091 Planer Stand

TABLE SAW TOP TIPS FOR CUTTING DADOES
TECHNIQUES Get Dead-On Results Every Time
Vol. 16 Issue 91
PLUS!
EASY-TO-DO
PLANER
MAKEOVER
PLANER For Top-Notch
Performance!
STAND
•Space-Saving Design
•Adjustable Outfeed
•Tool Storage pg 18
ROUT PERFECT
PROFILES
NEVER-FAIL TECHNIQUES pg 8
YOU CAN BUILD A

BETTER SQUARE —
WE’LL SHOW YOU HOW pg 36
PORTABLE TOOL TOTE

ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT,
SIMPLE TO BUILD! pg 28
A Publication of August Home Publishing

Contents
Tab-and-Slot Tool Tote
page 28 Features
storage solutions
Mobile Planer Stand _________________ 18
This mobile stand provides plenty of extra
storage space and its outfeed support makes
working with long stock a breeze. Best of all, it
stores in a compact space.
hands-on technique
Tips & Techniques for Power Sanding ___ 26
Follow our simple, foolproof steps for great
results with your random-orbit sander. You’ll
get a super-smooth surface in less time.
weekend workshop
Tab-and-Slot Tool Tote________________ 28
You’ll be amazed at just how much this
lightweight tote can hold. What’s even more
impressive is how easy it is to build.
fine tools
Aluminum Squares___________________ 36
Build your own precision layout tool. All it takes
are a few pieces of aluminum and a little time
at the table saw and drill press.
Departments
Readers’ Tips _______________________ 4
router workshop
Working with Aluminum page 34

Great Results with Profile Bits ___________ 8
Here are a few tried-and-true tips for getting
top-notch results from your router bits.
materials & hardware
Metal Drawer Slides__________________ 10
Metal drawer slides can handle a lot of weight
and are easy to install. Here’s what you need
to know before choosing and using them.
jigs & accessories
Featherboards ______________________ 14
These inexpensive accessories will make
working with your table saw, band saw, and
router table safer and more accurate.
Shop Short Cuts _____________________ 16

Shop-tested tips and techniques to solve your
Featherboards page 14 woodworking problems.
2 ShopNotes No. 91
Cutoffs
F rom thick to thin. When you think about
it, that’s really all a planer does. It takes
thick boards and makes them thinner.
But what a difference it can make when it
comes to building projects. With a planer, you
can accurately thickness your
workpieces to suit the project.
This means you can cut tighter-
fitting joints, create glued-up
tops a consistent thickness, and
turn rough stock into glass-
smooth workpieces with little effort.
The thing is, over time a planer can get out of
adjustment and when that happens it can cause
more problems than it solves.
That’s exactly what had happened to Bryan
Nelson’s planer. (Bryan is the Managing Editor).
Mobile Planer Stand page 18 After years of service, his planer just wasn’t cut-
ting it any more (pun intended). What it needed
was a full-scale tune-up. With a handful of sup-
project technique
Working with Aluminum ______________ 34 plies and just a few simple tools, his planer was
back to peak performance in just an afternoon.
Aluminum can really dress up a project. And
you won’t need any special tools to work with it. You can find out exactly what you’ll need to do
in the shop to get your planer running smoothly by checking
Planer Tune-Up______________________ 40 out the article starting on page 40.
This step-by-step approach will have your Speaking of planers, be sure to take a look at
planer creating perfect boards in a short time. the mobile planer stand on page 18. It’s another
setting up shop
great way to improve the performance of your
Turn Down the Noise_________________ 44 planer. It features handy storage along with a
Take a look at a few low-cost ways to turn down solid outfeed support system that folds out of the
the volume on your power tools.
way when you don’t need it.
mastering the table saw
Setting up for Dead-On Dadoes _______ 46
We’ll show you the secrets to cutting clean,
crisp dadoes in any material.
great gear
Yankee-Style Screwdrivers_____________ 48
These “old-fashioned” tools can make driving
screws nearly effortless.
This symbol lets you
Q&A ______________________________ 50 know there’s more infor-
mation available online at
www.ShopNotes.com
Sources ___________________________ 51
www.ShopNotes.com 3
from our Readers
Tips for
Your Shop
Small Parts
Organizer
Keeping assorted screws, bolts,
and other pieces of small hardware
organized and easily accessible is
always a challenge in my shop. It
seems I can never find the part I
want or it’s always at the other end
of the shop. To solve this problem, I
built the small parts organizer you
see in the photo at right. It stores the
small parts I use most often.
The organizer holds a dozen 13⁄8"
x 4" clear plastic tubes that I ordered
from Lee Valley (27K6011). These to sit on a workbench. Or you can of 1⁄2" plywood to size. You’ll want
tubes let you quickly and easily see pick it up by the handle and quickly to make the back longer so you can
the contents stored inside. carry everything to the job site. make a cutout for the handle. Then
It keeps a wide range of parts in The organizer is easy to build. just cut a rabbet along the edge of
one place and is compact enough You can begin by cutting four pieces each side to join the front and back
as shown in the drawing at left.
Before assembling the organizer,
you’ll need to cut some round open-
ings for the tubes, like you see in the
Front View at left. I used a 11⁄2"-dia.
Forstner bit to drill out these holes.
The holes are slightly larger than
the outside diameter of the tubes.
This makes it easier to slip the tubes
in and out of the rack. And when
the tubes are filled, the larger holes
also allow the tubes to sit at a slight
angle so they won’t fall out when
you carry it around.
Now all that’s left is to glue the
sides, back, and front together.
Then you can fill the tubes with
your small parts, slip them into the
organizer, and you’re ready to go.
Rex E. Burgett
Clarinda, Iowa
4 ShopNotes No. 91
Modified Plywood Workstation
I really like the versatility of the knock- with the workstation. Each hole is posi- ®
down workstation I built from Issue tioned over the T-track on the rail. Then
Issue 91 Jan./Feb. 2007
No. 87. And after making just one slight simply insert a flange bolt, washer, and
modification, I use it more than ever. a star knob in each of the holes. PUBLISHER Donald B. Peschke
To make the modification, I used the Now when I need to change one of
dado blade on my table saw to cut a 3⁄4"- the accessories, all I need to do is slip the EDITOR Terry J. Strohman
MANAGING EDITOR Bryan Nelson
wide groove on the top of each rail. Then platform on the T-track and tighten the
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Vincent Ancona
I installed a T-track in each groove. knobs as shown in the drawing below. ASSOCIATE EDITORS Phil Huber, Ted Raife
Next, I drilled holes in the mounting Fred Suplee ASSISTANT EDITORS Ron Johnson, Mitch Holmes,
platform of each of the accessories I use Riverside, California Randall A. Maxey, Dennis Perkins
EXECUTIVE ART DIRECTOR Todd Lambirth

ART DIRECTOR Cary Christensen
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jamie Downing
SENIOR ILLUSTRATOR Roger Reiland
ILLUSTRATORS David Kallemyn, Peter J. Larson
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ted Kralicek

SENIOR PROJECT DESIGNERS Ken Munkel,
Kent Welsh, Chris Fitch
PROJECT DESIGNERS/BUILDERS Mike Donovan,
John Doyle
SHOP CRAFTSMEN Steve Curtis, Steve Johnson
SR. PHOTOGRAPHERS Crayola England, Dennis Kennedy

ASSOCIATE STYLE DIRECTOR Rebecca Cunningham
ELECTRONIC IMAGE SPECIALIST Allan Ruhnke
VIDEOGRAPHERS Craig Ruegsegger, Mark Hayes
ShopNotes® (ISSN 1062-9696) is published bimonthly (Jan., March, May, July,

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www.ShopNotes.com 5
Rip Cut
Hold-down Guide
Whenever I need to rip a piece of
stock, it always takes extra time
to correctly set up and adjust the
featherboards and hold-downs
needed to make the cut safely. To
make this task quicker and easier, I
built the hold-down guide you see
in the photo at right.
The hold-down guide prevents
kickback and lifting of the work-
piece. Plus, it doesn’t take much
time to set up and it’s easy to use.
I used 3⁄4" plywood to build the
guide. You can begin by cutting the
base to size. Then make the edge
guide by simply cutting a rabbet
along the bottom edge to fit against
the base. As you can see in the
drawing below, I cut a slot at each
end to insert a carriage bolt with a
star knob for adjusting the height
of the hold-down. Finally, add two
corner blocks for support and a
dowel for the handle.
Next, cut a piece of hardwood
for the hold-down bar. Then you’ll
need to drill a hole at each end.
Position these holes to fit in the slots
you cut in the edge guide. I made
an extra 3⁄4" hardwood hold-down
and a thinner one from 1⁄4" hard- To use the guide, place the work- (the guide doesn’t move) and use
board at this time as well. These can piece against the fence on the saw your other hand to feed the work-
be stored right on the table and secure the hold-down bar piece along the guide and through
guide (drawing and against the top of the workpiece. the blade with a push block.
End View below). Then simply hold the guide firmly Gary Mastolier
against the workpiece with one hand Homer, Alaska
6 ShopNotes No. 91
Sheet Goods Cart
Storing assorted scrap pieces of ply-
wood and MDF is always difficult.
Because of their size, these sheets
usually end up leaned against the
wall, taking up valuable wall space.
And the larger pieces always seem
to hide the smaller pieces, making
them hard to find.
To solve this problem, I built the
cart you see at right for storing and
organizing sheet goods. The cart
has two sides. One side is designed
to hold larger pieces. And the other
is made to store smaller sheets and
plastic buckets for small odds and
ends of various sizes.
The cart is built using 2x4’s for
the base and uprights. Lengths of
3⁄ " PVC pipe are used to make par-
4
titions for holding larger sheets on
one side of the cart. A single PVC
pipe is used on the other side and
provides a place to hook a bungee
cord for holding smaller pieces and
plastic storage buckets in place.
I placed the cart on a set of casters.
This way, it’s easy to move around.
Leslie Harrison
Bremerton, Washington
Quick Tips
FREE TIPS
BY EMAIL
Now, you can have the
best time-saving secrets,
solutions, and techniques
sent directly to your
computer. Just go to
www.ShopNotes.com
{ Ellis Biderson of Huntington Beach, CA, uses { Steve Russell of West Salem, and click on “FREE Tips
a funnel to help manage small parts after he is WI, removes the center post from by Email” to sign up. You’ll
done using them. He simply positions the funnel a used CD container and then receive a new tip by email
over an open container and then scoops the parts stores the sanding discs for his each week.
into the funnel to return them to storage. orbital sander inside.
www.ShopNotes.com 7
router
Workshop
working with
Profile Bits
Adding a decorative edge to a project with a hand-
held router is a breeze if you follow a few simple rules.
I use my router on just about every most often in my shop are shown to look for in a good-quality bit. The
project I build. More often than not, in the photos below. I often use first is the cutting edge. Although
it’s to put a profile on the edge of a roundover or chamfer bits to soften you can still find high-speed steel, I
workpiece. With an almost endless the corners of legs and other edges. prefer carbide-tipped bits. The car-
selection of profiles to choose from, I also like cove and ogee bits for bide edge stays sharp longer.
it’s an easy way to add a decorative decorative edges. They come in a Shank Size. Another thing that
design to a project. There are, how- wide selection of styles and sizes to can affect the quality of the cut is
ever, a few things to keep in mind provide a classic look. And by com- the shank diameter of the bit. Bits
to get top-quality results. bining profiles, you can create just with a 1⁄4"-dia. shank can chatter
Choosing a Bit. Successfully about any design you like. and leave a rough cut, especially
routing a profile starts by selecting The Cutting Edge. After you’ve with a large bit. So I prefer to use
the right bit. Fortunately, you have decided on the profile for your 1⁄ "-shank bits whenever possible.
2
a lot of options here. The bits I use project, there are some other things Bearings. One thing most pro-
file bits have in common is that
Cove Roundover they have a guide bearing. That is,
a ball bearing on the bottom of the
bit will ride on the smooth edge of
a workpiece and control the cut.
Be sure to check the condition of
the bearing before every use. If it’s
dirty and doesn’t spin freely, you
can usually clean it. If that doesn’t
work, you may need to replace the
bearing before using the bit.
Chamfer Ogee Routing Techniques. With the

right bit installed, you’re about
ready to move on to routing the
edge. But first you’ll want to secure
{ Shank Size. the workpiece. It’s hard to get good
The larger, results if you don’t have it firmly
1⁄ "-dia.shank held in place. And you run the risk
2
is less prone of the bit catching the grain and
to chatter. gouging the workpiece.
8 ShopNotes No. 91
Routing Direction
The good news is, securing the avoid a “climb cut” that pulls the that case, you can clamp a backer
workpiece is pretty easy to do. The router away from the workpiece. board to the workpiece. Both
surest way is to fasten it to your You’ll also need a strategy for methods of preventing tearout are
bench with hand clamps or bench routing end grain without causing shown in the illustrations below.
dogs and a vise. The problem with tearout. The answer here is to start Finally, listen to the sound of
this method is that you can only with the end grain first. Then the your router, it can tell you a lot
rout part of the workpiece before following long-grain cuts will clean about the cut. If it’s bogging down,
you have to reposition the clamps. up any tearout. But sometimes you then it’s best to take a shallower cut
I like to use a router pad to avoid may have a panel where one edge or go a little slower. With these tips
the constant reclamping. It grips is left square, for instance a cabinet in mind, you’ll be well on your way
the wood safely under the down- top that will sit against a wall. In to successful profile routing.
ward pressure of the router. And
when you need to reposition the
workpiece, you just lift it off the
mat, turn it, and start routing.
Make Multiple Passes. Now
that you’ve secured the workpiece,
you’re ready to rout the profile.
Here’s where a little patience makes
all the difference. I like to take the
time to make a test piece out of the
same stock as the project.
One of the main reasons for this Rout End Grain First. Since tearout happens when routing across end
is to determine how well the bit cuts grain (as in the left drawing), rout it first. Then, when you rout the long-
and how deeply I can cut without grain edge, the cut will remove any areas that are chipped out.
causing tearout or burning. If you
try to “hog” off too much in a single
pass you’ll spend even more time
trying to clean up gouges or burn
marks later. I get the best results
when I make multiple, shallow
passes. Even if the last pass is only
a very thin clean up, the results are
worth the extra effort.
Which Direction? Another
thing to remember is it’s important
to rout in the right direction. The
illustrations above show you what
I mean. For an outside edge, move
the router in a counter-clockwise
direction. If you’re routing the pro- Support Block. To prevent tearout when the long-grain edge will not be
file on the inside of a frame, move routed, clamp a support block to the edge of the workpiece. The block
clockwise. This rule will help you supports the corner and prevents the workpiece from tearing out.
www.ShopNotes.com 9
MATERIALS &
Hardware
choosing
Metal
Drawer
Slides
When it comes to building drawers in several different designs, with news is that most metal drawer
for a shop cabinet, or any drawer options for partial or full extension slides require 1⁄2" clearance on each
that will be carrying a lot of weight, (and even beyond). Metal slides are side for installation. That makes
I incorporate metal drawer slides also pretty easy to install and even it easy to figure drawer sizes and
into the design. Their solid construc- allow you a little “wiggle room” to openings. And they can accommo-
tion guarantees a smooth rolling adjust for a perfect fit. date either face-frame or frameless
drawer regardless of changes in Slide Selection. With so many cabinet design.
temperature or humidity. different styles on the market, On the next few pages you’ll see
Metal slides can reliably handle however, you’ll need to determine a few of the choices available. You
loads up to 100 lbs. without binding which style is best suited for your can find ordering information in
or sticking. And they’re available project before you begin. The good Sources on page 51.
Durable epoxy
Horizontal paint finish Euro-style Slide
adjustment
slot Nylon wheels limit
applications to light loads
Fixed part attaches

to cabinet
Lip mounts on
bottom of drawer
Vertical
Stainless steel adjustment slot
ball bearings guarantee
smooth travel and durability
Ball Bearing Slide Zinc-plated
steel
10 ShopNotes No. 91
3⁄ -travel slide
4
Euro-Style. For drawers that

won’t be supporting a lot of weight, Single slide
the epoxy-painted, Euro-style slide
Full-extension slide
is an inexpensive answer. At $5 - 6 a
pair, they may be all you need.
Chances are you already have
some of these in your house.
They’re the standard, two-piece
slide used on kitchen drawers.
Euro-style slides are popular not Over-travel
only for their low cost, but also for slide
ease of installation. As you can see
in the illustration below and the
photo on the opposite page, they
have a lip on the edge, making Telescoping
slides
alignment with the drawer bottom
automatic. To top it off, they’re
available in a variety of colors.
Nylon Wheels. The downside of { Extension
this type of slide is that it travels on Full-Extension. Options.
nylon wheels. And while they’re Let’s face it, most of the countertop), a Different slide
advertised to handle loads up to time a 3⁄4-travel slide just full-extension slide designs offer
75 lbs., they won’t have a very long isn’t enough. Usually, you want still won’t pull out far easy access
life under that load. Another limita- to be able to see the contents of the enough to get to the very to all or part of
tion of the Euro-style slide is that it entire drawer. And a full-extension back of the drawer. Over- the inside of a
only offers 3⁄4 travel. That is, it only slide allows you to do just that. travel slides solve this problem drawer.
opens far enough to expose part of This is possible because the by extending past the front of the
the inside of the drawer. slide is a three-piece assembly that cabinet. They only offer an extra
Ball Bearing Slides. For some telescopes out to the full length of inch of travel, but that may make
applications, a 3⁄4-travel slide may the drawer. You can compare that a difference for some applications.
be enough. But the problem comes design to the Euro-style slide in For example, file drawers often fea-
when the drawer needs to sup- the illustrations below. Stainless ture an over-travel slide. They can
port a lot of weight, like those in steel ball bearings make for smooth handle the weight and offer access
most cabinets in a shop. In that travel and ensure solid perfor- to the very last file.
case, I turn to side-mounted, ball mance over the years. You can Once again, the construction here
bearing slides. Commonly avail- expect to pay $12-15 for a pair. is a three-piece steel body with steel
able in zinc-plated steel, black, or Over Travel. For some applica- ball bearings. And they’re priced
white enamel paint finishes, these tions a full-extension slide doesn’t between $17-20 per set.
slides are about twice the cost of go quite far enough. For instance, After you’ve chosen the right
the Euro-style slides. But the steel if you have a cabinet with a top slide, you’re halfway home. On the
ball bearings can handle a load up that extends past the front face following pages, I’ll show you an
to 100 lbs. for many years to come. of the cabinet (like with a typical easy technique for installing them.
< Disconnect.
A simple plastic
lever is used
to remove the
drawer from
the cabinet.
SLIDE TRAVELS STAINLESS STEEL

ON NYLON WHEEL BALL BEARINGS
{ Design Differences. The Euro-style slide (left) uses a nylon wheel

rolling on the cabinet-side track. The ball bearing slides (right) support
the weight of the drawer on a set of stainless steel bearings.
www.ShopNotes.com 11
Drawer Location.
drawer slide Locating the drawer
Installation
slides starts by
placing the drawers
and slides in
the cabinet and
Installing metal drawer slides can
marking their
seem a bit intimidating. The box
positions.
on the next page shows a couple of
commercially available jigs to help
you out, but I’ve found a simple
shop method that eliminates
complicated measuring for each
drawer slide. For this I like to use
the drawers themselves to mark the
position. The idea is to use an MDF Then, I assemble the slide so both Using Spacers. After clamping
spacer to install the slide accurately, pieces are attached to the drawer. the spacer in position for the top
and keep both sides level. The Now, with the cabinet turned on drawer, you can use it to support
photos below show this procedure its back, I put each of the drawers the slide while you attach it to the
on a frameless cabinet, but it works in position, as shown in the photo cabinet side, as shown in the left
for face frame cabinets as well. I’ll above. The drawers simply rest on photo below. For this, I use the
discuss the differences a little later. the back of the cabinet. slotted vertical holes.
Getting Started. The first step is Mark the Location. Once the Now, using the same spacer, you
to install the slides on the drawers. drawers are in the proper place, can attach the slide to the opposite
For convenience, I usually place I mark the bottom of each of the side. Once both slides are in place,
them on the lower edge of the slides on the side of the cabinet, insert the drawer and test it for a
drawer. Here, I use the slotted using a square. Once that’s com- smooth-rolling fit. You can then
horizontal holes to attach the slide. plete, I remove the drawers and cut make small adjustments both hori-
Using these holes allows me to a spacer to the length of the mark zontally (on the drawer piece) and
make small adjustments as needed. for the top drawer. vertically (on the cabinet piece) to
> Using a
Spacer. Rest the
1 2 3
drawer slide on
the spacer and
install the screws.
After transferring
the mark for the
lower drawer slide
to the spacer, cut
it to length and
repeat the process.
SHOP False Fronts

TIP > Adding false fronts to drawers is
an easy way to conceal the slides.
To make sure the fronts are prop-
erly aligned, first lay them out
using thin shims to maintain even
spacing. Use some carpet tape to
temporarily attach the fronts to the
drawers. Then permanently attach
them with screws from the inside.
12 ShopNotes No. 91
Attaches
fine-tune the position. Once you’re a piece of stock to match the over- to face frame
sure of the placement, you can add hang of the frame. Then you can
a couple of screws in the round use it as a support by attaching it
holes to fix the position. directly to the cabinet side. Once
Cut the Spacer. The next step it’s in place, you can follow the Bracket
is to transfer the mark for the next same procedure I outlined earlier
drawer to your spacer (middle to position and mount the slide Support
photo). Using that mark, you can hardware to the support.
cut it to the correct size and repeat False Fronts. If you’re going to Allows for flush
the installation process for the rest add false fronts to the drawers, now drawer fronts
of the drawer slides (right photo). is the time. You’ll find a handy tip
Face Frame Cabinets. The pro- for aligning them on the bottom of
cedures up to this point have all opposite page. Now you can enjoy
used a frameless cabinet. And the the easy operation that only a metal
same techniques can also be used drawer slide can provide.
with face frame cabinets. But there
are a couple of different options for
mounting the slides.
Face Frame Hardware. One way { Face Frame
to add slides to face frame cabi- Solutions. A
nets is to buy a mounting bracket hardware kit is
to match the slide. The bracket one way to mount
attaches to the back of the cabinet a drawer slide.
and allows you to align the slide to (top). Another is a
match the overhang of the frame. support attached
The front part of the slide attaches to the side of the
directly to the inside of the frame, cabinet (bottom).
like you see in the photo at right.
Shop-Made Supports. There’s
also an easy, shop-made solution.
All you really need to do is plane
Slide Installation:
Handy Jigs The Kreg Jig.
A magnet holds
For every installation task in the shop, it seems like
the slide in place
there’s a jig to help you. Drawer-slide installation is
while you install
no exception. The two jigs shown at right both do the
the screws.
same job, but in very different ways. To use either jig,
however, you’ll first need to determine the placement
of the slide and mark a centerline.
The Kreg jig holds the cabinet portion of the drawer
slide in place with a magnet. With the slide attached,
you simply clamp the flat face square to the cabinet,
as shown in the top photo at right. Then, all you need
Rockler’s Jig-It.
to do is add the screws. (The jig is designed to allow
This jig marks
access to the holes in the slide.) The nice thing about
the position for
this jig is that it’s easy to use and it will work with
drilling pilot
most types of metal drawer slide hardware.
holes.
Rockler’s Jig-It for Accuride slides features an acrylic
panel that’s marked for positioning slides of the most
commonly used lengths. After aligning the guide, you
use a self-centering bit to drill pilot holes based on the
length of the slide. With the holes in place, it’s a simple
matter to position the hardware and add the screws.
JIGS & Accessories
commercial
Featherboards
Maintain control with these easy-to-use accessories.
Featherboards are a must-have is being pushed along the fence. As the photos show, these feather-
helper in any shop. They hold stock Plus, your fingers stay safely away boards share features and have
firmly against the fence or table of from the spinning blade or bit. improvements over shop-made
a band saw, router table, or table You can make your own feather- ones. You’ll notice right away that
saw. To do this, they have angled, boards, but they can be a hassle most of them are made from plastic.
flexible “fingers” to apply constant to line up correctly and clamp in So they’re durable, maintain their
pressure against a workpiece to place. To avoid this, I’ve turned to shape, and won’t damage a work-
prevent kickback as the workpiece commercial featherboards. piece (refer to Sources on page 51).
Easy Installation. Another
advantage they have is how easily
they attach to a fence or table.
Instead of clamps, some feather-
boards, like the Rockler model at
the far left, use flange or hex bolts
that lock it into a T-track installed
in a fence. Although it appears
small, the Rockler model ($12) is
quite beefy. Its size makes it perfect
for use on a router table fence.
If you’d like to use a featherboard
{ Fence Mount. A fence-mounted featherboard { Miter Slot. Securely locked into the miter slot to hold a workpiece tightly against a
(Rockler) improves the cut by providing by a pair of “cleats,” this featherboard from Big fence, you’ll want to check out the Big
downward pressure on a workpiece. Horn holds a workpiece tight against the fence. Horn featherboard ($10) in the right
14 ShopNotes No. 91
Slots allow
easy positioning
Adjustment Knob
photo at the bottom of the opposite
page. It features cleats that fit into
any standard miter gauge slot.
Turning the knobs expands
the cleats, locking the feath-
erboard in place. Plus, the
longer adjustment slots pro-
vide for a wider range of uses.
Feather-Loc. For the “ultimate”
featherboard, check out the heavy- Fingers
duty Feather-Loc ($25) by Bench Dog { Double-Decker. Feather-Locs can be Cleat fits in
(far right photo). A simple version combined to provide support for tall stock. miter gauge slot Lead finger is
of this featherboard uses hex bolts shorter than others
to secure it in a T-track and another find the “stacked” setup shown adjust the featherboard so the short for easy setup
model features an adapter that you above to be the perfect choice. finger just touches the workpiece.
can use in your miter gauge slot. You But the feature I like best is the After you tighten it down and start
can see both in the main photo. All lead “finger,” which is a hair shorter pushing the workpiece through,
it takes is a quick twist of the knobs than the others. When setting up the remaining fingers are in perfect
for a secure lock. And if you need the featherboard, place the work- position to apply just the right pres-
support for a tall workpiece, you’ll piece against the fence and then sure to hold the workpiece.
Other Options. Take a look at the
photo at left and you’ll see a feather-
board ($12, Lee Valley) that uses a
built-in aluminum “thumb” to hold
the workpiece flat against the table
while a set of hardwood fingers
press it tight against the rip fence.
Finally, the box below features a
unique featherboard that doesn’t
require a miter gauge slot at all.
No matter what type of feather-
board you choose, you’ll find them
{ Double-Duty. This hardwood featherboard combines sideways all simple to use, while providing
pressure on the workpiece with an aluminum “thumb” to hold the safety at a reasonable cost. And
workpiece securely against the saw table. once you give them a try, I think
you’ll find them worth it.
Magnetic:
Grip-Tite Featherboard
Magnetic Base. The
Grip-Tite featherboard
can be attached
Flexible Adjustable virtually anywhere
Unlike most commercial feather- Wing Hold-Down you need it on
boards, the Grip-Tite ($39.50) shown Magnet your table saw.
at right doesn’t require a miter gauge on Bottom
slot or T-track to secure it in place.
Instead, it uses a powerful magnet
built into the base.
To hold the workpiece against
a fence, the Grip-Tite uses flexible
wings to serve as the fingers. And a
hold-down that slides through the
handle keeps the workpiece flat on
the table. Finally, when you need to
remove the Grip-Tite, all you have Wing
to do is simply twist the release Quick-
lever on the rear of the body. Release Lever
to the
TIPS FROM Our Shop
Shop
Short
Cuts
Safe Drilling. A simple jig
holds the workpiece securely for
safe, accurate drilling in aluminum.
Drilling Jig
Drilling the holes for the aluminum
squares on page 36 presents a couple
of problems. First, the drill bit can
“grab” the workpiece and cause it
to spin. Then when you raise the bit,
it can lift the workpiece off the table.
To solve those problems, I made the
hold-down shown above.
The illustration shows a simple
and effective design. There are four a lip that holds the blank down To make the clamp blocks, start
hardwood clamp blocks screwed tight against the base. The large with a long workpiece. I set my
to a plywood base. The blocks not base makes it easy to secure the jig table saw up to cut a rabbet to form
only keep the aluminum blank to your drill press table for safe and the lip, as you see above. Finally,
from spinning, but they also have trouble-free drilling. you can cut the blocks free.
Squaring the Blade

One of the challenges of making Then, to test the accuracy and and mark another line. If your
your own square is getting the blade fine-tune the square, start with a square is accurate, the two lines
exactly 90° to the handle. To get a straight, jointed workpiece. Place should match, or be parallel. If they
good starting point, I use a squared- the handle of the square against aren’t parallel, keep adjusting the
up piece of MDF, as shown below. the workpiece and mark a thin blade and marking new lines until
line along the blade with a knife they converge into a single line, as
(below). Now, flip the square over shown in detail ‘a.’
a.
Blade
Adjustment.
Use a squared-up
piece of MDF as a starting
point for adjusting the blade.
16 ShopNotes No. 91
Crosshatch Sled
The key to making the diamond
cross-hatch pattern on the square on
page 39 is this sled. It fits your table
saw and holds the aluminum blank
at a consistent angle to form the pat-
tern. I use a rip blade so the corners a. b.
of the saw teeth score the aluminum
to form shallow grooves.
The first thing to do is start with
the plywood base. It’s just a square
blank with hardwood runners to
guide it. I first slid the runners into
the miter slots on the saw. To posi- eventually form the diamond pat- To make the pattern, hold the alu-
tion the runners, you can use the rip tern on the handle of the square. minum blank against the fence and
fence as a guide to lower the base Before you can use the sled, you align one end with an index mark,
in place. Finally, fasten the runners need to mark a couple of 60° refer- then make a pass over the blade.
with a couple of screws. ence lines and fasten the fence on Repeat this process, moving the
Now you can work on the fence. one of these lines, as shown above. blank to the next mark with each
It’s a 3⁄4"-thick strip of hardwood There’s one other adjustment to pass. When you’ve made grooves
with index marks spaced every 1⁄4" make. You need to tilt the blade 45° on both faces, move the fence to the
(drawing above). These marks are and raise it so that it’s 1⁄16" above the other side and repeat the process to
used to space the grooves that will top of the sled (detail ‘a’). finish the diamond pattern.
First: Use the index Second: Move the

marks to space shallow, fence to the opposite side and
parallel grooves on the first pass. repeat to form the diamond pattern.
Slotting
PVC Pipe
When I was making the outfeed length, it’ll have a tendency to
support for the planer stand on spring closed. Aim for a snug fit
page 18, I ran into a little challenge. over the vertical piece of the out-
How do you cut a straight, accurate feed support on the planer stand.
slot along the length of a section of
PVC pipe? As you can see in the
photo at right, the answer is really
pretty simple and works great.
I used a piece of hardwood as
a carrier for the pipe (drawing at
right). A couple of screws hold the
pipe secure and flat on the saw top. Slotted Pipe.
Then you can use the rip fence on A simple carrier makes
your saw to guide the assembly. ripping this slot an easy and safe task.
When you cut PVC pipe along its
storage solutions
mobile
Planer Stand
Make your shop workhorse even more
productive with this handy project.
Pound for pound, a portable planer storage area, and a set of locking
has to be one of the hardest-working casters round out the case.
machines in the shop. And when But the feature that really stands
you combine your planer with the out is the built-in, adjustable out-
versatile stand shown above, for feed support. The key is that it’s
you, the work will get a lot easier. only “out” when you need it.
This project starts with a rugged, When the job is complete, the sup-
plywood case that puts the planer port swings up over the stand and
at just the right working height. A locks in place for easy movement
drawer for accessories, a large open and compact storage (inset photo).
18 ShopNotes No. 91
Exploded
View Details NOTE: PLANER IS BOLTED
TO TOP OF STAND
THE ADJUSTABLE
SUPPORT CAN BE
POSITIONED TO
HANDLE SHORTER
OVERALL DIMENSIONS: WORKPIECES
211⁄2"D x 291⁄2"W x 611⁄2"H (STORED SIZE)
NOTE: PLYWOOD CASE IS
LOW-PROFILE EDGED WITH SOLID WOOD
SHALLOW
ALUMINIUM DRAWER PROVIDES
ANGLE STORAGE FOR
PULL ACCESSORIES PVC PIPE
PROVIDES
SLICK,
CATCH-FREE
OUTFEED
SURFACE
ADJUSTABLE
HORIZONTAL
STOP
SUPPORT
ARM
SAFETY CATCH
HOLDS OUTFEED
SUPPORT
THREADED
NOTE: FOR
IN UPRIGHT SOURCES OF
POSITION ROD HARDWARE AND
SUPPLIES, REFER
TO PAGE 51
STAR KNOB
TIGHTENS ON
SUPPORT THREADED ROD TO
ASSEMBLY LOCK ADJUSTABLE
PIVOTS ON SUPPORT IN PLACE
BOLTS ADJUSTABLE FIXED
SUPPORT SUPPORT
VERTICAL
STOP ADJUSTABLE
NOTE: STURDY SUPPORT
PLYWOOD CASE IS SLIDES IN
REINFORCED FOR GROOVE IN
LOCKING BOTTOM OF SUPPORT ARMS
EXTRA DURABILITY CASTERS ALLOW CASE IS DOUBLE
EASY MOVEMENT THICKNESS OF
AND STEADY PLYWOOD
POSITIONING OF
STAND
To download a free
cutting diagram for the
Planer Stand, go to: SIDE SECTION VIEW
www.ShopNotes.com (OUTFEED SUPPORT)
Materials & Hardware

CASE M Drawer Sides (2) 1/ x 213/ - 191/ • (2) 1/4" - 20 Star Knobs
2 16 4
A Sides (2) 20 x 30 - 3/4 Ply. N Drawer Bottom (1) 19 x 213/8 - 1/4 Ply. • (2) 1/4 " Washers
B Top/Upper Divider (2) 20 x 24 - 3/4 Ply. O Drawer Guides (2) 3/ x 13/ - 20
4 16 • (1) 1/4" x 28" Threaded Rod
C Bot./Lower Divider (2) 191/4 x 24 - 3/4 Ply. OUTFEED SUPPORT • (2) 3/8" x 3" Hex Bolts
P Support Arms (2) 3/ x 3 - 48
D Back Panel (1) 181/2 x 231/2 - 3/4 Ply. 4 • (4) 3/8" Washers
Q Adj. Support Guide (1) 3/ x 3 - 251/
E Side Filler Panels (2) 20 x 83/4 - 3/4 Ply. 4 2 • (2) 3/8" - 16 Lock Nuts
R Adj. Support Guide Cover (1) 3/ x 3 - 25
F Bottom Filler Panel (1) 20 x 231/2 - 3/4 Ply. 4 • (2) 1/4" - 20 Threaded Inserts
1/ x 3/ - 20 S Adj. Support Upright (1) 3/ x 7 rgh. - 25
G Side Caps (2) 2 4 4 • (2) 1/4" - 20 x 11/2" Rh Machine Screws
H Stiles (4) 3/4 x 11/2 - 301/2 T Fixed Support Upright (1) 3/4 x 8 rgh. - 251/2 • (2) 1/4" - 20 Hex Nuts
I Narrow Edging (4) 1/ x 3/ - 22 • (7) #8 x 11/4" Fh Woodscrews
2 4
J Wide Edging (3) 1/ x 11/ - 22
2 2 • (5) 1" x 1" - 4" Aluminum Angle (1/8" Thick) • (12) #8 x 3/4" Fh Woodscrews
DRAWER • (1) 1" x 1" - 217/8" Aluminum Angle (1/8" Thick) • (16) #14 x 1" Lag Screws
K Drawer Front (1) 3/ x 213/ - 217/
4 16 8 • (2) 11/2" I.D. x 25" PVC Pipe • (16) 1/4" Washers
L Drawer Back (1) 1/ x 213/ - 217/
2 16 8 • (4) 3" Locking Swivel Casters • (2) #6 x 1/2" Rh Woodscrews
a sturdy, plywood Pass-through
Case
shelf for more
efficient work and
extra storage
Even a portable planer is a fairly

heavy tool and the stand that it
sits on may take a considerable
amount of abuse. So I wanted to Shallow drawer
get off on the right foot by building provides easy
a very sturdy case. I accomplished access to
this with a combination of solid accessories
joinery and some “structural” rein-
forcement in a few critical spots.
Sides and Dividers. A look at Large, versatile open
Figure 1 shows you how the ply- storage area
wood case is put together. The top,
bottom, and dividers are joined
to the sides with a tongue and
dado, as shown in Figure 1a. This
joint gives you both good gluing The bottom and lower divider are the 3⁄4" plywood back panel (Figure
strength and racking resistance. likewise identical, but 3⁄4" narrower 1b). This adds an extra level of
The first step is to cut the two (front to back). This makes room racking resistance and also closes
case sides to size. Next, each side for a plywood back panel you’ll in the drawer opening and lower
needs four dadoes. Your only add later. After cutting snug-fitting storage area. The back is sized to fit
worry here is to match the position tongues on the dividers, you can between the sides. It butts up to the
of the dadoes on both side pieces. start assembling the case. Glue and upper divider and sits flush with
With the work on the sides com- clamps are all it takes. the case bottom (Figure 1b).
plete, you can cut the top, bottom, Reinforcement. Next, I turned Next, I strengthened the joints
and two dividers to size. The top my attention to beefing up the between the top and the sides by
and upper divider are identical. case in a few spots. First, I added gluing a second layer of plywood
1 2
FIGURE FIGURE
b.
a.
20 ShopNotes No. 91
3 4
FIGURE FIGURE
a.
a.
b.
to the inside of the case, as shown With the stiles in place you can At the back, there are only three
in Figure 2. You’ll find a handy start adding the horizontal edging. horizontal edging pieces. The two
clamping tip that will help you These pieces are thinner — just lower pieces are sized to conceal
with this in the box below. 1⁄ " thick — and are simply cut to the joint between the dividers and
2
The final spot for reinforcement fit between the stiles. And here is the case back (Figure 4a).
is the bottom of the case. Here where there’s a minor difference The Casters. Once all the edging
again, I “doubled up” the plywood between the front and back. was in place, I took the time to add
to create a very solid foundation for On the front of the case, all of the locking casters. This way, you
the casters (Figure 2). And I should these pieces are sized to fit flush can easily move the case while fin-
note that this piece extends flush to with the surfaces of the plywood ishing the job. Just flip the case over
the case back and sides. (a double thickness at the bottom). and screw them to the bottom.
THE EDGING
At this point, you have a solid case,
but it’s a little unfinished on the
Clamping Tips
outside. Some hardwood edging The challenge I came up against
glued to the plywood case will give when assembling the case was
it a cleaner look and help it stand how to apply clamping pressure
up to shop wear and tear. in places my clamps couldn’t
A look at Figures 3 and 4 above reach. Here are a couple of tricks
shows what needs to be done. The I used to get the job done.
edging I applied is a cross between When gluing the filler panels
simple edging and a face frame. into the case, I used heavy cauls
The pieces are simply glued in place with a slight bow planed on
one at a time. The front and back of one edge. A clamp tightened
the case get a similar treatment, but at either end is all you need to
the pieces are a bit different. apply pressure across the width
The Pieces. The first step is to of the panels (upper drawing).
glue a “cap” on the top edges of The lower drawing shows
the sides and trim it flush. Next, how I teamed up heavy rubber
I added side “stiles” cut from 3⁄4"- bands and spring clamps to glue
thick stock. They should be flush at edging in place (lower drawing).
the top, bottom, and outside edges, Simply stretch the rubber band
as in Figures 3a and 3b. and pinch it with the clamp.
adding a 5
FIGURE
Drawer
There are a few items that you’ll
want to keep close by your planer
— spare knives, set-up gauges,
the owner’s manual, and various
adjustment tools. The shallow
drawer in the center of the case is
the perfect spot for these things.
Construction Basics. As you can
see in the drawings at right, I kept
a.
the drawer simple. It’s sized to fit
the opening in the case with 1⁄16"
c. d.
clearance on either side. And I left
enough top-to-bottom clearance to
accommodate the “top-mounted”
pull. The drawer slides on the b.
divider beneath it, and a pair of
guides installed at the sides of the
case keep it centered (Figure 5c).
The joinery is basic, but solid.
The ends of the front and back
are rabbeted to accept the sides. A be easy to get a hold of, but also out below shows you how to make and
groove in all four parts will hold of “harm’s way.” A length of alu- fit the pull to the drawer front.
the plywood bottom. Then you can minum angle was the answer. As Drawer Guides. The final step is
glue everything together. you can see in Figure 5d, the com- to add the drawer guides. These are
A Low-Profile Pull. Once the bination of a groove cut into the cut to size and then glued in place.
drawer is assembled, you can add drawer front and the overhanging They should stick past the inside
its one unique feature — the pull. flange of the angle makes an easy- edges of the stiles a bit to keep the
I wanted a drawer pull that would to-grip, low-profile pull. The box drawer centered in the opening.
Making a Drawer Pull

Creating the handy, low-profile pull from
a length of aluminum angle is a pretty
straightforward, three-step job. The draw-
ings here take you through the process.
The first step is to create a shallow
finger recess in the drawer front by cut-
ting a wide groove along its length, as
shown in detail ‘a.’ I used a dado blade
on the table saw, followed by a little bit of
sanding, to get this job done.
Next, I switched to a standard blade
a.
and tilted it to 45° to bevel the bottom
edge of the groove (detail ‘b’).
Now, the aluminum angle can be cut
to length and countersunk screw holes
drilled in one flange (left drawing). { Low-Profile Pull. A
Finally, you can screw the pull to the top b. length of aluminum angle
of the drawer front with the upper flange makes an easy-to-grip,
flush to the inside edge. low-profile drawer pull.
22 ShopNotes No. 91
building the 6
FIGURE
Outfeed
Support
With the case complete, the next
step is to start work on the piv-
oting, adjustable outfeed support.
c.
Overview. First, let’s take a quick
look at the overall assembly. The
a.
outfeed support starts with two
long arms that pivot on bolts fas-
tened at the back edge of the case.
The arms carry two support assem-
blies — one fixed at the end of the
arms for long stock and a second,
adjustable support for shorter
pieces. Two different sets of stops
b.
hold the assembly in the either the
horizontal or the vertical position. Next, to accommodate the The Stops. Before mounting the
Support Arms. The work starts locking mechanism of the adjust- arms, you’ll want to install both
by making and installing the sup- able support, I routed a 1⁄4"-wide sets of stops. The vertical stops are
ports arms and the stops, as shown slot down the center of the groove simply sections of aluminum angle
in Figure 6. Then on the following (Figure 6). I just drilled a starter screwed to the back edge of the
pages you’ll see how the two sup- hole at each end of the slot and case, as shown in Figure 6a.
ports are built and installed. then routed between them. The details for the adjustable
First, I cut the two arms to size As you can see above, the fixed horizontal stop assemblies are
from 3⁄4"-thick stock. Then I took support is held in rabbets cut into shown in the photo and detail ‘a’
them to the router table and routed the ends of the arms. Cutting these below. In a nutshell, the head of
a stopped groove partway along rabbets and drilling pilot holes for a bolt threaded into an insert in
the inside face of each piece (Figure the screws used to attach the arms the arm butts up to a piece of alu-
6b). This groove will hold the completes the work on the “out- minum angle screwed to the case.
adjustable support assembly. board” ends (Figure 6c). By turning the bolt in or out, you
can adjust the height
of the supports on
b. the opposite end of
the arms. It’s simple,
but effective.
Mount the Arms.
With the two stops
installed, you can
a. bolt the arms to the
case, as shown in
Figure 6. And finally,
I wanted to make
sure the outfeed sup-
port assembly didn’t
Handy Features. The unexpectedly fall from its upright
adjustable horizontal position when I moved the stand.
stops and the self- A self-engaging flip catch added to
engaging catch make one arm solves the problem. Figure
the stand a lot more 6a shows how it works and where
user friendly. to install it. Detail ‘b’ at left gives
you all the dimensions you need.
7
FIGURE
b.
a.
With the support arms installed, Having solid outfeed support at the of three pieces cut from 3⁄4"-thick
you can start on the business end of right height gives you two impor- hardwood and a cap made from a
the assembly — the two supports. tant benefits. First, by supporting a section of PVC pipe.
This is pretty straightforward, but workpiece as it exits the planer, you The base of the support is a guide
one thing needs explanation. eliminate a lot of the running back piece that rides in the grooves in
Straight and Level. The real and forth from the infeed to the the support arms. The key here is
key to getting the most from the outfeed side. Second, it helps pre- to size this piece so that it slides
outfeed supports is to install them vent the troublesome problem of easily in the grooves.
perfectly level with the planer bed. snipe by supporting the workpiece Down the center of the guide,
perfectly level with the planer bed I cut a groove to hold a length of
through the entire cut. threaded rod. The rod (glued in
So you want the supports posi- place with epoxy) will extend
tioned at just the right height, but through the slots in the support
the question is, how do you size arms. This allows you to tighten a
< Locking them to achieve this? The easy star knob at either end and lock the
Mechanism. answer is to first make the supports support in position (photo at left).
The adjustable to rough height and then custom fit On top of the guide piece, I glued
support is quickly them to your planer sitting on the a shorter guide cover. It’s sized to
locked in place stand. The box at the bottom of the fit between the support arms and
by tightening a following page shows how to do its main purpose is to help keep the
star knob. this. At this point, to get a ballpark support aligned squarely between
figure for the supports, you need the two arms. A look at Figure 7a
to set your planer on the stand and will give you the idea here.
bolt it down, as shown above. The third piece is an upright
The Adjustable Support. With that’s screwed at right angles to the
this done, you can now get to work. guide assembly. For now, you can
The adjustable support is more cut this piece to length, but leave
involved so I started there. it extra wide for final fitting and
If you take a look at Figures 7 and don’t fasten it in place.
7b above, you’ll see how the adjust- The Fixed Support. Before
able support is built. It’s made up working on the PVC pipe cap for
24 ShopNotes No. 91
a.
the adjustable support, I made the
fixed support upright. It’s simply
8
cut to fit between the rabbets in the
support arms. Again, you’ll want
to cut it extra wide and don’t screw
it to the arms just yet (Figure 8).
A Smooth-Sliding Cap. Now
you can make and add caps to the
uprights in preparation for the final
fit and assembly. Here, I wanted
the bearing surface of the supports
to be pretty friction-free and also
“catch-free.” The smooth surface
and round shape of some 11⁄2" I.D.
PVC pipe is the perfect solution.
To fit the caps over the uprights,
I had to cut an accurately sized slot
down the length of each pipe sec-
tion. The key here is to size the slot
so that the cap snugly pinches the
upright and stays put, as in Figures is to custom fit and install the sup- And once the two uprights are
7b and 8. You’ll find the technique I ports on the support assembly. The screwed in place, you’re in busi-
used to do this on page 17. technique I used to get them per- ness. All you need to do now is
A Custom Fit. With caps added fectly aligned with the planer bed come up with a project to put your
to the two uprights, the final step is shown in box below. hard-working planer to use.
Aligning the Supports 1

Installing the two supports so that arms by aligning them parallel to
they were perfectly aligned with top of the stand (and planer bed).
the bed of the planer turned out Now, you can align the adjust-
to be a lot easier than I thought. able support to the planer bed with
As I mentioned before, the trick is the help of a pair of straight-edged
to cut the pieces extra-wide and blanks, as shown in Figure 2. After
then custom fit them to the support marking and trimming the waste
assembly using the planer bed for from the upright, clamp it back in
reference. The drawings show the place and install the screws. Then
simple steps involved. reposition the blanks and follow
The first step, shown in Figure the same procedure for the fixed
1, is to “zero out” the two support support (Figure 3).
2 3
HANDS-ON Technique
using a
Random
Orbit
Sander
Get better sanding results
with a few simple tips.
Sanding isn’t a glamorous task, Check the Sanding Pad. Getting and race it around the surface of
but doing it right makes all the a smooth, even finish starts with the workpiece. Setting the sander
difference in the finished project. the sanding pad (photo at lower down and turning it on can leave
And, in my shop, the top tool to left). First, it should be flat from some troublesome scratches that’ll
get the job done is a random orbit edge to edge. As the pad wears, the just take more work to sand away.
sander. Here are a few techniques edges often round up. And second,
I’ve learned over the years for there should be no dust or debris SANDING TECHNIQUES
getting the best results with one. between the sandpaper and the I like to use a few simple techniques
pad (photo at left). Both of these when I’m sanding with a random
make it almost impossible to get a orbit sander. The first is to “land”
smooth surface on a workpiece. the sander onto the surface in a
But even with a flat, clean pad, smooth, sweeping motion, like you
you can’t just set the tool down see in the top drawing below. To do
< Sweep In.

Lower the sander
in a sweeping
motion to reduce
scratches at the
starting point.
< Sweep Away.

{ Clean It Up. When you’re
As you smooth finished, lift
the workpiece the sander off
with a series of grits the workpiece
(left), keep the sanding in an identical
pad clear of dust, chips sweeping motion.
and debris (top photo).
26 ShopNotes No. 91
{ Keep the Sander Flat. Trying to eliminate a gouge { Avoid the Edge. Keeping the sander flat is crucial
in the surface by using the edge of the sanding pad as it nears the edge of the workpiece to prevent
makes the depression larger and more obvious. rounding over the edge.
this, I hold the sander just off the sur- Light Pressure. As you sand, it’s The ideal speed is about 1" of sur-
face and turn it on. Before the pad tempting to help the sander along face per second. This pace provides
reaches full speed, gently sweep the by pressing down hard to get the more control as well, so you’re less
sander onto the workpiece. When job done more quickly. But there’s likely to sand through a thin veneer
you’re finished, simply sweep the a problem with doing that. or round over an edge, like you see
sander off the workpiece (bottom The extra pressure slows the in the right drawing above. (The
drawing on opposite page). sander’s pad down, reducing box below shows another method
Sanding Procedure. Now that its ability to overlap swirl marks to prevent rounding over edges.)
you have an idea of the mechanics and minimize scratches. Plus, the By following these simple tips,
of getting the sander to the work- pressure may cause the sander’s you’ll get a smooth, flat surface in
piece, there’s a step-by-step pro- motor to overheat, shortening its life. a shorter time. And as a result, a
cess that makes the rest of the job Keep It Level. Another temp- better-looking project.
go quicker. First of all, because of tation to avoid is tipping the sander
the spinning action of a random up on edge to “rub out” a large
orbit sander, the direction you scratch in the surface (left drawing Preventing SHOP
Roundovers
< TIP
sand isn’t all that critical. above). While this may remove the
Still, I like to start by working mark, it’s likely to create a larger,
across the grain with coarse sand- more noticeable depression. Keeping an edge crisp and
paper (80-100 grit). This technique Slow Down. Finally, let the square while sanding is a chal-
removes material quickly and sander do the work. The slower lenge. One good way to avoid
helps level the surface. you move the sander, the less vis- rounding over an edge is to pro-
Next, switch to a finer grit (120- ible the scratches become. vide support for the sander as
150) and sand with the grain. This you work. As you can see below,
removes the heavy coarse-grit a backer board the same thick-
scratches and gets you well on your ness as the workpiece provides
way to a smooth surface. the necessary support.
The third step is to sand with
the grain using 180- or 220-grit
sandpaper. And finally, if there are
visible scratches after all this, a little
hand-sanding does the trick.
Clean the Surface. That’s really
all there is to it. But there are a few
other tips to get top-notch results.
One important tip is to wipe the
surface down between grits (photo
at right). The goal here is to remove
any coarse grit and debris left behind
from the previous step. If you don’t, { Keep It Clean. Wiping the
it can cause deeper scratches when workpiece with a tack cloth ensures
you move to the next grit. all dust and grit are removed.
weekend workshop
tab-and-slot
Tool Tote
Here’s a handy carry-all for organizing tools. And it
goes together without glue or fasteners.
This tool tote reminds me of the What makes this even more three of these easy-to-build totes
interlocking cardboard or sheet amazing is the tote isn’t glued and for specific tasks like hanging pic-
metal toys I had as a kid — the you don’t need any hardware or tures, doing household repairs, or
kind where you assembled them fasteners to build it. organizing craft supplies.
by “inserting tab A into slot B.” Customized for You. Besides the And if you want to change the
Unlike those toys, this tote isn’t easy assembly, you can customize layout of the tote later on? No
some flimsy box. Once all the parts the dividers and tool holders to problem. The tote comes apart just
are together, they interlock to form suit your needs. In fact, if you’re as easily and quickly as it went
a rigid, sturdy assembly. like me, you might make two or together in the first place.
28 ShopNotes No. 91
To download a free
cutting diagram for the
Exploded NOTCHED KEYS HOLD THE
HANDLE IN PLACE
Tool Tote, go to:
www.ShopNotes.com
View Details
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
213⁄4"W x 101⁄4"H x 8"D
NOTE: TOOL TOTE CAN BE

MADE FROM ONE 2' x 4' PIECE PLYWOOD CHEEKS
OF 1⁄4" PLYWOOD MAKE HANDLE MORE
COMFORTABLE TO GRIP
TOOL HOLDERS KEEP SMALL

HAND TOOLS ORGANIZED
AND EASY TO GRAB NOTCHED KEY
TABS ARE CUT ON

THE TABLE SAW
AND ROUNDED OVER
WITH A FILE
FLIP-OPEN
LID PROTECTS
CONTENTS AND
KEEPS OUT
CHIPS AND DUST
SLOTS ARE CUT ON

ROUTER TABLE
VERTICAL SLOTS USE DIVIDERS TO CREATE UP

HOLD DIVIDERS TO FIVE SEPARATE STORAGE
COMPARTMENTS
NOTE: TO CUSTOMIZE THE

TOTE WITH OPTIONAL TOOL
NOTE: INTERLOCKING HOLDERS, DIVIDERS, AND
JOINERY DOESN'T REQUIRE LID PIVOTS ON HOLES LIDS, REFER TO PAGE 32
GLUE OR FASTENERS, FOR DRILLED IN TOTE SIDES
MORE REFER TO PAGE 33
No Tools Needed. Leave

your glue and screws on
the shelf. You can assemble
this sturdy tool tote from
Materials a stack of parts
in just a few
A Sides (2) 4 x 20 - 1/4 Ply. minutes.
B Bottom (1) 71/2 x 201/2 - 1/4 Ply.
C Ends (2) 8 x 10 - 1/4 Ply.
D Dividers (2) 27/8 x 71/2 - 1/4 Ply.
E Tool Holder Bottom (1) 41/4 x 71/2 - 1/4 Ply.
F Tool Holder Top (1) 41/2 x 71/2 - 1/4 Ply.
G Lid (1) 43⁄8 x 71/2 - 1/4 Ply.
H Handle (1) 11/2 x 213⁄4 - 1/4 Ply.
I Handle Cheeks (2) 11/4 x 6 - 1/4 Ply.
J Keys (2) 5⁄ x 21/ - 1/ Ply.
8 4 4
build the 1
OVERVIEW
Box
Part of the appeal in
making this tool tote is that
it doesn’t take much mate-
rial. All the parts can be
cut from one 2' x 4' piece of
1⁄ " plywood. (Hardboard
4
would work, too.)
The Right Plywood.
There’s one thing I want to
mention about the plywood right
from the start. The joinery used to
connect the parts is sized around
standard 1⁄4" bits. So you want to you snug-fitting joints and, as a them square for now. You’ll use the
find a piece of result, a stronger final assembly. edges as references for cutting the
plywood that The drawing above provides the slots. (You can cut the angled sides
comes as close sizes of the main parts of the tote after completing the joinery.)
to this size as and shows how they fit together. Once all the parts of the box
possible. (I used The first order of business is to have been cut to size, you can get
1⁄ " Baltic birch.) cut the parts to size. And, in the started on the tab-and-slot joinery.
4
That will give case of the ends, it’s best to leave The joint works just like it sounds.
Routing the Slots 1

After drilling the starter holes, the To rout the slots, turn on the
slots are finished up at the router router and lower the workpiece
table. Besides offering an entry over the bit (photo below). For the
point for the router bit, the starter middle slots in the tote sides, you’ll
holes serve another important pur- want to use a large support board
pose. You can use them as guides to keep the workpiece square to the
to position the fence (Figure 1). fence, as you can see in Figure 2.
< Set the Fence,

Then Rout. The
2
starter hole works
as a set-up gauge
for the router table
fence. Then you
can lower the
piece over the bit
to rout the slot.
30 ShopNotes No. 91
b.
2
FIGURE
Tabs cut in one part of the work-
piece fit into slots cut in the other.
The key here is accurate layout and
working in the right order.
Slots First. Just like cutting a
mortise first and fitting the tenon to
it, I like to start with the slots. The
reason is I find it easier to size and
tweak the tabs to fit the slots. a.
So the first thing to do is to lay
out the slots in the bottom, sides,
and ends of the tool tote. You’ll find
all the dimensions you need for
this in Figure 2b and the drawings
on the previous page. Besides cut-
ting slots for joining the tote parts, Making the slots is as easy as After marking out the tabs, you
you’ll cut additional slots for the turning on the router, and lowering can cut them out at the table saw,
dividers that you’ll make later. the starter hole over the bit. Then as shown in the box below.
Making the Slots. The actual rout until you reach the layout line. Round the Tabs. This leaves you
cutting of the slots is a simple, two- There’s something else I want to with a square tab and a slot with
step process — drill a starter hole, mention before moving on. When round ends. To get them to match
and then remove the waste. it comes to routing the vertical slots each other, I used a file to round
The first step is done at the drill in the sides and the end slots in the over the ends (photo below). Check
press. All you’ll need is a 1⁄4" bit to tote bottom, you should use a large the fit often to end up with a joint
drill out a starter hole at one end of support board to keep the work- that slips together easily.
each slot. But before stepping away piece square to the fence, as shown There are just a few things left
from the drill press, switch to a 1⁄2" in the box on the opposite page. to wrap up on the tote. The first of
bit and drill holes in the tote sides Marking the Tabs. The other these is to cut the ends to shape.
for the hinge tabs. (You’ll use these half of the joint is the matching tab. Then you can soften the corners of
later when installing the lids.) The important thing here is making the ends, bottom, and sides.
The second step takes place over sure the tabs line up with the slots. At this point, the parts for the
at the router table, as shown in the To make things simpler, I marked tool tote box are complete. But
box on the bottom of the oppo- the location of each tab by lining you still need to make the handle
site page. For this, I installed a 1⁄4" up the piece with the matching slot and decide how to organize the
straight bit and set the fence using and marking it directly on the tab inside of the tote before you can
the starter holes as a set-up gauge. workpiece, as shown in Figure 2a. put anything together.
Cutting and Shaping the Tabs

Cutting the tabs to fit the slots is a
simple, two-step procedure. After
laying out the position of the slots
on the workpiece, you can remove
most of the waste at the table saw
with a dado blade. I attached a
long, tall auxiliary fence to my
miter gauge to support the work-
piece and prevent tearout.
Cutting the tabs on the table saw
leaves the ends square. To get them
to fit the rounded slots, you’ll need
to file the tabs to fit, as shown in
the upper photo at right. Check the
fit of the tab often to get a gap-free { File to Fit. To get the tabs to fit
joint that doesn’t take a lot of effort the slots, I used a file to round over
to slip into the slot (lower photo). the ends. Aim for a slip fit.
3 a.
FIGURE
b.
slot from splintering, take a look at

the photo in the left margin.
There’s one other thing I want
to point out about the tool holders.
Tool Holders. The dividers are And that’s the difference in size
tool organizers & fine for adding some basic orga- between the two. The bottom
Handle
nization. But when it comes to holder is 1⁄4" narrower so that it can
holding small tools like screw- fit between the end of the tool tote
drivers, wrenches, and pliers, I and the divider, as in Figure 3.
wanted a way to organize them and Flip-Top Lid. Another way to
All that’s left to do on the tool tote make them easy to grab. So I made customize the tote is by adding a
is add some organization and make a pair of tool holders, as shown in lid or two over the end compart-
the handle. I’ll start with the orga- the drawing below. ments. This provides a protected
nizers. And here’s where you’ll These holders are installed hori- storage space to keep out chips and
{ Clean Cut. put those extra slots to use. In the zontally in the tote and have a series debris. Tabs on the lid pivot in the
drawing above, you can see one of of holes and short slots to hold a 1⁄ "-dia. holes you drilled in the tote
Score the edges 2
of the slots to the possibilities. Feel free to mix and wide range of tools. You already sides earlier (Figures 3 and 3b).
prevent tearout match parts to suit your needs. know how to make the tabs, so I The short tabs that fit inside
when cutting Simple Dividers. To start with, I won’t go into that again. And the the holes are a little trickier to
away the waste. made a few dividers. Making these row of holes are simply drilled. But cut than the others. So for these, I
is pretty straightforward. I just cut I cut the slots a little differently. marked the position of the tabs on
them to size and then marked the To make these, I drilled a hole at the workpieces and cut them out
tab position based on the vertical each end of the slot and then cut at the band saw. If you stay to the
slots in the sides. The tabs can then away the waste with a jig saw. To waste side of the line, you can sand
be cut the same way as before. see how to keep the edges of the the edges smooth with no trouble.
Again, a few swipes with a file will
round the edges of the tabs for an
easy fit in the holes.
THE HANDLE
The final parts of the tool tote to
make are the handle and keys that
hold it in place. Once the handle
is “keyed,” it locks the whole tote
together, as illustrated in Figure 4.
The drawing shows the handle
is just a simple strip of plywood. A
short slot at each end of the handle
32 ShopNotes No. 91
4
FIGURE
is sized to accept the keys. The
quickest way to make these short
slots is to drill overlapping holes
with a Forstner bit and smooth the a.
edges with a file. Each end of the
handle is “dog-eared.” This makes
it easier to fit in the slot in each end
and it softens the sharp corners.
I also glued a set of cheeks to the
middle of the handle. These 1⁄4" ply-
wood strips build up the handle for
a more comfortable grip.
b.
Keys. Like I said, the handle is
held in place with keys. To keep
them from working loose, a small
notch in each one locks them into
the handle. Cutting the notch on
such small parts can be a challenge.
To do it safely, I started with an
oversize blank to make the notches,
5 a.
as shown in Figure 5. Once this is
complete, you can simply cut the
keys apart and trim them to shape.
At last, all the parts of the tote
are ready for assembly. The box
below will take you through the
three easy steps.
Once it’s together, you can gather
up all your tools and load up the
tote. Now you’re ready for any task
— in or out of your shop.
Step-by-Step: Assembling the Tote

Unlike a lot of projects that you
can put together in stages, you’ll
need to assemble this one all at
once. Thankfully, you don’t need
to worry about the glue. But as you
might imagine, there is a trick to it.
Here’s how it works: Start with
one side sitting on your bench (left
drawing). Now, place the tabs in
the tote bottom in the slots in the
side. Then slip all the organizers
and lids in place. After setting the
other side in place, you’re ready
for the handle and ends.
The upper right drawing shows
how the ends drop into the bottom
and tilt upright to fit the sides. To
fit the keys into the handle, you’ll
need to flex the ends a bit, as you
can see in the lower drawing. The
ends will pin the keys in place.
PROJECT
Technique
working with
Aluminum
A few simple tools and techniques make it
easy to get great results with aluminum.
A lot of woodworking projects you might want to know to make Drilling. When you’re drilling
also require working with metals it easier to cut, drill, tap, and rivet in aluminum (or other metals), the
like aluminum. As a matter of aluminum for a professional look. bit has a tendency to grab the work-
fact, working with aluminum is a Hole Layout. One of the most piece. If the piece isn’t securely
lot like working with wood. And common operations you do when clamped to your drill press table,
you probably already have a lot of working with aluminum is drilling it can spin around like an airplane
the tools you need in your shop. holes. But before you can do that, propeller. Or when you try to pull
But there are a couple of things you need to locate them. I use a the drill bit out, the bit lifts the
scratch awl or metal scribe to mark workpiece right off the table.
the centerpoint. This way, you’ll To solve this problem, I always
get a fine line that won’t smudge. make sure to clamp the work-
Once you’ve laid out the loca- piece down securely. In the photo
tion, a spring-loaded center punch at left, you can see a jig I made
is the tool to reach for. (It’s the tool for this purpose. It not only keeps
on top of the metal file in the workpiece from spinning, but
the photo above.) When the rabbeted blocks also hold the
you press on it, the spring workpiece firmly against the base.
makes the punch “snap,” Cooling Off. One problem you
putting a small dimple can run into when working with
in the aluminum. This aluminum is heat. Friction from
gives the drill bit a good drilling, cutting, and tapping
{ Drilling. Secure clamping and starting point and keeps threads can heat up cutting tools in
lubrication (inset photo) are keys to it from wandering as you a hurry. And heat is hard on tools.
drilling clean, accurate holes. start to drill the hole. So if I’m going to be drilling a lot
34 ShopNotes No. 91
{ Riveting. A few taps with a ball { Filing. A file makes quick work
pein hammer will “mushroom” the of smoothing the rivets flush with
ends of the rivets for a tight fit. the surface of the workpiece.
{ Tr i m m i n g E d g e s . A
of holes, I like to use a lubricant to Final Smoothing. On a riveted notched push block makes
reduce friction and heat buildup. assembly, there are a few more it safe to trim aluminum with
Now there are all sorts of liquid things to finish up. For the rivets, a carbide blade.
coolants and lubricants you can all you need is a metal file to cut
use. But most create quite a mess. them flush, like you see above. And > Sanding. To keep the
So I like to use a wax-like lubricant since the edges of bar stock can be sides square and sanding
(inset photo at bottom of opposite a little rounded as they come from marks straight and even, use
page). You simply touch the stick the supplier, you can square them the rip fence as a guide.
to your drill bit while drilling. And up with a carbide blade on the table
the heat from drilling melts the saw (upper right photo). A push above shows a trick for keeping the
lubricant, reducing friction. block and a very light cut make it edges square. And finally, the box
Tapping Threads. Another an easy and safe operation. below shows you how to protect
operation that can generate a lot The next thing to do is sand all the and polish aluminum for a profes-
of friction is tapping threads. Even surfaces smooth. The inset photo sional finish on your project.
though aluminum is relatively soft
Surface Protection:
and easy to tap, I still like to use a
few drops of lubricant. You can buy
Wax or Lacquer
cutting fluid specifically designed
for aluminum (main photo on
opposite page). It makes tapping
easier and cuts cleaner threads.
Riveting. For some projects, like
the squares on page 36, you want a
permanent assembly. In this case, a
simple rivet will do the job.
But there’s something I’ve
learned about using aluminum rod
for rivets. If the rivet doesn’t slip all
the way into the hole fairly easily,
you can’t force it in with a hammer. { Wax. A couple coats of
That’s because the aluminum will paste wax adds a nice gloss
expand as you try to drive it in. and keeps the aluminum from
So, I like to make sure the rivet staining your hands black.
slips freely all the way into the hole
before I touch it with a hammer. > Lacquer. Another option is
Then once the rivet is fully seated, { Tapping Threads. Cutting a coat of lacquer to add long-
it’s easy to “mushroom” the ends to threads in soft aluminum is a snap lasting protection and shine to
lock it in place (left photo above). with a hand tap and lubricant. your aluminum projects.
fine tools
aluminum
Squares
Build these
precision tools in
an afternoon for
a lifetime of use.
BLADE MADE FROM
COMMON ALUMINUM
{ Diamond Pattern. With a simple sled for your table saw, you can
BAR STOCK create this attractive diamond pattern. For details, refer to page 17.
RIVETS MADE FROM ALUMINUM
ROD SECURE HANDLE ASSEMBLY A good square is one tool that’s indispensable in the
shop. I use it on just about every project I build. But
OVERSIZE HOLES
ALLOW BLADE some squares aren’t all that accurate. And with most
POSITION TO
BE FINE-TUNED squares, there’s no way to adjust them if they get
knocked out of alignment and aren’t a perfect 90°.
That’s why I like the design of the squares you see
here. Not only can you customize them to your liking,
but they’re adjustable. What I mean is if they should
ever lose their accuracy, there’s an easy fix. Four cap
screws hold the blade securely to the handle of the
square (photos above). If the blade ever gets knocked
ALUMINUM BAR out of square, you can loosen the screws, adjust it back
STOCK FORMS
HANDLE “SANDWICH” to 90°, and then retighten the screws.
The really nice thing about these squares is they’re
DECORATIVE HOLES AND CAP SCREWS FASTEN easy to build with common shop tools. In a nutshell,
CHAMFERS CAN BE MADE BLADE IN PLACE AND
ON YOUR DRILL PRESS ALLOW FOR ADJUSTMENT you’ll take readily available aluminum bar stock and
laminate it to form the handle, as shown at left. Finally,
after attaching the blade and adjusting it, you’re ready
EXPLODED VIEW to put the square to use in your shop.
36 ShopNotes No. 91
RIVET &/16
(!/4"- DIA. x &/8"-LONG
ALUMINUM ROD)
1 2
FIGURE FIGURE
Make a Sandwich. The starting %/8
5
point of the square is the handle. (/16
It’s a simple lamination (Figure 1).
The middle piece of the sandwich %/16
CHEEK 1
is the same thickness as the blade 1!/2"
ROUGH CREATE CHAMFERS
1!!/16
stock. But it’s a little shorter than USING COUNTERSINK
IN DRILL PRESS
the outer pieces to leave room for %/16
NOTE: CUT OR SAND EDGES
the blade you’ll add later. SPACER FLUSH AFTER ASSEMBLY
(REFER TO PAGE 35)
If you’ve never worked with (!/8" x 1!/2"
ALUMINUM)
SPACE FOR 1!/8
BLADE
aluminum before, don’t let it worry !/8 ATTACHMENT
you. Check out the tips and tricks TOP VIEW SECTION
1!%/16 #/4 VEW
starting on page 34. They’ll help
you get great results when you 4!/8 &/16
CHEEK
make your square. 5!/2
There’s one more thing I’d like to !/4
mention. You’ll be spending quite &/16

HANDLE CHEEKS
a bit of time at the drill press. So FORMED FROM 2%/16 #/4 &/16"- DIA. HOLES
!/4" x 1!/2" ALUMINUM WITH !/16"
to make the task easier and safer, I CHAMFER
used the drilling jig shown on page and a spring-loaded center punch. I started by drilling the rivet
16. It securely holds the handle Once all the layout is done, it’s time holes and then locking everything
blank for accurate drilling. to step over to the drill press. together with the rivets. This made
Layout. To start on the assembly, Assembly. You can follow the it easier to work on trimming the
I first cut the pieces to rough length steps in the box below to complete blank to size and drilling the deco-
and stacked them together. Then the handle. It’s not as hard as you rative, “Swiss cheese” holes you
it’s just a matter of laying out the might think. It just takes time to see above. Once that’s all done, you
hole locations using a metal scribe accurately drill all the holes. can move on to adding the blade.
Making the Handle

Making the handle of the square involves
a few simple steps outlined here. There’s
a lot of drilling, so make sure you have
some sharp bits on hand.
To start out, you’ll want the laminated
aluminum blank clamped securely in a
drilling jig (refer to page 16). Then follow
the steps here to drill the rivet holes and
pin the “sandwich” together. { Rivet Holes. Drill 1⁄4"-dia. holes for the { Adding Rivets. A spacer raises the
After you file the mushroomed ends rivets, then check the fit. The rivets should handle so you can “mushroom” the ends
smooth and trim the edges of the blank, slip easily into the hole and completely of the rivets. Remove the spacer and flip
you can drill the decorative holes. through to the other side of the blank. the blank over to peen the other side.
{ File Flush. A coarse file makes quick { Trim Edges. Use a carbide-tipped { Hole Pattern. Use a 7⁄16"-dia. bit to
work of removing the excess material blade to trim the blank to final length and drill the decorative hole pattern on the
from the rivets. File just until the rivets are square up the sides. Then trim the corner handle. A countersink forms the 1⁄16"
flush. You’ll sand them smooth later. off the end as shown in Figure 2. chamfer around the edge of each hole.
6-32 x !/2"
CAP SCREW WASTE
attaching the 3
FIGURE
Blade WASTE
NOTE: SEE FIG. 4

!%/16
%/16
!/8
With the bulk of the handle com- TO DRILL AND %/16 %/16
BLADE TAP HOLES
plete, there are still a few things you TOP VIEW
(/64"-DIA.
need to do before you attach the HOLES
blade. You need to drill and tap the
7!/2
four holes for the cap screws used BLADE WASTE
SANDED FLUSH
to fasten the blade to the handle. !/8
1!/4
Figure 3 shows you where to
locate the holes. Then there are three
drilling operations to create the SECTION VIEW a.
stepped and threaded holes. Figure
4 shows you how this is done. I
used the Black & Decker Bullet bit
4 a. &/64"-DIA.
BIT
you see in the left margin to make

the counterbore for the screw head
> Bullet Bit. (detail ‘b’). The shank hole shown SPACER
The tip design in detail ‘c’ is only drilled through
c. SHANK
on this bit is ideal one layer of the handle. DRILL
b.
&/32"-DIA. !/8"-DIA.
for drilling the Now you can cut the threads for !/8 HOLE
counterbore for the the screws using a hand tap. The

cap screws. predrilled holes help guide the tap.
Finally, you can attach the blade as
shown in the box below.
Final Assembly
After the holes are drilled and tapped
in the handle, you’re ready to attach the
blade and adjust it. But before you do
anything else, now’s the time to trim the
edges of the blade square and cut it to
size. Then you can sand the blade smooth
before you slip it in the handle.
The photos on the right take you
through the process of marking and { Center Finder. Insert the blade into { Step it Up. Use a 9⁄64"-dia. bit to drill
drilling the holes in the blade. What’s nice the handle, leaving it a little proud on the the oversize holes in the blade. These
is you’ll use the same drill bit you used for back side. Then, to locate the holes, use larger holes will give you some “wiggle
the shank holes in the handle. It acts like a 1⁄8"-dia. drill bit to “dimple” the blade. room” for adjustment.
a center finder to dimple the blade where
the holes need to be drilled. Then you can
swap out the bit for a slightly larger size
and drill the holes. These oversized holes
allow the blade to move slightly for an
easy adjustment later on.
To fasten the blade, I used cap screws.
You can snug them up, but don’t tighten
them all the way just yet. Refer to Shop
Short Cuts (page 16) to learn how to adjust
your square to 90°. Once that’s done, you
can carefully tighten the screws. { Square it Up. A piece of MDF cut at { Final Finish. After sanding the back
Finally, an abrasive pad and a little 90° is a great starting point for setting the edge of the blade flush, smooth out any
elbow grease gives your new square a blade. Once it’s aligned perfectly, tighten rough edges and scratches. Then add a
satin look for a professional finish. the screws to hold the blade securely. coat of wax or lacquer.
38 ShopNotes No. 91
making a EXPLODED VIEW
Diamond-
OVERSIZE HOLES ALUMINUM ROD
ALLOW FOR BLADE RIVETS HOLD
ADJUSTMENT ASSEMBLY
TOGETHER
Pattern CAP SCREWS

SECURE
Square
BLADE
The diamond pattern you see in the

inset photo on page 36 gives the
square a unique, “industrial” look.
You would think it requires some
HANDLE “SANDWICH”
special tooling, but it doesn’t. All FORMED FROM
COMMON ALUMINUM
you need is your table saw and the DIAMOND PATTERN BAR STOCK
IS EASY TO CREATE
simple sled shown on page 17. ON YOUR TABLE SAW
You’ll see in the drawings below
what you need to know to build
the square. It’s a different size, but Using the sled to make the dia- It doesn’t take much effort to
you put it together the same way mond pattern is covered in detail create the pattern. The photos
as before. And you’ll go ahead and on page 17. The pattern is really below show what it looks like
drill and tap the holes for the blade just a series of shallow, parallel as you make the grooves. You’ll
before you start making the dia- grooves that are cut at an angle to notice the saw blade barely peeks
mond pattern on the handle. each other, as shown above. up above the sled to make the cut.
1 TOP VIEW
2
FIGURE FIGURE
RIVET 1!/2
(!/4" x &/8"
ALUMINUM ROD) WASTE
WASTE CAP SCREW
#/8 1 (6-32 x !/2")
!/4" -DIA.
HOLE BLADE
HANDLE TOP !/4 !%/16
3 4!/2 !/8
1!/2" %/16
ROUGH NOTE: SEE
FIGURE 4
TO DRILL AND
TAP HOLES %/16 %/16
SPACER TOP VIEW
BLADE
WASTE
HANDLE 3%/8 #/8

BOTTOM BLADE WASTE
SANDED FLUSH
!/8
5
7
SECTION VIEW a. 1!/4
First Pass. Final Pass.

Using index marks With the fence on
on the fence for spacing, the other side of the blade,
you’ll make a series of parallel a second set of grooves
grooves on the first pass. completes the pattern.
IN THE Shop
After
A few simple
steps are all it takes
Before to fine-tune your planer
for peak performance.
portable
Planer Tune-Up
A portable planer has one basic ual before you get started and any I find it easiest to remove the side
task — planing a workpiece to a time you have questions. panels and the dust chute/guard
specific thickness with the two assembly. And for many planers,
faces parallel to each other and START WITH CLEANING removing the top cover will pro-
perfectly smooth. It’s such a sim- As you can see in the photo above, vide better access to the cutterhead
ple task that it’s easy to take your chips and sawdust can work their and the rest of the planer interior.
portable planer for granted. And if way throughout the planer, gum-
you do that, it won’t take long for ming up the works. So the first step
your planer to look a bit rough and is to give the planer a thorough
ragged, like my 15-year-old planer cleaning. Safety Note: Unplug your
shown in the inset photo above. planer before starting any work.
The nice thing is, bringing your Open It Up. To get into all the
planer back to peak performance nooks and crannies of the planer,
isn’t difficult. All you’ll need are
a few simple tools and an after-
noon. The tune-up process starts
with cleaning and lubricating the
important parts. Follow that up
with some basic adjustments and
you’ll be well on your way to a Dealing with Rust.
planer that looks and, more impor- A fine synthetic pad
tantly, runs like the day you bought and some cleaner
it, as in the main photo. make quick work
Note: The tune-up steps shown of removing rust
here cover the majority of portable { Remove the Grime. After buildup on the posts
(12" to 13") planers. Still, it’s a good spraying on a cleaner, simply wipe of the planer.
idea to refer to your owner’s man- the pitch, resin, and grime away.
40 ShopNotes No. 91
Once you have easy access to the
planer, you’re ready to start clean-
little elbow grease, a fine synthetic
pad and some lubrication. (I use the
Troubleshooting
ing. The first thing I like to do is cleaner as a lubricant.) While I’m at RIDGES IN WORKPIECE
vacuum up as much of the dust it, I usually clean up any other rusty • Knives are nicked or chipped — shift one knife
and chips as I can. After that, a areas I see — except for the cutter- or replace/resharpen knives
couple shots from an air hose takes head. (I wait on the cutterhead until
GLAZED OR BURNISHED WORKPIECE
care of the hard-to-reach areas. the knives are removed.) • Knives are dull — replace or sharpen
Pitch & Resin. There is one prob-
lem area that will take a little more LUBRICATION WORKPIECE FEEDS UNEVENLY OR STOPS
• Dust and pitch buildup on feed rollers — clean
effort than a quick vacuuming. And At this point, things are starting to
feed rollers
that’s cleaning up the caked-on look pretty clean. So the next step in • Insufficient or uneven feed roller pressure — adjust
pitch and resin left behind by all the the process is to make sure it stays feed rollers lower or increase spring tension on
workpieces run through the planer. this way for as long as possible. rollers per owner’s manual (some planers)
I like to take care of the pitch and To do this, I like to use paraffin
resin with a mild, spray-on blade wax on the two spindles used to THICKNESS OF WORKPIECE TAPERS ACROSS WIDTH
• Cutterhead and/or knives misaligned — check
and bit cleaner, like the one shown adjust the cutterhead up and down
that head is parallel to planer bed then reset
in the inset photo on the opposite (lower left photo). Just rub a “bead” knives to cutterhead
page. Simply spray it on and give along the threads and then crank the
it time to cut through the grease cutterhead all the way up and down EXCESS SNIPE ON WORKPIECE
• Outfeed tables misaligned — adjust outfeed
and grime, then wipe away the a few times to work the wax in. To
tables parallel with the bed of the planer
mess (photo at lower right). Note: avoid attracting dust on the threads,
Mineral spirits will also work, but be sure to wipe away any excess.
avoid “hot” solvents like lacquer Once the spindles are waxed, I
thinner that may damage the paint, take a little time to apply some wax remove most of the mess, I make
drive belts, and rollers. on the guide posts of the cutter- sure I re-lubricate them by using
head, too. Simply rub it on and spray-on white lithium grease
REMOVE THE RUST then buff it out with a clean cloth. (right photo below).
A basic cleaning will make any Drive System. Next, I turn my With everything cleaned and
portable planer look a whole lot attention to the drive system that lubricated, you’re ready to move
better. Unfortunately, it can also provides power to spin the cutter- ”inside” and inspect how well
reveal another problem area that head and drive the feed rollers. the planer is set up and adjusted.
will need work — surface rust. These parts are connected to the For more on this, you can turn the
In the inset photo on the oppo- motor via chains and a belt. page and get started.
site page, you can see that the posts For the drive belt area, all I do is Specific Problems. If you have
on my planer were quite rusty. To blow out any dust or debris. But a specific problem you’d like to get
ensure the cutterhead moves up the chains are often covered with working on, check out the trouble-
and down smoothly, it’s important a heavy grease. So the dust and shooting box above. It covers the
for the posts to be clean and smooth. chips buildup can be pretty thick. common problems you’re likely to
All it takes to remove the rust is a After wiping down the chains to run across and how to fix them.
{ Protection. Paraffin wax on the posts and { Adding Lubrication. After cleaning dust and chips out of
spindles of the cutterhead provides protection the drive chain area, a spray-on lubricant is all it takes to keep
and allows for smooth movement. the gears and drive chains running reliably.
completing the
Tune-Up
With the outside of the planer
cleaned up and the drive system
lubricated, you’re ready to turn
your attention to the “inside” and
check out the feed system, cut-
terhead, and knives. After that, all { Clean the Cutterhead. After
that’s left are a couple small details removing the knives, a brass brush
to make the tune-up complete. and cleaner make quick work of
removing pitch and resin (above).
SAFETY & CLEANING And here again, any surface rust
Before working inside the planer, can be buffed away (inset).
it’s a good idea to remove the
knives. This way, you won’t have securely holds the knife. Just unbolt soaked in some cleaner (margin at
to worry about accidentally cutting the bar and lift the knife out. left). Note: To get to the entire roller,
yourself. (In my case, the knives Clean Up Again. Once the knives you’ll have to manually rotate the
were in definite need of replace- are out, you’ll want to clean up the cutterhead belt to turn the rollers.
ment, as you can see in the margin cutterhead. Since this is where the And since they feed at a slower
on the opposite page.) “rubber meets the road,” it’s likely to rate than the cutterhead rotates, it’ll
Removing (and reinstalling) the have a lot of pitch and resin buildup. take quite a few turns.
knives is a fairly easy task that most After removing any buildup (inset
owner’s manuals cover quite well. photo above), take care of the rust CUTTERHEAD
Usually it’s just a matter of loosen- as before and follow that with a coat Once the rollers are cleaned up, you
ing the bolts of the gib assembly or two of wax. Although you could can turn your attention back to the
that holds the knife in place. To reinstall the knives at this point, I cutterhead. For consistent thickness
make things even simpler, newer find it best to wait until the rest of across the width of a workpiece,
planers feature a locking bar that the interior cleaning and adjust- it’s important for the cutterhead to
ments are complete. be parallel to the planer bed.
Flat Bed. The bed provides a flat
Feed Rollers. To improve the FEED ROLLERS reference surface for the workpiece
feed performance, clean dust
The next thing to focus on is the as it passes under the cutterhead.
and pitch off the rollers.
feed roller system. After a lot of What’s important here is to keep
use, your feed rollers may end up the bed cleaned and waxed for
like mine. They didn’t grip the smooth movement. And if the bed
workpiece as well as they used to, is covered with sheet metal, just be
causing it to feed erratically and sure no dust or debris has worked
occasionally stopping altogether. its way underneath.
Dust and pitch buildup on the Checking the Alignment. If
roller is the likely cause for this. you’ve noticed your workpiece is
You can easily remove it with a rag tapered across its width, the most
likely problem is a misaligned
cutterhead. To check this, I use a
shop-made reference block like the
> Align the one shown in the photo at left.
Cutterhead. An To check the alignment, adjust
alignment block the cutterhead until the block just
makes it easy to slips beneath it. If the cutterhead is
check that the parallel, you should be able to slide
cutterhead is the block smoothly from one end of
parallel to the bed. the cutterhead to the other.
If the block is loose or tight at
one end or the other, you’ll need
to adjust the cutterhead. To do this,
42 ShopNotes No. 91
Maintenance Schedule
TASK EACH USE 5HRS 10HRS 50HRS
Chip deflector/guard in place X
All fasteners and locks secure X
Brush/blow out chips and dust X
Clean and wax cutterhead, rollers, posts,

X
bed, and spindles; clean rollers
Inspect knives X
Check tightness of gib bolts X
{ Setting the Knives. You’ll get a big improvement
Check thickness scale alignment X in how your planer works by replacing old knives with
Clean and lubricate chains and belt area X new ones (margin at right). A knife-setting gauge
makes the process easy and safe (above).
it’s best to consult your owner’s knives in the right position. Doing A straightedge is all you need for
manual first. For my planer (and this isn’t all that difficult, but if your this (lower left photo).
many others), this is just a matter of planer doesn’t have a cutterhead My tables are simple sheet metal
loosening the nut at the top of the lock, a pair of small wedges will assemblies. Unfortunately, they rest
threaded spindle that sandwiches keep the cutterhead in place while a little below the bed of the planer.
the cutterhead in place. After adjust- you work (upper right photo). This doesn’t provide solid support
ing the elevating nut underneath to While the knife-setting gauge for the workpiece and often results
align the cutterhead parallel, sim- ensures the knife is installed in the in snipe (a deeper cut) at each end
ply retighten the upper nut. right position, it’s also important to of the workpiece. To solve this prob-
methodically snug up the gib bolts lem, I made a set of four assemblies
INSTALL THE KNIVES to keep it from shifting. I like to work with adjustable feet. These assem-
After rechecking the cutterhead from the center out, first just snug- blies attach to the bottom side of
alignment, the next step is to rein- ging up each bolt to hold the knife the tables with carpet tape.
stall the knives. As I mentioned ear- in place. Once that’s done, you can You’re likely to find flip-down
lier, your owner’s manual should securely tighten all the bolts, again tables on most planers. To adjust
cover this in detail. working from the center out. them, you’ll need to raise or lower
Knives that index to the cutter- an adjustment screw on the base of
head are easy to install since they OUTFEED TABLES the planer, like you see in the inset
slip in and align automatically. For With the knives in place, you’re photo at the lower left.
other planers, you’ll need to use ready to set the outfeed tables
a knife-setting gauge to place the parallel with the bed of the planer. FINAL DETAILS
All that’s left to take care of now are
a few details. After reinstalling the
panels and covers, make a quick
check of the motor brushes. Worn-
out or chipped brushes may need { Motor Brushes.
replacement (margin at right). Remove the motor
Once you’ve done that, run a brushes to check
workpiece through the planer to for wear. Replace
check the overall performance and short, worn-out
determine if you need to rework any brushes (lower
of the adjustments. Finally, measure left) with new ones
the workpiece thickness and reset (upper right).
the depth of cut scale to match.
Your planer should be in top-
notch shape at this point. And in
{ Outfeed Tables. To minimize snipe, adjust the chart above, you’ll find a main-
the outfeed tables parallel with the bed of tenance schedule that will help you
the planer using shop-made levelers (top) keep your planer working great for
or the built-in adjustment screws (left). years to come.
SETTING UP Shop
5 easy ways to
Turn Down
the Noise
Here are five simple
solutions for reducing
the noise in your shop.
When it comes to working with power tools, noise is a fact of life. But it’s
more than just a minor annoyance — long-term exposure to the noise
from power tools can cause hearing loss. The first line of defense is good
hearing protection, like a set of earmuffs or earplugs. But here are a few
other simple solutions for turning down the volume in your shop.
1 Enclose the Tool

One of the simplest ways to deal it seals out as much of the sound heat build-up within the motor. So
with a loud tool is to contain the as possible. MDF and plywood are make sure that you don’t seal off
noise by enclosing it in a cabinet both good choices for building the tool completely.
or stand. This works great for enclosures because they’re dense Adding extra weight (like a bag
shop vacuums, air compressors, or and heavy, which helps absorb of sand or some concrete blocks) to
router tables (photo above). sound waves and vibrations. the bottom of the enclosure acts as
The enclosure doesn’t have to Note: Most tools require a source an anchor to further aid in reducing
be anything elaborate, as long as of ventilation in order to prevent noise and vibration.
2 Reduce Vibration
When it comes to stationary, belt- pulleys, like those shown at right.
driven power tools, vibration is These components run smoother
one of the biggest contributing than the ones that most likely came
factors to noise. The first step in with your tool and they can greatly
reducing vibration is to make reduce the amount of vibration.
sure the pulleys are aligned and
securely attached to their shafts.
If this doesn’t alleviate the
problem, try replacing the stock
V-belt and die-cast pulleys with
a link belt and machined steel
44 ShopNotes No. 91
3 Muffle the Noise
If you were to make a list of the of an inner and outer pipe. The
tools that are the worst noise smaller inner pipe is drilled with
offenders, the shop vacuum would several holes and then capped.
rank near the top. This way, air from the vacuum is
But if your shop vacuum has expelled through the holes and
an exhaust port that will accept a then passed into the foam. The
hose, you can make a muffler that foam dampens the sound, and
will cut the noise level almost in then the air is forced out through a
half. The muffler is nothing more reducer at the top of the muffler.
than insulation foam housed in I assembled the muffler using
a PVC pipe and fitting assembly PVC cement. Then to fit the muffler
(drawing at right). into the exhaust port of my shop
The concept of the muffler is vacuum, I used a simple adapter
simple. A layer of flexible foam fitting around the inner pipe, like
insulation fits between the walls the one shown in the drawing.
4 Stabilize the Blade

Another common source of noise is the blade in
your table saw. Blade manufacturers have come a
long way as far as developing blades that run qui-
eter and with less vibration. But some blades still
seem to have an ear-piercing ring to them.
Fortunately, there’s a simple solution. Adding
a blade stablilizer (photo at left) to your table saw
can help quiet down a noisy blade. The stabilizer
BLADE is nothing more than a flat, ground-steel plate that
STABILIZER stiffens the blade to prevent it from flexing, thereby
cancelling out much of the noise.
5 Isolate the Noise

Even though there are ways to passing all the way through the cut out to match the profile of the
minimize tool vibration, it’s nearly mount. So they act like mini-shock tool (right photo below). Or you
impossible to eliminate it alto- absorbers to cushion the tool can cut strips of the material to fit
gether. So in some cases, the next against vibration. between the frame of a motor and
best thing is to simply isolate the Another way to isolate vibra- the mounting plate.
vibration before it’s transferred to tion is to use an anti-vibration
the tool stand. There are a couple pad. Typically, this is just a thin
of ways you can do this. piece of rubber or neoprene that
The first method is to use isola- is sandwiched between the tool
tion mounts (refer to page 51 for and the stand. The pad can be
sources). These are simply hard
rubber cylinders that have either
a threaded stud or a threaded
hole at either end. The mounts
are placed in between the tool
and the stand, as shown in the
first photo at right.
What makes these mounts work
is the fact that the mounting bolts
thread into each end, rather than
MASTERING THE
Table Saw
setting up for
Dead-on
Dadoes
With the right setup and
a few simple techniques,
you’ll be cutting perfect
dadoes every time.
A stacked dado set is the standard knowing the best ways to set up,
tool for cutting grooves, rabbets, lay out, and cut your dadoes.
and dadoes on the table saw in my Setup. The first step is properly set-
shop. Unfortunately, the results can ting up a dado blade. And to do this,
be a bit disappointing at times. The it’s a good idea to understand how
keys to getting better results with it works. The drawing below shows { Notch It. A notch in an auxiliary
your dado blade involves under- that a dado set consists of a pair of miter gauge fence pinpoints the
standing how it works as well as scoring blades and several chippers. dado location on the workpiece.
The scoring blades are the outer
blades that resemble standard saw the waste left between the scoring
blades. What’s different is their blades. They come in different
teeth are angled either left or right widths and are combined to create
to cut crisp outside edges for the a variety of dado widths.
dado (inset drawing below). When installing a dado blade,
Sandwiched between the outer it’s important to remember that the
blades are the chippers. These chippers should be staggered. This
blades are designed to clean out prevents the teeth from touching
{ Dado Blade Gauge. This shop-made

guide helps determine which parts are
needed to make the perfect-sized dado.
46 ShopNotes No. 91
each other and getting damaged. One of the challenges is leaning
And it ensures that all the parts are over the table saw to accurately
flat against each other so the arbor align the layout lines with the
nut can be tightened securely. dado blade. For better results, I like
Sizing Gauge. Sizing a dado to cut a notch in an auxiliary miter
exactly can take a bit of time. To fence and then draw layout lines
solve this problem, I made the on the fence to show the edges of
gauge pictured at the bottom of the cut (inset photo on the oppo-
the opposite page. It has several site page). To prevent tearout, the
dadoes to slip workpieces in, and notch in the auxiliary fence is the
the “recipe” of blades and chippers same depth as the dado.
it took to make those dadoes. Now, Next, I mark the edges of the
it takes just a few seconds to put dado on the workpiece (main
all the right parts together to accu- photo opposite page). Then, line
rately size the dado. everything up and make the cut.
If the dado is still a hair under- (For other ways to reduce tearout,
sized, you can use shims to tweak check out the box below.)
the final width. And for the best Handy Techniques. For most
results, place the shims evenly dadoes, this process works great.
throughout the stack. But for centered and matching
Positioning. With the sizing and dadoes, I use different techniques. Once you’ve made the second pass,
setup complete, the next step is Centering a dado is a simple two- the dado is automatically centered
cutting the dado in the right place. pass process (drawing above right). on the workpiece. However, it may
not be the correct width. To get
the right width while keeping the
dado centered, you can sneak up
on it by readjusting the rip fence
and repeating the procedure.
For matching dadoes in small
projects, I like to start off with an
extra-wide workpiece (left photo).
After ripping the workpiece to final
width (inset photo), the dadoes
will match perfectly.
{ Matched Dadoes. After cutting So, you can see that a dado blade
the dadoes, ripping the workpiece to is a great accessory to your table
width provides matched dadoes. saw. And with these simple tech-
niques, you can be sure to get crisp,
Tips & Tricks:

precise cuts every time.
Avoiding Tearout
{ Shallow Cut. To cut clean shoulders, { Tape Reinforcement. Masking tape { Back Up the Cut. A backer board is a
make a shallow scoring pass before pressed firmly onto the workpiece will simple way to prevent tearout at the edge as
cutting the dado to full depth. reinforce the wood for a chip-free cut. the dado blade exits the cut.
GREAT Gear
{ Fast Action. With each push of
Yankee-style the handle, the shaft spins several

times to quickly drive screws.
Screwdrivers
the handle back to its starting posi-
tion. It acts like a pogo stick. With
a couple of quick pushes, you can
drive a screw in a hurry.
Learn how this traditional tool will find Features. If you look at the
photo below, you’ll see a few other
new uses in your shop and home. features that make this tool so inge-
nious. At the “business end” is a
chuck that’s designed to hold a
There’s one tool that has been spiral grooves cut into the shaft. variety of bits. You can get different
around since the late 1800’s and can One allows the shaft to turn clock- sizes of Phillips, straight, or square-
still find a home in your toolbox wise and works for driving screws drive bits for driving screws. And
today. That’s a spiral ratcheting and drilling. The other spiral there are even bits you can use to
screwdriver, commonly referred to groove works in the counterclock- drill pilot holes for screws.
as a Yankee-style screwdriver. In wise direction for removing screws. Using a Yankee. To get the
fact, the U.K. division of Stanley still A slider “switch” in the handle most out of a Yankee, it’s a two-
makes the original Yankee. controls the direction. (You’ll learn handed operation. One hand grips
The Secret. What makes the more about that later.) the chuck collar to give you good
Yankee-style screwdriver so unique What you can’t see is a spring in control. (The shaft spins inside the
is its spring-loaded spiral shaft. the handle that extends the spiral collar or sleeve of the chuck, which
You can see what I mean in shaft. As you push on the handle, means you can hold tight onto the
the photo above. You’ll the shaft retracts and rotates sev- chuck while driving screws.) The
notice there are two eral times. Then the spring pushes other hand pushes on the handle.
Knurled ring locks shaft

in retracted position
Traditional bits have a

round shank with notches
to lock bits in place
Slider sets the ratcheting

mechanism for driving or removing
screws or locks it for hand-driving
Chuck collar spins freely to

provide grip and help hold
48 bit in position during use ShopNotes No. 91
< Driving Home. Lock the shaft
in its retracted position to drive a
screw with more power.
Lock Down. If you’re in tight The upper position of the slider You can buy a Yankee-style driver
quarters, or simply need more works the same way, except it’s in different sizes to suit specific
turning power, you can retract the used for removing screws. And tasks around the shop and home.
shaft and lock it in place as shown when the slider is in the middle But the best news is that once you
in the inset photo above. Now you position, it keeps the shaft from get your hands on a Yankee-style
can use the Yankee just like a tradi- rotating in either direction. screwdriver, you’ll wonder how
tional screwdriver. New Options. If you look at the you got along without it.
Ratchet Up. The lower photo on bits on the opposite page, you’ll
the opposite page shows the three- notice the unusual notches on their
position slider I mentioned earlier.
Moving this slider to the lower
round shafts. This was the design of
the original Yankee screwdriver to
Drill and Driver Bits
position (toward the chuck) sets the lock the bits in place. The problem A Yankee-style screwdriver makes quick work
direction of the ratcheting mecha- is, that can limit your bit selection. out of driving screws. But its design lends itself to
nism that allows the shaft to turn The good news is there are a few drilling and countersinking, too.
clockwise. This works whether the vendors that still supply bits or The accessories shown below make it easy to use
shaft is extended or locked in the adapters to fit a Yankee screwdriver the right driver or drill bit for any job. You can adapt
retracted position. With the shaft (refer to Sources on page 51). the round-shank, Yankee-style driver to use hex
retracted, the handle “ratchets” The better news is you can get shank bits. Or you can buy a Yankee-style screw-
without allowing the shaft to turn Yankee-style drivers with a hex driver with a hex chuck instead of the traditional
independently. Then it’s used like a chuck. This means you can use the chuck. Either option opens up endless possibilities
ratcheting screwdriver. dozens of hex bits available. for drilling or driving screws.
Trivia: 1⁄ "
4 Drill Chuck
History of the Yankee Hex Adapter
The original Yankee screwdriver larly because they embodied that

is thought to have been invented ingenuity and slickness in their Hex Chuck
by Zachary T. Furbish in the late construction and in the doing of Adapter
1800’s. He became an employee work for which they were intended,
of North Brothers which was later which has made Yankee inventions
bought out by Stanley Toolworks. famous the world over.”
Where did the name “Yankee” Other tool companies like
come from? The North Brothers Goodell-Pratt and Millers Falls came
catalog from 1908 claimed it was out with similar versions. But no
because they were invented by a matter who made them, most folks
Maine Yankee, but “more particu- still called them a “Yankee.” Hex Bit
Countersink Bit
like
questions from
Our Readers
easy steps to
Air Dry
Lumber
My neighbor gave me a small log from a walnut tree he Drying Stack.
recently cut down. I would like to mill the log and use For best results, build
the wood in a future project. Since I don’t have access your stack so it’s stable and
to a kiln, what do I need to do the get the lumber dry? allows plenty of air circulation
Jody Goldie around each board in the stack.
Gloucester, Massachusetts
The first step to creating usable You can begin with a solid base wood to keep moisture from col-
lumber from a small log is to mill, or of “two-by” stock and plywood. lecting on the top layer. Then add
cut the lumber to size, with a band Just be sure the top surface of the some weight on top of the plywood
saw. Then you’re ready to stack and base is even so the boards remain to keep the boards flat.
store the lumber for drying. To do flat as they dry. Then complete the Paint the Ends. One problem
this, you’ll need to find an out-of- base by laying down a piece of ply- you’re likely to encounter is
the-way corner of your shop that wood. This acts as a barrier to keep checking (cracking) in the wood.
has good air circulation. dampness from the ground from This is a result of moisture leaving
Build a Base. After selecting a wicking into the stack. the wood too rapidly. Painting
good location, you can start building Stickers. Next, lay out a set the ends of the boards minimizes
a stack like you see in the photo of narrow wood strips called checking by allowing the moisture
above. It’s important to begin with “stickers.” They separate the to escape more evenly.
a stable base that allows the boards lumber from the plywood and Now, there’s one final step. It
to lay flat so air can move freely allow the air to circulate under the doesn’t take any work, but it’s
around each board. To accom- bottom layer. I use dry scrap pieces almost always the most difficult
plish this, you’ll need to of hardwood for my stickers. task of all — allow enough time for
carefully stack the Build a Stack. With the base com- the wood to dry adequately.
lumber. plete, you can add layers of lumber Wait Patiently. You can expect
and stickers. You’ll want to be sure the lumber to take anywhere from
to place the stickers between each just a few months or up to a year to
layer directly over one another to dry. And if it’s dried in an unheated
support the boards evenly. area, the moisture content may only
Top it Off. At the top of the reach about 15-20%. Since the wood
stack, add another piece of ply- needs to be around 6-8% for most
projects, you may need to move it to
< Walnut Log. You can turn a a heated location to finish drying.
rough log into lumber for your Finally, the best way to be sure
next project. After milling, you’ll the lumber is ready is to check it
need to dry the wood. with a moisture meter.
50 ShopNotes No. 91
Sources MAIL
ORDER
SOURCES
Woodsmith Store
PLANER STAND You can find the bar stock, spring- Most woodworking stores will 800-444-7527
You can get most of the materials loaded center punch, taps, drill bits, carry the bit and blade cleaners Accuride Drawer Slides,
needed to build the planer stand on and files you’ll need at your local you’ll need for removing pitch and Blade Stabilizers, Star
page 18 at your local home center. hardware store or home improve- resin. I was able to get a spray can of Knobs, Link Belts,
Featherboards, Machined
But a few items may be a little ment center. If you have difficulty lithium grease, the synthetic abra-
Steel Pulleys
harder for you to find. finding the bar stock, it can be sive pads, and the motor brushes I
I ordered the 1⁄4 "-20 star ordered from McMaster-Carr. needed to complete my tune-up at
Rockler
knobs (23838) and threaded inserts You will need a couple of sup- a local hardware store. 800-279-4441
(28803) from Rockler. These items plies when it comes time to drill rockler.com
are also available from McFeely's. and tap the aluminum. To help FEATHERBOARDS Accuride Drawer Slides,
Blade Stabilizers,
The 3" locking swivel casters reduce heat during drilling, I used A featherboard can help you make
Face Frame Brackets,
(31870) make it easy to move the Tap-Ease (1009K22) lubricant. And safe, accurate cuts at the band saw, Featherboards, Jig-It for
stand around the shop. The casters to make it easier to tap the threads table saw, or router table. Some of Accuride Slides, Kreg
I used came from Rockler. in the aluminum, I used cutting the featherboards on page 14 can be Magnetic Slide Mount,
fluid (1413K42). Both of these can found at your local home center or Locking Swivel Casters, Star
Knobs, Threaded Inserts
DRAWER SLIDES be ordered from McMaster-Carr. woodworking store. But a couple of
To make the drawers on your them may be harder to find.
Lee Valley
project open smoothly and quietly, YANKEE-STYLE SCREWDRIVER The adjustable, wood feather- 800-871-8158
you’ll need to start with drawer A spiral ratcheting screwdriver, like board with aluminum hold-down leevalley.com
slides like those in the article on those featured in the article on page (03K0402) came from Lee Valley. Featherboards, Yankee-Style
Screwdrivers
page 10. The Blum epoxy-coated, 48, is a handy tool to have around I ordered the Grip-Tite magnetic
low-profile (34843), Accuride 3⁄4- the shop. If you want one of the featherboard (33072) from Rockler.
McMaster-Carr
extension (39348), Accuride full- original Yankee drivers, you’ll need You’ll also find them at Highland 630-600-3600
extension (32482), and Accuride to order it from Garrett Wade. But Woodworking, Woodcraft, and the mcmaster.com
over-travel (35627) slides, as well you can order other Yankee-style Woodsmith Store. Aluminum Bar Stock, Anti-
as the face frame brackets for each drivers and accessories to go with Vibration Pads, Cutting
Fluid, Tap-Ease, Rubber
slide, all came from Rockler. These them from Lee Valley, McFeely's, SHOP NOISE REDUCTION Isolation Mounts, Yankee-
drawer slides are also available and Highland Woodworking. Contact Reducing the noise in your shop Style Screwdrivers
from the Woodsmith Store. information for these sources can is often as simple as adding a few
be found in the right margin. of the items featured on page 44. Highland Woodworking
ALUMINUM SQUARES Rubber isolation mounts and anti- 800-241-6748
highlandwoodworking.com
The aluminum squares from page PLANER TUNE-UP vibration pads are available from Featherboards, Yankee-Style
page 36 are easy to build and make The article on page 40 shows you both Reid Tool and McMaster-Carr. screwdrivers
a great addition to your shop. But how to tune up your planer to make I was able to find the link belt,
you’ll need a few items you may it run like new. And everything you machined steel pulleys, and blade McFeely’s
800-443-7937
not have around the shop. need for the job is easy to find. stabilizer at the Woodsmith Store.
mcfeelys.com
Star Knobs, Threaded
Inserts, Yankee-Style
ShopNotes Binders
Screwdrivers
Garrett Wade
800-221-2942
Keep your issues organized! garrettwade.com
Featherboards, Yankee-Style
As you build your ShopNotes library, here’s a way to keep your Screwdrivers
issues organized. Each binder features durable vinyl covers and
easy-to-read perforated number tags. Snap rings with a quick- Woodcraft
open lever make it easy to insert and remove issues. And there’s 800-225-1153
woodcraft.com
an extra pocket inside for storing notes. Each binder holds a full
Blade Stabilizers, Magnetic
year (6 issues) of the new, expanded ShopNotes.
Featherboards
Visit www.ShopNotes.com to order
these binders, or call 1-800-444-7527. Reid Tool
800-253-0421
ShopNotes Binder reidtool.com
❍ 701950-SN91 (Holds 6 issues).......$12.95 Anti-Vibration Pads, Rubber
Isolation Mounts
Scenes from
the Shop
{ Shop-Built Square. A great project starts with an accurate

layout. And this shop-made square is up to the task. The design
allows the blade to be quickly adjusted to a perfect 90°. For
detailed building instructions, turn to page 36. Working with the
aluminum used to build the square will take some new techniques
and tools, like the ones at left. To learn more about how to get the
best results, check out the article that starts on page 34.
www.ShopNotes.com

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TABLE SAW TOP TIPS FOR CUTTING DADOES

TECHNIQUES Get Dead-On Results Every Time

YOU CAN BUILD A

PORTABLE TOOL TOTE

A Publication of August Home Publishing

Working with Aluminum page 34

Shop Short Cuts _____________________ 16

EXECUTIVE ART DIRECTOR Todd Lambirth

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ted Kralicek

SR. PHOTOGRAPHERS Crayola England, Dennis Kennedy

VIDEOGRAPHERS Craig Ruegsegger, Mark Hayes

ShopNotes® (ISSN 1062-9696) is published bimonthly (Jan., March, May, July,

Submit Your Tips IA 50037-2103.

Congratulations to Gary Mastolier of Homer, Alaska. HOW TO REACH US:

To find out how you could win a Porter-

Chamfer Ogee Routing Techniques. With the

Fixed part attaches

Euro-Style. For drawers that

SLIDE TRAVELS STAINLESS STEEL

{ Design Differences. The Euro-style slide (left) uses a nylon wheel

SHOP False Fronts

TIPS FROM Our Shop

Squaring the Blade

First: Use the index Second: Move the

Materials & Hardware

Even a portable planer is a fairly

Making a Drawer Pull

Aligning the Supports 1

< Sweep In.

< Sweep Away.

NOTE: TOOL TOTE CAN BE

TOOL HOLDERS KEEP SMALL

TABS ARE CUT ON

SLOTS ARE CUT ON

VERTICAL SLOTS USE DIVIDERS TO CREATE UP

NOTE: TO CUSTOMIZE THE

No Tools Needed. Leave

Routing the Slots 1

< Set the Fence,

Cutting and Shaping the Tabs

slot from splintering, take a look at

Step-by-Step: Assembling the Tote

mention. You’ll be spending quite &/16

Making the Handle

NOTE: SEE FIG. 4

you see in the left margin to make

counterbore for the the screws using a hand tap. The

Pattern CAP SCREWS

The diamond pattern you see in the

HANDLE 3%/8 #/8

SECTION VIEW a. 1!/4

First Pass. Final Pass.

All fasteners and locks secure X

Brush/blow out chips and dust X

Clean and wax cutterhead, rollers, posts,

1 Enclose the Tool

4 Stabilize the Blade

5 Isolate the Noise

{ Dado Blade Gauge. This shop-made

Tips & Tricks: