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ER SERVICE NO. 177
Methods of Work EDITED AND DRAWN BY JIM RICHEY

Small-shop solution for cutting sheet goods allow the uprights to be reversed. Fi­
nally I added a 2x2 cleat with a ply­
wood lip about 2 4 in. up from the
Metal electrical
conduit
bottom of each upright. These cleats

\���� easily support the weight of a full

sheet of plywood.
To use the fixture, I slip the hook
bracket of each upright over the con­
duit and then rest the lower end on
the floor. When crosscutting I space

(1r\1\
the uprights so that two are near the
ends of the panel and two straddle
the saw-cut location. I lift the ply­
wood onto the cleats and clamp it to
Uprights Reverse uprights
the uprights. Then I mark the sheet
(2x4s) \I and clamp my saw guide on the cut
. and add dowels to
'.__, .
make a drying
angled \1
at 5° I line. I use a simple saw guide made' rack.

1I\ from a strip of \4-in.-thick plywood

with a %-in. runner fastened to it. The first cut trims the guide to
I the right width, so that from then on it is easy to align it with a cut
I line marked on a workpiece.
IIII I can also use the fixture to rip panels. To do so I clamp the top
\I of the panel securely to the uprights and set the sawblade to bare­
It.- ly cut through the sheet goods.

Dowel holes
{ full sheet
Now for some extra benefits. By reversing the uprights, drilling
%-in.-dia. holes every 10 in. and filling the holes with 12-in.-long
dowels, I get a great drying rack. And by adding a shower curtain
in back of
.... ';, ".' 'Cle,a ts hold a

uprights
. Bevel b'@ttom 'o f of plywood i n place. suspended from the conduit with curtain rings and a piece of plas­
tic to protect the floor, I can spray or stain right on the fixture.
-Richard W Beebe II, Hamden, Conn.
I work with sheet goods frequently and finally came to realize I
needed a panel saw to make that work easier. There simply was Custom tool hooks from PVC pipe
not room for such a tool in my small basement shop, so I designed
af ixtu
re that makes cutting sheet goods quite simple and efficient.
1. Cut section 2. Remove one­ 3. Heat and
An added benefit is that I've since discovered other uses for the of Schedule-40 quarter of straighten
fixture as well. PVC pipe. circumference back.
I needed something that would be lightweight, easy to set u p with bandsaw.

a n d easy t o store. It couldn't b e freestanding o r mounted t o the

wall because I didn't have the room. So I came up with a design of
four 2x4 uprights that hang from the ceiling.
To make it, I mounted a lO-ft. piece of%-in.-dia. metal electrical
conduit spaced 4 in. from the ceiling, using plywood brackets. Af­
ter some experimentation, I decided that the uprights should lean 4. Cut slot to fit
specific tool.
at an angle of 5°, so I cut the bottoms at this angle from both sides
to make a foot beveled toward the center. By tilting slightly, the
uprights can better support a full sheet of plywood without the
sheet tipping over. Then I cut the uprights to length and mounted
two plywood hook brackets to the top of each upright that slip These tool hooks, made with PVC plumbing pipe and a few sim­
over the conduit. Note that the hook brackets are two-sided and ple tools, are strong, nonmarring, inexpensive, quick to make and

A reward for the best tip

Richard Beebe makes a living in the digital world managing the data network for the Yale School of Medicine. His woodworking pur­
suits, accomplished in a small basement shop, consist mainly of furnishings and cabinetwork for his home. Tight space constraints in­
spired him to design a dual-purpose vertical rack for cutting sheet goods on one side and to serve as a drying rack on the
other. Send us your best tip, along with any photos or sketches (we'll redraw them) to Methods of Work, Fine
Woodworking, P.O. Box 5506, Newtown, CT 06470-5506.

16 FINE WOODWORKING
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READ ER SERVICE NO. 224 READ ER SERVICE NO. 198

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ER SERVICE NO. 1 19
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ER SERVICE NO. 131 ER SERVICE NO. 192
READ

T O O L S & SHO P S 2 0 0 1 17
M et h o d S 0 f W0 r k (contin ued)

custom-fitted t o each specific tool. Start by cutting o ff a length

M ite r f ixtu re
of Schedule-40 PVC pipe to fit your application. A 3-in. length of
1 �-in.-dia. pipe is a good size for a screwdriver or chisel, but you 12-i n . plastiC
Tablesaw
can vary the pipe size and length for each application. Using a speed square
bandsaw with a �-in. blade, cut out one-quarter of the circumfer­
ence, as shown in the sketch on p. 16, to make a C proftle when
viewed from the end. The pipe tends to close around the blade as
you cut, so a smaller blade works better.
Next, use a heat gun to warm up about a quarter of the circum­
ference of the pipe until it is soft and pliable. It takes only a minute,
so don't overdo it. lay the softened part of the plastic on a flat sur­
face and place a heavy, flat object on the pipe-or clamp it lightly
in your vise-until it cools, which takes a few minutes. The altered
pipe will have a J proftle.
To finish the hook, customize it in whatever way needed, cutting
a slot in the bottom to hold the tool you want to hang. Drill a cou­
ple of holes for screws, and mount the hook on the wall.
-John] Black, Clinton Township, Mich.

Speed square mitering sled

'
For cutting 450 miters on my tablesaw, I use a crosscut sled square to that trimmed edge. Stagger the fences on both sides of
equipped with a common plastic speed square. To build the sled, the sawblade to make more room on the sled to handle long
attach a runner to the underside of a scrap piece of plywood. Turn workpieces that need to be mitered.
the plywood sled 1800 in the miter track and cut off the waste Now place the flange of a plastic 12-in. speed square against the
along that edge, making it perfectly parallel to the blade. Turn the trimmed edge of the sled and rest it against the bottom fence. At­
sled back around, then attach the top and bottom fences 900 tach the square to the sled at this location with three or four small

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18 F I N E W O O D WO R K I N G
READ ER SERVICE NO. 203
 "
MADE THE USA
IN Forrest Saw Blades
Ilyou Can Count On Us For QualitYI Perlormancel and Dependabili
"When we established Forrest reduce splintering, scratching, and tearouts. We make them of
Manufacturing over 55
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They also count on us for the best dence in the products we offer! Purchase any Fo blade or rrest
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Jim Forrest, President

8" x 40 T (3/32" Kerf)

7 1 /4" x 30 T (3/32" Kerf)
Kerf)
8 1/4" x 40 T (3/32" Kerf) >
$-89$-89
$-ill
5 3/8" x 40T x 1 0mm (5/64" K» > $-ill $ 80 $ 76
1 4"x40Txl " , 14"x30Txl " , 1 2"x30Txl " , 9"x40T, 9"x30T, 8"x30T(3/32"K),
6"x4DT(3/32"K) also available. Can for prices.
The 1 0"x40T earned the Editor's Choice for the best performance regardless
of price. American Woodworker April 1998, pp 68-69.
"For Sears & Makila ""For DeWalt Cordless Portables

0"
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,Your Blade Sharpening Specialists 14''x1 0OTx1'', 14''x80Tx1'', 1 6"xl00Txl ", 8", 7 1/4",others avail . Cali lor pricBS.

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Other Canadian sales: Call CMR - Ron " you order withi
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$8 sti\ten "3 coupons at $5 each, use 1 coupon per blade.

TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 19

M et h o d S 0 f W0 r k (conti nued)
screws. Push the sled through the saw to make a kerf i n the sled
and to saw off the nose of the speed square. ow you're ready to
Insert %-in.-thick
cut perfect miters. plywood into sawkerf.
-Benjamin Retzinger, Mountain Home, Idaho

Quick tip: A plastic paint-roller tray makes a great screw-sorting de­

vice. Just pour that jar of randomly sized screws into the shallow
end and, using a paint stir stick as a spatula, flick the screws you
need into the deep end. When you're done, just pour the contents
of the tray back into the jar. -John Martin, Racine, Wis.

Separating the lid from a box

Many boxmakers like to glue up the box body and lid in one piece
and then separate the lid from the box on the tablesaw later. The
usual recommended procedure for this (recently echoed by Lon
FWW
Schieining in his article on box joints in # 148, pp. 60-63) is to
set the tablesaw blade height to just less than the box-wall thick­
ness and make four tablesaw cuts around the box. This leaves the
lid attached by a thin wooden web, which you then cut away with two hand clamps across the box to squeeze the plywood in place.
a handsaw. With that done, you can safely make d1e fourth and final cut.
.
Here is another method that I believe is just as safe, faster and -Eric Kudel4 Irvine, Calif
works flawlessly every time. First set the tablesaw blade height to
cut through the box wall. Then cut one side and both ends free on
the tablesaw. Before making the fourth cut, clamp a thin filler
Quick tip:I save a little time in my shop by adding two or three
sheets of sandpaper at a time to my palm sander. When the first
piece into the kerf made by the first three cuts-I use a scrap of piece wears out, I simply rip it off and continue sanding with the
l,8-in.-thick plywood. Place the plywood in the kerf and tighten next sheet. -Chhs Forgacs, Green Bay, Wis.

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 Jo§prsyN
Makes Professional Finishing Easyl
PORTABLE SAWHELPER™ ULTRAFENCE™
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22 FI E W O O D WO R K I N G
READ ER SERVICE NO. ;2
 Powerful. 3V4
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READER SERVICE NO. 39
Shop Design B Y S C O T T G I B S O N

A detached bui l d i n g provi d es freedom

tening to advice from friends with good power tools. I needed more space, al­
design genes wouldn't hurt, either. though I don't have anything exotic or
oversized: a cabinet saw, a combination
Separate building for noisy work jointer-planer, a dust collector, a small
I've had two basement shops, and they bandsaw, a latlle and more hand tools than
both had tlle same problem. You can't turn I probably need. In the end, the 480 sq. ft.
on the planer or tablesaw whenever the of floor space I have has been enough to
urge strikes you-at, say, four in the morn­ make kitchen cabinets, dining-room ta­
ing. Noise, sawdust and that sinus-reaming bles, cupboards, wall cabinets, a couch. A
aroma of fresh lacquer all find their way up subpanel handles the three 220-volt cir­
I've worked in woodshops large and small the stairs and into the house. Your spouse cuits I need to run the stationary tools and
but none as pleasant as the space I use and children may swear none of it bothers the half-dozen 1 20-volt circuits for lights
now. The shop takes up most of a 28-ft. by them, but tlley are only being polite. and outlets. It's not high-tech.
24-ft. cedar-shingled building not far from Building a detached shop is more ex­
my back door. It has an l l -ft. ceiling, plen­ pensive than converting a basement or a Feet prefer wood floors
ty of windows and real heat. The high ceil­ garage. My shop cost about $ 14,000 ($20 I did not want to work on a concrete slab.
ing seems to amplify light,' and it is often per square foot). A separate building also Every shop I'd ever had came with a slab
possible to work there until dusk without creates long-term costs-maintenance, floor, and they were tough on my feet and
turning on the lights. It's the first wood­ heat and increased property taxes. Despite back. By the end of the day I'd felt as
shop I designed and built from the ground all that, a detached shop provides much though I had been worked over with an
up, so I'm sorry to say the building has a more freedom, and I think it's worth it if iron pipe. Slab foundations also make
few shortcomings. Most of them could you have the room and the money. wiring and dust collection more difficult if
have been avoided with better planning. A new shop doesn't have to be luxuri­ you want to run utilities under the floor, as
That's the first lesson I learned about de­ ous, nor does it have to be huge. My father I did. I also wanted to change either the
signing a freestanding woodworking built chairs in a tiny building that would wiring or ducting around as I needed.
shop: It's not a piece of furniture. You get have made me claustrophobic. It suited I settled on a wood-framed floor right
one crack at it. Deciding that you hate a him perfectly because he had only a few from tlle start. The only question was how
piece of furniture you've just finished is
bad enough. But you can improve a design
with a second or a third try, and the first FLOOR PLAN
drafts can be cut up and put in the scrap
bin or burned in the woodstove. Tearing
down a woodshop because the lines are ' Wood
wrong is insanity. Once it's up, there's no ' : storage . .
, : ... :
. , - ', . , .
Sliding - Direct-vent. ' Chopsaw '
tucking it in a corner. You just live with it.
When I was planning my shop, a friend
suggested making scale models from mat
door nllll!li:l!IDi!-!!!&! � Ilt· .
... . ga� heath

Jointer­ Tablesaw Bench

board to get a sense of how various de­ planer
,'. ®
signs might work. This was excellent ad­
vice, but winter wasn't far off, and I was in
a hurry. I made one model and a few
24 ft.
sketches. Now I know it would have been Garden
storage

' 0" "t.

wiser to spend more time on the planning
stage. Eight years after the fact, I see clear­
ly that the best design would have been a
. ' .: Dus '
small, barnlike structure painted red. With . . , . ' . collector
a little cupola or maybe a weatller vane on
the roof, such a building would have
looked as if it belonged next to a 19th­
�l .· Bandsaw
century farmhouse, which is what I live in.
Text time I'll work harder on coming Entry
up with a design that coexists harmo­
28 ft.
niously with my house and property. Lis-

24 FI N E \XI 0 0 D \Xl 0 R K I N G Drawings: Vince Babak; photos: Timothy Sams

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TOOLS & SHOPS 2001

MO 64120
25
S h o p D e s i gn (conti n ued)
A S M A L L , FREESTAND ING S H O P light. The walls are %-in.-thick plywood
B u i lt o n a sl ight slope, t h e building rests on Sheathing, Collar ties paneling with a coat of white paint. I nev­
nine concrete piers and th ree 24-ft.-long
'h-in.-thick (ceiling height)
l a m inated beams.
CDX plywood er got around to finishing the ceiling; it is
still covered by sheets of blue foam insula­
tion. It's a shop, I keep reminding myself.
But saving money shouldn't mean freez­
ing. Two winters with a kerosene heater
convinced me I needed something with
more gusto. If I lit the kerosene at, say, sev­
en in the morning, the shop was just get­
ting comfortable at six that evening, just
about the time I was ready for a beer. And
the stove produced so much moisture that
a globe of hoarfrost the size of an ottoman
formed at the gable vent over the door. I
hunted for a direct-vent gas heater and
eventually found a used one for $350. It's
wired to a programmable thermostat and
cranks out something like 50,000 Btu­
plenty of heat. And it doesn't burn shop air.
A double-walled pipe brings in combus­
tion air and vents the heater. As a result,
sawdust, solvent fumes and other poten­
tially lethal combinations are not sucked
into the heater where they can explode.
And I did get my wooden floor. It's 2x6
tongue-and-groove yellow pine laid di­
rectly over 2x12 joists. The floor is very stiff
but reSilient, and the paint spills, gouges
and puddles of dried stain make it no less
comfortable for my feet. I do, however,
wish from time to time that I'd put the
flooring in right-side up. At the time, I
thought it would be more attractive with
Laminated
beams
.
Concrete piers,
12
{ v� j
in. d i a. ____�__
•. I� -'I Cedar
shingles
the V-grooves facing up. I've since learned
they just gather debris.
Upside-down flooring aside, I don't have
many regrets about what I built. The build­

to support it. A conventional concrete

'-I --'I enough, I 've come to believe that pier
ing is far from perfect, as my builder
friends must have foreseen the day they
helped me frame it. But whatever con­
foundation with footings below the frost foundations lend an air of impermanence struction and design problems I 've en­
line would have been $4,000 or $5,000, a to the buildings they support, especially countered seem much less important than
big chunk of my budget. I decided to build on a sloped site. It's all that air beneath the the space itself. Isn't the whole point just
the shop on 12-in.-dia. concrete piers and
laminated beams instead. Much cheaper.
building where block, stone or concrete
should be. Next time I would be willing to
being there? 0
For a couple of hundred dollars, I hired a spend a little more money for a proper
local guard-rail company to dig 5-ft.-deep foundation. A poured slab with sleepers
holes. Concrete forms and rebar are inex­ and a wood-plank floor might not have
pensive, and all nine piers took only a few been a bad idea after all.
yards of concrete.
The theory was great, but I found out I Thrift, within reason
didn't know as much about pouring con­ I looked for ways to save money. While the
crete piers as I thought I did. We salvaged shop was going up, I also was renovating
the job, but I was grateful that none of my my dining room, and I salvaged a big pic­
carpenter frien Is were there to watch. Al­ ture window. It's set in the shop's west­
though the foundation has performed well facing wall, and it lets in a lot of afternoon

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Tools & Materi als
Th e re ' s a l ot to l i ke a b o u t M i lwa u ke e ' s n ew ro uter

Milwaukee recently introduced a 1 %-hp socket (or T-handled wrench) to adjust the
fixed-base router, model 5615-20 (model depth of cut from above the table, a posi­
5615-21 is the same router with a storage tion that is a lot more convenient than the
case). And, as I soon discovered during a usual under-the-table option.
hands-on test, this is not your father's Mil­ On the unit I tested, runout mea­
waukee router. sured 0.002 in., compared with an
For starters, my average-sized mitts average of 0.00415 in. i n a re­
found the soft-grip handles more comfort­ cent test of eight fixed-base
able than handles on most other routers. routers (see FWW # 150, pp.
Ideally, though, I'd like them even a bit 52-57). Those same routers
bigger. In addition to feeling pretty good, had an average noise level of
the handles can be moved to any one of 95.375 db; this one measured 95 db. In the
three different positions on the housing. vibration test, the M ilwaukee 5615-20
Aware that some woodworkers occa­ scored an "excellent" rating.
sionally guide a router one-handed, Mil­ In use, equipped with a YI-in.-dia. straight
waukee has made it easier by wrapping bit set to make a \4-in.-deep cut and guided Side grip. A molded-plastic grip allows you to
the aluminum base with a unique molded­ by a straightedge, I plowed three, 36-in.­ hold the router from the side with the aid of a
plastic grip. And to provide further sup­ long grooves in 3,4-in.-thick fir plywood. support strap.

port, there's also an adjustable hook­ The l l -amp, 24,OOO-rpm motor made the
and-loop strap that wraps over the back of cuts without any sign of bogging down. D-handled version of this router, model
the hand. The only features missing are variable 5619-20. For more information on either
As fixed-base routers go, I found it better speed and a soft start. If you expect to router, contact Milwaukee (262-781 -3600).
than most when it came to changing bits. use bits much bigger than, say, 1 in. dia. , Model 5615-20 sells for about 170; the D­
The motor removed quickly from the base, it's nice t o be able t o slow down the handled version, model 5619-20, costs
providing easy access to the collet. speed. Milwaukee also makes a about $ 180. -Tom Begnal
I was also impressed with the beefy col­
lets Milwaukee uses on this router. It
comes with two collets to accommodate
bits with \4-in.- and YI-in.-dia. shanks. An­
Q u i c k a n gl e setti n gs
other plus-a large (2Y1 in. dia.) opening
in the plastic subbase allows room for w i t h t h e B eve l B os s
big router bits.
Once the bit has been installed in the The Bevel Boss is a template de­
collet, it takes just a couple of steps to set signed to set a bevel gauge to a pre­
the depth of cut. Pushing a motor-release cise angle, up to 50° off 90° . It's
button allows the motor to slide up and well made and does its job ex­
down for coarse adjustments. Then, to ceedingly well, far better than
fine-tune the depth, it's just a matter of with a speed square. The incre­
turning a micro-adjustment dial. A hefty ments (to quarter degrees) are etched into a
steel lever locks the motor in place. plate of stainless steel, 0.040 in. thick. If I were a chair
The depth-adjusill1ent system has anoth­ maker or a boatbuilder, I'd probably use the Boss quite a bit,
er feature that's pretty clever. Using any but it will come in handy on those special, angular occasions.
standard %-in. drive hex-socket with a A likable boss. Incb scales (to sixteenths) are on the back and on one end. Out
\4-in. extension, or a T-handle wrench The Bevel Boss of curiosity, I aligned them with my trusty Starrett scale. To my
from Milwaukee (an optional accessory), makes it easy to surprise, the increments did not line up exactly: A few were off
the micro-adjusill1ent dial can be accessed transfer an an­ by just under Yt28 in. The discrepancy is finer than I'll ever need,
through the subbase. That's handy when gIe to a sliding but I'd prefer to be the only one adding error to my work.
setting the bit depth while the router is sit­ bevel gauge. The angle gradations could be off by as much, but I didn't no-
ting upside-down on its flat top. tice. For the first time ever, I set my bevel gauge to exactly 45°,
And the subbase access becomes even giving me as accurate a layout line for a miter cut as my Starrett adjustable square.
more useful with the router in a table. For octagonal work, the Bevel Boss is the ticket, though a little pricey at 29.95. For
That's because once an access hole is more information, contact Sutherland Tool (877-472-7717). -Strother Purdy
drilled in the tabletop, you can use the

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TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 31

To 0 I s & M at e ri a I S (cont i n ued)
Th ree - i n - o n e
H e a d t o h ea d : screw l u b es s p o ke s h ave

Woodworkers was removed and the screw was driven Whether it's handplanes,
use an assortment with the drill until the motor groaned to routers or spokeshaves, the
of lubricants to make a stop. well-equipped woodworker
Tale of the
tape. A strip of screws easier to drive. When the driving (and arithmetic) can't get by with just one of
masking tape Beeswax, paste wax was over, the two commercial lubes each. Tools come in varieties
positioned % in. and paraffin (candle) proved to be the most slippery of the for a purpose. You need differ­
from the end of wax are among the bunch. Numerically, the Akempucky ent planes to handle end grain
each thread most popular. And had a slightly better score, 1.4479 i n . , vs. flat grain, a choice of routers
helped ensure there are a couple of compared with 1.5156 i n . for t h e Lube for plunge cuts vs. light-duty
that the same
products marketed Wax. That's about a 1fI6-in. difference, edge trimming and a multitude
amount of lube
specifically for lubing but as a practical matter, I'd call it a tie. of shaves for flat vs. curved
was added to
screws: Akempucky Beeswax came in third, with 1.8229 in. shaping. Well, maybe not. Veri­
each screw.
and Lube Wax Stick. as an average, followed by 1.9323 in. for tas has a new low-angle spoke­
To find out whether any one of this paste wax. Paraffin wax had the lowest shave designed to work flat,
bunch might stand out from the others, score, with 2.0833 in. for an average. convex and concave surfaces.
I ran a little head-to-head test. By the By the way, when no lubrication was You might be able to get by
way, soap wasn't included because it added, the average measurement was with just this one spokeshave, at
tends to attract moisture, and a damp 2.25 in. That's proof that any of these lu­ least for a while, anyway.
screw soon becomes a rusty one. bricants are better than none at all. The low-angle spokeshave
The test was simple enough. First, a For more information on Akempucky, has a cast-aluminum body with
pilot hole was drilled in a block of contact McFeeley's (800-443-7937). brass adjusting screws and an
maple. Then I added lubricant to a A 3\-2-oz. tube costs $ 14.95. For A2-steel blade. What sets this
screw and drove it with a power drill information on Lube Wax, tool apart from others is the toe
until the drill bogged down and the contact Grizzly Industri­ piece, which may be positioned
screw wouldn't go in any farther. Then I al (800-523-4777). in rwo different ways. One posi­
measured the distance from the top of A 2 \-2-oz. stick tion is suitable for flat or convex
the head to the surface of the maple. Af­ costs $2.95. work; the other setting allows it to reach
ter driving six screws for each lubricant -TB. into concave areas.
and measuring all of them, I came up Whether you're shaping cabriole legs or
with an average number. The one with simple ladder-back posts, the Veritas
the lowest average number rated the shave allows you to take rough cuts, then
best score. reset the mouth opening and depth of cut
To ensure a level playing field, the test for fine shavings. The A2 blade, which is
had a few ground rules. All of the bedded with the bevel up, is really tough
screws were # 10 by 3-in. bright-steel, and does a lot of work berween honings.
Friction fighter face­
flathead wood screws from the same The Veritas low-angle spokeshave is rea­
off. Begnal drove
box, with Phillips heads. All of the sonably priced at $39.95 and is available
screws into a block of
screws were drilled into the same 3-in.­ wood to find out which from Lee Valley & Veritas Tools (800-871 -
thick block of maple. And to ensure the lubricants work best. 8158; leevalley.com). -Anatole Burkin
corded power drill wouldn't have
enough oomph to drive all of the
screws completely into the maple, I
used a lightweight drill with only a
2-amp motor.
To make sure the same
amount of lubricant was
added to each screw, the
end of the thread was
masked off with tape
so that only % in. was
exposed. Then the tape Removable toe piece. Removing a pair of
machine screws separates the toe piece from
the body of the spokeshave.

32 F I N E WOODWO R K I N G Photos, this page (tOP right, bonom left) and p. 36, Erika Marks
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READER SERVICE NO. 204 READER SERVICE NO. 183

TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 33

To 0 I s & M at e ria I S (contin ued)

E l i m i n ato r RC q u i c k- c h a n ge ro u te r co l l et

It's a rare woodworker who hasn't wished raised nearly enough to

for a simpler way to change router bits. cause a problem.
And although quick-change collets have Suspicious that such a
been available in the past, none of them simple locking mecha­
have worked particularly well. nism wouldn't hold the
But this collet, called the Eliminator RC, bit solidly, I made several
does indeed make it easier to switch bits. test cuts. And during
Currently, it fits only Porter-Cable routers the cuts, I intentionally
with \-2-in. collets. But a version for the De­ pushed the collet extra­
Walt 625 is expected soon. hard by using large bits
Installation is easy. With the original col­ and higher-than-normal
let removed, simply thread the Eliminator feed rates. In all of the
onto the router spindle. tests, I found no sign of a Quick bit switch. Bit changes are easy with the Eliminator RC
To add a router bit, slip the shank of the bit slipping in the collet. collet, which requires only one Allen wrench to release the cutter.
bit into the bore. Then use an Allen wrench I also tested the Elimi­
(not supplied) to tighten the screw. When nator RC for runout, noise and vibration. changed without having to remove the
tightened, the screw draws a small block But first I ran the same tests on the original router from under the table.
with a curved face through a slot in the factory-installed collet. The tests showed The Eliminator RC sells for about $ 50. If
side of the bore. That's what locks the bit in no difference between the two collets. you use �-in.- or %-in.-dia. shank bits,
the collet. The Eliminator RC is especially useful in a you'll also need an adapter: $8.50 for the
On most bits, the block produced a small, router-table setup. When the router motor � in., $ 10.50 for the in. For more infor­ 3,.{j
half-moon-shaped impression on the is raised to its highest pOSition, this collet mation, contact ].P Walsh & ].L Marmo En­
shank. But the metal wasn't roughened or projects above the table. So the bit can be terprises at (703) 644-5647. -John White

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E R SERVICE NO. 3;

TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 35

To 0 I s & Mat e ria I S (continued)

N ew saws w i t h a n o l d p e d i g ree

I recently tried a pair of handsaws from ner kerf and a

Thomas Flinn and Co. of Sheffield, Eng­ smoother cut. But
land. The 8-in. dovetail saw and 12-in. don't expect the
tenon saw carry the venerable Pax label, a dovetail saw to cut better tenons.
highly regarded name in saw making that That's because most tenons require
dates back to the 18th century. too much cutting for a thin blade. High-end handsaws. The Pax dovetail saw
The handles are both roomy and com­ So a thinner blade generally tends to wan­ (front) and tenon saw (rear) cut as beautifully
fortable. And they're set at an angle that al­ der from the line. as they look.
lows for good control of the blade. When put to wood, both saws worked
Out of the box, both blades were straight well, and both cut in a straight line. How­ on each side are normally sufficient. Don't
and flat, in large part because Flinn didn't ever, the kerf of the dovetail saw was overdo this procedure or the kerf could
skimp on the back-the brass strip that wider than I prefer, the result of a littie too end up too small to be effective.
runs along the top edge of the blade. Also, much set to the teeth. And there was slight Expect to spend $70 for the dovetail saw
I was pleased to find that the brass back tearout along tile face of the wood, a sign and $75 for the tenon saw. For more i nfor­
was aligned parallel to the cutting edge of of unevenness in the set. ot that I was mation, contact The Woodworkers Club
the blade. That's important, because surprised; such quirks are common on (203-847-9663) or Promax (800-933-1562).
you're able to get the best sense of the cut­ new handsaws. -Ian Kirby
ting plane by observing the back rather It took just a few minutes with a fine
than the teeth. sharpening stone to get the saw cutting Tom Begnal is an associate editor; Strother
Compared with the tenon saw, the dove­ perfectly. With the blade on a flat board, I Purdy builds furniture in Connecticut;
tail saw has more teeth per inch (20 vs. 13) placed the stone flat on the side of the A natole Burkin is executive editor; Joh n
and a thinner blade (0.020 in. vs. 0.028 in.). blade and worked the stone from end to White is a contributing editor; Ian Kirby
As a result, the dovetail saw makes a thin- end along the teeth. Three gentle strokes teaches and writes about woodworking.

You Did It DoUsCoivnegmtapleRailiDrtseedCabawPaneirneBoeltDoxKiesotsorsr, lIThe cuts were so quiet and

Yourself frScherr' om s effortless it felt like I forgot
to raise the bladell
Hal Taylor. Museum Quality Works of Art, Hartwood.VA

• Cabinet and Do rs, Inc.

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839-3384 not,)NO852-6090
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READ
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36 FINE WOODWORKING
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READ ER SERVICE NO. 144
Tools &Shops __________
Low-Angle Block Planes
Ei ght model s on the market are more different
than they are si m i l a r
B Y C H R I S G O C H N O U R

F
ifteen years ago, wheI! I was first tooling up my shop, there saw marks on the ends of tabletops, shelves and panels; and soft­
were only two low-angle block planes on the market: a ening the edges of a board. But even though a block plane per­
Stanley and a Record. In the years since then, woodwork­ forms all of those tasks extremely well, its small size limits its use
ers have been treated to a resurgence of high-quality hand tools, in smoothing larger panels or accurately truing edges. You may al­
including a remarkable variety of low-angle block planes. But be­ so find that the low angle is problematic when planing some long­
cause of that diversity, making a choice can be more difficult. grain surfaces because the blade has a tendency to lift and pry the
A low-angle block plane is a small, one-handed tool used for wood fibers, leaving a rougher surface.
trimming and fitting, though more often than not I'm more com­ A block plane is distinguished by the blade's upward-facing bev­
fortable using two hands. I often find myself reaching for this el. This contrasts with a bench plane, on which the bevel faces
handy tool several times a day when I need to plane end grain, down. To appreciate the difference you must study the geometry
cross grain and miters. A block plane excels at trimming excess of each type of plane. The standard bench plane has the blade
material from the pins and tails of through-dovetail joints; fine­ bedded at 4 5 0 • Because the bevel faces down, changes to the bev­
tuning miters; perfecting the reveal on cabinet doors; cleaning up el angle of a bench-plane blade have no impact on the cutting an-

PA R T S O F A L O W -A N G L E B L O C K P L A N E

Most low-angle block planes are based on the

original Stanley design shown below. The reduced
cutting angle (see the d rawing on the facing page)
of a low-angle block plane m a kes it ideal for
shaving wood across the gra i n . Consider this tool Cap­ Cutter lock Blade-depth
j ust one more handy wea pon in the arsenal of a iron lever adjustment nut
wel l-eq ui pped woodshop. screw
Throat Throat-plate
adjustment knob
lever

Adjustable adjustment lever

throat plate Throat (mouth) Sole

40 F I N E WOO DWORK I N G Drawings: Vince Babak; photo, facing page: William Duckwonh
S TA N D A R D V S . L O W · A N G L E :
WHICH PLANE DO YOU N EED?

U n l i ke a bench plane, a block plane has the

bevel of the blade fa cing up. Therefore, when
you change the bevel angle on the blade, you
cha nge its effective cutting a n gle i n relation
to the workpiece. The low-angle block plane
is a better choi ce for tri m m i ng end gra i n a n d
cross gra in, as w h e n y o u t r u e a m iter joint or
pare down a too-fat tenon. For other tasks
that req u i re tri m m i ng with the gra i n , such as
c h a mfers on a tabletop, the low-angle design
genera l ly works better on softwoods, and the
standard version is suitable for h a rdwoods.

20° bed
45° cutting angle angle

25° bevel angle

STA N DA R D B L O C K P L A N E
A 20° bed angle and a 2 5 ° bevel angle make
the effective cutting angle 4 5 ° , which is
essentially the same as that of a bench plane.
3]0 cutting angle 12° bed

25° bevel angle

LOW-A N G L E B L O C K PLA N E ..
A 12° bed angle and a 2 5 ° bevel angle make
the effective cutting angle 3]0, which works
better on end grain and cross grain. Gochnour
recommends adding no more than a 1 °
microbevel to a low-angle blade .

..".., -
gle of the tool. Low-angle block planes, on
the other hand, have the blade bedded at
1 2 0 to 1 2 1,2 0 and the bevel angle of the
S TA N L EY N O . 60%
lOW-A N G LE B LO C K P LA N E
blade at 2 5 0 after sharpening (see the
drawing on p. 41), The effective angle of
the plane is the sum of the bed and bevel
angles-3r for the block plane as op­
posed to 450 for a bench plane.
T his Is the latest version of the Stanley No. 60¥.!
design. Features that once were patented,
breakthrough advances in plane tech­
In addition to the low angle, a block nology are nowadays often taken
plane has a couple of other features that for granted. Genuine Stanley in­
enable it to work well on challenging tasks novations Include the ad­
such as cutting cross grain and end grain. justable throat, which func­
Because the bevel faces upward, the bed tions smoothly and
of the plane SUpp011S the blade all the way
precisely; the endwise blade­
to where it pierces the throat, adding sta­
depth adjuster, which functions
bility to the cut. Also, the angle of the blade
is more closely aligned with the force of
effectively (even though it has a bit of
backlash); and the m illed depression in the sides of
Blade width: 1� in.
the cut. These two characteristics make a
the body. The lever cap is easy to remove using the Price: $42
block plane less prone to chaner.
pivoting lock-lever.
Source: Various catalogs
The evaluation criteria Stanley's relatively thin blade does not receive
I look for several details when selecting a much support from Its small bed. Lateral adjustment is easily accomplished using
low-angle block plane. Among the most the patented lever. However, the plane I received from the factory was defective
important are the ergonomics, or fit and and relied on the lateral adjuster to the extreme. This defect must have occurred
feel of the tool in the hands; the heft, or at the factory when the body casting was misaligned during the machining of the
what some would call the weight or mass; bed. The result was a slightly angled bed. By moving the adjuster all the way to
and finally, the ease of setup and adjust­
the right, the blade could be
ment-including the blade depth of cut,
made parallel with the sole
throat (also called a mouth) and lateral
and did work properly. I am
blade adjustment. I judge a plane's perfor­
confident that most dealers
mance and overall value based on how
well it rates in all of these areas. and Stanley would replace a
Because it is used frequently under chal­ plane with this defect, If
lenging circumstances, such as when you asked.
must hold tlle tool in one hand and reach The Stanley required the
up high to trim the edge of a cabinet door, most attention right out of
a block plane must be comfortable to hold the box, but In 30 minutes It
and use. Hand sizes vary, so don't listen was ready to go. The sole was
only to what others say or write about the out about 0.004 In., toe to
tool; try one, if at all possible, before you
heel, and It took 15 minutes
make a purchase. Heft is also critical. Eval­
to lap It flat. Even If It had
uate a plane to make sure it has a solid bed,
been flat, at the factory they
a stout flat blade and a secure lever cap.
coat the cast Iron with a rust­
The planes I use most frequently have a
solid, weighty feel. The mass of a plane is preventing varnish finish that
important because it adds stability and bal­ I prefer to remove. After tun­
ance when performing a task. The granddaddy of them all. The Stanley No. Ing the blade, the plane was
A plane's adjustment features should be 60�, with the adjustable throat and the cutter­ In service.
adjustment functions, is the benchmark design that
convenient to access and to use. When I With a sharp blade, the
others copied or improved upon.
look at a plane, I want to see a depth ad­ plane performed the basics
justment that is handy, and I check for a nicely, but It showed some weaknesses on end grain, miter cuts and dense hard­
smooth and precise movement Witll mini­ woods, where It was susceptible to chatter due to Its small bed and thin blade. As
mal backlash (play in the mechanism). A
the least expensive tool reviewed, It Is only reasonable to expect some shortcom­
throat adjustment and a lateral blade ad­
Ings. Stili, this tool has a lot of great features and appeal for a $40 price tag. For
justment can also be helpful in achieving
a trim carpenter working primarily in softwoods or the occasional user who has a
peak performance. I open the throat for
limited budget, this may be Just the tool.
coarse shavings and close the throat to lim­
it the size of tlle shavings and to minimize

42 FINE WOODWO R K I N G Photos, except where noted: Erika Marks; this page (bottom): William Duckworth
 R ECO R D N O . 60%
LOW-AN G LE B LO C K P LA N E
Weight: l ib. 8 oz.

Blade width: 1� In. Right out of the box (plastic sleeve, in this
Price: $50 case), I first noticed how sharp the edges were
on the castings and had to file them down.
Source: Various catalogs The adjustable throat plate
was bowed with a O.002-in.-high spot in

I n a sea of hand planes-colored In various shades

of gray, gold and black-the Record's trademark blue color
is always easy to spot. The plane has a wide blade and body
the middle. Lapping corrected the problem.
After preparing the blade, I put the tool to work.
The Record performed similarly to the Stanley, under
that can do a lot of work but may tire out the user's hand. The moderate conditions, but balked under the more demanding
adjustable throat and depth-of-cut adjuster are similar to tests. Adjustments during use were a bit trying due to the ex­
those on the Stanley. However, the Record had the most back­ cessive backlash and hard-to-get-to lever-cap screw.
lash of all of the planes reviewed-more than one-and-a-half I agree with the comments of other woodworkers who re­
full turns. The lever cap is tensioned by a knurled knob that is viewed this plane in our trial tests. They called the Record "a
awkward and difficult to grasp because of its location. Like good value for an entry-level plane," and said, "its perfor­
its cousin the Stanley, the Record has a thin blade and a mance and value are consistent with its price." All in all, It's a
small bed. reasonable tool for the money.

V E R I TA S L O W - A N G L E
B LO C K P L A N E

T he designers of this tool broke ail of

the old molds and started from
scratch to make a unique, no-nonsense,
both produced using one knob,
much like vintage Norris planes,
and the Veritas had the least
purely functional tool. The unorthodox amount of backlash of
grip-three circular depressions milled the planes we re­
into each side of the body-fits comfort­ viewed. I found the lat­
ably In the hand, and the wide body en­ eral and depth adjust­
ables the tool to cover a lot of ground.
One of the features unique to this
ments to be extremely
precise, tight and responsive. The ad­
Blade width: 1� in.
tool Is that two setscrews near the justable throat functions smoothly. Price: $85

plane's throat can be used to center Simply loosen the knurled knob to open
Source: (800) 871-8158
the blade precisely. All lateral adJust­ and close the throat.
ment occurs at the rear of the blade. The body Is made of ductile cast stable. The �in.-thick blade is seated
Lateral adjustment and depth of cut are Iron, which makes the tool durable and securely on a large, accurately ma­
chined bed. The blade Is made of A2
Lateral and depth­
steel, an a iloy that Is reputed to take a
of-cut adjustments
are made with one keen edge and hold It longer. In our
knob. All adjust­ tests the blade held up well, but it was
ments are made at not noticeably superior.
the back of the blade.
The Verltas was nearly ready to use
Setscrews on both
sides of the body cen­ right out of the box. The sole required
ter the blade at the minimal lapping, and the blade needed
throat. The large ma­ to be slightly rehoned for my use.
chined bed supports
Among my review group, the Verltas
the blade fully, reduc­
ing chatter. was lauded hands-down as the best val­
ue, dollar-for-doilar, on the market.

Photo, this page (bonom): William Duckwonh TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 43
tearout. A plane with a lateral blade adjust­ L I E- N I ELSEN LOW-AN G L E
ment can make up for a blade that has
been sharpened out of square, and I'll B R O NZ E B LO C K PLAN E
readily admit to that fallibility.

An organized review process

I have always been skeptical of tool re­
T his small gem of a plane is another quality
product from Lie-Nielsen. It was the
smallest plane reviewed, but It had
views that are entirely dependent on one
plenty of punch. The plane is made
person's opinion. To broaden the scope of
this review, I invited a diverse group of from cast bronze, which apart from

hobbyists, professional cabinetmakers, looking nice and feeling good in the hand,
tool collectors and a violin maker to my adds weight to the tool, enhancing its performance. Blade width: 1 � In.
shop and asked them to evaluate each This plane has a sizable, precisely machined bed
plane. Out of the box, I first used feeler that supports a thick blade. The bed mass and blade Price: $95
gauges and a straightedge to check the flat­ thickness help eliminate chatter. The blade Is further
ness of each plane's sole and the square­ Source: (800) 327-2520
stabilized by a notched lever cap that is secured to the
ness of each blade. I also sharpened each body with a steel cross pin and a tensioning wheel. Setup and adjustment are
blade before we put the planes to work.
easy, but the plane has no throat adjust­
I wanted a consistent and thorough re­
ment. Except for honing the blade, the tool
view, so I set up four workstations, where
was ready to go right out of the box.
we could evaluate each plane's effective­
This plane's solid construction resulted
ness under different applications. One
workstation was set up for planing white in a solid performance with each applica­

oak and mahogany end grain. Another tion. Depending on the type of work you
workstation was used for fine-tuning the do, the plane's size can be an advantage or
mitered border of a tabletop. On the third a disadvantage. It fits comfortably into the
workstation, we trimmed the top of a cabi­ palm of a hand, making one-handed use a
net door, where the end grain of the stile breeze. Two-handed planing is trickier be­
meets the long grain of the rail. At the cause of the small size and the absence of
fourth workstation, we planed the long­ Its diminutive size does not dimin­ a front knob. This plane will excel In situa­
grained edge of a board. ish performance. This Lie-Nielsen
tions where small, detailed work Is re-
Each reviewer was given an evaluation bronze plane is the smallest of the
bunch, but it worked well in a series qulred. But for more demanding tasks,
sheet and was asked to rate and comment
of tests. some people may prefer a larger tool.
on each plane's fit and feel, heft, ease of
setup and adjusU11e nt and the relative val-

LI E- N I E L S E N LOW-A N G LE
A D J U S TA B L E M O U T H
B LO C K P LA N E

T he Stanley Rule & Level Co. In­

troduced the No. 60sn low-angle
block plane 100 years ago.
for the %-in.-thick, high-carbon tool
steel blade.
Setting up and adjusting this plane Is
Through the last century the tool easy. Loosening the knurled front knob
underwent several changes, but frees the eccentric lever that precisely

Weight: lib. 12 oz. five years ago lie-Nielsen nearly per­ moves the throat In and out. The depth of
fected the original design. The first thing cut is regulated by a steel knob that regis­
Blade width: 1� In. you notice about this plane is its beautiful ters in a single slot at the rear of the
blend of materials-iron, bronze and blade, providing smooth operation with
Price: $150
steel In perfect harmony. A closer exami­ minimal backlash. Even though the tool

Source: (800) 327-2520 nation reveals a body made of ductile has no lateral adjuster per se, users can
cast iron. An extralarge bed is precisely grasp the blade and move it back and
machined, providing rock-solid support forth within the body, as needed.

44 F I N E WOODWO R K I l G Photo, this page (middle): William Duckwonh

 L I E - N I E L S E N L O W - A N G L E S K EW
The skew blade sets this tool apart. It does not have an
B L A D E R A B B ET I N G B L O C K P L A N E
adjustable throat. The blade produces a shearing cut,
helpful In planing end and cross grain. I found the setup,

T his skew block plane is the "multi-tool" of the low-angle

block-plane family: It functions as a rabbet plane, a fillis­
ter (fenced rabbet plane) or a standard low-angle block
sharpening and adjustment a bit tricky due to the skewed
nature of the tool.
One distinctive feature is the steel plate on the side of the
plane-an impressive portfolio for the money_ A beautiful tool tool that can be removed to expose the edge of the blade,
made from manganese bronze, steel and cherry, this plane turning it into a rabbet plane. In this mode, the plane can be
has great heft and is well balanced. Like the other Lie-Nielsen used to size tenon cheeks and smooth the bevel on raised­
planes, the skew block has a large solid bed for the blade and panel doors (after roughing them to shape on a tablesaw). By
similar lateral adjustment and depth-of-cut mechanisms. attaching the fence, you can transform this plane Into a fillis­
ter plane, cutting rabbets both with and across the grain, but
you need to define the rabbet first with a marking gauge.
Using this tool as a shoulder plane is problematic. Trying
to size tenon cheeks proved a bit
Weight: 2 Ibs. 4 oz. challenging because the blade pro­
jects on the right side only. I either
Blade width: 11,-2 in.
had to use the plane left-handed or
pull it toward me
Price: $185
with my right
Source: (800) 327-2520 hand.

apart this tool from the

others. Removing one side
of the body converts it into
a rabbet plane (above), and
adding an adjustable fence
(inset) further transforms it
into a fillister plane.

This plane, as well as the other two Lie­ One finely made
Nielsen planes we reviewed, was nearly plane. The Lie­
Nielsen version is
ready to go right out of the box. A check
a step up in the
with a straightedge confirmed a flat sole. evolution of the
After a few minutes spent tuning up the original Stanley
blade, the tool was in service. design. All blade
and throat adjust­
As you might expect, the tool excelled
ments function
in all of the workstation tests. The precisely. The
polished bronze lever cap felt great in well-machined
my hand. The solid construction and bed was the
largest of all the
high-quality materials helped it to handle
tools reviewed,
even the most difficult tasks. The plane providing good
was not susceptible to chatter or vibra­ support for the
tion. Overall, this plane is a great value blade and elimi­
nating chatter.
given the middle-of-the-range price tag
of $150.

Photo, this page (bottom): William Duckwonh TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 45
 S T . J A M E S B AY T H U M B P L A N E

lib.
S
Weight: 9 oz.
t. James Bay is a small firm in
Mesa, Ariz., that makes handmade,
labor-intensive tools at reasonable
Blade width: l1A In.

prices. The company's thumb plane is a Price: $225

beautiful reproduction of a classic
British design originally made by Source: (800) 574-2589

Thomas Norris. It is made of silicon

bronze with ebony infill. It has a high­ The feel of the tool was foreign to
carbon tool steel blade. With the excep­ some of the people in my review group,
tion of some minor honing of the blade, but it in no way impeded the quality
the thumb plane was ready to use right of the results the tool delivered. All in
out of the box. all, the St. James Bay thumb plane was
Both the solid lever cap and the a solid performer with a strong aesthet­
extralarge bed filled with ebony are im­ Ic appeal.
pressive. The solid bed, coupled with
the vibration-dampening qualities of
ebony, supported the blade well
through a series of demanding tests.
When other planes had taken their last
shavings, the St. James Bay blade held
up and kept cutting.
Even though there is no adjustable
throat on this tool, the throat is tight
enough to produce fine results on end
grain, miters and long grain. Users will
need to make lateral adjustments to
the blade by hand-tweaking it within
the casting.
There is a loose shoe that fits under These shavings were cut from end grain. A loose shoe is easy to lose. The sepa­
the lever-tensioning screw. This shoe is This St. James Bay thumb plane was one of rate brass shoe serves as a pad to tighten
only three planes reviewed that could make the blade in place. Gochnour says that it
somewhat difficult and tedious to posi­
continuous ribbons of end grain. (The other would be easy to misplace.
tion, and because It is a small separate two were the Bridge City and the Lie-Nielsen
part, It would be easy to misplace. adjustable-mouth plane.)

ue. I used their ratings and comments to tie effon to get them into peak form. I am a sandpaper glued to a flat stone, followed
season my own reviews that appear in the firm believer in the old adage, "If it isn't by 1 20 grit, and I finish tlle job with 220
boxed text. broke, don't fix it." Consequently, I am not grit. You may choose to polish it witll finer
going to suggest that you lap every plane grits, but I 've found that simply using a
Tips for peak performance you buy. I do advise that you check the flat­ plane puts the best polish on the sale that
Once you have purchased a low-angle ness of the sale by testing it with a straight­ you'll ever need.
block plane, you will get the most utility edge. If you need to lap it, make sure the After lapping, blow out the casting with
and pleasure from your tool if it is well­ blade is in place and secured by the lever compressed air, and wax the sale to reduce
tuned. Understanding a few fundamental cap but drawn up into the body so it will friction. I prepare the blade by lapping it
practices will improve your ability to use not be damaged by the abrasive. through tlle same abrasive sequence that I
the tool for tasks that it can do well. Why lap it with the blade in place? I'm took the sale through, followed by further
convinced that the tension of a fuUy tight­ honing on waterstones.
Tune it up f1rst-Even the best of the ened blade can slightly diston the shape of Make sure you keep your low-angle
tools reviewed for this article required a lit- the plane's body. I stan lapping with SO-grit plane at a low angle. Most of the planes

46 FI E WOODW0 RK I rG Photos, this page (bottom left and right): William Duckword1
 B R I D G E C ITY P R EC I S I O N
LOW-A N G LE B LO C K PLAN E

W ith this tool Bridge City has taken the art of plane mak­
ing to a new level-a beautiful blend of materials, de­
sign and state-of-the-art technology. The body of the plane
was not made from a casting. Instead, Bridge City mills a
thick piece of stainless steel into a complex form, Including
the sole, solid bed, provisions for the blade-depth adjust­
ment, an adjustable throat and a series of dovetails. The
brass sides are connected to the sole with a unique, Inter­
locking double-dovetail joint. An ebony Inflll accents the body
and the inside of the blade-adjustment knob. The cast bronze
lever cap is polished and secured to the body with a knurled
locking wheel and cross pin. All of the knobs are beautifully
turned forms that are comfortable to grasp. The depth of cut For that price it had better
be good. In this plane beauty
is controlled with micrometer precision, but the lateral ad-
married brawn, and it was an
justment is minimal, which means great care must be taken
expensive wedding. Meticu­
when sharpening the blade. The blade is made from lous detailing and fine crafts­
A2 steel, cryogenically tempered, then flattened manship result in a tool
and polished to a mirrorlike finish. that will appeal to collectors
as well as to woodworkers
The plane was shipped ready to
who actually intend to use
use. The instruction sheet the tool.
advises users not to lap the
sole, and it was per­
fectly flat. The ish could prove tricky, and deburring only on a soft strap
would take some practice.
zor-sharp Perhaps this plane was an anomaly, but I had to make a
and ready slight modification to get the blade parallel with the sole.
to go. The manufacturer assured me that any problems would be
Weight: lib. 9 oz. Bridge City corrected by returning the tool. I achieved a temporary fix by
suggests stropping rehoning the blade to achieve a parallel alignment.
Blade width: 1�2 in. on canvas or leather to re­ Put through the paces, the plane performed admirably,
move the final burr. In a and its solid construction translated into solid performance.
Price: $659
shop, however, preserving For those with the means, it would be a source of continual
Source: (800) 253-3332 the blade's mirrorlike fin- inspiration because of its utility, quality and beauty.

come from the factory with a 250 bevel. A zor sharp; adjust the plane for a light depth often lightly moisten the end grain of a
microbevel of 1 0 or so is helpful because it of cut and make the cut by turning the board before planing it. I generally use wa­
minimizes the amount of steel to be pol­ plane at a slightly skewed angle to the path ter, but water left unchecked in a tool can
ished. But a rash decision to hone a 50 mi­ of travel across the workpiece. Skewing cause rust. Water and tannic acids in some
crobevel would quickly turn a low-angle lowers the effective pitch of the blade by woods could also react with iron in the tool
block plane into a standard-angle block reducing the friction on the blade and the and stain your wood. I have not had either
plane, losing all of the advantages of a low­ force required to produce a shaving. Skew­ of these problems, but you can avoid them
angle tool. ing can also reduce chatter and prolong altogether by using a solvent such as min­
blade life between sharpenings. eral spirits or denatured alcohol to damp­
Cut at a skewed angle-When faced with en the end grain and make the wood fibers
a difficult planing task, such as planing the
sawblade marks off the end of a board,
Moisten end grain-Because sharpening
takes time and interrupts the flow of my
more supple. 0
there are a few things you can do to make work, and because many of the tasks of a Chris Gochnour designs and builds custom
the job easier. See to it that the blade is ra- low-angle block plane are demanding, I furniture near Salt Lake City, Utah.

TOO LS & SH O P S 200] 47

Shop Safety
PVC Pipe
H
ome-shop dust-collection systems have become in­
creasingly popular, but their safety has been hotly
debated. The primary issue is whether PVC pipe is
safe for use as ductwork. Many claim that sparks in PVC pipe
due to static electricity may ignite the dust cloud in the pipe.
The specter of a giant fireball consuming a shop and home is
repeatedly raised. Others claim you can ground PVC, thus en­
suring its safety.
Two years ago I had to decide for myself: PVC or metal
ducts for my basement shop. Being both an avid woodwork­
er and a scientist, I made a concerted effort to understand the
issues. Fortunately, I have the resources of the library at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIn and a professor
just down the hall who's an expert in the physics of lightning.
I studied static discharge from insulators, as well as the
more general topic of dust ignition. I found that it's extreme­
ly unlikely for a home-shop-sized system to have a dust­
cloud explosion. Commercial-sized systems have had
dust-cloud explosions, but different phenomena come into
play in larger systems, and 4-in.-dia. PVC is too small for use
in such systems, where the airflow is much greater than in a
home shop.

Sparks are unlikely in 4-in.-dia. PVC pipe

In my research I turned to theJo un� al a/Electrostatics, a pub­
lication that covers the effects and interactions of static elec­
tricity, particularly in commercial applications. This journal
has published a number of studies on the combustibility of
dust clouds by electrostatic sparks. The researchers were able

Rea l s m a ll-shop
fi re hazards
The static electric charge
that builds up in 4-in.-dia. PVC

4-i n .-d i a . p l a st i c d u ct pipe is not a hazard. But there

are other dangers associated

is u n l i ke l y to ca use with sawdust.

a sta t i c-i n d u ced b l a st

Buildup of dust in machines.
i n a home shop Hot metal that finds its way to
the dust that collects at the base
of a saw could start a fire there
B Y R O D C O L E or be sucked up into the dust­
collection system.

48 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: Timothy Sams

Dangers Debunked
to determine some of the conditions necessary to create nally, he pointed out that the National Fire Protection Associ­
sparks and ignite a dust cloud. ation ( FPA) puts no regulations on dust-collection systems
Sparks can be caused by a variety of conditions-one of of 1,500 cu. ft. per minute (cfm) or less.
which is static electricity. However, sparks are unlikely inside All of this discussion applies to home-shop-scale systems.
a standard 4-in.-dia. PVC pipe that would be used in a home Larger systems, complete with ducts and filters that move
shop, and more imponantly, any such sparks are extremely more tllan 1,500 cfm, require at least 3 hp and are not found
unlikely to be strong enough to cause an ignition. I can't say in most home shops. Larger systems need larger ducts, and
it is truly impossible, but it is very close to impossible, and I with that you have to begin to worry about more complicat­
do not know of a single instance. ed forms of static sparks.
The difference between metal and PVC is that one is a con­
ductor (metal) and tile other is an insulator (PVC). A conduc­ The real hazards
tor allows electrical charges .to flow freely. If any excess In a home shop, the dust-collection fire hazards you need to
charge is not given a path to ground, it can arc, creating a worry about are not in the ductwork but in the collection bag
spark that in certain conditions can ignite a flammable sub­ or bin itself. A fire may be caused by a spark, which can oc­
stance such as dust. Grounding provides a path for this ex­ cur when a piece of metal is sucked into the ductwork and
cess charge to flow harmlessly to the earth, which is why strikes another piece of metal, or by embers from a pinched
dust-collection systems in all commercial shops are required blade. The spark or ember settles into the dust pile to smol­
by code to be grounded. However, an insulator is a very poor der, erupting into a full-blown fire hours later, often after the
conductor of electricity. While it's possible to get a static shop has been shut down and no one is tllere to respond. For
shock from the outside of a PVC pipe, it is highly unlikely for this reason, my most important recommendation is to empty
sparks to occur inside. the collected dust every day or at least keep it in a closed
metal container.
3
Dust collectors with hp or less pose little danger
I published my findings on my web site. Rob Witter, a repre­
As you can see from the photo of my shop, I ended up
plumbing it using 4-in.-dia. PVC pipes and did not ground
sentative at Oneida Air Systems Inc., which makes dust-col­
lection systems, said he largely agreed with my research. "We
them. I feel perfectly safe using tllem this way. D
as a company have been trying to trim away at these misun­ Rod Cole is a woodworker and mathematician who lives in Lexington,
derstandings for years," he said. He added that plastic pipe Mass. An expanded version of his research can be found at:
will "probably never cause a problem" in a home shop. Fi- gis. netj-dheaton/woodworkingjwoodworking.shtml.

Metal in the dust pile. When cleaning Sparks in the bag. Metal
shop, it's easy to sweep up screws, sucked into the dust collector's
Cutting a nail. Not only does this damage a
washers and nails. Dust from the floor fan blade may cause a spark
blade, but it can also send a very hot piece of
should be sifted by hand, before it's in­ and ignite sawdust in the
metal into your saw cabinet.
troduced into a dust-collection system. filter bag.

TOO L5 & 5 H O P5 2001 49

 A Well-Organized
One-Man Shop
P l a n m a c h i n e a n d be n c h l ayo ut
a ro u n d l ogi ca l wo r kfl ow

a n d c o n ve n i e nt sto ra ge

B Y R O S S D A Y

L
ast year, my wife and I decided to leave the city for the coun­
try. Our goal was to boy a house, a shop building and land
so that we would no longer be at the mercy of downtown
Seattle landlords and a real-estate market that had gone totally
nuts. We found what we needed about an hour outside Seattle.
The shop building was a bare shell: concrete pad, open stud
walls, no windows and a lightbulb or two. It was large enough at
1,300 sq. ft. with a 12-ft. height from floor to trusses.
Having worked in a number of shops, I had a good idea of what
I wanted: a design that maximized available space and efficiency
in every way possible. To do that, I needed to think about work­
flow and storage and remember that floor space is precious. I
aimed to keep the shop as uncluttered as possible, and that affect­
ed my choice of machinery. I also designed the shop with plenty
of light, both natural and electric.

Draw it first, then pick up the hammer

I made a scale layout of the shop using !4-in. graph-paper sheets
taped together to represent my shop's 36-ft. by 36-ft. footprint The machine room of the shop
(!4 in. = 1 ft.). Then I made scale footprints of all machines and has double sliding barn doors
benches-and whatever else would take up floor space-on
near the WOOd-storage areas.
Weather stripping helps keep
separate pieces of paper. Moving around these paper footprints let out drafts.
me try different combinations,
locations and workflow pat­
terns, alloWing me to visualize
several workflow and storage
A light gray epoxy floor paint
reflects light. Crushed
combinations. walnut shells were mixed
I prefer a shop that is divided with the paint and make for
into separate areas for ma­
a slip-free surface.
chine work and for bench­
work (see the drawing on
p. 52). However, I didn't want A SHOP ORGANIZED
to lose the sense of spacious­ F O R E F F I C I E N T WO R K F L OW
Lay out the shop on graph pa-
ness that this new bUilding
per. Draw machine and workbench Store materials near t h e machi nes that will b e used to
footprints on separate pieces of offered. My solution was cut them. And consider combi nation machines, such as
paper and move them around to twofold. The bench room re­ a j o i nter-p l a ner-mortiser, to maxim ize floor space.
try different configurations. ceived a raised wooden floor

50 F I N E WOODWO R K I N G Photos, this page: AnalOle Burkin

 A storage shelf over the bench-tool
area and desk doesn't rob the shop
of ceiling height in a critical area, but
it does provide storage for jigs and
other lesser-used devices.
A partial wall separates the
bench room from the machine
room. The wall provides lots of
additional storage space:
clamps on one side and lumber
on the other.
Six skylights and three wide
windows provide plenty of
natural light. By placing the
windows high, wall space is
maximized.

Solid lumber is stored

near the jointer-planer­
mortiser. The lumber rack
is composed of steel pipe
placed in holes bored
through the plywood wall
and into studs. For
strength, the wall has
tripled-up studs and is
tied into the exterior wall
and roof system.

Even stationary machines

may be wall-mounted.
The compressor rests on
a platform above the
bench grinder.

Dmwings, Toby Welles @ Design Core TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 51

· G E T T H E M O S T O U T O F T H E AVA i l A B L E S P A C E
Through his years of ex­ A simple pipe
perience working In a rack for lumber.
Holes drilled into
number of different
the studs behind
shops, Day grew accus­ the plywood
tomed to having separate walls anchor
rooms for machine and the 2-in.-dia.
galvanized pipe.
benchwork. The partial
wall in his shop sepa­
rates the machine room
from the bench room
without closing It off en­
tirely and making the
modestly sized building
feel cramped. That wall
also adds significantly to
the efficiency of the
. shop, providing plenty of
storage space. Because
floor space Is always pre­
cious, Day went so far as
to mount the compressor
up high, out of the way,
so that the area below
could be freed up for a
sharpening station.

The bandsaw may be

placed close to a M AC H I N E R O O M
. wall. Leave plenty of
room fore and aft to
handle long stock.

and was partially separated from the machine area by a floor-to­

ceiling partition wall.

Machine and bench rooms use space efficiently

The shop is divided approximately in half between the bench and
machine rooms. I chose my machines for their efficiency and
space-saving attributes. For example, I have a 1 2-in. short-stroke
sliding tablesaw, which allows me to rip and crosscut on one ma­
chine. My 16-in. combination jointer-planer-mortiser uses only the
floor space of one large machine. Switching between functions
takes less than a minute.
A slidIng tablesaw negates the need for a chopsaw station. I also have a 32-in. bandsaw, a 24-in. thickness sander, a shaper­
Sheet goods and solid stock may be crosscut or ripped accurately router table combo, a drill press and an air compressor. I mounted
on a sliding tablesaw. the air compressor high on a wall so that I could use the floor
space below for a sharpening station.

52 F I N E WOODWO R K I N G Photos, except where noted: Terry Reed

 benches, hand tools and machines, a 4-ft. by 8-ft. vacuum press, a
desk, a sharpening station and plenty of room for assembly.
The air compressor rests A wood floor is a lot easier on the legs and back. It's also a lot
on an Industrlal-strength kinder on dropped tools. I used pressure-treated 2x4s for the
shelf along one wall. Be­ sleepers, then overlaid them with 1 �-in.-thick tongue-and-groove
low, the floor space is uti­
plywood. The floor was painted with epoxy floor paint.
lized for a more practical
application, in this case a
sharpening station. Electrical systems require careful thought
While all of the different areas and systems in a shop must be de­
signed to work together to be effective, the electrical system re­
quires as much, if not more, planning. There are many critical
things that must be considered. I really underestimated the cost
and time involved in wiring my shop.
Plan for all of your current needs and add enough extra capacity
for future needs. Do as much work as possible while the walls are
still unsheathed. It is much more expensive and time-consuming
to add things outside the walls later.
A list of all current and future needs combined with a scale elec­
trical layout of the shop is the best way to do this. Obviously, you
should check your local code when diving into this area, and don't
do anything with which you are uncomfortable or unfamiliar.
I realized my electrical work was more than I could handle
alone. Luckily, my friend Roland has a master electrician's license
in three states and really sunk his teeth into this project. He took
my scale electrical-layout sketch and converted it into a workable
plan. Among the things he tackled included figuring out the exact
panel scheme, phase conversion and wire and breaker sizes.
Once we were ready to go to work, I ran a lot of the wire and
hooked up receptacles while he worked inside the panel, doing
the more skilled work. I was amazed at the amount of wire and
parts required for the job. The attic space of the shop looked like
a spaghetti factory.

Make sure there's plenty of light

When I was a student at the College of the Redwoods, I loved the
quality of light in the shop. It was so open and airy with the com­
bination of natural and artificial light. I vowed that if I ever built my
own shop I would try to reproduce those lighting conditions.
Keep stock and accessories near appropriate machinery. A For my shop, I had six skylights installed (three in the bench
wall two steps away from the tablesaw holds blades and other ac­ room and three in the machine room). And three wide windows
cessories. Plywood is also stored near the saw. were installed across the wall in the bench room. Then I added
8-ft. fluorescent fixtures, flush-mounted to the ceiling, as well as
task lighting at the workbenches.
Every machine is hooked up to a central cyclone dust-collection Paint is also an important factor in creating a well-lit area. The
unit, which I prefer over portable units that tend to get in the way ceiling and skylight wells were painted white for maximum light
and take up more floor space. The dust and electrical systems are reflection. On a sunny day, I can work by natural light alone, sav­
interconnected through a sensor in the main electric panel. When ing on electricity.
a machine is turned on, the dust collector starts automatically. All
dust-collection hoses and pipes are off the floor, which is safer and Radiant panels are an efficient way to heat the space
also makes it much easier to sweep up debris. To work year-round in my shop, I needed to heat it. I settled on ra­
To keep cables off the floor, I cut a groove through the floor slab diant electric panels from Solid State Heating Corp. in Old Say­
(a very messy task) and buried electrical conduit to reach tools in brook, Conn. (800-544-5182; sshcinc.com). They are compact and
the center of the room. Then I sealed and painted the floor with a lightweight (a I -in. by 2-ft. by 8-ft. panel weighs only about 20 lbs.)
light gray epoxy floor paint to reflect light to make the room and mount directly to the ceiling. They are more efficient than
brighter. Crushed walnut shells (available at paint stores) were forced-air heat and don't take up floor space.
mixed with the paint to make the floor surface nonskid. Buttoning up the shop with proper insulation, weather stripping
The furniture I build requires a lot of handwork. That's why the and sheathing is very important for maximum energy efficiency. I
bench room takes up half the shop. This room includes two work- used insulation batts in all exterior walls and wrapped the skylight

TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 53

B u i l d i ng to code req u i res some wells with insulation. The attic has blown-in insulation. All
windows and skylights are double-pane, gas-filled, low-E glass.
pati ence but bri ngs peace of m i n d The wood floor in the bench room has rigid-foam insulation be­
tween the joists. The side entry door is weather-stripped to help
Many small shops aren't built o r operated with commercial keep out drafts.

building and electrical codes In mind. I've worked In some. But The sliding barn doors proved to be a challenge. Because they
were both slightly warped, there were gaps of up to 1 in. wide that
for my latest shop, I decided to go by the book. At times the
required sealing. After a lot of scrounging at hardware stores, I fig­
whole thing had me ready to pull out what little hair I have left,
ured out the answer: 2Y.!-in.-wide weather stripping designed for
but I figured It would be worth the headaches In the long run. I the bottom of roll-up garage doors. I tacked the stripping onto the
didn't want some Inspector who happened to drive by one day edges of the walls and the header over the doors, overlapping the
shutting me down. Trying to satisfy code after the fact could be doors. I also tacked on a strip between the doors.
a nightmare. I wanted to sleep well.
Building to commercial code was expensive and time­
Stock is stored near appropriate machines
Plan as much storage space into your shop design as possible. It is
consuming. Surveys and site plans had to be created, submit­
amazing how fast it fills up. In addition to the cabinets and shelves
ted and approved, myriad permits procured, and meetings, we all have, here are some other storage solutions I used.
Inspections and checkoffs had to be scheduled. My processes I store sheet goods in a shop made open-faced plywood cabinet
with the building and electric departments were reasonably with three compartments. It is only a few steps away from the
straightforward, though I tablesaw. The sides of the cabinet hold thickness-sander belts,
tablesaw blades and tools, and shaper accessories. The top of the
thought they were overly strict
cabinet provides more storage space.
In some areas. All of my
Lumber is stored on a pipe rack installed on the machine-room
hang-ups were through the
side of the interior wall between the machine and bench rooms.
health department of all Lumber is heavy, and the storage system must be engineered ac­
places. Go figure. cordingly. The wall studs are tripled up on 16-in. centers. The wall
After experiencing this en­ frame is lag-bolted into an exterior wall stud and tied into the roof

tire process, I would strongly trusses with truss clips. The entire framework was then glued,
sheathed with %-in.-thick CDX plywood and nailed off. Holes
recommend scheduling a
were then drilled on 32-in. centers to accept the 2-ft. lengths of
meeting with the supervisor
2-in. outside diameter (OD.) iron pipe. For efficient workflow, the
of any department that will jointer-planer-mortiser is close to the lumber rack.
affect your project (especially Various jigs and general storage are in a loft just above one end
electric). This way you can of the bench room. Because all of the walls were sheathed with
meet the person face-to-face, discuss the nature of your project plywood instead of drywall, I can drive a screw or nail anywhere
I wish to hang a tool or shelf.
and compile a list of what needs to be Inspected.
My three-phase converter and air compressor are also hung on
The city said my shop had to have a separate electric service
walls to maximize floor space. My electrician introduced me to a
from the house, which meant having to dig a ditch 100 ft. long very innovative system to support such equipment. B-Line Sys­
and 3 ft. deep. All of the machines had to be on separate break­ tems Inc. in Highland, Ill. (618-654-2184), manufactures and mar­
ers, with any wire coming out of the wall encased In dust- and kets a modular system to support equipment or storage by
waterproof conduit. All switches and receptacles needed to be utilizing metal strut channel with various universal attachments.
The system can satisfy just about any support need you may have.
dust-proofed. Lights, heat panels and dust-collectlon pipes had
to be mounted against the ceiling. (The explanation was that
A good plan ensures success
nothing should be suspended because dust would collect there
Involving the expertise and help of others will speed up things and
and pose a fire hazard.) Home shops and many small, noncode give you a better result. My friends Gary and Robert did the win­
professional shops don't meet many of these requirements. dows and skylights, Richard and Carissa helped with carpentry,
The city also told me that an exhaust fan had to be hard­ and Roland was the electrical mastermind. They helped light the

wired Into the wall (no portables), and It had to have enough end of the tunnel when it seemed like there was just too much to
do. With their generous assistance, I now have a shop that is a
power to change the air In the shop a minimum of six times a
pleasure to work in.
minute. My fan creates a veritable h urricane when I fire It up,
Paying attention to details while keeping the big picture in mind
I
but boy does It ventilate It all seemed like too much of a has­ helps you stay out of hot water. Plan your project as carefully as
sle at times, but now that It's all said and done, I have a much possible to avoid making major mistakes or oversights, and you'll
nicer, safer shop as a result. end up with a shop you are proud of. 0
Ross Day builds custom furniture in Poulsbo, Wash.

54 F I N E W O O DW 0 R K I G
The Ultimate Router Table
�_- Unit includes
horizontal routing
attachment.
Ca b i n et-based

u n it d evo u rs
d u st a n d d e c i b e l s

a n d p uts co n t ro l s

o n t h e o uts i d e Router-lift mech­

anism allows bit
changes and height
adjustments from
B Y J O H N W H I T E
above the table.

I
have always been dissatisfied
with the popular designs for
router tables and the versions

way or another, they are all less

venient than standard woodwork­
ing machines. For one trung, you
have to reach under the table a lot to
adjust bit height, change bits or hit
the power switch. The ultimate
router table would be as convenient
as a shaper or tablesaw-all of the
common tasks and adjustments are
done from above or outside the unit.
It would also have the dust-collect­
ing ability and vibration-dampening
mass of a cabinet-mounted tool.
I came up with a router cabinet
that meets all of the above criteria
and is super-quiet to boot. The de­
sign relies on theJessEm Rout-R-Lift,
a screw-driven mechanism that al­
lows you to raise and lower the
router and bit by cranking a handle
inserted from above. The JessEm
unit is also sold by Jet as the Xacta
Lift, for the same price-around
200 in many catalogs. By adding a
Racks store
shopmade mounting block to the bits and Shop vacuum
lift, I was able to raise the router tools. draws chips
high enough to allow bit changes through ports in
from above the table as well. it mobile. table and fence.
Eliminating the need to reach un- and vacuum.

Drawings: Bruce Morser TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 55

 S I M P L E PA R T S , S M A R T F U N CT I O N
The cabi net is made entirely from %-i n.-th i ck M D F joi ned with knockdown fasteners. The front-to-back
braces below the tabletop su pport the router plate and double as the sides of the dust m anifold. Two
filler blocks close the gap around the lift mechanism, which ma kes for efficient dust collection.

Top, 24 in. deep

by 38 in. wide

Dust port for

horizontal routing, MDF filler
2 in. dia., is plugged Insert plate blocks, 4 in. by
when not in use. 6'h in., close the
Lift mechanism gap around lift
and plate mechanism.

Dust-collection Removable end

port, 1 in. by 3 in. panel, 20'h in. wide
Support blocks, by 23% in. high
Port for router and 4 in. by 4 in.,
vacuum exhaust; cords prevent top from
also pass through here. sagging.

) 20-amp switch and

duplex receptacle
Front-to-back
supports, 6 in.--*-�
wide by 20'h in.
long
Vacuum port
matches the
diameter of the
vacuum hose.
Bottom of
manifold,
6'h in. wide
by 123;.. in.
long Alignment
Backing pins, % in.
blocks dia., fit 716-in.­
support dia. holes.
caster load Ledger aid panel
Bottom, 20'h in. alignment.
Fixed-base casters,
4-in.-dia. wheels deep by 30 in. wide
/' Tabletop
It flush with
is
Front-to-back c::; back of;:==r==;F"Tf
supports flush cabinet.
with inside edge
of router plate 2 in.
Racks for bit opening 5% in.
3 in. 10% in.
and tool storage,
1% in. square
End panel,
20'h in. wide by
33 in. high
F R O N T V I EW S I D E V I EW

56 F I N E WOODW0R K I N G
 Dust port for horizontal Dust port for
routing, 2 in. dia. fence, 3 in. dia. Knockdown fasteners
m a ke strong joi nts

Cross-dowel fas­
teners requIre
accurate holes.
To hold the pieces

3% in.
'---���-----r--�/
Router-plate opening,
1 1% in. by 14% in.
at right angles for
drilling the long
holes, make a
right-angle jig and
TA B L ETOP clamp it to the
workpieces at the
top and bottom of
____-..._ ... ofLatchMDF,assembly, made
bolt, nut, washer the joint.
and rubber O-ring
Cabinet front al)d
back, 34 in. wide
by 33 in. high

Aluminum flashing makes a layout jig The cross dowels will be Invisible If you
for the cross-dowel holes. With a drill bit don't break through the outside. Use a
in the bolt hole, use the jig to locate the stop collar to control the depth.
centerpoint of the cross-dowel hole.

derneath the top let me mount the table on Materials cost just over $300, including
a cabinet, which could enclose a shop vac­ the shop vacuum and the router lift but not
uum and muffle its sound and the roar of a fixed-base router (the more powerful, the
the router itself. A dust-collection manifold better for use in a table). The investment in
fits under the tabletop and behind the lift time and money was significant but rea­
unit. A fence system with a dust port ties in­ sonable, considering the performance and
to the system below. convenience I gained.
I mounted a switched outlet for the
router and vacuum unit outside the cabi­ MDF and knockdown fasteners
net. Just for fun, I threw in racks for bit and make a strong cabinet
tool storage. Casters under one end of the The entire unit-cabinet, table and fence­
protect base. cabinet make it mobile-like a wheel­ is made of Vl-in.-thick medium-density
barrow-but still stable on the floor. fiberboard (MDF), with two coats of Watco

Photos, Asa Christiana TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 57

 oil for added durability. I used MDF be­
Router l ift is the heart cause it offers flatness, mass and stability at
a very low cost. To make sure the cabinet
of the table would remain sturdy, I opted for cross­
dowel knockdown fasteners over glue and
screws. Casters and wood blocks keep the
MDF edges off the floor, where they might
soak up moisture and then fracture.
Cutting out the MDF parts should be
straightforward, but be sure to wear a dust
It a l l started with the mask, and don't count on the factory edges
JessEm Rout-R-Lift, of the panels being square. Squareness and
which a llowed White accuracy are very important with such a
to design a cabi net­ large cabinet, especially with interior parts
based unit that
that must fit tightly. Chamfer tl1e edges of
encloses dust­
the tabletop to prevent chipping. This isn't
collection and
a bad idea for tl1e other MDF parts, as well.
muffles noise yet
I used a laminate trimmer with a 450 router
puts a l l controls and
adjustments on the bit to zip quickly along the many edges.
Leveling screws offer precise adjustment. The weight of the
outside. router lift is carried by the two front-to-back braces, instead of I have a few tricks for drilling accurate
the tabletop as is the case with most router tables. holes for knockdown fasteners (see p. 57).
On the back side and tabletop, counter­
bore the heads of the fasteners to maintain
a flat surface.
To support the casters, install backing
blocks inside the cabinet. Assembled, this
unit weighs more than 100 lbs.

Installing the access panel One end-

panel is removable so that you can open
the cabinet and empty the shop vacuum.
Size this panel to fit the cabinet walls snug­
No reaching below ly, but overlap the support strip at the top
to adjust height. The of the opening. Drill two \I.i-in.-dia. holes in
adjustment crank is the bottom edge of the panel for the pins
inserted from above.
or cutoff bolts that will keep the panel in
position. Press the pins into the panel, then
drill �6-in.-dia. holes in the base of the cab­
inet to receive the pins. Glue the two stop
blocks to the walls of the cabinet, which
A CUSTOM R O U T E R M O U N T F O R EASY B I T C H A N G ES will make it easier to put the panel quickly
back in position.
Add the latch assembly. I recommend
placing a rubber O-ring under the rear
washer to regulate the action of the latch.

Router lift requires an exact cutout

The only tricky procedure on the tabletop
is making a precise cutout to fit the router­
lift insert plate. Start by flipping over the
top. Lay out the front edge of the cutout
3 in. from the front edge of the tabletop.
Then lay the lift-plate assembly on the
tabletop, locating its front edge along the
layout line. Next, screw MDF strips around
Replacing the router's base with a shopmade mounting bracket allows the nose of the the edges of the insert plate, being careful
router to be raised high enough for wrenches to reach it. not to punch through on the top side. Ad­
ditionally, to avoid too snug a fit (MDF

58 F I N E WOODWO R K I N G
M A K E A N A C C U R AT E C U T O U T F O R T H E I N S E R T P L AT E

MDF guide strips ensure accuracy. Lay the The strips guide the Jigsaw. Make the rough Then they guide the router bit. Remove the
insert plate on the underside of the tabletop �
cutout about in. from the MDF strips. tape, and use a bearing-guided bit to cut the
and screw on the strips. A layer of tape leaves opening flush with the strips. A lA-in.-dia. bit will
room for seasonal movement of the MDF. leave a %-in. radius at the corners.

swells in high humidity), add a layer of tern-cutting bit will leave the correct %-in. Proceed slowly and with caution, keeping
masking tape along the edges of. the guide radius at the corners to match the lift plate. your hands and clothing well clear of this
strips before anaching them to the under­ whirling dervish of a bit.
side. These strips will guide your jigsaw Drilling vacuum-port holes-There are The large hole in the tabletop connects
and router cuts. a number of large holes in this unit. I use an the fence's dust port with the dust-collec­
Keep the jigsaw cut about \4 in. away adjustable-wing circle cuner (or fly cutter) tion system below. Another one is neces­
from the strips; the router will handle the for all of these. (For a video clip on using sary if you opt for the horizontal router
rest. Then remove the masking tape, and this tool, go to finewoodworking.com.) A attachment. In that case, one of these holes
rout the finished opening. A 3/.!-in.-dia. pat- wing cutter must be used in a drill press. should always be plugged when the other

FO LLOW TH E A I R FLOW

The vacuum d raws air Sheet-metal

and chips through the
flap deflects
router exhaust
bit openi ngs in the away from bit. Exhaust from
ta ble and fence, i nto
Dust vacuum and router
the dust manifold and manifold exits through the
down the hose i nto the power-cord port (not
vacuum, where the dust shown here).
and chips are filtered
out. An angled flap of
sheet metal deflects
the router's exhaust
blast away f rom the bit
opening and into the
ca binet.

Cabinet

Another important modification to

Vacuum the router 'ift. A square of aluminum
flashing-bent slightly and attached with
double-stick tape or screws-deflects the
router's exhaust into the cabinet, aI/ow­
ing chips to be sucked past the bit.

TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 59

S I M PLE B UT EFFECTIVE FEN C E is in use. Attach fender washers on the un­
derside of the table around each hole to
The fence features a removable insert, a dust man ifold that ties into the one support the plugs.
below the table and modified pipe clamps that grab the table edges.

Support structure aids dust collection

With the top completed, you are ready to
Removable insert for assemble the support structure below. The
different bit sizes. Ends two main braces for the router-lift insert
Last MDF layer are angled at 60°.
completes dust port. plate also serve as the sides of the dust­
collection manifold at the back of the cab­

l%-in. Backing block inet. Locate and attach these pieces first.
Fixed face, 6 in. wide radius Secure these front-to-back braces so that
by 17% in. long their outside faces are just even with the
edges of the insert-plate cutout. Then at­
tach the notched crosspiece, positioning it
to miss the lift mechanism by \1\6 in. or less.
The smaller the gap here, the less suction
lost around the lift plate. The notch in the
crosspiece is a dust port that draws air
through the bit opening into what will be
the dust manifold. Now cut out the piece
for the bottom of the manifold and use the
wing cutter to drill a hole for the vacuum
hose. Only a cutoff section of the vacuum
hose will fit into the cabinet, so size the
Pipe-clamp jaw hole in the box for the hose diameter, not
screwed to / an end coupling. Lock the hose in place
fence base. with two fender washers positioned to
catch the spiral grooves in the hose. Screw
the bottom piece to the manifold.
A few steps remain to create good air
/
Sliding face, Holes, 1'h-in.-dia.,
allow fence face to
suction through the bit opening. Attach
another layer of %-in.-thick MDF to each
support brace, along its inner face, to cre­
6 in. wide by slide over for removal
17% in. long ate a close fit around the sides of the insert
of center insert. plate. Then, using double-sided tape
and/or screws, attach a thin metal flap
(I made mine from aluminum flashing,
about 0.020 in. thick) to the insert plate as
shown in the drawing on p. 59, to deflect
the exhaust blast from the router motor
and to allow air and chips to be drawn into
the dust manifold.
Last, screw two blocks to the outside of
the large front-to-back braces to prevent
the tabletop from sagging near the open­
ing in the middle of the plate.

Mount the router in a shopmade base

Fine-threaded drywall screws in the sup­
port braces act as levelers for the four cor­
ners of the insert plate. MDF loves to split
at its edges, so drill pilot holes for any
screws, making them slightly larger than
usual. I typically go with drywall screws
A removable fence Insert. One half of the fence slides sideways, allowing for interchangeable that are at least 2 in. long. Normally, coarse­
inserts that fit various bit sizes. The edges of the fence faces and insert are angled to hold the in­ threaded screws are better for MDF, but
sert in place, but a few brads with the heads clipped off also help. these levelers are for fine adjustment.

60 F I N E WOODW0R KI G
 H O R I Z O N TA L R O U T I N G ATTA C H M E N T
The back of the table is flush with the ca bi net so that Wh ite co uld i nclude a horizontal
routing attach m ent-useful for making tenons, raised panels and sliding dovetails, among
other operations.

Handle Threaded rod

Router Center
support
plate Guide block is
drilled to clear rod.

A spring and nut

maintain tension
on the adjustment
anism. The
You'll have to mount the router body in a
Pivot fender washer
shopmade base to position it high enough hole prevents the nut
in the table to allow bit changes to be
from rotating.
made from above. (The router's original Curved
base can be mounted and left on the hori­ slot
zontal routing attachment on the back of
the table.) But you can skip this step if you Bit opening
elongated T-nut is set
don't mind removing the router-lift mecha­ for dust into bottom of
nism from the table to change bits. clearance.
----- _ guide block.
Use a wing cutter to drill a large hole, ex­
actly the size of your router body, through
a block made of two thicknesses of MDF.
Then cut a thin kerf through the edge of
the block to allow for tightening, and drill
the long hole for tl1e tightening bolt. Attach Pivoting
the mounting block to the lift plate with carriage
coarse-threaded drywall screws.
bolt, % in.

Install the switch box and fence

I mounted a 20-amp switch and outlet box \
Dust I ntake, 1 /4 In. •t
on the end of the cabinet to connect the
vacuum and router to one easily accessible
on/off switch. I also mounted a small block
next to the box to act as a cord manager.
1
deep by l in. Wide --_____
Block, 4 I n. by 4 in .
pivots on off-center
/ Locking
Mounting blocks
for each bolt are
screwed to inside
of cabinet.
The fence is joined with long drywall bolt to create macro­ carriage
screws but incorporates a dust box that ties adjustment. bolt, % in.
into the dust-collection manifold through a
hole in the tabletop. Also, a sliding face al­
lows the fence to have an interchangeable
center insert. Carriage bolts and wing nuts
lock the sliding face in position.
Pipe clamps make a simple clamping sys­
tem, gripping the edges of the table but al­
Adjust the bit
so sliding freely. Drill small holes through height. The fine­
the adjustable jaws of the pipe clamps, and adjustment screw
screw them permanently into place. moves the router up
Creating this "ultimate router table" takes and down, and the
some time and money, but tl1e added pre­ clamping bolt locks
everything in place. A
cision and ease of use will reward you
coil spring keeps ten­
many times over. 0 sion on the screw,
preventing it from
John White is a contributing editor and the shop drifting as a result
manager for Fine Woodworking. of vibration.

TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 61

 I
often find myself far from a well-equipped shop, and when I
reach my destination I typically need a good collection of
woodworking tools that can help me tackle anything from
basic joinery to furniture repair.
I've been a cabinetmaker for a long time, and I own
lots of tools. When I travel, I can't lug everything, so I
P LA N ES pare down my collection to the tools that give me the
Rodriguez's traveling best results with the least weight and bulk. Although I
collection of tools in­ routinely use a variety of stationary power tools when
cludes four planes they are available, my travel kit allows me to make almost any
(from left): a block
small project from scratch when they are not. In my travels I've dis­
plane, a low-angle
covered that this set is really all I need and would serve as a good
jack plane, a No. 4
smoothing plane and set of essentials for any shop.
a lA-in. shoulder plane In addition to being compact and portable, tools must have three
that he made. qualities: each must be effective, versatile and of good quality. Ef-

62 FINE WOODWORKING
 plane. Three of my planes are made by Lie- ielsen, where I work
part-time as a consultant. The planes are well made, but they are
expensive. In most cases, you could substitute another brand, such
as Record or Stanley.
The low-angle jack plane is a copy of the Stanley No. 62. It is long
enough to serve as a jointer yet short enough to double as a
smoothing plane. It can cut with the grain, perpendicular to the
grain, and it even handles end grain. It also works on very dense
woods such as bird's-eye maple. Like most woodworkers, I can't
do without a block plane. Mine is a Lie-Nielsen o. 103, but good
block planes also are made by Stanley and Record. A No. 4
smoothing plane is rightfully regarded as an all-purpose bench
plane. I use mine to smooth and flatten short and narrow pieces, to
clean up edges and to remove saw marks and other surface blem­
ishes. The last plane in my kit is a %-in. shoulder plane. I made this
one myself, modeling it after one from the tool chest of famed
19th-century cabinetmaker Duncan Phyfe. Unlike other planes, a

C H I S E LS
?8
Paring chisels, from in. to 2 in. wide,
are protected by a heavy canvas roll dur­
ing the rigors of travel. The kit also in-
cludes a turned carver's-style mallet.

shoulder plane's blade extends the full width of the plane body,
making it useful for trimming rabbets, tenons and shoulders. A
good substitute is the Stanley No. 92.
I carry six paring chisels-� in., \4 in., Y.z in., % in., 1 in and 2 in.­
although it would be possible to get by without the �-in. and 2-in.
fectiveness means a tool must be well designed and well balanced, chisels. I also bring a \4-in. mortise chisel that doubles as a heavy­
easy to adjust, comfortable to use and easy to sharpen and main­ duty bench chisel (and I use my Y.z-in. chisel as a burnisher for my
tain. Versatile means that it should perform more than one task. scrapers). I think Marples' Blue Chip is a good brand at a good
Quality is important, too. This is about more than appearance: price. And I have a small turned mallet for whacking chisels.
Top-quality tools work better. Everything in my travel kit meets I admit to having a weakness for spokeshaves. I love the way
these criteria, with one exception: a set of completely useless they look and handle. Because they don't take up much room, I
screwdrivers my daughter proudly gave to me on Father's Day carry several, including 1 Y.z-in. and 2-in. models. If you prefer the
when she was 7 years old. I never go anywhere without them. more common cast-iron style with a flat sole, either the Stanley No.
51 or the Record o. 501 will do nicely. Flat card scrapers don't
Key personal tools include planes and chisels take up much room, either, but they are great for smoothing sur­
Personal tools are ones that I always carry. I never leave them ly­ faces, removing plane tracks and scraping finishes. I carry several.
ing around, and (sorry, buddy) I rarely lend them to anyone.
I used to laugh at people who bundled their pets in little jackets. Layout and marking tools
Now I pack my planes in special socks. I carry four planes: a low­ I made my own marking knife. It has a slender, pointed blade and
angle jack, a block plane, a No. 4 smoothing plane and a shoulder a full handle custom-shaped to fit my hand. It is very handy for

Photos: Michael Pekovich T O O L S & S H O P S 2001 63

 12-in. one, I prefer the bigger model because the base is sturdier
and the ruler is longer. I think the extra capacity offsets the added
weight. A 3-in. engineer's square is useful for checking the square­
ness of plane blades and chisel edges and for laying out joints.
A sliding T-bevel makes it easy to lay out and copy angles. I use
a compact Shinwa model that folds down to the size of a ball-point
pen. A small compass is used for drawing circles and curves and
also for scribing trim or the edge of a cabinet that fits against an
irregular or tapered surface.

Tools for filing and sharpening

I always have 6-in. and 8-in. mill files and sometimes a lO-in. file as
well. I use them not only for jointing scrapers and sawteeth but al­
S P O K E S H AV E S so for filing down nail heads and for removing burrs from metal
A N D S C RA P E R S tools and parts. In a pinch, these files also can be used on wood to
Rodriguez packs three spokeshaves; the smallest has a 17fl-in.-wide
blade. Flat card scrapers take up virtually no room but are versatile
performers for smoothing surfaces and removing plane marks. The
Grobet detail file and Italian rasp are used for cleanup and shaping.

scribing clean l i nes, scribing dovetail pins, trimming veneer,

sharpening pencils and even removing splinters. I use an old
Reed marking gauge that is no longer made. But Starrett makes a
similar model.
A 12-in. combination square is essential for checking 90° and 45 °
angles and for general layout work. Although a 6-in. square would
be more compact and accomplish the same basic function as a

SHARPEN I N G
For the inevitable sharpening, Rodriguez prefers
waterstones. But he also carries a coarse diamond
stone for quick removal of dings and chips in tool
edges. A honing guide speeds up the process.

obtain a smooth finish, for cutting light chamfers and for flushing
the protruding ends of dovetails.
A Grobet detail file is a tapered, half-round file originally de­
signed for carving wax in the jewelry trade. One end is used for
rough work, and the other is for fine work. I use it for cleaning up
carvings, for trimming veneer and sometimes as a lathe tool. A
companion to the Grobet is a 6-in. Italian rasp, which has a com­
pact design for fine shaping. It cuts more aggressively than the
Grobet, but the cut and the finish can be controlled by how much
pressure is applied to the work.
Because I sharpen my own saws, I also carry a good selection of
saw files, starting with a 4-in. double extra-tapered slim for my
L AY O U T A N D dovetail saws up to a 6-in. extra slim for my crosscut saw.
MARKI N G TOOLS Sharpening is a fact of life, and I like to have a 1,000/6,000 com­
bination stone on hand. I prefer waterstones over oilstones. I also
A 12-in. combination square is essential, while a 3-in. engineer's square
is useful for checking tools as well as for laying out joinery. Rodriguez like to have a coarse diamond stone with me. It's dead flat and cuts
also carries a sliding T-bevel for marking angles, a handmade marking quickly, and it's helpful for removing dings and chips that are too
knife, a folding ruler, a marking gauge and a compass. much for the 1,000/6,000 stone. A Veritas honing guide may not be

64 F I N E WOODWO R K I N G
 nail heads); a pair of 6-in. locking pliers, indispensable for holding
small parts and as a quick-release clamp; a set of folding metric
and standard Allen keys; and a flexible I -in. putty knife for apply­
ing epoxy and wood filler.

Special-purpose tools
In addition to the tools I carry most of the time, there also is a set
of special-purpose tools. I don't need them every day, but they are
essential for studio or shop work: a o. 8 jointer plane, because
nothing beats the heft and weight of this tool for flattening surfaces
or shooting long edges; a saw vise and saw set; veneer saw and ve­
neer hammer; a quad electrical box with an 8-ft. cord (useful for
situations where there aren't enough outlets, or where you have to
share scarce outlets with other workers); a jeweler's saw, similar to
a coping saw but with a finer blade, which is used to cut veneer in­
lays and for cleaning waste from dovetails. 0
Mario Rodriguez is a contributing editor.
SAWS
Used for joinery and cutting stock to size, handsaws are essential travel
companions. They include (from left): a backsaw, two dovetail saws, two
crosscutting saws and a ripsaw. A jeweler's saw (bottom) is useful for
cutting veneer inlays and for removing waste from dovetails.

essential (some woodworkers refer to these jigs as "training

wheels"), but it helps me restore dull edges quickly without think­
ing too hard about it.

Saws and odds and ends

Handsaws are fundamental and especially important if you don't
have access to a tablesaw or chopsaw. I carry six saws: a lO-in.
dovetail saw with 18 tpi that I use for general tasks; a lO-in. modi­
fied dovetail saw that I've refiled from a crosscut to an l l -tpi rip
pattern; a 10-in. backsaw for cutting mortise-and-tenon joints and
for crosscutting small boards; two crosscut saws for cutting solid
wood and veneered panels; and, finally, a 26-in. ripsaw (5 tpi).
ODDS AN D ENDS
Tools that don't fit any particular category but manage to fill
A process of trial and error has helped Rodriguez add a selection of
some important niche include: a 13-oz. hammer (you must have tools that don't fit any particular category but are essential all the
one hammer); screwdrivers, including a #1 and #2 Phillips and same. Among them: screwdrivers, a putty knife, Allen wrenches,
a standard flat tip; a pair of wire clippers (great for clipping off magnifiers and pliers.

Portable power tools

Portable power tools Increase my speed and accuracy, and I carry
several If I have the room. Some brands are tedious and difficult
to adjust, and some have fragile plastic parts. Over time, I've
come to like Bosch tools, but you may have your own favorite.
Whatever the brand, the tool should not make your work harder
than It already is. The power tools I use the most Include:

•• A 12-volt cordless drill, which has a good power-to-weight ratio

A barrel-style jigsaw

A 1%-hp router with a soft-start feature

A DeWalt biscuit joiner (this model comes close to the perfor­

I f there's room, the kit includes a router,
mance of a Lamello at a third of the price)
cordless drill, jigsaw, biscuit joiner and
a shopmade quad power box. • A quad electrical box with a n 8-ft. cord.

TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 65

 A Downdraft
Sanding Table
T h i s s h o p m a d e u n it c o n q u e rs d ust

w ith o ut b re a k i n g t h e b a n k

B Y P E T E R B R O W N

Side panels, 'h in. thick

by 9 in. wide by 16'h in.
long, limit airflow to top

M
y shop was originally a 20-ft. by minimum 3,000-fpm velocity at the table, I
of table and add rigidity
40-ft. hog barn. I n the early would need a flow rate of more than to table frame.
years, before it could really be 10,000 cfm. All of a sudden my central dust­
called a shop, I conveniently ignored the collection system looked very inadequate.
dust created from sanding. However, after Undaunted, I resolved to give it a try re­
I added a floor and finished the interior, I gardless of what tl1e calculations told me. I
became more conscious of the dust and decided to build the framework of the
began to take large sanding projects out to table and then make cardboard mock-ups
another barn, where I could let the dust fly. of the interior to determine the best flow
The solution was clear: I had to find some characteristics. I built the sanding table en­
way to collect sanding dust. tirely from scraps, and the size of the
When I first noticed downdraft sanding scraps dictated the size of the components.
tables that were for sale, I was intrigued. After making the frame, I made the first
They were just what I needed, but I could mock-up of the table interior. The mock­
not afford any of them. It was then that I up had a flat bottom with straight sides and
decided to make my own downdraft table an 8-in.-dia. duct at the bottom of the table.
utilizing the central dust-collection system Regardless of what adjustments I made, the
in my shop. I use a shopmade system built airflow wasn't evenly distributed across the changed the outlet duct from the round to
with the motor and impeller from a table: It was fair near the outlet but poor a standard 4-in. by 1 2-in. heating duct
portable Dust Boy-rated to move 1,100 cu. elsewhere. For the second mock-up, I made of sheet metal, and I moved the out­
ft. of air per minute (cfm) at a velocity of let to the back of the table. I sloped the in­
5,400 ft. per minute (fpm)-adapted to an terior bottom from front to back and added
Oneida Air Systems cyclone. I was confi­ the side pieces that slope toward the cen­
dent that by locating my 2-hp Dust Boy ter and the back of the table.
close to the downdraft table, my system The second mock-up made a significant
would do the job. improvement in the airflow, giving me
I based the size of the sanding tabletop- good dust collection. I replaced the card­
24 in. deep by 36 in. wide-on the average board mock-up with l1l-in.-thick Masonite.
dimension of my workpieces. I then calcu­ The addition of the �-in.-thick MDF back
lated the area of the tabletop (864 sq. in.) and side apron pieces at the top of the
and subtracted the area taken up by the table adds rigidity to the frame and keeps
grid material (330 sq. in.), leaving an open
area of 534 sq. in. This is equivalent to a
stray dust within the collection area. D
An inexpensive connection. Brown used a
26-in.-dia. duct, and I began to get a feeling standard sheet-metal air-conditioning duct to Peter Brown works as an engineer developing
that I might have a problem. With even a tie the sanding table to his shop dust system. repairs forjet engines.

66 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: William Duckwonh

Top grid is made of 'h-in.-thick Stop blocks fit
by 1-in.-wide stock assembled within the grid
With and help hold

C
workpieces firm
while sanding.
_-=_

Back and side Masonite side pieces

panels limit slope toward the center
airflow to top and back of the table to
of table.
Masonite bottom, % in.
thick, runs the full length
and width of the table
interior.
Cleats, 1 in. square,
support the bottom.

MDF aprons, 'h in.

thick, add rigidity to
the table frame. Bottom shelf holds
sanding supplies.
Spacer cleats,
1 in. square,
support grid.
Dadoes for Front and rear rails,
shelf stretcher, 1 in. thick by 2 in.
1 in. deep by
2 in. wide wide by 36 in. long

Side stretchers, 1 in.

thick by 2 in. wide by
26 in. long
,-,-,- ,-..,...-..,...- S H O P M A D E D OW N D R AFT TAB L E
This downdraft sanding ta ble is con nected to a standard
shop dust-col l ection system with a 4-in.-d i a . hose. A
sheet-metal fixture at the back of the table (see the
Legs, 2 in. thick
by 3 in. wide by ----- bottom photo on the facing page) is a standard 90°
31 in. long heating and a i r-conditioning duct.

Omwing: Bo b La Poinre TOO LS & S H O P S 2001 67

 O
ne of the few things woodwork­
ers agree upon is that we all love
tools. It is this love that got many
of us hooked on woodworking in the first
place. We also need good tools so that
we can do good work.
From this benign and con­
genial starting point, all
hell breaks loose. It seems
as if everyone has the cor­
rect opinion about which
tools to have in the shop,
their type, their capacity
and, above all, in what or­
der to buy them.
Leaving aside the important and ab­
solutely essential world of hand tools, let
me venture into these dragon-filled waters
with my own opinions about power tools
and how best to outfit a shop step by step.
I can't speak to every situation or shop en­
vironment, but I can offer my perspective
on how I'd buy machines if I had to start
all over again. This article will help you fig­
ure out the tasks that are most important

68 F I N E W O O D WO R K I N G Photos: Mark Schofield

 1.A Bandsaw
ba n dsaw ca n b e f i tted w i t h a

good fe n c e fo r a c c u rate r i p p i n g

a n d resawi ng, a nd m e re l y by

c h a n g i n g b l a d es, you c a n c h a n ge

j o bs from saw i n g u p s m a l l l ogs

I�.J�__�� ______�_____________
�
to c u tt i ng d e l i cate i n l ay.

and which machines will help you accom­ machine. You may not be able to build that No jig is necessary. When using a bandsaw,
the fence acts as a tenoning jig. Doing this on
plish these jobs. armoire right off the bat, but you will de­
a tablesaw requires a special jig.
velop solid woodworking skills.
Never go shopping without a list
Tools are not bought the same way as gro­ Your first machine will agree with me on this, but I think your
ceries. You don't load up your shopping should be a bandsaw first machine should be a bandsaw. It is the
cart with some tools you need, a few items In most cabinet shops, where the work is most important power tool in my shop. I
on sale and a couple of impulse buys on mostly straight-lined and rectilinear, the can do more work of a greater variety with
your way out. You don't put one tool back maypole around which every other tool the band saw than with any other two ma­
because it's too expensive and get the dances is the tablesaw. It's also the first big chines combined.
cheaper version so you can afford another machine purchase for most woodworkers. A bandsaw can start the rough milling:
cheap tool in the next aisle. You don't let If you want to build cabinets, your first pur­ slabbing out boards from logs, roughing
tools just fall into your basket as you head chase should be a tablesaw. out bowl blanks, trimming out shapes for
to the checkout counter. Or do you? But the choice of a first machine must, in carved work, ripping boards to thickness
Many woodworkers don't consider how my mind, offer greater flexibility than this. and width, and resawing. The saw will then
the tools might fit into the grand scheme of There isn't one woodworker out of 10 or cover your joinery needs: cutting tenons,
their woodshop and the kind of wood­ one machine manufacturer out of 100 that finger joints, slot mortise and tenons, slot
working they'd like to do. You r projects
will go a long way toward determining
your choice of equipment and vice versa.
When I started out, I had only a radial-arm
saw. Consequently, all of my work consist­
ed of very precise dadoes. I wanted to
2. Joi nter
T h e j o i nter ca n f l atten a face
build secretaries and armoires, but all I
could push out of my shop were book­ o r e d ge to begi n t h e m i l l i n g
shelves and plant stands. Experience will
play a major role in your accumulation of p rocess.
machines and the projects you take on, but
keep in mind where you'd like your wood­
work to be going so that you can plan your
tool purchases.
Also, i f your intent is t o build furniture
and not just to collect machinery, buy your Jointing a board.
Rogowski first estab­
tools as if they're the last ones you'll ever
lishes a clean face
buy. Looking around my shop, it is the
along one edge of the
economies that I now regret, not the ex­ board. After ripping
travagances. Buy your tools one at a time the board to width on
and take a while to learn each of their the bandsaw, he face­
habits. Try to develop the patience that will joints the board.
also serve you well as a furnintre maker
and slowly develop your skills with each

Drawings:Jim Richey TOOL5 & 5HOP5 2001 69

dovetails, half-lap joints and through-dove­ is well supported and has a good fence. If ently, the ability to put a straight edge or
tails. Finally, the bandsaw can also be used not, you'll be frusu'ated by the cheap piece face on a board is your next big challenge.
for shaping, tapering, cutting circles, of sheet metal that is masquerading as a Getting wood flat is so crucial when build­
curves and templates, edge work and u'im­ bandsaw. This also presumes that you're ing furniture that your next tool purchase
ming joints. building most of your pieces in solid should be a jointer. Even if you are an ac­
All of this work is done with greater safe­ wood. If you're going to be using strictly complished handplane user-and I use
ty and ease, less waste and a lot less dust plywood, buy a tablesaw and a router. mine daily-I still wouldn't make someone
than with a tablesaw. There is no danger of flatten all of his or her lumber by hand.
kickback from a blade because all of the The next four tools The jointer can flatten a face or edge to
force is down into the table, not coming at cover milling and joinery begin the milling process. From tl1ere you
you. Even if a board closes up as it's being The second machine is actually tougher to can resaw or rip to tl1ickness or widtl1 on
ripped, the blade is too narrow for the choose than the first. Do you want to be tl1e bandsaw. The tool does only this one
board to pinch it. This narrow kerf also able to crosscut perfectly to lengtl1, or do job. It will not plane faces or edges perfect­
means that a lot less wood gets lost to a cut you need a quicker way to mill lumber? ly parallel. But it is such a time- and sweat
than on a tablesaw. A bandsaw can be fit­ The answer partly depends on whether saver that I think it is wortl1 a spot on your
ted with a good fence for accurate ripping you can sharpen and use a handplane or shop floor sooner rather than later.
and resawing, and merely by changing whether it is just a nice idea up there in the
blades, you can change jobs from sawing tool cabinet. The router is the most versatile
up small logs to cutting delicate inlay. portable power tool in the shop-Your
Now this presumes that you're using a
bandsaw with some real weight and well­
A handplane is no substitute for the
jointer-If you can't
next tool purchase should be a router: You
can use one to cut pieces exactly to length,
balanced wheels, with a cast-iron table that use a handplane flu- running it topside against a straightedge.
Pur a fence on one, and you can cut rab­
bets, tongues and dadoes for cabinetry.
Use that same fence to cut mortises and
3. Router
W i t h j i gs o r fe n ces,
tenons. With a flush-trimming bit you can
shape pieces to match templates or use
router jigs to cut dovetail and finger joints.
With jigs or fences, a router can cut ta­
a ro ute r ca n c u t pers, circles, ovals, squares, rectangles

t a p e rs, c i rc l es, and recesses for inlay. All of this is done

with tl1e router above tl1e workpiece.
ova ls, sq u a res, Buy an exu'a base for a fixed-base router
and mount it under a flat table, and you
recta n g l es a n d have a router table. On this you can cut
even more joints, stopped or through, on
recesses for i n l ay.
almost any size piece of wood. You can
pass small pieces held in jigs safely past the
bit. With a good fence and an efficient dust
No need for a dado blade. A router guided pon, your accuracy and dust problems are
by a straightedge clamped to the workpiece
solved. A simple setup will turn the router
(left) cuts a neater dado than a dado blade
table into an edge jointer. You can tem­
and with less danger.
plate-rout safely and accurately and put
decorative edges on boards just by chang­
ing bits. There are few jobs a router cannot
handle witl1 the simple addition of a jig or a
fixture to guide it properly.

A good compound-miter saw comes

next-The ability to crosscut exactly to
length is a time-saver. So the next tool you
need to buy is a good compound-miter
saw. mice that I said good. Don't waste
Using a template. A straight bit with a bear­
your money on a lightweight, throw-in­
ing guide can transfer the pattern to a work­
the-back-of-your-pickup chopsaw. Get
piece (above). Mounting the router under a
table provides greater stability. one that can cut accurately and repeatedly
to length. Put it close to your bench, and
you can nip off the ends of a thousand dif-

70 FI E WOODWO R K I , G
 4. Com pou nd-M iter Saw
Put i t c l ose to yo u r b e n c h ,

a n d y o u ca n n i p off t h e

e n d s o f a t h o usa n d d i ffe r­

e n t boa rds for p roj ects t h a t

pass a cross t h e b e n c h .

Miters are easy. With a stop

block clamped to the fence, a
miter can be cut at the correct
angle and location.

ferent boards for projects that pass across milling your lumber flat and with parallel think you could do a lot of work witl1 the
the bench. I didn't have one for the first 25 faces. After first using your jointer to flatten first five tools I've outlined here, and with
years in the shop, an absence I regret each a face, you can tl1en run the wood tl1rough time you could fill in tl1e rest. Consider tl1e
time I now use mine. the planer to finish your milling quickly. work you'd like to do most, then buy well
As for the other tools you could acquire, and wisely. If you buy top shelf, you won't
The drill press in the corner is often
underused-Because joinery is so impor­
evelY shop has different needs. Some peo­
ple need their thickness sander; others
be disappointed. 0
tant in furniture making, the next tool is an­ would be lost without a biscuit joiner; I Gary Rogowski teaches furniture making at The
other joinery tool: the drill press. It is such personally love my spindle sander. But I Northwest Woodworking Studio in Portland, Ore.
a basic machine that it is often overlooked,
but the ability to drill accurate holes is es­
sential for making jigs or joints. You can cut
mortises on the drill press, drill a series of
holes parallel to an edge for shelving sup­
pon pins, drill for dowel joints, countersink
5. D r i l l Press
It is s u c h a b a s i c m a c h i n e
for plugs or drill for screws. You can also
t h a t i t i s oft e n ove r l o o ke d ,
make templates or any of a hundred other
little jobs that are just too hard to do accu­ b u t t h e a b i l ity t o d r i l l accu­
rately with a handheld power drill.
rate h o l es i s esse n t i a l for
The remaining tools can wait
I would have to include the tablesaw in this m a k i ng j i gs or j o i nts.
list eventually. I like mine, and if all I did
was build cabinets, it would absolutely be
my first purchase. Once you have one,
you'll realize how great a tool it is for cut­
ting boards exactly to width and length. It
can also cut many joints, from miters to
dovetails to tenons. You can shape with it
and use it to cut tapers and coves. I use it
more than some of my other tools, but I
don't think that it's a must-have machine
for furniture making. Don't rush out just to
have one: You can live surprisingly well Precise mortising. With the table
witl10ut one. When the time comes, have and fence square to the drill bit and
your money saved up and buy a good the depth of cut set, mortises can be
tablesaw that will last. drilled accurately.

Finally, get a planer to finish tl1e chore of --

71
TOOLS & SHOPS 2001
Mike Dunbar's Workbench
H eavy-d uty be n c h h as a w i d e to p ,

k n o c k d ow n base a n d l a rge v i ses Square threaded blocks are

sold with vise screws; angle
sides for mechanical strength.
Clearance dadoes for vise
screws, 13/4 in. deep by
Plywood is screwed 2 in. wide
into %-in.-deep
Support cleat, by 1-in.-wide rabbet. ---_
1'14 in. thick by
2 in. wide by
10 in. long

End batten, 1% in.

thick by 2% in.
wide by 30'1. in.
long
�
B,d bol" ""J
end batten to
plank and cleat.

B Y M I K E D U N B A R

Back legs, 3 in. thick

by 4 in. wide by
31'h in. long,
including 1-in. by
3-in. by 3/4-in. tenon
Side stretchers, 3 in. thick
by 4 in. wide by 21% in.
long, including 1-in. by 4-in.
by 1'I.-in. tenon

Front legs, 3 in. thick by

4 in. wide by 30 in. long,
including 1-in. by 3-in. by
1 'I.-in. tenon

72 F I I E \XI 0 0 D \XI 0 R K J N G PholO, this page: Michael Pekovich

 T,U,'" \
End batten, 1% in.
Maple plank, 2% in. thick by 2% in. wide by
thick by 12 in. wide 29% in. long
Birch plywood, % in. by 96% in. long
thick by 19% in.
wide by 96% in.
long

Benchdogs, 1 in.
square, are
tapered on top.

Front and back

stretchers, 4 in.
thick by 3 in. wide
by 55'n in. long,
including i-in. by
Garters, %6 in. thick by 3-in. by 1%-in.
PAl in. wide by 1% in. tenon
tall, fit into groove in
vise screws.

T
his is my workbench. Two friends and I each made one like it in the mid-1970s,
copying a 200-year-old original we found in dle basement of an 18dl-century man­
l%-in.dia. wood sion. I prefer it to any odler design, for several reasons. The bench is a heavy, sol­
screw, 2'n tpi id structure. No matter how hard the work, dlere is no need to hold down dlis one wim
sandbags. And its joints don't wobble when I'm handplaning or sawing. If they do loosen
because of seasonal movement, a tweak with a bed-bolt wrench makes dlem rigid again.
The bench's wood vises are very strong. The twin-screw front vise has ample space be­
tween me screws, which means I can drop a long, wide part between mem. And the jaws
are wide enough to hold a 6-ft.-long board for edge-jointing wimout additional support.
The bench does not have a tool tray, leaving its entire wide top available not just for
Bed bolts, % in. woodworking but also for assembly. When I worked by myself as a professional furniture
dia. by 6 in. long
maker, this bench was all I needed. Finally, I am a woodworker, and a bench made en­
tirely of wood has a deep appeal for me.
Making iliis bench is more heavy work man it is hard, almough dle tail vise is somewhat

Drawings: Bob 1..

1 Pointe TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 73
BASE AND BENCHTOP -- ���
-------- -- -- 9 --
% i--
n . ---- -- ---------- --
-------- -- -- -------------
t in. �I 10 in. I>1.:0-- :: J in. I>1'B I
25 f------ 17 in. � in.
23;.
r �1% in. tJ 4';'

"- in. ------1 T 22'14

L
,3 in. 'b:-i', Jq_.-.I '(.J
T '-- �
�I
� 3in .
6 i n .
61'h in.
complicated. Many o f the pans are s o large that joining them bor­ and arms. I am 5 ft. 9 in. and a little short in the leg. My benchtop is
'
ders on timber framing. A seco nd pair of hands comes in handy for 32 in. high.
some stages on the project. Besides wood, you will need to order two other items: l'lti-in.-dia.
wooden bench screws and threaded blocks, which you can get
Some heavy lifting will be required from Crystal Creek Mill (P.O. Box 41, DeWitt, NY 13214; 315-446-
The bench can be made of just about any type of hardwood. Be­ 1229). Mention this project to get tile same components I used. The
cause this is a workbench, practicality governed my choices. In my three screw-and-block sets will run you $ 195.
region, yellow birch is cheaper than maple but isn't available You can cut your own threads if you have a large tap and die suit­
above 10/4. So I used birch for the 2-in.-thick parts and hard maple Y.!
ed for this job (one that's at least 1 in. dia. with 5 tpi or fewer).
for the thicker ones. If you cannot find 12/4 hardwood, you can Antique tap-and-die sets for wood may be found at a flea market
glue up your stock. or tag sale. The tap would be tile most useful of the two, because
Before cutting any wood, determine what bench height is com­ it would allow you to make the threaded end batten near the tail
fonable for you. When working with hand tools, it is more efficient vise out of one piece of wood. Without it you'll have to join one of
and easier if you can bring into play all of the larger muscle groups the threaded blocks to the end of the batten. The Beall Tool Co.
in your body, above all those in your legs and back. Most benches (800-331 -4718; bealltool.com) offers wood-threading kits for
are too high for me, forcing me to work only with my shoulders making 1 Y.!-in.-dia., 5-tpi screws and nuts. It includes a router jig

Timber·frame techniques. Use a circular saw to cut the tenon shoulders on these large beams.
The cheeks are then cut on the bandsaw. Get an assistant, if you can find one, to help you support
the long, heavy timbers. For the mortises in the legs, first drill out the waste, then square with a
chisel. Afterward, the tenons are pared to fit the mortises.

74 FINE WOODWORK! G Pharos, except where noted: Asa Christiana

 30'1.. in.
I 1" ;. I
31'h in.
Ip-,'
8
l'in.
-I,8 1
,n in.
4
T
4;ir-
n. f-- 29%in. �J
l....- t ---
and bit and a 1 \-2-in.-dia. tap, which would solve the aforemen­
tioned joinery problem.
You'll also need 16 bed bolts and a wrench, which you can get
from Ball and Ball Hardware Reproductions (800-257-371 1 ).

A knockdown base is easy to move

The original bench knocks down completely. This leads me to sus­
pect that it belonged to an interior joiner, what we would call to­
day a finish carpenter. These guys were the elite of the building
tradesmen and were responsible for raised-panel walls, wainscot­
ing, staircases, mantels, moldings and doors.
Working on a magnificent Portsmouth, N.H., mansion, a joiner Locate the leg mortises on the plank. First turn everything upside
could be on the job site for months. He would move his bench and down and level the back legs.
toolbox right into the house. When finished, he'd put them in a
wagon and move them onto the next job site. A bench that knocks
down is still a good idea today because it is easier to move to a
new shop.
The legs and stretchers are joined with mortises and tenons held
together with bed bolts. The joints can't be at the same height or
the bed bolts would bump each other, so offset their elevations.
Notice that there are tenons on the tops of the legs, as well, to se­
cure the top to the base. Cut all of the joints at the same time.
Cut the shoulders of these large tenons with a circular saw and
then rip the cheeks on the bandsaw. Bore out the mortises with a
drill bit and square the corners with a chisel. I used a shoulder
plane to fit the tenons.

Bed-bolt basics-Bed bolts are very effective fasteners and, when

tightened, will not allow the slightest wiggle. The bolt has a square
head with a large flange and requires a two-step hole. Drill the
counterbore for the flange first. The long hole for the bolt goes in­
to the bottom of the mortise, through the length of the tenon and
past the location of the nut.
End battens support the plywood portion of the benchtop. Each
The nut sits in a hole drilled into the back of the rail. Assembling batten is bolted to the thick plank and also to a cleat that supports the
the joint is easy: Tap the mortise and tenon together, hold the nut plywood and keeps it level with the plank. The plywood is screwed onto
in place and slide a bed bolt into the hole. A couple of quick Uirns the cleat and into a rabbet at the back edge of the plank.

TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 75

FRONT VISE
catches the nut. When all of the fasteners are hand-tight, grab the
bed-bolt wrench and finish the job.

The plank is the key to the top

The top of the bench is made of two pieces: a 3-in.-thick plank at
the front and a thinner plywood panel behind. The front and back
legs are different heights as a result. The thick front plank anchors
the vises and provides a durable surface for your heaviest and
most forceful work. The rear panel will not take the same punish­
ment as the front and does not have to be as thick. Its role is to pro­
vide a wide, level surface. On the original bench this was a wide
pine board, but I used birch plywood for its stability.
The width of the front plank is a variable and can depend on
whatever you can find or glue up. A piece of wood this thick is sel­
dom flat as it comes from the lumber dealer and will need to be
planed. If your machines are not up to a job this heavy, you may
have to find someone who can do the work for you. I surfaced my
12-in.-wide plank in my planer, because it wouldn't fit on my join­
ter. Luckily it was straight but just cupped a bit. I took a couple of
passes off the domed (heart) side, just to get a flat to work on.
Then, I took light passes off the concave side. Because this surface
is not seen, there is no need to flatten it completely. Finally, I
flipped the plank again and finished dreSSing the upper surface.
Set the plank aside for several days and let it equalize before flat­
tening it again with a light pass. While you are at it, joint the front
edge so that it is straight and square to the upper surface.
This plank requires a few operations before it's ready to drop in­
to place on the substructure. First, lay out the leg mortises in the
underside and cut and fit them to the tenons on the top of the front
legs. Next, rout the rabbet in the back edge to create a lip that will
support the plywood portion of the top, which will be secured
with wood screws.
Size and strength. The thick wooden screws are far enough apart to
accommodate a wide workpiece, and the jaw is long enough to support Make room for the vises-The front vise is secured to the bench
a 6·ft. board for edge-jointing. with wood screws threaded through two dovetail-shaped nuts,

After angling the sides of the threaded Circular saw comes in handy again. Cut the After chopping out the waste, pare the
blocks, lay out their recesses. The trape­ shoulders first, then cut some kerfs through the sides. Use one of the threaded blocks to guide
zoidal shape gives mechanical strength to this waste section. your chisel.
joint, which is also glued.

76 FINE WOODWORKING
which are set into the plank. Bevel the sides of two of the three
threaded blocks (the other one is for the tail-vise assembly). Then
use the blocks to lay out their recesses. Lay out these notches so
that the blocks project slightly from the front edge of the bench­
top; plane them flush later. Cut the deep notches with a handsaw
or circular saw, and clean up the walls with a wide chisel.
The top is far too thick for the wood screws to clear it on the bot­
tom side, so you have to cut channels for clearance. Tap the nuts
into place temporarily to see where the threaded holes line up
with the bench. Cut the channel edges first, with a straightedge
clamped on the plank to guide your circular saw. Then make a lot
of kerf cuts through the center and chop out the waste.
Now you can glue in the threaded nuts. Leave the tops slightly
proud and plane them flush after the glue is dry. Plane the front
edges flush, too. Next, cut out the large notch for the tail vise. A cir­
cular saw will cut through most of the stock, but you will need a
Cut clearance
handsaw to complete the corner. Clean up the sawcuts with a
channels for the
handplane, keeping everything square (not the easiest task but
vise screws. Tap
very important). Rout the long groove along the notch, and finish the threaded
it with a sharp chisel. blocks into place
The last task in preparing the front plank is to cut tlle dog holes. temporarily to de­
Although you can use any type of dog you prefer, I chose the termine the loca­
clever, low-tech type I found on the original. The dog holes are tion of these chan­
nels. Remove the
"ItS in. square, and each square dog has a slight taper planed onto blocks before cut­
one face. There is a dog for each hole in the bench. Each is tapped
ting. Define the
into place from below, narrow-side up, and sits flush with the top edges with a circu­
until it is needed. Tap it with a mallet until it projects slightly above lar saw, kerf out
the surface and tightens in place. The dog holes are roughly 6\-2 in. the middle, then
apart, but some are offset to avoid the screws for the front vise. chop out the waste.

The plywood section The bench's end battens are bed-bolted

-
to the thick plank and have support cleats along their inside edges
for securing the plywood. The plywood is also screwed into the
rabbet on the back edge of the thick plank. With the thick plank in
place on the front legs, place the plywood in its rabbet to locate
the mortises for the rear legs. Cut these mortises, then attach the
A garter keeps
plywood to the plank and the end battens.
the vise jaw mov­
ing with the
A trick for vise ha ndles screw. This thin
Each wood screw has a thkk hub with lines scribed into it. These strip is mortised in­
are both for decoration and for laying out the holes for the han­ to the jaw and fits
dles. Drill a l -in.-clia. hole. You can make tlle handles out of a piece into a groove near
of dowel with pins in the ends or end caps to keep them from the screw hub.

falling out. However, I prefer tlle old technology used by the orig­
inal maker. Turn your handles using wood that is still slightly
green. You can split some from a firewood pile. Leave the ends
\.8 in. bigger than tlle hole in the vise-screw hub.
Boil one of the bullet-shaped ends to soften it, and drive it
tllrough tlle hub Witll a mallet. The wood will compress as it pass­
es through the hole (some may be sheared away by the hole's
edges), then it will spring back on the other side.

Front vise jaw wears a garter

The jaw is a piece of 8/4 hardwood. Its width is not critical and can
depend on the wood you have on hand. Unlike most period

TOO LS & SH O PS 200 1 77

TAIL VISE
This com plex-looking u n it is basica l ly
a th ree-sided box that sl ides back Top, 'h in. thick
a n d forth on the tip of the bench's by 4'h in. wide
end batten. One wrinkle: The
th readed nut incl uded with the screw
set must be j oined to the end batten.

Side, 'h in.

�
thick by 4% in.

2
wide
Vise end,
NOTE: Vise side, top, in. thick
bottom and runner are
1915116 in. long with a
shou Ider·to-shou Ider
dimension of 1 5 % in.

f-- �
T I- 0 �2h :� % �
4 7h I n '4: % ' 1 in. I n.

4% I n.
1 ----�--:_ -""-----'I TIn. Bottom, % in.
Runner, 'h in.
thick by 1% in.
1< V I S E JAW
>1 17 in. thick by 7% in.
wide
wide
7h-in.-dia. handle
2% in. through 1-in.-dia.
Rabbet, 'h in. deep hole
by 4% in. wide

2% (4= t==:==
in :=:::; �
==--,. T
4% in.
1
Leave one e n d only slightly
larger than the hole. Boil
this end to soften it, and
drive it through the hole.

'h in. "� Rabbet, % in.

deep by 7'h in.
wide
�
\"-- Rabbet, 'h in.
deep by 4 % in.
wide benches I have examined, in which the user has to pull the vise
END BATT E N jaw backward after loosening the screws, the jaw on this bench
Place assembled vise has garters that mate with a groove in the screws and keep the jaw
over end batten to locate and screws moving together.
L� 6 .In. ----
�--J l%-in.-dia. clearance
hole.
Drill the two holes in the jaw for the wooden screws. Then cut
the slots for the garters. Make the garters out of hardwood. One at
T
I1< �>1
a time, place a screw through the jaw and tap the garter into place.
Turn the screws to test the fit of the garters. Before gluing them in­
4% in.
to place, be sure they aren't rubbing too tightly against the screw.

Ta il vise is the tough part

13% in. The tail vise and its associated assembly make for some compli­
cated joinery. A lot is going on at one time as the vise travels. The
VISE END batten that stiffens the end of the benchtop and holds the front
plank and plywood level is threaded for tlle tail-vise screw. It also
acts as one of the guides for the vise. Without a large tap to cut the

78 FINE WOODWORKING
 Think of the vise as a three-sided box with
closed ends. Build up the jaw end (foreground) locate the holes for the vise screw. This
from thinner stock. An ogee contour decorates measurement determines where the vise
the opposite end piece. The top, side and bottom screw will pass through the end of the tail vise
are joined to the ends with large dovetails. and where it will enter the jaw end (at right).

Filler plate, Groove for vise-jaw Cutout for tail

'h in. thick by 5 in. tongue, % in. by % in. vise, 4% in.
wide by 17 in. long deep by 17 in.

l
long

21% in.
�PIYWOOd

Plywood

f- 4% in·4

�
Notch, 'h in. deep
by 2 in. long
1'h iO' 1% io_
threads in the batten, I had to find a way to join one of the tlu'ead­ Cut the mortise for the garter and tap i t into place. You cannot
ed blocks to it. I settled on a version of a scarf joint that provides avoid cutting into the dovetails when you make this mortise. Drill
some mechanical support and plenty of glue surface. and square the dog hole in the jaw the same way as those in the
The vise itself is a three-sided box with closed ends. The jaw end benchtop. This hole should fit between the dovetails.
is a 4-in.-square piece of hardwood. I glued up mine in a sandwich Use bed bolts to secure the end batten to tl1e thick part of the
from thinner stock, which made it easier to create the tongue that benchtop. Make the small retainer bracket through which the nar­
protrudes from this block. A hole in the inside surface of tl1e jaw row guide sU'ip passes and screw it into place on the end batten.
receives the end of the vise screw. The other end piece is 8/4 and The vise may work somewhat stiffly at first but will eventually
has a clearance hole drilled through it for the screw. The agee con­ wear in so that it moves smoothly and without effort. Waxing the
tour on this piece is more decorative than functional. moving surfaces will help the action.
The top and side pieces of this box are \.2 in. thick and joined to I completed my bench by finishing it with several coats of boiled
the jaw with large half-blind dovetails. The bottom is % in. thick linseed oil thinned with a little turpentine. Let the wood absorb as
and joined the same way. There also is a guide strip on the bottom,
which is \.2 in. thick and also dovetailed to tl1e jaw and end pieces.
much oil as possible before wiping off the excess. D
Make all of the parts for the tail vise, then test their fit and action Mike Dunbar is a contributing editor. He and his wife, Sue, run a Windsor
before glue-up. chair-making school in Hampton, N.H.

TOO LS & S H O P S 2001 79

 � . .
. , . .. . .. . .. ,." .. . .. .
.,

M
y first shop was an old garage of this small space is mobility. Almost Machine tools, as well as benches, must
nestled on a bank above Puget everything rests on locking casters-ma­ be located where they can handle the
Sound near Seattle. It had an old chines, tables and shop-built tool chests. largest piece of stock I am likely to use.
plank floor with gaps wide enough to Storage and organization are also vital in And with a small dust collector, I have to
swallow small tools and hardware. For a small space. The area under every ma­ keep duct runs to a minimum (for more on
power I had one extension cord that chine tool or bench is utilized for storage. dust collection, see F1\7W'" # 141, pp. 82-87). I
snaked back to the house, and lighting was Yes, it does get crowded when I undertake try to keep most of the mobile tools parked
provided by an open garage door. I have a large project. But I can reconfigure the where they can be put into service easily.
fond memories of that shop, bundled up space as needed for milling, assembling In a small shop, you'll often see the
against the cold, working under nanIral and finishing. tablesaw angled. This orientation takes ad­
light, hacking away and successfully cut­ vantage of the room's diagonal dimen­
ting my first dovetail joint. I remind myself Layout for a small shop sions. That's a good solution, but it
of those days when confronted by the lim­ Some tools are best left stationary. My typically means the saw reaches into the
itations of my current shop, which by com­ tablesaw stays put because it's very bulky center of the room. When I have a large
parison is a dream. and heavy. And the dust collector must project going, such as a run of cabinets, I
My basement shop is only 20 ft. by 21 ft.­ have a permanent home because of the like having the center of the shop available
about the size of a two-car garage-but I've metal ductwork attached to it. The rest of for assembly. I orient the tablesaw parallel
tackled projects as large as a run of kitchen the shop was designed to work around and close to the shop's longest wall, which
cabinets. The secret to getting the most out these machines. leaves me with more than enough room to

80 F I N E W O O DW0 R K I NG Photos: Michael Pekovich

 Basement Shop
on Wheels
W i t h m o b i l e m a c h i n es a n d ta b l es ,

t h e s h o p ca n c h a n ge s h a pe a s n ee d e d

B Y A N A T O L E B U R K I N

cut a full sheet of plywood. The tablesaw's

outfeed table is set on casters so that I can
wheel it out of the way and LIse that space
for spray finishing.
In a crowded space, adjoining tools can
be set up to work with, not hinder, one an­
other. Although I'd like to have a sliding
table for my tablesaw, I haven't the space.
But I use my 8-in. jointer, which is parked
to the left of the saw, to assist with sheet the jointer seemed like a lot of work, so I isn't room for a dedicated chopsaw stand
goods. At a scrap metal yard I picked up a raised the tablesaw on blocks. It turns out wid1 8-ft.-long wings on both sides, so I LIse
set of metal rollers from a conveyor assem­ that the added height has made repetitive my European-style workbench to serve as
bly. I made a wooden frame for the roller tasks, such as tenoning, much more com­ one wing. A piece of scrap laid across the
that allows it to be clamped to the jointer fortable for my 6-ft. frame. table serves as a low-tech outfeed support.
bed and provides support when handling To the left of the chopsaw, I use another
sheet goods. Total ouday was about $2. Plenty of room for the chopsaw one of d10se scrap-yard conveyor rollers to
The jointer-tablesaw pairing didn't work Although the chopsaw is small, it's called make it easy to slide stock into place.
at first because the jointer fence was high­ upon to handle very long stock. Finding Chopsaws spray sawdust all over the
er than the tabletop of the saw. Lowering the perfect spot was a compromise. There place, and while I haven't totally solved the

TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 81

 the ceiling to serve them all. To save space, large reducer (10 in. to 5 in.) is set into the
I mounted the small planer piggyback on base of the cabinet and connects to the
the larger one. Although the portable unit dust collector. On top, the fence has a port
can be lifted off and placed on a bench, I for a 2 Y.!-in.-dia. hose. A pair of doors al­
typically just leave it in place and plane lows easy access to the router. The cabinet
boards at chest height. Below the planer is set on wheels so that it can be moved to
and sander I've installed shelving to store a corner when not in use.
sanding belts and other tools.
Places to store tools
A simple, functional router table I have a small, simple tool rack near my
My router table has evolved over the years. workbench in which I keep chisels, hand­
It now features dust collection above and saws, mallets and hammers. The work­
below, bit storage and a top large enough bench has two shelves to store all of the
to hold a second router. handplanes I own. Now that the shelves
Sawdust is captured by a box, which is
The dust collection might not meet the are full, I know I have enough of them.
connected to the dust collector. A roller
bolted to the left of the table provides stock standards of John White's router cabinet Most other small tools are kept in mobile
support. The workbench (with the aid of a (see pp. 55-61 ) , but I'm happy with it. A shop-built carts. One houses everything I
piece of scrap) provides support to the right of
the chopsaw.

problem, my method works okay. The key

component is a capture box behind the
saw to catch dust that's kicked back. A 5-in.
port is added to the top of the box and con­
nects to my dust-collection system. Addi­
tionally, I run a small hose from the saw's
dust port (where the bag goes) and snake it
a few inches into the 5-in. dust-collector

Iadjoin a ncrowded
i n g tool sspace,
can be
with, not
workanother.
sethi nupder,to one
hose. Whatever doesn't go up the hoses
eventually settles into the capture box.

Thicknessing machines
I have more thicknessing machines than I
really have a right to own, but I've figured
out a way to keep them from being a nui­
sance. For taking a thin pass or thickness­
ing highly figured woods, nothing beats a
portable thickness planer with rubber
infeed and outfeed rollers. Bigger ma­
chines, such as my 15-in. thickness planer,
are good for hogging off material, not deli­
cate passes. And when it comes to remov­
ing tearout from highly figured woods or
sanding shopmade veneer, I appreciate
every penny I spent on my drum-style
thickness sander. Machines to surface stock. The lS-in. planer can remove stock quickly. The bench top planer
Because I only use one of these tools at a riding piggyback excels at taking light passes without leaving knife marks. And a drum sander
time, I have one dust hose hanging from (not shown) speeds up what most consider the least enjoyable part of woodworking.

82 F l I E \'(1 0 0 0 \'(l O R K I N G
 went with PVC conduit, installed on the filter in front, which catches much of the
rear outside wall of the house. Then I rout­ fInish before it reaches dle fan. Without the
ed enough wire through the conduit to extension duct in place, the fan doubles as
give me a gang of three 240-volt circuits. A an air cleaner. For that application, I use a
12-gauge extension cord, snaked along the fine-particle filter. (In warm weather, one
main dust-collection duct, brings 240-volt could just flush dle air outdoors.)
power to the middle of the shop. The tablesaw outfeed table doubles as
I find a lot of uses for compressed air: my spray-fInish bench for small objects. To
everything from pneumatic tools to clear­ keep it and the saw clean, I cover the entire
ing out dust from wood pores before spray setup with a large drop cloth. For larger
finishing. I didn't want to go to the trouble pieces, I unclamp the outfeed table from
of plumbing my shop, but at the same time the saw and roll it out of the way. And to
I didn't want just one large coil of hose to keep finish off dle walls and floor, I keep
drag from one part of the shop to the oth­ on hand large pieces of cardboard, such as
er. The solution is a three-in-one manifold those used to package appliances.
and filter dlat allows me to provide clean,

Traveling router cabinet. Dust collection is

dry air to dlree locations both inexpensive­ A shop is never done
provided below, via a lO-in. to 5-in. reducer, ly and quickly. One long hose runs out to I've been itching to get my hands on an old
and above, via a 2�in.-dia. hose connected to dle garage. Another long one snakes along lathe but haven't found one yet. In the
the fence. The table is big enough to add an­ the ducrwork and provides air to the op- meantime, I've rearranged the shop in my
other router if needed. head a number of times to make room for
a newcomer. Try as I might, I'm not sure I
own for drilling and screwing. Most of the
time it sits next to the drill press, but when
I'm assembling parts, I roll the cart to
Storage and organi
areThevitalareain aunder z ati
smallevery
space. o n can fit one more large tool in that space.
Which leaves me thinking that maybe it's
time to consider a freestanding building or
where I'm working. The other cart contains moving to another location with the sort of
measuring tools as well as all-around stuff, shop space everyone craves: a large barn
such as mechanic's wrenches and drivers.
Both carts can also serve as stock carriers,
for moving parts from one machine to an­
machi n e tool or bench
is util ized for storage.
with a loft. I could get a few hundred bucks
selling all of the used casters, enough to
buy a nice, new handplane. But until then,
other. (The mobile router table can also be
used this way.)
I'll enjoy the space I have. 0
The idea of putting all of my clamps in a posite side of the shop. ear the compres­ Anatole Burkin is the executive editor.
trash can isn't new. But to keep the long sor, a short run of hose provides air for
pipe clamps from tipping over the can, I spray finishing.
built a simple rack that is screwed into the
can and keeps the clamps more or less up­ Spray finishing without a booth
right. The can is mounted on a dolly, so I I like to spray finish. You can't beat a spray
can move it around. gun for speed and the amount of control it
brings to the task. But I don't have room for
Low-cost e lectrics and pneumatics a spray boodl. Nonetheless, I can spray in
I originally lit my shop using cheap shop­ the shop without worrying about dust
light fixtures that cost about $7 apiece, and specks by using a rwo-pronged approach.
that worked out to about a buck a year be­ First, I clean the shop before finishing. I'm
fore they began failing. I recendy swapped not overly fussy about the cleanup except
them with flush-mount fixtures of a higher in the corner where I spray. Second, I use
quality that have electronic ballasts, which fast-drying finishes, such as water-based
are quieter and turn on instantly. The fix­ products or shellac. I don't spray slow­
tures also use T-8 bulbs, which are more drying or highly flammable finishes.
energy efficient. I connected them using a Spray finishing also requires a method of
plastic track system that is quite compact removing the overspray. I installed a large
and easy to install. Most home centers sell industrial fan in a box made of medium­
dlese fIxtures, and it's an inexpensive way density fiberboard (MDF) and hung it in
for a nonelectrician to set up a very satis­ front of a window. When I spray, I open dle
factory lighting system. I spent about $250 window and press-fit an extension duct to
Clamps to go. Stored in a metal trash can,
for the fIve fixtures and hardware. the fan box, which helps direct the air out­ clamps can be wheeled to the assembly area,
The shop did not have 240-volt power doors without fouling the window casing. then rolled into an out-of-the way corner when
when I moved in. To keep down costs, I The fan box has a slot for a coarse furnace not needed.

TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 83

 Tool-Cabinet
Design
Eve ry s h o p h a s s pe c i f i c n ee d s ,
b ut t h e strategi es fo r sto r i n g
h a n d too l s a re u n i ve rsa l

B Y C H R I S B E C K S V O O R T

. .
:
. .

, ' - ',
.
, .

. , , -

,.� ..:
. . .
,

.
. . . ..

. . .

.. .
:
. . �. , I
.
. .. .
.
,

.
. "
,
built my toolboxes right
when I got out of high
school, with only the
materials at hand, no
thought to jOinery and little
thought to layout. So for years
and saws sitting on top of, next
to and underneath the boxes. I
needed a new toolbox .
Having 30 years' experience, I
knew what I wanted and didn't
want. Like most woodworkers,
was useless. I didn't want to
take out three trays to reach the
fourth. Like a chest freezer, the
items in the bottom get lost and
forgotten. I wanted to see my
tools and be able to reach them
. . . .
, .
"

I'd worked out of boxes made I'd developed habits and prefer­ with a minimum of contortions
. . : . .:
. ..
. . "
:. .
. .
.
.
of fir plywood and knotty pine ences. I am a furniture maker, and movement of other tools. I
.
-

..;...-: "

":\:: '\: :"' :\

.

and held together with nails, not an itinerant carpenter. I didn't want a rolling tool cabi­
.

glue and barn hinges. Over the don't take tools to job sites, and net, nor did I want one that
years, my tool collection had I'm definitely not going to sea. looks like a piece of furniture or

84
� F I N E \'\1 0 0 D \XI 0 R K I N G
grown until I had planes, chisels For my purposes a tool chest a building. I wanted a wall-hung

Pholos: Michael Pekm'ich

box behind my workbench: sions and building decisions­ use of space and size. I could quired a space 18 in. by 21 in.
simple, accessible, open and to­ such as materials and joinery­ have placed my tools all over For the cutouts to be accurate, I
tally utilitarian. are yours to make as you see fit. the shop floor and regrouped had to start thinking about
Your needs and preferences My design is based on a Shak­ them until I found the most effi­ methods of hanging or storing
are likely to be different, but the er toolbox at Sabbathday Lake, cient layout. That would have the tools.
process of planning and layout Maine. It's a large, relatively been pretty time-consuming, so For example, if the chisels
will be similar to what I went shallow, wall-mounted box I opted for graph paper instead were to sit on a rail and be held
through when building the cab­ with framed doors for addition­ (14in. 1 in.). When possible, I
=
grouped the tools into a single
with magnets, they could be re­
moved straight out. However, if
inet shown here. My point in al storage. With the design in
this article is to help you mind, the first order of business cutout. Drill and brace bits fit in­ they were to fit in a slotted
through the planning process was to determine the layout of to a lO-in. by 1 2-in. area, while block, I would need 2 in. to 3 in.
and layout. The actual dimen- the tools for the most efficient my multitudes of chisels re- of clearance above the chisels

TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 85

 D R AW A L L O F Y O U R T O O L S T O S C A L E

Measure the too.s. Begin by measuring all of the

tools to be housed and draw them to scale on
graph paper.
IL- ----
II

Arrange cutouts. Sort tools by type and begin to

lay them out in the imaginary toolbox.

<
Determine the size of the
box. Once tools are laid out,
'�
overall dimensions are deter­
mined, and the box begins to
take shape.

so that I could remove them cutouts. When designing the them around to see how things saws, as well as other heavy,
from the block. So the cutouts cabinet, you should consider fit. I kept related tools close to bulky tools, got moved into the
had to include clearance space saving room for tools you plan one another: chisels and mallets main box. Layout tools, chisels,
above the tools, where needed. to get. Are you a chisel junkie? together, all saws and planes to­ files, bits and shallow and light­
It was pretty easy to group Would you really like to have gether and all of the diverse weight tools fit best in the shal­
chisels, files, knives, squares that new Lie-Nielsen No. 10v.. measuring and layout tools near low doors.
and drill bits-even planes and rabbet plane? If so, make al­ each other. More shifting of At this point, overall size be­
most saws-together on the lowances in the chisel- or patterns. I arranged the tools came a consideration. I had my
cutouts. However, some tools, plane-group cutouts. into a rough rectangular form tools arranged in an acceptable
such as the brace, drawknife, Once I had a little stack of and started visualizing the main manner. The chisels, slated to
scissors, straightedge and fram­ odd-shaped, labeled pieces of box in the center, with the go into the door, were the
ing square, needed individual graph paper, I started sliding doors on both sides. Planes and widest group at 21 in. So with a

86 F I N E WOODW O R K I N G
little fudging and two %-in.­ Storage solutions for tools
thick frames, I made the doors
22 in. wide. That meant that the
main box would be 44 in. wide H A N D P L A N ES
and a whopping 88 in. overall
when open.
The height was more difficult Leather
to pin down. From my layout, I
had one door at 44 in. high, the
other at 48 in. high and the box
at 35 in. high. I wanted a few
drawers at the bottom of the
box for pliers, punches, glass
cutters, papers, drafting sup­
plies, moisture meter, carving
tools and other little-used tools.
The overall height of your cabi­
net will depend on your own
height. The taller you are, the
higher you can reach. I can eas­
ily reach 7 ft. into the toolbox. I
also wanted 10 in. of clearance
Planes within easy reach.
between the counter and the Ledger strips locate planes
toolbox. With a little more fudg­ on the shelf, and small
ing and rearranging, I settled on pieces of leather are used to
a height of 47 in. It accommo­ protect the blades.
dated the drawers and tools in

/
both doors, was slightly taller Planes take up a fair amount of space, no matter how you store them.
But you have several options to make them accessible.
than wide and seemed to allow Wood
for a bit more tool collecting. Believe it or not, many woodworkers like to hang planes vertically. A ,edg"
Determining the depth of the wooden plane can be fitted with a screw eye in the end and hung from
box and the doors took a little a hook. For a metal plane, a fitted ledger strip will support the weight
work. Decisions needed to be at the bottom. A similar strip with extra clearance Is fitted at the top
made on how the tools would end. To remove, slide the plane upward (hence the clearance) until the
be stored. I also needed to visu­ nose comes out of the bottom ledger, pull the plane forward and down
alize drawer depth and how far
to clear the bottom and then the top ledger. Or you may opt for a fitted
certain groups would stick out
ledger on the bottom only and a h igh-power rare-earth magnet near
from the surface of the doors or
the top. Of course, this won't work for wood or bronze planes.
box. The shelf for my small
To save space you can also store planes on their sides, on fitted
squares was only 7 in. wide but
protruded 6 in. from the inside shelves. With the judicious use of dividers, the planes can be fitted in­

of the door. I estimated the to the appropriately sized rectangular shelf case. Short planes will fit
drawer depth and the angle of front to back, and longer ones go in sideways.
the plane tray and settled on a I chose to store my planes on an
box depth of 1 1 in. and a door angled tray with smal l en-in. by %-In.)
depth of 4 in., both including ledger strips between them. The tray
s,s-in.-thick panels. is angled at 60° so that a strip in
It helped me to visualize in front of each plane is all that's need­
three dimensions, so I redrew
ed to keep the tools in place. The
the arrangement of the tools on
tray is hinged at the top and has
three sheets of graph paper: the
three shelves inside. I don't l i ke to
two doors and the main box,
waste space, so I store seldom-used
with all of the tools and drawers
in place. I knew I wanted the Items in there: spare parts, blades
VE R T I CAL O PT I O N
drawers to be flush, with 'II-in. and fences. The tray needs to be Clearance in the top
promlsions for the pulls. So the emptied to gain access, because the ledger allows you to lift up
bottom 10 in. of both doors
Fitting a tool. Odd-shaped tools,
17 planes stored on It probably
and remove the plane
such as this side rabbet plane, fit easily. The bottom ledger
needed to have 'II in. of clear- into french cutouts in the shelf. weigh close to 40 Ibs. supports the plane.
Dr:awings, Michael Gellatly T O O LS & S H O P S 2 0 0 1 87
ance. Above that, most of the in­
terior of the box was empty, al­
lowing mallet heads, squares
Storage sol utions for tools (contin ued)
and chisel handles to stick out CHISELS
into space. Chisel storage devices are easy and relatively
Once I had a layout that
quick to build. Chisels are all the same shape
worked well, I built the toolbox
but different in width and thickness. Sets
with drawers and doors. Then I
can be stored together, graduated from the
made the tool racks and hang­
shortest to the tallest. Here are three commonly
ers. As I assembled the racks
and actually hung the tools, I used alternatives.

noticed that a few had to be Many woodworkers hang their chisels, but
shifted a bit to allow for easier I'm not in favor of this method. I don't l i ke to
access. A few items were have razor-sharp edges exposed to fingers or
moved once or twice, until they other nearby tools. My current favorite method
felt right in place. The first time for chisel holding is a wood strip dadoed to ac­
I tried to close the doors, I dis­ cept chisels of various widths. Vary the spacing
covered that they wouldn't. The between narrow chisels, to allow clearance for
compass plane stuck out right
the handles. As the chisel blades become wider
where the two door frames
than the handles, the spaces get narrower. All
came together. I shifted the
chisel slots are a bit wider than the blades. A
planes until I got the layout I
Tiered chisels. Inside the door, chisels are stored llf.z.in. to 2-in. strip is all that's required to hold
liked, then screwed the dividers
in dadoed strips to protect their cutting edges. the chisels upright. That requires only 2 in. to
into place.
The layout took about 1 1 21;2 in. of clearance over the tops of the chisels
hours, and the case, doors and to pull them out.
drawers took an additional 48 Wood Another option is to use a rabbeted wood
hours. The almost 40 racks, strip shelf at the bottom to support and protect the
holders, shelves and trays took blades. Vertical divider strips determine the
60 hours, and the finishing, spacing of the chisels. High-power rare-earth
hanging, placing and rearrang­ magnets hold the chisels upright and in place.
ing took another 10 hours.
The magnets will have to be drilled into a hori­
All things considered, the box
zontal strip to a llow clearance for the chisel
turned out well. It works! Of
handle against the panel.
course, it was months before I
In my previous toolbox I used leather straps
got used to the new arrange­
ments. Thirty years of reaching to hold the chisels. They can be used above and

for the tape measure on the Dado to below or with leather on top and a wood
right-hand door doesn't change fit chisel strip below.
overnight. A few of the lesser­
blades
used tools are, in fact, in out-of­
the-way places. The gimlets, for T W O A LT E R N AT I V E S
example, live behind the hang­
Leather
ing blades of the squares. But Rare·earth
they are easy to reach, with magnets offer Rare· earth
good clearances.
plenty of
strength to
Once I got ever
and made the
yth
changes, the cabinet became
ing placed
necessary
secure even
the largest
chisels.
the centerpiece of the shop.
Spacer
And although the fine-tuning strips
may still take a few more
weeks, the time spent planning,
laying out and anticipating paid
Rabbeted Wood
off handsomely. 0 shelf strip
Leather straps will hold chisels in place, but a wood
Chris Becksvoort is a contributing strip might last longer against the sharp edges.
editor.

88 F I l\ E WOODW0RKI I G
SCREWDRIVERS, FI LES A N D AWLS

Screwdrivers, flies and awls can be stored like

hammers. After all, they are nothing more than
metal rods or bars stuck Into wood handles.
My favorite method is to hang these tools. A
%-in. by 2-in. strip of the correct length will suf­
fice. Measure the ferrules or the base diameters
of the tools, space them as needed and drill
slightly oversized holes partway into the strip.
Then locate the hole centers and saw a slot to
the back of the hole. This yields a small shoulder O PTI O N FOR H O R I ZO NTAL STORAG E
on both sides of the cut, which supports the fer­ A few passes over the tablesaw will make a quick
horizontal storage rack.
rule. The slot allows for easy removal. Simply lift
the tool a mere If.! in. 45° slots cut Into them. Trees are merely up-
Flies and screwdrivers with large flats on the rights with holes drilled through the sides.
Simple Is often best. Awls and
upper shaft can be stored horizontally on racks Like chisels, screwdrivers and flies can be
screwdrivers rest in holes drilled
into a small shelf. or trees, consisting of two parallel uprights with stored with leather retainer straps.

L AY O U T T O O L S H A N DSAWS

Layout and measuring tools are an odd bunch, because there are
so many different individual shapes. A framing square can be
hung by the short leg either on a 16-in.-long strip with a groove
for the edge or on two small ledger blocks-one at the end and
the other right at the inner corner. The ledger strips should have
small lips.
Long rulers and straightedges are most easily hung from a
round-head screw through a hole in the end. Remember to hang
the ruler at least % In. proud of the surface or carve finger­
relief holes to make grabbing the ruler easier. The same
method can be used for story sticks, trammel heads on a beam
and winding sticks.
Small squares can be stored in a variety of ways. The best­
looking but most time-consuming method for any tool is the An aesthetic choice. Becksvoort prefers to store saws so that their
french cutout. Trace the shapes and engravings can be seen.
tool onto an oversized
board, then cut out the trac­ Handsaws are fairly easy to store. What method you choose
ing with a coping saw. The depends on how many saws you have, how much space
tool can then be placed into you have and whether you want to see the handles. The
its own custom-cut hole. easiest method, which also takes up the most room, is to
Much faster and easier is to hang the saw flat, either vertically or horizontally. Make a
let the head of the square cutout to fit exactly inside the handle hole and then screw
rest on a ledger strip, simi­ it into place. A spinner
TRAD ITI ONAL
lar to the one used on the can be added if you're wor­
A P PROACH "
framing square. The method ried about earthquakes or �
I prefer, especially with an
assortment of squares, Is to
if the saw will be stored
in the door of the tool cabi­
net. A saw can be hung hori­
(
A cutout matches
'"
Shelved squares. Becksvoort's
mount them on a 6-in.-deep the handle, and a
shelf with slots in the front zontally from a peg, set onto simple spinner
squares slide into sawkerfs cut on a
to accept the blades of a ledger or fitted to a shelf,
secures the saw.
small shelf, which takes up much
less space than laying them out flat. each square. as I did.

TOOLS & SH O PS 2001 89

A Woodworker's
Apron M E C H A N I CA L
DRAFTI N G P E N C I L
Use 2mm lead size.

Kee p i n g esse n ti a l too l s

w ith i n rea c h m a kes yo u

a m o re effi c i e n t woo d wo rke r

B Y S T E V E L A T T A

B I B-STYLE APRON
The long front provides
plenty of pockets for
storage.
EARPLUGS
Foam plugs are a good
backup when your muffs
are out of reach. 4-I N . PRECISION
DOUBLE SQUARE

A
t the shop I apprenticed in, all of the cabinetmakers wore Shown is the Starrett
shop aprons. I soon figured out why, and my productivity NO. 4R.

took a giant leap forward. A lot less time got wasted chas­
ing down misplaced tape measures, safety glasses, pencils and the
other basic essentials. Because the tools I needed most often were COU NTERS I N K
Models that use an
within immediate reach, the quality of my work improved as well. Allen wrench to adjust
Today, I still wear an apron, even when I'm teaching, and I advise the depth of the drill
students to do likewise. bit are more versatile.
The size of your shop, its tooling and the nature of your work
will determine what tools find their way into your apron pockets. prefer flaps on the upper pockets,
But for starters, I suggest stocking your apron with basic marking which keep out most sawdust
and measuring tools. I've chosen light, compact and high-quality (and small squares from falling in
measuring tools. Among my favorite brands are Starrett, Lufkin and front of spinning tablesaw blades),
Lee Valley. My students often balk at the prices of top-end tools, and shoulder straps that crisscross
such as the $75 Starrett adjustable bevel. But if you're going to do in back, which, at the end of the
accurate work and carry around this stuff all day, choose tools built day, prevent an aching neck. But
to high tolerances that are light in weight and bulk. In the long the commercially made shop
haul, you'll be glad you did. aprons, such as those sold by Du­
Tools aren't the only items that belong in a shop apron. A lot of luth Trading Co. (800-505-8888) work well as long as you don't
cabinetwork involves boring small holes and fitting screws for overload them. What you decide to carry around in your apron is
hinges and hardware, usually #6 or #8 sizes. Many jigs may also be ultimately an individual decision, but once you start wearing one,
constructed with screws. So I keep bits, drivers and various screws
on hand. Used prescription or film canisters make good storage
I think you'll find it a real timesaver. 0
devices for small items. Steve Latta is an instructor at the Thaddeus Stevens College ofTechnology
Years ago, I had a batch of five aprons custom made, because I in Lancaster, Pa.

90 F I N E \XI 0 0 D \XI 0 R K I G Photos, Anatole Burkin (this page); Erika Marks (facing page)
SAFETY G LASSES LAM I N ATE SCRAPS 6-I N . R U L E R
Choose eyewear that offers These make perfect shims Choose one with
plenty of protection to the for fitting doors with just %4-in. graduations. LUMBER
sides as well as to the front. the right amount CRAYONS
of reveal. Use mult iple
ADJUSTA B L E BEVEL
The Starrett #47 is colors to label
stock for
multiple runs.

F I N G E R PADS
These are great
at protecting
your fingers from
heat buildup
when using a
card scraper.
STO P B LOCK
This shopmade block is
hinged, which allows it
to swing out of the way
when making the first
cut to square an end.

C-C L A M P
Use this small one
primarily for clamping
a stop block to a
fence.
MAG N ETIC BIT H O L D E R
W I T H M U LTI P L E T I PS
Phillips #1 and #2, a #2 square
drive and a few slotted tips
should cover most situations.
PA RAFFIN WAX
A small chunk is good for
lubricating such things as screw
threads and miter-gauge slots.

TAP E M EASU R E
Choose a good-quality
12-ft. or 16-ft. measure
with a %-in.-wide blade.
D R I L L BITS
Keep small bits on hand to drill
Cover with the cap pilot holes for hardware and jigs.
when returning the A small tube makes a practical
knife to your apron. storage container.
TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 91
 14-in.
BandsaW"s
RevieW"ed
Low-cost m o d e l s

m i ght get t h e j o b d o n e ,

b ut m o re p owe r a n d bette r
featu res co m e at a p ri c e

B Y T O M B E G N A L
A N D J O H N W H I T E

With the tires in, we checked all of the wheels for

runout by mounting a dial indicator and measur­
ing the blade as it passed over the wheel.
I
t's always an advantage to have versatility, which is probably Once the saws were assembled, we immediately noticed that
why the bandsaw enjoys a prominent place in most wood­ some appeared to be related. As it turned out, we had several pairs
working shops. It rips, resaws, crosscuts and cuts curves. And of twins, all fathered in the Republic of Taiwan. Only the Delta
when the table is tilted, it makes all kinds of angle cuts, too. Plus it bandsaw is born and bred in the United States. We did notice,
can be used to cut tenons, dovetails and various other joints. though, that even Delta has a touch of far-Eastern pedigree-its
Bandsaws commonly range in size from 8-in. benchtops to thrust bearings are made in China.
24-in. floor-mounted heavyweights. But for many small shops, the The Central Machinery and Reliant are closest to being identical;
14-in. size offers a good compromise. It has adequate size and the only differences are that the Reliant does not have a dust port,
power for most requirements, and it does and it has four speeds.
not take up a lot of space. Plus, compared We also found the General and Shop
to most of its bigger siblings, a 14-in. saw Fox saws to be pretty close to being the
is softer on the budget. same machine. The General has bigger
Almost a dozen 14-in. bandsaws are on hinges in the doors and a foam strip to
the market, with prices that vary from help seal the doors from dust. And while
about $300 to nearly $900. So the chal­ both have a 1 -hp motor, the motors are
lenge is to find the one that suits your not identical.
needs at a price that's affordable. From the stand on up, the Craftsman and
To help with the selection process, we Grizzly can also pass as twins. The main
tested nine popular 14-in. models: seven differences show up in the table and rip
with cast-iron frames and two with Euro­ fence. And even though the motors are
pean-style welded-steel frames. The cast­ both 3Ji hp, they are not the same ones. Al­
iron group included the Central Mach­ so, there are some differences in the hard­
inery 32206-1 VGA (sold by Harbor ware used on the thrust-bearing and
Freight), Craftsman 22414 (sold by Sears), guide-block systems. All of the other
Delta 28-280, Grizzly G 1019, Jet JWBS- above-the-stand parts appear to be inter­
14CS, Reliant DD90 (sold by Trendlines) changeable.
and Ridgid BS1400 (sold by The Home
Depot). The welded-steel look was provided by the General 90- Good pa rts a re a good start
100 M1 and Shop Fox G9970 (sold by Grizzly). A new 14-in. band­ A bandsaw has hundreds of parts. All of them are important, but
saw from Laguna (800-234- 1976) arrived too late to be included we spent a good deal of time looking closely at the parts we think
here. However, we plan to review it in an upcoming issue. can have the most impact on the quality of a saw. Results that can
A number of things were considered as we evaluated the saws. be quantified are listed in the chart (see p. 94).
First we checked the general quality of several important compo­
nents. After that, we installed a blade in each one to see just how Round wheels and tires run smoother-Just as an out-of­
fussy that process is and to check out how well the related controls round automobile tire creates vibration as it spins, a bandsaw
and adjustments work. And, finally, we got down to the nitty­ wheel that's not quite round is going to do the same thing. And it's
gritty, putting the blade to wood and making a series of test cuts to hard to follow a line when cutting on a shaky bandsaw. A shaky
see how well the saw could resaw stock and cut curves. wheel can have a couple of sources. The metal wheel itself can be

ALIGN M ENT 3 B LADE TENS I O N 4 TA B L E F L AT N E S S

A long straightedge helped us A tension gauge was used to measure the ten­ Using a straightedge and feeler gauge, we were able to check
find out if the wheels were in sion on the blades when the scale on the saw each of the tables for flatness.
the same plane. was set to the %-in. mark.

Photos, except where noted, Tom Begnal; facing page (bandsaw) Erika Marks TOOLS & S HOPS 2001 93
 out of round, or the tire that wraps around the wheel can be Remarkably, we were still able to get a blade to track on the Gen­
bumpy. But all of the machines fared well in this test. eral. But it took some extra fussing. And once tracked, the teeth of
the \.2-in.-wide blade were at the velY front of the tire on the bot­
Wheels should be aligned-For the blade of the bandsaw to tom wheel, while at the top wheel, the back of the blade was al­
track well, the wheels need to be in the same plane. A long most to the back of the tire.
straightedge is all that's needed to find out if that's the case. Simply
place the straightedge against the outside of the bottom wheel, Telltale tension test-To cut properly, a bandsaw blade needs
then use the blade-tracking knob to adjust the top wheel until it's the proper tension. When cutting relatively thin wood or narrow
parallel with the straightedge. Any gap between the straightedge stock, manufacturers of carbon-steel blades generally suggest a
and the upper wheel represents the amount that the wheels are blade tension of around 8,000 psi. And when ripping thick stock
misaligned in that plane. or resawing wide boards, a tension of 15,000 psi is even better.
When facing the front of the saw, if the extreme left and right We decided to find out how many pounds per square inch (psi)
edges of the top wheel don' t align with the bottom wheel, the actually get applied to a blade when the built-in tension scale on
wheels are misaligned horizontally. If the very top and bottom the saw is used as a guide to set the tension. We equipped each
edges of the wheels don't align, they are misaligned vertically. cast-iron bandsaw with an identical \.2-in.-wide blade and raised
Our test showed that the wheels on all of the saws aligned hori­ the scale to the %-in. mark to provide maximum tension. Then we
zontally. However, only the Craftsman, Grizzly, Jet and Ridgid used a tension gauge to measure the actual tension on the blade.
were dead-on vertically. Among the others, the General had the The Ridgid stood out among the cast-iron saws, showing 15,000
most misalignment by far, with the top wheel \.2 in. in front of the psi on the gauge. At 7,000 psi, the Grizzly had the lowest tension.
bottom wheel. One more point. The General and Shop Fox don't have a tension

__ ���ow they_��� _______________

WH EEL/TI RE WH EEL TENSION TA B L E
B RA N D
RUNOUT M ISALIGNM ENT AT 3/4
IN. F L AT N E S S

C E NTRAL M AC H I N ERY Upper: 0.012 in. in. psi in. (dish)

32206-1VGA Lower: 0 . 004 in. 0.185 8 , 000 0.010

Upper: 0.012 in. in. psi in. (crown)

CRAFTS MAN 22414 Lower: 0.011 in. 0.000 10,000 0 . 003

Upper: 0.015 in. in. psi in. (dish)

D E LTA 28-280 Lower: 0.011 in. 0.080 10,000 0.002

Upper: 0 . 007 in. in. psi in. (dish)

G E N ERAL 90-100 M l Lower: 0.011 in. 0.500 15,000 0.010

Upper: 0.007 in. in. psi in. (crown)

G R IZZLY G l019 Lower: 0.010 in. 0 . 000 7,000 0 . 007

Upper: 0.004 in. in. psi in. (dish)

J ET JW BS-14CS Lower: 0.006 in. 0.000 10,000 0 . 016

Upper: 0.006 in. in. psi in. (dish)

R EL I A NT 0090 Lower: 0 . 007 in. 0.040 1 1 , 000 0.015

Upper: 0.006 in. in. psi in. (dish)

R I D G I D BS 1400 Lower: 0.013 in. 0.000 15,000 0.009

Upper: 0.008 in. in. psi in. (crown)

S H O P FOX G9970 Lower: 0.012 in. 0.150 15,000 0.006

94 FI E WOODW0R K I NG
scale, so we used a tension gauge to see if they could reach 15,000
psi. Both did, with ease.

A flat table is a plus, but deflection is a minus-A well­

machined cast-iron table on a 14-in. bandsaw should be reason­
ably close to flat. If it isn't, it can be difficult to square the blade or Street price: $300
the fence to the table.
Motor: 1 hp, 9 amps
We used a dead-flat straightedge and a feeler gauge to check for
any dips or crowns. Four checks were made on each table: two R i pping capacity: 13'12 In.
across the center (front to back and side to side) and one across
Resaw capacity: 6 In.
each diagonal. All of the measurements fell within what we con­
sider acceptable limits for a bandsaw table. The Delta was the flat­ Table size: 13% in. square
test, showing a dish of only 0.002 in. The Craftsman also did well
Measured table tilt: 16° left, 52°right
in this test, with a crown of only 0.003 in.
The table and trunnion on a bandsaw should be sU'ong enough Rip fence included: Yes

Riser-block option: Yes

This is the lowest-priced saw of the

bunch and a near twin to the Reliant.
The saw mustered only 8 ,000 psi in
the tension test, but it produced
acceptable resaw and curve cuts.
When resawing, the motor bogged
down when the stock was pushed too
fast, a problem corrected by slowing
the feed rate. The fence doesn't
adjust for blade drift; the table insert
Hinged wheel covers open is flimsy plastic. Yet, if price is a big
like a door, making it issue, and you're only an occasional
easy to access the bandsaw user, it's worth considering.
wheels. Covers held in
place by threaded knobs
are inconvenient.

to support a heavy
workpiece without any
serious deflection. The
Delta has by far the Street price: $500
biggest trunnion and the only one made of cast iron. All of the oth­
Motor: 1'12 hp (max. developed), 10 a m ps
er saws in the bunch have a trunnion made of cast aluminum.
Ripping capacity: 13'12 i n .
Blade installation: blue sky or the blues
Resaw capacity: 6% i n .
The dictionary definition of the word fussy could very easily read,
"the start-to-finish process of installing a bandsaw blade." After all, Table size: 1 4 in. square
there's no shortage of steps when it comes to mounting the blade.
Measured table tilt: 16° left, 52° right
And most of those steps require careful adjustments.
We wanted to find out if any saws make the process faster or eas­ Rip fence incl uded: No
ier, which would be a big plus for anyone who changes blades
Riser-block optio n : No
regularly for different kinds of cuts. So to get a sense of the effort
required, we removed the factory-supplied blade from each saw This saw is a close cousin to the
and replaced it with a new Y.!-in.-wide blade. Then we tensioned Grizzly, but it sells for almost
60% more. In the tension test,
the blade and adjusted all of the thrust bearings and guide blocks.
the Craftsman yielded 10,000
pSi, slightly under the average
Wheel cove rs- Most of these saws have hinged wheel covers that of 11,225 psi. All of the test
simply swing open when you pull on them. But the covers on the cuts were acceptable, but
when resawing, the motor
Central Machinery and Reliant saws aren't hinged. Instead, they bogged down when stock was
are held in place with a pair of knobs that screw onto threaded fed too fast. Its resaw
studs. The hinged covers are clearly more convenient. capacity measured 6% in.,
best among all of the cast­
iron saws. The fence can't
Tension knobs-All of the bandsaws have some sort of knob be adjusted for drift.
that's turned to add or remove blade tension. On most of the saws,

Photos, this page (top and borrom right): Erika Marks TOO L5 & 5 H O P5 2001 95
 Street price: $850 Street price: $540

Motor: 1 hp, 9.6 amps Motor: 1 h p, 11 a m ps

Ripping capacity: 13"'" i n . R i pping capacity: 13"'" i n .

Resaw capacity: 63", i n . Resaw capacity: 73ft, i n .

�!!!!!!!I!! Table size: 14 i n . square

Measured table tilt: 9 ° left,

Table size: 133/. in. square

Measured table tilt: 10° left,

50° right 50° right

Rip fence included: N o Rip fence included: Yes

Riser-block option: Yes Riser-block opti on: No

The Delta is a saw built for everyday use and the The General is a twin of the Shop Fox.
standard by which all other 14-in. bandsaws are The 15,000 psi of tension it applied to
measured. In one form or another, all of the the blade was matched only by its
cast-iron saws in this review are clones of this twin (neither has a built-in tension
one. Several important parts, including the gauge). It tied for the highest resaw
frame, wheels, trunnion and table, are the capacity. Test cuts were acceptable
beefiest of the bunch. The fence is our favorite. but required a slightly slower feed rate
The test cut? were acceptable, with the motor when resawing. It has a decent fence,
showing less tendency to bog down when but blade-drift adjustment is limited.
resawing. But it had a below-average score on Vertical alignment of the wheels was
the tension test. And it carries, by far, the poor, and the guide bar and attached
highest price tag. thrust-bearing deflected easily when
pushed front to back.

the knob extends above the top of the saw, making it easier to ful­ of a delicate touch. The push-pull versions are less desirable d1an
ly grab and turn. The knobs on the Central Machinery, Grizzly and d1e micro-adjust mechanisms.
Reliant are harder to use because they're positioned below the top.
The General and Shop Fox have big, easy-to-grab knobs that are Upper and lower guide blocks-To prevent the blade from
by far the easiest to work with. twisting, particularly during curved cuts, a bandsaw incorporates
two pairs of guide blocks-one mounted above the table and d1e
Upper and lower t hrust bearings-During a cut, a pair of thrust other below. Each pair sandwiches the blade. The guide blocks
bearings-one above the table and one below-support the back should be positioned a few thousandths of an inch away from the
of the blade, helping to counteract any front-to-back deflection. blade. And to prevent the blocks from damaging the blade, they
When properly adjusted, the bearings are positioned so that
there's a gap of a few thousandths of an inch between
need to be positioned \32
in. or so behind the gullets of d1e teed1.

the bearings and the back of the blade. Each bearing

mounts to the end of a horizontal sleeve. This sleeve Tension knobs
moves front to back, allowing the gap to be adjusted.
And once it's set just right, the sleeve is secured in
place with a locking screw.
Four of the saws; the Ridgid, ]et, Delta and Craftsman,
use a threaded metal-knob arrangement to move the
sleeve. To direct the sleeve in or out, simply turn the
knob. The manufacturers like to refer to this knob
arrangement as a micro-adjust system, and while that
might be a loose interpretation of what it does, they all
prove helpful to some degree.
A tension knob that extends
The Central Machinery, General, Grizzly, Reliant and
above the saw (left) is easier
Shop Fox machines don't provide a mechanism to ad­
to grip than a knob that
just d1e sleeve. Instead, you push or pull on d1e end of doesn't (above). A small point,
the sleeve as needed to create the gap. It's easier to do perhaps, but one your knuckles
than you might d1ink, although it does take somewhat will appreciate.

96 F I N E \XI 0 0 0\XI 0R KJNG

 Street price: $315

Motor: 'A h p , 12 a m ps

Ripping capacity: 13% I n .

Some thrust bearings Resaw capacity: 61A1 ln.

and guide blocks are
Table size: 14 1/. I n . square
adjusted by pushing or
pulling a sleeve Measured table tilt: 160 left,
(above). We preferred 520 right
the micro-adjust sys­
tems (right). Rip fence included: Yes

Riser-block option: Yes

The guide blocks mount to a support bracket that can slide front
to back, allowing the guide blocks to be positioned relative to the The Grizzly is a close cousin of the
blade. Again, the Ridgid, Jet, Delta and Craftsman use a micro­ moderately priced Craftsman, yet it
adjust system. And all of the locking hardware is the same.
sells for only a few bucks more than
the low-cost Central Machinery.
The guide-block screws seem like the perfect place to incorpo­ Wheels aligned perfectly. And
rate the convenience of a thumbscrew head, but several of these although the blade-tension maxed
saws use an Allen head. Only the Cenu'al Machinery, Jet, Reliant,
out at 7,000 pSi, the lowest value,
the saw cut acceptably in the
Ridgid and Shop Fox make things i little easier with a thumbscrew. cutting test. When resawing,
The Delta incorporates a unique system designed to elevate tlle however, the motor quickly bogged
position of the lower guide blocks so that they're closer to tlle un­
down when stock was fed too fast.
The fence can't be adjusted for
derside of the table. Having the lower guide blocks closer to the blade drift.
upper guide blocks gives the blade better support. That should be
helpful when cutting curves, which tend to twist the blade. But be­
cause the guide blocks on the underside of the table are angled, it
becomes an extrafussy job to set them.

Blade-changing champ-All things considered, when it came to

tlle ease of changing a blade, we gave the Jet and Ridgid saws the
Street price: $580
best scores. The wheel covers are hinged. They have micro-adjust
systems both above and below the table. And all of the locking Motor: 1 hp, 10 a m ps
screws are thumbscrews, so there's no need to find and fiddle with
Ripping capacity: 131h I n .
Allen or adjustable wrenches. And a wing nut makes it easy to lock
tlle blade-u'acking knob in place. Resaw capacity: 6 I n .

Table size: 151A1 ln. square

Factor in the fences
If you plan to do heavy ripping or resawing, a good, sturdy fence Measured table tilt: 140 left,
is going to make things easier. But a fence is not a standard acces­ 500 right

sory on all saws. Check tlle individual specs to find out if a fence Rip fence Included: No
comes witll your saw or if it must be bought separately.
Our favorite fence among this group turned out to be Delta's. Riser-block option: Yes

The fence locked securely, thanks in part to a large tllreaded knob.

The Jet, along with the Ridgid, ranked
Stock can be run off both faces. But we liked it because it was tlle first in blade-changing ease. Its fit
only fence that offered plenty of adjustment for blade drift-tlle and finish were second only to the
tendency for a bandsaw blade to wander off a straight line. Delt a. The wheels aligned perfectly.
And the fence would have been an
easy favorite had it allowed for more
How do they cut? blade-drift adjustment. It cut
Once we had a new blade installed in each saw, we were ready to acceptably during the cutting test.
do some test cuts. The test was divided into two parts: resawing
During the resaw test, when
compared to all but the Delta, the Jet
and curve cutting. motor had less of a tendency to bog
down. Also, it's beefier than any saws
Resawing-To level tlle field, we put identical blades in each saw
i n the test, except for the Delta.
CPromaster I, a O.025-in.-thick, Yz-in.-wide, 3-tpi, hook-tooth, car-

n i hl :
Pharos. facing page (lOp righl and left) and this page (lop a d bollom r g ) Erika M,"ks TO O L5 & 5 H O P5 2001 97
 Street price: $350 Street price: $500

Motor: 1 hp, 9 a m ps Motor: 3� hp, 10 a m ps

Ripping capacity: 13'1.. in. Ripping capacity: 13'1.. i n .

Resaw capacity: 513A. in. Resaw capacity: 51%. i n .

Table size: 133� i n . square Table size: 1 4 i n . square

Measured table tilt: 16° left, Measured table tilt: 16° left,
52° right 50° right

R i p fence included: No R i p fence included: No

Riser-block option: Yes Riser-block option: Yes

One of the lowest-priced saws and a near All things considered, this saw
twin to the Central Machinery, the Reliant was the best value of the ••
is the only saw in the test with four bunch. It tied with the Jet for
speeds, a plus for metal cutting. It made the highest marks when it
acceptable resaw and curve cuts. But came to ease of blade
while resawing, the motor quickly bogged changing. The wheels aligned
down when the stock was pushed too perfectly. It was the only cast­
fast, a problem corrected by slowing the iron saw that could be ten­
feed rate slightly. The fence doesn't
adjust for blade drift; the table insert is a
piece of flimsy plastic. There's no dust
port. Yet, if price is a big consideration,
sioned to 15,000 psi, and the
fit and finish almost matched
that of the Delta and Jet. It
made acceptable cuts and has
•.
and you're only an occasional bandsaw a decent fence, but blade-drift
user, the Reliant is worth considering. adjustment is limited.

bon-steel blade made by Lennox). Each blade was tensioned to motor. However, the Central Machinery and the Reliant saws tend­
7,000 psi, which is the maximum tension of the Grizzly. ed to stall without warning me instant we pushed too fast.
Because we wanted to focus only on the cutting capabilities of Some saws offer a riser block as an option. This block installs be­
the saws, we set aside the factory-made rip fences and used our tween the end of the post and the lower body of the saw, effec­
own shop made fence for all of the cuts. Our cutting blanks were tively adding about 6 in. of resaw capacity.
36-in. lengths of 1 Y.!-in.-thick by 6-in.-wide soft maple.
Before cutting, we made sure the blade and fence were square to Cutting curves-To test the curve-cutting capabilities of each
the table. Then we adjusted the fence to account for blade drift. saw, we switched to a narrower blade. Again, to level the playing
The fence was positioned to make a \!.i-in.-wide cut. And the upper field, we installed new, identical blades in tlle saws (promaster I,
guide blocks were set \1l in. above the top edge of the blank. 0.025-in.-thick, 31I6-in.-wide, lO-tpi carbon-steel blades made by
We had several things to consider. We looked at how quickly we Lennox). Then each blade was tensioned to 7,000 psi. The cutting
could feed the stock before the motor bogged down. And after the blanks were 6-in. squares of 1 \!.i-in.-thick soft maple.
board was cut, we checked the resawn piece to find out if the top We cut two tight serpentine curves across each blank: one paral-
and bottom edges maintained the \!.i-in. thickness from one end to
the other. We also looked at the general smoothness of cut.
We were pleasantly surprised to see how well each of the saws
performed. Every cut was reasonably smooth, requiring only a
Fences
light pass Witll a thickness planer to clean up the blade marks. The Our favorite rip
fence was on the
top and bottom edges held me \!.i-in. tluckness from one end to the
Delta saw, the only
otller. And there wasn't any evidence of a bowed cut that some­
one that allowed
times results when resawing a board. plenty of adjust­
The main differences were related to feed rate, but even mose ment for blade drift.
were reasonably close. The Delta cut slightly faster than me Otll­ The fence is sold
ers, roughly 30 in. per minute, or about Y.! in. per second. The oth­ as an accessory
er saws tended to be a little slower, closer to 20 in. per nunute. for $100.
When we fed the blank too quickly, most of the saws tended to
slow for a few moments before bogging down completely. Those
moments gave us time to slow the feed rate to avoid stalling the

98 F J ' E WOODWO R K I N G
leI to the grain and one across the grain. Then we cut a disc to
1 \.2 in. dia., about the smallest cutting diameter recommended for
the blade. We also looked at the general smoothness of cut.
When the tests were completed, we were once again surprised at
how well all of the saws performed. All of them handled the cuts Street price: $ 550
with little effort. And none showed any inclination to bog down.
Motor: 1 hp, 15 a m ps

Picks of the litter Rip ping capacity: 133,4 in.

Selecting the "best" tool in this review was not a black-and-white
decision. When all of these saws were properly set up with a sharp
Resaw capacity: 7%. in.

blade, they handled the resaw and curve-cutting tests without se­ Table size: 133,4 in. square
rious problems. So before we could choose any favorites, we had
Measured table tilt: 10° left,
to look at additional things, such as cost, quality of pans and ease 50° right
of blade changing. Once those factors were added to the decision­
Rip fence included: Yes
making equation, the choices became clearer.
At around $300 each, the Central Machinery and Reliant are the Riser-block option: N o
lowest-priced saws in the group-roughly a third less than the av­
erage price of $496. If your budget is tight, and you expect to run
The Shop Fox is a twin of the
General. The 15,000 psi of tension it
a bandsaw for only a few hours each year, these saws are worth applied to the blade was matched
only by its twin (although neither has L ----�
a built-in tension gauge). It tied for
the highest resaw capacity. Test cuts
were acceptable but required a
Resawing slightly slower feed rate when
resawing. It has a decent fence, but
Using 6-in.-wide
blade-drift adjustment is limited. The
hardwood guide bar and attached thrust
blanks, each bearing deflected easily when
saw was given a pushed front to back, which could
resaw test. cause the blade to twist.

When it came to blade changing, the Jet JWBS-14CS was a half

step ahead of the Craftsman and Grizzly. Plus, it has a I -hp motor.
We were able to resaw slightly faster than we could with the other
3A-hp models. And it had a better fit and finish than most of the oth­
er cast-iron models. But at $580, it's about 16% above the average
price in this group and more than 80% higher tllan the Grizzly. A
considering. But compared to the other saws tested, the Central little extra speed and convenience come at a price.
Machinery and Reliant required more time to change a blade. In
tile resaw test, we had to feed the stock a bit slower to keep these
The Jet ]\VB S-140S (not shown) is the same as me ]\VB
S-14CS,
except it has an open stand and a smaller motor (% hp, 8 amp). The
saws from bogging down. And as soon as the stock was fed too ]WBS-140S sells for around $530.
hard, they tended to stall without warning. The Ridgid saw got the highest marks when it came to changing
The two welded-steel saws, the General and Shop Fox, were un­ blades, and it allowed us to tension the blade to 15,000 psi. The
matched when it came to applying blade tension. We were able to wheels aligned dead on. And the fit and finish almost matched that
apply 15,000 psi to the \.2-in.-wide blade with tension to spare. And of tile Jet. Plus it comes with a lifetime guarantee. At $500, this ma­
the big handle made it easy to crank up the tension, although chine is a good value.
there's no built-in tensioning scale to help you. The wheels on tile The Delta 28-280 was clearly tile beefiest saw we tested. And we
General were a full \.2 in. out of alignment, by far tile most, and tllat rated the general fit and finish as excellent. It's the only one with a
made blade u'acking a challenge. The feed rate on tllese saws was cast-iron trurullon. The wheels have nine spokes, more than all of
slightly slower. At $550, tlley're about 10% above the average price the otller saws. The lower wheel bearings are bigger by far than
of all of the saws in tillS review. any other. This saw cut slightly faster man the rest and didn't bog
As mentioned earlier, above tile stand, the Craftsman and Grizzly down as easily. Anyone plaru1ing to use a bandsaw almost every
saws are similar. The Craftsman stand is open, and the Grizzly day should give tillS one a good look.
stand is closed. Both models have %-hp motors. The Craftsman did If the hefty price tag of the Delta 28-280 is a budget-buster, take
better on the tension test ( 10,000 psi vs. 7,000 psi for tile Grizzly), a look at its model 28-275 (not shown). For $600, me 28-275 gets
but we couldn't relate that to differences in the two designs. Both you the same saw as the 28-280, except for an open stand and a
of these saws had perfect wheel alignment. But the Craftsman sells smaller motor (% hp, 9 amp). Unless you're resawing wide stock
for $500; the Grizzly sells for $315. So as we see it, choosing be­
tween the two is a no-brainer-me Grizzly gets you pretty much
every day, we think tile 28-275 is the best value of the two. 0
the same saw as the Craftsman for about 35% less. Tom 8egna/ is an associate editor. John White is a contributing editor.

Photos, facing page (top left and right) and this page (right), Erika Marks TOOLS & SHOPS 2001 99
 Current Work provides design inspiration by showcasing the work of our readers. For our first annual
Tools & Shops issue, we asked readers to submit their most accomplished handmade tools. For more
details and an entry form, visit our web site: finewoodworking.com. Send photos and entry forms to
Current Work, Fine Woodworking, 63 S. Main St., Newtown, CT 06470.

� Stephen M. Thomas E l m i ra , N .Y.

Thomas, a plane enthusiast, made this round­

sided infill smoothing plane (272 in. wide by
9 in. long by 7 in. h igh) out of cocobolo, brass
and stainless-steel fittings. The plane also fea­
tures gunmetal sides, a ductile-iron sole and a n
A 2 steel blade. "The loop-a nd-pin joint i s a vi-
sual pun on the similar joinery used in late
19th-century production-drawer joints," said
Thomas. The plane has an oil and

Louis Yelgin Merrimack, N . H . ......

Yelgin crafted these three planes over a two-year period. The
chisel plane in the middle ( 1% in. wide by 672 in. long by 272 in.
high) is constructed of Queensland ironwood, brass and steel .
T h e English t h u m b p l a n e on t h e left (1% in. wide b y 5 ?1i i n . long
by 272 in. h igh) and the English shoulder plane on the right
( 1% in. wide by 8 in. long by 23/.1 in. high) are both made from Dan Beyer Seattle , Wash . ....
rosewood, bronze and steel. All three planes have a buff finish Beyer made this toolbox (15 in . deep by
on the metal and a n oil finish on 36 in. wide by 18 in. tall) as one of h is
the wood. final projects for a course he took at
Seattle Central Comm u n ity Col lege's
Wood Construction Center. Though the
entire piece is built out of 35 species of
tropical woods from Africa, Asia and
South America, the box itself was con­
structed of jatoba plywood. The inside of
the lid is Japa nese ash, and zebrawood
was used extensively for the corner
posts and tool holders. Burl edge-band­
ing and a combination of hand-crafted
and commercial in lay provide additional
decorative elements. It was hand­
finished using four coats of Sam
Ma loof's Poly/Oil recipe.

100 F I N E \XI 0 0 D \XI 0 R K I N G

 Jamie Yagee West J o rd a n , Uta h

After reading Sa ndor Nagyszalanczy's The Art of Fine Tools (The

Ta unton Press, 1998), Yagee was inspired to create a tool with
an artistic and sculptural emphasis. Made entirely with hand
tools, this bowsaw (1'A in. thick by 16 i n . long by 10 i n . high) is
made of curly maple and walnut, and the finish is a hand­
rubbed tung oil.

Brandon Pierce st. Jose p h , M i c h .

Pierce, a just-turned professional wood­
�
worker, built this workbench (25 in . deep
by 95 in. wide by 35 in. tall) as his third
woodworking project. Made of purple­
heart, it weighs 450 Ibs., and "it does not
move, even under aggressive plani ng:
Working sporadically, it took Pierce a p­
proximately three years to complete. The
bench has a Watco oil and wax finish.

� Paul Hamler Snellvi l le , Ga.

Ham ler e m barked on a major undertaking i n 1999 when he made five full-scale re­
productions of the John Mosely plow plane. The origi nal is a one-of-a-kind plane,
which is thought to have been built for the Paris 1855 World's Fair. The plane's his­
tory is unique because it was lost for many years, rediscovered in 1980 hidden in a
workbench of an English tool company and then stolen a few years later. To date,
the Mosely plow plane has not been recovered. This reproduction (8'h in. wide by
8'h in. long by 4'h in. high), dupl icated from photographs al one, is made of pre-ban
ivory and sterling silver and decorated with scrimshaw.

TOOLS S H O P S
& 2001 101
 -,
� Wayne Anderson
Elk River, M i n n .
Having made a few tools-saw a n d
ch isel handles mostly-one d a y An­
derson read about B i l l Carter, a
British plane maker, and it occurred
to h i m that he should try ma king a
hand plane. This m iter plane ( 1'h in .
w i de by 6 i n. l o ng b y 2 i n . hig h) is
constructed of wal nut burl, brass and
steel. It took Anderson a pproximately
30 hours to com plete.

Matt Morian Jasper, Texas

A woodworker and antiq ue-tool
collector, Morian, after viewing
many antique gauges, set out to
build this panel gauge. Made of
curly maple with pink ivory
knobs, the gauge (9 in. wide by
28 in. long by 3 in. high) fea­
tu res a scratch pOint that can
also be threaded under the
headstock to form an adjustable
bea m compass. It has a lacquer
and wax finish.

Chris Gochnour Salt Lake City, Uta h ".

Gochnour, a devoted user of hand pla nes of a l l types and author of

"Low-Angle Block Planes" (pp. 40-47), ma kes many of h i s own
James S. Leamy .....
pla nes because finding antique ones can prove challenging. Bu i lt to
East E a r l , Pa .
h is own specifications based on an 18th-century origi nal, this panel­
raising plane (2'h in. wide by 14 in. long by 5 in. high) is constructed An avid col lector and student of antique
of cherry, l ign u m vitae and steel . The plane has a padded planes for the last 20 years, Leamy started
shellac finish. to make wooden planes based on originals
that he could never afford or find. This
rosewood double-bevel plane ( 7 in. wide by
13 i n. long by 6 in. high) is an exact repro­
duction of a rare plane made by Marcus B.
Tidey in 1854. Secondary materials used
i n the plane's construction i nclude ivory,
brass and steel . The finish is varnish.

102 F I N E WOODWO R K I N G
 � Brian Buckner
Tal l a h assee, Fla .
Buckner enjoys not
only making furniture Robert A. Schultz T
but also building a Appleton , Wis.
wide range of hand
Based loosely on plans by Stephen
tools. This pair of
Thomas and rough castings from the St.
bowsaws is based
Ja mes Bay Tool Co., Schu ltz teamed up
on an Eng­
with his brother John, a machinist, to
lish design.
m a ke a pair of infi l l smoothing planes
The larger
with adjustable throat and differential
saw e,-8 in. thick by
screw blade adjustment, which would
28 in. long by 18 i n .
equal o r the surpass the Norris. Their
high) is m a d e o f curly
planes (27,-8 in. wide by 9% in. long by
maple with pear knobs, toggle and stretcher. The smaller version
63;2 in. high) have silicon bronze bodies
e,-8 in. thick by 16 in. long by 11 in. high), which uses standard
and use iron, steel and brass fittings, as
coping-saw blades, is made of kingwood with oak burl knobs. Both
wel l as maple burl and cocobolo. The
saws were finished with shellac.
wood h andles and infills were finished

� Ed Gladney San Diego, Calif.

Gladney made this tool tote and four hand planes for several
classes he was attending at Palomar Col lege. The tote
(10 in. wide by 24 in. long by 18 in. high) is made of cherry
and maple and features a pul l-out d rawer. The cocobolo
jointer plane is 26 in. long with a homemade 23,-8-in.-wide
blade and c h i p iron. The side rabbet plane has a 1-in.-wide
cherry body, with a %-in.-thick coco bolo sole. The jack plane
is made of coco bolo and has a 2-in.-wide Hock blade.
The small smoothing plane is made of cherry and
has a cocobolo sole. All four planes and the tote
were finished with oil and wax.
Photo by Archie Breeden

T O OLS & S H O P S 2 0 0 1 103