

a f t e rt a p i n g .T h e m o i s t e n e dp a p e rw i l l s h r i n ka s i t
, v i nag ti g h t,w ri n k l e -fred eu s ts h i el dto pro-
dr ies lea
tect yourartwork.

Quick-GhangeFasteners
For some frames,like those with the kid's school photos,
removablebacksarethe bestchoice.Hereshow to makeyour
own quick-changefasteners:Cut 3/4-in. fender washers
almost in half with a hacksaw.Usea Forstnerbit to drill shal-
lowholes in the insideedgeof the frame.The bottom of the
holes should be slightly below the back of the mounting
board. A small hole drilled in the washermakesit easyto
open and closethe fasteners.

American Woodworker A U G U 2SoTo 1

 Mattin$ and Mounting
Matting
j\'lostartr,r'orkiooks better lvhen a borcler of mat board (see
Sources,page 56) separatesthe fi'ame fl'om the picture.
lle,vonclits aestheticl,ariue,
the ntat also separatesthe art-
tvork froltr the classwhere conclensationcan causeclanrage.
Here'sa simprle. step-by-51ep proceclurefor cutting the rnat
oper-ring:rncl ntctunting the artrvorl<using simple shop-
r.nadejigs ancl tclols.
'fhe
first stepr,and probably, the one that'.smost ir-rtirni-
ciating,is cl-roosincthe color irnclsizeof the borcler.Here erre
a fbrv rules of thunrb that shor-rlclclear thii"rgsup:
I (ll-roosea nat color that ref'lectsa donrinant color in
the art.
I Stay iiwar,rfront bold colors that rnight distract the e,r,'e
fion-r tl-reart. Ofl-rvhite is usualll, a safbchoice.
I The borclercreateclby the mat opening should be wider
t h a n t h e f i ' a r t r e . 2t o - 3 - i n .b o r d e l s a r e g o o d t b r r n o s t
colnmon sizes.
I tr'lakethe bottorn burder l{) percent rvicler to visuallv
anchor the artu,ork in the frame.
I When in cloubt,r,isit a fi-an-ringstore and look at sorre
ex:rmplesof simiIar-sizeartr.vorkfor inspiratior-r.

Cutting the Mat

Lay out the mat si111fl1,iched
l'he ilrtivr.rrkis typic21ll1, betu,,eenthe ntat ancl
opening with a a nrounting board. A r-r-ror-intins boarcl is nothing lnore
marl<inggauge.You than a solid piece of acicl-freemat board or foam core.
can easilymake
Cut tl-remat anclthe mountine board to easill'fit in the rab-
your own from a
B A C KO F bet of the irame. A utility knife and a straighredgervill do the
M A TB O A R D blocl<of wood and
s o m e5 / 8 - i nd. o w e l . trick. Ilecausethe cuts are hiclden in the rabbet thev aren't
as critical as the visible cuts ntaciefbr tl-renrat opel-rir-rg.
Nlark the desireclopening in the rnart(Photo l ).Alway,sla,v
out the rnat border on the backsideof the mat and run tire
liires long on the conters.TI'risn-rarkes it easierto seewhere
to stclp ancl start the cut. A rr-rarkinggauge rvorks great fbr
rI this: r-ronteasurins,r'rclstraightedgeto follorv-jr_rstset the
EXTRA.LONG
gauge tcl tl-reL-rclrcler
u,iclth you rvant ancl go.
LINES
Cutting the miit openine recluiresarstraighteclgeguide and
a cutter that holds the knif-eat a 45-degreeangle (photo 2).
Each cut rnust be done in one continuous motion. inclex
inarks on the cutter teli xru lr'hereto start anclstop your cut.

$$ $li
Use a mat-cutting jig ro cut the opening.This straightforward jig prevenrs
the straightedge from beingpushedasideby the cutter while holdingthe mat
MDFj s e c u r e . T h jei g i s n o t h i n gm o r e t h a na p i e c eo f M D F w i t h a c o u p l eo f l x 2
blocksgluedto one edge.Apieceof scrapmat board is usedas a bacl<er for

v
MAr \\ -{ the l<nifeto cut into.

1X2
FIG.D Mat-Cutting
Jig
xnv---/ BLOCKS
CUTTER SCRAP BACKER
.t 1 t 2 " M O F MATTO
{ ) BE CUT
'.t. /'
1 "X 2 " .
BLOCKS (
3/4"MDF\
I
/
.',ta

.il

../ '/
.' . . ./
MAT CUTTER
(sEE SOURCES)

54 ,/'.
 Mounting
Hinge the n'ratto the mountingboard to keepthe Hinge the mat to the
openir-rgin the n-ratalignedproperlvrvith tl-reart\\'ork mounting board.
(Photo3).Oncethe arttvorkis positionedin thernat Simplybutt the top
MAT OPENING
opening( P h o to4 ) i t i s s e c u re cto
l th e n ro r" rnti ug edgestogether with the
mat board face down
boardn,ithtr,r'oT-hinges(Photo5).The hir-rges allou'
and the mountingboard
tire artrvorkto hang fi-eelyou the mout-rtingboard, face-up,and securewith
rvhich preventsthe trrtwork irorn buckling n'ith acid-freemountingtape.
changes in humidity
Tip: Useercid-free tapefbr the hinges.It'.sreversible
and lvon'tcontribr-rte to the deteriorationof tl-reart-
rvork(seeSources, below)./W

w! Position the artwork

in the mat opening.
A simpleblock of wood
with some acid-freemat
boardgluedon the
bottom l<eepsthe
artwork from shiftingas
the mat is raisedand
loweredfor positioning.
Don't be temptedto use
UNCUT J your fingeras a hold-
CORNER
down,acidsand oils from
TOP OF MAT your sl<inwill causethe
artworl<to deteriorate
over time.

O h , n o . C a n y o u b e l i e v ei t l I d i d n ' t c u t o u t a l l t h e
w a y i n t o t h e c o r n e r s o f t h e m a t o p e n i n g .N e x t t i m e
l ' l l g e t t h a t c u t t e r r e c o m m e n d e d i n P h o t o 2 , p a g e5 5
( s e e S o u r c e s ,b e l o w ) . l t h a s i n d e x m a r l < st o s h o w y o u
exactly where to stop the cut for perfect corners.
I n t h e m e a n t i m e I c a r e f u l l ys l i p p e da f r e s h u t i l i t y
razor into the 45-degree slit from the top side of
Mount the art to the
mounting board with
T-hinges.
H
t h e m a t . T h e n I r o c l < e dt h e b l a d e g e n t l y i n t o t h e MAT
| . Fastentape sticl<y-side-
c o r n e r t o f i n i s ht h e c u t . W h e w ! T h a t m a t b o a r d i s MOUNTING
up on the backsideof the
too pricey [o waste.
artwork, at the top
cornersonly.
Sources 2.A secondpieceof tape
HighlandHardware,(800) 24 l -6748 is placedsticl<y-side-
M a t C u t t e r ,# l 7. 7 7. 0 6 $ | 6 down acrossthe first,as
D o u b l e - F a c eTda p e 3 , 1 4i n . # 1 0 . 0| . 5 | ; $ | 0
closeto the artwork as
l - i n . P l u gC u t t e r ,# 0 7 . 6 8 . 0 7 : $ 2 5
p o s s i b l e . W i tthh i s
3/4-inF . o r s t n e rB i t ,# F 8 - 0 0 5 $ ; ||
| / 8 - i n .S l o t C u t t e r ,# l 0 . | 4 . 4 8 ;$ | 3 technique, the artwork is
l/2-inS . l o tC u t t e rA r b o r ,# 1 0 .| 2 . 4 l ;$ 4 free to expandand
Bearing,#47708F;$4. contract.

PENCO,(800\ 967-7367
A c i d - F r e eM a t B o a r d ,3 2 i n .x 4 0 - i n .s h e e t s ;
$l2to$16
A c i d - F r e eL i n e nT a p e #, L | 5 3 3 - 0 7 5| ; $ 9
W h i c e c o t t o n g l o v e s#, N P l 0 l 3 8 ;$ | p e r p a i r
A n r c r i c l r n \ \ ' o o r ls o r . l < c r n u c u s t 2 o 0 i 55
 tlr ,'? .il li::
ib,+ 0)

,T'T:ffq
!!

C.

A'merican Woodworker A U G U 2S0T0 1

 WOODEN
STORM
DOOR
ByTim |ohnson
A storm door doesntjust keepout the wind and rain. It's
the focal point of your home'sentryway;the first thing
guestsseewhen they come to visit. An attractive and
durable storm door is a woodworking project each
member of your family will useeveryday.To guarantee
a long servicelife, our storm door is made from weather-
har dy wood, wi th mo rti s e -a n d -te n o nj o i n e ry and
weatherproof,water-resistantglue. It's easyto remove
the tempered-glassstorm panel and replaceit with a
screenpanel,for year.round comfort.
This door isnt hard to make, it's just big; 36 by 80
inches,a standardsizefor an entry door.Although you ll
need a large, level surface for gluing it together,this
projectis manageable, evenin a smallshop.Youll needa
tablesaw,a benchtop mortiser or a drill presswith a
mortising attachment,a router and three4-ft. pipe clamps.
A bandsawis convenient,but not essential.Ifyou dont
havea jointer and planer,haveyour lumber surfacedat the
lumberyard.
Vusatile designheeps
winterwinds out and
lets srLmmubreezesin.
you select.First,usea wood that won't rot, suchas Honduras
mahogany,teak or white oak. Of these,white oak is the most
affordable.If you plan to paint your door, you can substitute
furniture gradesof ponderosapine or fir. Second,look for
rift- or quarter-sawnboards,indicatedby strpightgrain running
end-to-end.They're the most stable.Rejectany board that's
cuppedor twisted.Insist on flat, straightstock.The basic"full
view" door requiresl5 bd. ft. of 614rough stock.
Mahoganyfor the door shown in the photo at left, including
the full-lengthinternalgrid,which requiresan additionalT bd.
ft. of el+ stock,will costabout$t00.
Waterproofglueisn'tessential, unlessyou havea submerged
entryway! Besides,
it'sexpensive
and nastyto work with. Type
II water-resistantpolyurethaneor PVA (polyvinyl
acetate)gluesare a more sensiblechoice.
They're weatherproof(made for
exterior use),easyto work with,
widely availableand reasonably
priced(seeSources, page64).

CHOOSING MATERIATS lnterchangeable storm and screen

panels haveidenticaloutside dimensions
This exterior door will be subjectedto the toughest
and frame thicknesses.The screen
conditions: hot days,cold nights, sunlight, wind, rain panelrequiresa wide frame to
^t(:
and substantialswingsin humidity. TWocritical factors, hold its shape.Tempered or
durability and stability, should determine the lumber safetyglassis requiredfor the
storm panel.
American Woo
 SAFEWWARNTNGThebladeguardmustbe
removedto makethis cut.Be coreful.

MARKTHETHROAT PLATEof your sawro indicate
where the dado bladebeginscutting.Thiswill allow you to
stop the dadoesaccurately.Then, carefullyset the fence,
usingoffcutsfrom the stilesor rails to center the dado.
CUT STOPPEDDADOES in the stiles.First,mark the
end of the mortise on rhe stile.Thenmakethe cut,
advancinguntil the lineson the stile and throat insert
meet.Stop the saw removethe stile,turn it around and dado
the other end.

Dont scrimp on your finishing products.Exterior-

gradeenamelpaint will lastthe longest.If you want to
show off the wood, make sureto choosea finish that
containsboth UV absorbersand pigments.These
finishesare translucent,rather than clear,and add a
honey-ambercolorto the wood (seeSources, page64).
Beforeapplying any finish, cleanthe door by wiping it
with a cloth dampenedwith acetone.Then brush a
couplecoatsof thinned-down weatherproofglue on
the exposedend grain, especiallyat the bottom of
the door.

STORM AND SCREEN PANELS

Storm and screenpanelscan be purchasedcheaply
enough that it's not worth your time to make them
yourself.Youll find local manufacturersin theYellow
Pages,under "Screens"or "storm Windows and
Doors."Planto payabout$50for the screenpanel.The
storm panelcostsmore,about $120,becausebuilding
codesrequirethat it be madefrom temperedor safety
glass.Have the panelsin hand beforeyou build the
door, so you can make surethey'll fit.
Fiberglassand aluminum are the most common
screeningmaterials.Fiberglassis more flexible,but MORTISETHESTILES, usingthe dadoto center and guide
aluminum is stronger.For increaseddurability,"pet-" the chisel.lt's easyto modify your benchtopmortiser to
accommodatethe long,widestiles.Increase capacitywith
or "paw-proof" fiberglassscreenhas a heavy vinyl
a riser block. Add outboard support to keep the stile level.
coating.Fine meshor sun-blockingfiberglassweaves Fabricatea specialhold-down,usingscrapsfor arms and a riser
arealsoavailable.Copper and stainlesssteelscreenare that'sthe samewidth as the stile.Center the chiseland set the
the toughest,but they'realsothe most expensive.We fence.Thensnugthe riser up againstthe stile,add the arms and
chosecharcoal-coloredaluminum. clampthem to the base.

58 American Woodworker AUGUST2ooI

Detail1 VIEW
FIG.A SCREENDOOREXPLODED
Dimensionsfor doorgrid in
leadphoto,page56.

112"x114-2OBRASS
THREADEDINSERT

Haunched tenons,douloled
at thebottom, mahe the door
strong enough to withstanil
decadesof slawtming. RABBETS/16'DEEE
1'W|DE (TYP.)

LIST
CUTTING
Overall Dimensions:
l-l/8"x36"x80"
Part Name Qty. Dimensions
A Stiles 2 1-1/8x4-ll2x80
B Upper Rail I 1 - 1 / 8x 4 - l l 2 x 3 l - I l 4 *
C Lower Rail I 1 - 1 / 8x . 8 x 3 l - 1 / 4 *
D Screen/ lof 5116x29x69-112
Storm Panel each
E Grid OuterStiles 2 314xl-Il16x67-I12
F Grid Outer Rails 2 3l4xl-ll16x27
G Grid Inner Stiles 2 3l4xl-ll16x67-r12
H Grid Inner Rails 2 3l4xI-ll16x27
T Grid CenterStile I 3l4xI-ll16x 58-l/4
K Grid CenterRails 2 314xl-ll16x17-314
*Includes2-ll8"-long tenonson both ends
American Woodworker A U G U 2SoTo 1
 SAFETYWARNTNG: The bladeguard must be
removed to make this cut. Be Careful!

CUT BOTH TENON CHEEKSlN ONE PASSwith a
slow and steadyfeed rate. First,set the fenceto center
the tenon.Thenraisethe bladeto the heightof the
tenon shoulder.Butt the rail againstthe stop and clamp it to
the jig.For alignment,keep the face side oriented the same
way while cutting eachend of the rail.
CUTTHETENON SHOULDERSwith the miter gauge,
usingthe fenceand a startingblock to set the length.
Clampthe rail to the miter gaugewhile holdingit against
the block.Make sure the rail clearsthe block before it reaches
the blade.Thestartingblock createsextra spacebetweenthe
bladeand fencero allow room for the offcut.

Our shop-made
tenoningjig (pogu 66)
mahesshortworh
of the long tertons.

Make sure the aluminum frames for both the

screenand storm panelsarethe samethickness.We
chose5/ I 6-in.-thick,I -in.-wide,rolled-aluminum
frames.Architectural-grade extrusionsarestronger,
but they're more expensiveand not as widely
available.

DOOR F R A M E fOIN ER Y
Haunchedmortise-and-tenon jointsarevery strong.
Long tenonsstiffenthe structure.The mortisesare
locatedinward,so they dorit have weak,short grain
at the end of the stile.The rails featurehaunched
BANDSAWTHETENONSto width and removethe
tenons,for securejoints acrossthe entirewidth of the
waste with freehandcurs,leavingthe haunches.Parethe
rails (Fig.B, DetailsI and 2,page64). short shoulderflushwith a chisel.

60 American Woodworker A U G U2SOT O 1

 ROUT RABBETSFORTHE SCREENPANEL(beforethe
door is gluedtogether),in severalpasses,with a straight-
cutting bit and an edgeguide.Rout the railsfirst,full
length.Thendry-fit the door and mark the stop points on the
stilesso you can rout them.
STRONGJOINERYmakesthis door sturdy.
Weatherproofglue makesit last.Haunchedmortises
and tenons,doubledon the wide bottom rail,secureall
me, water-resistantglues
four corners.N ew,extended-open-ti
allow enoughtime to glueand clampthis largeassembly
without rushing.

Good-fittingmortisesand tenonsrequireprecision
from both your machinesand your stock. Make
Threaded inserts mahe it
mortisingeasierby usingcentereddadoesto setuP
and guide the mortisechisel(PhotosI through 3).
eary fo switch the storm
Our shop-madetenoningjig (see"FoolproofTenonsl'
page66), outfittedwith the outsidebladesfrom an
and screenpanels.
8-in. dado set,accuratelycutsboth tenon cheeksin
one pass(Photoa). The only trick is to getthe blades
spacedcorrectlyso the tenonfits the mortise.Finish
thejoints by trimming the tenonshoulders(Photo5)
and cutting the haunches(Photo6).
The rabbetsfor the screenand storm panelsaretoo
wide for a rabbeting bit, so they haveto be routed
beforethe door is gluedtogether.Most of the waste
on the rails canbe cut awayon the tablesaw, because
the rabbetsin the rails run full length (seeFig. B,
THREADED
Detail2,page64).The stilesrequirestoppedrabbets
(Photo7).
Youll needthree4-ft. clampsfor gluing;onefor the
top joints and two for the longerjoints at the bottom.
Cover the pipes with tape or plastic to keep the
bottom sideof the door from gettingstainedblack
wher ev ers q u e e z e d -o ugt l u e c o n ta c tsth e steel .
Minimize squeeze-out by coatingonly the mortise
wallsand tenoncheekswith glue.Enoughwill spread n INSTALLTHREADEDINSERTS in the door rabbetwith a
Ll l*rench (seeSources,page64).First,gluethe door
during assemblyto coverthe faceof the stileand the
-.7 togetherand squarethe cornersofthe rabbet.lnstall
tenon shoulders(Photo 8). Clamp the door together
the screenpaneland drill pilot holesfor the inserts.Removethe
and checkto seethat the glue-up is flat and square. screenpaneland use it as a templatefor drillingthe storm panel.
Removethe squeezed-out gluebeforeit hardens. Fastenthe panelswith brassmachinescrewsand washers.

American Woodworker A U G U2SoTo l 61

 Additions"l
Solid

Planeinternalframe
piecesthinner,flush
with the rabbet,so you
can still usesingle
(+) screenand storm
panels.Center the
mortisesand use CUT SLOTSFOR
thinner tenons.lf you'd THE PANELSwith a
rather haveseparate I l4-in.slot-cutting
bit. Limit the depth

L]
upper and lower storm
and screenpanels,leave of the slot to 3/8-in.
the top middle.rail full by usingan oversized
thickness, and rabbet bearing(seeSources,
both edges. page64).

'ff"
{
3/g'

TNSTALLING A SCREEN DOOR

Think of a screendoor as a very largecabinet
door that'sgoingto be inset-mounted.Buildthe
door to the dimensionsof the opening.You may
haveto adjustthe overalldimensionsgivenin
the Cutting List (page 59). For example,an
8-ft.talldoor requireswider stilesand rails,for
appearanceand stability.
When fitting the door, allow 3/16 in.
clearancein width and l/4 in.in heighrCut the
bottom at a l2-degree angle,to match the
threshold.Then shim the door from
underneathuntil it barelytouches the top of
the opening.Snugthe hinge-sidestileagainstthe
jamb and mark the three hinge locationson
both pieces.Use four hingesfor taller or
heavierdoors. Cut the hinge mortises,install
loose-pinhingesand remount the door. Even
out the gapsat the top and on the latch side
with a block plane. Finally,install the latch,
striker plate and door closer.

62 American Woodworker A U G U 2SoTo t

 Ornamental
Spindles

SAW DECORATIVE
ASSEMBLE GRIDS
BRACKETS.Victorian
insidea shop-made
bracketsand spindles
frame that's exactly the
are availableready-
samesizeas the
madethrough the mail
openingin the door.
(seeSources,page64).
When you gluethe
Accommodatewood
grid together,remove
movementby orienting
one side of the frame
the grain diagonally.
at a time to attach the
When you fastenthe
outer pieces.Fasten
brackets,glue only the
the completedgrid to
insidecornersand use
the door,flushwith the
brassscrewsin slotted
rabbet.
holesat the ends.

w!
After I got the door hung, I
thought I washome free.Argh!
The screendoor smacksright
into the main door latch! Now
I'm faced with big holes to
patch and I'11be reminded of
my mistake every time I open
the door!
So beforeyou drill the holes
for the screendoor knob, make
sure it won't interfere with the
latch set on your entry door.

American Woodworker AUGUST2ool 63

 FIG.B MORTISE
ANDTENONDIMENSIONS
:-- ==:
eEe AQQ
# l'l-l'l r'r'r'r
DetailI
Upperrail
andstiles

BOTTOM
OFRAIL

STOPPED

THROUGH
TOP OF
RAIL

Detail2
T
{
Lowerrail F
andstiles T
I
ls
JE
=
E
t
F
T
+
lE

l+e-va'+l
f l=l=l=l l=l=1.
I Fa1,rn
SSS sss
SOURCES Translucentexterior finishes l/4-20 Brassthreadedinserts
Weatherproof, water- SikkensNorthAmerica #12K50;bag of l0; $3
resistantGlues (800) 833-7288 T-wrench
Titebond ll Extend www.sikkens.com #12K55;$5
# 1 6 . 5 0 . 2 1p, Ii n C $ 5 Woodcraft Supply
GorillaGlue l/4-in.Slot cutter (800)
22s-tts3.
# | 6.50.14,| 8 oz.;$20. # 1 0 . 1 4 . 5$0l;3
Slot cutter arbor, | /2-in.shaft Victorian doors and parts
Lumber # 1 0 . 1 2 . 4$l ;4 TheWood Factory
A&M Wood Specialty,
Inc. Bearingfor 3/8-in.-deepslot (e36)
82s-7233.
(sr9)6s3-e322 #47728F;$9
www.fo rl ove rsofi arood.com HighlandHardware A't,
(800)24r-6748
www.highlandhardware.com
64 American Woodworker AUGUST2oot
 Foolproof
Twobladesand
a rock-solidjigguaranteesuccess.
Mortise and tenon joinery is the
heart of many classicfurniture
projects.lt's an incrediblystrong,
time-testedmethod of connecting
boards.Makingthesepreciselyfit
joints canbe fussyand demanding
work. But it doesnt haveto be.
There are at leasta dozenways
to cut tenons.We've chosen a
techniquethat deliversthe goods
American Woodwo rker
every time, whether you're a
beginner or seasonedpro. lt's
simple,safeand economical. Best
of all,thistechniquewill saveyou
a lot of set-uptime. Ratherthan
fit tenons by trial and error for
e a c h p r o j e c t ,y o u c a n e a s i l y
reproducethe samesizetenons,
time after time.
nucus2
t oot
WHATYOU'LL NEED
A Tenoning f ig
WIDE
Youcanbuy a commercialjig or makea betterone SUPPORT
yourself.Looking for a better mousetrap,we
designeda heavy-dutyjig that slideson top of a
tablesawfence.(Your fencemust have parallel
sidesfor this jig to work, however.If you havean
L-shapedfence,seethejig in AW #81,page55.)

Features:
. Largecapacity.The 8-in.-tallsidesarehigh
enoughto supporta rail up to 36-in.long.
' Dedicatedsides.No commercialjig offersthis
handy feature.The left sidesupportsthe edgeof a
rail;the right sidesupportsthe face.
. No tear-out. None.A backerboard preventsannoying
tear-outwhen you rip the tenon cheeks.It's easyto replace
the backerboard when you changesettings.
. Safeoperation. Generoushandleskeepyour hands out of
harm'sway.An oversizeblock behind the backerboard covers
the sawbladeafter it makesthe cut.
Seepage68for detailson how to build thejig.

Two Saw Blades

and spacers
Makesmooth-sidedtenonswith a
pair of matchedsawblades
separatedby spacers. You can
use the outsidecuttersof a
dadosetor two carbide-tipped
7 -ll4-in. circular saw blades
(about$8 each).
Seepage70for moreinformation
on how to makespacers.

Twoblsdesand
spacersguaranteeo
A Tero-Clearance G L U EI N T H E
perfectlysizedtenon
SPLITTERS
lnsert with Splitters
Make a dedicatedinsert for your time after time.
tablesawso your tenon cutting is as
safeaspossible. Althoughthe parts
you cut will be clampedto the jig,
t h i s i n s e r t p r o v i d e sa d d i t i o n a l
supportfrom underneath.

Coution:You must removethe bladeguardand splitter from

your tablesawto cut tenons with this method.Add smallsplitters
to a wooden insertto minimizethe possibilityof kickback.

American Woodworker A U G U2SOT O l

Our jig rides on top of your tablesawand is guided by the
fence.The fit betweenthe sidesof the jig and the fencehas
to bejust right.If it'stoo tight,youll haveto push too hard.
If it'stoo loose,yourtenonswon't be straight.Herearesome
tips to make building and fitting the jig easier:
r Drill all the 13164-in.-dia. clearanceholesin the jigwith
a drill press(Detail l, page69).
r Creepup on the width of boards C, D, and E. For your
jig to slideproperly,th. right fit is a matter of 64thsof an
inch. Rip the boardsslightly oversize,then clamp them
betweenthe facesof the jig and try sliding the jig along
your saw'sfence.
r If your jig is too tight,shim the edgesof boardsC, D and
E with masking tape.Don t laugh! It's an effectiveway to
fine-tune the fit.
r Clamp the jig togetherand make sureitt squareto the
top of the tablesawbefore drilling any pilot holesand
driving in the screws.Dont gluethejig together.You may
needto disassembleit later to adiustthe fit.

FIG.A
Exploded View 1 -1 /2 ' # 10
F.H .
t
r;
r '24.

COUNTERSINK 1
w2
Extra long,heavyand

L guidedby two hands,

this jig outperforms
commercialmodels.
American Woodworker A U G U 2SoTo l
 Heavy-Duty Tenoning I ig
3/4-in.Baltic Birch Plywood or MDF
Name Qty. W x L Comments
A Left side 8x24
I
B Rieht side I 8x24
c Top I Wl x 10-3/4 Wl = thicknessof vour fence
D Middle 2 WlxL L= 5-314"minusheightof
your fence.
E Bottom 1 Wl x24
F Blade cover 2 W2x8 W2 = height of your fence
plus 1-1/2."Gluetosether.
G Stiffener I W3 x 5-1/4 W3 = 6-112"minusheight
ofyour fence.
H Wine I 8x8
Stiffener 2 W4x8 W4 = to fit. Glue I to H.
K Backer 314x8
Hardware:50I-112"#10FH screws,42" #I0 FH screws,2extra-largepulls.

Cut the corners of the jig on the tablesaw(Detail 2).

Stop the cut at the pencil line and withdrav{'the board.
The bottom side of the board may be overcut, but
that's OK.lt's only a jig!
LARGE
COUNTERSINK
1 - 1n # o F . H .

) DETAIL I
|nffi
Cross Section ofTypical Screw Holes
Countersinkthe backsidesof all the clearanceholes
so the partsof the jig butt tightlytogether.

DETAIL2
SideViews of PiecesA and B
Thedimensionsof the notchedcornersare
by the heightof yourfence.
determined

TSEE
BELOW

Y
I

l-16"#

] l-1n"

T
FENCE
HEIGHT
I

A m e r i c a n W o o d w o r k e r n u c u szt o b t
Mill all your stock straightand square,and boldly mark the face and edge of each piece.
Usirallythe faceside is the outside of a rail and ihe referenceedgeis the top of a rail.

Make the mortises first. lt doesnt matter Lay out the

whether you use a mortising machine,a router or a
drill press.lt'sfur easierto fit a tenon into a moftise
than it is to customize a mortise to fit a tenon.
tenon's cheeks
directly from the
mortise.This joint
wont be flush,so first
)rou must draw a line representingthe setback
of the rail from the front of a leg or a stile.
Draw lines acrossthe face and edge of the rail
representingthe shoulders of the tenon so you
can set the height of the cut on the tablesa*.

Install homemade spacers

between the saw blades.You'llneed
three different kinds of spacersto fit
evee/ size tenon (approximately
l/8 in., l/ | 6 in.and l/32 in.thick).Make
them the same diameter as the flange
on your saw'sarbor.The best way to
figure out the right mix of spacersis
by trial and error, makingtenons in
scrap wood. Fortunately, if you save
and'labelthe spacersyou should only
haveto go through this processonce.

For more information on the right

fit between
a mortiseandtenon
seeQ&A,page10.

American Woodworker AUGUE

2 oTo i
CUT THE CHEEKS
sawbladesandyou'vecut bothsidesof the tenon.
One passthroughyour ganged-up

Raise the blades to

matchthe shoulder
line on your rail.

Clamp the rail to the tenoningjig,

face side in,and adjustthe tablesawt
fence so the layout marks line up with
the two saw blades(inset,below).

ky a pair of
7-1/4-in.
inexpensive
circular stw blades.
well.
Theyworksurprisingly

Rip the cheeks. Slidethe jig throughthe cut,

then pullthe jig backand unclampthe rail.Rip all
your tenons.Make sure the morkedfaceof eachof
your railsis the faceyou clampagainstthe jig.
When you'redone,removethe doubleblades
from the tablesawand installa crosscutsaw blade.
Caution:To avoid kickback,your fence must be
adjustedso it's parallelto the saw blades.

American Woodworker A U G U2SoTo l 7L

CUT THE LONG SHOULDERS
Makeperfect,tight-fittingshoulderswith a crosscutsaw blade.

Cut the long shoulders.

Set up your miter gauge
with a fence,and clampa
stop blockto it. Raisethe
stop block abovethe waste
pieceso the waste won't
get trapped.
C u t a l lt h e s h o u l d e r o
sn
the facesidesof the rails
first.Thenreadjustthe
heightof the blade,if
necessary, to cut all the
shoulderson the backsides
of the rails.

Caution:To keep the waste piece from catching

on the saw blade,push the miter gaugewell past
the bladebefore pullingit back.

Raise the blade

so it barelytouches
the cheek.

IGoUX[HE*o
 t.,
::.t::
t. ..

TENON'S YYIDTH
Maketwo rip cuts on the right sideof the tenoningjig.
They establish
the tenon width.

Mark the width of

the tenon directly
from the mortise.

Thereisn'tany
fussymicro-adjust
on thisjig.Simply
nudgethefence
withyourfist.

Raise the
blade about
l/32-in.lower
than the
shoulderto
avoidcutting
into it.

Rip the tenon to width. First,

move the fence to the left side of
the saw blade.Clamp the rail to
the right side of the tenoningjig
and adjustthe fence until the
bladelinesup with the marks.

American Woodworker n u c u s zr o o t
Sawingall four shouldersflush realistic.
Don't pushyour luck!Finishthem with a sharpchisel.

10
Rough cut the waste
pieces on the tablesaw.
Positionthe stop block so
the short shouldersare
proud by l/32-in.or so.
In theory,it's possibleto
makethis cut precisely
flush,but in practiceit's
darned hard.Dont risk
messingup your crisp
shoulders!

Caution:To keep the waste piece from catching

on the saw blade,push the miter tauge well past
the blade before pulling it back.

11
Remove the stub waste
with a chisel.This paring
requiresa keen edge,but if
you cut too deep,it wont
show.Bevelthe ends of the
tenon with a file so it will
easilyfit in the mortise.

12
Test the fit. lf your renon
is too wide to fit into the
mortise, it's easyto go back
and trim off one side with
the tenoningjig.lf it's too
loose,glue the waste pieces
backon and cut again.
^,,

American Woodworker
 F
an
Enhance
yourhomewith thisbuilt-inclassic.
E
L

he Craftsman architectural movement of the early20tli centuryis

z
J enjoying a resurgencein popularity both in furniture design and
f
o
home accessories. Thesebookcasesand fireplacesurround reflect
r
that tradition.
If you can build abasic boxwith a faceframe, then you can build this pro-
z,
o
o- ject. The tapered columns that showcasethe hearth and buttresi the book-
=
f

F
casespresentthe greatestchallenge.We'll show you a couple nifty jigs that
U
z
r
make eventhat processseemeasy.
U When it comesto installing the bookcases,we solvedthe age-old problem
2
= of fiuing a cabinet into an alcoveby adding a 3-in. filler strip to the outside
<
E
F
al, stile of eachbookcase.Filler strips are a greatw4yto bridge the gap between
J

-J the cabinet and the wall. They re easyto install and they look great.You put
U
:< the strips on at the very end; sawing,planing and sanding to a perfect fit. The
-
J

N
result?The bookcaseand mantel look asif the housewerebuilt around them!
=
o
We used quarter and rift-sawn oak-both solid and veneerplywood-for
T this project. This wood is a hallmark of the Craftsman style.
This project wasdesignedfor fireplacesthat havea drywall or plasterenclo-
F

I
sure, similar to the one shown here. The mantel portion of the design
z doesnt lend itself well to a brick fireplace. :
o
F
an
= The wood dividers (or muntins) at the top of the bookcasedoor frames
J.

= are not "true" muntins. They dont frame individual panes of glass,but
o
rather slip over a single pane.It's lessauthentic,but a lot easier.
=
z
. This is a big project and is best approachedin phases.The mantel and
.c
U fireplacesurround comprisethe first phase.The two bookcasescan be han-
F
z
dled later.
:a

a
You'll need a tablesaw,bandsaw,planer,biscuit joiner (a pocket-screwor
F doweling jig will also work) and a router with a flush-trim bit. e compres-
.2
tr sor and a finish nailer make installation a whole lot easier.In the end,
o
U
6
expect to spend around $2,000for the entire project.

:<
a
t-
GettingStarted
=
z
Start by measuring the fireplaceprojection and the areaon eachside of the
=
U
fireplace.Our designis configured for the specificspaceshown in Fig. C. To
.i;.
o
allow room for the columns, we widened the mantel to extend beyond the
=
o oiiginat fireplaceprojection.YorJll no doubt haveto alter our plan to suit your
u

American Woodworker A U G L ,2sor o l

American W o o d w o r k e r n u c u s zt o o t 77

Resaw a 5-in.-wide board in half,then
glue the two halvestogether to create a
bookmatched panelfor the front of the
columns.
Cut the tapered plywood on a tablesaw
usingtwo simple tapering jigs (Fig.A). Glue
solid oak sidesto the column.
Glue the bookmatched oak panel to
the tapered plywood.Then cut the excess
on the bandsawleavinga l/ | 6-in. overhang
on the sldes.Trimthe facingflush to the sides
with a router and a flush-trim bit.
American Woodworker
Mantel
Boofie{ro,dB"a
own room. Here are a couple of things
to keep in mind:
I You can widen the bookcaseswith-
o u t maki ng the doors too bi g
by adding a center divider between
the doors.
I Ifyou don'thavewalls at the cabinet
ends,attach oak plywood end panels
similar to the wall returns (parts L).
Extendthe cabinettops (parts Ul) and
aPpbnadditional banding to cover the
edgeof the return.
I If you need to alter the mantel to fit
a different projection,be sureto main-
tain adequatesetbacksfrom the fire-
place opening (seeSafetyConsidera-
tions, page79).
I Have the tiles youre going to use
on hand beforeyou build. 8 in. x 8-in.
tiles canvaryby || l.rl'.andyodll need
accuratemeasurementsfor making the
mantel faceframe.
Fig. A Tapering Jigs
Buildtwojigsto cut the taperedplywood.
bandsaw or jigsaw.UseJigA. to makethe firstcut.Thenflip the plywood
overandcut the secondtaperusingJig B.
FIRST CUT J i gA
AUGUsr2ool
Buildingthe Tapered
Columns
1. Resawoak for the bookmatched
panel(N2) (Photo 1).
2.Catthe taperedplywood (M) using
the jigs in Fig.A and Photo 2.
3. Gluethe oak sides(Nl) to the edges
of the tapered pl yw ood (Fig. D,
Detail 1).
4.Assemblethe columns (Photo 3).
5. Trim the ends of the oak sideshush
with the top and bottom of the tapered
plywood (Photo 4 and 5).
6. Cut a 3-in. section from the top of
the column. Then, remove a 5/8-in.-
wide strip to make room for the 314-n.
astragal(P) (Photo 5).
T.Ottthe column astragals(P).
8. Assemblethe column backerswith
parts C and D.
9. Assemblethe mitered column base
Cutthe notchesin eachjig witha
SECOND
52"
Trim the oak sides flush with the bottom
of the taperedplywood.Makea 314in.x 12
in.x 48 in. plywood sled with wood stops to
centerthe column.Adda longfenceto your
miter gaugeand use it to guidethe sled
through the saw.
€ut the column top, then removean
additional5/8-in.sectionto makeroom for
the astragal(seePhoto 6).The5/8-in.strip,
plusthe l/8-in.saw kerf createa 3/4-in.gap
that gets filled by the astragal.
Screw the column parts on the column
backer startingwith the baseand working
up.Drill pilot holesand screwthem in place
from behind.

frontsand sides(partsQ and R) with glueand nails.
10.Attachthe columnbase,bottom,astragaland top to the
column backer(Photo6).
I l. Join parts A and B to createthe mantel face frame.
Positionthe lower rail to accommodatethe tile you'vecho-
sen.(Weused8 in. x 8-in.tiles.The actualsizewill vary.)
12.Assemblethe mantelwall returnsby screwingthe cleats
(K1 and K2) to the wall returns(L).
13.Makethe built-up manteltop by gluingthe bottomsand
underlayment(T2 and T3) to the top (Tl).
14. Glue 1/4-in.-thickedgebanding (S) to the outside
e d g e s .B e s u r e t o m i t e r t h e o u t s i d e c o r n e r s o f t h e
edgebanding.

For safetyand convenience, don't

overlook these items when planning
and installingyour project:
/ Fire codesgenerallyrequirethat
3/4-in.-thickwood be kept 6 in.away
from the edgeof a fireplaceopening
to prevent radiantheat from
scorchingit. For wood that
protrudes| -l 12 in.or more, such as
the front columnsof this project,the
wood must be at least l2 in. away
from the fireplaceopening.
/ Use thin-set mortar to applythe
new tile or stone around the
fireplacefront and hearth.
/ You must put electricalreceptacle
box extenderson any electrical
boxesthat end up behindthe
cabinet.Don't be tempted to
removethe coversand bury the
receptacles in the wall.Thiswould
violate electricalcodes.The
extender slipsover the receptacle,
Safety extendsinsidethe box and covers
the cut-out in the plywood backs
Considerations of the cabinets,as shown here.You
can find box extendersat electrical
supplyretailersand home centers.
Fig. B. OutletExtender Be sure to shut off the power to
0utletextenders allowyouto safelyextendwall the box you're working on.
thecabi netback.
o u tl e tsthrough / You'll probablywant to install
new electricalreceptaclesin the
RECEPTACLE OUTLET BOX cabinetbasesor in the floor to
EXTENDER make up for the receptaclesleft
insidethe cabinets. Hire a licensed
electricianto do the job.
/The glassin the bookcasedoors
must be either safetyglass(plastic
film between two thin layersof
glass)or temperedglass.This
reducesthe dangerof injury from
broken glass.Both types are more
expensivethan regularglass,and
require professionalcutting.
3/4'CABINET
BAGK ORIGINAL
WALL

A m e r i c a n W o o d w or k e r A U G U2 S
oTol 79
 ffi*. #{#ffiffi#ffiffirTmgru€ry
Fig.C Bookcase
and MantelAssembly

Tz

Kz

(7
6d FINISH
NArLS (TYP.)

F i g .D C o l u m n

l.- u"---J

l-rc-1n"-l
 the Bookcases
Buitding
1. Assemblethe bookcases(parts V through Z) using
2-in. wood screws(Photo 7). Then, drill holesfor the
adjustableshelves.
2. Glue and clamp the faceframesto eachcabinet.
3. Biscuit or dowelthe door framestogether.
4. Rabbetthe doorsfor the glasspanels(Photo8) and add
the glassretainers.
5. Mount the doors to the bookcasesusing no-mortise
hinges(seeSources, page83).
6. Make half-lapjoints for the muntins on your tablesaw
and assemblewith a drop of glue.
7. Build-up and edge-bandthe bookcasetops in the same
manner asthe mantel top.
8. Cut and edge-bandthe shelves.

Screw the cabinet boxes together.

F i g . E . M a n te l In s ta l l a ti on Attach the backsusingscrewsevery 6 in.The
Sc re wth e c o l u m nto s th efa c eframeandthew al l
cabinetbackswill"squareup" the boxesand
re tu rnto s th e c o l u m n sSl. i d ethew hol eassembl y
t ew a l la n dn a i lth e w al lreturns
a g a i n sth to thew al l strengthenthem.
c l e a tsa n dth efa c efra m eto thefi repl ace proj ecti on.

FIREPLACE
PROJECTION
NAIL-\--
(6d rYP.)

WALL----+
RETURNS

1-1/g'
SCREW
(wP.)

Rout the rabbets for the glass panels

and squarethe cornerswith a chisel.
Note:Havethe glasscut l/8 in.lessthan the
rabbet width and heightto insurea good fit.
Fig. F. CuttingDiagrams

L L
v Tr
AA
t
I
Ur iUz
AA F

Tr
v

+lj
AA
v x x v IY
/
AA
Ts-
d j r '
I r.E!
i r

d American Woodworker A U G U2SoTo 1 81

I
t
 Boo[&i3Eg.&
Mantel

Remove old tile, mantel and baseboard Scrcw the column assembliesto the Level each cabinet with shims.Then,
fi'om the lireplace opening.The newtile fireplace face frame. Propthe ftce-frame scribeandplanethe cabinetstilefor a good
is installed
after the woodworking,
sraining againstthe fireplaceprojectionto makethe fit againstthe wall return(Fig.C, Detail l).
andvamishare completed. job easier.
Screwthe pl),woodwall returns Coveranygapsalongthe floor with trim
throughthe clearsto the columnassembly molding(FF).
from the inside(seeFig.9.

Instatlation 6. Onceyoure huppywith the fit, screwthe cabinetsto the

l. Preparethe room for installation(Photo9).
2. Assemblethe mantel with 1-1l4-in.wood screwsbut
leavethe top off for now (Photo 10).
3. Screwthreewall cleats(K3) alongthe back wall on each
sideof the fireplaceto anchor the wall returns, asshown in
Fig.E.
4. Pushthe entireassemblytothe backwall and nail the face
frame to the fireplacefront wall and the wall returns to the
wall cleats(Fig.E).
5. Level and fit the bookcasesin the openings (Fig. C,
DetailI andPhotosII and 12).Youmayhavetocutintothe
back of the cabinetif you needto make room for anv wall
receptacles. (SeeSafetyConsiderations,page79 for more
information.)
studsin the backwall with 3-in. wood screws.
7. Scribethe bookcasetops to fit. Then, screwthem in
placefrom underneath,using 1-5l8-in.wood screws.
8.Scribethe manteltop to fit the backwall (Photo t3). Then
nail the top down to the faceframe,wall returns and wall
cleats(Fig.C).
9.We finishedthe projectwith an oil stainand two coatsof
satin polyurethane(seeSources,page 83) for a deep and
durablefinish.After the finish dries completely(48 hours),
install the temperedglass,hardwareand muntins in the
doors(Photol4).
Thisk a newandimprovedversion
of apopularstoryfrom our
sisterpublication,The
FamilyHandyman.

wl
The tops of these
bookcasesmust be
installedby screwingfrom
underneath.Wouldnt you know it,
the last screw to finish the job went
too deep and came out the top.
Next time l'll take it easywith the
cordless drill-but this rime I was
faced with some repair work.
After backingout the offendingscreq
I carefullypushedthe broken fibers
back into place usinga drop of glue to
hold things together.Then I clampeda
block of wood over the area to flatten
the repair.I used some paper towels ro
absorbthe squeeze-outunder the
clampingblock.This kept the glue from
spreadinginto the open grain of the
oak where it would show up as a
permanent mark after staining.Once
the glue was dry I removed the clamp
and lightly sandedthe area.Now that
nasty little hole is barely visible.

82 American Woodworker A U G U 2SoTo i

 LIST
CUTTING
Name otv. Dimensions Material
A fireplacestiles z 3/4"x4" x50-1/2" oak
B fireplace
rails z 3/4"x3"x54" oak
C columnbackerstiles 4 3/4',x 4" x50-1/2" oak
D column backerrails 8 3/4" x4" x3-1/2" oaK
E1 cabinetstiles 2 3/4',x 3 " x 4 4 - 1 / 2 " oaK
E2 cabinetstiles 2 3/4" x4" x44-1/2" oaK
F1 cabinetupper rails 2 3/4" x3" x42" oak
F2 cabinetlower rails 2 3/4"x 5 " x 4 2 " oak
G upperdoorrails 4 3 / 4 "x 2 - 1 / 4 'x 1 6 - 7 / 1 6 " oak
H doorstiles 3/4"x2-1/4"x36-7/16" oak
I
lowerdoorrails 4 3 / 4 "x 3 " x 1 6 - 7 / 1 6 " oaK
K1 cleats 2 3/4" x3/4" x50-1/2" orne
K2 cleats 2 3 / 4 "x 3 / 4 "x 2 1 - 1 / 4 " prne
Hold the filler strip in place and scribe K3 wallcleats 6 3/4" x3-1/2"x10" pine
to fit the adjacentwall.Then,nailthe strip L wallreturns 2 3/4"x22-3/4'x50-1/2"oak olvwood
onto the cabinetstile. M taper-cut plvwood 2 3/4" x9-1/2'x45-1/2" plywood
N1 c o l u m ns i d e s 4 3/4" x1-1/4"x48" oak
N2 columnfaces z 1 / 4 "x 1 1 " x 4 6 - 1 / 2 " oak;trimto fit
P c o l u m na s t r a q a l s z 3/4"x2-1/4"x7-7/8" oak
o column basefronts z 3/4"x5"x11 oaK
R columnbasesides 4 3/4" x5" x1-3/4" oaK
S top edqe bandinq 22ft..1 / 4 "x 1 - 1 / 2 " oaK
T1 manteltoo 1 3/4" x26-3/4"x88-1/2" oak plvwood
T2 mantel underlavmentfront 1 3/4" x4" x88-1/2" oakolvwood
T3 mantelunderlavment sidesI 3/4" x4" x26-3/4" oak plywood
U1 cabinettoos z 3/4" x15-1/4"x52" oak plvwood
U2 cabinettop underlavment4 3 / 4 "x 4 " x 5 2 " oak plvwood
V cabinetsides 4 3 / 4 "x 1 2 " x 4 4 - 1 / 2 " oak plvwood
W cabinetbottoms z 3 / 4 "x 1 2 " x 4 3 " oak olvwood
X partitions 2 3/4" x11-3/4"x 38-3/4" oak plywood
cabinettop strips 4 3/4',x 4 " x 4 3 " oak plywood
z cabinetbacks 2 3/4" x44-1/2'x40-1/2" oak plvwood
AA unfacedshelves X
3 / 4 "x 1 1 - 5 / 8x" 2 1 " oak plvwood

Scribe the top for a tight fit against the BB shelfand partitionfacinq 30ft. 1/4"x3/4" oak
back wall. Then cover any gapsalongthe CC fillerstrios z 3/8" x3" x44-1/2" oaK

fireplaceprojectionwith trim molding(FF). DD horizontal muntins 4 3/8" x3/4" x16-7/16" oak

EE verticalmuntins 8 3/8" x3/4" x8" oak
FF trim 20ft.1/2"X3/4" oak

Sourrces

SteveWall Lumber Co., (800) 633-4062, Wsodworkers' Hardware, (800) 383-0130

www.walllumber.com
50 bd. ft. FASquarter-sawnwhite oak,
($4.50 per bd. ft., plus s&h) and five 3/4" x
4x8 B-2 grade rift-sawn white oak ply-
wood ($70 per sheet,plus s&h).
The Home Depot
One lx6 x 8' No.2 pine,
Two qts. Minwax EarlyAmerican No.230
oil stain,
One gal.Minwax satin polyurethane.
l6 glassretainers,#E7004;35 cents each,
4 door magnets,part #A09798W;
$2.50 each,
48 | l4-in.shelf pins,#H886C25;
l0 cents each,
8 no-mortise hinges,#A03 l 75TB DAE;
$3 each.
Van Dyke's Restorers,(800) 558- 1234
4 door pulls,#CG-0200476l; $39 each.

Secure the muntins to the glass with

silicone caulk after the finishis dry. Alll

American Woodworker A U G U 2SoTo l 83

 For
Ra$wing
Resawing canpushabandsawto its
Itmtts,so it'simportanttogetone
thatcanhandle thejob. J
lrJ
=
T

z
I

p andsawsare well known for their ability to cut -

To testthe saws,we resawed8-in.-wide hard maple o
F
D..rrr.r, but they can also perform the unique and 8-in.-wide pine boards.We used new 3/4-in.- T
(L

function of wide resawing.The ability to resawcan wide blades.Wepushedthe machinesprettyhard to

lrJ
add a whole new dimension to your woodworking. get some separationbetweenthose that could cut it , a
J

You can savemoney by making your own thin lum- z.

and those that couldnt. For those that did well, we z
ber,or producebookmatchedpanels(Photo 3). With pushed evenharder using hard maple boards aswide =
e

Lrl
m
the right machineyou can evenmakeyour own lum- as 12in. -
ber (Photo2)! lrJ
:<

One of the questionswe hear most often from Resawing Needs Fower 6
z
woodworkers shopping for a bandsawis, "How will Poweris the biggestfactor affectinga bandsaw'sabil- L
TL
it perform for resawing?"We focused this test in ity to resaw.Machines in our test group had ratings s
o
responseto that question. from 3l4to 2 hp (Fig.A).We found that t hp is the E
(L
Our test concentrated on bandsawsthat have a minimum needed for resawing.You can resaw on
(J
resawcapacityof 9 in. to 12in. and arepricedbetween the 3/4-hp machines,but they are slow and likely to
$fSO and $1,350.Within this field we found t7 testyour patience.(S.eeWorkshop Tips, EasierResaw- -
CL
a
machines;ten 14in., one 16in., and six 18-in.Among ing,page23,for away to dealwith an under-powered a
F
lrJ
the 14-in. bandsaws,we inclucledonly those that bandsaw.) lrJ

F
could saw9 in. or greateror had a riser block kit avail- Power is important, but you also need adequate a
z
e
able.A riser block (Photo I ) typically adds6 in. to the blade speed.Machineswith blade speedsof 3,000 lrJ

resaw capacity,giving most 14-in. bandsaws l2-in. sfom (surfacefeet per minute) or higher performed ;
o
resawcapacity.At $50 to $100,a riser block kit is an best.Somemachineshavemultiple speeds,butthis is
F

. lrJ
e

inexpensiveway to gain that extra resawheight. not an advantagebecausethesespeedsarewell below o

F

3,000sfum and easilyboggeddown.

American Woodworker AUGUST2o0t

ByRandyJohnson
 1 2 ' 'R E S A W
CAPACITY

A riser block can be installedon some l4-in.bandsaws. Twelve-inch capacity is particularly useful if you
It's an inexpensiveway to increasetheir resawcapacity planto make lumber from logswith your bandsaw.
from 6 to 12 in.

Resaw Capacity - You May

Not Need the Maximum
Resawcapacityis measuredby the amount of
spaceunder a fully raisedupper bladeguide
( P h o t o 1 ) . H o w m u c h c a p a c i t yy o u n e e d
dependson the kind of work you plan to do.If
you'remaking lumber from logs,a machine
with 12-in.capacityis best.If you want to
makebookmatchedpanelsfor cabinetdoors,
t,
z a machi new i th 9-i n. capaci tyi s proba bly
enough.That'sbecausetwo 9-in. panelsglued
= together,plus 4 in. for two sidestiles,equalsa
Ia 22-in.-widedoor.
l{
q
lr. A Rigid Frame and
o Sturdy Base are Best
lrt
q The heavydemandresawingputson abandsaw
can createmachine vibration, blade chatter
lrJ
and evenframeflexing.Theseproblemscan,in
HORSEPOWER turn, resultin rough and unevencutting.
Power is important when it comes to resawing. We We found two featuresthat helped mini-
tested bandsawswith 3/4- to 2-hp.morors.We found that mize theseproblems;frame style and base
I hp.is a minimumrequirementfor wide resawingin hard style.There are two distinct frame styles;
wood.A 314-hpsaw will cut bur maytesr your patience.

A merican Wooclu'orker A U G U S2 TO O 1
 A FRESH
SITARPBIADE
IS CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT
\ryHEN
RESAIryING.

I Bookmatching lumber with unusualgrain patterns is one of the

rJ many wonderful applicationsof resawing.Once resawn,the two parts
can be glued together and used as a decorative door or cabinet panel.

welded-steeland cast-iron (Photo a). All of

the welded-steelframe machines had a very
CAST.IRON
solid feel during resawingand did a good job FRAME
of dampening vibration under a heavy resaw
load. Among the cast-iron frame machines,
the Delta and Enco resistedvibration best.
A sturdybasealsoh.lpt dampenvibrations.
For this reason we favor the closed- and the
floor-base styles over the panel- and open-
basemodels (Photo 5).

Resawing Requires
the Right Blade
It's very important to use a blade that's fresh
and sharp when resawing.If you dont, you're
likely to get excessiveblade wander, chatter
and a slowfeed rate.The width of the blade is
also important. A 314in. to l-in.-wide blade
with 3 to 4 tpi (teethper inch) is a.goodchoice.
(For more information on bandsaw blades,
look for our BandsawBlade Tool Test in the A *t" frame stytes. During
T heavyresawingthe welded-
next issueof American Woodworker.) steel frame (right) resists vibration
better than most of the bandsaws
with cast-iron frames (left).

American Woodworker AUGUS

2 oT o l
 lkp
I
?'-'r
1.
)
1
.t, l
- :rr
t-
-I t .
ilfl

Etrt* '
un
""l41%S

OPEN
FLOOR BASE
BASE

5 A sturdy base helpsto dampenvibrationduringheavyresawing.

Closedand floor-stylebasesdo the bestjob.

D e l t a2 B - 2 7 5 Cast-lron F a i l 1 - 1 / 2 "p o r t
u n d e rt a b l e
Delta28-280a 115/230 Cast-lron F a i r ,1 - 1 l 2 "p o r t
u n d e rt a b l e
G r i z z lG
y 1019 115/230 Cast-lron F a i r x ,2 - 1 / 4 "p o r t
u n d e rt a b l e
G r i z z l yG 1 0 1 Cast-lron Good, 1-1/2" port
behind lower wheel
JetJW14cs 115t230 Cast-lron Fair*,2" port
e u n d e rt a b l e
115/230 F a i r * ,2 " p o r t
u n d e rt a b l e
North State 110t220 Cast-lron G o o d ,4 " p o r t i n
WA-14M front of lower wheel
R e l i a n tD D 9 0 625; 1,061; Cast-lron
1,683;2,578
R i d g i d8 S 1 4 0 0 Fair*,2-1/4" port
u n d e rt a b l e
Poor,3l4"
Grizzly G41862 4" port
u n d e rt a b l e
retJWBS-1t 4" port under
I table on back side
Laguna
LT 16l V. Good,one 4" under table,
one 4" behind lower wheel
Good, 4" port under table,
but down near the floor
850; 1,000; Cast-lron Poor, 1-114"port
1,280 behind lower wheel
3 " port
behind lower wheel
Cast-lron Poor,1-1/4" port
behind lower wheel
 Dust Collection is a Must
Resawingproduces a lot of salvdustso good dust collection is
essential.All but one of the machines have some sort of dust
port. Some are located under tl-retable,others are fbund in fl-ont
or behind the lower wl-reel(Photo 6). Port sizesvary from 3/4
in. to 4 in. in diameter.
We hookedup a sl-ropvacuumto the machinesand fbur-rd t/
r
dustcollectionto be only fair on machineswith dustports
lessthan 2-ll2-in. in diarneter.That'sbecausethe actual
openingon the machinewassmallerthan the dustport
and this restrictedair flow. Largerports on the larger
machinesrvorkedbest when hooked up to a central
dustcollectionsystem.If your bandsawlacksadequate
dust collection,check or-rtWorksl-ropTips,"Better
Du s tC o l l e c ti o n i ' p a g1e6 .
B ands aw

Good dust collection is importantwhen resawing.The 3-in.

diameterrear dust port on this Powermaticprovidesgood air
flow and alsohelpskeepthe hose out of the operator'sway.Several
machineshad dust ports that could accepta shop vacuumhose but
the actual opening behind the dust port on the machine was small
and restricted air flow.

O p t i o n a l Very robust micro adjustmentsystem;

front quard awkward to adiust;(800)438-2486.
robust m icro-adjustment system;
front ouard awkward to adiust; (800)438-2486.
one-prece t i o n a lb a l l - b e a r i n g u i d ea v a i l a b l e ;
riserblock difficult to install;(800)523-4777.
a l b a l l - b e a r i n g u i d e a v a i l a b l er;i s e r
difficult to install; {300)523-4777.
telescoping Lower micro adjustmentdifficult to access;
(800)274-6848.
Lower micro adjustment
(800) 274-6848.
telescoprng cult to adjust;
LeNeaveMachinery;(800) 442-2302.
Bladespeedinsufficientfor resawing;
Trendlines;(800)767-9999.
t e le s c o pni g Very nice 3/a-hpsaw for genera
(800) 474-3443.

one-plece w
rack-and-pinion lackstension qauqe; (8O0)523-4777.

ptional nonmetallic guides available;

(800)332-4094.
tension gauge and tension
could lead to blade over-tensioninq;(800)786-3747.
e speedtoo slow tor resawrng;
LeNeaveMachinerv;(800) 442-2302.
were difficult to adjusU(800)248-01l$4.

C.P.Tools;(800)654-7702.

,\nieri cirn \\'ooclu'orker nucus2

r oo1
 Other Features
There are four styles of bandsaw blade
guides; cylindrical blocks, square blocks,
ball bearings and Euro sryle.For purposesof
resawing.,we like the Euro-style guides
euro-style blade becausethey do an exceptionaljob of sup-
f
I guides do a great job porting wide blades (Photo 7). But if you
of supporting wide blades plan to use blades under Il4-in.wide, we'd
with side bearings,and are
recornmendthe block-sryle guides (Photo 8)
easyto adjust.
fitted with nonmetalic blocks, such as Cool
Blocl<s(about $12fromWoodworking FasT-
ADJUSTMENT
KNOB ThaK,888-327-7725). This sryleallowsyou to
capture a narrow blade between the guides
SIDE with no chanceof damaging the tqeth.
BEARINGS
Our favorite blade guard assemblyis the
one-piece guard with a rack-and-pinion
Jt Square,block- adjustment for raising and lowering (Photo
1l styleguideswork 9). Severalsawshave a telescopingblade
well for supporting wide
guard that is also simple to adjust. A col-
bladesbut are also
capableof sUpporting umn-mounted switch,hinged wheel covers,
bladesas narrow as an easily accessibletensioning knob and a
l/ | 6-in.wide. Micro- rip fence are also featuresworth looking for.
adjustment knobs are
a big help when fine-
tuning the position of
Recommendations
your guides. In choosing our favorites,we considereda
saw'sability to do wide resawing in hard
and soft wood. We balanced that with an
eyetowards user-friendlyfeatures and gen-
eral bandsawing.
SOUAREGUIDE The Laguna 16 in. and the Jet 18 in. won
BLOCKS
Editors' Choice awards.Both have Euro-style
guides and welded-steelframes. The Delta
and fet 14-in, 1-hp sawsare our BestBuys.
Thesesawsboth acceptriser blocks and have
I2-in. resaw capacity. Other machines we
consideredfor BestBuywere the Lobo 18in.
Q n one-piece
f guardsystem and the Grizzly 18 in. They both have
with rack-and-pinion welded-steelframeswith 2-hp motors,good
height adiustment dust collection apd easy-to-adjustrack-and-
makesraisingand LOCKING pinion front blade guards. But they both
lowering a simple KNOB
matter.Thisset-up lack a blade-tension gaugewhich could lead
also keepsthe guard to over tensioning. Lobo'slower blade guides
from crashingto the were difficult to adjust and the Grizzly 18in.
table when the had more vibration than the other welded-
locking knob is
steelframe machines.
loosened,
In selectinga saw dont overlook its elec-
trical requirements.Somerequire 220 volts
and some 110-volt s-awshave pretty high
amperage requirements. Make sure your
work areahas the necessarywiring and cir-
cuitry. Check with a licensed electrician if
youre in doubt.

90 American Woodworker A U G U s2 T
ool
 EDITORS' EDITORS'
cHolcE CHOICE
LagunaUI 16in.; $1,345 JetJWBS18in.;$1,099
PROS
.I-ll2-hp motor
I PROS
.l -l l 2-hp m ot or
. 3,600sfpm blade . 3,000sfpm blade
speed speed
. l2-in. resawcapacity . 115or 230volts
. Welded-steelframe . Welded-steelframe
. Optional nonmetallic . One-piecefront guard
block guidesavailable with rack-and-pinion
. TWo4-in. dust ports guard adjustment
. Prewired and fullv . Well-designedrip fence
assembled included with saw.
. One-piecefront guard. coNs
coNs . Only availablewith
. Requires220 service Euro-styleguides
. Lacksrack-and-pinion . Only 10-in.resawcapacity.
guard adjustment.

BEST BUY BEST BUY

JetJWIaCS 14 in. with Delta 28-28014 in. with
riser block; $650 riser block; $790
PROS PROS
. l-hp motor . l-hp motor
. 3,000sfpm bladespeed '3,000 sfpm bladespeed
. 115or 230volts . 115or 230volts
.l2-in. resawcapacity . l2-in. resawcapacity
. Closedbase . Closedbase
. Telescopingfront . Acceptsnonmetallic
bladeguard guide blocks
. Acceptsnonmetallic
guide blocks.
coNs
t . Heaviestcast-iron
frame among the
14-in.saws.
. Smalldust port coNs
. Micro-adjustment . Front bladeguard
knobs on bottom blade difficult to keepaligned
guide arehard to access. . Smalldust port.
*,
American Woodworker A U G U2SoTo l 91
Hold lt! Rolllt! Hanglt! Store lt! E d i t eudyR a n d y J o h n s o n

Yrps
SdlShop

Low-Rider
MobileToolBase
I got fed up with draggingmy stationarytools around my
garageto make room for my car,so I built mobile bases.
Unlike some shop.-madebases,this designadds only about
I in. to the height of my tools. I made them out of 2x4s and
plywood, fastenedwith glue and screws.The foot leverskeepthe
basefrom rolling while I'm operatingthe machine.Cost?It wasabout
$40 for my jointer base,and worth everypenny.
Brian K. Ott
Germantown,MD

Source
Woodworker'sSupply, (800)645-9292
3-in.swivelcaster, #80l-739;g l0 each.
2l0-lb.capacity, -

:<
z
q

2
=
E.
U)

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O=
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our*o* 3:
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I CASTER LrJ l,!

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1' E=

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a>
m<
oE
#10x314" ZA
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PANHEAD a<
Frd
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t -

3/9" ; A =

314" DOWEL Z N

LrJ J
PLYWOOD >6
#8X2" z.;
wooD scREw =o-
sf
{ F V

<o-
\ 3/8" X 3" LAG BOLT

92 American Woodworker Rucust2oOl

S m a l lS h o pT i p s

Bandsaw
0utfeed
Table
I recentlytackled a project that
had me resawingextra-long
boards.I found that my regular
outfeedroller standwasn'tstable
or tall enough,so I pulled my
drill pressinto position,swung
the table to the side and
adjusted the height to match
that of my bandsawtable. It
worked so well that next time I
haveto bandsawlong stock,I'll
go right for that drill press!

JoshuaBallard
Wilmington,DE

94 American Woodworker

MADE IN THE USA JorreslSqwBlqdes

"Yott CanCounlOnUs ForQuality,Perfiormance,
and
"Forover55years,we
haveprovidedonlythe
ALLPURPOSE-Iable spws Sale llP/oolf 15%0tf
finestqualiUproducts andpoilablecircularsaws. Prico l$8lade 2ndBlade
andservices. 12'x40Tx1' ${irs $116 $110
"That'swhyI cantnake
thisexceptional guaran-
tee:Purchre any
Fonestbladeor dado
andu* it tor up to ill
JimForrest,
Presidentdays.ltyou are not
conpletelyatislied tor Speeiallydesignedlor slidingcompoundmiter,
anyrcNn, retumit mitenchop,and $afe lE/"U, 15o/o
Ofl
ndialnws.
tor a tull refand. 8 114'x60Tx 5/8' $18S $ 9 8 $93
There's neveranyrisk Yougettlat-hofionedgmovesandno splinteiny 8 1zz"x 60Tx 5/8' ${.1s $ 1 0 7 $ 1 0 1
toyou. Youhavemy evenwhencrwutting oak plysandnelanine. Six 10"x 80Tx 5/8' ${€s $ 1 2 5 $ 1 1 8
wordon it." 4-toofltchippen(incl. SfJ2"chipper),tws 24400fi oat- 1 2 " x8 0 Tx 1 ' $+4S $134 $127
sidehlailes plusshins. Gti/s1/8" to 29/J2" grooves. 1 5 " x1 0 0 xT' 1 " $+0s $179 $169
SalePrics 107o Off1stSet 15o/o Off2ndSet /z'x40Tx5/8',9'x80Tx 5/8'.14"x100T x 1"atso
6"set $r€0 $242 $22e Callfor
8"set $28s $260 $245
10"set $349 $314 $297
12"set $449 $404 $382 Designedlor radial arm or tablesaws-
plywootlblade. fine crosscut. Safe llP/o off 16o/oUJ

T (1/8'or
10"x80 3/32"K)${€9 $143 $135 71/t,8',8%"
x 607 ${es $ 9 8 $93
12'x80
Tx1"(1/8" K) $18+ $163 $154 10"x607 S+3s$ 1 1 6 $110
14"x1
00Tx1". x1",8",7 12"x607 $t€0 $125 $118
available.
Callfor

Gall toll-tree Uisitour internetstore Forrest

Manufacturing
Company

ffio*
Sehablaespafiol
OR,stores.yahoo.
g
comlfoneshnn

JffiP
457RiverRoad
Clifton.
NJ07014
WeslernCanada:CallSharpTech,Inc. 877-228-0908
sales:CallCMR- RonCollier800-229-4814
Oher Ganadian
@ 2000Forrest
 S m a l lS h o pT i p s

Tablesaw
RouterFence
I live in big sky country, but my
shop is ascrampedasan efficiency
apartmentin downtown Manhat-
tan! Consequently,Iusemy table-
sawextensionwing asa router table
to savefloor space.To make useof
the tablesaw'sfence,I clamp on a
shop-maderouter fence.The corir-
bination of these two fencesis
great.I get the easyadjustmentof
the sawfenceand the router fence
is wide enough to accommodate
big bits. I also built in a dust port
that does a super job of clearing
the chips.
BernieSingers
Smithton,MT

American Woodworker AUGUST2ooi 95

llffil
tffiltltff[011ft11[ll
Prolldp- llffil
m[[$il[Pru$IfilffiHtl]]
F*FE -T:AT&LSG
1-800-786-8902

original,innovative design,
winningProToprouter
continuesto fulfillthe
all woodworkers- from
o professional.With five
to choosefrom and a full line
accessories,Bench Dog
you need.Tested.Trusted.

800.964.7804

hardwoodweb.com
 S m a l lS h o pT i p s

SimpleStorage
for LayoutTools
I usedto keep my layout tools in a toolbox, but they
alwaysbangedaround againsteachother.I neededa
better way to storethem, so I cameup with this sim-
ple rack. All it took was a chunk of 2x6 and some
anglecuts spacedabout l-ll2 in. apart.Now my lay-
out tools areprotectedfrom damageand readily avail-
able.Plus,it turned out to be a good way to storemy
scraperstoo. /W
LeonLong
Sanlose,CA

96 American Woodworker AUGUST2oot

Ptofiessional
CHTPPER What do you
DR@
Makes Brush PilesDISAPPEAR!
. Devours branches up to
@
Iook Jor in a
4-1/2" thick!
.Turns fallen limbs, storm damage,
tops from felld trees into useful
biscuit ioiner?
" ...w henI askeda groupof
wood chip mulch in MINUTES!
.3 to 4 times FASTERthan professional cabinetmakerswhat \
ordinary homeowner chipper/shredders which theylookedfor in a biscuitjoiner,
were originally designed for grinding up garden their answerwas, tthe name \r\f}I!\f
t
vyastesas Lamello on the side,"'
18 HP
opposed to
heavy chipping.
twin-cylinder, CWB- CustomWoodworkino Busrness
Electric-Start,
. Sold and Road- BiscuitJoinersComparisonTest,December2000
Towable
FACTONY. model Once again, the top.ol.the.Iine
DIRECT shown.
at great
LameIIo Top 2O is rated the best overall!
savings! "At the top of the overallrankings,the
LamelloTop20 is hardto beaton any score."
Made in
the U.S.A. Eee why nothing beats a Lamello lor power,
precision and balanced design tot use on wood,
laminates, solid surtace and aluminum materials,

-m -rEE -
pteise a couw n 6aavTo
r E oeifi Ls
aboutthe RevolutionaryDP CHIPPERincluding
pricesof modelsfrom 10 to 18HP and Factory-
DirectSavingsnow in etfect. o Extra-flat, Pads >-t
anti-sliP
E
o Stopsquarefor verticalwork
AMW o-

Purchase online at
I

www.csaw.com
N

city- srate - zip ----___t,

f|fl' COUNTRYHOME PRODUCTS9, Depr39817X !
lffl MeigsRoad,PO.BoxT,Vergennes,VT'05491
i
or call 1.800.252.6355!
L___-__- wvvw.drchipper.com _____J
Get lt by Dave Munkittrick

Io
,.GOOD H O P EC H E S T "
B Y W I L L I A ML O C K E

Figured
Gherry
\Tature truly is the greatestartist and figured cherry is
I\ tiving proof.If you'veeveradmired the fluid motion of
a flag in a breezeor ripples of sandalong a quiet beach,you'll
love the look of figured cherry. It's amazingwhere a piece
of wood like this can take the imagination.
The shimmering effectfound in figured cherry is a result
of irregularitiesin the growth rings. Thesequirks of nature
,
result in grain that runs up toward the surfaceof a board,
and then dives back down into it. No one knows what z
z
i,
causesthe irregularitiesin the tree,but the three-dimen- =
t
ul
sionalrippled effectin the wood is dazzling. I

T
We found our figured cherryat Good Hope Hardwoods U
:<
in Landenberg,PA-right in the heart of cherry country.All
harvestedtreesare replacedwith seedlings,allowing nature
I
to rework its magic.
The roughsawnlumber is allowedto air-drybefore final
=
drying takesplacein a low-temperature dehumidification a

kiln. The slow drying processhelpspreservesubtletiesof -

color and reducesinternal stressesin the board. Boardssawn E

from the sametree arekept together.This practiceprovides -

the customer with boards of uniform colot texture and F
I

aPpearance. a
z
Good Hope carriesplain and figured cherry in 414all the o
F
way up to 2414; pricesvary from $6 a bd. ft. to $ t 6 a bd. ft. I

dependingon the grade,width and amount of figure.They F

lrl
will work with you to find the bestlumber for your project o
and can custom cut ordersto your specifications.lW a

LJ

Note:Color andfigurevariesfrom tree to tree andboardto z

T
board.Expectvariationsin the wood you order. ':<

E
Source ko-
Good Hope Hardwoods 2
(6t0)274-e842 Know of soureGreatWood? F
www.goodhope.com .We'd,[ove i,. ;,
to hq1 AhOqt.ft.,,i. UJ
Write DaveMunkittrick at o
com.
dave-rmrnkittrick@readersdigest. F
E.