UIE SOO IESE SITS RON IS IN SUINOSSSSS) Issue 31 Roe 73 ey Grinding Jig yo = Compound Miter Saw Test = Tapping Threads = Working with Shellac = Miter Saw Work StationIssue 31 pusuiswen Donald, Pesce orron Tm Robertson Astocurssptro Phil Toten Assisranr otro Bryan Nelson ‘agroinecron Cary Christensen on. onamwiccesionen Kurt Schultz ‘senior wivarnarons Roger Reiland Mark Higdon ———— | Cratve iret Te Reo» Prot Deeper Ken ee es | {inion Se Oe ecg Ch wast cme cn ute rite erie tet 2S ee seetei Nao ane somnnge nner te Onin Riri an teas Sar ed See date” fom ca Tipster She ei Seiten ace seas creagena te ceo: Seale Boe» Na Su Mr: Rent A Buskon = oly hacer aes. ia ier pee ee sana ce ene oe Siar Reece Si Reems mae ince necesita an Rip eraatoiael | Spee rote mark ot Agus Hone | Fite eenrait ase ay" Aan Heme | Patek alegre rn: yerinin Fe a Pete a. Jat Des Malte Than we | Pestmaster Sent shang fares to ShepNotes, 20. Bandeau Aes Setertion utente Sheps Cues Scpeeufeate eas in ine rh sige paxoiezoatt {Ea So denen teed Repel PRINTED INUSA. January 1997 Se eas Cutoffs Ihe jointer knives looked like a hopeless case. Large nicks left tell- taleridges behind, And the knives were s0 dull, they tore out big hunks of wood. Usually, this would mean sending the knives out to @ professional sharp- ening shop. But not this time. GRINDING JIG. Instead, we decided to see if the low-speed grinding jig ‘that Ken (our project developer) had been working on could restore the edge on these beat-up knives. ‘At first, there were quite a few skepties. Why would you want to mount a grinding jig on the drill press anyway? And what was the deal with this strange-looking grinding disk and a hand crank that was “borrowed” from a window? Rather than answer these ques- tions, Ken just grinned and switehed ‘on the drill press, Then he turned the crank very deliberately as if he was slowly taking up line on a fishing reel. {ilu ee oe eden tie She OF OMENS wasPAEN aD CHCUATON Reqd by 39 US 3685) ‘jon 2 kao: 12963 3 se Seen 75, 96 4 fi Be. lol sa 595.1 Came olor sie a 720 De os, (cy, 258 ok mings cna a ge bes es of pin 20 Ga, De Aa oo on SESH. bons ale my dos i, Fa 290 Ga ns, Acie 01 ra ht, 20 Gea Na, 82 18D os ne lg Cony, 7200 cd ou sa eve S02 De Ph ZC Got us, ase 1 1 eb Falmer ee ya I ects onan os mp ca 12 Oo) TE Aes Spi nn Do Geer Das By 176 GON TS. eo ral a. 1 sttefonesy aga fain VT iw pi ci ‘To make a long story short, the grinding jig was a success. Not only did the bevel on each knife have a nice, even grind without a trace of a burn ‘mark. But when we reinstalled the Imnives, they produced perfectly flat, Ifyou plan to build this grinding jig, there's a complete set of plans hegin- ning with the article on page 16, We've also included some tips from our shop that will make it easy to work with some of the metal parts on this project. SHOP SOLIITIONS. But you won't find these tips in the article itself. That’s because even if you don't build the grinding ig, there's a good chance you'll find them useful on another project you're building. So we've put. these tips together in Shop Solutions (page 30) so they’re in one convenient place, ‘And speaking of tips, we're still pub- lishing tips from our readers as always. @) ‘You can find them starting on page 4. id rane: a el. get pean nse pin peste wgmigiaat “aamstats seen na tageran Seeger wR alerts me Se ire 3 ! ‘esi nana : see ‘ Re note 1 2. en ops. ‘oe acini ve e ShopNotes No, 31Ee ° Contents Projects & Techniques Miter Saw Station ____________6 This miter saw station will soll you. When you raise the folding wings, two extension tables provide all the support you need for cutting long workpieces. And with a fip-up stop block that slides along a fence, you can ‘make precision cuts without measuring and marking page 6 Miter Saw Tune-Up _____ 14 Its easy to keep your power miter saw running smoothly and accurately. All it takes /s some routine ‘maintenance and a few basic adjusiments. Low-Speed Grinding Jig ________16 You can get razor sharp edges on your plane irons and jointer knives with this shop-built grinding jig. Along with a grinding wheel that’s chucked in the drill press and spinning at low speed, it gives you complete control over every step of the grinding process. Departments Tips & Techniques Readers’ Tips 4 Our readers offer their own shop-tested tips: Magnetic Resaw Fence, Leg Leveler, String Clamp, Speed Control, and a tip for Hanging Full-Overlay Doors. Selecting Tools Compound Miter Saws _______24 Thinking about buying a compound miter saw? Our throe-man team tests four popular models and offers practical suggestions on the best one to buy. Finish Room Shellac 28 Shellac has been around for years — and there's a good reason for it. Besides providing plenty of protection, its extremely easy to apply This ‘old timer” also provides solutions to many modern finishing problems. Tips From Our Shop e Shop Solutions ____________ 30 Whether you're building the projects in this issue or another one altogether, this collection of tips from the guys in our shop is sure to come in handy. No. 31 ShopNotes 3Readers’ Tips ° Magnetic Resaw Fence [> mi When resawing on the band- saw, it ean be difficult clamping a fence in place beeause of the sup- port ribs under the table. And it’s time consuming if you need to reposition the fence to com- the table, see photo. It’s just an “swing” the workpiece to one pensate for the drift ofthe blade. L-shaped block serewed to a side or the other to adjust for Tp eliminate the clamps alto- base piece, see drawing. This drift. Note: To make this work, gether and make it easy to assembly is screwed to my Grip- position the centerpoint of the adjust for drift, I made a mag- Tite magnetic featherboard. fence "¥" ahead of the blade. netic resaw fence that can be A roundover routed on the Thomas Kabelitz pos joned quickly anywhere on front edge of the fenee lets you Long Beach, California Mounting Full-Overlay Doors. Sometimes it takes a lot of fid- rire cuaM? = dling around to get an even gap between two full-overlay doors. So use a simple technique to establish a consistent gap, Start by serewing the hinges to the doors. Then slip a steel rule (mine is he" thick) between the doors and clamp them together, see drawing. ‘To raise the pipe clamps above the rule (and to protect the doors), T've added an oversized lamp pad to each jaye. It’s just a : serap with a hole tofit the pipe. | Gexrenate, Gerald Kunkel | Sooesseasines Merrill, Wisconsin FIRST: cam sree. RULE ‘SOTWEEN BOOKS 4 ShopNotes No. 31Le Leg Leveler. Here's a handy leg leveler T use on my shop-made tool stands. ‘The thing that’s unusual about this leveler is it has a rubber tip on the bottom. This keeps the stand from “walking” across the floor of the shop if there’s any vibration produced by the tool, ‘The rubber tip is nothing more than the pad from the bottom end of a eruteh, (I pieked one up ata local hardware store for about 75 cents.) ‘The crutch tip fits over a dowel that has a hole drilled in it to accept a carriage bolt, see clearance for the boltas youadjust has to be tight. This keeps the drawing above. After slipping on the leveler, you'll need to drill a dowel from spinning as you awasherand mut, thebolt threads deep shank hole for the T-mut. adjust the leveler. intoa’E-nut installed inthe bottom ‘The only thing to keep in mind Brad Mege’ of the leg. Note: To provide when using the leveler is the nut Marietta, Georgia String Clamp ‘The small number of picture Hrames I make doesn't justify the cost of a special frame clamp. So Tuse a nylon string and some seraps of wood instead. To apply clamping pressure, uns scenes tie the string tightly around the “Toman waren frame and place the blocks in between, see drawing. To draw ‘the miters together, just slide ‘the seraps toward the corners. Note: A kerf in each block keeps the string from slipping off A.J. Gauthier Parnell, Missouri Speed Control The speed on my sabre saw is determined by the amount of pres- sure on the trigger: But with the trigger locked in the “on” position, the blade only runsat high speed. ‘Toailjust the speed when the saw ismounted upside downin my sabre saw table, [slip on a hose clamp and tighten (or loosen) it asneeded, Joe Xaver Warners, New York No. 31 ShopNotes 5It’s the large wingspan that you no But it’s a system for cutting pieces t length without measuring and mar, that makes this miter saw station Stop Block. There's no need to measure and nark to cut a workpiece Levelers down, length, Just slide a ©) wasn’t a lesson on how to fly an airpl say block along. the : Phil (our associate editor) explaining how this miter 1ce until it ines up with ; ; saw station worked. the correct mark on the i The “wings” he was talking about are really the tape measure (lef). Then % ~ underpinnings for two long extension tables, see filo it up to "save" the ™ photo above. With the miter saw mounted to a center setting or to cut a longer ee cabinet, the tables provide sturdy support on each workpiece (right). - side when you're cutting long workpieces to length. FENCE & STOP BLOCK. But there's a lot more to these tables than just holding up a workpiece. Bach table has a builtin fenee with an adjustable stop block, see photos at left. Along with a tape measure ‘on each fenee, the stop block lets you eut a workpiece to length without having to measure and mark. Regardless of the speed and accuracy this pro- vides, the long extension tables would just be in the ‘way when you're not using the miter saw. Especially when you consider that they have an overall “wingspan” of nearly eight feet, FOLDS DOWN, So to save space and avoid bumping, into the tables, they fold down when you're done using the saw, see bottom photo at left. This creates a ‘compact tool stand that you can roll out of the way for storage or out to the driveway to tackle the next job. BIN & SHELE Wherever you happen to be working, there's bound to be a lot of entoffs. But you don't need. to throw them on the floor. That's because there’s a @ removable serap bin on the bottom, And if you're working with a number of pieces, there's a Simple shelf to hold them until you've ready to start eutting. 6 ShopNotes No. 31Sa STOP BLOCK Wx seur-sonecivE fe (eiorroueeT ea OLE ADHESIVE EDGING TENA MEASURE (ereronoey Materials EXPLODED VIEW Cave Bin OVERALL DIMENSIONS: Asides (2) 248M uP — Pw (2) x26 IP 49 HxB0sWa20D B Topriostom (2) 21427-5n7%. —G Comer dBioce(4) "ana. Ghar)” Sanz? arte Houle) ates tardbonnt D Beck) 6LeSKitaP | Bowron) x21 MP. E rai) Table Tig ire) 1929-21 Py i sade Meetie-t Hardware | Seer Santen | hes) ThexZ0%5 tah) hy (4) 2 Sntrel Castro © (Nxt Caniage Ble N cre) Sana, * (4} Heavy-Duty Lg Levelero © (2)'1s" Threaded Inserts | Extension Tables + (ao) atone Pheer Neal Senne (i) Ye bach Ne O Back Fenee(2) ax Ph-26 {tay enti Ph dors etl Seone—* (2) Wing Nate | Proermen) %xe.06 (12) #8 Flat Washers: (1) “et Plastic Knob @ Railo (2) ax By - 56 {4° Foe Washers (4 tape tesoure ete-togm)| Bede) Foca, Py {0 Lack Woners ()# tee Meacure ghee) | Eaary (2) ental {98) #6 x 11h" Fh Woodscrews: © (1) "le" x 7/0" Steet Rod ‘T Steetohare (6) hee: oe a)bene" Ph Moodsorne Sree rc Supesicotinig | U Silo) Shahi tle {0} etn Roodserove SWPrtiooowtls (exo | Y Mommeng Rate (2) Hania Griense runetingeecroe i) striae eyes ape | ‘Spam Block (vere nubtimadtactake manures arsalioerenaryearea | Sap Blo SS Ones ert ate ware 35th eee Sige tesla and re x oon tenth 2 No. 81 ShopNotes 7Case T started on the miter saw station by making the ease. Basically, it's an open ply- wood box with a recessed top to support:the miter saw. An opening in the bottom holds a serap bin, see drawing, And a shelf below the top provides a handy place to put workpieces that ‘you're not ready to use yet. SIDES. I began work on the ease by making two sides (A), see Fig. 1, They're hheld together with a top! bottom (B) and a shelf (C) that fit in dadoes in the sides, see details ‘a’ and ‘d.” These pieces are all cut to the same length (27"). But to allow for a back (added later) that's set in just abit, the shelfis narrower than the top and bottorn, Since the width of the shelf is easier to determine after the case is assembled, I set it aside and ripped the top and bottom to final width 21"). GROOVES. Before assembling the case, you'll need to cut a groove for a rail (E) (added later) near the front edge of the top only, see detail ‘e” And there's a groove near the back edge of the top and bottom for the back of the ease, see detail'b. Ss aa ete ly b. She =F AL Sepia) (ise ae, C. it : couirer =f ae me sotto FRONT VIEW BACK. To determine the size of the back (D), it’s easiest to dry assemble the case, see Fig. 1 While the back is cut to fit between the grooves in the top and bottom, it simply butts against the sides. ASSEMBLY. Because of this, the easiest way I found to assemble the case is to first glue up a U-shaped assembly that consists of one side and the top and bottom, see Fig. 1. Then slide the back into place and add the other side. Reinforeing each of the glue joints with screws helps strengthen the case. One the case is assembled, you can trim the shelf to final ‘width and glue and serew it to the sides, see Fig, 2. To add rigidity to the top, T added a rail (E). “Guu & Sone REANING SIE ECE ShopNotes No. 31re After chamfering the bottom edge, it’s ghued and serewed to the ease, CASTERS & LEVELERS. Finally, to make it easy to roll the miter saw station around, I mounted four casters to the bottom, see Fig. 3. But I didn't want it to move around when making a eut, So | added four leg levelers to raise the casters off the floor, see ‘margin. When working with long or heavy pieces, these levelers provide a golid foundation for the miter saw station. Scrap Bin ‘To keep my work area clear of cutoffs, I added a removable serap bin, see Fig. 4. | wanted this bin to be sturdy, yet light enough that it’s not a ‘chore to empty. So it's made up of a combination of plywood, hardwood, and hardboard. FRONT & BACK. The front and back (F) are pieces of %"-thick plywood that are cat to length to allow an Ys" gap at each side, Narrow rabbets in each end accept 170 LOCK WASHER — the sides of the bin, see Figs. db and 5. And there's a wide rabbet in the bottom edge for the bottorn, cvrowrs. To improve my shooting percentage when I toss seraps into the bin, I cut.a large opening in the top edge of the front and back, see Fig, 4a, Also, sple handhold makes it easy to carry the bin to the firewood pile. CORNER BLOCKS, Next, to help strengthen the corners, T added four corner blocks (G), see Fig. 5. These are pieces of hardwood sued and serewed to the front/backe so they're flush with the rabbets, SIDES. With the corner blocks in place, you can add the sides (F), see Fig. 4. To reduce the weight of the bin, the sides are made trom pieces of ¥" hard- board that are glued and serewed to the corner blocks, Finally, a plywood bottom (1) is cut to fit, then glued and serewed in place, see Fig. 4. ~ RABBETFOR SIDES, | eee | ‘ShopNotes Use an Allen wrench to adjust each leveler and raise the miter ‘saw station off its casters,Table Supports. With the ease complete, I added two plywood supports to each side, A wedge-shaped wing serves as a platform for And a triangular-shaped support props up the wing, WING SEPPORTS. Each wing support (J) is attached to the Toavoid crushing side of the ease with a piano the hinge when you hinge, see Fig. 6. This way, you tighten itina vise, can swing it out to hold up the slip a thin scrap wing. Or fold it flat for storage. between the The easiest way to attach the leaves, then cut hinge is to first screw one leaf to itfo length. the wing support. Then mount the assembly to the ease. To provide clearance for a cleat (added later), the wing support is 274" from the top. And it’s flush at the front ‘when it’s fully opened, see Fig. 6a. LBVLERS. Next, [added two levelers to adjust the height of the wings. Bach one consists of two glued-up blocks: a saddle (K) that fits over the support and a block (L) that houses an adjust- ‘ment mechanism, see Fig. 7. Sra ‘The key to this mechanism is a simple bolt. As you thread it in (or out) of an insert: in the end of the block, the head of the bolt lowers (or raises) the wing, Tightening a ‘wing nut locks in the adjustment, WINGS Now you can ada the two swings (IM), see Fig. 8 A shallow hole in the bottom of each wing creates a pocket for the bolt in the leveler: This keeps the wing support from accidentally getting mocked ont from under the wing. ATTACH WINGS. To fold the wings upand down, they're alsoattached with a piano hinge. Here again, it’s easiest to screw one leaf to the wing first."Thon attach the other: leaf toa hardwood cleat (N) that’s glued and serewed to the case, SADDLE eorex / whew0oo) FEueitn one FRONTOF ACE, Weetamees / ONAL EDGES 10 ShopNotes No, 31Extension Tables Ao @ ivi t2 ate suppres in pe, you've laid the groundwork for (remorty ) the two extension tables, see Fig. 9, Besides supporting long workpieces, each table has a fence with a T-slot that acts as a track for an adjustable stop block. FENCE. The fenee on each table consists of two hardwood pieces: a tall back fence (0) and a short front fence (P), see Fig. 9. (used maple) After entting the pieces to length (36") the slot is formed by making two simple cuts in each piece. First, to accept the head of a few things left to complete the plete yet either. Along with a toilet bolt, cut a narrow Gis’) front fence. A shallow groove cut rail (Q), it supports a plywood ‘groove near the top edge. Second, in the front provides a recess for bed (R). The bed fits in & groove rrabbet the inside edge of each a tape measure, And the bottom in the back fence and a corre- piece for the shank of the bolt. edge is chamfered for dust relief. sponding rabbet in the rail, To ‘At this point, there are just a ‘Theback fence isn't quitecom- end up with a bed that's flat, make sure the groove aligns Ho! with the rabbet. ASSEMBLY. Now it's just a matter of putting all the pieces together. After gluing thin strips of hardwood edging (S) to the ‘ends of the bed, it’s glued and clamped between the back fence ‘and rail. Then simply glue the front fence piece in place. STRETCHERS. To complete each table, T added three hardwood stretchers (T), see Fig. 10. They EDGING work together with a mounting peTHick ST00q) platform (added next) to position ore eure the tables on the wings. ee One stretcher is serewed flush sci S00m) with the outside end of the table. But the stretcher at the end eerie nearest the saw is set in 344". yO MININO LAT Along with the middle (offset) stretcher, it controls the side-to- side adjustment of the table. MOUNTING PLATFORMS. That's where two U-shaped mounting platforms come in, see Fig. 11. ‘They're just two hardwood sides (0) that are rabbeted to fit a ply- ‘wood mounting plate (V). Later, they'l be attached to the wings, and the table will fit down over tthe platforms. No. 81 ShopNotes uStop Block One of the handiest things about [42 this miter saw station isa flip-up stop block, Tt consists of three parts: a pair of L-shaped arms, a clamp head that slides in the T= slot in the fence, and a block that acts as a stop, see Fig, 12. ARMS, The clamp head and the stop are sandwiched between two iden- tical arms (1), see CLAMP HEAD ‘AUXILIARY. stor — wena Hear seam Fig 1.Aholedrilled | wLa Heil Eoo through the arms | BU er0r accepts a bolt that L{cut3#~ vows 50m acts as a pivot when youflipupthestop. in the Tslot. Tightening a knob This is just a matter of eutting CLAMPHEAD.The onto the bolt will lock the stop a Kerf in the end of the stop that To cut short pieces, next step is to add block in place, see Fig. 12a. vill pinch down on the rod when anauxilary stop the clamp head (X), se¢ Fig. 14. STOR Allthat’seftis toadd the _ you apply pressure. This pressure extends over the It'sa hardwood block witha cen- stop (¥), see Fig. 15. It's nothing comes from tightening a wing ‘metal saw table. I'S tered tongue on the bottom that more than a block with notches nut on a bolt that passes through justa wood biock fits in the T-slot, When eutting cut at one end to fitthe arms. a hole in the end of the stop. that’s held onto the the tongue, its safest to start ‘To accept a metal rod that fits ASSEMBLY. All that's left now is endofametelrod withanoversize blank and sneak into an auxiliary stop (see toassemble the stop. After gluing with epoxy. up on the final thickness until it margin), there’s a hole drilled the arms to the stop, chamfer the just fits the Tslot. through the edges of the stop. bottom edges of the stop block ‘After cutting the clamp head This hole allows the rod to slide (and auxiliary bloek) for dust relief, to length, just drill a centered back and forth. But you'll still ‘Then drill a hole through the hole for the toilet bolt that slides need a way to lock itin place. damphead forthe bot, see Fig. 16. 13) gee Maas] [a] OMG wn. nae if ¢ gees | - | ¢ t * i K i; ae NOTE:casrerAre Say NOTE ieee So 15) faze ioe aumuary | [16] RST 006 SECOND: 010 } INTeLOT TIGHT AGAINST. ae ™ era Se : ee D eer Ses, “ear oe 2 ShopNotes No.31SHOP PROJECT Setup Before you can use the miter saw station, you'll need to take a few minutes to set it up. LEVEL WINGS. To ensure that a workpiece will Jay flat on the extension tables, the first step is to level the wings, see Step 1 ATTACH PLATFORMS. Once the wings are level, you can attach the mounting platforms, see Step 2. Since these platforms determine the location of the fences, it’s important that they line up. INSTALL TABLES, After screwing the mounting platforms in place, you can install the extension tables. Todo this ft the tables down over the mounting platforms and slide them toward the miter saw, see Step 3. Note: To build in some side to side adjust- ‘ment, the tables are attached to the mounting plat- forms with screws that pass through oversize holes, MOUNT SAW. At this point, you ean mount the miter saw to the top of the station. But before bolting it in place, you'll need to check that the ‘metal table and fonce of the saw are flush with the bed and fence on each extension table, see Step 4. ADD TAPE MEASURES, All that’s left is to apply a self-adhesive tape measure to each fence, see Step 5. (One reads right-to-left, the other left-to right.) An easy way to determine the position of the tape ‘measures is to use a 12' serap as a gauge, see Step 5. ‘After trimming the ends of the tape measures, you may still need to do some “fine tuning” to get fecurate eats. To do this, eut a test piece and eom- pare its length with the location of the stop block ‘on the tape measure. If you need to make an adjust- ment, just loosen the screws that hold the tables in place and nudge them one way ar the other. ¢& Step 1. Level Wings. With 2 straightedge sot across the top of the miter saw station, adjust the bolt in the leveler to raise or lower the wings so they're flush with the bottom of the straightedge. AGN BGT MOUNTING PLATFORNS a9 90 Woapackt Step 2, Attach Mounting Platforms. To ensure the fences on the extension tables align, use the straightedge to align the two mounting platforms. Then screw the mounting platforms to the wings. Step 3. Install Tables. After iting the extension tables down over the mounting paaiforms, slide them into position next to the miter saw (Ilefta 1" gap). Then Just screw the tables to the mounting platform. < lara ioe = ‘Step 4. Mount Saw. Before bolting the saw in place, use spacers (if needed) to raise the table flush with the bed of each extension table. Also, make sure that the metal fence aligns with the wood fences. No. 81 ‘ShopNotes Step 5. Apply Tape Measure. To position the tape measure, butta 12° scrap against he blade and make a mark on the fence. Then align the 12" increment con the tape with the mark and press it into place. 13 Depenaiing on y saw, you may need to.notch the inside comer of the exiension table to provide clearance for the miter tock handle. If your miter saw has aiall sliding fence, youll need tonotch the wood fence on the left-hand extension table.Le me get right to the point, We have a used power miter saw in the shop. And I mean it's ‘used for everything. From projects in the shop and trimming out doors and windows. ‘To building deeks, porches, and all kinds of remodeling jobs in between. ‘The amazing thing about all this (other than the length of the ‘waiting list to use the saw) is that it still provides aceurate cuts. That’s because we've made it a point to take care of the routine mainte- nance and make the minor adjust- ‘ments that keep it ranning smooth, CLEANING. Even something as simple as cleaning off sawdust, pitch and resin makes a difference. Especially around the moving parts ofthe saw that are difficult to operate if they're packed with dust. INSPECT BRUSHES. You'll also want to remove the ‘brushes that transfer electrical current to the motor and inspect them for wear, see detail ‘a. As the ‘brushes woar they get shorter [they get too short (or if they're heavily seored), the motor will spark more than usual and bog down or stop altogether. To find out how long the brushes should be, cheek ‘your owner’s manual and replace them if necessary. Allit takes ‘isa quick tune-up to keep your miter saw running smootlely and accurately. LUBRICATION. Another part of routine main- tenance is to oil the main pivot points on the saw. (I use sewing machine oil.) Don’t, overdo it here. To keep the oil from attracting sawdust, 2 Remove Sawdust. Clean off any loose sawdust and caked- con piich and resin — especially around moving parts. Inspect Brushes. Check brushes for wear, and replace them if {hey te shorter than whats recommended in the owners manual Lubricate Pivot Points. Oil the main pivot paints on the saw 10 ensure smooth operation and easy adjustment. Check Blade Guard. Tighten the blade guard if necessary rand replace any worn parts in the linkage. Adjust Miter & Bevel Settings. Make two simple adjustments 10 produce accurate miter and bevel cuts. (See page 15:) cr ShopNotes few drops are all that’s needed. One place you'll need to oil is the pivot point for the spring-loaded arm, see detail ‘b.’ Also, the “Inuckle” that lets you tilt the head of the saw to the side may need attention. Finally, add a few drops of oll to the point where the turntable pivats on the base of the saw, see detail ‘c’ Even with the oil, the movement may still be quite stiff. Or perhaps it's just the opposite, and there's so much slop that it will be hard to adjust the saw accurately. Either way, it’s an easy fix, ‘Just tighten (or loosen) the nuts at each pivot point to oliminate the “play” without restricting the movement, see details ‘b’ and.” BLADE GUARD. One last thing to check is the blade guard. Ifthere’s a hiteh when you pull the arm down, the linkage that operates the blade guard may need to be tightened, see detail ‘4’ Or the parts that guide the linkage may be worn and need tobe replaced. (Parts are available at most repair shops.) No. 31Miter Adjustment ‘Making a miter cut across the face of a workpiece fours simple cag st pve the bas tthe angle you want Then push he rn down aed lower ‘the blade into the workpiece. Tut sometines no mater how erful you ae, there’s a slight gap when you fit the pieces together. So how do you track down the problem? ‘The easiest way is to rotate the turntable to the 0° mark and check whether the blade is square to the fence, see photo below. To do this, you'll need to lock the head in the “down” position and place a square against the body of the blade (not a tooth). ‘To make an adjustment, you may need to check your owner's manual to find out where it is, ‘Usually, it’s just a matter of loosening bolts on the bottom of the saw and moving the turntable until the blade is square to the fence, see drawing ‘A’ (Don’t forget to retighten the bolts.) But on some saws, you may need to reposition the fence instead. Bither way, it's a good idea to make a test eut as a final cheek, see margin. Then just align the indi cator with the 0° mark on the seale, see drawing B. Bevel Adjustment If you have a compound miter saw (or a sliding compound miter sav), you'll need to make one ‘more adjustment. Tt determines the aecuracy of your cut when you tilt the head of the saw and evel the end of a workpiece. ‘To make this adjustment, start by unlocking the knob that lets you tlt the arm of the saw. Then just square the saw blade to the table and tighten the knob back down, see photo below. stor. To make it easy to return the blade to this setting, most saws have a built-in stop near the No. 81 Jing two bolts on the bottom of the saw, adjust the turntable so. margin), align the indicator with the biade is square fo the fence, A Set 0°Stop. Afteradsting the O° stop 50 it contacts a casting on the arm, align the indicator to the (0° mark on the bevel scale. B. Align Indicator. Once you get @ perfectly square test cut (see the 0° mark on the miter scale. base of the arm, see drawing ‘A’ below. ‘TESTCUT. After adjusting this stop, you'll want to make another test cut. Only this time, set the serap on edge. Here again, fip one pieee over and butt the ends together to check for a gap. Once the pieces fit tightly together, it’s just a matter of set- ting the indicator on the bevel seale to 0 45" stoP. All that’s left is to adjust the 45° stop, see drawing 'B. Tt lets you tlt the arm quickly and aceurately to 45°. As before, you'll want to make a test cut to check the setting, see margin, @& B. Set 45° Stop. To determine where to postion the arm when setting the 45° stop, set a scrap that's cut at 45° against the blade. ShopNotes 15 Mark one side of a wide scrap piece and make a 90° crosscut. ww 4 ty ‘Now flip one of the cutoffs over andi ‘butt the pieces end toend to s00 if there's a.gap. With the head tited | t048°, cuta tal scrap piece thats standing on edge. ‘Now form a “corner" with the two cutofls and check it for square.ATL ike many woodworkers, I've lalways sent my jointer ives to a professional sharp- ‘ening shop when they get dull or niieked. Mainly because of this nagging fear that P'd ruin them ‘trying to sharpen the knives on my benehtop grinder. ‘One reason is the fast speed of ‘the grinder. With a grinding wheel spinning at 3450 rpms there's always the risk that the thin metal at the edge ofthe ‘knife will heat up and burn. ‘To make things even more difficult, the kmife has to be held at a perfectly consistent angle while you move it across the grinding wheel. Otherwise, you ‘won't get a nice, even grind all the way across the bevel. That's fairly easy with « narrow chisel. But it's a real challenge with long. jointer Inives. Whichis why Tve always sent them off tobe sharpened. But now that's changed. Recently, Ken (our project developer) showed me this grinding jig that attaches to the table on the drill press. With a disk-shaped grinding stone chucked in the duill press (see drawing at left), the jig makes it easy ‘to sharpen Grinding Stone. This grinaing stone Is mounted to an arbor adapter that’s chucked in the hil press. A spacer centers the stone on the adapter jointer knives and plane irons. LOW SPEED. That's because you ean adjust your drill press to run ata Low speed. (I set mine for 460 rpm's) The low speed means there's less friction and heat. So you don’t have to worry about ‘mening the knife (or plane iron). CONTROL. But the thing T like Dest about this grinding jig is it gives me complete control over every step of the sharpening process. To maintain a perfectly Double Duty. ts easy to get razor ‘sharp edges on your jointer knives (109) or plane irons (ie). Just wen the crank on this simple jig. in place on a carriage that slides back and forth under the stone. tors. A pair of stops lets you fine tune the position of ‘the knife, see photo A below. And they ensure you get identical results from one knife to the next. CRANK. To produce a nice, even grind, the process is almost automatic. Just turn a simple window crank to move the carriage slowly back and forth, see photo B. consistent angle, the knife is held e A. Stop. A micro-adjustabie stop lets you fine tune the position of the knife, And a set of hold- downs keeps it securely in place. ‘ShopNotes B. Crank. Turning a simple crank moves the carriage that holds the knife (or plane iron) back and forth under the grinding stone. No. 81AA EXPLODED VIEW OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 5" Hx 2502" Wx" D Materials Hardware *°() Norton Grinding Stone- 6OGrit —» (1) "he" LD. Window Crank Base So No 662455-30067 + ()) 2°%2"- 8" Angle iron (Yo" Tick) A Front (1) lex 20" MOF ©) 1G Arbor Adapter © (2) Se"x5/s"- 12" Metal Bar Stack B Back (1) ea an Vermont American No. 17108 (4) 6-32x'le* Machine Screws © Bottom (1) 720-24 MDF wine snd washers) (0) 8.32334" Machine Serene D Ende (2) 4x8 - 5, MOF + () 1.0. x2%¢" OD.x°%" Nylon Spacer * (2) 8-82x 2," Machine Screws E Cover (1) 4x34 MOF (10) 2" Drywall Screws + (2) 8-82 Brave Knurled Nut 1 (2) 888% Fh Woodscrews 2) ier tioo" rar Stet Seock Ca *(D) #8x Te Fh Woodscrews * (2) Ye"x tie" Carriage Bolts F Midde Plece() 2x 0-4 MOF + @) Yt atid Steel Rod + ©) Yet Wing Nuto G Narrow Keoper Strip (1) lex B = "la MDF * (4) "W"LD. x5" 0.0. Bronze Bushing * (3) hex" Fh Woodecrews H TopiBottom (2) GlaxB 2h MOF © 0) %he-18%'%"Couping Nut Sok aaa 1 Wide Keeper Strip (I) Pax (1). *her18 x 18" Throaded Rod the Low Gyed Grinding Jig QE Na | Oo cpt Pnx0. 2 MOF 1 IDM OB Non Spacer Leper K Wade () 1x3-4%— + 2) She Hex Nu epee L Guide (1) Fhe x 3!fz (Rgh.) - Ye Hdbd * (2) %he" Steel Washer check await and pricing. No.1 ShopNotes WwBase began by making the base. It's Just an open box that supports a ‘carriage as it elides backs and forth ‘on bwo metal rods, see drawing. ‘The base starts out as a short Jront (A) piece, a tall back (B) piece, and a bottom (C) that are held together with tongue and groove joints, see Fig. 1. But before “gluing these pieces together, [beveled the top edge of ‘he front to provide clearance for astop system that’s added later. ENDS & COVER. When the glue dries, the next step is to add two ends (D) and a cover (B), see Fig. 2. Although these pieces are ‘identical in size and shape, they serve different purposes. ‘Besides enclosing the sides of ‘the box, each end has two holes to support the metal rods. To ‘keep the carviage from binding ‘onthe rods, it's important for the holes to align. So T earpet-taped ahead them together to drill the holes, ‘These holes go through the end piece on the right, see Fig. Ba. But they're stopped in the one on the left, This way the guide rods will be trapped in the end pieces when the cover is eons rr Woobaesaw attached later, You'll also need to drill a hole in the right end and the cover for a threaded rod that operates the carriage, see Figs. and 4a. ASSEMBLY. Now just drill coun tersunk shank holes in each end e 1 Noré:auracee nse | [2 SoM De 5 faa =~ NOTE: auineces pede RIGHT END Leer END 4] caRpeT APE Bont END AND Conn Tooen-eR 18FEATURE PROJECT yand the cover, see Figs. 3and 4. [5 ‘To keep the screws from hitting each other, the holes for the screws in the cover are offset ‘from the ones in the ends. After serewing the ends in place, the cover is set aside until later. CARRIAGE ‘The sliding carriage is built up like a thick layer cake from pieces of %' MDF. To create “channels” that allow the earriage to slide back and forth, the layer direetly above the bottom is made up of three sepa- rate pieces, see Fig. 5. ‘Each channel houses a pair of bushings that the guide rods pass through. To keep the carriage from binding, the important thing is to get the bushings to align with the holes in the end pieces. ‘To do this, temporarily install the bushings and guide rods, see Fig. 6. Then cut a middle piece (F) to width until it just fits lhetween the bushings — not too as spacers, glue the middle piece ight, not too loose. (F) and wide keeper strip (D in ‘The next step is to adda cou- place. Finally, add the top (H) pling nut to transfer the spin- and a support (J) for a piece of ning motion of the threaded rod angle iron that's added later. to the carriage, see Fig. 5. It's NOSE. When the glue dries, an epoxied ina groove that'scentered angled “nose” is cut on the front in the middle piece, see Fig. 6a. edge of the carriage to hold the GLUE-UP, Now it’s just a jointerknivesat the correct angle. matter of gluing up the carriage. "This involves making two Start by gluing a narrow keeper angled cuts. First, tilt the blade strip (G) to the bottom (H), see on your table saw so. the Fig. 5. Then, using the bushings resulting eut will match the NARROW Nore: KEEPER ALLEL ARE miptemece “Sree ace Mor angle of the bevel on your jointer Inives, see Step 1. (In my ease this was 36°.) The second cut forms 2 90° corner that holds the angle iron, see Step 2. Routing a roundover on the edge allows the angle iron to fit tight against the carriage, see Step 3. BUSHINGS. All that’s left is to install the bushings. They're held in place with screws that barely poke into the bushings, see Figs. Tand 7a. — No. 81 ShopNotes 1gAll it takes to sand the angle iron flat isa shoot of silicon carbide paper and a fiat surface like the cast iron top of a table saw. TET ace Stops & Hold-Downs. ‘The heart of this grinding jig is a pair of micro-adjustable stope that let you position the jointer knives and a set of three hold- downs that loek them in place, see drawing at right. ANGLE IRON. The stops and hold-downs are attached to an ordinary pieee of angle iron, In use, the jointer knife is pressed tight against this angle iron. So to avoid leaving high and low spots, you'll need to sand the angle iron flat, see margin, Once the angle iron is nice and flat, dill countersunk shanks holes for serews that will be used to attach it to the carriage. STOPS, The next step is to add the two stops. Each stop is just a machine serow that threads into a short metal stop bar, see detail ‘a The end of the screw rests How. WT oSeceet — wine Sete against the back edge of the Inife. So by adjusting the serew {n and out, you ean fine tune the height of the knife, A knurled nut locks the stop in place. To make each stop bar, start by drilling three holes in a piece of metal bar stock, see Fig. 8 8] sem gauge we eine a NERACOARSIck gpa STORBAR pet _ ee RES, o— ams f a 8 = eet wees ae a Scaggs Ce R a The hole at the end is drilled and tapped for the machine serew. The other two are drilled only (uo threads) so you can attach the stop bar to the angle iron, ‘When positioning the bar, you want the machine screw to be just barely above the angle iron. ‘This way, you ean turn it without binding. Yet it's elose enough to the angle iron so it will contact the back edge of the knife. The easiest way I found to do this is to thread the machine serew into the stop bar and use a playing eard as a shim, see Fig. 9, Then, after marking the loca- tion of the bottom two holes Gig. 9a), drill and tap holes in ‘CARPETTAPE STOP BARS PLAYING CARD ‘TAP DETAIL 0} ‘ARE POSH On SIDE OF 20 ShopNotes No. 31Ga e angle iron, see Fig. 9 HOLD-DOWNS. With the stops complete, you ean add the three- hhold-downs. ‘These are short pieces of metal bar stock with beveled end that provides clear- ance as the carriage passes under the stone, see Figs. 8 and 10, Each hold-down has two machine screws that work together to apply clamping pres- sure, The serew near the beveled end fastens the hold- down to the angie iron, And the other serew raises the back end of the hold-down slightly as it's tightened. ‘This presses the tip of the hold-down against the knife. ‘To make this work, the hole near the beveled end is drilled oversize and left unthreaded, see Fig. 8. Here again, [started with a long piece of bar stock.) And e: other holes drilled and tapped. After cutting each hold-down to length, it’s just a matter of marking the locations of the holes in the angle iron that will bbe used to attach them, see Figs. 10 and 10a. Then just drill and ‘tap the holes as before, PLANE IRON ‘The grinding jig can also be used to sharpen a plane iron, But there's a slight “catch.” BEVEL ANGLB. The angle of the bevel on a plane iron is usu- ally about 25°. But since the angle on the carriage is 36°, this means you'd be grinding the bevel at the wrong angle. WEDGE. The solution is a wood wedge that compensates "1 CSECOND: cus ox0e m —6uide for the difference in the two angles. (I eut an 11° wedge.) It’s attached to the carriage with a metal strap that slips under the hold-downs, see detail ‘b' above. BLANK. To cut the weilge safely, it's best to start with an oversized Noe Po) lank, see margin, Then Snes temo) auibe, | make a series of three HARDENED G="x3°F5) cuts on the table saw a RS oma oa conmesor)| before cutting the wedge A. RSW ESRENRE OE || (ic) to final length, see aaa || Figs. 11. PRESSURE BAR, The next step is to add a || metal bar that presses || the plane iron tight against the wedge. This requires drilling holes No. 31 ShopNotes for two carriage bolts that pass through the wedge and pressure bar, see Fig. Ia, Tightening a ‘wing nut on the end of each bolt Jocks the plane iron in place. GUIDE. To help square up the plane iron, I added a simple guide (L). Tt's a narrow strip of Yq" hardboard that's glued into a kerf eut in the wedge. ASSEMBLY At this point, you're ready to assemble the grinding jig. ‘The first step is to attach the angle iron to the carriage with serews and epoxy. Then install ‘the stops and hold-downs, CARRIAGE, Now you can add the carriage. Start by slipping the guide rods into the end of the base. Then slide the carriage onto the ends of the guide rods. After pushing the rods into the holes in the opposite end of the base, just screw the cover in place. ‘All that's left is to install the hardware that makes the car- riage slide back and forth. To do this, attach the crank to the threaded rod, refer to drawing: on page 18. Then pass it through a nylon bushing in the cover. Finally, slip on a washer and two “Jam” nuts, and thread the rod into the coupling nut in the carriage. 21 To cut the wedge, start by ripping the blank at an angle. Cutting the wedge to width “trees” it from the blank. Finally, cuta shallow rabbet to accept the metal strap.A silicon carbide dressing stick makes quick work of flattening a grinding stone, GEE Setup All it takes is a few minutes to set up the grinding, MOUNT 316. The jig is held in place with carriage bolts, To locate the holes for these bolts, you'll need to position the jig on ‘the drill press table. ‘This varies depending on whether you have 6" or 8" jointer Inives. For 6" knives, the jig is cen- tered from side to side, see Step L. But for 8" knives, the fig is offset 1'tothe right. This way, you ‘won't hit the grinding stone when installing (or removing) a knife. You'll also need to position the jig from front to back. What ‘works best here is to leave a 4" gap between the support (J) and the nut that holds the grinding stone on the arbor adapter, see touches the dressing stick. @ detail ‘x’ in Step 1 INSTALL KNIFE. At this point, ATTACHIG. Now you're ready yon can slip one of the knives to attach the jig. What's unusual under the hold-downs until it here is that the jigdoesn’t sit lat hottoms out on the stops. The on the table. instead, I ruised idea here is to get the bevel on the end with the crank just abit, the knife to contact the stone see Step 2. This way, only the equally at both ends. To do this, I right side of the grinding stone adjusted the stops until a play- will contact the knife. This ing eard had the same amount of means there’s less friction, s0 resistance at each end, see Step 4. heat won't build up inthe knife. STONE HEIGHT. All that’s left is FLATTEN STONE. With the jig to adjust the height of the in place, the next step is to grinding stone. The goal is to set flatten the grinding stone, see the stone to make a very light Step 3. This is just a matter of eut. The easiest way to do this is holding a dressing stick (see by sound, This is just a matter of margin) on top of the carriage. lowering the stone until it makes Then, with the drill press run- alight rasping sound and locking ning, lower the stone until itjust it in place, see Step 5. NOTE: arcact ‘SeNENG Oe Step 1. Start by positioning the jig fom side to side Step 2. To raise the end of the ig withthe crank, slip (lor either 6 or 8" jointer knives). Then, after locating washers over the two nearest carriage bolts so Itfront to back, mark and drill the mounting holes. they fit between the base and the drill press table. S / Step 3. Lower the spinning grinding stone onto a dressing stick fo “rue up” the stone. 22 a fooler gauge as you adjust the stone to make a very light cut stops to position the knife. and lock the quill in place. ‘ShopNotes No. 31