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AIMÉ ONTARIO FRASER GETTING STARTED IN WOODWORKING Your First Workshop A Practical Guide to What You Really Need Your First Workshop

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Your First WorkshopA Practical Guide to What You Really Need

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Page 1: Your First Workshop

A I M É O N TA R I O F R A S E R

GETTING STARTED IN WOODWORKING™

Your First WorkshopA Practical Guide to What You Really Need

SO MANY TOOLS, SO LITTLE SPACE

Your

First

Work

shop

GE

TT

ING

STA

RT

ED

IN W

OO

DW

OR

KIN

G™

FR

AS

ER

Now you have the guidance of an expert wood-worker to help you choose the right tools and

equipment to outfit your shop. You’ll learn exactlywhat to buy (and why you need it) for each skill levelin your woodworking. Plus you’ll get smart advice onhow to organize, light and power your shop, andwhere to store your stuff.

WELL-ROUNDED SHOP

Taunton Product #070771

EAN

UPC

ISBN 1-56158-688-9 ISBN 1-56158-688-9

The Taunton Press also publishes Fine Woodworking magazine, the singlebest source of woodworking ideas and information anywhere.

$19.95 U.S.Higher in Canada

Pp

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIESABOUT THE AUTHOR

AIMÉ ONTARIO FRASER, author of the best-selling introduction to woodworking, GettingStarted in Woodworking: Skillbuilding Projectsthat Teach the Basics, has been woodworkingand boat building since high school. A formereditor of Fine Woodworking, she is a frequentcontributor to woodworking magazines. Shealso teaches woodworking and boatbuilding inNorwalk, Connecticut.

WOODWORKING

EFFICIENT SHOP

BASIC SHOP

ESSENTIAL SHOP

Plywood on edge4' rolling carts

PlanerRouter table

Jointer

Miter saw

Bandsaw

Tablesaw (move away from post as needed)

Drill press(move for accessto cabinet)

Store tools here using mobile bases.

New electrical service panel

Drill press(move foraccess tocabinet)

Look for other Taunton Press books at your local bookstore or visit our website at www.taunton.com.

Page 2: Your First Workshop

t

GETTING STARTED IN WOODWORKING™

Your First WorkshopA Practical Guide toWhat You Really Need

AAiimméé OOnnttaarriioo FFrraasseerr

Page 3: Your First Workshop

TToo tthhee mmaakkeerrss aanndd bbuuiillddeerrss,,aanndd eessppeecciiaallllyy tthhoossee wwhhoo wwaanntt ttoo bbee

Text © 2005 by Aimé Ontario FraserPhotographs © 2005 by Philip DuttonIllustrations © 2005 by The Taunton Press, Inc.

All rights reserved.

PpThe Taunton Press, Inc., 63 South Main Street, PO Box 5506, Newtown, CT 06470-5506e-mail: [email protected]

Editor: Matthew TeagueJacket/cover design: Michael SundInterior design and layout: Barbara BalchIllustrator: Chuck LockhartPhotographer: Philip Dutton

Taunton’s Getting Started in Woodworking™ is a trademark of The Taunton Press, Inc.,registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The Library of Congress has catalogued the first printing as follows:

Fraser, Aimé Ontario.Your first workshop : a practical guide to what you really need / Aimé Ontario Fraser.

p. cm. -- (Getting started in woodworking)ISBN 1-56158-688-9

1. Woodwork. I. Title. II. Series.TT180.F735 2005684'.08--dc22

2004019707

Printed in the United States of America10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The following manufacturers/names appearing in Your First Workshop are trademarks:Benadryl®, Betadine®, Delta® Machinery, GenTeal®, Kevlar®, Krazy Glue®, Masonite®, Nicholson®,Quick-Grip®, Speed® Square, Spirograph®, Tapcon®, Vise-Grip®.

AABBOOUUTT YYOOUURR SSAAFFEETTYY

Working with wood is inherently dangerous. Using hand or power tools improperly or ignoring safetypractices can lead to permanent injury or even death. Don’t try to perform operations you learn abouthere (or elsewhere) unless you’re certain they are safe for you. If something about an operation doesn’tfeel right, don’t do it. Look for another way. We want you to enjoy the craft, so please keep safety fore-most in your mind whenever you’re in the shop.

Page 4: Your First Workshop

Writing a book is a big task, but it isonly a small part of the total workrequired to get one to publication.

I owe many people debts of gratitude for theirhelp along the way.

The greatest is to the team at TheTaunton Press, who helped shape my vision ofa shop book into something that works. Myfriend and sometime teaching partner HelenAlbert worked closely with me developingwhat she liked to call “the stages of shopness.”

Designer Rosalind Wanke often joined usand later spent a lot of time helping me thinkand write in two-page spreads. This book’svisual impact is proof of her artistic genius.Carolyn Mandarano, as soothing as ever, keptme on track by pushing me onward in a way I didn’t even notice at the time.

Editor Matthew Teague, a talented wood-worker and writer himself, improved mywords and was a pleasure to work with.Photographer Phil Dutton worked hard tocapture the essence of the tools and theiroperations, and he made our long photo sessions fun with his gift of conversation.

Getting all those tools and moving themaround, within, and between the two shopswe used for photography was a lot of hardwork I’m glad I didn’t have to do alone.

Harry Brennan, my local Delta® Machineryrepresentative, went out of his way more thanonce to make sure we had what we needed.His hard work was crucial to getting the bookdone on time. Angie Shelton of Delta workedwith Harry to move a couple of tons of ironmy way for photos. Wally Wilson of Lee Valley Tools helped me out more thanonce. Steve DeMonico, the hardest workingman in woodworking, gave his usual productand moral support. John and Ginny Matchak,owners of The Woodworkers Club in Norwalk,Conn., ordered me tools, sold me tools, loanedme tools, and often called up just to see if I needed anything that day. Pat Carroll andFrank Colcone served as my muscle guys,helping move a shop full of tools across townat least three times. Martin Mittag, owner ofThe Wooden Boat Workshop of Norwalk,Conn., was patient and gracious when pho-tography in his shop took longer thanexpected.

Finally, to Lois, who cheerfully enduredmy marathon photo and writing sessions andwhose consistent care for me and enthusiasmfor the project made it all possible.

—Aimé Ontario Fraser, Westport, Conn.

AAcckknnoowwlleeddggmmeennttss

Page 5: Your First Workshop

■ The Essential Shop 44 ■ The Basic Shop 4466

What to Consider 66

Workbench 88

Cordless Drill/Driver 1122

Measuring and Marking Tools 1166

Edge Tools 1188

Hammers and Screwdrivers 2222

Circular Saw 2266

Clamps 3300

Sanders and Shapers 3322

Shop Vacuum 3366

Safety Gear 3388

The Essential Shop Space 4422

What to Consider 4488

Router 5500

Compound Miter Saw 5566

Jigsaw 6600

Bench Planes 6622

More Chisels 6644

Sharpening Tools 6666

Measuring and Marking Tools 7700

Handsaws 7744

Scrapers 7766

Woodworker’s Bench 7788

More Clamps 8822

The Basic Shop Space 8844

Introduction 22

CCoonntteennttss

Page 6: Your First Workshop

What to Consider 9922

Bandsaw 9966

Tablesaw 110022

Jointer 110088

Planer 111100

Router Table 111122

Drill Press 111166

Specialty Hand Tools 111188

Mechanic’s Tools 112200

The Efficient Shop Space 112222

What to Consider 113322

Dust Collector 113344

Sanders 113366

Biscuit Joiner 114422

Tablesaw Accessories 114466

Hollow-Chisel Mortiser 115500

The Well-Rounded Shop Space 115522

■ The Efficient Shop 9900 ■ The Well-Rounded Shop 113300

Page 7: Your First Workshop

Woodworking matters. It’s more than apastime or hobby—being a wood-worker means that you know the

satisfaction and pride that comes from usingyour hands and mind to build beautiful, func-tional objects, and that you’re as interested inthe process as the outcome. Amid the speedand chaos of the modern world, woodworkinggives us a place where we can slow down,pay attention, and take the time to do thingsright. Woodworking matters because it canmake your life richer and more meaningful.

In woodworking, tools matter. It took awhile for me to realize this because I had the not uncommon notion that if you had theright attitude, you could build a chest of drawers with rusty tools from the neighbor’sshed. After some experience with decent tools,I realized that a properly sharpened andtuned plane is just as important as attitude.Good tools won’t make you a great crafts-

person, but they will make it much easier todevelop the skills needed to become one.

Your shop, the place where you keep anduse your tools, is itself a kind of tool. A poorlylaid out or unorganized shop can hinder thequality of your work just as surely as inferiortools. But your shop is more than a tool—it’s also a creative studio where ideas becomeobjects. For most of us, our shop is also a retreat where we can relax and recharge.

How this book is organizedThis book recognizes that your skills as a woodworker, your collection of tools, and the layout and organization of your shopdevelop together. It’s based on the notion thatwoodworkers go through four stages of devel-opment, and each stage has its own require-ments for tools and space (see “The FourStages of Woodworking” on the facing page).

The book is divided into four sections—one for each stage. Each section opens withan introduction explaining why it containsparticular tools. Then it focuses on each toolin turn. Photographs across the bottom of thepage show what the tool can do, and a photoillustration of the tool points out importantfeatures. The text explains aspects of usingthe tool and tells you what to buy. The sectioncloses with a discussion of setting up andorganizing a shop to use the tools properly.

One short book can’t tell you all you needto know to master each tool. But it can tellyou how to purchase a quality tool with the right features. It can’t show the latesttricked-out models of tools, but by sticking to

2

IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn

Page 8: Your First Workshop

simple classic tools, it can give you enoughinformation to evaluate new features on your own.

The four stages of woodworking discussedhere are not strict guidelines and can’t takeinto account all the tools used in woodworkingsubspecialties (instrument making, boatbuild-ing, cabinetmaking, and the like).I don’t expect you to buy the tools exactly inthe order given, but the order has a logic.If you buy the tools and learn to use them inmore or less the order given, you’ll avoid thecommon mistake of buying too much too soon.Using the wrong tool or using the right toolimproperly can be unpleasant enough to turnyou away from woodworking. By following thebook’s progression, you’ll create a solid foun-dation of woodworking skills you can build onwith confidence.

Each section of this book sets out the tools

and shop accommodations woodworkers need

at each stage:

THE ESSENTIAL SHOP

A new woodworker needs to start slowly, master-

ing one thing at a time. Unsure of his future in

woodworking, he sensibly doesn’t want to spend

a lot of money or time setting up a shop. He

needs only the minimum tools and shop space

essential for success.

THE BASIC SHOP

The novice woodworker is willing to spend some

time and money on tools and setting up her shop

but realizes that she has some skill building to do

before she can get the results she wants. At this

level, a woodworker needs a set of tools that can

accomplish all the basic operations used in making

high level work, and a shop with enough room to

do it.

THE EFFICIENT SHOP

The proficient woodworker wants to be in control of

the creative process by milling his own lumber, and

he wants to do so efficiently. He needs a shop full

of machinery and the tools to maintain it.

THE WELL-ROUNDED SHOP

The experienced woodworker is ready to round out

her shop by adding a few well-chosen tools and by

spending some time organizing and refining the

shop so it suits her style of woodworking.

THE FOUR STAGES OF WOODWORKING

Introduction 3

Page 9: Your First Workshop
Page 10: Your First Workshop

The Essential Shop

P A R TO N E

What to Consider 66

Workbench 88

Cordless Drill/Driver 1122

Measuring and Marking Tools 1166

Edge Tools 1188

Hammers and Screwdrivers 2222

Circular Saw 2266

Clamps 3300

Sanders and Shapers 3322

Shop Vacuum 3366

Safety Gear 3388

The Essential Shop Space 4422

Page 11: Your First Workshop

6 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

Though they share many operations,woodworking and carpentry are differ-ent trades. Carpenters work on site with

a tool kit chosen for versatility and mobility.Woodworkers work at a bench in a shop(though they may share it with a car or hot-water heater) and use a larger collection ofspecialized tools capable of a wider range ofoperations and closer tolerances.

As you progress in woodworking, you’llfind that there are some important differ-ences between woodworking and carpentrytools. But while you’re still learning basicskills, you can use the same tools a carpenteruses. They’re readily available and lessexpensive, so you can get started in wood-working without a big outlay for tools. This

section starts you out with the essentials—the tools you’ll need to accomplish the mostbasic operations.

Laying a foundationYour first tool should be the one that mostclearly declares you a woodworker—a sturdyworkbench. Determining the right bench is adelicate business, and many advanced wood-workers spend huge amounts of time obsess-ing over and building their perfect bench.New woodworkers need some experiencebefore they can evaluate their bench needs,so the goal is to get something that meets thebasic criteria without much fuss. Later, youcan modify or retire it.

You’ll also need a means of getting work-pieces out of the lumber you buy, and a circu-lar saw fits the bill. It’s not elegant, but withthe right setup, it does a good job with bothsolid wood and sheet goods. You’ll need meas-uring tools for cutting out those parts and forgetting them square, planes and chisels forfitting the pieces, and clamps to hold it alltogether while you fasten the joints usinghammers, screwdrivers, and a cordless drill/driver. Once your projects are complete, sand-ing tools are used to smooth them beforefinishing. To keep you safe and efficient allthe while, be sure to have a few cleaning tools and some proper protection devices.

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Page 12: Your First Workshop

One step at a timeAs you take on new projects and get familiarwith your tools, you’ll be learning newskills—how to stand when using the circularsaw, how to drive a screw with a cordlessdrill/driver, and how to plane. Then you’lllearn related skills—how to set up guides forthe saw, how to sharpen your planes, and howto measure and mark efficiently and withouterror. As you do, you’ll be learning how tothink like a woodworker. You’ll be learningthe correct order in which to tackle opera-tions, how to reduce mistakes, how to workefficiently, and more.

You’re embarking on a craft that takes alifetime to master. There’s a lot going on, andit’s important that you give yourself room forimperfection. Allot more time and materialsthan you think you’ll need, and when some-thing goes wrong, make the most of it. Beforerushing off for the do-over, figure out justwhat went wrong and what you might havedone to prevent it. You won’t make that mis-take again. With each one, you build up yourstore of woodworking wisdom. With each one,you get better.

What to Consider 7

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Page 13: Your First Workshop

The bench is the heart of any woodwork-ing shop. From laying out and gluing upto planing, shaping, and finishing, it’s

where work gets done. The problem for thebeginning woodworker is figuring out justwhat a good bench is. If you look to currentwoodworking literature for help, you’ ll see all kinds of benches. One author says youmust have feature X, another suggests only Y.It can be overwhelming, especially when you don’t have the experience to evaluate adesign. That’s why I suggest you set up yourfirst shop with a simple bench you can modifyto suit your work style as your skills increase.

What to buyEvery good woodworking bench, no matterwhat it looks like, meets a few basic criteria.First, it’s sturdy enough to handle vigorousoperations without moving. The legs arebeefy, solidly joined, and well braced to anchora thick, heavy top. If the bench lives in a shop

with uneven floors, it needs large-diameterleveling glides. A convenient working heightis between 33" and 36" tall, and the topshould be between 20" and 32" wide—wideenough to hold workpieces, but not so wideyou can’t reach across it. Most range from 4'to 7' long, but length is not a critical issue.

Though it’s possible to build light, stifftabletops, you want weight in a bench. The

Workbench

� Don’t sand your benchtop—abrasives get

embedded and scar your workpieces. Plane

or scrape only.

� For the same reason, keep glue and finish off

the bench by using a Masonite®cover.

� Applying finish to your benchtop makes it

easier to keep clean.

� Don’t round the bench edges or you’ll lose

the visual reference points.

WATCH OUT

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8 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

Page 14: Your First Workshop

Workbench 9

traditional top is at least 21⁄4" thick, lami-nated from tough beech or maple. A similarthickness layered from manufactured materi-als like plywood, medium-density fiberboard(MDF), and core doors works nearly as welland is much easier to build. Just be sure thatthe top is flat so you’re able to quickly clampanywhere around the periphery and under-side of the benchtop (see the photo on p. 10 asan example). That means no lengthwisestretchers or drawers near the top.

Build or buy?Because your bench will be one of your firstacquisitions when setting up shop, be conser-vative and choose a simple, sturdy bench thatan inexperienced woodworker with minimaltools can build one.

Fashion a beefy base from well-chosen drylumber or simply buy sturdy metal legs. Use astore-bought laminated slab for the top orbuild your own from plywood and MDF. Thecost of building is moderate in time andmoney, and you can hardly go wrong. Even ifyou build another bench down the road, youcan always use a sturdy horizontal

If you want to buy a simple bench, checkwith an industrial supply house. It won’t look

like a woodworking bench, but it’ll do the joband cost less than building one. And though Ican offer a strong argument for working yourway up to a traditional cabinetmaker’s bench,there’s nothing to stop you from buying onefrom the start if you choose. Read ahead tothe part on benches in the next section tolearn more about your choices before buying.

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Page 15: Your First Workshop

10 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

A Simple, Sturdy Bench to Start

S tart out with a simple bench that doesn’t cost much in time or money.As your woodworking skill develops, you can modify it to meet your needs.

This bench was built in a few hours from a metal leg set and a solid-coreexterior door.

FFllaatt ttoopp

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Page 16: Your First Workshop

Workbench 11

SSEECCUURRIINNGG WWOORRKK

CCLLAAMMPP TTOO TTHHEE BBEENNCCHHTT OOPP

Whether you’re sanding, drilling, or fasten-ing, clamping a workpiece flat to the edgeof the bench keeps it in place as you work.By using two clamps—one at each end—you’ll prevent the workpiece from pivoting.

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For working the edges of a board, it’s ofteneasiest to clamp the board upright in ahandscrew, then clamp the handscrew tothe bench. For long workpieces, use onehandscrew at each end. Handscrews alsodo a good job holding odd-shaped pieces.

UUSSEE AA BBIIRRDD’’SS--MMOOUUTTHH VVIISSEE

Another method for working the edges of aboard is to use a bird’s-mouth vise. A sim-ple V is cut into the edge of a board andthen clamped to the bench. The workpiecesimply wedges into the V. Work toward theV or clamp one at each end of the board.

CCLLAAMMPP AACCRROOSSSS TTHHEE FFRROONNTT

Wide boards can be clamped to the edgesof the workbench with pipe clamps run-ning underneath the benchtop. Thisapproach is helpful for getting wide boardslow enough so they’re at a comfortableworking height.

Page 17: Your First Workshop

12 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

Cordless Drill/Driver

Cordless drill/drivers are light enough touse anywhere, have no power cord to tan-gle, and have the ability to drive screws

without breaking them—no wonder corded drillsales are down. A wonderfully versatile tool,your cordless drill/driver will likely end upbeing the most-used power tool in your shop.

What to buyTake the time to find a drill/driver that feelsgood in your hands. Balance, switch locations,and grip size are matters of taste, but they aremore important to your satisfaction with thetool than motor ratings or foot-pounds of torque.

When selecting your drill/driver, don’t betempted to get the biggest one you can find.Stick with a 12- or 9-volt machine. They arelighter and easier to handle, and they haveplenty of power to manage the jobs you do asa woodworker.

Two features that differentiate the cordlessdrill/driver from the mere drill are the high/low

speed switch and the adjustable clutch. As arule, use the low speed for driving screws andboring large holes. High speed is for drillingsmall holes and removing screws efficiently.

The adjustable clutch disengages the drivewhen the torque reaches a certain level, soeven though the trigger is fully depressed, thebit won’t turn. You can set this feature to drivescrews flush with the surface, deep below thesurface, or anywhere between.

� Use a backer board when drilling holes to

avoid tearout.

� Small drill/drivers break easily—use even

pressure and try not to angle the tool.

� For safety, clamp down your work and keep

two hands on the drill/driver.

� Use short screwdriver bits—longer ones are

more difficult to control.

WATCH OUT

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Page 18: Your First Workshop

Cordless Drill/Driver 13

You’ll also want to get a drill/driver thathas a reverse switch located convenientlynear the trigger. You’ll need two batteries tohandle big jobs and a charger that can do itsjob in an hour or less so you’re not strandedin the middle of a job. For best battery life,charge your batteries when you note reducedperformance but before they’re fully dead.

Set the speed to high, set the clutch indrill position, and fully depress the trigger.

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You’ll use your cordless drill/driver more than any other power tool in the shop.Make sure your first has the features to satisfy your woodworking needs for

years to come.

Cordless Drill/Driver and Drill Bits

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Page 19: Your First Workshop

That’s the gist of boring holes, but boringgood, clean holes requires that you attend toa few other factors.

Don’t lean on the drill while boring ahole—a sharp bit requires only a firm, steadypush. With a little experience, you’ll be ableto hear a change in pitch when the drill is close to cutting through. At that point,lighten up and let the drill do the work.If you push too hard through the last bit ofwood, you’ll tear an ugly splinter from theback. For further insurance against tearout,hold or clamp the workpiece to a scrapwoodbacker board.

Choosing the right drill bit is crucial. Astandard twist drill has a tendency to wander

as it starts to cut, and the hole often windsup in the wrong place. You can reduce thistendency by punching a small dent or hole todirect the tip, but a better solution is to usebrad-point bits designed for drilling wood.The sharp, protruding tip keeps the bit oncourse, and the bit’s cutting angle helps severwood fibers for clean, accurate cuts.

Carpenters, electricians, and othertradespeople commonly use a spade bit or fly-cutter in studs and joists. These inexpensive,disposable bits have their place, but Forstnerbits are a better choice for fine work. Theyleave a clean, smooth surface because theouter rim scores the surface while the innerpart is sliced clean. They’re your best choice

14 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

Drill Bits

Whether you’re drilling holes, driving screws, or using a specialized jig, there’s a bit or drill to handle the job.

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MMaaggnneettiicc ssccrreeww gguuiiddee

FFoorrssttnneerr bbiitt

TTaappeerreedd ccoouunntteerrssiinnkk

TTwwiisstt oorr jjoobbbbeerrss ddrriillll bbiitt

BBrraadd--ppooiinntt ddrriillll bbiitt

FFllyyccuutttteerr oorr ssppaaddee bbiitt

##22 PPhhiilllliippss ttiipp

Page 20: Your First Workshop

Cordless Drill/Driver 15

for smooth, large, or angled holes and forholes drilled to partial depth in a board.

To get started, buy a set of moderatelypriced twist drills in 1⁄64" increments up to1⁄2". Beware of cheap sets, because the drillsare often a little smaller than the measure-ment marked on their shanks. You’ll alsowant brad-point bits—look for a set of at leastseven. You can get by with an inexpensiveset, but the more costly versions have a bettertip design and cut more cleanly. For drillingpilot holes for screws, get at least five taperedcountersink drills for the most common screwsizes. Finally, you’ll want a set of Forstnerbits in the common small sizes.

Driving screwsThe key to successful screwdriving is toremember that you must keep the bit alignedwith the centerline of the screws and fullyengaged. If you aren’t positioned behind thedrill and pushing hard, torque forces the bitupward and tears up the screw head.

Ideally, the screw pushes the wood out ofits way as it goes in, but in dense hardwoodsor near the ends of a board the wood can split.Prevent this by drilling a pilot hole slightlynarrower than the screw’s thinnest part.

OOnnee jjooiinntt,, mmaannyy uusseess.. UUssiinngg aa ppoocckkeett--hhoollee jjiigg,, yyoouuccaann jjooiinn aatt rriigghhtt aanngglleess,, eeddggee jjooiinn,, aanndd eevveenn ffaasstteennggoooodd--llooookkiinngg bbeevveellss..

AA hhiiddddeenn ffaasstteenneerr.. AA ppoocckkeett--hhoollee ssccrreewweedd jjooiinntt iiss ssttrroonngg bbeeccaauussee tthhee aanngglleedd ssccrreeww bbiitteess iinnttoolloonngg ggrraaiinn iinnsstteeaadd ooff wweeaakk eenndd ggrraaiinn.. TThhee sstteeppppeeddddrriillll uusseedd wwiitthh ppoocckkeett--hhoollee jjiiggss ccuuttss aa ppiilloott hhoolleeffoorr tthhee ssccrreeww sshhaannkk aanndd aa sshhoouullddeerr ttoo sseeaatt aannddccoonncceeaall tthhee ssccrreeww hheeaadd..

Page 21: Your First Workshop

16 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

Measuring and Marking Tools

There’s a saying that carpenters measureto the nearest eighth of an inch, cabinet-makers to the nearest sixteenth, and

boatbuilders to the nearest boat. Fussingwith a ruler against the curves of a boat ishopeless—success comes from transferringlengths directly from the boat using woodenstrips ticked with pencil marks at the correctlocations. This cuts out common measuringerrors and practically guarantees that work-pieces laid out from the same tick strip areidentical. It’s an elegant solution—accurateand precise without taxing the brain. And itworks on more than boats.

Measuring usually troubles new wood-workers one way or another. First, there’s theproblem of reading the scales. Then, it’s hard

to get back in the groove of working with fractions. Many try to solve the problem byobsessing over measurements. A better solu-tion is to avoid measuring whenever possibleby using tick strips (see the photo below).

That’s not to say you throw out your tapemeasure and rulers. You need them, butremember that it’s all relative. You’ll get yourbest results when you attend not to the perfec-tion of each part but to the sum of the parts.

What to buyThe first tool you’ll need is a compact tapemeasure, no longer than about 16'. Pick onewith a simple scale that works for you—oneswith big numbers for reading without glasses,left-handed tapes, or ones with the fractionsclearly labeled.

Tapes are not good for measuring shortdistances, so you’ll also need a 12" metal cabi-netmaker’s ruler. Get one that reads right to

� Use only one tape measure or ruler for a

project—they differ.

� Don’t try to remember fractions. Write them

down.

� Label each mark on a tick strip to ensure it’s

oriented properly when laying out.

WATCH OUT

BBeetttteerr tthhaann aa rruulleerr.. AA ttiicckk ssttrriipp ssttoorreess mmeeaassuurree--mmeennttss wwiitthhoouutt hhaavviinngg ttoo rreeaadd aa ttaappee oorr ddeecciipphheerrffrraaccttiioonnss.. MMaarrkk tthhee ssttrriipp wwiitthh tthhee llooccaattiioonn ooff tthheeggrroooovvee.. MMoovvee tthhee ttiicckk ssttrriipp ttoo tthhee ootthheerr bbooaarrdd,,aalliiggnn tthhee rreeffeerreennccee mmaarrkk,, aanndd ttrraannssffeerr tthhee llooccaattiioonn..

Page 22: Your First Workshop

Measuring and Marking Tools 17

Measure Twice, Cut Once

W ithout reliable measurements, project parts won’t fit together.A few simple tools are all that is required.

left on one side and left to right on the other,preferably with 8ths and 16ths on one edge,32nds and 64ths on the other.

A stiff, inexpensive metal ruler 36" or 48"in length can double as a straightedge forchecking the flatness of glued panels andplaned surfaces. You’ll also use a 7" Speed®Square for laying out perpendicular and 45°lines, squaring corners, measuring, and more.

Poor marking habits can make good meas-urements bad. A sharp #2 pencil makes a markthat’s bold but not too thick. Learn to sharpenit with a pocket knife or keep a small sharp-ener in your pocket. For rough layouts to deter-mine the best use of your lumber, use a lumbercrayon in a color that contrasts with the wood.

1122"" CCaabbiinneettmmaakkeerr’’ss rruulleerr

WWooooddeenn ttiicckk ssttrriipp

4488"" SSttrraaiigghhtteeddggee//rruulleerr

LLaabbeelleedd ttiicckk mmaarrkkssSSqquuaarree eenndd

CCoommppaacctt ttaappee mmeeaassuurree

LLuummbbeerr ccrraayyoonn

SShhaarrpp ##22 ppeenncciill

77"" SSppeeeedd SSqquuaarree

Page 23: Your First Workshop

18 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

RReemmoovvee ssaaww mmaarrkkss aanndd lleevveell eeddggeess aafftteerr gglluuiinngg..

� FFLLAA TTTTEENN AANNDD SSMMOOOOTTHH

WWHHAA TT EEDDGGEE TTOOOOLLSS CCAANN DDOO

Edge Tools

Planing is one of my favorite thingsabout working with wood. There’s noth-ing as pleasant as the gentle, rhythmic

exercise of guiding a plane over a board, thetearing-silk sound of a sharp blade on wood,the shimmering grain revealed, and the fra-grant shavings spiraling to the floor. It’s adefining act of woodworking, and knowinghow to do it well is a fundamental skill.

A well-tuned plane can remove shavingsas thin as four ten-thousandths of an inch.With such control, it’s easy to get joints thatfit perfectly, something you’d be hard pressedto do by setting up a powerful machine bytrial and error. A plane can flatten a panel,profile an edge, and smooth a rough boarduntil it feels like polished glass.

You’ll also need to know how to use achisel, no matter how many machines you endup with. Use it for chopping out waste wood inlap joints or dovetails, or to pare tissue-paper-thin shavings to fit a joint. When you know

how to wield a chisel, you’ll have the ability tojoin or shape wood any way you want.

Learning to use planes and chisels is alot like learning to putt or play the piano. It’sa physical skill that takes practice to master.No new golfer expects to be an expert putterwithout putting in some practice time. It’s thesame with mastering planes and chisels.Spend some time practicing.

RRoouunnddiinngg oorr cchhaammffeerriinngg ccaann bbee ddoonnee bbyy hhaanndd..

� PPRROOFFIILLEE EEDDGGEESS

� If you drop your plane, check the edges for

dings and file them out so they won’t scratch

the surfaces you plane.

� A plane laid on its side is exposed to bumps,

dings, and stray hands—better to gently set it

blade down on a slip of wood.

� It’s deceptively easy to cut yourself on a sharp

tool—always know where the cutting edge is

in relation to your hands.

WATCH OUT

Page 24: Your First Workshop

Edge Tools 19

RReemmoovvee wwaassttee wwiitthh cchhiisseell aanndd mmaalllleett..

� PPAARREE FFIINNEE SSHHAAVVIINNGGSS � CCHHOOPP

RReemmoovvee ttiissssuuee--tthhiinn sslliicceess ffoorr wweellll--ffiitttteedd jjooiinnttss..

Block Plane and Butt Chisels

Asmall, one-handed block plane should be your first edge-tool purchase, and then a set of carpenter’s butt chisels. Add a jig

to hold your blades steady when honing, and you’re ready to get to work (see the sidebar on p. 21).

LLOOWW--AANNGGLLEE BBLLOOCCKK PPLLAANNEE

LLeevveerr ccaapp aaddjjuusstteerr

BBllaaddee llaatteerraall aaddjjuusstteerr

BBllaaddee sseett bbeevveell uupp

BBllaaddee ddeepptthh aaddjjuusstteerr

CCAARRPPEENNTTEERR’’SSBBUUTTTT CCHHIISSEELLSS

MMoouutthh aaddjjuusstteerr

FFllaatt aanndd ssmmooootthh bbaacckk

HHoonneedd bbeevveell

Page 25: Your First Workshop

20 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

Before you can get anywhere with youredge-tool practice, you’ll need to know how tosharpen. You’ll never learn proper tool use orform with a dull tool—it fights you at everyturn. Keep your tools sharp, and you’ll be surprised at how quickly you become good atwoodworking.

How often should you sharpen your edgetools? It depends on the job at hand, but thebest indicator is your grumpiness level. Whenthe tool is sharp, the work is satisfying andfun. A dull tool requires more effort, and it’snot as easy to control. You’ll start makingmistakes, and wood that planed easily will

begin to tear out. When you start thinkingthis isn’t fun anymore, it’s time to sharpen(usually after about 15 minutes of continuouswork). Better yet, touch up the blade beforeyou get grumpy.

What to buyYour first plane should be a low-angle blockplane with an adjustable mouth, readilyavailable at hardware stores and home cen-ters. These are the easiest to set up andmaintain, and they are more versatile thantheir simpler cousins. You can open themouth, or gap between the blade and the soleof the plane, to accommodate thick chips forrough work or close it down for fine shavings.Be sure to get a plane with a lateral adjusterso you can keep the blade parallel to the sole.

Start with a few carpenter’s butt chisels.They’re shorter and beefier than cabinet-maker’s chisels and designed for hitting witha hammer. It makes sense to buy your firstchisels as a set. Make sure that whatever youbuy has at least 3⁄8", 1⁄2", and 3⁄4" chisels. Roundout your set with the widest chisel you canget—11⁄2" or even 2".

You’ll need a honing jig for holding theblade steady at the correct angle whensharpening. Which jig you get at this point isnot as crucial as simply choosing one andusing it as directed (see “Sharpening” on thefacing page).

The best sharpening abrasive for begin-ning woodworkers is fine-grit wet or drysandpaper glued to a piece of glass. Buy thesandpaper at an automotive-paint supplyhouse in a range of grits—220, 320, 600,1,000, 1,500, and 2,000. You can find sprayadhesive at art supply stores.

SShhaarrpp ttoooollss mmaakkee yyoouu aa bbeetttteerr wwooooddwwoorrkkeerr..SShhaarrppeenn aafftteerr aabboouutt 1155 mmiinnuutteess ooff ccoonnttiinnuuoouuss uussee,, oorr wwhheenn iitt’’ss nnoo lloonnggeerr ffuunn..

Page 26: Your First Workshop

Sharp tools make woodworking almost effort-

less, and sharpening is a task you must

learn. The first step is to flatten the back of the

plane or chisel blade. Lay the blade back-side

down on the coarsest sandpaper in your sharpen-

ing kit (see the photo at top right), and move it

back and forth until the whole surface is uni-

formly dull. Don’t be surprised if this takes more

than half an hour. Progress through your sandpa-

pers from coarse to fine, spending three or four

minutes on each until the blade’s surface is shiny.

Then put the blade in your sharpening jig set

to 30˚ and focus on the bevel, running it back

and forth over your second-finest grit for about

a minute (see the photo at center right). Once you

can feel a little burr across the full width on the

back side of the blade, go to your finest grit and

hone for a minute or so. Finally, remove the burr

by working the back a few times over the finest

grit of sandpaper.

Check the edge by holding the blade lightly

in one hand and letting it touch the thumbnail

on the other hand. A sharp edge will catch on the

nail. A dull one will skate over the surface.

SHARPENING

Edge Tools 21

SShhaarrppeenniinngg jjiigg

AA ggoooodd jjiiggggiivveess aa sshhaarrppeeddggee eevveerryyttiimmee..

YYoouu nneeeedd oonnllyyhhoonnee tthhee vveerryyttiipp ooff tthhee bbeevveell..

Page 27: Your First Workshop

22 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

Hammers and Screwdrivers

There’s a tongue-in-cheek saying amongcarpenters and do-it-yourselfers that ifthe parts don’t fit, get a bigger hammer.

This is true in many situations, but not inwoodworking, where finesse is the name ofthe game and the hammers are light. Insteadof pounding and pulling nails, woodworkersuse hammers for setting small nails, tappingfine joinery into alignment, and driving achisel to remove excess wood.

Woodworkers use different screwdrivers,too. The familiar mechanic’s screwdriverblade widens above the tip, while the cabinet-maker’s driver is the same width from the tipwell up the handle. Also, the tip on a wood-worker’s screwdriver is ground for a tight fitto prevent damage. What to buy

Start your hammer collection with a lightclaw hammer meant for finish and trim work.Your second choice should be a small, lightWarrington hammer with a cross peen forworking inside a case or starting brads (seethe photo at left). When you need more force,reach for a dead-blow hammer. Its head ishalf-filled with shot and oil so that the ham-mer doesn’t bounce after the blow, and its softcoating prevents denting. For chiseling outwaste, a well-balanced Japanese hammerweighing about 14 oz. works well. The slightlyrounded face works for driving nails, and theflat face is for striking chisels.

� Striking something with a hammer can make

small pieces fly. Protect your eyes.

� Don’t use a hammer with a loose head. Soak

it until the wood swells and the head is tight

on the handle again.

� Don’t use cabinetmaker’s screwdrivers

around electricity—they won’t protect you

from a shock.

� While you may need to tap a screwdriver to

loosen a screw, screwdrivers are not designed

for other operations that require striking.

WATCH OUT

SSeettttiinngg bbrraaddss.. UUssiinngg tthhee ccrroossss ppeeeenn oonn aaWWaarrrriinnggttoonn hhaammmmeerr,, yyoouu ccaann sseett eevveenn ttiinnyy bbrraaddsswwiitthhoouutt hhuurrttiinngg yyoouurr ffiinnggeerrss.. IItt’’ss tthhee iiddeeaall bbeenncchhhhaammmmeerr..

Page 28: Your First Workshop

Hammers and Screwdrivers 23

Hammers for Woodworkers

Finesse is the key to woodworking, and heavy carpenter’shammers aren’t necessary. Start your collection with a few

light hammers, each suited to a specific purpose.

CCrroossss ppeeeennssttaarrttss bbrraaddss..

LLiigghhtt wweeiigghhtt——aabboouutt 1100 oozz..oorr lleessss

FFllaatt ffaaccee ffoorr ssttrriikkiinngg cchhiisseellss

PPoolliisshheedd ffaaccee ffoorr ttaappppiinngg wwooooddwwiitthhoouutt mmaarrrriinngg

PPoolliisshheedd ffaaccee sslliigghhttllyy bbeelllleedd

CCllaawwss ffoorr ppuulllliinngg nnaaiillss

BBeelllleedd ffaaccee ffoorr nnaaiilliinngg

WWAARRRRIINNGGTTOONNHHAAMMMMEERR

JJAAPPAANNEESSEEHHAAMMMMEERR

FFIINNIISSHHIINNGGOORR TTRRIIMMCCLLAAWWHHAAMMMMEERR

WWeeiigghhtt aabboouutt 1133 oozz..

WWeeiigghhtt aabboouutt 1144 oozz..oorr mmoorree

DDEEAADD--BBLLOOWW HHAAMMMMEERR

SSoofftt,, rruubbbbeerryyccooaattiinngg

WWeeiigghhtt aabboouutt 1144 oozz..oorr lleessss

Page 29: Your First Workshop

Screwdrivers for Woodworkers

You’ll need mechanic’s, cabinetmaker’s, and Phillips screwdrivers in a range of sizes.Also keep on hand a good ratcheting driver with a wide selection of bits.

RRAATTCCHHEETTIINNGGSSCCRREEWWDDRRIIVVEERR

SSTTUUBBBBYYMMEECCHHAANNIICC’’SSSSCCRREEWWDDRRIIVVEERRffoorr ttiigghhttppllaacceess

BBllaaddee ssaammee wwiiddtthhaalloonngg iittss lleennggtthh

TTiipp ggrroouunnddttoo ffiitt sslloott

DDuurraabbllee,,llaarrggee--ddiiaammeetteerrppllaassttiicc hhaannddllee

PPHHIILLLLIIPPSSSSCCRREEWWDDRRIIVVEERR

BBllaaddee wwiiddeennss aabboovvee ttiipp..

FFllaatt sseeccttiioonn ffoorraaddjjuussttaabbllee wwrreenncchh

HHeexx bboollsstteerrffoorr wwrreenncchh

CCAABBIINNEETTMMAAKKEERR’’SSSSCCRREEWWDDRRIIVVEERR

CCoommffoorrttaabblleeoovvaall hhaannddllee

LLAARRGGEEMMEECCHHAANNIICC’’SSSSCCRREEWWDDRRIIVVEERR

BBiittss ccaarrrriieeddiinn hhaannddllee

24 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

Page 30: Your First Workshop

You have two choices: A mechanic’s screwdriver or a cabinetmaker’s. Themechanic’s screwdriver is the most familiarsince it’s cheaper to manufacture. The bladewidens above the tip, and then tapers back tothe shank diameter. Mechanic’s drivers workwell when the screw is set flush with the sur-face, but it’s common practice in fine wood-working to drive screws below the surfaceand hide the head with a neat wooden plug.Because it’s wider at the tip, the mechanic’sscrewdriver tears up the plug hole, ruiningthe tight fit and clean look. A cabinetmaker’sscrewdriver is the same diameter from tip towell up the shaft and never touches the sur-rounding wood. In addition, the tips of cabi-netmaker’s screwdrivers are carefully groundto fit the slot exactly.

Buy a set of proper cabinetmaker’s screw-drivers. At the minimum, you’ll need a #4, #6,#8, and #10. It’s also worth getting a set ofmechanic’s drivers for rough work, includinga stubby one for tight situations. You’ll alsoneed Phillips screwdrivers in the #2 and #3size; #1 is less common but welcome if partof the set.

Hammers and Screwdrivers 25

AApppprrooaacchh iiss kkeeyy.. DDrriivviinngg aa ssccrreeww wwiitthhoouutt ddaammaagg--iinngg tthhee hheeaadd rreeqquuiirreess ddoowwnnwwaarrdd aanndd rroottaattiinnggffoorrcceess.. LLeeaann oovveerr aanndd ggeett yyoouurr bbooddyy iinnttoo iitt.. YYoouuccaann ppuusshh hhaarrddeerr aanndd hhaavvee mmoorree ccoonnttrrooll iiff yyoouurreellbbooww iiss bbeehhiinndd tthhee ssccrreewwddrriivveerr..

CChhoooossee tthhee rriigghhtt ssiizzee ssccrreewwddrriivveerr.. TThhee ssccrreeww oonntthhee lleefftt wwaass ddrriivveenn wwiitthh aa ttiipp llaarrggeerr tthhaann tthhee sslloott,,lleeaavviinngg wwoooodd ttoorrnn aanndd rraaggggeedd.. TThhee sslloott oonn tthhee ffaarrrriigghhtt wwaass cchheewweedd uupp bbyy aa bbllaaddee tthhaatt wwaass ttoooo nnaarr--rrooww.. TThhee ssccrreeww iinn tthhee mmiiddddllee wwaass ddrriivveenn wwiitthh tthheepprrooppeerr ttiipp..

AAsssseemmbblliinngg ppaarrttss.. AA ddeeaadd--bbllooww mmaalllleett ccoommbbiinneesswweeiigghhtt aanndd aa ssoofftt ffaaccee.. IItt’’ss tthhee bbeesstt hhaammmmeerr ffoorrccooaaxxiinngg wwooooddeenn ppaarrttss iinnttoo ppllaaccee..

Page 31: Your First Workshop

26 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

Circular Saw

Properly handled, a circular saw can dothe straight-line cutting jobs associatedwith chop saws and tablesaws, and with

the right jigs and setups, you can do thesejobs nearly as accurately. A good circular sawwill take you a long way in woodworking, andeven when you step up to stationary tools,you’ll still use your circular saw for jobs likepreparing rough boards for milling and cut-ting sheet goods.

What to buyYour first circular saw should be a sidewinderwith a 71/4"-diameter blade. It will cut boardsup to 21/4" thick, but at about 10 lbs. it’s nottoo heavy for most people. It’s the mostwidely used circular saw, so you’ll find a vari-ety of blades and accessories readily available.

Until your tool collection grows to sta-tionary power tools, you’ll be asking a greatdeal of this saw. You’ll want a corded saw’s

full power for cutting hardwoods, not to men-tion avoiding the hassle of running out ofjuice in the middle of a cut. Later, you can geta smaller battery-powered saw for conven-ience in light-duty applications.

� The best way to support a long or awkward

workpiece for cutting is on a piece of foam

insulation board.

� Don’t allow freehand cuts to wobble or the

saw will kick back.

� The saw tears out on the top of the cut, so

put “good” side down.

� Make sure the blade guard swings back in

place before putting the saw down.

� Set blade depth only 1⁄8" to 1⁄4" deeper than the

thickness of the wood to reduce the chance of

kickback.

� Don’t pull backward on a running saw.

WATCH OUT

CCuutt aaccrroossss tthhee wwiiddtthh ooff aa bbooaarrddffrreeeehhaanndd..

CCuutt aalloonngg tthhee lleennggtthh ooff aa bbooaarrdd.. PPiivvoott tthhee ssaaww ffoorr aanngglleedd ccuuttss..

� RRIIPP � CCRROOSSSSCCUUTT � BBEEVVEELL

WWHHAA TT AA CCIIRRCCUULLAARR SSAAWW CCAANN DDOO

Page 32: Your First Workshop

Circular Saw 27

71⁄4" Sidewinder Circular Saw

This size and type of saw is the mostly commonly used,so accessories and blades are easy to find.

LLoowweerr tthhee bbllaaddee iinnttoo tthhee cceenntteerrooff aa bbooaarrdd..

� PPLLUUNNGGEE

PPoowweerr ccoorrdd

HHaannddllee

BBeevveellaaddjjuussttmmeenntt

GGrriipp

DDeepptthh ssccaallee

DDeepptthh aaddjjuussttmmeennttlleevveerr ((nnoott sseeeenn iinntthhiiss vviieeww))

NNoottcchh ffoorr ssiigghhttiinnggssttrraaiigghhtt ccuuttss

SSttiiffff,, ssttuurrddyy ssoolleeBBllaaddee gguuaarrdd rroottaatteess oouuttooff tthhee wwaayy dduurriinngg tthhee ccuutt..

BBllaaddee gguuaarrddrreelleeaassee lleevveerr

DDuusstt ppoorrtt ccaannbbee hhooookkeedd uupp ttooaa vvaaccuuuumm..

TTrriiggggeerrMMoottoorr mmoouunntteeddooppppoossiittee tthhee bbllaaddeeggiivveess tthhee ssaaww iittssnnaammee..

The sole needs to be strong, straight, andflat. When comparing soles, think about howeach one will stand up to being dropped orbanged around.

Since you’ll adjust the depth of cut fre-quently, choose a lock/unlock mechanism thatis easy to operate, and look for a scale that isclear and readable.

Blade-right is the old standard, butblade-left models provide better visibility forright-handers.

Page 33: Your First Workshop

Blades for Cutting Wood

To get the best performance from your circular saw, get a quality bladesuited to the job at hand.

RRIIPPPPIINNGG((1166 ttoo 2200 tteeeetthh))..FFeewweerr tteeeetthh mmeeaannssqquuiicckk cclleeaarriinngg ooffcchhiippss aanndd lleessss hheeaattbbuuiilldduupp..

PPLLYYWWOOOODD((9900++ tteeeetthh)).. MMaannyytteeeetthh rreedduuccee cchhiipp--oouutt ooff vveenneeeerreeddssuurrffaacceess..

CCRROOSSSSCCUUTT((3366 ttoo 4400 tteeeetthh))..MMoorree tteeeetthh lleeaavvee aassmmooootthheerr ffiinniisshh oonnccrroossssccuuttss..

CCOOMMBBIINNAATTIIOONN((1188 ttoo 2244 tteeeetthh))..AAllll--ppuurrppoossee uusseeiinncclluuddeess rriippppiinnggaanndd ccrroossssccuuttttiinngg..

FFRRAAMMIINNGG((1188 ttoo 2244 tteeeetthh))..FFeewweerr,, bbuutt mmoorreessppeecciiaallllyy sshhaappeeddtteeeetthh qquuiicckkllyy ccuuttccoonnssttrruuccttiioonn lluummbbeerr..

Page 34: Your First Workshop

Circular Saw 29

GGUUIIDDIINNGG TTHHEE CCIIRRCCUULLAARR SSAAWW

SSQQUUAARREE OORR PPRROOTTRRAA CCTT OORR

A large square with a lip held firmlyagainst the edge of the workpiece canguide short crosscuts in solid wood orsheet goods.

RRII PP FFEENNCCEE

Ideal for ripping from fairly narrow boards,a rip fence or edge guide uses the edge ofthe board to make a parallel cut. Set it oneither side of the sole and run the saw onthe wider piece for stability.

SSTTRRAAIIGGHHTTEEDDGGEE FFEENNCCEE

Commercial straightedges can be used forcutting sheet goods, ripping, wide cross-cuts, and plunge cuts—just about any typeof straight cut. Get a commercially-madealuminum fence like this one, or build yourown from plywood and Masonite.

CCIIRRCCUULLAARR SSAAWW MMIITTEERR JJIIGG

While it excels at cutting 45° miters, thismiter box can also guide 90° crosscuts and compound angles. The saw runs on atrack while you hold the workpiece at thedesired angle.

Page 35: Your First Workshop

30 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

SSqquuaarree uupp aa ffrraammee wwiitthh pprrooppeerrccllaammppiinngg..

CCllaammppss hhoolldd ppaarrttss aanndd ttoooollsssstteeaaddyy..

PPaanneell ccllaammppss hheellpp kkeeeepp gglluuee--uuppss ffllaatt..

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Clamps

Here’s a tip that will profoundly affectyour woodworking life: Learn to useclamps. Most new woodworkers think

clamps are just for holding stuff togetherwhile glue dries, but clamps are much morethan that. They should be your main methodfor stabilizing your work. To prevent mis-aligned joinery, boards shifting as you work onthem, and miscellaneous damage from drop-ping or bumping your work, use clamps.

What to buyYou’ll need a varied clamp collection to meetcommon shop clamping situations. C-clampsare simple, strong, and inexpensive, and theywork well in tight spots. Longer bar clampsare fast, versatile, and good for jobs requiringmany clamps. Pipe clamps are indispensablewhen you need clamping power over longlengths. If your budget allows, you can sup-plement them with aluminum panel clamps

for easy use in light-duty situations. Forquick work that doesn’t require extremestrength, Quick-Grip® clamps can serve as aconvenient extra hand. And though hand-screws require two hands to tighten, they aregreat for holding work that isn’t parallel andare just about the only clamps you can clampdown to the bench.

� Use scrap wood between the clamp and the

work to prevent dents.

� Test all your clamping setups with a dry run

before you spread the glue.

� Use at least two clamps in every setup—one

merely acts as a pivot.

� Gluing a panel requires at least five clamps:

three on the bottom, two on top.

� When laminating, use clamps every 3" to 6".

WATCH OUT

Page 36: Your First Workshop

Clamps 31

Basic Clamps

S tart your clamp collection with a few well-chosen types that will servemost purposes and plan to buy more as needed for specific jobs.

Having a few of each type is a good start.

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When buying clamps, look closely at thegrip and the threads. A small grip is difficultto turn under high clamping loads and maynot achieve adequate pressure. Look for alarge, comfortable handle and wide, flat-looking Acme threads, which are easier towind and unwind. No matter how manyclamps you buy, you’ll still have jobs that use every one you own.

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Page 37: Your First Workshop

32 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

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Sanders and Shapers

When joints don’t line up the way theyshould, new woodworkers often graba sander and lean into the high spot.

Peering through the resulting dust cloud, itmay seem that things are getting better, butthey probably aren’t. Sure, the transition atthe joint is smooth, but it’s not flat—it sits ina hollow dug by the sander. A shiny finishwill magnify the flaw.

It’s a classic problem that occurs whensanding by hand or machine. You can’t get a flat surface when sanding. Sanding is forsmoothing surfaces that have already beenplaned flat and for preserving that flatnessby using diligence and the proper technique.

The first tenet of careful sanding tells us to keep flatness in mind. If you’re workingon a flat surface, keep it that way. Start byapplying only light pressure using a coarseabrasive (80 grit or 100 grit for hardwoods,120 grit for softwoods) on a stiff pad orblock—cork or felt blocks are the traditional

favorites, but rubber works well, too. Don’tlinger in any one spot and work the entiresurface until it’s uniformly scratched. If thesurface isn’t flat and you have to remove highspots, keep a random motion until the highspot is level to the rest of the surface.

The second tenet of careful sanding saysthat smoothness is best accomplished by pro-gressing from coarse to fine grits, carefullycleaning the surface to remove the previous

� Don’t push down on a random-orbit sander. Its

own weight is enough.

� Keep the sander flat on the surface. Tilting on

the sander destroys flatness.

� Step through sandpaper grits from coarsest to

finest (to 220# for finishing).

� After machine sanding with your finest grit,

touch up with hand sanding.

WATCH OUT

Page 38: Your First Workshop

Sanders and Shapers 33

grit before progressing. If you’re using amachine, cover the entire surface equally andfinish.off with a few minutes of hand sandingin the grain direction using your finest gritand a block. Sand edges by hand only—sand-ing an edge with a machine is guaranteed toround it over randomly, marring the crisp linefor good.

What to buyFor machine sanding, get a random-orbitsander. The Spirograph® swirl of the sandingdisk results from two separate motions—thepad spins in a circle on an eccentric shaftwhile an offset weight spins a slow elliptical

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Page 39: Your First Workshop

34 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

Sanding and Shaping Tools

For efficient machine sanding, use a random-orbit sander. You’ll alsoneed hand-sanding blocks and a rasp for fast contouring. Use a file

to smooth surfaces after rasping, but before sanding.

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FFiillee--cclleeaanniinnggccaarrdd

FFeelltt bblloocckk bbaacckkssssaannddppaappeerr

PPrrooffiilleedd rruubbbbeerrssaannddiinngg bblloocckk

Page 40: Your First Workshop

Sanders and Shapers 35

orbit. The action isn’t truly random, but if youkeep the sander moving, it amounts to thesame thing. That means two importantadvantages over other sanders: It leaves fewscratches behind, even when sanding againstthe grain; and it cuts aggressively withoutbeing hard to control.

Sanders with 5"- or 6"-diameter pads sandequally well. The smaller sander is handyinside cabinets and other confined spaces.The bigger sander is a two-handed machine,more comfortable for big jobs. Whichever youchoose, look for a variable-speed machinewith hook and loop pads, because they can bereused. A dust-collection port is preferable toa dust bag, and a dust hood—a close-fitting,flexible rubber hood between the sander andthe surface—helps prevent airborne dust.Also look for a machine that has a pad damp-ener to slow the motor when it’s not actuallysanding. With it, you can lift a runningsander to check the surface and replace itwithout gouging the wood.

Choosing and using a raspA rasp is an interesting shaping tool thatexcels at shaping contours and flatteningsmall areas. It’s similar to a file, but designedfor cutting wood instead of metal. The bestrasps have irregular rows of sharp little teeththat cut quickly and smoothly. You’ll use arasp for jobs like rounding corners, shapingend grain, fitting tight joints, and shapingcurves.

A trip to a hardware store or home centercould turn up five or six different rasps, all of them too coarse for fine woodworking. Theonly rasp worth buying is a patternmaker’srasp such as the Nicholson® #50. With itsclose, fine teeth, it’s easy to control. Rasps areusually sold without handles; pick up athreaded handle you can reuse.

Even a fine-toothed rasp leaves somepretty rough tooth marks. You can smooththem with sandpaper, but you’ll get betterresults if you use a smooth cut mill file first.Though it’s really a metalworking tool, itworks well on wood.

You’ll also want to use the mill file onmetal—notably for smoothing the edges ofplanes and preparing scrapers.

Keep your files and rasps clean with atwo-sided brush called a file card. It hasaggressive metal bristles on one side, andsofter nylon ones on the other.

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Page 41: Your First Workshop

36 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

Shop Vacuum

You need a shop vacuum early on to keepyour shop clean and to control dust atits source.

Look for a moderate-size shop vacuumwith two-stage filtering, where the large par-ticles drop into a tank while the air exhauststhrough a separate cartridge filter. Choose avacuum that lets you add a bag or prefilterbetween the two. Fitted paper bags neatlydispose waste. A reusable cloth bag or pre-filter is less expensive, but emptying thewaste puts dust back into the air.

You’ll find shop vacuums at two pricepoints—around $100, and $200 and over. Thesuction power is similar; the difference is inthe features. Less costly vacuums often haveno way to anchor the 21⁄4"-diameter hose to the

intake port, so you can’t lead the vac aroundby the hose. The motor is also on the top, mak-ing the machine both tippy and noisy—around80db to 90db (wear hearing protection).

For the higher price, you’ll get a muchquieter machine (57db to 62db). A side-mounted motor provides more stability, andthe hose locks into the machine. The priciermachines are designed for both general cleaning and as a dust-extraction system for portable power tools. The hose on thesevacuums is often longer and more efficient for dust extraction, but at 1" to 11⁄4" in diameter, it can be prone to clogging.For better performance when cleaning, getthe optional larger diameter hose.

A tidy shop is not a moral issue. It simply promotes

clear thinking and reduces mistakes and acci-

dents. Keep a soft-bristle bench brush handy to

sweep shavings off the benchtop.

Keep the floor around your work

area uncluttered and sweep

up with a soft-bristled

upright broom.

Remember that

sweeping raises

dust, so wear a dust

mask. A really big dustpan

can double as a scoop for pick-

ing up shavings and chips, and it stays

put so you can sweep directly into it.

BRUSHES AND BROOMS

Page 42: Your First Workshop

Shop Vacuum 37

Shop Vacuum

Until you’re ready for a dust collector, you’ll beusing your shop vacuum for both cleanup and

dust extraction.

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Page 43: Your First Workshop

38 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

Safety Gear

Hazards abound in a woodworking shop,from the obvious to the insidious.To stay safe and healthy, you must pay

attention. As a teacher of mine used to say,“Eternal vigilance is the price of safety.”

Your overall attitude has a profoundeffect on safety. Make up your mind to liveyour shop life at a slower pace and enjoy theprocess. If you’re tired or sick, take a break or do simple maintenance. Take the time tokeep a clean shop, and wear safety equipmentwhenever a hazard is present.

EyesWith all the dust, chips, and splinters thatmachine woodworking sends flying, it’s not

surprising that woodworkers account forthousands of eye injuries each year. Nearlyall could have been prevented had the wood-workers worn protective lenses.

Find something that fits right and looksgood so there’s no excuse not to wear it. Lookfor polycarbonate lenses that meet the ANSIZ87.140 specification (it’s displayed on thepackaging). If you wear prescription eye-glasses, their lenses probably aren’t designedto withstand much frontal impact, and theydon’t have side shields. You can clip on sideshields or buy goggles to fit over your glasses,but the safest solution is to visit your opticianfor proper prescription safety glasses.

EarsNoise damage to your hearing is cumulativeand irreversible; woodworking machinery isnoisy enough to cause damage. Ergo, youneed hearing protection. For intermittent use,earmuffs are your best choice. For long-termuse, foam plugs are more comfortable andoffer more protection. For the best protection,wear both.

Respiratory systemThe dust in shop air is the thing most likelyto cause health problems. Woodworkers com-monly suffer from asthma, sinusitis, bronchitis,and shortness of breath, and they are morelikely to contract a rare form of nasal cancer.

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Page 44: Your First Workshop

Safety Gear 39

Personal Safety Equipment

Working smart and keeping a tidy shop go a long waytoward keeping a workplace safe, but some accidents

are beyond your control. Guard against surprises bykeeping and using all the proper safety gear.

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Page 45: Your First Workshop

40 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

It doesn’t take much dust to cause problems.The American Conference of GovernmentalIndustrial Hygienists recommends that work-ers be exposed to no more than a teaspoon ofdust in a two-car garage.

The dust you can see in your shop is onlypart of the problem. The most troublesomedust is the particles that are smaller than10 microns, and they’re invisible to the nakedeye. They bypass most of the body’s defenses

and can enter directly into the sinuses andlungs. They also remain in the air for hours,so be sure to keep your mask on even afterthe air seems clear.

Disposable masks are fine for dealingwith this dust, but be sure to get one labeledfor wood dust. You’ll get a better fit if it hastwo bands around the head and a metal stripover the bridge of the nose. Pinch the metalclose to your nose to prevent your glassesfrom fogging.

HandsYour hands are subject to a variety of dangerswhen woodworking—sharp tools, splinters,vibration, chemicals, and dirt. Protect themwith the right gloves for the job. You’ll need afew different kinds:

Leather: These all-purpose gloves protectagainst splinters and blistering. Cowhide ischeaper, deerskin more supple.

High-tech cloth: With spandex backs and Kevlar® stress points, these lightweightgloves provide comfort and dexterity for justabout any job.

Coated cotton: Close fitting and com-fortable, these gloves are good for handlingsheet goods and surfaced lumber.

Vinyl: Vinyl gloves are readily availableand inexpensive, but they tear easily andoffer little protection against most solvents.

Latex: These gloves are disposable forworking with epoxies, glues, and water-baseddye finishes, but they don’t stand up well tooil-based solvents.

Nitrile: These provide the best disposableprotection from the solvents found in wood-working shops, with the exception of lacquerthinner. They offer good dexterity and moredurability, and they are nonallergenic.

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Page 46: Your First Workshop

Safety Gear 41

SHOP FIRST-AID KIT

Minor cuts, splinters, and bruises are

an everyday part of woodworking.

Keep a first-aid kit in the shop so you can

clean, treat, and cover wounds promptly.

The best starting kit is one that meets

OSHA standards for the construction indus-

try. They’re widely available from pharmacies,

industrial suppliers, and medical-supply

houses. A two- or three-shelf wall-mounted

case is convenient and large enough to

house all the necessary items. Few kits will

contain all the items below; add the miss-

ing ones yourself.

CLEANING AND DISINFECTING

Alcohol cleansing pads

Antiseptic wipes

Providone-iodine solution (Betadine®)

Triple antibiotic ointment

Burn gel or spray

Absorbent gauze compress

Fine tweezers and sterilized

needles for splinter removal

Eyewash and cup

Saline solution

Cotton swabs

BANDAGES

Assorted adhesive bandages

2" x 4" elbow and knee bandages

Assorted gauze pads

Butterfly closures

Conforming bandage, 2" and 3"

First-aid tape

Triangular bandage/sling

Self-adhesive gauze 1" (for wrapping

fingers when sanding)

Sterile eye pads

MEDICATIONS

Pain reliever (aspirin, acetaminophen)

Antihistamine tablets (Benadryl®)

OTHER

Instant cold compress

Clean plastic bags

Nonlatex exam gloves

Rehydrating eye drops (GenTeal®)

Small scissors

Krazy Glue® (for small cuts on fingers)

Page 47: Your First Workshop

You’ll have to create your first shopwherever you can, most likely in thegarage or basement. At this point,

you’re not ready to devote much space, time,or money to the project, but it’s importantthat you carve out an area dedicated to wood-working (see the floor plan on the facingpage). If getting at your bench requires muchrearranging or means you have to unfoldsome clever contraption, you’ll soon decide it’s not worth the hassle. If you can set asideeven a small place that’s just for woodwork-ing, you’ll be able to go out and work for an hour or two without going through a big production.

Set up your bench and clear some spacearound it to store your tools, materials, andworks in progress. The ideal spot has good

access for getting in materials and space for working on big projects—even if you have to shift things around occasionally. You’llalso need good ventilation and plenty of light.

Wherever you choose, command thatspace. Don’t make do by merely shovingthings aside or working on trash cans or onthe floor. Clear out your space and stowthings neatly. When you’re doing woodwork-ing, stop periodically and put away the toolsyou’re not using at that moment. Take thetime to use clamps, sawhorses, and otheraides rather than pretending you’ll get bywithout doing it right. Develop these habitsfrom the start, and you’ll generate fewer mistakes and have more fun—in both theshort and long runs.

42 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

The Essential Shop Space

GGAARRAAGGEESS

Good access through overhead doors. Sturdyfloors. At-grade access makes it easy tomove in machines.

May need heat or ventilation added. Mayneed additional power supply.

BBAASSEEMMEENNTTSS

Electrical service usually nearby. Warmth provided by furnace. Sturdy floor. Overheadstorage in floor joists.

Potential moisture problems. Low overheadspace. Wood dust can infiltrate the house.Below-grade access could make it difficult tomove in machinery. Close location to furnacea potential fire hazard for dust and chemicals.

PPRROOSS

CCOONNSS

GARAGES VS. BASEMENTS

Page 48: Your First Workshop

The Essential Shop Space 43

Refrigerator

Lawnmower, bikes, and garden equipment

Shelves 12"household storage

Household items Shop stuff

Hang tools and oft-used items on the wall.

Rolling tool cart 48" x 18"

Bench24" x 65"

Fluorescent lights plugged into lamp sockets

Existing outlet

Door to house

Overhead door

Post

Existing lamp

Existing lamp

Shelves 12" deep

Window

Existing outlet

Existing outlet

Existing outlet

Floor Plan, the Essential Shop

Page 49: Your First Workshop

44 T h e E s s e n t i a l S h o p

If you plan on cutting wood, you need pair of

good sawhorses to support the wood and pre-

vent the saw from binding, and to save your

bench. You can also lay down a partial sheet of

plywood and use the sawhorses as support for

an auxiliary bench for layout work or to assem-

ble your projects at a convenient height. Pull

one up to the bench for a comfortable seat, or

pile them with lumber.

There’s no best height for sawhorses.

Around 30" high is common, but you could

make them higher or lower to suit a particular

job. Wide ones are good for dealing with ply-

wood, but they take up a lot of room in the

shop—sometimes narrower ones work better.

Sawhorses are another tool for which you

shouldn’t try to make do. Use good, sturdy

horses and clamp your work when necessary.

You can buy your sawhorses ready made,

build them from a kit with 2x4s, or build a set

to suit. Remember, you never use just one saw-

horse; always build them in matched pairs.

Thousands of sawhorse designs are available; take

your pick. Just make sure they’re sturdy and that

you always use them in matched pairs. Shown here

from left to right: a shopmade sawhorse, a com-

mercial folding sawhorse with a wooden top, and a

knock-down plywood sawhorse that takes up little

space when not in use.

SAWHORSES IN THE WORKSHOP

Page 50: Your First Workshop

Electricity and LightsIf you’re lucky, your space will have somethree-prong electrical outlets nearby. If not,use extension cords and multiple-outlet surgeprotectors to get juice where you need it.They don’t have to run along the floor—cable-tie them along the wall for a neat semi-permanent solution.

Most basements and garages don’t haveenough light for woodworking, so add two orthree plug-in fluorescent lights to the over-head, as well as a drafting lamp from anoffice supply store for your bench. Powerfulhalogen lights on a stand let you direct lightwhere you need it (see the photo above).Later, you’ll find they’re invaluable for finefinishing work—angle their shine across thesurface to highlight irregularities whenapplying the finish.

StorageHang your most-used hand tools on the wallnear your bench and keep a section of nearbyshelves for boxes, buckets, and tool bags. Mostwoodworkers try many storage methods andnever settle on just one. Store your tools sothat they’re safe yet handy. The less work youhave to do to get a tool (such as unfastenlatches or remove trays), the better.

Start your woodworking life with a goodmobile cart about 3' tall, 4' long, and 18" deep.Buy it or build it, but have all four castersswivel and at least two lock so it’s easy toposition the cart where you want it and keepit there.

The Essential Shop Space 45

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Page 51: Your First Workshop
Page 52: Your First Workshop

The Basic Shop

P A R TT W O

What to Consider 4488

Router 5500

Compound Miter Saw 5566

Jigsaw 6600

Bench Planes 6622

More Chisels 6644

Sharpening Tools 6666

Measuring and Marking Tools 7700

Handsaws 7744

Scrapers 7766

Woodworker’s Bench 7788

More Clamps 8822

The Basic Shop Space 8844

Page 53: Your First Workshop

48 T h e B a s i c S h o p

A s you gain experience with the tools inyour Essential Shop, you’ll want totake on more complex projects. Maybe

you want to build a bookcase with gracefularches or a sturdy end table with mortise-and-tenon joinery. Perhaps you envision ajewel-like cabinet with dovetailed drawersand hand-carved pulls. The tools in this sec-tion make such things possible.

To the Essential Shop’s breakdown tool—the circular saw—we’ve added the miter sawfor fast and accurate crosscuts and the jigsaw

for cutting curves. With a miter saw, you cantake surfaced lumber and break it down intoworkpieces of nearly any size or shape.

Adding a router to your shop gives youthe ability to do all kinds of interestingthings to those workpieces. You can cut rab-bets, dadoes, and grooves. You can contouredges, mold interesting profiles, and createinlays and other decorative effects. With theright jigs, you can use your router to cut anarray of joints, from simple shoulder joints todovetails and mortise and tenons.

The hand tools in this section allow youto refine the machine work so joints fit betterand the finish is finer. And if you’re inclinedto put in the practice time, you can fashionthe same joints with hand tools. The tools inthis section are all you need for even the mostcomplex joints.

Hand-tool joinery requires a proper wood-worker’s bench with a vise or two and a rowof dog holes. A bench like this makes workingon complex pieces a pleasure, especially ifyou need to clamp and unclamp frequentlyto work on a subassembly or to check ajoint’s fit.

More tools need more spaceYour shop will grow to accommodate yourhigher level of woodworking skill. You’ll needmore storage space for lumber and tools andmore horizontal space to do your work. It

KKeeeepp iitt sshhaarrpp.. CCoommpplleexx pprroojjeeccttss rreeqquuiirree sshhaarrppttoooollss.. TToo ddoo yyoouurr bbeesstt wwoorrkk yyoouu’’llll nneeeedd ttoo uuppggrraaddeeyyoouurr sshhaarrppeenniinngg eeqquuiippmmeenntt aanndd uussee iitt oofftteenn..

WWhhaatt ttoo CCoonnssiiddeerr

Page 54: Your First Workshop

takes some thought to organize the growingcomplexity, but no great financial investmentto have a well-run shop.

You’ll be surprised at all you can accom-plish with these simple tools. Consider thestunningly complex and perfectly finishedfurniture of the 17th and 18th centuries(think of Louis the XIV’s palace at Versaillesand Chippendale). The lion’s share of a mas-ter cabinetmaker’s tools from that era werenothing more than customized measuring andmarking tools, planes, chisels, and handsaws.

Basic tools, yes. The results can be any-thing but.

What to Consider 49

� KKeeeepp iitt oorrggaanniizzeedd.. YYoouu’’llll nneeeedd mmoorree ssttoorraaggeeaanndd bbeenncchh ssppaaccee iinn yyoouurr sshhoopp ttoo aaccccoommmmooddaatteeyyoouurr nneeww lleevveell ooff sskkiillll..

� KKeeeepp iitt bbaassiicc.. TThheerree mmaayy bbee ffaasstteerr wwaayyss ttoo ddootthhiinnggss tthhaann bbyy uussiinngg tthhee ttoooollss iinn tthhiiss sseeccttiioonn,, bbuutttthhee rreessuulltt wwoonn’’tt nneecceessssaarriillyy bbee bbeetttteerr.. BBaassiicc ttoooollsswweellll hhaannddlleedd ccaann pprroodduuccee ssoommee vveerryy ffiinnee wwoorrkk..

Page 55: Your First Workshop

Given a little ingenuity and a good jig,you’ll find there’s not much a routercan’t do around the shop. I’ve seen

them used for everything from making dowelsand roughing out backgrounds of carvingsto profiling elegant edges and cutting intri-cate joints.

The router is a very simple tool, andtherein lies its versatility. It’s a motor turningat some 27,000 rpm connected to a bit with a tapered collet that squeezes the bit’s shankwhen a special nut is threaded tight. Thisunit locks into a handy base that keeps itupright and allows for adjusting the depth ofcut. This simple arrangement accepts a multi-tude of router bits in all shapes and sizes—from 3⁄16" straight bits to complex bits withdiameters of 11⁄2" or more.

Whole books have been written on thesubject of routers, and you should studythem. Before long, you’ll be creating routerjigs to solve your own woodworking problems.

What to buyStart out with a handy midsize router (11⁄2 hpto about 2 hp) with collets to fit bits witheither 1⁄2" or 1⁄4" shanks (see “What SizeShank?” on p. 55). For maximum versatility,

Router

� Keep your work area clean when you’re rout-

ing, especially the floor.

� Don’t be afraid to go slowly or stop moving

during a cut.

� A bearing reproduces every flaw so keep your

template edges perfect.

� Clean collets hold better (but don’t make them

slippery with oil).

� Keep your attention on the router until it stops

turning.

� Saw away most of the waste before routing, or

take multiple passes of increasing depth.

WATCH OUT

SSttrraaiigghhtteenn aa wwaavvyy eeddggee.. LLoowweerr aa ssppiinnnniinngg ccuutttteerr iinnttoo aawwoorrkkppiieeccee..

CCuutt aa ddeeccoorraattiivvee ppaatttteerrnn rraabbbbeettiinn aann eeddggee..

� PPLLUUNNGGEE� JJOOIINNTT � PPRROOFFIILLEE

WWHHAA TT AA RROOUUTTEERR CCAANN DDOO

50 T h e B a s i c S h o p

Page 56: Your First Workshop

Router 51

CCuutt aann eexxaacctt ccooppyy ooff aa tteemmppllaattee..

� CCUUTT TTEEMMPPLLAA TTEESS

CCuutt aa ggrroooovvee aaccrroossss tthhee wwiiddtthh..

AApppprrooaacchh iiss kkeeyy.. CCoonnttrrooll tthhee rroouutteerr aatt aallll ttiimmeess..DDeevveelloopp aa ssttrroonngg ssttaannccee aanndd ggeett ddoowwnn llooww eennoouugghhssoo yyoouu ccaann rreeaallllyy sseeee wwhhaatt’’ss ggooiinngg oonn..

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52 T h e B a s i c S h o p

Router with Fixed and Plunge Bases

Arouter in the 11⁄2-hp to 2-hp range is big enough to do most jobs and not toounwieldy. Be sure to get a router with interchangeable fixed and plunge bases.

An optional D-handle matched with an offset base gives a wide footprint ideal forrouting edges.

PPlluunnggee hheeiigghhtt ssttoopp——nnuuttssccoonnttrrooll hheeiigghhtt ooff bbiitt iinnffuullll uupp ppoossiittiioonn..

TTuurrrreett--ssttyyllee ddeepptthhssttoopp aalllloowwss ffoouurrddeepptthh sseettttiinnggss..

DDeepptthh ssccaallee((rreellaattiivvee ddeepptthh,,nnoott aabbssoolluuttee ddeepptthh))

TTrriiggggeerr oonn//ooffff sswwiittcchh

OOppttiioonnaall DD--hhaannddllee bbaassee

RRoouutteerr ddeepptthh aaddjjuussttmmeenntt lloocckknnuutt

OOnn//ooffff sswwiittcchh

MMoouunnttiinngg hhoolleess ffoorr eeddggee gguuiiddee((nnoott vviissiibbllee oonnootthheerr bbaasseess))

PPlluunnggee rreelleeaassee lleevveerr

HHaannddllee

RRoouutteerr mmoottoorr

CChhiipp sshhiieelldd

OOppttiioonnaall cclleeaarr ooffffsseett bbaasseeppllaatteerreeppllaacceess ssttaannddaarrdd bbaasseeppllaattee..

BBaasseeppllaattee

FFiixxeedd bbaassee

PPlluunnggee bbaassee

Page 58: Your First Workshop

Router 53

get a kit that includes interchangeable fixedand plunge bases (see “Router with Fixed andPlunge Bases” on the facing page). You’ll usethe fixed base most of the time because it’slighter and better balanced, but the plungebase lets you safely lower the router bit intothe work for routing in the middle of a work-piece. Look for a special sale on a kit thatincludes both bases—buying bases separatelyis considerably more expensive.

Your next criteria should be comfort. Finda router that feels right in your hands, one onwhich the knobs are the right size for you, theon/off switch is conveniently located, and thedepth adjustment is easy for you to operate.Check out the plunge base as well and makesure you can operate the plunge release levereasily. And take a look at the depth stop—you’ll want one that adjusts to cut at accuratedepths, without needless complexity.

Then you can consider the niceties. Aspindle lock button holds the arbor from turn-ing so you’ll need only one wrench to changebits. A soft-start motor gradually ramps up to speed, eliminating the high-torque twitchof a router going from 0 rpm to 27,000 rpm inan instant. Variable speed lets you reduce therpm when turning large-diameter bits, a feature you’ll find handy from time to time.

Beyond edgesWhen you first start using a router, you’llmostly use it for dealing with edges—straightening, profiling, or making them moreinteresting (see “Five Ways to Guide aRouter” on p. 54). These everyday tasks are agreat way to get familiar with the router, butyou’ll soon find other uses. One of my favoriterouter applications is making identical partsfrom a template. Once you have a good

VVeerrssaattiillee jjiiggss.. YYoouu ccaann ddoo aallmmoosstt aannyytthhiinngg wwiitthh aarroouutteerr aanndd tthhee rriigghhtt jjiigg.. TThhiiss oonnee rroouuttss bbootthh ppaarrttss ooffaa ddoovveettaaiill jjooiinntt aatt oonnccee.. OOnnccee iitt’’ss sseett uupp ccoorrrreeccttllyy,,yyoouu ccaann eeaassiillyy rroouutt aa kkiittcchheenn ffuullll ooff iiddeennttiiccaall ddoovvee--ttaaiilleedd ddrraawweerrss..

IInnllaaiidd ddeettaaiill.. YYoouu ccaann ccrreeaattee ppeerrffeeccttllyy ffiittttiinngg iinnllaayyssooff aannyy sshhaappee wwiitthh aa rroouutteerr,, aa tteemmppllaattee,, aanndd tthheerriigghhtt ccoollllaarrss.. TThhee iinnllaayy wwiillll ffiitt ppeerrffeeccttllyy,, wwiitthh jjuusstteennoouugghh ssppaaccee ffoorr tthhee gglluuee..

Page 59: Your First Workshop

FFIIVVEE WWAAYYSS TTOO GGUUIIDDEE AA RROOUUTTEERR

SSHHAANNKK--MMOOUUNNTTEEDD BBEEAARRIINNGG

A template secured atop the workpieceguides a bearing mounted on the bit’sshaft. If the bearing’s diameter is equal tothe bit diameter, it produces an exactcopy of the template.

TTIIPP--MMOOUUNNTTEEDD BBEEAARRIINNGG

Tip-mounted bearings usually runagainst the workpiece’s edge or against atemplate. They’re often used for moldingdecorative profiles, for cutting rabbets,or for use with templates mounted belowthe workpiece.

CCOOLLLLAARR

A collar screwed in the base plate runsagainst a template or guide, offsetting thecut from the edge. There’s some mathinvolved to position the cut correctly, butcollars offer a wider depth adjustmentrange than bits with bearings.

FFEENNCCEE

Some router baseplates feature a straightside to run along the fence. If yoursdoesn’t, put a mark on your base andkeep that point against the fence.

EEDDGGEE GGUUIIDDEE

A fence attached to the baseplate makessimple work of routing lines parallel toedges. Modify the guide for less contactsurface, and it will follow a curved edge.

54 T h e B a s i c S h o p

Page 60: Your First Workshop

Router 55

template, it’s easy to run a straight bit with abearing around the edge for perfect copies.

With the right jigs and bits, routers cansolve a multitude of problems. They can cutperfectly fitting inlays—either thin ones fordecoration or thicker ones to fill a knot holeor make a structural repair. Mounted on anarm pivoting around the center point, therouter is an accurate and secure way to cut aperfect circle. A router can cut the classicjoints of hand woodworking—the mortise andtenon and the dovetail (see the top left photoon p. 53)— and it can straighten and smoothas well.

When you set out to buy

router bits, you’ll find they

come with either a 1⁄4" or 1⁄ 2"

shank diameter. The 1⁄4" size is

fine for small bits, but use the

larger shank diameter whenever

you have a choice. It’ll give a

cleaner cut because it runs with

less vibration, and it’s less likely

to bend or break under load.

Although they’re offered for sale in

some places, avoid 1⁄4" shank bits

with outside diameters of more

than 11⁄ 2". The shank is too thin

for best performance.

AA cchhooiiccee ooff ccoolllleettss.. MMoosstt rroouutteerrss hhaavvee iinntteerrcchhaannggeeaabbllee ccoolllleettss ttoo rruunnbbiittss wwiitthh eeiitthheerr 11 ⁄⁄ 22""-- oorr 11 ⁄⁄44""--ddiiaammeetteerrsshhaannkkss..

WHAT SIZE SHANK?

PPeerrffeecctt cciirrcclleess eevveerryy ttiimmee.. TThhee rroouutteerr iiss aa ggrreeaattwwaayy ttoo ccuutt cciirrcclleess.. FFoorr ppeerrffeecctt aarrccss,, mmoouunntt iitt oonn aalloonngg aarrmm aanndd ppiivvoott iitt aarroouunndd aa nnaaiill oorr ssccrreeww..

11⁄⁄22"" sshhaannkk bbiitt11⁄⁄44"" sshhaannkk bbiitt

11⁄⁄44"" ccoolllleett sseeeennffrroomm bbeellooww

11⁄⁄22"" ccoolllleett sseeeennffrroomm bbeellooww

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56 T h e B a s i c S h o p

CCuutt ssttrraaiigghhtt ddoowwnn aaccrroossss tthhee ggrraaiinn.. CCrroossssccuutt wwiiddeerr bbooaarrddss bbyy sslliiddiinngg tthhee bbllaaddee oouutt,,tthheenn ddoowwnn,, tthheenn bbaacckk..

� CCRROOSSSSCCUUTTSS � SSLLIIDDIINNGG CCUUTTSS

WWHHAA TT AA MMIITTEERR SSAAWW CCAANN DDOO

Compound Miter Saw

Amiter saw is a specialized tool for dealing with crosscuts, which is nosmall matter in woodworking. Fine

work and well-fitting joints are impossiblewithout smooth ends cut at the correct angle.A miter saw does this quickly and withrelentless accuracy.

The blade on a simple miter saw pivotsup and down for straight cuts and to the rightand left for mitering. Compound miter sawsalso allow the saw to pivot from side to sidefor beveling. The maximum cutting widthdepends on the blade diameter. A 10" bladecan crosscut a board 51⁄2" wide, while a 12"blade cuts 8". To cut wider boards, you’ll needa sliding miter saw, where the blade arm ismounted on rails, allowing it to slide backand forth. This increases the maximum width to 111⁄2". Some saws offer all these features—they’re called sliding compoundmiter saws.

What to buyYou’ll want a lot of versatility from your mitersaw, so look for a 10" sliding compound mitersaw. It costs twice as much as a non-slider,but you won’t regret paying for the additionalcapacity. You might apply the same logic andstep up to a 12" saw, but for most people andmost jobs, it’s more saw than you need. It’s

� Use the hold-down to keep your hands from

the left side of the blade.

� Keep the blade guard retractor working

properly.

� Support the workpieces beyond the short

table.

� Cut only with straight edges against the fence.

� Cutting action for wide cuts: Slide out, then

down, then back.

WATCH OUT

Page 62: Your First Workshop

Compound Miter Saw 57

also bigger, heavier, and considerably moreexpensive.

For maximum versatility, get a saw thatcan miter more than 45° on one side.Similarly, a dual-bevel saw tilts right and left,a handy feature you’ll appreciate from time totime. The table should unlock and pivot eas-ily, and the handle and trigger should fit yourhand comfortably. A soft start motor thatquickly ramps up to speed reduces the saw’skick when switched on. To keep your handssafe, make it a priority to get a saw with agood clamp for holding down the workpiece atthe left side of the blade.

A miter saw is not truly functional out ofthe box. Before you can use the saw with anydegree of safety and accuracy, it needs aproper fence and a system for supporting theoverhanging boards.

Your improved fence should be higherand made of a continuous length of plywood.The first cut will make a slot, or kerf in thefence. It’s an ideal reference point—line upyour mark with the kerf, and you know thecut will be perfect. This new fence alsoreduces tear out. Anytime you change the cut-ting angle or the tilt of the saw, you’ll make a

CCuutt aanngglleess wwiitthh aa sslliiddiinngg ccoommppoouunndd mmiitteerr ssaaww..

� AANNGGLLEE CCUUTTSS � CCOOMMPPOOUUNNDD AANNGGLLEESS

AAddjjuusstt tthhee bbllaaddee ttoo ccrroossssccuutt aatt aann aannggllee..

UUssee ccoorrrreecctt ffoorrmm.. WWhheenn uussiinngg tthhee mmiitteerr ssaaww,,hhoolldd tthhee wwoorrkkppiieeccee oonn tthhee rriigghhtt ssiiddee ooff tthhee bbllaaddee..WWiitthh yyoouurr hhaanndd oonn tthhee lleefftt ssiiddee,, aa kkiicckkbbaacckk ccoouullddppuullll yyoouurr hhaanndd iinnttoo tthhee bbllaaddee..

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58 T h e B a s i c S h o p

10" Sliding Compound Miter Saw

BBllaaddee ((4400TT ccoommbboo oorr 8800TT ffiinnee ttrriimm))

DDuusstt--ccoolllleeccttiioonn bbaaggBBllaaddee gguuaarrdd rreettrraaccttssaauuttoommaattiiccaallllyy aass bbllaaddeeiiss lloowweerreedd

SSlliiddee lloocckk nnuutt

HHoolldd--ddoowwnn ffoorrwwoorrkkppiieeccee

TTiilltt--lloocckk wwhheeeell

AAnnggllee lloocckk

BBaassee

DDuusstt--ccoolllleeccttiioonn ppoorrtt

MMoouunnttiinngg hhoolleess

FFeennccee ssuuppppoorrtt ((aadddd yyoouurr oowwnn wwooooddeennaauuxxiilliiaarryy ffeennccee))

TThhrrooaatt ppllaattee

TTaabbllee lloocckkss aatt aannyy aannggllee..AAnnggllee ssccaallee

TTaabbllee

M iter saws excel at accurate crosscuts, whether they’re square, angled,or compound cuts. The head runs back and forth on rails to cut boards

up to 111⁄2" wide.

HHaannddllee aanndd ttrriiggggeerr

Page 64: Your First Workshop

Compound Miter Saw 59

MMoobbiillee ssttaanndd ffoorr eeaassyy ttrraannssppoorrtt.. AA mmoobbiillee mmiitteerr--ssaaww ssttaanndd mmaakkeess sseennssee iinn aa ssmmaallll sshhoopp.. TThhiiss oonneehhaass tteelleessccooppiinngg ssuuppppoorrttss oonn bbootthh ssiiddeess,, aanndd iitt eeaassiillyy ffoollddss aanndd wwhheeeellss aawwaayy..

AA mmiitteerr ssaaww tthhaatt ddooeessnn’’tt sslliiddee iiss ssmmaalllleerr,, lliigghhtteerr,,aanndd lleessss eexxppeennssiivvee tthhaann aa sslliiddeerr.. IItt aallssoo hhaass lleessssccuuttttiinngg ccaappaacciittyy.. TThhiiss ccoommppaacctt ssaaww iiss lliimmiitteedd ttooccuuttttiinngg bbooaarrddss lleessss tthhaann 5511⁄⁄22"" wwiiddee..

new kerf. Build the improved fence knowingyou’ll replace it regularly.

Before you can use your miter saw withany degree of safety and accuracy, you’ll need away to support the boards so they won’t fall orbind at the end of the cut. If they shift or tiltwhile the blade is turning, the ends are nolonger accurate, not to mention the damagethat could result from crashing to the ground.Rig up a way to hold the boards that’s easilyadjustable for various lengths.

If your saw simply sits on a bench, you canmake heavy L-shaped brackets that sit on thebenchtop, support the wood and can be movedaround as needed. Or put the miter saw in awell so its table is level with the benchtop.Roller stands also work well as supports, oryou can buy one of the lightweight adjustablestands favored by trim carpenters (see thephoto above).

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60 T h e B a s i c S h o p

CCuutt ffrreeeehhaanndd ccuurrvveess ffrroomm fflloowwiinnggttoo ttiigghhtt..

TTiilltt tthhee bbllaaddee ttoo tthhee rriigghhtt oorr lleefftt.. SSttaarrtt yyoouurr ccuuttss iinn aa ddrriilllleedd hhoollee..

� CCUUTT AANNGGLLEESS� CCUUTT CCUURRVVEESS � CCUUTT SSCCRROOLLLLSS

WWHHAA TT AA JJIIGGSSAAWW CCAANN DDOO

Jigsaw

Using a jigsaw adds a new dimension toyour woodworking—curves. From thelong arches of an Arts and Crafts–style

bookcase to the tight scrolls of a decorativeshelf bracket, this saw can handle every typeof curve. It also handles straight cuts, and itis one of the safest tools to grab for makingquick cuts by eye. Because the blade on a jig-saw moves up and down, as long as you keepthe sole on the workpiece and don’t twist theblade too much, it won’t kick back or other-wise misbehave.

Making a cut with a jigsaw is easy. If thesaw is hard to push or steer, something’swrong. The blade may be the wrong type ordull, the cutting speed may be wrong, or theorbital adjustment may be set incorrectly forthe type of cut. The orbital adjustment adds aback-and-forth component to the saw’s usualup-and-down motion.

The highest orbital setting cuts aggres-sively, powering through the wood and leav-

ing a ragged edge. Use this setting for roughcuts in solid wood. For smooth cuts, zero outthe orbital action. The saw cuts more slowly,but leaves a smoother edge.

Most jigsaws have variable speed. Somebuild it into a sensitive trigger switch; othersuse a dial for speed control and a simple on/offswitch. In most cases, you won’t need to varythe speed as you cut, but you might need tovary the speed to suit the material you’re cut-ting. Use lower speeds for metals, higherspeeds for wood.

What to buyDon’t bother buying a jigsaw without orbitalaction; it’s not up to serious work. Make sureyou choose one with electronic speed control,and a base tilts in both directions. Have agood look at the blade lock and choose amethod that’s simple and secure. Some of the“tool-less” methods are so fussy it’s easier touse a tool.

Page 66: Your First Workshop

Jigsaw 61

Orbital Jigsaw and Jigsaw Blades for Woodworking

L ook for a machine that hasadjustable orbital action and

variable speed. Triggers thatlock easily into the “on” posi-tion are useful, and a tiltingbase allows you to make cutsat angles other than 90°.

The right blade is cru-cial for best performance.Change blades often—that’s why they come inpacks of five.

UUssee aa ssttrraaiigghhtteeddggee oorr gguuiiddee..

� CCUUTT SSTTRRAAIIGGHHTT

AAiirr bblloowweerraaddjjuussttmmeenntt ffoorrcclleeaarriinngg ssaawwdduusstt

BBllaaddee gguuiiddee

NNoott sshhoowwnn——ppllaassttiicc sshhooeeffoorr ssaawwiinngg mmaatteerriiaallsstthhaatt ssccrraattcchh eeaassiillyy

OOrrbbiittaall aaddjjuussttmmeenntt

BBuuttttoonn lloocckkss ttrriiggggeerr ““oonn””

((66 TTPPII)) UUssee ffoorr rroouugghh ccuuttss

((1100 TTPPII)) BBiimmeettaall ffoorr ppllaassttiicc

((1100 TTPPII)) RReevveerrssee ttooootthh rreedduucceess sspplliittttiinngg

((1100 TTPPII)) GGeenneerraall--ppuurrppoossee wwoooodd//ppllyywwoooodd

((1122 TTPPII)) NNaarrrrooww bbllaaddee ffoorr ccuurrvveess

((1122 TTPPII)) CCuuttss ccuurrvveess iinn ppllyywwoooodd

AAlllleenn wwrreenncchhffoorr ttiillttiinnggbbaassee

VVaarriiaabbllee ssppeeeedd ttrriiggggeerr

BBllaaddee lloocckk((tthhiiss ssaawwuusseess aassccrreewwddrriivveerrttoo ttuurrnn aassccrreeww))

EElleeccttrroonniicc ssppeeeedd ccoonnttrrooll

SSlloottss ffoorr ffiittttiinnggeeddggee gguuiiddee

Page 67: Your First Workshop

62 T h e B a s i c S h o p

FFllaatttteenn aanndd ssqquuaarree aann eeddggee.. MMaakkee aa ssuurrffaaccee ssmmooootthh wwhhiilleemmaaiinnttaaiinniinngg ffllaattnneessss..

RReemmoovvee bbuummppss aanndd hhoolllloowwss ttoommaakkee aa ssuurrffaaccee lleevveell..

� SSMMOOOOTTHH � JJOOIINNTT � FFLLAA TTTTEENN

WWHHAA TT BBEENNCCHH PPLLAANNEESS CCAANN DDOO

Bench Planes

Many modern woodworkers ignore thebench plane under the illusion thatpower-driven tools are somehow bet-

ter. Compared to a plane, these crude toolsdon’t do most jobs as well or as easily. Onceyou know your planes, it’s a snap to set one toremove superfine shavings—as thin as fourten-thousandths of an inch thick—to sneakup on the fit of a joint or to smooth roughswirls of grain.

What to buyFirst get a 9" #4 or #41⁄2 smooth plane.I like the wider #41⁄2 because it uses the sameirons as the #7. This smaller plane is best for smoothing surfaces after they’re flat andfor flattening smaller workpieces.

Then get a #7 jointer plane, about 22"long. For flattening, it’s the best tool in yourshop. You should use it whenever the work-piece is large enough to support it.

TTuunniinngg uupp.. TToo ggeett ttoopp rreessuullttss ffrroomm aa ppllaannee,, yyoouu’’llllhhaavvee ttoo ssppeenndd ssoommee ttiimmee pprraaccttiicciinngg wwiitthh iitt,, ggeettttiinnggttoo kknnooww iittss wwaayyss,, aanndd mmaakkiinngg ssuurree iitt’’ss sshhaarrpp aannddpprrooppeerrllyy aaddjjuusstteedd..

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Bench Planes 63

Bench Planes

T hese three planes will handle most of your plan-ing jobs, from rough to supersmooth finishing.

CCuutt aa bbeevveell aalloonngg aann eeddggee..

� CCHHAAMMFFEERR

IIrroonn

KKnnoobb

DDeepptthhaaddjjuussttmmeennttlleevveerr

CChhiipp bbrreeaakkeerr

##44 SSMMOOOOTTHH PPLLAANNEE

CCHHAAMMFFEERR PPLLAANNEE

SShhoorrtt ssoollee ffoorrssmmaalllleerr wwoorrkkppiieecceess

LLoonngg ssoollee ffllaatttteennss bbooaarrddss..

##77 JJOOIINNTTEERR PPLLAANNEETToottee

LLeevveerr ccaapp hhoollddssiirroonn ttiigghhtt..

BBllaaddee llaatteerraallaaddjjuussttmmeennttlleevveerr

TTwwoo--ppoossiittiioonnffeennccee ffoorr 4455°°oorr 6600°° aanngglleess

You’ll have to look a little to find theseplanes—most places sell only the #5 jackplane, supposedly the “jack of all trades.”It’s really too short for jointing and too longfor anything else. It’s better to start with twoplanes and let each do the job it does best.

You can do all the chamfering you needwith these two planes and your block plane,but a dedicated chamfer plane ensures thatyour chamfers are all at the same angle anddepth, something you’ll notice on long edges.

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64 T h e B a s i c S h o p

FFllaatttteenn aa ssmmaallll aarreeaa wwiitthh tthheebbaacckk ddoowwnn..

RReemmoovvee ttooooll mmaarrkkss aanndd iirrrreegguullaarriittiieess..

SSlliiccee aawwaayy iirrrreegguullaarriittiieess aannddhhiigghh ssppoottss..

� CCLLEEAANN AA GGRROOOOVVEE� FFLLAA TTTTEENN � FFIITT JJOOIINNTTSS

WWHHAA TT CCHHIISSEELLSS CCAANN DDOO

More Chisels

At some point in your growth as a wood-worker, you’ll find that carpenter’s buttchisels are too short to work inside cab-

inets or drawers, and their blades are toothick to fit in tight joints. You need a set ofcabinetmaker’s bevel-edge bench chisels. Withtheir longer blades and handles, they allowmore leverage. The deeply beveled edges letthem slip into close corners, and their finebalance feels good in your hands.

Your basic choice is between Japanese orEuropean styles. They differ on two levels—shape and steel. Japanese-style chisels are abit shorter with a slight curve in the handle,and the backs have a hollow in the center.A hard steel edge forged to a softer iron bodyacts as a shock absorber to preserve the edge.Most European-style chisel blades are groundout of a homogeneous blank of machine-forged steel. A slight majority of expert wood-workers favor the Japanese style, but in theeveryday world, both do the job.

The wooden joiner’s

mallet is an ancient

tool that developed over

centuries into the best

tool for striking chisels.

It’s not as hard on

wooden-handled tools

as a hammer, and its

natural resilience is

easier on your wrists

and elbows. The dis-

tinctive keystone-

shaped head presents

maximum surface area

for striking tools. The

flat face also concen-

trates the blows in one place so each blow is

as efficient as it can be.

THE EUROPEAN JOINER’S MALLET

Page 70: Your First Workshop

More Chisels 65

More Chisels

RRoouunndd oorr cchhaammffeerr ccoorrnneerrss aanndd eeddggeess..

� PPRROOFFIILLEE

Get a set of bevel-edge bench chiselsranging from 1⁄4" to 1" in width

and a 3⁄4"- or 1"-long patternmaker’schisel. Add stout firmer chiselsas required.

PPAATTTTEERRNNMMAAKKEERR’’SS CCHHIISSEELL

FFIIRRMMEERR CCHHIISSEELL

JJAAPPAANNEESSEE--SSTTYYLLEEBBEEVVEELL--EEDDGGEEBBEENNCCHHCCHHIISSEELL

EEUURROOPPEEAANN--SSTTYYLLEEBBEEVVEELL--EEDDGGEE BBEENNCCHHCCHHIISSEELL

TThhiicckk bbllaaddee ffoorrrroouugghh wwoorrkk

HHoooopp pprreevveennttss sspplliittttiinnggwwhheenn ssttrruucckk..

SSlliigghhttllyy sshhoorrtteerrtthhaann EEuurrooppeeaann--ssttyyllee cchhiisseell

SSoocckkeett ccoonnnneeccttssbbllaaddee ttoo hhaannddllee..

SSuubbttllyy ccuurrvveedd hhaannddllee ggeettssmmoorree bbllaaddee oonn ssuurrffaaccee..

BBeevveelleedd eeddggeess ffiitt ttiigghhtt ssppaacceess..

GGrreeaatteerr lleennggtthhaaddddss lleevveerraaggeeaanndd rreeaacchh

TTaanngg ccoonnnneeccttss bbllaaddee ttoo hhaannddllee..

Besides the bevel-edge chisels, you’ll needa few stout firmer chisels for heavy-duty jobs.Buy a set if you find a deal; otherwise buythem as needed.

You’ll also want a 3⁄4"- or 1"-long thin patternmaker’s chisel. The extra length addsleverage and lets you use the chisel bevel-upfarther in from the edge of a board. A pattern-maker’s chisel is for paring and is neverstruck.

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66 T h e B a s i c S h o p

FFllaatttteenn tthhee bbaacckkss ooff ppllaanneess,,cchhiisseellss,, aanndd ootthheerr ccuuttttiinngg ttoooollss..

RRoouugghh oouutt tthhee bbeevveell aatt 2255˚̊ ffoorrffaasstteerr hhoonniinngg..

RReeffiinnee tthhee eeddggee aatt 3300˚̊ ttoo sshhaarrppnneessss..

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WWHHAA TT TTHHEESSEE TTOOOOLLSS CCAANN DDOO

Sharpening Tools

It’s been said that civilization began withlearning to sharpen; improving the odds ofthe hunt led to good health and allowed

enough free time to develop art. You can expectsimilar results in your woodworking. Until youget sharpening down cold, you’ll be strugglingtoo much to have fun or get beautiful results.

The sandpaper sharpening methoddescribed on p. 21 is a great way to getstarted sharpening, but when you beginbuilding more complex pieces, you’ll need thebest edges you can get (see “Five Steps to aPerfect Edge” on p. 69). Sandpaper is toocoarse to produce the finest edge.

What to buyThe best way to flatten the backs of edgetools is with a coarse (about 220 grit) stone.I prefer diamond stones because they’re sohard they cut the fastest. Plus, diamondstones don’t dish with use and stay so flatyou can use them for flattening other types of

AA ttaasskk wwoorrtthh tthhee ttiimmee.. TTrruullyy sshhaarrpp ttoooollss rreeqquuiirreeiinnvveessttmmeennttss ooff yyoouurr ttiimmee aanndd mmoonneeyy.. TThhee ppaayyooffff iisshhiigghh——bbeetttteerr rreessuullttss,, lleessss eeffffoorrtt,, aanndd aa lloott mmoorree ffuunn..

Page 72: Your First Workshop

Sharpening Tools 67

Tools for Flattening and Honing

I t takes a lot of gear to get the sharpest edge, but as always,the right tools make all the difference.

SShhooppmmaaddee hhaarrdd--mmaappllee bblloocckk

11⁄⁄22--mmiiccrroonn ddiiaammoonndd ppaassttee

HHoollddeerr ffoorr ddiiaammoonnddssttoonneess

SSpprraayy bboottttllee ffoorr wwaatteerr

HHoonniinngg gguuiiddee wwiitthh ssqquuaarriinnggbblloocckk ffoorr ppllaannee iirroonnss HHoonniinngg gguuiiddee hhoolldd--ddoowwnnss

ffoorr sshhaarrppeenniinngg cchhiisseellss

222200##,, 11,,220000##

HHoonniinngg gguuiiddee wwhheeeell——ddiiaammeetteerrddeetteerrmmiinneess hhoonniinngg aannggllee

JJiigg ffoorr sseettttiinngg bbllaaddee oovveerrhhaanngg iinn gguuiiddee

TTwwoo--ssiiddeedd ssyynntthheettiicc wwaatteerrssttoonnee,,44,,000000## aanndd 88,,000000##

SSeett ooff ttwwoo ddiiaammoonndd ssttoonneess——ddiiffffeerreenntt ggrriittss oonn eeaacchh ooff ffoouurr ssiiddeess

stones, plane soles, and more. Whatever typeof stone you get, you’ll need three or fourstones ranging from 220 to 1,200 grit.

Your first honing guide might not be wideenough to accommodate a #7 plane iron—now’s the time to upgrade. You’ll also need aguide for your grinder. You can buy the twoitems individually or get a modular systemthat uses the same parts for both.

Get a slow-speed grinder (1,800 rpm or so)and a soft wheel for sharpening. This combi-nation runs cooler and reduces the chances ofruining the blade’s temper from overheating.

Synthetic waterstones give the best edge,and you’ll need at least two grits. Dependingon the brand, the coarser grit should be 3,000to 4,000# and the finer 6,000 to 8,000#. Get asingle two-sided stone, or two separate stones.

Page 73: Your First Workshop

68 T h e B a s i c S h o p

The Slow-Speed Grinder

Aslow-turning grinder with a soft wheel runs cooler and keeps yourblades from overheating and losing temper. Either a 6" or 8" wheel is

fine, though the 6" wheel has a lower velocity at the rim.

Finally, for the ultimate edge, you’ll needsome diamond paste and a little mineral oilto cut it. Since diamond paste is usually soldin kits for gem polishing and electronics,you’ll probably end up with four or five gritsfrom 9 microns to 1⁄2 micron. You only needthe finest for honing, but you can use the oth-ers to polish the backs of your blades. Use thediamond paste on thick maple blocks cut tothe same size as your sharpening stones.

EEyyee sshhiieelldd

BBlloocckk ffoorrssqquuaarriinnggbbllaaddee

BBoolltt oorr llaagg ssccrreewwttoo bbeenncchh

CCooaarrssee wwhheeeelliiss uusseedd ffoorr nnoonn--sshhaarrppeenniinnggggrriinnddiinngg..

FFoorree aanndd aafftt aaddjjuussttiinnggssccrreewwss ttoo ppoossiittiioonnggrriinnddiinngg jjiigg

BBllaaddee hhoolldd--ddoowwnn

AAfftteerrmmaarrkkeett ggrriinnddiinngg jjiigg

KKVVBBEE 6600## ggrriinnddiinnggwwhheeeell uusseedd oonnllyy ffoorrsshhaarrppeenniinngg

GGrriinnddeerr rruunnss aatt aabboouutt 11,,880000 rrppmm..

TTooooll rreesstt tthhaattccoommeess wwiitthh tthhee ttooooll

FFllaatt ssttoonneess aarree ccrruucciiaall ttoo aa ggoooodd eeddggee.. FFllaatttteenn tthheemmoofftteenn oonn yyoouurr ddiiaammoonndd ssttoonneess..

Page 74: Your First Workshop

Sharpening Tools 69

FFIIVVEE SSTTEEPPSS TTOO AA PPEERRFFEECCTT EEDDGGEE

FFLLAA TTTTEENN AANNDD PPOOLLIISSHH TTHHEE BBAACCKK

A perfect edge starts with flattening theback on a fast-cutting coarse diamondstone and progressing to your finest gritstones. For the ultimate mirrorlike polish,finish with 1⁄2-micron diamond paste on aflat, smooth block of hard maple.

GGRRIINNDD AATT 2255°° FFOORR FFAASSTTEERR HHOONNIINNGG

Grind the bevel to 25°. Later, when youhone at 30º, you’ll remove material fromonly the tip of the tool, which takes justminutes. Grind again after four or fivehoning sessions.

HHOONNEE TTHHEE BBEEVVEELL AATT 3300 °°

Start honing with your second-finest stonefor about a minute. Then create a slightcrown in the edge to prevent the cornersfrom digging. Press a little harder on eachcorner for several strokes.

PPOOLLIISSHH TTHHEE BBEEVVEELL

Using your finest stone, polish for about aminute, pressing on alternate edges tomaintain the crown. Then work the backfor about 15 seconds. For ultimate sharp-ness, polish both sides with 1⁄2-microndiamond paste.

TTEESSTT TTHHEE EEDDGGEE

Hold the blade loosely in one hand andgently touch the edge to a thumbnail.A sharp edge bites in, a dull one slips orscrapes. If the iron doesn’t pass this test,spend more time working the back on yourfinest stone.

Page 75: Your First Workshop

70 T h e B a s i c S h o p

UUssee tthhee 4455°° lleegg ooff aa ccoommbbiinnaattiioonnssqquuaarree ttoo mmaarrkk aann aannggllee..

UUssee aa kknniiffee ttoo ssccrriibbee lliinneess ffoorraaccccuurraattee jjooiinneerryy..

� MMAARRKK CCUUTT LLIINNEESS� LLAAYY OOUUTT 4455 °° AANNGGLLEESS

WWHHAA TT TTHHEESSEE TTOOOOLLSS CCAANN DDOO

Measuring and Marking Tools

When you’re first learning woodwork-ing, your hand skills (or lack thereof)are your roadblocks to success. Once

you understand how to use the tools, a newroadblock arises: your ability to measure andmark correctly. Accurate layouts are mostly a matter of patience, but good tools play animportant role.

Moreover, there’s a completely new set ofskills you need to learn in order to measureproperly—things like how to present a squareto an edge so it gives a true reading and howto use a knife to mark a line in a way thatwon’t damage your straightedge or the blade.When you reach this level of woodworking, alittle bit off is too much.

What to buyIf you’re serious about doing good work, keepa couple of sliding squares close by at alltimes (see “The Indispensable Sliding Square”

UUssee aa sslliiddiinngg bbeevveell tthhaatt aaddjjuussttssttoo aannyy aannggllee..

� MMAARRKK AANNGGLLEESS

QQuuaalliittyy ttoooollss ffoorr qquuaalliittyy wwoorrkk.. GGoooodd mmeeaassuurriinnggttoooollss aarree eesssseennttiiaall ffoorr ffiinnee jjooiinneerryy.. UUssee tthheemm ttoo cchheecckk yyoouurr hhaannddwwoorrkk oofftteenn,, aanndd ccoorrrreecctt ssmmaalllliissssuueess bbeeffoorree tthheeyy bbeeccoommee llaarrggeerr pprroobblleemmss..

Page 76: Your First Workshop

Measuring and Marking Tools 71

Measuring and Marking Tools

Get good tools and use them wisely to ensure that all your joinerycomes out square and accurate.

UUssee aa ccuuttttiinngg ggaauuggee wwiitthh aa ffiixxeedd kknniiffee ttoo ssccrriibbee aalliinnee aa sseett ddiissttaannccee ffrroomm aann eeddggee..

� SSCCRRIIBBEE AA LLIINNEE PPAARRAALLLLEELL TTOO AANN EEDDGGEE

MMaakkee ssuurree tthhee eeddggee iiss ppaarraalllleell ttoo tthhee ssiiddee..

� CCHHEECCKK SSQQUUAARREENNEESSSS

BBuubbbbllee lleevveell

4455°° lleegg

CCOOMMPPAASSSS

LLoocckknnuutt

BBllaaddeelloocckk

BBllaaddeelloocckk

RReeppllaacceeaabblleeccuuttttiinngg wwhheeeell

66"" SSLLIIDDIINNGG SSQQUUAARREE

EEnnggrraavveedd mmaarrkkiinnggss

44"" SSLLIIDDIINNGG SSQQUUAARREE

WWhheeeell--ttyyppeeccuuttttiinngg ggaauuggee

RRIIGGHHTT AANNDD LLEEFFTTBBEEVVEELLEEDD MMAARRKKIINNGGKKNNIIVVEESS

SSMMAALLLL-- TTOO MMEEDDIIUUMM--SSIIZZEEDDSSLLIIDDIINNGG BBEEVVEELLLLooww--pprrooffiillee lloocckknnuutt

RReemmoovvaabblleeppiinn ffoorrmmaarrkkiinngg

1122"" CCOOMMBBIINNAATTIIOONN SSQQUUAARREE

AAcccceeppttssssttaannddaarrddppeenncciill

LLeeggss lloocckkiinn ppllaaccee

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72 T h e B a s i c S h o p

TTHHEE IINNDDIISSPPEENNSSAABBLLEE SSLLIIDDIINNGG SSQQUUAARREE

TTRRAANNSSFFEERR LLIINNEESS

Rather than use a tape measure or ruler tolocate a line, put the square on the edgeand slide the blade to the line. Lock theblade in place and transfer the measure-ment without having to read the scale.

SSQQUUAARREE AARROOUUNNDD AA BBOOAARRDD

Put the point of your pencil on the markand slide the square up to it. Hold thesquare firmly and draw the line. Rotatethe workpiece and repeat the process rightaround the board.

CCHHEECCKK AANNGGLLEESS

By changing the blade position to justbelow flush, you can check inside and out-side corners for squareness.

MMAARRKK AA LLIINNEE PPAARRAALLLLEELL TTOO AANN EEDDGGEE

Using the base as a reference point, slidethe scale to the desired measurement.Place a pencil firmly against the end of theblade and push the square along one edge.

MMEEAASSUURREE DDEEPPTTHH

Slide the blade down into the recess andlock it in place. Either read the scale ortransfer the measurement directly.

Page 78: Your First Workshop

Measuring and Marking Tools 73

on the facing page). I’m hard-pressed to saywhich I use most—a 4" or a 6" square. Getthe one that appeals to you most, then ask forthe other for your next birthday. You’ll findyou use a 12" combination square less often,for larger measurements and for laying out45° angles.

Small- to medium-sized sliding bevels (6" or less) are more comfortable to use thanlarge ones. I like the precision of an all-metaltool, but whatever you buy, remember thatlarge locking nuts get in the way. You’ll alsoneed a pair of marking knives, beveled rightand left so you always put the flat back againstthe straightedge. You’ll also need a cuttinggauge for making knife cuts on face grain andendgrain at a set distance in from the edge ofa board. The wheel-type cutting gauge is a realadvance from traditional cutting and markinggauges. Finally, seek out a durable compassthat accepts a regular pencil and locks the legsin place so they won’t shift in use.

Though used mainly for laying out and marking

joints, your measuring tools have other appli-

cations. You can use them to check that your

hand power tools are set up correctly—for exam-

ple, you can check the jigsaw’s tilt against the

sliding bevel and use a square to true up the

position of the grinder jig so it’s square to the

wheel and the right distance from its face.

You should also use the tools for developing

your hand skills. Practice with your bench plane

on some fragrant pine, using the square to check

for perpendicularity at short intervals. Learn how

to hold your plane and distribute your weight until

the square shows no changes. Set the sliding

bevel to a random angle and plane the angle,

then plane back to square.

MEASURING AND MARKING TOOLS FOR SETUPS AND SKILL BUILDING

AA ppaaiirr ooff wwiinnddiinngg ssttiicckkss tthhaatt aarree ppeerrffeeccttllyy ssttrraaiigghhtt,,ssqquuaarree,, aanndd ttrruuee ccaann hheellpp yyoouu sseeee ttwwiisstt iinn aa bbooaarrdd..SSiigghhtt aaccrroossss tthhee ttoopp ooff tthhee nneeaarr ssttiicckk ttoo tthhee ttooppooff tthhee ffaarr oonnee.. IIff tthhee bbooaarrdd iiss ffllaatt,, tthheeiirr ttooppss aarreeppaarraalllleell..

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74 T h e B a s i c S h o p

AA hhaannddssaaww iiss ffaasstteerr tthhaann aa ppoowweerrssaaww ffoorr aa ccuutt oorr ttwwoo..

AA tthhiinn,, ffiinnee--ttooootthheedd bbllaaddee wwiillll ccuuttaallmmoosstt aannyy sshhaappee..

AA ssttiiffffeenneedd bbllaaddee iiss bbeesstt ffoorr ccuutt--ttiinngg aaccccuurraattee jjooiinnttss..

� CCUUTT CCUURRVVEESS� RROOUUGGHH--CCUUTT LLUUMMBBEERR � CCUUTT JJOOIINNTTSS

WWHHAA TT HHAANNDDSSAAWWSS CCAANN DDOO

Handsaws

No matter how many power saws youown, there’s always a place for hand-saws. With a little practice, they afford

a level of control you can’t achieve with apower saw. And you’ll be surprised how oftenit’s easier to grab a crosscut saw to cut aboard to rough length than it is to get out anextension cord and set up a power saw.

What to buyGet an aggressive saw for rough cutting tolength. Any hardware store or home centeroffers at least a couple of choices, usually atraditional European-style saw, and a hybridJapanese-style saw (see “Push or Pull?” on thefacing page).

Next, get one or more backsaws—fine-toothed saws with reinforced backs for stiffness. These are tools you’ll need for hand-cutting joints like dovetails and mortise andtenons. Your first choice should be one 8" to10" long, either European or Japanese style.

SSuucccceessss wwiitthh aa hhaannddssaaww iiss aallll aabboouutt tteecchhnniiqquuee..AAlliiggnn yyoouurr bbooddyy ttoo tthhee ttaasskk aanndd ggiivvee yyoouurrsseellff pplleenn--ttyy ooff rroooomm.. WWiitthh aa lliittttllee pprraaccttiiccee,, yyoouu’’llll ffiinndd tthhaatteeffffoorrttlleessss rrhhyytthhmm tthhaatt mmeeaannss eevveerryytthhiinngg’’ss rriigghhtt..

Page 80: Your First Workshop

Handsaws 75

Choose Your Style

The essential difference between European

and Japanese saws is in the teeth. A

European backsaw cuts on the push, which is

handy for very fine work because the sawdust

accumulates at the back and doesn’t obscure

the view. The teeth on a Japanese backsaw

are thinner and cut on the pull stroke. Many

beginning woodworkers prefer Japanese saws

because they cut fast and clean, and they are

easy to control.

PUSH OR PULL?

Start your saw collection with a rough crosscut saw, a backsaw (either Europeanor Japanese style), and a coping saw.

TTiigghhtteenniinngg hhaannddlleetteennssiioonnss bbllaaddee

FFiinnee tteeeetthh ffoorr ccrroossssccuuttttiinnggRRoottaattee tthhee bbllaaddee ttooccuutt iinn aannyy ddiirreeccttiioonn..

EEUURROOPPEEAANN RROOUUGGHH--CCUUTT SSAAWW

JJAAPPAANNEESSEE BBAACCKKSSAAWW

CCOOPPIINNGG SSAAWW

GGEENNTT’’SS SSAAWW

Within the European style you’ll have a choiceof the round-handled gent’s saw or the morefamiliar looking dovetail saw. If you make a lot of tenons by hand, you’ll also want to get alonger tenoning saw with its unique fine teethset for ripping.

Then pick up a coping saw. It’s the best toolfor cutting complex compound curves. One greatfeature of these saws is that you can rotate theblade to saw at the most advantageous angle.Get a selection of blades—coarse, medium, andfine—to handle whatever job arises.

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76 T h e B a s i c S h o p

HHaanndd ssccrraappeerrss ssmmooootthh vveenneeeerrss aannddsswwiirrlliinngg ggrraaiinn wwiitthhoouutt tteeaarroouutt..

AA pprrooppeerrllyy ssccrraappeedd ffiinniisshh ddooeessnn’’ttnneeeedd ssaannddiinngg..

AA ttrriiaanngguullaarr ssccrraappeerr lleevveellss ddrriippssoorr rreemmoovveess aa ffiinniisshh eennttiirreellyy..

� FFIINNAALL FFIINNIISSHHIINNGG� SSMMOOOOTTHH DDIIFFFFIICCUULLTT GGRRAAIINN � RREEMMOOVVEE FFIINNIISSHHEESS

WWHHAA TT SSCCRRAAPPEERRSS CCAANN DDOO

Scrapers

Scrapers are versatile tools suitable forextremely different scraping tasks.They can cut thin, planelike shavings

for flattening and smoothing the wild grainpatterns so often torn out by handplanes.They’re also the best way to flatten andsmooth thin veneers and inlays. At the otherextreme, you can put an aggressive edge on ascraper and use it to remove paint or gluethat would quickly dull or even chip a planeblade. The secret to the scraper’s versatility isits edge—a hook-like burr that slices woodand immediately curls it into a shaving.

What to buyYou’ll want to get three types of scrapers tohandle the extremes:

Hand scrapers are nothing more than apiece of hard steel with a burnished edge youpush or pull over the surface, changing theangle to control the cut. Hand scrapers come

CCoommffoorrttaabbllee hhaannddlleess aanndd aa wwiiddee ssoollee mmaakkee tthhee ccaabb--iinneett ssccrraappeerr aa ffaasstt wwaayy ttoo ssmmooootthh llaarrggee ssuurrffaacceesstthhaatt ccaann’’tt bbee ppllaanneedd.. UUnnlliikkee aa ssaannddiinngg mmaacchhiinnee,, iitt’’ssqquuiieett aanndd dduusstt--ffrreeee..

Page 82: Your First Workshop

Scrapers 77

An Array of Choices

HHaarrdd sstteeeell

CCuurrvveedd ssccrraappeerr ffoorr pprrooffiilleess

SShhaarrppeenn bbootthh ssiiddeessooff bbootthh eeddggeess..

HHiigghh ppoolliisshhwwoonn’’tt nniicckk eeddggee..

CCoommffoorrttaabbllee,,gguullll--wwiinngg hhaannddlleess

HHaarrdd sstteeeell rroollllss tthheeeeddggee ooff tthhee ssccrraappeerriinnttoo aa bbuurrrr..

RRoouugghh bbuurrrr iiss ffoorrmmeedd oonnbbaacckk bbyy ffiilliinngg bbeevveell aatt 4455°°..EExxcceelllleenntt ffoorr rreemmoovviinngg

gglluuee oorr ffiinniisshheess

HHAANNDD SSCCRRAAPPEERRSS

CCAABBIINNEETT SSCCRRAAPPEERR

SSHHIIPP SSCCRRAAPPEERRSS

BBUURRNNIISSHHEERR

TThhuummbbssccrreeww bboowwssbbllaaddee ttoo iinnccrreeaasseeddeepptthh ooff ccuutt..

TThhiicckk iirroonn bbllaaddeewwiitthh aa 4455°° bbeevveellaanndd aa bbuurrrr ttuurrnneeddttoo tthhee bbaacckk

LLaarrggee ssoolleerreedduucceess tteennddeennccyyttoo ccrreeaattee hhoolllloowwss..

in a variety of sizes and shapes, some withcurved edges to handle moldings and profiles.

Cabinet scrapers feature a flat sole, com-fortable handles, and an iron ground with a45º bevel that’s burnished rather than sharp-ened on a stone. They’re best for scrapinglarge surfaces.

Ship scrapers usually have rectangularor triangular blades and long handles, butalso have teardrop-shaped blades for moldingsand profiles. They’re aggressive tools, bestused for removing finishes and glue.

Whether you’re scraping dried glue from panels or smoothing surfaces for finishing,there’s a scraper that will do the job.

FFoorrmm aa ssccrraappeerr’’ss ccuuttttiinngg bbuurrrr bbyy bbeennddiinngg tthhee tthhiinnmmeettaall eeddggee bbaacckk iinnttoo aa hhooookk uussiinngg aa hhaarrdd,, ssmmooootthhbbuurrnniisshheerr.. IIff aa ssccrraappeerr mmaakkeess dduusstt rraatthheerr tthhaannsshhaavviinnggss,, iitt’’ss nnoott sshhaarrpp..

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78 T h e B a s i c S h o p

AA vviissee hhoollddss tthhee wwoooodd sseeccuurreellyyffoorr aa vvaarriieettyy ooff ooppeerraattiioonnss..

OOnnee ddoogg aaccttss aass aa ssttoopp;; aa sseeccoonnddsseett iinn tthhee cchheeeekk ooff aa vviissee sseeccuurreesswwoorrkk..

SSeeccuurree aawwkkwwaarrdd ppiieecceess wwiitthh aaccoommbbiinnaattiioonn ooff vviissee aanndd ccllaammppss..

� SSEECCUURREE WWOORRKK WWIITTHH DDOOGGSS� HHOOLLDD PPIIEECCEESS IINN AA VVIISSEE � HHOOLLDD CCLLAAMMPPSS

WWHHAA TT AA WWOOOODDWWOORRKKEERR’’SS BBEENNCCHH CCAANN DDOO

Woodworker’s Bench

Two things distinguish a woodworker’sbench: It has at least one vise, and ithas at least one row of dog holes (either

square or round) along the front edge. Thepresence of these two items transforms atable into a big, versatile clamp.

Most traditional woodworker’s bencheshave two vises: one set on the front of thebench near the left side (for right-handers)for most simple clamping operations, and atail vise on the right end of the bench that’sused in connection with the dog holes. A woodor metal pin (the dog) set into one of the dogholes on the left end of a workpiece acts as astop for planing. Put a dog in the hole on thecheek of the tail vise, and you can crank thevise to squeeze the workpiece between thetwo dogs for a more secure hold.

AA wwooooddwwoorrkkeerr’’ss bbeenncchh iiss ooppttiimmiizzeedd ffoorr uussiinngg hhaannddttoooollss lliikkee ppllaanneess,, cchhiisseellss,, aanndd ssaawwss.. IItt ooffffeerrss aa vvaarriieettyyooff wwaayyss ttoo hhoolldd aanndd ssuuppppoorrtt tthhee wwoorrkk aatt hhaanndd..

Page 84: Your First Workshop

Woodworker’s Bench 79

A Bench That Holds Your Work

Built on the base of the bench used in the Essential Shop, this bench has all the features you need for advanced woodworking. This uncommon design (suitable for

right-handers) uses an iron quick-action vise on the left end that functions as both front vise and tail vise.

AA wwooooddeenn eell ccllaammppeedd iinn tthhee vviissee hhoollddss tthhee bbooaarrdd iinnppllaaccee ffoorr eeaassyy ccllaammppiinngg aaccrroossss tthhee bbeenncchh ttoopp..

� SSUUPPPPOORRTT BBOOAARRDDSS FFOORR PPLLAANNIINNGG

LLaammiinnaatteedd hhaarrdd mmaappllee ttoopp iissppllaanneedd aanndd ssccrraappeedd ssmmooootthh,,tthheenn ffiinniisshheedd wwiitthh aa lliigghhttlliinnsseeeedd ooiill//bbeeeesswwaaxx mmiixxttuurree..

DDoogg hhoollee iinn jjaawwaalliiggnnss wwiitthh bbeenncchh..

DDoogg hhoolleess 66"" ffrroomm eeddggee

RRoouunndd ddooggss ffoorrvveerrssaattiilliittyy

44"" wwiiddee xx 1111//22"" tthhiicckk sskkiirrtt aallllaarroouunndd ffoorr vveerrttiiccaall ccllaammppiinngg

SShheellff ffoorr wwoorrkk iinn pprrooggrreessss oorr ttoooollss

AAddjjuussttaabbllee ffeeeettffoorr uunneevveenn fflloooorrss

QQuuiicckk--aaccttiioonnccaasstt--iirroonn vviisseewwiitthh wwooooddeennjjaawwss

SSttuurrddyy,, hheeaavvyy bbaassee

The bench shown here makes use of aversatile metal vise on the left end of thebench to fulfill the functions of both a frontand tail vise (see the sidebar on p. 80). Youcan stand at the end of the bench when youneed the vise to hold small objects, and workalong the front of the bench when workingwith long boards or planing.

What to buyWhether you build a woodworker’s bench orbuy one, it should meet the size and height

Page 85: Your First Workshop

80 T h e B a s i c S h o p

criteria of the Essential Shop workbench (seepp. 8–11). Make sure the rods at the bottom ofthe jaw are at least 4" below the surface of the bench—if not, you’ll find it difficult toclamp wide boards securely. Look for dog holes4" to 8" in from the edge. Traditional dogs aresquare, but round ones are more versatile (see“Best Bench Accessories” on the facing page).

Most woodworker’s benches have a skirtaround the edges; make sure it’s at least 11⁄2"thick to provide adequate footing for verticalclamping with big clamps. Look for minimalobstructions beneath the bench so you canclamp across the underside.

Though in-bench storage seems like agood idea, bench drawers are overrated.

They’re not really that convenient for holdingyour tools, and they tend to fill up with dustand shavings. Plus, a few drawers full of toolscan add enough weight to a bench to make itdifficult for one person to move around theshop. Though you’ll store your bench againstthe wall and often use it in that position,you’ll frequently want to pull it out to thecenter of the shop for access to all four sides.If your floor is uneven, you’ll want large,sturdy self-leveling feet.

A light finish seals the benchtop againstmoisture and makes it easier to clean. An oil-wax or oil-varnish finish works best and iseasy to renew.

O ld-fashioned wooden-jaw vises certainly

look nice on a bench, but I prefer the

utilitarian heft of a big cast-iron vise. First of

all, they’re easy to install using lag screws or

bolts. A few inches of heavy, noncompress-

ible blocking between the vise and the bench

get the rods well below the surface of the

bench for easy clamping of wide workpieces.

The polished metal handle just feels good in

the hands, is smaller, and doesn’t get in the

way as much as the massive wooden ones

on an old-fashioned vise.

But the best feature of all is the quick-

release lever on the lower right side of

the cheek. Put your palm on the center of

the T handle, and whether you’re right-

or left-handed, it’s easy to squeeze the

lever upward with your finger or thumb as

your hand tightens to disengage the threads.

Now the vise slides in and out so you

can rapidly position your work and tighten

the jaws.

THE ADVANTAGES OF A QUICK-RELEASE CAST- IRON VISE

Page 86: Your First Workshop

Woodworker’s Bench 81

BBEESSTT BBEENNCCHH AACCCCEESSSSOORRIIEESS

CCLLEEVVEERR DDOOGGSS

If you go with round dog holes, you have lotsof choices when it comes to dogs: short ones,tall ones, plastic ones, and even ones withthreaded jaws. Bore another row or two ofdog holes in your bench, and you can secureodd-shaped or even curved pieces.

BBEENNCCHHHHOOOOKK

Because of the benchhook’s unique Z shape,you can secure a workpiece to it for sawingwith one hand. Simply hold the work againstthe back edge of the hook with your thumbin front and your fingers in back. Stiffenyour arm and push. The lip pressing againstthe front of the bench keeps everything sta-ble so you can saw.

HHOOLLDDFFAASSTTSS

Holdfasts are a great way for supporting aworkpiece in the middle of the bench. Theold-fashioned one on the left wedges intoplace when struck. Turn the big brass knobon the holdfast to the right to lock it down.

CCOOVVEERR

Protect your bench with a 1⁄4" Masonite cover.It’s much easier to clean than your carefullyplaned and scraped benchtop, and it’s readilyreplaceable. Put it down whenever you useglue or finishing products and anytime youuse your bench for nonwoodworking taskslike fixing the lawnmower.

Page 87: Your First Workshop

82 T h e B a s i c S h o p

SSpprriinngg ccllaammppss aarree iiddeeaall ffoorr ssmmaallllccllaammppiinngg jjoobbss..

CCoorrnneerr ccllaammppss hhoolldd ppaarrttss dduurriinnggffiittttiinngg aanndd gglluuee--uupp..

WWeebbbbiinngg ccllaammppss eexxeerrtt eevveenn pprreess--ssuurree wwhheenn ootthheerr ccllaammppss ccaann’’tt..

� CCOORRNNEERR CCLLAAMMPPSS � WWEEBBBBIINNGG CCLLAAMMPPSS� SSPPRRIINNGG CCLLAAMMPPSS

WWHHAA TT CCLLAAMMPPSS CCAANN DDOO

More Clamps

Woodworking uses an astonishingnumber of clamps; no matter howmany you have, you’ll always need

more. Keep buying the basics and add spe-cialized clamps as needed.

The new parallel-jaw clamps have arefined head design that ensures the jaws areperpendicular to the bar under load. They areeasier to set up, are less likely to twist or maryour work, and clamp more securely thanother bar clamps. The only drawback is theirhigh cost, so you may have to build your col-lection slowly.

Spring clamps are at the other extreme—they’re inexpensive and not very powerful.Still, they’re great for small workpieces withparallel or nearly parallel sides. A bandclamp comes in handy when nothing else willwork and can be especially useful when work-ing with curved surfaces.

Corner clamps hold the parts in align-ment and free your hands for other things.

IInn ccllaammppss yyoouu nneeeedd bbootthh nnuummbbeerr aanndd vvaarriieettyy..PPaarraalllleell jjaaww ccllaammppss rreedduuccee bboouunncciinngg wwhhiillee aa ssmmaallllccllaammpp oonn tthhee jjooiinntt eennssuurreess aalliiggnnmmeenntt..

Page 88: Your First Workshop

More Clamps 83

More Clamps

K eep adding to your core collection of clamps and start rounding it out with specialized clamps

for jobs large and small.

TThheessee aarree aa hhaannddyy cchhooiiccee ffoorr ffllaatt ppaanneellss aanndd gglluuiinngguupp aa ccaarrccaassee..

� PPAARRAALLLLEELL--JJAAWW CCLLAAMMPPSS

VViinnyyll ddoouubbllee--ssiiddeeddttaappee ((33⁄⁄44"" wwiiddee))

BBlluuee hhoouusseeppaaiinntteerr’’ssmmaasskkiinngg ttaappee ((33⁄⁄44"" aanndd 22"" wwiiddee))

PPeerrffeeccttllyyssqquuaarree

LLIIGGHHTT--DDUUTTYYCCOORRNNEERR CCLLAAMMPP

BBAANNDD CCLLAAMMPP ((tthhiiss oonnee iissssoolldd aass aa rrooooff rraacckk ttiiee--ddoowwnn))

LLIIGGHHTT--DDUUTTYYSSPPRRIINNGG CCLLAAMMPP

PPAARRAALLLLEELLJJAAWW CCLLAAMMPP

SSwwiivveelliinngg ppaaddss ccaann hhaannddlleennoonnppaarraalllleell ssuurrffaacceess..

LLaarrggee ppllaassttiicc ssuurrffaaccee

JJaawwss ssttaayy ppeerrppeennddiiccuullaarrttoo bbaarr uunnddeerr llooaadd..

Start your collection with several small, inex-pensive clamps for general duty and plan tobuy heavy-duty specialized versions whenyou need them.

Don’t overlook tape. It’s great for edge-banding, veneering, and other light-dutywork. Double-sided tape is a huge time-saver,useful when holding multiple pieces togetherand in other cases where clamping wouldbe awkward.

Page 89: Your First Workshop

Once you commit yourself to woodwork-ing, your relationship to your shopchanges. You’re spending more time

there and building more complex projects, sohaving to move the bikes, reorganize the gar-den tools, and set up lights before you canwork is no longer tolerable. Your growing toolcollection is taking up more room, and there’slumber to store, too (see the floor plan on thefacing page).

You’d like more room, but since the avail-able space is fixed, what you really need isbetter organization. Add built-in cabinets anddrawers. Hang jigs and infrequently useditems high on the walls or even on the ceiling.Use the space between the joists or build low-profile racks for hanging things from theoverhead. Use the floor underneath tools, thespace beneath the staircase, and the areabetween the garage doors. Make the most ofevery inch of space, and your shop can hap-pily coexist with the rest of your things.

Cabinets and shelvesKeep your Essential Shop space intact anduse it to build cabinets to replace some of theshelving you’re using. Build the cabinets intwo banks and cover their tops with 3⁄4" (orthicker) plywood or MDF so the tops are atbench height. Leave room between the banksfor your bench, and you’ll end up with awhole wall of workspace with surfaces atbench height. You can add more cabinetsabove the bench, but you’ll have better lightand more room to work if you don’t. Use the

space above the bench by installing narrowshelves or hanging frequently used tools there.

Rather than succumb to the desire to buildthe perfect storage cabinets with complicatedfeatures, start by building a batch of simpleboxes with doors. Get them in service and fig-ure out what wants to live where. To increasestorage space later, you can customize the cabi-net to its contents by installing partitions, slid-ing shelves, and drawers.

Now there’s space on the other wallfor storing lumber and sheet goods. Store

84 T h e B a s i c S h o p

The Basic Shop Space

TThhiinnkk vveerrttiiccaallllyy.. UUssee eevveerryy bbiitt ooff wwaallll ssppaaccee——eevveenntthhee cceeiilliinngg——aanndd ddoonn’’tt lleett tthhee ssppaaccee bbeenneeaatthhsshheellvveess oorr ttoooollss ggoo ttoo wwaassttee.. TThhee mmoorree yyoouu ccaannssttoorree,, tthhee mmoorree rroooomm yyoouu’’llll hhaavvee ffoorr wwooooddwwoorrkkiinngg..

Page 90: Your First Workshop

The Basic Shop Space 85

Plywood on edge

Garden tools, etc.

Cover walls with 3/4" plywood

Lamp

New low-temp fluorescent fixtures wired to switch

Hang garden tools here.

New outlet strip along bench and cabinets

Shelves above

Cabinets below

24"

Cabinets for shop and household items below

Woodworker’s bench

Cabinets for shop itemsStore dowels and rods in this corner.

Lumber on heavy-duty brackets

Rolling cart (household items)

Grinder (move as needed)

Box post in plywood

Fire extinguisher, pencil sharpener, and rulers

Miter saw

New outlet strip

Hang some toolson the walls

Floor Plan, the Basic Shop

Page 91: Your First Workshop

plywood at the back of the shop, leaning thesheets against the wall vertically—or as closeto vertical as possible. Store solid wood onwell-fastened heavy-duty shelf brackets.Twelve feet of shelving will accommodatelumber up to about 14' in length—longerpieces can rest on 2x4s set on the floor.

An array of clamp racks on the wall is animpressive sight, but wall space is at a pre-mium in most shops. When you have only afew clamps, you can keep them in a bucket orbin and push them under the bench when notin use. But clamps in a bin end up in a tangledmess. A better solution is to build a clamprack on casters. It frees up wall space andputs the clamps close by when you need them.When you don’t, just push the rack aside.

Maximize the remaining space by park-ing some rolling shelves along the back of

86 T h e B a s i c S h o p

� WWhheenn yyoouurr bbeenncchh iiss ppuusshheedd aaggaaiinnsstt tthhee wwaallll wwiitthhyyoouurr mmoosstt ccoommmmoonnllyy uusseedd ttoooollss hhaannggiinngg nneeaarrbbyy,, yyoouuccaann ggeett rriigghhtt ttoo wwoorrkk wwhheenneevveerr yyoouu hhaavvee aa ssppaarreemmoommeenntt.. BBuutt ssoommeettiimmeess yyoouu’’llll wwaanntt ttoo ppuullll iitt aawwaayyffrroomm tthhee wwaallll ttoo ggeett aatt aallll ssiiddeess ooff yyoouurr pprroojjeecctt..

Page 92: Your First Workshop

The Basic Shop Space 87

RROOLLLLIINNGG TTOOOOLL CCAABBIINNEETT

Designed for auto shops, a multitieredmetal tool cabinet works just as well in awoodworking shop. It keeps your toolsnearby, even when you’re not working atyour bench. If you’re concerned aboutunauthorized use of your tools, you canlock the cabinet up.

BBIINNSS AANNDD CCRRAA TTEESS

Moderate-size clear plastic bins with lidsare a good way to store stuff in the shop.They’re not big enough to get too heavy,and you can see what’s in them. Opencrates are smaller, more heavily built,and stackable, but small items will slipthrough the holes in the bottom and sides.

SSOOFFTT--SSIIDDEEDD BBAAGGSS AANNDD TTOOOOLL RROOLLLLSS

Tools kept in a soft-sided bag aren’t aslikely to be damaged as those rattlingaround in a metal case. With pockets onthe outside and divided space on theinside, a couple of moderately sized bagscan hold most of your tools. Keep chiselsand rasps in a tool roll with pockets.

DDOOWWEELLSS IINN TTHHEE WWAALLLL

Rather than fiddling with pegboard andhangers that always fall out, put your toolson lengths of 1⁄2" dowel set into holesdrilled in the wall. Don’t expect this towork in drywall—cover it with a sheet of3⁄4" plywood first. Use nails or screws forhanging small items like rulers.

SSTT OORRAA GGEE FFOORR YYOOUURR TTOOOOLLSS

Page 93: Your First Workshop

your shop with little or no space betweenthem. When you need an item from a shelf,simply roll the cart out of line and into theopen, much like opening a drawer.

LightingNo matter how organized your shop is, youcannot do good work without adequate light.How much light is adequate? A lot more thanyou’d probably imagine.

Lighting design standards for a cabinet-making shop suggest that it have 1,000 lux of illuminance—in practical terms, it shouldbe at least as bright as a supermarket.For comparison, the suggested illuminance forgeneral office space or kitchens is 500 lux.Moonlight measures about 1 lux.

88 T h e B a s i c S h o p

The bank of cabinets shown in this

photo is nothing more than a line of

identical plywood boxes screwed to the

wall. A plywood top spans the bank and

matches it to the bench height. Built

quickly with a pocket-hole jig, these cabi-

nets filled up almost immediately. MDF

doors came later and were dirt-simple to

construct—just cut the MDF to size and

install the hardware.

Prebuilt cabinets are an even quicker

way to add storage, and the cost can be

even less than the simplest shop-built cab-

inets. You’ll have to design your space to

accommodate the cabinet sizes stocked

by your local lumberyard or home center,

but you can set up the shop in an afternoon.

QUICK-AND-DIRTY CABINETS FOR THE SHOP

AA mmoobbiillee ccllaammpp rraacckk ssaavveess wwaallll ssppaaccee aanndd ppuuttss tthheeccllaammppss wwhheerree yyoouu nneeeedd tthheemm:: cclloossee bbyy..

MMaaddee ffrroomm 33⁄⁄44"" sshhoopp--ggrraaddee ppllyywwoooodd wwiitthh MMDDFF ddoooorrss,, tthheesseeccaabbiinneettss aarree sseerrvviicceeaabbllee aanndd ssttuurrddyy.. YYoouu mmiigghhtt ssaayy tthheeyyhhaavvee aa rruuggggeedd aanndd ffuunnccttiioonnaall hhaannddssoommeenneessss..

Page 94: Your First Workshop

How do you translate suggested lux intothe number of fixtures you need in your shop?A lighting designer would use the lux numberand work through several equations, takinginto account the size and construction of theroom, the wall and floor color, the fixture’sdesign, and other factors, and come up with ashopping list.

You can boil it down to this: Get one 4'double-tube fluorescent fixture for every36 sq. ft. of shop space. If your shop walls aredark, or if the overhead is open-joist workwith no ceiling, you’ll need 50% more fixtures.When you do the math, round up and err onthe side of more fixtures because aging eyesneed even more light. To see the fine marks

on a scale, a 70-year old needs twice as muchlight as a 30-year old.

Position the light fixtures around yourshop to avoid dark corners. Put a line oflights down each side of the shop to illumi-nate your benches and storage and hang therest in the middle of the room. You may notend up with even spacing because of thingslike garage-door tracks, ductwork, or beams.Just work with what you have and positionfixtures so the obstructions don’t block toomuch light. Finally, use task lighting when-ever you need a little more clarity.

The Basic Shop Space 89

R ecycle empty drywall buckets or buy new ones,

but keep a few on hand. Though you can get

nifty organizers for carrying tools in a bucket, I pre-

fer to use them for other things.

� Use them for storing small clamps—they’re con-

venient for carrying them to the workbench.

� With the appropriate trays, they’re a great way to

store fasteners.

� Use them as a storage bath for waterstones.

� Manage extension cords by threading the

pronged end out of a hole near the bottom and

coiling the cord in the bucket.

� Store used solvents in them until your town has a

hazardous-waste-disposal day.

� Filled with mineral spirits and kerosene, they can

keep your best paintbrushes clean and ready to

use.

� Filled with sand (or water) they serve as weights

for clamping or veneering.

� Turned upside down, they make great seats or

makeshift sawhorses.

5-GALLON BUCKETS

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Page 96: Your First Workshop

The Efficient Shop

P A R TT H R E E

What to Consider 9922

Bandsaw 9966

Tablesaw 110022

Jointer 110088

Planer 111100

Router Table 111122

Drill Press 111166

Specialty Hand Tools 111188

Mechanic’s Tools 112200

The Efficient Shop Space 112222

Page 97: Your First Workshop

A fter spending time working in yourBasic Shop, you’re probably aware ofits limitations. You’ve become an expert

at ripping with a circular saw, but you dislikeall the work needed to set up the sawhorses,extension cords, and foam for a few cuts. Youlook forward to stepping up to a tablesaw, locking the fence at the desiredwidth, and ripping away without all that set-up time. You’re eager to get more time onwoodworking by reducing the tedium andfocusing on the fun parts.

You’ve also built enough projects to beginto understand wood and its ways, and youprobably want more control over your materi-

als. You’re ready to buy rough lumber andmill it to your own specifications so it’s flat,straight, true, and dimensionally stable.Maybe you’re even thinking about buyingthick boards and resawing them into thinnerpieces so all the wood in a tabletop or set ofdrawer fronts matches in shade, tone, andgrain. If so, it’s time to add some big machinesto your shop.

Jointer and planer make a pairGood work starts with clear, straight-grainedwood that’s machined flat, and to do that youneed both a jointer and a planer. Jointers flat-ten, straighten, and square up an edge, but

92 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

WWhhaatt ttoo CCoonnssiiddeerr

BBAANNDDSSAAWW

No kickback Cuts curves Resaws Does not require a fence or guide for

every cut Cuts angles safely and easilyIs quietHas small footprint

Ripping cuts need to be planed flat andsmooth after sawing

Needs many (simple) adjustmentsSmall table sizes make handling sheet goods

difficult

TTAABBLLEESSAAWW

Rips cleanly (needs only a few strokes with a plane to smooth)

Makes accurate crosscutsCuts clean joints with the right jigsCuts dadoes and grooves

Is prone to kickbackNeeds accurate adjustments for safetyRequires a fence or guide for every cut

PPRROOSS

CCOONNSS

PROS AND CONS OF THE BANDSAW AND TABLESAW

Page 98: Your First Workshop

they don’t ensure that both faces are parallelto each other. That’s why you need a planer. Aplaner simply renders the top of a board par-allel to its bottom. In some cases it can removetwist or cup, but you can’t count on it (see“Five Steps to Four-Square Lumber” on p. 95).

Tablesaw or bandsaw next?After planing, a board is flat, uniformly thick,and has one good edge that’s square to bothfaces. The next step is to run the good edgeagainst a fence and rip the board to width ona tablesaw or bandsaw. Which should youhave in your shop? Both do the job; the oneyou pick is more a matter of philosophy than fact.

Many novice woodworkers prefer thebandsaw because it’s more forgiving: An errorin guiding the work means a wavy saw kerfand more planing in the next step. A similarerror on a tablesaw could result in a seriousinjury (see “Pros and Cons of the Bandsaw

and Tablesaw” on the facing page).I could make a strong argument in favor

of either tool; in the end you’ll choose the sawthat suits your woodworking style. If you’repartial to sculpted shapes, enjoy carving orturning, or plan to build a boat, you’ll want tostart with the curve-cutting bandsaw. Ifyou’re into the Arts and Crafts style, or wantto build case goods, buy the tablesaw first.

Bottom line: Eventually you’ll have both.

Add other tools as neededAfter you’ve acquired the machinery for

dimensioning lumber, put away your cash (or plastic) for a while. Plan to buy the othertools, but not until you need them. Forinstance, you can put off the drill press for a while, but when perpendicularity becomes a crucial attribute for the holes you need to drill, it’s time to get one. The same is true for the router table and the mechanic’s tools.A funny thing about getting a new tool—

What to Consider 93

YYoouu ccaann sseelleecctt lluummbbeerr aanndd hhaarrvveesstt ppiieecceess ttoo sshhoowwccaassee tthhee ggrraaiinn wwhheenn yyoouu hhaavvee tthhee ttoooollss ttoo ddiimmeennssiioonn rroouugghh lluummbbeerr ttoo yyoouurr oowwnn ssppeeccss..

Page 99: Your First Workshop

once you’ve learned to use it, you’ll find it’sindispensable. It becomes part of your problem-solving arsenal, and you can’t imagine howyou got along without it.

As your shop gets more efficient, it alsogets more complex. Adding these tools meansyou’ll need considerably more space, not onlyfor the tools, but also for the larger projectsyou’ll undertake because of them. You’ll haveto think about where you’ll use the tools andhow you’ll store them. Electricity is suddenlyan issue, and you may have to upgrade yourwiring or add new circuits. You’ll need betterlighting, as well as enough heat and ventila-tion to keep you comfortable.

It will become an Efficient Shop, a place

where work is streamlined to minimize thetedium and maximize the fun. But don’tbecome so concerned with efficiency that youturn your woodworking into another source ofpressure in your life. Woodworking shouldn’tbe about having the most powerful machines orhow quickly you can complete your projects—those are the concerns of production engi-neers. Woodworking as a hobby is insteadabout slowing down, connecting with thewood, and challenging your hands, your head,and your heart.

94 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

MMAACCHHIINNEESS UUSSEEDD TTOO MMIILLLL RROOUUGGHH LLUUMMBBEERR TTOO SSQQUUAARREE

� Planer

� Tablesaw

� Bandsaw

� Jointer

MMAACCHHIINNEESS TTHHAATT CCRREEAATTEE JJOOIINNTTSS

� Tablesaw

� Drill press

� Router table

� Bandsaw

� Jointer

MMAACCHHIINNEESS TTHHAATT CCRREEAATTEEDDEECCOORRAATTIIVVEE EEFFFFEECCTTSS

� Table-mounted router

� Tablesaw

� Drill press

� Bandsaw

ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT IT. . .

RReessaaww llooggss iinnttoo lluummbbeerr.. TThhee bbaannddssaaww ccaann ccuuttaanngglleess aanndd ccuurrvveess,, ccrroossssccuutt,, rriipp,, aanndd rreessaaww tthhiicckkppiieecceess ooff wwoooodd iinnttoo tthhiinnnneerr ppiieecceess..

Page 100: Your First Workshop

What to Consider 95

FFIIVVEE SSTTEEPPSS TTOO FFOOUURR--SSQQUUAARREE LLUUMMBBEERR

FFLLAA TTTTEENN FFAACCEE SSIIDDEE

Run one face over the jointer as manytimes as necessary until it’s smooth. Withproper jointer technique, that face willcome out flat in length and flat in widthwith no warp, twist, or bow. Mark it as theface side.

FFLLAA TTTTEENN FFAACCEE EEDDGGEE

Place the face side against the fence (makesure it’s 90˚) and run one edge through thejointer until it cuts along the full lengthand full width of the edge. Mark it as face edge.

PPLLAANNEE TTOO TTHHIICCKKNNEESSSS

Place the face side down on the table whenpassing the wood through the planer. Itshaves the top until it’s parallel to the faceside. Make the last pass on the face side,because the planer leaves a smoother cutthan the jointer.

RRIIPP TTOO WWIIDDTTHH

Put the face edge against the tablesaw or bandsaw fence and rip to the desiredwidth. Take a few swipes with a handplaneto remove the tool marks and prepare theedge for gluing.

CCUUTT TTOO LLEENNGGTTHH

Use a miter saw or a miter gauge on thetablesaw to make smooth, square cross-cuts to length.

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96 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

CCuutt ooppeenn--eennddeedd ccuurrvveess aanndd ssccrroollll.. CCuutt aalloonngg tthhee lleennggtthh ooff aa bbooaarrdd.. CCuutt tthhiicckk ppiieecceess ttoo tthhiinn..

� RRIIPP � CCUUTT CCUURRVVEESS � RREESSAAWW

WWHHAA TT AA BBAANNDDSSAAWW CCAANN DDOO

Bandsaw

The bandsaw is the champion of cuttingcurves, but it can also rip and crosscut,as well as cut angles, compound shapes,

and joints. It’s also the best way to resaw athick piece of wood into two thinner pieces. Inshort, it’s one of the most versatile tools youcan own. It can do nearly everything a table-saw can do, except cut grooves. And the band-saw is a friendly, relatively safe tool thatdoesn’t take up much room in a shop.

Bandsaw basicsThe “band” of the bandsaw is the flexible steelblade that wraps around two rubber-clad wheels.A motor turns the lower wheel, rotating so theblade moves downward at the point of cut,holding the workpiece on the table. Unlike atablesaw, the bandsaw has no tendency to pickup the workpiece and fling it across the shop.

Guides keep the blade from wandering,as does tensioning the blade. This is done bytightening a screw to raise the top wheel.

This puts enormous stress on the saw’sframe, and it must be strong enough to holdthis tension. The traditional material forbandsaw frames is cast iron, a heavy materialthat also helps to dampen the vibrationcaused by all the rotating parts. These days

� Hook your shop vacuum up to the dust port

during ripping and resawing.

� Watch the position of your fingers while cut-

ting angles or tapers.

� Round stock can rotate, pinching your fingers.

� Cutting too tight a curve will cause the blade

to twist in the guide, bind in the wood, and

possibly break.

� A ticking noise usually means the blade will

soon break.

� Overtensioning will wear out the saw’s bear-

ings prematurely.

WATCH OUT

Page 102: Your First Workshop

Bandsaw 97

the trend is toward lighter-weight frames thatget their strength from welded web frames.

When you refer to the size of a bandsawin inches, you’re talking about three measure-ments. A 14" bandsaw has 14"-diameterwheels, its throat width allows just less than14" for a cut between the frame and theblade, and the table is about 14" square.

What to buyBuy a 14" saw and you won’t need to trade upunless you want to resaw boards wider than12". Don’t bother with smaller saws; they justdon’t have the capacity for ripping or resaw-ing. A larger saw is always nice, but there’s abig price jump up to a 16" or larger saw.

The standard 14" bandsaw can resawboards up to about 6" wide. An optional riserblock bolts between the upper and lower cast-ings to increase the cutting height to almost12". You’ll want it sooner or later, so just getit when you buy the saw.

A 1-hp motor is standard on these saws;however, it can stall when cutting thick woodor resawing. Go for a 11⁄2 hp from the startand save the trouble and expense of changingit later.

Every bandsaw has two sets of guidesthat support the blade both above and belowthe cut (one set is under the table). Look forguides that adjust easily, because you’ll need toreset the guides whenever you change blades.

CCuutt jjooiinnttss lliikkee tthhiiss tteennoonn ffrreeeehhaanndd oorr wwiitthh jjiiggss..

� CCUUTT AANNGGLLEESS � JJOOIINNEERRYY

CCuutt aanngglleess aanndd ccoommppoouunndd ccuurrvveess..

PPrriizzee lluummbbeerr ffrroomm ffiirreewwoooodd.. MMoosstt wwooooddppiilleess ccoonn--ttaaiinn ssoommee ttrreeaassuurreess——sswweeeett--ssmmeelllliinngg ffrruuiittwwoooodd oorrbbeeaauuttiiffuull bbuurrlleedd oorr ssppaalltteedd ppiieecceess.. SSccrreeww tthhee llooggttoo aa ssttuurrddyy rriigghhtt aannggllee jjiigg aanndd rreessaaww iitt oonn yyoouurrbbaannddssaaww..

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98 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

The 14" Bandsaw

The 14" cast-iron bandsaw is the workhorse machine insmall shops worldwide, both amateur and pro.

EEnncclloosseedd ssttaanndd

WWhheeeell ccoovveerr

UUppppeerr gguuiiddeess((bblloocckk ttyyppee))

LLoowweerr gguuiiddeess nnoott vviissiibbllee uunnddeerr ttaabbllee

TTaabbllee iinnsseerrtt

TTaabbllee ttiillttaaddjjuussttmmeenntt

PPuulllleeyy

LLoowweerr dduussttccoolllleeccttiioonnppoorrtt

MMoottoorr

TTrraacckkiinngg aaddjjuussttmmeenntt ssccrreeww

TTeennssiioonn aaddjjuusstteerr

TTaabbllee aalliiggnnmmeenntt ppiinn

TThhrrooaatt

GGuuiiddee bbaarraaddjjuussttss ffoorrcclleeaarraanncceeaabboovvee wwoorrkkppiieeccee..

GGuuiiddee bbaarraaddjjuussttmmeennttssccrreeww

BBllaaddee gguuaarrdd

MMiitteerr sslloott

OOnn//ooffff sswwiittcchh

WWhheeeell ccoovveerr

RRiipp ffeennccee aaddjjuussttss ffoorr ddrriifftt..

Page 104: Your First Workshop

Bandsaw 99

BBAANNDDSSAAWWSS RROOTTAATTEE

BBAALLAANNCCEEDD WWHHEEEELLSS AANNDD PPUULLLLEEYYSS

Just like the wheels of a racing bike, thewheels and pulleys on your bandsawshould be well made and balanced forsmooth rotation. Look for machined sur-faces and feel the back of the wheels forspots that have been drilled out to balancethe wheel.

BBLLAADDEE TTEENNSSIIOONN

A sloppy blade will flutter and bow as itcuts. For best results, it must be adequatelytensioned. As a rule of thumb for home-shop-sized saws, tension your blades to thesecond-highest mark on the tensioningscale, and don’t use a blade wider than 1⁄2".

BBLLAADDEE TTRRAA CCKKIINNGG

Once the upper wheel is tensioned, adjustits tilt to keep the band centered on thetire. Rotate the wheel by hand and turn thetracking adjustment screw (to the left ofthe spring tension scale in the photo direct-ly above) until the band settles in the mid-dle of the tire. The tracking knob (to theleft of the spring in the photo directlyabove) tilts the upper wheel so the bandruns around the middle of the wheels.

GGUUIIDDEESS

Limiting side-to-side and backward motionkeeps the blade aligned and the cut precise.Adjust the side guides so they’re close to theblade but not touching it. Guides take a lot ofabuse and need frequent attention to do theirjob right.

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100 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

Blades for the Bandsaw

The right blade is crucial for bandsaw per-formance. The wrong blade will cut slowly,

with lots of heat and dust, and it won’t cut thecurve you want. You’ll end up with a varietyof blades to suit the many jobs a bandsaw cando, changing them as the need arises. Here’swhat you need to know to find the right ones.

Select the right pitch Pitch, the numberof teeth per inch (tpi), is crucial to getting asmooth cut. The blade should have between 6 and 10 teeth in the work. For cutting a 1⁄2"-thick board, you’ll use a blade with 12 to24 tpi. If you’re cutting a 2"-thick piece, use 3 to 5 tpi.

Tooth form Bandsaw blades come in dif-ferent tooth shapes. Regular tooth blades havea straight cutting edge and deep gullets.They’re good for general duty. A skip tooth bladealso has a straight cutting edge, but there’s asharp angle between the tooth and the gullet.This makes for faster clearing of chips, so it’sa good resaw blade. The hook tooth blade haswider spaced teeth and the cutting edge isundercut. The front of the tooth swoops intothe gullet in a sharp curve, making for anaggressive cut suitable for very hard woods.

Width The wider the blade, the straighterit cuts. For the most part, stick with blades 1⁄2"wide or narrower. Wider blades require moreforce to tension than a small-shop bandsawcan generate. For cutting curves, you need awidth suited to the desired radius.A 1⁄2" blade can cut a 21⁄2" radius curve; a 1⁄4"blade cuts a 3⁄8" radius.

Material Carbon steel is the most com-mon and least expensive material for band-saw blades. It’s fine for general-purposesawing, but it won’t last long for resawing.

Bimetal and hardened blades use softersteel for the majority of the blade, with aband of harder steel at the teeth. They costmore and stay sharp longer.AA ttyyppiiccaall bbllaaddee.. TThhiiss 11⁄⁄22"" xx 33 ttppii bbiimmeettaall hhooookk--ttooootthh

bbllaaddee iiss ggoooodd ffoorr bbootthh rreessaawwiinngg aanndd ssaawwiinngg tthhiicckkssttoocckk..

1⁄4" x 20 carbon steel, regular or skip tooth. For

cutting thin wood and/or small curves.

3⁄8" x 6 bimetal or hardened steel, hook tooth.

For general shop use in all but the thinnest

boards.

1⁄2" x 3 bimetal or hardened steel, hook tooth.

For resawing and general use in thick boards.

THREE BLADES YOU NEED NOW

Page 106: Your First Workshop

Bandsaw 101

T o get the most benefit from the bandsaw’s flexi-

bility, you’ll need to change blades often. It’s

not difficult with practice—the key is to do it in an

orderly way. First things first: Unplug the saw.

PPRREELLIIMMIINNAARRIIEESS

First, release the tension, using the wheel or

lever. Move the blade guides and thrust bearings

out of the way. Then remove the throat plate and

the level pin at the end of the table slot. Finally,

ease the blade off the wheels and thread it

through the table slot.

This is a good opportunity to do some basic

maintenance. Clean dust and pitch from the tires.

Also, clean the guides and make sure they’re in

good working order.

MMOOUUNNTTIINNGG TTHHEE BBLLAADDEE

While it may seem obvious, make sure you install

the blade in the right direction. The teeth should

face down toward the table. If they don’t, the

blade is inside out. Tension the blade and rotate

the upper wheel by hand to test that the blade

runs on the center of the tire. Adjust the tracking

as necessary. Replace the throat plate.

AADDJJUUSSTTMMEENNTTSS

Adjust the upper and lower guides and thrust

bearings. The thickness of a dollar bill sets the

distance between the guide and the blade. The

thrust bearing at the back of the blade should

just kiss the back of the blade before cutting. It’s

wise to check the table for square rather than rely

on the built-in protractor gauge.

If you use a rip fence, you’ll need to adjust

its angle to match the blade’s cut. Choose a

straight-edged piece of wood and draw a line par-

allel to the edge. Saw about halfway down the

line (a little waviness is okay—the general trend

is what matters) and stop the saw while keeping

the board in place. Adjust the fence so it’s

against the board (see the photo below right).

Finally, clean and wax the table.

INSTALLING BLADES

SSeett tthhee gguuiiddeess.. AA ffoollddeedd ddoollllaarr bbiillll iiss aann iinneexxppeennssiivveeaalltteerrnnaattiivvee ttoo aa ffeeeelleerr ggaauuggee ffoorr sseettttiinngg tthhee ccoorrrreeccttddiissttaannccee bbeettwweeeenn gguuiiddeess aanndd tthhee bbllaaddee..

RReesseett tthhee rriipp ffeennccee.. EEaacchh ttiimmee yyoouu cchhaannggee tthhee bbllaaddee,,yyoouu’’llll hhaavvee ttoo aaddjjuusstt yyoouurr rriipp ffeennccee ttoo mmaattcchh tthheebbllaaddee’’ss ccuutt..

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102 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

RRuunn aa jjooiinntteedd eeddggee aaggaaiinnsstttthhee ffeennccee,, aanndd rriipp ppaarraalllleell ttootthhaatt eeddggee..

CCuutt aaccrroossss tthhee wwiiddtthh,, aallwwaayyssgguuiiddiinngg tthhee ccuutt wwiitthh aa ddeevviiccee rruunn--nniinngg iinn tthhee ttaabbllee’’ss sslloott..

TThhee bbllaaddee aanngglleess ttoo 4455°°.. PPoossiittiioonntthhee ffeennccee ssoo tthhee bbllaaddee aanngglleessaawwaayy ffrroomm iitt..

� CCRROOSSSSCCUUTT� RRIIPP � CCUUTT AANNGGLLEESS

WWHHAA TT AA TTAABBLLEESSAAWW CCAANN DDOO

Tablesaw

T he tablesaw is the center of many wood-working shops. You may already knowthat it’s the most efficient tool for rip-

ping wood to width, but it does a lot morethan that. Its ability to saw straight linesmakes it a great way to cut grooves along aboard’s length, or dadoes across its width. Ifyou need a big rabbet, a tablesaw can do it intwo saw cuts. With a good crosscut sled run-ning in the miter slot, the tablesaw is per-haps the most accurate way to crosscut ormiter. When the face side of a board is run atan angle over the blade, it can cut an almostinfinite variety of cove moldings. Add the abil-ity to cut bevels, and you get a tool that notonly cuts lumber to size, but also cuts com-plex joints and molds edges. No wonder it’s sowidely used.

But the tablesaw has a dark side—it doesnot tolerate errors. Ignoring proper techniqueor failing to attend to details can result in

serious injury. Many beginning woodworkersfear the tablesaw with good reason, butacceptance is a better attitude. The turningblade’s power is inexorable; you can’t stop orchange it, but you can harness it. If youunderstand the tool and use it on its ownterms, you’ll enjoy a lifetime of safe andsuccessful sawing.

What to buyGet a 11⁄2-hp contractor’s saw with a mobilebase, all the optional cast-iron tables, and thelargest side extension table you can fit intoyour shop. You’ll never regret buying capacity.A few brands offer optional cast-iron slidingtables, ideal for crosscutting; just keep inmind that they take up a lot more room.

For about half the money, you can get a10" portable benchtop saw. They’re at theirbest with surfaced lumber that’s less thanabout 1" thick, and they will need babying to

Page 108: Your First Workshop

Tablesaw 103

handle more. The small direct-drive motorsare loud, prone to overheating, and easy tobog down. A benchtop isn’t a bad saw to startout with—the price is right and it’s not toointimidating. But you’ll soon outgrow it.

If you’re flush with cash, consider gettinga cabinet saw, the top-drawer choice. You’ll

pay twice as much as you would for a contrac-tor’s saw, but it will hold its resale value.With 3+-hp motors driven by two or three

CCuutt ggrroooovveess,, ddaaddooeess,, oorr rraabbbbeettss..

� CCUUTT MMIITTEERRSS � CCUUTT GGRROOOOVVEESS AANNDD RRAABBBBEETTSS

UUssiinngg aa mmiitteerr ggaauuggee rruunnnniinngg iinn aa sslloott,, yyoouu ccaannccrroossssccuutt aannyy aannggllee..

SSttaanndd ttoo tthhee lleefftt ooff tthhee bbllaaddee wwhheenn rriippppiinngg aanndd uusseeffeeaatthheerrbbooaarrddss ttoo hhoolldd tthhee bbooaarrdd aaggaaiinnsstt tthhee ffeennccee..FFeeeedd tthhee bbooaarrdd sstteeaaddiillyy,, ppuusshhiinngg aaggaaiinnsstt tthhee ffeenncceejjuusstt bbeehhiinndd tthhee bbllaaddee..

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104 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

Contractor’s Tablesaw

Asolid contractor’s saw handles most of the tasks a woodworker will tackle,at about half the cost of a cabinet-style saw.

BBllaaddee hheeiigghhttaaddjjuussttmmeenntt wwhheeeell

BBllaaddee aannggllee ssccaallee

BBllaaddeettiillttiinnggwwhheeeell

MMiitteerr sslloott

SSwwiittcchh

SSttaanndd

MMoottoorr

HHeeaavvyy ccaasstt--iirroonn ttaabbllee ssttaayyss ffllaattaanndd aaddddss ddaammppeenniinngg wweeiigghhtt..

CCaasstt--iirroonnwwiinnggss RRiipp ffeennccee

TThhrrooaatt ppllaattee

GGuuaarrdd

SSpplliitttteerr

SSiiddee eexxtteennssiioonn ttaabbllee

RRiipp ffeenncceegguuiiddee bbaarr

RRiipp ffeenncceelloocckkiinngglleevveerr

RRiipp ssccaallee

MMoobbiilleebbaassee

Page 110: Your First Workshop

Tablesaw 105

belts, these saws have the guts to sawthrough anything and do it all day withoutoverheating. Their greater mass dampensvibration, and the tilt and depth mechanisms(bolted to the cabinet) are engineered to betough, accurate, and easy to adjust.

On contractor’s and benchtop saws, thedepth and tilt mechanisms are bolted beneaththe table. They’re notably fussy, and it can bedifficult to get and keep the blade parallel tothe miter slot, especially after tilting theblade. Work around this by locking the bladein the vertical position and building sleds forcutting angles, as shown in the second photofrom the top on p. 107.

No matter what saw you choose, get thefence upgrade (see “Tablesaw Accessories” onpp. 146–149), or buy an aftermarket fence.Include dust collection ports or skirts asappropriate, and get at least two blades—arip blade and a 40-tooth combination blade.

SafetyThe tablesaw presents two distinct hazards:the exposed blade and kickback. The exposed-blade hazard is simple to avoid: Keep theblade covered and keep your hands away

from it. Every new tablesaw comes with ablade guard; use it. If you find it clumsy orpoorly designed, replace it with a better one(see “Tablesaw Accessories” on pp. 146–149).Keep your hands at least 6" away from theblade and use push sticks and featherboardsto hold and control the work safely.

Kickback is a more complex problem.It happens when the wood binds and catcheson the blade’s back edge. The rotating bladefirst lifts the wood up and, as the rotation

� Every rip requires a fence, and only straight

edges go against the fence.

� Every crosscut involves the miter slot in some

way—don’t use a fence or cut freehand.

� Always guard the blade; use a splitter

when possible.

� Keep your hands away from the blade and use

push sticks, hold-downs, and featherboards.

� Don’t use the tablesaw when sickness,

medications, anxiety, or fatigue might impair

your mental agility.

THE FIVE LAWS OF THE TABLESAW

CCaabbiinneett--ssttyyllee ttaabblleessaaww.. AA 1100"" ccaabbiinneett ssaaww iiss hheeaavv--iieerr,, mmoorree aaccccuurraattee,, mmoorree ppoowweerrffuull,, aanndd eeaassiieerr ttooaaddjjuusstt.. WWiitthh aa mmoobbiillee bbaassee,, yyoouu ccaann eeaassiillyy mmoovvee iittaarroouunndd yyoouurr sshhoopp..

BBeenncchhttoopp ttaabblleessaaww.. AA 1100"" bbeenncchhttoopp ssaaww iiss ccaappaabblleeooff aaccccuurraattee bbuutt lliigghhtt--dduuttyy wwoorrkk.. IItt’’ss aaffffoorrddaabbllee,,ppoorrttaabbllee,, aanndd eeaassyy ttoo ssttooww uunnddeerr aa bbeenncchh oorr eevveennoonn aa sshheellff..

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106 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

continues, flings it back toward the operator.Sometimes the trajectory is low and the piecehits at hip level; sometimes it’s at chest orhead level. If you’re standing in the right place(to the left of the blade), it’ll pass you by, butothers may not be so lucky. A kicked-backboard moves at around 120 mph—more thanenough to seriously injure someone on theother side of the room. Perhaps worst of all, ifyour hand is too close when the kickbackstarts, the initial upward motion can draw itinto the blade. Kickback is scary, but you canprevent it by using a splitter, setting up yoursaw properly and using proper sawing tech-niques (see the top photo on p. 103).

Ripping■ Use a splitter and guard■ Run a jointed edge against the saw■ Use a featherboard to hold the wood

against the fence right at the blade

■ When sawing, push stock toward the backedge of the fence

■ Lean against the saw for stability■ Don’t reach; walk around the saw to collect

your pieces

Crosscutting■ Use a miter gauge, crosscut sled, or

crosscut box■ Never cut freehand■ Never crosscut against the fence■ Use clamps to hold your work against your

sled or jig■ Use a guard to reduce blade exposure

FFeeaatthheerrbbooaarrddss aanndd ppuusshh ssttiicckkss gguuiiddee tthhee bbooaarrddaanndd kkeeeepp hhaannddss ffrroomm ggeettttiinngg ttoooo cclloossee ttoo tthhee bbllaaddee..AAtt tthhee ffaarr rriigghhtt iiss aa sshhooppmmaaddee ppuusshh ssttiicckk.. TToo iittss lleeffttiiss aa ppllaassttiicc ppuusshh ssttiicckk.. AAlliiggnneedd iinn tthhee sslloott aarree aasseelleeccttiioonn ooff ffeeaatthheerrbbooaarrddss:: aa wwooooddeenn ssiinnggllee--lloocckkffeeaatthheerrbbooaarrdd,, aa mmoorree sseeccuurree ddoouubbllee--lloocckk vvaarriieettyy,, aasshhooppmmaaddee ffeeaatthheerrbbooaarrdd tthhaatt ccllaammppss ttoo tthhee ttaabbllee,,aanndd aa mmaaggnneettiicc ffeeaatthheerrbbooaarrdd..

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Tablesaw 107

FFOOUURR WWAAYYSS TTOO GGUUIIDDEE TTHHEE CCUUTT

RRIIPP FFEENNCCEE

The tablesaw cuts parallel to the fence, so besure to run a straight, jointed edge against itwhenever ripping stock. A good fence shouldbe so accurate you don’t need to measureeach cut but can simply read the measure-ment off the scale.

AANNGGLLEE SSLLEEDD

Cutting bevels can be tricky, but a sled like this one makes it easy. By keeping theblade at 90°, the torsion bars in the under-carriage won’t rack and cause misalignment.It also ensures accuracy and is safer.

MMIITTEERR GGAAUUGGEE

The miter gauge slides in the slot androtates to cut angles. For best results, attacha sliding auxiliary fence and adjust it closeto but not touching the blade.

CCRROOSSSSCCUUTT SSLLEEDD

The safest and most accurate way to cross-cut is to place stock on a sled that rides onrunners in the miter slots. A well-equippedshop accumulates several sleds—for smallpieces, for 45° miters, for dados, for longpieces, for wide pieces, and so on. See moreon crosscut sleds in “The Crosscut Sled” onp. 148.

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108 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

RReemmoovveess ccuupp,, ttwwiisstt,, aanndd bbooww ffrroommtthhee ffaaccee ssiiddee..

RReemmoovveess bbooww aanndd ttwwiisstt ffrroomm tthheeffaaccee eeddggee aanndd ssqquuaarreess iitt ttoo ffaaccee ssiiddee..

AAnnggllee tthhee ffeennccee ttoo bbeevveell tthhee eeddggeeooff aa bbooaarrdd..

� FFLLAA TTTTEENN//SSQQUUAARREE AANN EEDDGGEE� FFLLAA TTTTEENN TTHHEE FFAACCEE SSIIDDEE � BBEEVVEELL AANN EEDDGGEE

WWHHAA TT AA JJOOIINNTTEERR CCAANN DDOO

Jointer

While it can bevel, taper, and even rabbet, the jointer’s most importantjob is flattening the faces and edges

of boards. A well-built, well-adjusted jointerremoves twist, cup, bow, and crook during the crucial first two steps of properly millinglumber (see “Five Steps to Four-SquareLumber” on p. 95).

What to buyJointers are precision tools and fussy tomaintain. If the relationships between thetables, knives, and fence are not all perfect,the tool can’t produce a flat surface. So yourfirst concern when buying a jointer should bethat the fit and finish are good enough toallow the necessary fine adjustments. Makesure the table and fence are flat—check themwith a metal straightedge and reject a toolthat can’t pass this test. Smooth mating sur-faces where the tables slide is crucial for fine

adjustments, and the fence must move freelyacross the table’s width.

A long table handles lengthy boards withease, and three knives cut more smoothlythan two. Don’t even consider a jointer withno outfeed table adjustments—it will be muchharder to get and keep the proper adjust-ments so critical to proper operation. A cutter-head lock is a nice feature—it pins the knivesat top dead center for easier adjustments.

� Keep your fingertips on top of the board—

never hook them over an edge.

� Light cuts and slow feed leave a better

surface.

� If the board won’t cut full length or becomes

tapered, the tables aren’t adjusted correctly.

� Move the fence frequently to distribute wear

across the length of the knives.

WATCH OUT

Page 114: Your First Workshop

Jointer 109

The 6" Jointer

Because it’s the first step in milling four-square lumber, your jointer’s size deter-

mines the maximum width board you canproperly dimension.

AA ccllaammpp ddeeffiinneess tthhee ssttaarrttiinngg ppooiinntt ttoo ttaappeerr aalloonngg ppiieeccee..

� TTAAPPEERR

RReemmoovvee tthhee kknniiffee gguuaarrdd ttoo ccuutt sshhaallllooww rraabbbbeettss..

� RRAABBBBEETT AANN EEDDGGEE

JJooiinntteerr ssiizzeeeeqquuaallss lleennggtthhooff kknniivveess..

FFeennccee aanngglleeaaddjjuussttmmeenntt

OOuuttffeeeedd ttaabbllee

OOuuttffeeeeddaaddjjuussttmmeenntt

FFeennccee

IInnffeeeedd ttaabbllee

DDeepptthh ooff ccuuttaaddjjuussttmmeenntt

DDeepptthh ooff ccuutt ggaauuggee

RRaabbbbeettiinngg ttaabbllee

CCuutttteerrhheeaadd

RReettrraaccttiinngg kknniiffee gguuaarrdd

SSwwiittcchh

FFeennccee ppoossiittiioonn aaddjjuussttmmeenntt

DDuusstt cchhuuttee

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110 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

WWiitthh tthhee jjooiinntteedd ffaaccee ddoowwnn,, ppllaanneetthhee ttoopp ssmmooootthh..

RReedduuccee aa nnuummbbeerr ooff bbooaarrddss ttooeeqquuaall wwiiddtthh..

PPllaannee aa bbooaarrdd ttoo uunniiffoorrmm tthhiicckknneessss..

� RREEDDUUCCEE WWIIDDTTHH� FFLLAA TTTTEENN TTHHEE TTOOPP � RREEGGUULLAA TTEE TTHHIICCKKNNEESSSS

WWHHAA TT AA PPLLAANNEERR CCAANN DDOO

Planer

A lot of people confuse the tasks done by a jointer with those done by aplaner. A planer reduces a board to

uniform thickness, with the top parallel tothe bottom. It doesn’t make the boardstraight by removing bow or twist—only ajointer can do that. To get a board both flat and square, you’ll need both a jointer and a planer (see “Five Steps to Four-SquareLumber” on p. 95).

The planer is a simple machine and easy to use. As powered rollers pull a boardover the bed of the planer, a spinning cutter-head removes material from the top of the workpiece. With proper knife and rolleradjustment, you’ll end up with a board that’suniform thickness and smooth from end to end.

What to buyGet a portable planer that can handle boards12" to 13" wide. For less vibration andsmoother cuts, buy a machine with a cutter-head lock, and be sure to use it.

The number of times a knife cuts thewood also affects smoothness. The more cutsper inch (cpi), the smoother the surface. A lowcpi means that the board moves quickly—asetting that’s good for rough surfacing. For afiner finish, increase the cpi by slowing downthe feed rate.

Sharp knives are the most important factor in smoothness. Buy a planer thatmakes changing blades as easy as possible,and change them often.

To keep your shop clean, get the optionaldust collection hood.

Page 116: Your First Workshop

Planer 111

The Portable Planer

Once one side of a board hasbeen jointed, the planer cuts a

flat smooth surface on the otherside. It also ensures that the boardhas uniform thickness throughoutits length.

DDeepptthh ssttoopp

TTooooll ssttoorraaggee

CCuutttteerr--hheeaaddlloocckk

MMoouunnttiinngg hhoolleess ttoo pprreevveenntt ttiippppiinngg

TThhiicckknneessssaaddjjuussttmmeenntt

OOuuttffeeeeddttaabbllee

Z ero indicators and depth stops are useful

features, but you can’t count on having all

the wood for a project the same thickness

unless it’s planed in the same session. Stack

jointed boards on the infeed side and set the

planer to take a light cut on the thickest board.

Run every piece through, face side down, and

stack them on the outfeed side. Carry the pile

back to the infeed side, lower the cutter, and

repeat as necessary. On the final cut, run the

face side up to clean tool marks left by the jointer.

ALL TOGETHER NOW

PPllaanniinngg iitt ttoo ssiizzee.. TThhee oonnllyy wwaayy ttoo eennssuurree eeqquuaalltthhiicckknneessss iiss ttoo ppllaannee aallll yyoouurr ssttoocckk aatt oonnccee..

SSppeeeedd ccoonnttrrooll

SSwwiittcchh

ZZeerroo iinnddiiccaattoorr

IInnffeeeedd ttaabbllee

SSttoocckkttrraannssffeerrbbaarr

SSccaallee

Page 117: Your First Workshop

112 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

MMoolldd tthhee eeddggee ooff aa bbooaarrdd aaggaaiinnsstttthhee ffeennccee..

CCuutt ttoo aa tteemmppllaattee uussiinngg aa bbeeaarriinngg--gguuiiddeedd rroouutteerr bbiitt..

AA vveerrttiiccaall bbiitt ccrreeaatteess tthhee rraaiisseeddffiieelldd ooff aa rraaiisseedd ppaanneell..

� TTEEMMPPLLAA TTEE CCUUTTTTIINNGG� MMOOLLDDIINNGGSS � RRAAIISSEEDD PPAANNEELLSS

Router Table

T he router table is to the router as thetablesaw is to the circular saw. In bothcases, mounting the tool upside down in

a table and guiding the work over a protrud-ing cutter produces something more versatileand functional than the original.

Most routing activities are easier to do onthe router table (especially edge treatments),and you can rout pieces that are too small todo with the router in hand. A router mountedin the table can safely run big cutters withdiameters too large to control by hand. Arouter mounted in a table also leavessmoother surfaces and cleaner profiles thanone used on the workpiece. And if all thatisn’t enough, using the router table is fasterbecause you’re spared all that clamping andunclamping.

What to buyYour first router table should be a simplebenchtop affair. It’s small, easy to assemble,

and can be stored under a bench when not inuse. Just be sure to clamp it down to a stablesurface when routing—otherwise, it might tipover. Look for one with a smooth, flat top thatwon’t deflect under load and adjustments for leveling the insert plate with the top.Some router tables have blank inserts—youdrill the mounting holes to fit your router. It’snot a difficult process, but you save sometrouble if you can get an insert that fits yourrouter model.

� Make sure the router is locked into the base

before routing.

� Use a blade guard to reduce exposure hazard.

� Don’t trap the workpiece between the cutter

and the fence.

� Don’t run a bit with a diameter greater

than 11⁄2".

� Make extra workpieces to test setups.

WATCH OUT

WWHHAA TT AA RROOUUTTEERR TTAABBLLEE CCAANN DDOO

Page 118: Your First Workshop

Router Table 113

The Benchtop Router Table

RReemmoovvee aa rroouugghh eeddggee oonn aa bbooaarrdd.. CCuutt aa ddeeccoorraattiivvee ggrroooovvee,,bbeeaadd,, oorr ootthheerr sshhaappee iinn aann eeddggee..

� EEDDGGEE TTRREEAA TTMMEENNTTSS� JJOOIINNTT AANN EEDDGGEE

The router table is little more than a worksurface that secures an inverted routeron the underside of the tabletop. Add a fence and miter slots, and you’ve got a

flexible tool that will get constant use in the shop.

LLoooosseenn oouuttffeeeedd ssuubbffeennccee aanndd sshhiimm iitt oouutt ttoo aacctt aass aa sspplliitt ffeennccee..

FFeennccee mmuusstt bbeessqquuaarree ttoo ttaabblleettoopp..

SSuubbffeenncceesslliiddeess uupp ttoobbiittss ttoo rreedduucceetthhee ggaappbbeettwweeeenn ffeenncceeaanndd bbiitt..

MMiitteerr sslloott

GGuuiiddee ppiinnhhoollee ffoorr tteemm--ppllaattee wwoorrkk

IInnsseerrtt ppllaattee((rroouutteerr mmoouunntteedd ttoo iittffrroomm bbeellooww))

AAddjjuussttaabbllee bbiitt gguuaarrdd

DDuusstt ccoolllleeccttiioonnppoorrtt

AAllssoo aaccccoommmmooddaatteessffeeaatthheerrbbooaarrddss ffoorrhhoolldd ddoowwnnss

SSlloottss ffoorrmmoouunnttiinngg ffeeaatthheerrbbooaarrddss aanndd ssttooppss

LLiipp ffoorrccllaammppiinngg ttoobbeenncchh ttoopp

FFllaattttaabblleettoopp

Page 119: Your First Workshop

114 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

The fence is perhaps the most importantpart of a router table. Make sure yours isstraight and square to the tabletop, and thatit is easy to adjust back and forth on thetable. A replaceable wooden subfence thatopens and closes to accommodate variousdiameter bits is crucial. It’s also good for thefence to have T-slots for fastening feather-boards and stops, which not only make yourwork safer, but more accurate as well.

You can use the router you already havein your router table. To mount it, simplyswitch the plastic baseplate with the routertable insert. It’s a good idea to get an extrabase to leave mounted to the insert—thatway switching to the router table is simply amatter of slipping the motor from one baseinto the other.

SSeett tthhee ddeepptthh ooff ccuutt.. AAddjjuusstt tthhee bbiitt hheeiigghhtt bbyy rraaiiss--iinngg oorr lloowweerriinngg tthhee rroouutteerr iinn iittss mmoouunnttiinngg oonn tthheeuunnddeerrssiiddee ooff tthhee ttaabbllee..

UUssiinngg ttwwoo mmaattcchheedd bbiittss aanndd ttwwoo ddiiffffeerreenntt sseettuuppss,,yyoouu ccaann mmaakkee ccoommpplleexx jjooiinnttss tthhaatt ffiitt ppeerrffeeccttllyy..

Page 120: Your First Workshop

Router Table 115

FFOOUURR WWAAYYSS TTOO GGUUIIDDEE WWOORRKK

SSOOLLIIDD FFEENNCCEE

When the molding process will leave someof the original edge on a board, a solidfence works best. This setup is best forrabbeting, molding, panel-raising, and cut-ting grooves. Here, a split fence is set upas a solid fence by aligning the two halves.

SSPPLLIITT FFEENNCCEE

On a split fence, the infeed and outfeedsides of the fence are (or can be) offset. It’suseful when you rout away all of an edge—for edge jointing or some profiling opera-tions. You can build a split fence from twopieces of wood or make its functionalequivalent by shimming out the auxiliaryfence on the outfeed side of a solid fence.

GGUUIIDDEE PPIINN

Remove the fence and use a bit with apilot bearing, but don’t start your cut free-hand. Insert a guide pin near the bit andpivot the workpiece on the pin until itengages the bearing. Then you can ignorethe pin and rout with the bearing.

MMIITTEERR SSLLOOTT AANNDD SSLLEEDD

When you’re dealing with square pieces,small pieces, or end grain, use a sledriding in the miter slot for control.

Page 121: Your First Workshop

116 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

GGeett bbeetttteerr rreessuullttss tthhaann yyoouu eevveerrwwiillll bbyy hhaanndd..

TTiilltt tthhee ttaabbllee aanndd lloocckk iitt iinn ppllaaccee.. SSaanndd ccuurrvveess aanndd ccoommpplleexx sshhaappeess..

� DDRRIILLLL AANNGGLLEESS� DDRRIILLLL PPEERRPPEENNDDIICCUULLAARRLLYY � TTUURRNN AA SSAANNDDIINNGG DDRRUUMM

WWHHAA TT AA DDRRIILLLL PPRREESSSS CCAANN DDOO

Drill Press

Adrill press could claim a place in yourshop if it merely drilled perpendicularholes. But it does so much more. It

drills angled holes, runs a sanding drum ormortising attachment, and (unplugged) actsas a press for installing threaded inserts ortapping a hole. You’ll use your drill press farmore than you imagine.

Control your workpieces at all times byclamping them in place or restraining themagainst a fence. Otherwise, they’ll rise withthe bit and spin dangerously above the table.A fence is also useful for setting up indexesand stops for repetitive drilling.

What to buyBench space is at a premium in most shops,so get a floor-mounted variable-speed drillpress with a 16" to 17" throat. It has thepower and versatility to handle just aboutany task you’ll encounter. Get one with a 1⁄2"chuck to handle large bits.

Make sure the cast-iron table has a holein the center for the drill to pass through and slots for clamping. In addition to what-ever table is standard, you’ll want to add awooden table with a fence and good clampingarrangements.

A quill lock is a huge time-saver. With it you can position the workpiece and pin itdown by locking the bit in the full down position. This frees your hands to set stops,clamps, or indexing devices.

� Clamp workpieces down so they don’t lift up

when raising the bit.

� Never leave the key in the chuck.

� Always lock the table in place.

� Use a drill press vise for small pieces.

WATCH OUT

Page 122: Your First Workshop

Drill Press 117

161⁄2" Floor-Mounted Drill Press

Whether you’re drilling a quickperpendicular hole or clamp-

ing jigs to the table to make complicated joinery on furnitureparts, a drill press gets steady use in the workshop.

UUssee aattttaacchhmmeennttss ttoo ddrriillll ssqquuaarreehhoolleess..

� MMOORRTTIISSEE

VVaarriiaabbllee--ssppeeeedd ddrriivvee wwiitthhiinn

FFoooott

AAuuxxiilliiaarryy ttaabbllee

FFeennccee

TTaabbllee

FFeeeedd lleevveerr

SSlloottss ffoorr ccllaammppiinngg

QQuuiillll--lloocckk hhaannddllee

HHeeaadd

SSwwiittcchh

DDeepptthh ssttoopp

DDeepptthh ggaauuggee

MMoottoorr

CCoolluummnn

TTaabblleehheeiigghhttaaddjjuussttmmeenntthhaannddllee

CChhuucckk kkeeyy

CChhuucckk

BBoollttss

PPllyywwooooddssttaabbiilliizziinnggbbaassee

BBeelltt--tteennssiioonniinngglleevveerr

OOppttiioonnaall ttooooll ttrraayy

TTaabbllee aannggllee lloocckk

Page 123: Your First Workshop

118 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

AA fflleexxiibbllee ssaaww wwiitthh nnoo sseett ttoo tthheetteeeetthh ttrriimmss fflluusshh wwiitthhoouutt mmaarrrriinnggtthhee ssuurrrroouunnddiinngg wwoooodd..

TThhee bbllaaddee oonn aa sshhoouullddeerr ppllaannee ccuuttssrriigghhtt oouutt ttoo tthhee eeddggee ooff tthhee ppllaannee——iiddeeaall ffoorr ffiinnee--ttuunniinngg jjooiinneerryy..

AA ssppookkeesshhaavvee iiss lliikkee aa ppllaannee wwiitthh aa vveerryy sshhoorrtt ssoollee,, ssoo iitt ccaannssmmooootthh ccuurrvveess aa ppllaannee ccaann’’tt..

� FFIITT JJOOIINNTTSS� SSAAWW FFLLUUSSHH � SSMMOOOOTTHH CCUURRVVEESS

WWHHAA TT TTHHEESSEE TTOOOOLLSS CCAANN DDOO

Specialty Hand Tools

By now your collection of hand tools issolid; it can handle most situations.The tools featured here are more spe-

cialized. You won’t use them often, but insome cases one of these tools may be the onlyway to do what needs to be done. When youneed it, you’ll thank the day you bought it.

What to buyKeep a flush-cutting saw with fine teeth on hand for trimming pins, plugs, and over-hangs of all kinds without marring the sur-rounding wood.

Your next plane purchase should be ashoulder plane. It’s perfect for fitting tenonsand cutting rabbets. The sides are machinedflat and perpendicular to the sole, so you canget into tight corners by using it eitherupright or on its side. Some shoulder planeshave a screw in the nose that releases the

front of the plane to turn the tool into a chiselplane for cleaning up corners.

The spokeshave takes some practice tomaster, but it’s the best tool for smoothingand shaping curved pieces. It can also be usedlike a plane for small jobs with no curves.

Sometimes a machine-made dado orgroove is a little too narrow, and setting upthe machine to remove a small amount ofwood may not be feasible or efficient. You caneasily trim the sides of the dado with a side-rabbet plane.

To round out your chisel collection, youshould add a narrow 1⁄4" skew chisel for work-ing into corners and a 1⁄2" or 3⁄4" cranked-neckchisel for getting into stopped dadoes andother tight places.

Page 124: Your First Workshop

Specialty Hand Tools

Specialty Hand Tools 119

AAnn eeddggee--ttrriimmmmiinngg ppllaannee iiss ppeerrffeeccttffoorr wwiiddeenniinngg ddaaddooeess aanndd ggrroooovveessccuutt bbyy mmaacchhiinnee..

SSppeecciiaallttyy cchhiisseellss lliikkee tthhee sskkeewwcchhiisseell oorr tthhee ccrraannkkeedd--nneecckk cchhiisseellccaann ggeett iinnttoo ttiigghhtt ppllaacceess..

DDiiaall ccaalliippeerrss tthhaatt rreeaadd iinn ffrraacc--ttiioonnss aarree tthhee bbeesstt wwaayy ttoo mmeeaassuurreetthhiicckknneessss..

� PPAARREE IINN TTIIGGHHTT CCOORRNNEERRSS� TTRRIIMM DDAADDOOEESS AANNDD GGRROOOOVVEESS � MMEEAASSUURREE TTHHIICCKKNNEESSSS

SSccaallee rreeaaddss iinn ffrraaccttiioonnss ooff aann iinncchh..

DDIIAALL CCAALLIIPPEERRSS

MMaannyy tteeeetthhwwiitthh nnoo sseett

SSiiddeess mmaacchhiinneedd ssqquuaarree ttoo bboottttoomm..

BBllaaddee ddeepptthh aaddjjuussttmmeenntt

FFeennccee ffoorrsseettttiinngg ddeepptthh ooff rraabbbbeett

FFlleexxiibbllee bbllaaddee

SSmmaallll ssoollee ppllaanneess aarroouunndd ttiigghhtt ccuurrvvee..

FFLLUUSSHH--CCUUTTTTIINNGGSSAAWW

SSIIDDEE--RRAABBBBEETTPPLLAANNEE 11⁄⁄44"" SSKKEEWW

CCHHIISSEELL

PPuusshh oorr ppuullll aass nneecceessssaarryy..

Certain tasks have tools designed expressly for them. These tools might not beones you’ll use every day, but they often prove themselves indispensable.

11⁄⁄22"" CCRRAANNKKEEDD--NNEECCKK CCHHIISSEELL

SSPPOOKKEESSHHAAVVEE

SSHHOOUULLDDEERR PPLLAANNEE

DDeepptthh aaddjjuussttmmeenntt

IIrroonn eexxtteennddss ttoo eeddggee ooff ssoollee..

Page 125: Your First Workshop

120 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

AA vveerrssaattiillee VViissee--GGrriipp wwoorrkkss aass aawwrreenncchh,, aa ccllaammpp,, oorr aa vviissee..

LLeevveerr bboolltt hhoolleess iinnttoo aalliiggnnmmeennttwwiitthh aa ttaappeerreedd ppuunncchh,, aallssoo ccaalllleeddaa ddrriifftt..

PPaarrtt sshhiimm aanndd ppaarrtt mmeeaassuurriinnggddeevviiccee,, ffeeeelleerr ggaauuggeess mmeeaassuurreessmmaallll ggaappss..

� DDRRIIFFTT� VVIISSEE--GGRRIIPP � FFEEEELLEERR GGAAUUGGEESS

WWHHAA TT MMEECCHHAANNIICC’’SS TTOOOOLLSS CCAANN DDOO

Mechanic’s Tools

T o maintain your woodworking tools, cer-tain mechanic’s tools are a must. Startyour wrench collection by buying a set

of combination wrenches with one open endand one box end, ranging in size from 1⁄4" toabout 1". Prices range from $20 to more than$600 for a set of 15. Your best bet is in themiddle range, buying brand-name tools witha warranty.

Next, get a 10" adjustable wrench, a 10"Vise-Grip®, and some Allen wrenches. A set of 3⁄8" drive sockets lets you work in placeswhere combination wrenches won’t fit and isfaster than wrenches for most situations. A1⁄4" drive set is also useful in tight spots.

Get a set of punches and drifts, or atleast one of each (1⁄4" diameter is a good size).Use the parallel-sided punches to poundstuck bolts out from the back of a workpiece.

A tapered drift is perfect for aligning boltholes when setting up your machinery.

To keep tools well-tuned, you’ll also needa dial indicator that reads in plus or minusthousandths on either side of zero along witha magnetic base. To simplify tablesaw align-ment, you’ll also want a base machined to fitinto miter slots. Round out your mechanic’stools with a set of feeler gauges to measuresmall gaps, such as those between bandsawblades and guides.

� Don’t switch metric and inch-scale tools.

� Don’t use woodworker’s screwdrivers for

mechanical tasks.

WATCH OUT

Page 126: Your First Workshop

Mechanic’s Tools 121

Mechanic’s Tools in the Woodworking Shop

UUssee AAlllleenn wwrreenncchheess ttoo ddeeaall wwiitthhtthhee hheexx ssoocckkeett bboollttss oonn mmaacchhiinneerryy..

UUssee oonnee wwrreenncchh ttoo hhoolldd tthhee bboolltt,,aannootthheerr ttoo ttuurrnn tthhee nnuutt..

� WWRREENNCCHHEESS WWOORRKK IINN PPAAIIRRSS� AALLLLEENN WWRREENNCCHHEESS

1100"" VViissee--GGrriipp

66"" VViissee--GGrriipp

1100"" aaddjjuussttaabbllee wwrreenncchh

66"" aaddjjuussttaabbllee wwrreenncchh

FFeeeelleerr ggaauuggee

SSeett ooff iinnddiivviidduuaallAAlllleenn wwrreenncchheess

BBaassee ttoo ffiittmmiitteerr sslloott

OOppeenn eenndd

CCoommbbiinnaattiioonn wwrreenncchheess

BBooxx eenndd

AA ggrreeaatteerr nnuummbbeerr ooff ppooiinnttss aalllloowwss ffoorreeaassiieerr ppoossiittiioonniinngg..

DDiiaall iinnddiiccaattoorr

SSeett ooff AAlllleennwwrreenncchheess iinn hhaannddllee

33⁄⁄88"" ddrriivvee ssoocckkeett sseett

11⁄⁄44"" ddrriivvee ssoocckkeett sseett

OOffffsseett rreedduucceess sskkiinnnneedd kknnuucckklleess..

RReeaaddss iinntthhoouussaannddtthhsspplluuss oorrmmiinnuuss zzeerroo

Though they weren’t originally designed with the woodworker in

mind, certain mechanic’s tools are a must for any woodworker.

Page 127: Your First Workshop

Adding all these machines to your shopcomplicates the space problem consider-ably. Once you move them in, the shop

seems a lot smaller. And you can’t just putyour new machines anywhere. The tools haveworking relationships with one another, andthey need to be located so that they can worktogether for maximum efficiency. If you’resharing your shop with cars, you’ll have tofigure out two locations for each tool—one foruse and one for storage.

More machines means more load on yourshop’s electrical system, and you’ll need cir-cuits sufficient in number and size to handlethe loads you’ll put on them. Moisture isalways a problem in home shops—too muchor too little—and you’ll have to monitor yourshop and keep the levels in the proper range.

Finally, since you’re spending more timein the shop, you need to think about how tokeep it warm enough for your own comfortand safety.

Planning for flowA look at any coffee-table shop book provesthat there’s no one way to set up a shop.Organizing a shop is an ongoing process; asyou gain experience and develop your ownwoodworking style, your shop will changeuntil the space works best for you. For now,you can place your machines by thinkingabout the steps involved in processing roughlumber into workpieces.

The processing starts with long, heavypieces of lumber coming off the storage rack

for rough cutting to length. To minimize car-rying, place the miter saw nearby (andremember that you’ll have to crosscut reallyrough lumber with a circular saw or a hand-saw). The lumber then goes though the join-ter for jointing the face side and then the faceedge. Locate the jointer so you don’t have to

122 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

The Efficient Shop Space

WWhheenn llooccaattiinngg tthhee ttoooollss iinn yyoouurr sshhoopp,, yyoouu mmuusstt ccoonnssiiddeerr tthhee iinnffeeeedd aanndd oouuttffeeeedd ttaabblleess.. MMaakkee ssuurreetthheerree’’ss eennoouugghh rroooomm aarroouunndd aa ttooooll ttoo mmaannaaggee aalloonngg wwoorrkkppiieeccee,, hheerree ssuuppppoorrtteedd bbyy rroolllleerr ssttaannddss..

Page 128: Your First Workshop

The Efficient Shop Space 123

Plywood on edge

4' rolling carts

PlanerRouter table

Jointer

Miter saw

Bandsaw

Tablesaw (move away from post as needed)

Drill press(move for accessto cabinet)

Store tools here using mobile bases.

New electrical service panel

Refrigerator

Floor Plan, the Efficient Shop

Page 129: Your First Workshop

negotiate corners or close spaces with a loadof lumber, and keep enough space around it tostack the wood during both operations. Afterthe jointer, move to the planer. From theplaner outfeed, the stock goes to the tablesawfor ripping, and then to the bench or to anactive storage location—depending on thescope of the project. Active storage could beon the shelf under the bench, on sawhorsesnearby, or back in the lumber rack.

To plan the flow in your own shop, startby measuring your shop and drawing a roughfloor plan to scale. Include doors, windows,cabinets, posts, and other permanent struc-tures. Next, fashion rough cutouts of yourmachines’ footprints (to scale), and playaround with positions and locations. Don’tforget that the amount of space you’ll need touse the tool is greater than its footprint—

124 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

FFeeww ssmmaallll sshhooppss hhaavvee eennoouugghh rroooomm ttoo aallllooww tthheeiiddeeaall iinnffeeeedd//oouuttffeeeedd aarreeaa aarroouunndd eeaacchh mmaacchhiinnee..WWiitthh mmoobbiillee bbaasseess,, yyoouu ccaann eeaassiillyy mmoovvee tthheemmaacchhiinneess ttoo aaccccoommmmooddaattee aa llaarrggee wwoorrkkppiieeccee..

WWhheenn wwoorrkkiinngg oonn eexxcceeppttiioonnaallllyy lloonngg wwoorrkkppiieecceess,, yyoouu’’llll hhaavvee pplleennttyy ooff rroooomm iiff yyoouu mmoovvee oouuttssiiddee..

Page 130: Your First Workshop

Concrete is not the best material for a shop

floor. It’s hard on the feet and legs—you’ll

ache after a long day’s work. It’s rough on any

tool you accidentally drop, and it tends to hold

moisture so you can’t leave wood resting on it

for very long. A wooden floor takes care of all

those problems, plus you can drive screws into it

and use it as a laminating surface or for tacking

down supports that stabilize projects during

assembly. Here’s a quick and easy method of

installing a wooden floor that won’t reduce head-

room by much and is easy to remove down the

road if you move.

Lay a sheet of heavy plastic over a clean con-

crete floor, taping any joints with duct tape. Put

2x4s down on their wide sides and fasten them

to the floor with a powder-actuated nailer or

Tapcon®concrete screws. Build a grid on 12" cen-

ters and fasten 3⁄ 4" plywood or underlayment,

with the joints falling on the centers of the 2x4s.

Then leave it alone, or paint it a light color.

If your shop is in the garage and you want

to roll tools outside on occasion, don’t run the ply-

wood up to the edge of the 2x4 on the driveway

side. Leave a ledge to support a plywood ramp

(see the photo above).

AA sshheeeett ooff 33⁄⁄44"" ppllyywwoooodd mmaakkeess aann aaddeeqquuaattee rraammpp ffoorrtthhee ssmmaallll ddiiffffeerreennccee iinn hheeiigghhtt bbeettwweeeenn tthhee sshhoopp fflloooorraanndd tthhee ddrriivveewwaayy..

consider also the infeed and outfeed (see thephoto on p. 122). Think in terms of handlingsheets of plywood and solid wood up to 12' ona regular basis and larger workpieces onoccasion.

Your floor plan won’t show anotherimportant dimension—the heights of thetables—and this can be a major factor inmachine placement. For instance, jointertables are usually lower than tablesaw tables, so you can park yours in the tablesawinfeed/outfeed zone. You can even use it whensawing by fitting a shopmade bar of rollers tomake up the difference in height.

In a small shop, a flow diagram mightend up looking like a mad dance as the lum-ber moves though the milling process. That’s

OK—you’ll move a few steps, work a while,and move again. The point is to minimize carrying, especially around corners or inconfined areas.

For more options, store your machines onmobile bases. Settle on a layout for everydayuse and shift the tools for unusual situations.You can even move machines outside whennecessary.

The shop in the floor plan drawing is theusual setup in my shop. It clusters themachines around the immovable post. To freeup space on the bench side, the tablesawoverlaps the post. On the rare occasions whenI need to cut at full width, I simply move thesaw nearer the bench. The bandsaw situationis similar—99% of the time it works there;

The Efficient Shop Space 125

FROM CONCRETE TO WOOD

Page 131: Your First Workshop

if not, I move it. Located between the garagedoors, the jointer has a little more than 9' ofinfeed and outfeed—plenty of room most ofthe time. The planer is the only machine thatI regularly move—it stays against the walluntil I need it. Though it’s on a mobile base,the drill press rarely shifts location. On thebase I keep a 5-gallon bucket filled with sandto lower the center of gravity so that the top-heavy tool is easy to move when necessary.

I like to keep the machines around theedge of the shop and leave the middle openfor assembly (it’s also easier to get the carsin). But if I’m working on smaller projectsand the cars stay outside, I sometimes movethe jointer and the planer to the center of thebay and nestle the back of the jointer to theright side of the planer. In that location,they’re ready for immediate use.

Upgrading the circuitsOnce you have an idea of where your toolswill be used, you probably need to upgradethe electrical situation in the shop. After all,the space was not intended to be a shop. Inmost cases, you’ll find that all the lights andoutlets are on one 15-amp or 20-amp circuitshared with adjoining rooms. In that situa-tion, running the bandsaw and the shop vacat the same time could trip the breaker andshut down not only the shop but also yourkid’s homework on the computer upstairs.

Lights, TVs, computers, and normalhousehold items don’t use much current andmight never overload a circuit. Add a hard-working, power-hungry tool, and the com-bined current draw can easily exceed thecapacity of the wire, causing it to heat andpossibly burn (see “Current Draw forCommon Woodworking Tools” on the facingpage). The circuit breaker acts as a safetyvalve to spare the wire, shutting down when

the current draw exceeds its limit. Simplyinstalling a larger breaker is not a safe option;the wires are the weak link in the chain.

The best way to deal with this problem isto install a 100-amp line to the shop, with its own electrical panel and circuit breakers.While you’re at it, add a 220v circuit for aheater and any larger tools you might add inthe future. Run one 20A circuit down thebench side of the shop, another along thewall, with perhaps a third along the overheadand down the post. Install outlets every 10 feet or so and save yourself the clutter of extension cords. You can keep the existinglights and outlets on the household circuit,but label them as such and take care not tooverload them.

126 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

AAdddd aa 110000--aammpp ssuubbppaanneell iinn yyoouurr sshhoopp aanndd rruunnyyoouurr oouuttlleettss oonn aatt lleeaasstt ttwwoo cciirrccuuiittss.. TToo kkeeeeppuunnaauutthhoorriizzeedd uusseerrss ssaaffee,, yyoouu ccaann ttuurrnn ooffff tthhee cciirrccuuiittss aanndd lloocckk tthhee ppaanneell..

Page 132: Your First Workshop

With this setup, you can run more thanone high-amp machine at once (planer anddust collector, for instance)—just plug theminto separate circuits.

The moisture problemIn a perfect world, your shop would be 70˚Fwith 40% humidity year-round. You’d be per-

fectly comfortable working, the wood in yourlumber rack wouldn’t absorb moisture or dryout, and your tools would never rust. Butsmall shops are very much part of the realworld. Because money is a serious considera-tion, we work in basements that are eithertoo humid or parched by the household heat-ing system, or in garages where the condi-tions are practically the same as the weatheroutside. We can’t control shop climate, but wecan improve it.

Moisture is your biggest concern, becauseit can cause the most damage to your tools(see the top photo on p. 128). In a small shop,rust forms during the spring and fall whenhumidity is high and temperatures changerapidly. Because of their mass of metal, toolschange in temperature more slowly than the

The Efficient Shop Space 127

If the combined current draw of two tools

exceeds the circuit breaker’s capacity

(typically 15 or 20 amps), you’ll probably trip

the breaker. Note the current draw figures are

maximums—the tool will only draw this much

under heavy load or when starting.

TTOOOOLL TTYYPPIICCAALLCCUURRRREENNTT DDRRAAWW ((AAMMPPSS))

Circular saw 15

Random-orbit sander 3

Shop vacuum 10

Router 12

Miter saw 15

Jointer 8

Planer 15

Tablesaw 13

Bandsaw 9

Drill press 6

11⁄2-hp dust collector 13

Mortiser 5

Drum sander 13

Belt/disk sander 9

6-gallon air compressor 18

Electric heater (220v) 20

CURRENT DRAW FOR COMMONWOODWORKING TOOLS

EEvveerryy sshhoopp nneeeeddss aa hhuummiiddiittyy ggaauuggee ((tthhee oonnee sseeeennhheerree iiss ccoommbbiinneedd wwiitthh aa tthheerrmmoommeetteerr)) ttoo eennssuurreetthhaatt lloonngg--tteerrmm hhuummiiddiittyy lleevveellss aarree mmooddeerraattee ttookkeeeepp yyoouurr lluummbbeerr ffrroomm ggeettttiinngg ttoooo wweett oorr ttoooo ddrryy..

Page 133: Your First Workshop

air does. As on a glass of ice tea on a hot day,water droplets will form on the tools, andthey will rust. The best way to prevent suchrust is to keep the tools warm. I’ve found thatkeeping the shop above 65˚F in the springand fall practically eliminates the problem.

High humidity in a basement shop occursat a constant temperature, so condensationisn’t an issue. The real problem here is thatlong-term high humidity will cause your wood

to absorb moisture. The joints that fit per-fectly in your shop will open up when broughtupstairs to drier conditions. Get a humiditygauge (see “Monitor the Moisture Levels inYour Wood” below) and monitor the levels inyour shop from season to season. Daily fluctu-ations are not the problem—it’s the trend.If humidity levels are consistently above 50%,run a dehumidifier.

A shop with low humidity is also a prob-lem, unless you live in the desert. Lowhumidity levels are common in the winter inbasement shops in cold climates—the lowoutside humidity combined with the nearbyfurnace can suck all the moisture out of yourlumber. When your projects go where theambient humidity is greater, the wood willabsorb some moisture from the air and swell,blowing apart those finely fitted joints. If thehumidity level in your shop is consistentlybelow 25%, get a humidifier.

HeatingAdjusting moisture to take care of your toolsand materials will keep you comfortable,except in winter. If you want to do any seri-ous work in a garage shop in the winter,

128 T h e E f f i c i e n t S h o p

Knowing the humidity level is adequate for esti-

mating the changes you can expect kiln-dried

wood to go through when it leaves your shop. If

you want to be scientific about it, or if you’re air-

drying lumber cut from your property, get a mois-

ture meter. It measures the percentage of water

in wood by evaluating its electrical resistance.

The less expensive type of meter uses two metal

prongs to test; the more expensive variety shown

here does not damage the wood.

MONITOR THE MOISTURE LEVELS IN YOUR WOOD

OOnnee aauuttuummnn iinn aann uunnhheeaatteedd ggaarraaggee sshhoopp lleefftt aaffiinnee ccooaattiinngg ooff rruusstt oonn tthhiiss jjooiinntteerr ttaabbllee aanndd ffeennccee..SSuucchh rruusstt iiss eeaassiillyy rreemmoovveedd,, bbuutt tthhee ttaabbllee wwiillllnneevveerr aaggaaiinn bbee sshhiinnyy..

Page 134: Your First Workshop

you’ll need a heater. The chart above showsthe pros and cons of various types of heaters.After years of using woodstoves and propaneheaters and having to plan ahead to get theshop warm enough to work, I installed a 220velectric heater to keep the shop at 55˚F. WhenI enter the shop in the morning, I turn up the

heat a little, and it’s soon warm enough towork in a sweater. It’s a safe way to heat andno more expensive than propane or kerosene.It’s a pleasure to walk into a warm-enoughshop anytime I want to work. My only regretis that I didn’t do it sooner.

The Efficient Shop Space 129

I f you work in a garage shop in winter, heating is a very important issue. This chart shows the pros and

cons of the most common types of heaters.

PPRROO CCOONN

PPrrooppaannee jjoobb ssiittee hheeaatteerr High Btus Adds some moisture to the airQuickly raises temperature Might use a 20-gal. tank a weekendPortable in cold climatesNot expensive Explosion hazard with gas

Requires ventilation

KKeerroosseennee Inexpensive Odor and sootFuel-efficient Requires ventilation

Open flameSlow to raise temperature

WWooooddssttoovvee Uses scraps Heats slowlyDry heat Requires tendingEmotionally satisfying Requires flue

RRaaddiiaanntt pprrooppaannee hheeaatteerr High Btus Pilot light explosion hazardCan run with thermostat with solvent vapors

for constant heatingLarge tank outside filled on

schedule by pros

EElleeccttrriicc No open flame The most efficient heaters requireEven heat a 220v circuitCan run with thermostat for

constant heatingBuilt-in fan circulates air

SShhoopp aass ppaarrtt ooff Probably most economical in Cost of installationhhoouusseehhoolldd hheeaattiinngg the long runssyysstteemm ((wwiitthh sseeppaarraattee Constant temperaturetthheerrmmoossttaatt)) No open flame

SHOP HEATERS

Page 135: Your First Workshop
Page 136: Your First Workshop

The Well-Rounded Shop

P A R TF O U R

What to Consider 113322

Dust Collector 113344

Sanders 113366

Biscuit Joiner 114422

Tablesaw Accessories 114466

Hollow-Chisel Mortiser 115500

The Well-Rounded Shop Space 115522

Page 137: Your First Workshop

132 T h e W e l l - R o u n d e d S h o p

Your shop is filled with equipment, andyour skills have grown along with yourtool inventory. At this point, there’s not

much you can’t do. But a few more items willmake your woodworking life more efficientand enjoyable.

The tools in this section are items youdon’t absolutely need to accomplish mostwoodworking tasks. They’re nice to have, butthey could be considered luxuries since youcan do their functions with tools you alreadyown. For instance, a set of dado blades foryour tablesaw makes dadoes and grooves

faster and more accurately than your routeror hand tools can. Similarly, a dedicated mor-tising machine can turn you into a mortisingfiend, but you could cut mortises by hand,with a router, or with an attachment on yourdrill press—not as efficiently, but you couldcut them.

A portable dust collector moved from toolto tool will make a big difference in yourquality of life. You’ll spend less time cleaningup in the shop, and since less dust will makeits way into your living area, you’ll save onhousework, too. Your planer will run moreefficiently when hooked up to the collector, asshavings will not clog the cutterhead, and ifyou do much tablesaw work, you’ll be relievedto be free of all that dust in your face.

While many schools of woodworking relyheavily on sanders, I don’t. That’s not to saysanders are bad or that you shouldn’t ownone until you’re an accomplished woodworker.Oscillating-spindle and other sanders are inthis section of the book simply because usinga sander for the wrong task can ruin finework. If you’re early in your woodworkingcareer and building a project that would ben-efit from an oscillating-spindle sander, youshould have one. Saving these tools until lastassumes you’ve gained the experience tounderstand the difference between a shortcutand a wrong turn.

AA ddeeddiiccaatteedd mmoorrttiissiinngg mmaacchhiinnee ddooeess oonnee tthhiinngg::ccuuttss ssqquuaarree hhoolleess.. IItt ssppeeeeddss uupp tthhee ttaasskk,, bbuutt yyoouuccaann ddoo tthhee ssaammee tthhiinngg wwiitthh aa rroouutteerr jjiigg,, wwiitthh aa ddrriillllpprreessss ,, oorr bbyy hhaanndd..

WWhhaatt ttoo CCoonnssiiddeerr

Page 138: Your First Workshop

Though the tablesaw appears in the pre-vious section, more accessories to help you getthe most from it appear in this one. They willcertainly improve your tablesaw work, butthey are not entry-level requirements.

The biscuit joiner is another tool thatmight have appeared in an earlier section. It’soften considered a simple way to join wood,but getting consistently good results with it isdifficult. That’s not because the tool is ornery,but because it requires focus and organiza-tion to cut each piece with the correct orienta-tion and alignment. Success with a biscuitjoiner requires you think like a woodworker,and that takes some experience. By now youhave it.

What to Consider 133

�� AA bbeelltt//ddiisskk ssaannddeerr iiss aa ppoowweerrffuull ttooooll tthhaatt ccaannssaavvee ttiimmee,, bbuutt iiff yyoouu’’rree nnoott ccaarreeffuull,, iitt ccaann qquuiicckkllyymmaakkee hhaasshh ooff yyoouurr wwoorrkk..

� AA dduusstt ccoolllleeccttoorr wwiillll aadddd ttoo tthhee qquuaalliittyy ooff yyoouurrlliiffee.. YYoouu’’llll ssppeenndd lleessss ttiimmee cclleeaanniinngg uupp,, aanndd tthheeaaiirr wwiillll bbee cclleeaanneerr iinn bbootthh yyoouurr sshhoopp aanndd hhoommee..

Page 139: Your First Workshop

134 T h e W e l l - R o u n d e d S h o p

UUssee llaarrggee--ddiiaammeetteerr hhoossee rriigghhtt uuppttoo tthhee mmaacchhiinnee..

UUssee llaarrggee ppoorrttss ttoo ccoonnnneecctt ddiirreeccttllyyttoo mmaacchhiinneess..

AA ttrraasshh ccaann wwiitthh aa ssppeecciiaall lliiddkkeeeeppss bbiigg cchhiippss aanndd ddeebbrriiss ffrroommddaammaaggiinngg tthhee ffaann bbllaaddee..

� CCOONNNNEECCTTSS � SSEEPPAARRAA TTEESS

Dust Collector

G ood dust management requires a three-tiered approach. Your shop vac is thefirst line of defense. Use it for general

cleanup and attach it to sanders and circularsaws, as well as the miter saw, the bandsaw,and the router table.

Planers, tablesaws, sanding machines,and other big dust producers require a high-volume dust collector designed for woodworkingmachinery. The third line is a ceiling-mountedair cleaner to scrub out the tiny particles(down to 1 micron) that slip through thecollector bags.

What to buyYou can exhaustively analyze your dust-collection needs, but in a small shop, there’sno need to make it complicated. If you use amobile collector and hook it up to only onetool at a time using no more than 10' of hose,get a 11⁄2-hp single-stage collector (see the

photo on the facing page). If your space,budget, and wiring allow, go for the 220v,2-hp model. Most of the dust drops into thelower bag, while the permeable upper bag filters finer particles as the air blows throughit. The standard upper bag only collects particles larger than 30 microns. Be sure to buy the optional 5-micron filter bag or oneof the efficient new filtration canisters.

A typical home shop about the size of atwo-car garage needs an air cleaner capableof moving 1,000 cubic feet of air per minute(cfm) (see the photo on the facing page). Makesure it has slower speeds as well—1,000 cfmis noisy. Opt for the washable electrostaticprefilter, and hold out for a remote control toavoid reaching for the switch constantly.Another great feature is a timer to turn offthe cleaner after a couple of hours so you don’thave to remember to do so.

� CCOOLLLLEECCTT CCHHIIPPSS AANNDD DDUUSSTT

WWHHAA TT DDUUSSTT CCOOLLLLEECCTT OORRSS CCAANN DDOO

Page 140: Your First Workshop

Dust Collector 135

Single-Stage Dust Collector and Air Cleaner

For most small shops, a 11⁄2-hpsingle-stage dust collector is all

you need. Move it from tool to tool as needed.

An air cleaner will keep the shop noticeably cleaner. If your shop is connected to your house,it’ll keep the house cleaner as well—less dust on the piano. If possible,hang it overhead a few feet from aside wall to promote air circulation.

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bbaagg cchhaannggeess

DDuusstt ccoolllleeccttss iinn lloowweerr bbaagg..

DDiissppoossaabbllee ppllaassttiicc bbaagg

FFlleexxiibbllee hhoossee ((1100'' oorr lleessss))

MMoobbiillee bbaassee

WWaasshhaabblleeeelleeccttrroossttaattiicc ffiilltteerr

IInnlleett ccoovveerr

CCllaammppss

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11,,000000 ccffmm ccaappaacciittyy,,ssiizzee aabboouutt 3300"" LL xx 2244"" WW xx 1122"" HH

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wwaallll mmoouunntt))

HHaannddllee

DDiirrttyy ffiilltteerr iinnddiiccaattoorr

Page 141: Your First Workshop

136 T h e W e l l - R o u n d e d S h o p

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SSmmooootthh aanndd ffaaiirr iinnssiiddee ccuurrvveess.. SSmmooootthh aanndd ffaaiirr oouuttssiiddee ccuurrvveess..

� SSAANNDD IINNSSIIDDEE CCUURRVVEESS� TTHHIICCKKNNEESSSS WWIIDDEE BBOOAARRDDSS � SSAANNDD OOUUTTSSIIDDEE CCUURRVVEESS

WWHHAA TT SSAANNDDEERRSS CCAANN DDOO

Sanders

When you mention sanders, most people think of disk or random-orbitsanders, but there are a number of

other sanding tools designed to tackle special-ized jobs more efficiently. Admittedly, thesesanders are not vital tools—it makes sense tobuy them on an as-needed basis. But once youown any one of them, you’ll find it solves allkinds of problems you didn’t know you had.

DRUM THICKNESS SANDERLike a planer, a thickness sander removesmaterial from the top of the board. But ratherthan cutting with knives, sandpaper woundaround the drum abrades the surface of theboard as it moves on a conveyor belt.

A thickness sander with a cantilevereddrum like the one shown here on p. 140 has asanding capacity twice the length of its drum.You simply run one half of the workpieceunder the drum, then flip it around and runthe other.

The thickness sander aces some of theplaner’s biggest problems. First, there’s notearout—no matter how wildly figured thegrain. Second, the sander is more accuratethan a planer and is ideal for dimensioningstock to less than 1⁄4". Third, the conveyor beltmakes it safe to run small pieces through themachine.

What to buyChoose a sander with a cantilevered head for maximum capacity. Look for a large dust-collection port and casters or a mobilebase. Securing the sandpaper to the drum is the most difficult part of using thesemachines; avoid any that have fussy littleclips tucked under the end of the drum.Remember that a cantilevered head is prone to sagging out of parallel to the table, andyou’ll have to check and adjust it often whensanding wide panels. The simpler the adjust-ment process, the better.

Page 142: Your First Workshop

Sanders 137

TTuurrnn sshhaarrpp eeddggeess iinnttoo rroouunnddeeddccoorrnneerrss..

TTiilltt tthhee ttaabbllee ttoo ssaanndd aa bbeevveell wwiitthhddiisskk oorr bbeelltt..

UUssee tthhee bbeelltt oorr ddiisskk ssaannddeerr ttoommooddiiffyy mmeettaall ttoooollss aanndd ppaarrttss..

� SSAANNDD BBEEVVEELLSS� CCRREEAA TTEE RROOUUNNDDOOVVEERRSS � RREEMMOOVVEE MMEETTAALL

The Detail Sander

With its compact triangular head and aggressive sanding pattern,a detail sander can smooth and profile wood in places no other

tool can reach. This model accepts scraper and saw blades for evengreater versatility.

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SSccrraappeerr bbllaaddee

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HHooookk aannddlloooopp ddiisskkssrruunn ccooooll aannddaarree rreeuussaabbllee..

Page 143: Your First Workshop

OSCILLATING-SPINDLE SANDERThe oscillating-spindle sander excels at sand-ing curves. A rubber drum with an abrasivesleeve mounts in the center of a table, and it both rotates and moves up and down whenrunning. The movement in two directionsmeans that the machine runs cooler, distrib-utes the wear over a greater area, and pro-duces a smoother surface by randomizing the cutting pattern (see the bottom photo onthe facing page). To get a smooth curve on a worksurface, use a sanding drum with adiameter that suits the radius you’re sanding.

What to buyGet a sander with the longest stroke becauseit will distribute wear better. Look for a gooddust-collection port, and even if it comes witha cloth dust bag, plan on using a shop vacuumwith it. A tilting table is not crucial but willincrease the versatility of your sander, whichis always a good thing.

BELT/DISK SANDERThis versatile sander solves many little prob-lems around the shop—rounding corners, flat-tening an edge, or smoothing the face of a

small workpiece. It’s also handy for shapingand smoothing metal pieces.

The belt and disk share both the motorand the table. The belt can be horizontal,where it’s best suited for flattening andsmoothing. The table in front of the diskmakes it easy to round corners, and if you usethe miter gauge in the slot, you can easilysquare ends. The table also angles for bevels.Or, you can switch the belt to the verticalposition and install the table in front of it forworking on longer pieces.

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TThhee bbaassee ppllaattee ooff tthhee bbeelltt ssaannddeerr ffllaatttteennss aannddssmmooootthhss ssmmaallll ppiieecceess..

138 T h e W e l l - R o u n d e d S h o p

� With a disk sander, use only the half of the

table where the disk is traveling downward.

� Keep belts on a thickness sander tight—

floppy belts will self-destruct.

� Clean abrasives work better and last longer.

� Don’t plane after using any sander—the

embedded grit will dull the blade.

� Always take light passes with a thickness

sander and use slow feed rates.

� Use anti-vibration gloves when using detail

sanders for long periods of time.

WATCH OUT

WWHHAA TT SSAANNDDEERRSS CCAANN DDOO ((ccoonnttiinnuueedd))

Page 144: Your First Workshop

Sanders 139

A Pair of Useful Sanders

AAfftteerrmmaarrkkeett ssttaanndd

The benchtop oscillating-spindlesander on the left is best suited

for handling curves, while the 6" belt /9" disk sander on the right is good for rounding corners and straightening and smoothing edges.

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TTaabbllee((ssoommee ttiilltt,,tthhiiss oonneeddooeess nnoott))

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NNuutt ffoorr hhoollddiinnggddrruumm iinn ppllaaccee

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RReemmoovvaabbllee ssttooppffoorr eeddggee ssaannddiinngg

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BBEELLTT//DDIISSKK SSAANNDDEERR

99"" ddiisskk

MMiitteerr sslloott

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MMiitteerr ggaauuggee

66"" xx 3366"" bbeelltt

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Page 145: Your First Workshop

140 T h e W e l l - R o u n d e d S h o p

The Cantilever Drum Thickness Sander

Accurate, safe, and virtually tearout free, this thickness sander can solve manyproblems around the shop and is a good complement to a thickness planer.

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DDuusstt ppoorrtt

Page 146: Your First Workshop

Sanders 141

What to buyA 6" belt /9" disk sander is a good size formost small shops—a good thing, because theprice jumps considerably for the next size up.Look for a sander with a large table and easy-to-operate adjustments (see the top photo on p. 139). Make sure the belt-tracking mech-anism is easy to reach in both vertical and horizontal positions—it’s the adjustmentyou’ll make most.

DETAIL SANDERA nice little triangle sander with hook-and-loop sandpaper is the best tool for refinishingand sanding in difficult locations. And thereare some situations, such as when you aremaking louvered doors, when nothing elsewill do the job.

Most of these sanders vibrate at around20,000 rpm, and they can leave a persistentand distinctive scratch pattern. You’ll have to keep a full array of grits on hand andprogress your way through them to end upwith a truly smooth surface.

What to buyLook for a heavy-duty machine; a low-costmodel may not last through one tough job.Pick a brand that offers a variety of padshapes and make sure they’re easy to getlocally. Aluminum pads are easy to modify tosuit a job. You can fit some brands with a sawor scraper in lieu of the sanding pad (see thetop photo on p. 137), invaluable for surgicalrepairs or demolition. Finally, get a brandthat has dust collection or a dust-collectionkit you can add on later.

E ven a small belt sander is a brute of a tool.

It wants to run away from you, and all but the

strongest and most experienced users spend lots

of energy just trying to keep it in check—forget

any kind of fine-tuning to make sure the resulting

surface is flat and square.

If you’re going to use a belt sander, know

that they are notoriously unbalanced tools. Make

sure you’re working at a convenient height with

work clamped in place, and position yourself where

it’s easy to keep the sander horizontal. Don’t linger

in any one spot for too long, and maintain your

position as you move along the surface.

There’s no question that the handheld belt

sander is a powerful tool, one that can do fine

work. The problem is that people tend to rely on it

for more than can be expected of either the tool or

the user.

WHY I DON’T RECOMMEND A HANDHELD BELT SANDER

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142 T h e W e l l - R o u n d e d S h o p

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Biscuit Joiner

Using a biscuit joiner is a quick way tomake strong, good-looking joints. Thetool is essentially a horizontal saw that

cuts matching arcs into the mating edges oftwo boards. The biscuit is a football-shapedpiece of pressed wood that slips into the slotsin each board and bridges the structural gapbetween them. Properly glued and clamped,the resulting joints are very strong, but getting that result requires a little skill andattention. Biscuit joiners are best used forreinforcing glued joints that aren’t inherentlystrong, such as a butted corner joint or justabout any joint in plywood (see the table on p. 144).

The most common error in cutting biscuitjoints is losing track of the reference surface.Once the slot height is set, all cuts must bemade with the fence on the same referencesurface—usually the outside face of the work-piece. If you mess up along the way and cut a

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Biscuit Joiner 143

AA bbuutttteedd jjooiinntt ddooeessnn’’tt hhaavvee ttoo bbeeaatt tthhee ccoorrnneerr..

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Biscuit Joiner

A biscuit joiner is a good way to reinforce joinery,especially when building in plywood.

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FFeennccee hheeiigghhttaaddjjuussttmmeenntt

Page 149: Your First Workshop

few with the fence against the inner surface,slots won’t match up. Another alignmentproblem results when the fence and basedon’t solidly contact the workpiece during thecut. The slot won’t be parallel to the surface,and the angled biscuit won’t slip into themating slot. Prevent this with proper stanceand by clamping the workpiece so it can’tmove during the cut (see the top photo on thefacing page).

Such errors are so common it’s surprisingthat the biscuit joiner is often hailed as analignment tool, just the thing for registeringboards when gluing up a panel. It’s not. Edge-

to-edge joints made with modern glue are sostrong that biscuits are overkill: There’sno need to spend time fussing over theiralignment.

What to buyFor the most versatile tool, look for one thatcan handle a range of biscuit sizes. The small-est #FF face-frame biscuits are handy whenyou’re working with 11⁄2"-wide material, andnot all machines can cut such small slots.Some machines have settings to cut Simplexand Duplex slots, an industry standard usedfor hinges and knockdown hardware. Next on

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144 T h e W e l l - R o u n d e d S h o p

WWHHAA TT AA BBIISSCCUUIITT JJOOIINNEERR CCAANN DDOO ((ccoonnttiinnuueedd))

BBIISSCCUUIITT JJOOIINNEERR

Makes invisible jointsIs easier for large workpieces and sheetgoods

Requires clamping while glue curesRequires care with reference surfaces

or alignment can be a problem

PPOOCCKKEETT--HHOOLLEE SSCCRREEWWSS

Are quickHoles can be made on site with mini-jigAre removableDon’t require clamps while glue dries

Are visibleCan be difficult to position large pieces in jig

PPRROOSS

CCOONNSS

BBIISSCCUUIITT JJOOIINNEERR VVSS.. PPOOCCKKEETT--HHOOLLEE SSCCRREEWWSS

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Biscuit Joiner 145

your list should be the quality of the fenceand its adjustments. Don’t settle for anythingless than rack-and-pinion adjustment, andmake sure you can lock the fence in place soit won’t move in use. Look at the heightadjustment scale and make sure it’s clear andeasy to read. Finally, check to see that thehandle and on/off switch are comfortable andconvenient in your hands.

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Page 151: Your First Workshop

146 T h e W e l l - R o u n d e d S h o p

AA qquuaalliittyy mmiitteerr ggaauuggee hhaass aa sslliidd--iinngg ffeennccee wwiitthh vveerrttiiccaall ffaacceess ffoorrsseeccuurree ccllaammppiinngg..

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Tablesaw Accessories

A s you get more familiar with yourtablesaw, you’ll find ways to improveits safety, versatility, and performance.

The list is endless, but here are a few acces-sories that will give you the biggest bang foryour buck.

SafetyThe simple guard that comes on most sawsleaves something to be desired. An overarmguard is much better—it doesn’t interferewith everyday operations and is easilyremoved when it does. The separate splittervirtually eliminates the risk of kickback, anda dust-collection port on the guard collectsdust before it falls into the saw. Collect therest of the dust beneath the saw in a bag, orget a brand-specific plastic shield with a dustport that seals the underside of the saw. Formaximum dust collection, don’t forget to seal

the back of the saw around the motor with aplywood cutout taped or screwed in place (justvisible in the bottom center photo on p. 148).

PerformanceHelp your saw work harder and smarter byreplacing the V-belt with a link belt. Not onlywill it increase the power transfer from motorto blade, but it will also reduce vibration. Anoutfeed table helps that last bit of follow-through when you’re feeding stock and makesyour work more secure—even a small shop-made table is a big improvement.

A zero-clearance insert is blank when youinstall it. Retract the blade, clamp the insert inplace, and slowly raise the blade. You’ll wind upwith a perfectly fitting slot that not onlyreduces tearout on the underside of a board,but also increases dust-collection efficiency.Since the inserts are not interchangeable,

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Tablesaw Accessories 147

start out with one for your most frequentlyused blade, adding more as you see fit. Youcan also make one to use when cutting 45°(or any other) angles.

A tablesaw is as accurate as the jigs usedon it, and you can’t beat a cast-iron tenoningjig for sheer mass or adjustability. It slides in

a miter slot, holds workpieces vertically, anduses fine-thread screws to adjust the work-piece’s distance from the cutter. For cuttingtapered legs fast, use a tapering jig. The besttapering jigs ride in the miter slot and holdthe workpiece at an angle as it passesthrough the blade.

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The single most important upgrade you canmake to your tablesaw is to install a high-

quality blade. The increased performance is stunning. You’ll get less noise and vibration and a smoother, faster cut.

You could go into an exhaustive study of the geometry and physics of tablesaw blades,but within a price range, the resulting cuts are remarkably similar, even if the blades lookdifferent. You can’t go wrong with an upper-middle-price-range blade from a well-known manufacturer.

A combination blade will handle almostall of your tablesaw work. Get one with 30 or 40 carbide-tipped teeth. Get two if you can, so youcan continue working while one blade is beingsharpened.

If you’re ripping a significant quantity of solidwood, use a carbide-tipped rip blade with about20 tpi. With fewer teeth, it’ll cut faster and cleaner.

A dado set allows you to cut wide grooves in one pass (see the bottom right photo on p. 148). It consists of a set of matched blades and shims designed to be stacked in various combinations to equal a desired width. Dadoblades are smaller in diameter than standard table-saw blades, with less cutting height. Get an 8" set for versatility.

A blade stabilizer keeps a thin kerf-bladerunning truer by reducing vibration. It alsodecreases the usable blade height.

BLADES FOR YOUR TABLESAW

Page 153: Your First Workshop

RReeppllaaccee tthhee VV--bbeelltt wwiitthh aa lliinnkk bbeellttaanndd iinnccrreeaassee tthhee ddrriivvee ppoowweerr..

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B esides accuracy, its greatest bene-

fit is that the work doesn’t slide on

the saw’s table. Instead, workpieces

are supported on the sled, which

means that there’s no chance of them

twisting and causing a kickback. Using

a shopmade sled is the safest and

most accurate way to crosscut.

You can make a simple crosscut

sled that rides in one miter slot, but

you’ll get more use out of a moderately

sized one that rides in both miter

slots. The key to accuracy in each case

is that the fence on the user’s side of

the blade is perpendicular to the slots

(see the top phot at right).

In time, you’ll have a collection

of sleds—from small job-specific,

single runner sleds to massive boxes

capable of handling 24"-wide sheets

of plywood, plus sleds for beveled

cuts, dadoes, and mitering (see the

bottom photo at right).

THE CROSSCUT SLED

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148 T h e W e l l - R o u n d e d S h o p

EEaassee llaarrggee jjoobbss.. UUssee aaccrroossssccuutt sslleedd wwhheennwwoorrkkiinngg wwiitthh wwiiddee oorrhheeaavvyy ppiieecceess.. HHoollddtthheemm ddoowwnn aanndd ffiirrmmllyyaaggaaiinnsstt tthhee ffeennccee..

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Tablesaw Accessories 149

Tablesaw Upgrades

A tricked-out tablesaw is safer, more accurate, and more versatile.This is only the beginning of what you can do to get more use

out of your tablesaw.

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150 T h e W e l l - R o u n d e d S h o p

HHoollllooww cchhiisseellss ccuutt mmoorrttiisseess ttoo aacccceepptt tteennoonnssffoorr jjooiinneerryy..

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WWHHAA TT AA HHOOLLLLOOWW--CCHHIISSEELL MMOORRTTIISSEERR CCAANN DDOO

Hollow-Chisel Mortiser

You can add a mortising attachment toyour drill press, but if you’re going tocut more than a few mortises, you need

a mortising machine. It’s nothing more than adrill press optimized for drilling a series ofsquare holes. A hollow-chisel mortiser offers alimited depth of cut, a powerful lever handle,and an adjustable fence and hold-down forpositioning the work. To cut square holes,you’ll also need an interesting bit called ahollow chisel.

The outer (hollow) portion is square insection with a chisel-sharp perimeter at thebottom. An aggressive drill bit runs inside thishollow chisel; its outside diameter is very closeto the inside diameter of the hollow portion.The drill bit removes the bulk of the waste (it’sejected through a slot in the side of the hollowchisel) while the hollow chisel removes only alittle at the corners to square up the hole.

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Page 156: Your First Workshop

Hollow-Chisel Mortiser 151

Benchtop Hollow-Chisel Mortiser and Chisels

Ahollow-chisel mortiser is nothing more than a drill press

made for cutting square holes.

Getting the fence and bit set up so themachine cuts a perfectly aligned series ofsquare holes is the hardest part of using thismachine. With a sharp hollow chisel, cuttingthe hole is easy, so your goal should be to buythe machine that’s easiest to set up.

While positioning the fence, you’ll need to move it in and out in small increments.Look for an easy way to tighten and loosen thelock nut for quick adjustments. You’ll alsohave to get the holddown tight but not tootight—so look for easy lock/unlock there, too.

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SSttoorraaggee ffoorr bbiittssaanndd wwrreenncchheess

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Page 157: Your First Workshop

A fter working with the tools introducedin the Efficient Shop, you’ll have somestrong ideas about how to improve

your setup. As you add the specialized tools inthis section—the Well-Rounded Shop—you’llprobably reach a turning point at which itbecomes necessary for you to take some timejust to work on your shop (see the photo onthe facing page).

You’ll find you need to think about theallotment of horizontal surfaces in your shop.You’ve probably started doing certain tasks inthe same part of the shop every time—takenote of what wants to happen where and setup areas to help that work go more smoothly.Build racks or drawers to hold the tools you’llneed, upgrade the lighting, and organize thespace so that what you need to do the job isalways at hand.

You’ll need a sharpening area, a placewhere having water and metal slurry sloppedabout won’t be a problem. Put down a sectionof melamine or plywood and clear the area so overspray from your bottle of water won’tcause rust.

Most shops end up with a drilling areanear the drill press. Build racks and holdersfor your bits and set up a charging area forthe cordless drills.

Set aside a corner of the shop as a metal-working area. Get an inexpensive metalwork-ing vise (weight counts for everything here)and bolt it to the bench. Use it to hold metalyou need to manipulate for whatever reason—threaded rod or bolts you’re cutting, metal

plates for outdoor construction, lawn-mowerparts, and the like.

A couple of sets of specialized sawhorsesand some plywood supply horizontal space ondemand and are out of the way otherwise.Build a set as high as your tablesaw, and youcan have an infeed or outfeed table (or both)large enough to support a full sheet of ply-wood. A low set, about 18" high, serves as abench at a convenient height for assemblingand finishing projects too large or high to puton your workbench.

152 T h e W e l l - R o u n d e d S h o p

The Well-Rounded Shop Space

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Page 158: Your First Workshop

Bandsaw

Post

Router table

Miter saw

Drum sander (move as needed)

Planer or router table (move as needed)

Dust collector (move as needed)

Air cleaner above tablesaw

Belt/disk sander

Metalworking vise

Routing areaMore drawers

Three 6' tall rolling carts for home and shop store planer, spindle sander, router table, hand power tools, and more.

Drill area

Sharpening area

Spindle sander

The Well-Rounded Shop Space 153

Floor Plan, the Well-Rounded Shop

Page 159: Your First Workshop

Though no small shop can ever manage atruly dust-free finishing room, you can stillset up one area of your shop for finishing.Keep it near a window or door so you can setup a fan to vent the solvent fumes, and try tokeep the area around it free of clutter so it’seasy to vacuum clean. Plastic sheeting hungfrom a framework built into the overheadhelps keep dust out of the rest of the shop.

With so many machines in your shop, itmay be time to think of an annex. A shed cantake care of the garden tools, some of the fin-ishing materials, and perhaps some householditems. A lean-to beneath the eaves is a greatplace to store lumber. And just outside thegarage door you could build a good-lookinglocker to store infrequently used tools.

With your increased skills and shopcapacity, you can design and build storage to fit in any space. Build a chest of drawers to fit under the right side extension of yourtablesaw. Replace some of your tool standswith a cabinet of drawers on casters. Orbuild a bank of drawers to handle all thesmall stuff.

We need our shops to do woodworking,and so we go to work on our shops. We addstorage, move a tool, or build somethingunique, and soon working on the shop takeson a life of its own. All woodworkers gothrough periods where their major project isthe shop. They come out of it ready to tacklenew levels of woodworking. Skill and tools—when you improve one, you improve the other.

154 T h e W e l l - R o u n d e d S h o p

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Page 160: Your First Workshop

AAir cleaners, 134, 135Allen Wrenches, 120, 121American Conference of Industrial

Hygienists, 40Angle sleds, 107, 107

BBacker boards, 12, 14Band clamps, 82, 82, 83Bandsaws:

blades for, 100, 100, 101, 101features of, 96–97, 98, 99, 99steps to four-square lumber

with, 92–93, 94, 95, 95versatile uses with, 92–95, 95,

96, 96, 97, 97Bar clamps, 30, 31Basic woodworking shops, tools

and shop layouts for, 45, 45,48–49, 49

Belt/disk sanders, 138, 138, 139,141

Bench brushes, 36Benchhooks, 81, 81Bench planes, 62, 62, 63, 63Benchtop router tables, 112, 113Benchtop saws, 102–103, 105, 105Bevel cutting, 26Bevel-edged bench chisels, 64, 64,

65, 65Bird’s mouth vise, 11Biscuit joiners, features and uses

with, 133, 142, 142, 143, 144,144, 145, 145

Blade-right/blade-left circularsaws, 27, 28

Blades:for bandsaws, 100, 100, 101, 101for circular saws, 28for jigsaws, 60, 60, 61for table saws, 147, 148, 148, 149tooth shapes in, 100, 100

Block planes, 19, 20–21, 21Blue masking tape, 83, 83Boring holes, 12, 13, 14–15, 15Brad point drill bits, 1144,, 15Brooms and dustpans, 36Buckets, 89, 89Burnishers, 77Butt chisels, 19, 20

CCabinetmaker’s benches, 78, 78,

79, 79, 80, 80, 81, 81Cabinetmaker’s rules, 17, 17Cabinetmaker’s screwdrivers, 24,

25Cabinet scrapers, 76, 77, 77Cabinet-style table saws, 103, 105,

105Cantilevered drum thicknessing

sanders, 136, 136, 140

Carpenter’s butt chisels, 19, 20C-clamps, 30, 31Chamfer planes, 63, 63Chisels:

bevel-edged bench chisels in, 64,64, 65, 65

crank-necked chisels in, 118, 119European and Japanese-style,

64, 64, 65, 65firmer chisels in, 65patternmaker’s chisels in, 64, 65sharpening edges of, 19, 20–21,

21skew chisels in, 118, 119uses with, 18, 19, 64, 64, 65, 65

Circular saws:blade types and sizes for, 28features of, 27squares and guides for, 6, 6, 29uses with, 26, 26, 27, 27, 28, 29,

29Clamps:

mobile storage rack for, 7, 85, 86,88

tapes functioning as, 83, 83uses with, 7, 11, 11, 30, 30, 31, 31versatile uses for, 82, 82, 83, 83

Claw hammers, 22, 23Clean-up tools, 6, 36, 36, 37Climate control in woodworking

shops, 127, 127, 128, 128, 129Coarse-toothed rip saw, 118Collars, 54Combination squares, 70, 71Combination wrenches, 121Compass, 71, 73Compound miter saws, 56, 56–57,

58Contractor’s table saws, 104, 105Coping saws, 75Cordless drill/drivers, 12, 12, 13,

13, 14, 1144,, 15, 15Corner clamps, 82, 82, 83Crank-necked chisels, 118, 119Crosscut sleds, 106, 107, 107, 148,

148Crosscutting, 26, 28, 102, 105, 106,

107, 107Cross peen, 22, 23Curved scrapers, 77Cuts per inch (CPI), 110Cutting gauges, 71, 73

DDead blow hammers, 22, 23, 25Depth stop collars, 1144Detail sanders, 137, 138, 141Dial calipers, 119, 119Dial indicators, 120, 121Dogs and dog holes, 77, 78, 78, 80,

81, 81Double-sided tapes, 83, 83Drifts, 120, 120

Drill bits, 14, 1144,, 15Drill presses, 116, 116, 117Drills, 12, 12, 13, 13, 14, 1144,, 15Drivers, 12–13Drive socket sets, 120, 121Drum thicknessing sanders, 136,

136, 140Dust:

collection systems for, 34, 35, 35,36, 37, 132, 133, 134, 134,135

preventing inhalation of, 35, 36,39, 40, 40, 135, 136

Dust masks, 35, 36, 38, 39, 39, 40,40

Dustpans, 36

EEar muffs/ear plugs, 38, 38, 39Edge guides, 54Edge tools, 18, 18, 19, 19, 20, 20,

21, 21Efficient woodworking shops, tools

and shop spaces for, 92–121Electrical systems in woodworking

shops, 45, 45, 94, 122, 126,126, 127

Essential woodworking shops:floor plans for, 42, 4433garages vs. basements for, 42lighting and electrical systems

for, 45, 45storage and shelf systems in, 4433,,

45tools for, 6–45

European-style tools, 64, 64, 74, 75Eye protection, 38, 38, 40

FF-clamps, 31Featherboards, 103, 105, 106Feeler gauges, 120, 120, 121Fences:

for routers and router tables, 54,112, 112, 113, 114, 114, 115,115

using with drill presses, 116, 117File cleaning cards, 34, 35Files, 34, 35Fine-toothed blade saws, 74Finishing, 32, 33, 154Finishing hammers, 23Firmer chisels, 65First aid kits, 41, 41Floor-mounted drill press, 117Flush cutting saws, 118, 118, 119Flycutter bits, 14, 1144Forstner bits, 14, 1144,, 15

GGent’s saws, 74, 75Gloves, 39, 40

Gluing up, using clamps with, 30,30

Goggles and safety glasses, 38, 39,40

Grinders, for sharpening, 66, 67,68

Guide pins, 115, 115

HHammers, 6, 22, 22, 23Handsaws, 74, 74, 75, 75Hand scrapers, 76, 76, 77Handscrews, 11, 30, 31Hearing protection, 38, 38, 39Heating in woodworking shops,

127, 127, 128, 128, 129Hold-downs, 105Holdfasts, 81, 81Hollow chisel mortisers, 150, 150,

151, 151Honing guides and tools, 67, 67, 69Humidity control in woodworking

shops, 127, 127, 128, 128, 129

JJapanese-style tools, 22, 23, 64, 64,

65, 65, 74, 75Jigsaws, 48, 60, 60, 61Jobbers drill bits, 1144Joiner’s benches, 79Joinery, 48–49, 133, 142, 142, 143,

144, 144, 145, 145Jointer planes, 62, 63Jointers:

features and uses with, 108,108–109

proper technique and safetywith, 108

steps to four-square lumberwith, 92–93, 93, 95, 95, 108,108, 109

KKickback, 103, 105–106

LLaminating, using clamps with,

30, 31Lighting for woodworking shops,

45, 45, 88–89Low angle block planes, 19Lumber crayons, 17, 17

MMagnetic screw guides, 1144Marking knives, 70, 71, 73Marking tools, 16, 16, 17, 17, 70,

70, 71, 72, 72, 73, 73

155

IInnddeexx

Index note: page references in italics indicate a photograph; references in bold indicate an illustration.

Page 161: Your First Workshop

Measuring tools:dial calipers in, 119, 119dial indicators and feeler gauges

as, 120, 120, 121improving hand skills with, 73,

73setting up power tools with, 73,

73sliding squares for, 72, 72, 73, 73uses with, 6, 6, 16, 16, 17, 17,

70–71with winding sticks, 73

Mechanic’s tools in woodworkingshops, 24, 25, 120, 120, 121

Metalworking vises, 153–54, 154Mill files, 34, 35Mistakes, identifying and improv-

ing with, 7Miter gauges, 106, 107, 107Miter saws:

steps to four-square lumberwith, 95, 95

versatility and uses with, 48, 56,56, 57, 57, 58, 59, 59

Miter slot and sled, 115, 115Mobile storage cart, 4433,, 45Mortising machines, 132, 132, 150,

150, 151, 151

NNicholson # 50 rasp, 34, 35

OOne-handed tightening clamps,

30, 31Orbital jigsaws, features and uses

with, 60, 60, 61Oscillating spindle sanders, 132,

138, 139

PParallel-jawed clamps, 82, 82, 83Parallel-sided punches, 120, 120Patternmakers chisels, 64, 65Patternmakers rasps, 33, 34, 35Pencils, 17, 17Phillips screwdrivers, 24, 25Phillips tips, 1144Pipe clamps, 11, 30, 31Planers, features and uses with,

92–93, 93, 94, 95, 95, 110,110, 111

Planes:bench planes in, 62, 62, 63, 63block planes in, 18, 18, 19, 19,

20, 20, 21, 21care and maintenance of, 18, 19,

20, 20, 21, 21shoulder planes in, 118, 118, 119side-rabbet planes in, 118, 119trimming planes in, 118, 119

Plunge cutting, 26, 29Pocket hole screws, 13, 15, 15Polish finishing, 32, 33Protractors, guiding for circular

saws with, 29Punches, 120, 120Pushsticks, 105, 106

QQuick-Grip clamps, 30Quill lock, 116, 117

RRandom orbit sanders, 33, 34, 35,

35Rasps, 33, 34, 35Ratcheting screwdrivers, 24Respiratory problems, preventing,

38, 39, 40, 40Rip fences, 29, 101, 101, 106, 107,

107Ripping, 26, 28, 96, 96, 102, 102,

103, 105, 105, 106, 106, 107,107

Rough-crosscut saws, 75Routers:

collets for, 55, 55features and versatile uses with,

48, 50, 50, 51, 52, 52, 53, 53with fixed and plunge bases, 52,

53, 53guiding methods for, 54, 54jigs and bits for, 53, 53, 55, 55

Router tables:features and uses with, 94, 112,

112, 113, 114, 114fences with, 112, 112, 113, 114,

114, 115, 115guiding work on, 115, 115

Rubber sanding forms, 33, 34

SSafety:

avoiding kickback, 103, 105–106with drills, 12dust collection systems for, 34,

35, 35, 134, 134, 135eye protection in, 38, 38, 39, 40first aid kits for the shop, 41, 41gloves for, 39, 40with hammers and screwdrivers,

22preventing health problems, 38,

38, 39, 40, 40, 41, 41preventing noise damage, 38, 38,

39proper table saw techniques for,

102–103, 103, 105–106, 106,146, 146

Sanding tools:belt/disk sanders in, 133, 138,

138, 139, 141detail sanders in, 137, 138, 141dust extraction with, 34, 35, 35oscillating spindle sanders in,

132, 138, 139pad dampeners in, 35progressing through the grits

with, 32–33sanding blocks in, 33, 34uses with, 32, 32, 33, 33, 135,

136, 136Sandpaper, for sharpening tools,

20–21, 21Sawhorses, 44, 44, 152Saws:

bandsaws, 92–93, 94, 94, 95, 95circular saws, 26, 26, 27, 27, 28,

29, 29coarse-toothed rip saw, 118flexible hand saws, 118, 118, 119flush cutting saws, 118, 118, 119handsaws, 74, 74, 75, 75table saws, 92–93, 94, 95, 95See also Blades

Scrapers, 76, 76, 77, 77Screwdrivers, 6, 22, 24, 25, 25

Screw driving, with cordlessdrill/drivers, 15, 15

Shank mounted bearings, 54Shaping tools, 33, 34, 35Sharpening/sharpening tools:

dedicated area and shop spacefor, 48, 152, 152, 115533

with diamond stones and dia-mond paste, 66, 66, 67, 67,68, 69

with a grinder, 66, 67, 68honing jigs for, 20, 21, 21indications for, 20keeping stones flat for, 68of planes and chisels, 19, 20–21,

21, 62of scrapers, 77steps to perfect edges, 69tools for flattening and honing,

67, 67, 69with waterstones, 67, 67

Shavehooks, 76, 77, 77Ship scrapers, 76, 77, 77Shop heaters, 128–29Shop spaces:

for basic woodworking shops, 84,8855,, 86, 86, 87, 87

for efficient woodworking shops,122, 122, 112233,, 124, 124, 125,125, 126, 126, 127, 127, 128,128, 129

in essential woodworking shops,42, 42, 43, 4433

machine placements in, 122,123, 124, 124, 125–26

managing moisture and heat in,127, 127, 128, 128, 129

mobile bases for machines in,124, 125–26

planning for work flow in, 122,123, 124, 124, 125–26

space for infeed and outfeedtables in, 122, 122, 124, 124,125

for well-rounded woodworkingshops, 152, 152, 115533,, 154,154

wooden floor surfaces for, 125,125

Shop vacuums, 36, 37Shoulder planes, 118, 118, 119Side-rabbet planes, 118, 119Sidewinder circular saws, 26, 27Skew chisels, 118, 119Sliding bevels, 70, 71, 73Sliding compound miter saws, 56,

57Sliding squares, 71, 72, 72, 73Slow-speed grinders, 68Smooth planes, 62, 63Solid fence, 115, 115Spade bits, 14, 1144Speed Square, 17, 17Split fence, 115, 115Spokeshaves, 118, 118, 119Spring clamps, 82, 82, 83Square drive bits, 1144Squares, 6, 17, 17, 29, 70, 71, 72,

72, 73Stepped drill bits, 1144,, 15Storage and shelf system:

for essential shop spaces, 49Storage and shelf systems:

in basic woodworking shops, 84,84, 8855,, 86, 86, 87, 87, 88, 88,89, 89

with bins and crates, 87, 87cabinet spaces for, 88, 88in essential woodworking shops,

4433,, 45hanging tools in, 87, 87for lumber and sheet goods, 8855,,

86, 152, 115533,, 154mobile clamp racks in, 85, 86, 88rolling tool cabinets in, 87, 87tool rolls and soft-sided bags in,

87, 87using 5-gallon buckets for, 89, 89

Straightedge fence, 29Straightedges, 17, 17

TTable saws:

accessories for, 133, 146, 146,147, 147, 148, 148, 149

features and uses with, 92–93,94, 95, 95, 102, 102, 103, 103

guiding the cuts with, 106, 106,107, 107

jigs for, 147, 147pushsticks, hold-downs, feather-

boards for, 103, 105safety and proper techniques

with, 102–103, 103, 105–106,106, 146, 146

Tape measures, 16–17, 17Tapered countersink drill bits, 1144,,

15Tapered drifts, 120, 120Tapes, 83Thickness sanders, 136, 136, 140Tick strips, 16, 16Tip mounted bearings, 54Triangular scrapers, 76, 77, 77Trim claw hammers, 22, 23Trimming plane, 118, 119Twist drill bits, 14, 1144,, 15

VVise grips, 120, 120, 121Vises:

on cabinetmaker’s benches, 70,78, 78, 79, 80, 80

cast iron vises with wooden jaws,79, 80, 80

for metalworking, 153–54, 154on workbenches, 7, 11

WWarrington hammers, 22, 23Well-rounded woodworking shops,

132–54Winding sticks, 73Wooden jointer’s mallet, 64Woodworking:

basic tools and shops for, 3,48–89

efficient tools and shops for, 3,92–129

essential tools and shops for, 3,6–45

shop floor plans for, 4433,, 8855,, 112233,,115533

stages of, 2, 2, 3, 3Workbenches, 6, 8, 8, 9, 9, 10, 10,

11, 11Wrenches for woodworking, 120,

121

156 I n d e x

Page 162: Your First Workshop

SO MANY TOOLS, SO LITTLE SPACE

Now you have the guidance of an expert wood-worker to help you choose the right tools and

equipment to outfit your shop. You’ll learn exactlywhat to buy (and why you need it) for each skill levelin your woodworking. Plus you’ll get smart advice onhow to organize, light and power your shop, andwhere to store your stuff.

WELL-ROUNDED SHOP

Taunton Product #077984

The Taunton Press also publishes Fine Woodworking magazine, the singlebest source of woodworking ideas and information anywhere.

Pp

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIESABOUT THE AUTHOR

AIMÉ ONTARIO FRASER, author of the best-selling introduction to woodworking, GettingStarted in Woodworking: Skillbuilding Projectsthat Teach the Basics, has been woodworkingand boat building since high school. A formereditor of Fine Woodworking, she is a frequentcontributor to woodworking magazines. Shealso teaches woodworking and boatbuilding inNorwalk, Connecticut.

WOODWORKING

EFFICIENT SHOP

BASIC SHOP

ESSENTIAL SHOP

Plywood on edge4' rolling carts

PlanerRouter table

Jointer

Miter saw

Bandsaw

Tablesaw (move away from post as needed)

Drill press(move for accessto cabinet)

Store tools here using mobile bases.

New electrical service panel

Drill press(move foraccess tocabinet)

Look for other Taunton Press books at your local bookstore or visit our website at www.taunton.com.