ShopNotes a Heavy-Duty Lathe Stand □ Cutting Perfect Miters □ Router Table Indexing Jig □ Layout Techniques EDITOR’S NOTE EDITOR Donald B. Peschke EXECUTIVE EDITOR Douglas L. Hicks MANAGING EDITOR Terry J. Strohman ASSOCIATE EDITOR Richard S. Peters ASSISTANT EDITOR Tim Robertson CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Philip A. Totten CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ted Kralicek ART DIRECTOR Cary Christensen SENIOR ILLUSTRATOR Kurt Schultz ILLUSTRATORS Will Niskanen Roger Reiland Mark Higdon PHOTOGRAPHER Crayola England DESIGN DIRECTOR Ken Munkel SENIOR DESIGNER Jan Hale Svec DESIGNER Kent Welsh SHOP MANAGER Steve Curtis CIRCULATION Circulation Director: Liz Bredeson •Subscription Manager: Phyllis Jessen ■ Circulation Analyst: Rod Cain ■ Neivsstand Sales: Kent A. Buckton PUBLISHING SERVICES Associate Editor: Gordon C. Gaippe ■ Sr. Graphic Designer: Robert H. Whitmer CORPORATE SERVICES Controller: Paul E. Gray ■ Accounting : Laura Thomas ■ Bookkeeping: Julianne Spears ■ Info. Services Manager: Joyce Moore ■ Electronic Pub. Coordinator: Douglas M. Lidster ■ Administra- tive Assts.: Cheryl Scott, Julia Fish ■ Reception- ist: Jeanne Johnson ■ Bldg. Maint: Ken Griffith PROJECT SUPPLIES Marketing Director: Robert Murry "Catalog Art Director: Cindy Jackson ■ Catalog Products Manager: Bob Baker ■ Project Supplies: Linda Jones ■ Technical Support: Jeff Janes •Systems Operator: Linda Morrow ■ Receptionist: Keri Lee CUSTOMER SERVICE Manager: Valerie Wiese ■ Supervisor: Jennie Enos ■ Customer Service Representatives: Jen- nifer Murphy, Joy Johnson, Sara Kono, Ami Blanshan, Anna Cox, Chris Lo SHIPPING DEPARTMENT Supervisor: Jerry Carson ■ Fulfillment : Gloria Sheehan, Don McVey, Chuck Carlson, Sylvia Carey ShopNotes® (ISSN 1062-9696) is published bimonthly (Jan., March, May, July, Sept., Nov.) by Woodsmith Cor- poration, 2200 Grand Ave., Des Moines, I A 50312. ShopN otes ® Is a registered trademark of Woodsmith Corp. ©Copyright 1993 by Woodsmith Corporation. All rights reserved. Subscriptions: Single Copy, $4.95. One year subscription (6 issues), $19.95. Tvvo years (12 issues), $35.95. Can- ada/Foreign, add $4.00 per year. Second Class Postage Paid at Des Moines, I A and at ad- ditional offices. Postmaster: Send change of address to ShopNotes, Box 1 1204, Des Moines, IA 50340-1204 Subscription Questions? Call 1-800-333-5854, Sam to 5pm, Central Time, weekdays. PRINTED IN U.S.A. I ’m often asked, “Isn’t it difficult to come up with new project ideas?” The answer is no — coming up with ideas is easy. The tricky part is working out the details. The job of working out these details falls on the shoulders of the ShopNotes Design Department (Ken Munkel, Jan Svec, and Kent Welsh). Sometimes everything about a pro- ject falls into place and there are very few problems. But more often, design- ing projects takes lots of hard work and a fair amount of hair pulling. In fact, Ken Munkel (our Design Director) has almost run out of hair to pull. LATHE STAND. The Lathe Stand on page 16 is a good example of a project that went together smoothly. The idea was to build a sturdy stand that would absorb the vibration of a bench-top lathe. Within a few days we had ironed out the details and were ready to start building the stand. The secret to absorbing the vibration of the lathe was to make the stand as heavy as possible. So we made the top and the legs from heavy “slabs” of par- ticleboard and Masonite. Then, to prevent the stand from racking from side to side, we needed to “tie” the legs together. We were also worried that the stand would be top- heavy once the lathe was mounted. Here again the solution was simple. We connected the legs with a hollow beam. This prevents the stand from racking. And filling the beam with sand adds weight and keeps the stand from being top-heavy. Like I said before, designing and building the Lathe Stand went rather smoothly. However it was a different story for the Indexing Jig on page 4. INDEXING JIG. The idea for this jig came about while I was routing a series of grooves in a workpiece. After each pass I had to readjust the fence and “tweak” it into position. What I needed was a jig that would allow me to posi- tion the fence on a router table in pre- cise increments. But I also wanted some sort of micro-adjuster so I could “fine-tune” the fence. Doesn’t sound too complicated, right? Well, talking about a jig is one thing — getting it to work is altogether different. Designing the Indexing Jig was like knocking down a row of dominoes. The solution to one problem created an- other problem later on. For instance, to “index” the fence in precise increments, we used a threaded rod and a coupling nut. But then we needed a way to “lock” these parts to- gether and still be able to position them quickly. The solution was a spring- loaded hold-down. But this caused an- other problem. And so on. . . The good news is that the Indexing Jig turned out even better than I had hoped. In fact, several people here have already started building this jig for their router table at home. DRILL BIT CASE. Another project that’s real popular around here is the Drill Bit Case, see page 10. The unusual thing is the Drill Bit Case didn’t start out as a project for the magazine. I made it for myself. A few days later, I noticed several versions of the Drill Bit Case had ap- peared in the shop. That’s when I de- cided to feature it in this issue. HELP WANTED. We’re looking for a full-time editor to join our staff here in Des Moines. Candidates should have a first-hand knowledge of woodworking, and a background in writing and com- municating ideas. If you’re interested, write us a letter explaining what you’ve been doing in the areas of woodworking and writing. Send your letter to Doug Hicks, Ex- ecutive Editor, 2200 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312. He’ll get back to you. 2 ShopNotes No. 10 ISSUE NUMBER TEN Contents Indexing Jig This jig for your router table lets you quickly and accu- rately position the fence. The fence can be moved in precise Vie" increments or fine-tuned for an exact cut. Indexing Jig page A Prill Pit Case 10 Protect and organize your twist drill bits with this simple case made from wood salvaged from the scrap bin. Perfect Miters 12 All it takes to cut perfect miters on the table saw is a few basic adjustments and our simple cutting sequence. Drill Bit Case page 10 Lathe Stand 16 A heavy bench with a unique sand-filled beam virtually eliminates lathe vibration. Two drawers keep lathe acces- sories handy. There’s even plans for an optional tool rack. Layout fechnic^ues 22 Practical tips and techniques to increase accuracy and simplify measuring and layout. Sanding Products 26 A look at new sanding products. New types of abra- sives. New sanding belts. Even “metal sandpaper. ” Shop Solutions 28 Six Shop-Tested Tips: Pipe Clamp Edge Vise, Supports for Cutting Plywood, Auxiliary Band Saw/ Fence, a Tip for Rust Removal, Glue Brush Tip, and a Shop-Made Cord Tie. Full-Extension Drawer Slides 30 Adding a pair of full-extension slides is an easy way to increase the usable space of a drawer, tray, or shelf. Sources 31 Hardware, project supplies, and mail order sources for the projects in this issue. Lathe Stand page 16 Layout Techniques page 22 ShopNotes 3 No. 10 Indexing Jig This shop-made jig eliminates the guesswork when adjusting your router table fence for exact cuts. A ccuracy. That's the idea be- hind this micro-adjustable Indexing Jig. It lets you quickly and accurately position the fence on your router table, see photo. The indexing feature allows you to move the fence in exact Vie" increments and always come back to the same setting. This makes it easy to accurately locate grooves and rabbets. The micro-adjustable feature virtually eliminates guesswork. No more time spent tapping one end of your fence to “sneak up" on a cut. Now you can “dial in" the fence to the perfect setting. Note: This jig requires 10" to I8V2" of space from the center of the bit to the back of the table top. CONSTRUCTION The indexing jig consists of two basic parts: a base that mounts to your router table, and a sliding platform that attaches to your fence, refer to Exploded View. GROOVES. To allow the plat- form to slide on the base without twisting, grooves are cut in both pieces for two V4"-thick Masonite guide strips, refer to Fig. 2. To make sure the grooves align in both pieces, start with an ex- tra-long blank (10" x 25") and cut the grooves first, see Fig. 1. Then trim the base (A) and sliding platform (B) to their fin- ished lengths, see Fig. 1. Note: A cut-out in one end of the sliding platform provides clearance for a dust hood, see Fig. 2. threaded rod. The next step is to cut a centered groove in the base and sliding platform for a threaded rod and a coupling nut that form the indexing system (these parts are added later), see Fig. 2. The width of each groove is the same ( 5 /s"). But their depths are different, see Fig. 2a. GUIDE STRIPS. Finally, two 3 /4 n - tall (wide) Masonite guide strips ( C) are cut to match the length of the base (10") and then glued in the base, see Fig. 2. 4 ShopNotes No. 10 JIGS & ACCESSORIES Materials & Hardware Materials A 3ase (1) 10x10 - 3 /4 plywood 3 Sliding Platform (1) 10 x 13/2 - 3 /4 plywood C Guide Strips (2) 3 /4x10 - V 4 Masonite D Stops (2) 5 /e> xV2 - 1 E Pule Holder (1) %■ x IV 4 - 10 F Cleat (1) 3 /4 x 3/4-10 Hardware • (14) #10 x 3/4" Panhead Screws • (2) IV 2 " x 1 / 2 " - V&" Aluminum Angle 2V2"-long • (1 ) IV 2 " x IV 2 " - V&" Aluminum Angle 10 n -long • (1) 5 /l6"-13 x 2” Rh Machine Screw • (1) V2 u x lVi6" Compression Spring • (1) 5 /w" x 1 3 /3 n Fender Washer • (1) 5 /w"-13 Threaded Insert • (1) lV4 u -dia. Wood Knob • (1) Knob Screw • (1) 3/&"-16 Coupling Nut (1 3 /4 tL long) • (1) 3/ 3 u -16 x 11" Threaded Rod • (3) 3/3 n -16 Lock Nuts w/Nylon Inserts • (1) Plastic Knob w/ 3 /3"-16 Through Insert • (2) 5 /l6"-13 x lV4 u Carriage 3olts • (2) Plastic Knobs w/3/i6 n -13 Through Inserts • (3) #3 x 1 / 2 " Fh Woodscrews • (3) 3/ 16 " Flat Washers • (1) Round Magnetic Catch • (1) 2“ x 2 U - Vs" Plexiglas No. 10 ShopNotes 5 JIGS & ACCESSORIES The heart of the in- dexing jig is a split coupling nut that engages the threads of a rod. Indexing System After installing the guide strips, the next step is to add the index- ing system. There are two main parts to this: a threaded rod and a split coupling nut. These two parts interlock to create a simple but accurate “rack” that can be moved in precise Vi6" increments, see Drawing at left. THREADED ROD. The threaded rod sits in the groove you cut ear- lier in the base (A). A pair of stops (D) and lock nuts will be added later to “capture” this rod, see Fig. 3a. To provide clearance for the lock nuts, shallow “pockets” are drilled near each end of the base, see Fig. 4. After the pockets are drilled, cut a piece of 3 /8 n -16 threaded rod to a length of 11". To make it easy to turn the rod by hand, I added a plastic knob (you could also use a wing nut) and a lock nut to one end, refer to Fig. 3. Then, thread on the lock nuts so they're posi- tioned over the pockets in the base. STOPS. To hold the rod in place, I used a pair of stops ( D), see Fig. 5. They're basically small “sad- dles” that fit over the rod. Safety Note: To cut the grooves in such small pails, I started with an oversize blank, see Fig. 5. Begin by resawing or planing the blank to match the width of the groove in the base ( 5 /8 n ), see Fig. 5. Then cut a 3 /8" x 3 /8 n groove centered on the thickness of the blank, see Fig. 6. Then make passes flipping the workpiece end for end between cuts. Adjust the fence as needed to produce a 3 /8"-wide groove. N ow all that's left is to rip a - wide (tall) strip off the blank and Finally, slip the stops (D) over the rod and glue them to the base flush with the ends, refer to Fig. 3a. When the glue is dry, adjust the nuts to butt up against the stops. The idea here is to tighten them so they hold the rod in place, yet still allow it to turn freely. FLIP PLANK I BETWEEN PASSE6 TO “ CENTER GROOVE; 6 ShopNotes No. 10 JIGS & ACCESSORIES COUPLING NUT. Now you can add the second half of the index- ing system — the split coupling nut. It fits in the groove cut in the sliding platform and engages the threads of the rod, see Fig. 7. As the rod is turned, it moves the platform (and the router table fence) back and forth. To “split” the nut and expose the threads, you'll need to cut it to one side of the center line, see Figs. 8 and 8a. The idea here is to end up with two “flats” on each side of the nut. These flats press up against the walls of the groove in the sliding platform to lock the nut in the groove, refer to Fig. 7b. Note: To split the nut without binding on the saw blade, cut half- way through, see Fig. 8. Then flip the nut and finish the cut. Next, file the rough edges smooth so when the nut sits in the groove, the cut edges are flush with the face of the sliding plat- form. Then epoxy it in place in the sliding platform, refer to Fig. 7a. HOLD-DOWN. The indexing sys- tem is basically complete at this point. All that's left is to add a hold-down to "lock” the sliding platform in position, see Fig. 9. To do this, I used a spring that fits over a screw threaded into the base, see Figs. 9 and 9a. The spring forces the platform tight against the base and allows you to lift the platform and quickly repo- sition it for a cut. CUT SLOT. To allow the plat- form to slide over a wide range of positions, a slot is cut in it for the screw to pass through, see Fig. 9. This screw then threads into a threaded insert in the base. To install the insert, position the platform on the base so the ends are flush. Then locate the hole for the insert on the base. (I inserted a brad point bit in the end of the slot and made a mark.) Now drill a hole to fit the insert and thread it in the base. Before installing the hold- down hardware, I added a knob to the platform to make it easy to lift it and position the fence, see Fig. 9. Finally, slip on the spring and washer and tighten the screw to “lock” the platform in place. (A complete hardware kit is avail- able, see Sources on page 81.) No. 10 ShopNotes 7 JIGS & ACCESSORIES Final Assembly There’s one more thing to add to the jig — the positioning gauge. POSITIONING GAUGE The positioning gauge lets you see how much you've moved the fence. It consists of a two-piece rule holder, a metal rule, and a hairline indicator, see Fig. 10. RULE HOLDER. The top edge of the rule holder (E) is rabbeted to accept a 6" metal rule. A mag- netic catch centered on the length of the holder keeps the rule in position, see Figs. 10 and 10a. CLEAT. To attach the holder to the base, a cleat (F) is glued to the bottom of the holder, see Fig. 10a. Then, to prevent the plat- form from binding against the holder, I added washers between the cleat and base, see Fig. 10a. Finally, I added a Plexiglas in- dicator to the sliding platform, see Fig. 10 and Drawing in mar- gin. To make it easy to read, I scribed a hairline on the back side. MOUNTING THE JIG The indexing jig is fastened to the router table and fence with alu- minum angle, see Fig. 11. Two short pieces connect the platform to the fence. A longer piece is screwed to the back edge of the table and holds the jig in place. Slots allow you to quickly slide the jig off the router table, see Figs. 11 and 11a. Once these pieces are attached, the next step is to locate holes for the carriage bolts that hold the jig in place. To do this, extend the platform as far as it will go. Then position the front edge of the fence over the hole in your router table, see Fig. lib. Now with the jig clamped in place, drill 5 /i6"-dia. holes up through each slot in the angle. Counterbore these holes and add carriage bolts and plastic knobs (or wing nuts) to secure the jig. 8 ShopNotes No. 10 JIGS & ACCESSORIES Set-Up The indexing jig features two basic “modes” of op- eration. For quick positioning of your fence in pre- cise V 16 " increments, just lift up the sliding platform, move it to the desired location and set it down to make the cut, see photo top right. Or you can fine-tune the fence by “sneaking up” on a cut. All it takes is a twist of the micro-adjust knob, see photo bottom right. Regardless of the mode or router bit you’re using, the first step to using the jig is to find the starting point. This is simply a matter of “zeroing” the fence on the bit, see the box below. Then sliding the rule in the holder so the “0” is directly under the hairline indicator. Now simply lift the platform or turn the knob to set the fence to the desired cut. Safety Note: Although the hold-down on the in- dexing jig “locks” the sliding platform in place, you should always use your fence clamping system to prevent the fence from shifting once it’s adjusted. makes it easy to set your router bit flush with the fence. No. 10 ShopNotes 9 JIGS & ACCESSORIES A few scrap pieces of wood and Masonite are all it takes to make a pocket-size case for your drill bits. I took some ribbing from the guys in the shop while I was making this drill bit case. After all, why make a case when you can go down to the hardware store and buy one? One reason is that even though both do a good job organizing bits, this case gave me a perfect opportunity to use up some of the small scrap pieces I had laying around. In fact, after I finished the case, I noticed a lot more digging around the scrap bin than usual. About the same time, the kidding quieted down considerably, and drill bit cases started popping up like mushrooms in the shop. Drill Bit Case MATERIALS. To build the case, I used scrap pieces of maple and Masonite. But you could make it entirely out of hardwood like the cherry case in the photo at left. TWIST BITS. The drill bit case is designed to hold eleven twist bits ranging in size from Vie" to 3 /8" in V 32 " increments. To provide room for that many bits in a pocket-size case, I started with a CORE PIECES. Since these bits “stairstep” up as the diameter in- creases, I cut the blank at an angle to match the line formed by the tips of the bits. This produces two core pieces — one for a tray to hold the bits, and the other for a lid, see Fig. 1. Note: Each core piece is cut extra long. TRAY. Now work can begin on the tray (A). To create a “pocket” 10 ShopNotes No. 10 JIGS & ACCESSORIES a series of grooves in the tray slightly deeper and wider than the diameter of the bits, see Figs. 2 and 2a. Then I trimmed the tray to its finished length, see Fig. 3. STOPS. To keep the short bits from dropping to the bottom of the tray, I added six “stops” These are just short pieces of wood that are glued into the grooves under the end of each bit, see Fig. 4. The idea is to locate the stops so all the bits stick up the same amount. By placing the end of one of the longer bits flush with the bottom of the tray, you can use the tip as a gauge to raise the short bits to the correct height, see Fig. 4. LID CORE. After installing the stops, work can begin on the core piece for the lid (B). To provide clearance for the bits when the lid is closed, a recess is cut in the bot- tom (angled) end, see Fig. 5. WRAP CASE. The next step is to fit the lid to the tray. To do this, the case is “wrapped” with Vs n - thick Masonite. Note: You can also use thin strips of hardwood. The bottom ( C) is cut to fit and glued on first, see Fig. 6. Then the sides are added. I started with a long blank for each side of the case and cut the side pieces at an angle to match the core pieces. ATTACH SIDES. Attaching the sides is easy. They’re just glued in place. The trick is locating them so the lid fits down snug over the tray like the top on a shoebox. To do this, a narrow shoulder is formed by attaching the tray sides (D) beloiv the top of the tray, see Fig. 6. The lid sides (E) extend the same amount beloiv the lid. This creates a lip that al- lows the lid sides to “seat” over the end of the tray. FINAL DETAILS. To complete the case, the top of the lid is trimmed to match the angle of the side pieces, see Fig. 6. Then, after softening the sharp edges, I in- stalled a hinge and a small hook, see Figs. 7 and 8. (For mail order sources, see page 31.) Hardware • (4) #2 x } /4" Rh Screws (Brass) • 0) 5 /&"xV Butt Hinge (Brass) • (2) #4 x V 4 " Rh Screws (Brass) • (1) 3 / 4 "-Long Hook (Brass ) 11 Perfect Miters Tips and tech- niques for cut- ting perfect miter joints. I f there’s one thing that can try the patience of most wood- workers, it’s cutting a perfect mi- ter joint on the table saw. It seems that no matter how carefully the miter gauge is ad- justed to get a ‘‘perfect” fit, you can still be off just a hair. What’s frustrating is you don’t even real- ize it until you’ve mitered all the pieces, fit them together, and end up with a gap at one of the joints. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to ensure tight- fitting miter joints. A few pre- liminary “tune-ups” before you make your first cut will keep problems from cropping up later. BLADE. One thing that’s often overlooked is the saw blade. To avoid a ragged joint line, it should be sharp. In addition, I always make it a point to check that the blade is square to the saw table, see the box below. AUXILIARY FENCE. But prob- ably the simplest (and most effec- tive) thing you can do to improve the accuracy of your miters is to screw an auxiliary fence to the miter gauge, see Fig. 1. There are a couple of reasons for this. SUPPORT. Since the fence pro- vides more support along the edge of a workpiece than the mi- ter gauge, you can hold the work more securely as a cut is made. Note: I also attach sandpaper to the fence to prevent the work- piece from “creeping,” see Fig. 1. REDUCES CHIPOUT. A second advantage of the fence is it re- Squaring a Saw Blade Before cutting a miter joint, I always take a few minutes to square the saw blade to the table. TRY SQUARE. To get as accurate a reading as possible, I use a try square, see Detail a. Just be sure the blade of the square is tight against the face of the saw blade (not a tooth). TEST CUT. Even after squaring the blade, it’s a good idea to double check it. A quick way to do this is to make a test cut on the end of a scrap piece of wood, see Drawing. Then flip the cut-off piece over and butt the two ends together. If there’s a gap where the two ends meet, the blade isn’t square and needs to be readjusted, see Detail b. FIRST: MAKE TEST CUT ON END OF SCRAP PIECE OF WOOD a. / \ USE TRY SQUARE TO SET SLADE j TO 90° o o o o —I V: L_y "V 12 ShopNotes No. 10 TECHNIQUE duces chipout by backing up the edge of the workpiece as the blade cuts through. Just make sure it's long enough to support the work and the waste piece, see Fig. 1. And tall enough so the blade doesn’t cut all the way through. Although the fence solves the problem of chipout on the back edge, it doesn’t prevent wood fi- bers on the face from “lifting.” To solve this, you need to consider the direction the miter gauge is angled. ANGLE. To produce a crisp cut, I angle the gauge so the blade exits the long tip of the miter, see Fig. 2. This way the blade cuts with the grain. When the gauge is angled in the opposite direction, the blade cuts against the grain and causes tearout, see Fig. 3. Also, the waste piece can pinch against the fence and get thrown back. GETTING A PERFECT FIT So how do you go about getting a tight-fitting joint? One way would be to set the miter gauge once to 45° and then cut all four miters. But this presents a couple of problems. First, you’d need to flip a work- piece end for end and turn it over between cuts. This not only pre- vents having one “good” side. But a molded piece “rocks” on the saw table when it’s placed face down. A second problem is if the mi- ter gauge isn’t “dead-on” accurate, you end up with a corner that’s not 90°. Trying to square up the corner creates a gap at the joint. OVERALL ANGLE. So instead of trying to get a perfect 45° miter, I use a different approach. The idea is to get the mitered pieces to form an overall angle of 90°, see Fig. 4. To do this, I use the head of a combination square to set the mi- ter gauge to 45°, see Fig. 4a. Then, after cutting the first mi- ter, I move the gauge to the other side of the blade and angle the head in the opposite direction. The secret is to make all the adjustments to the miter gauge at this second (complementary) setting. This way, if the first mi- ter is off, the second one can be cut to compensate for the error. No. 10 ShopNotes 13 TECHNIQUE To "micro-adjust" the angle of the miter, use a play- ing card as a shim. Cutting the Miters Cutting a perfect miter joint on a single corner is one thing. The trick is getting all four corners (on a frame for example) to fit tightly together. To do this, I make two frames: a test frame, and the “real” frame. The test frame is just four scrap pieces of wood used to ad- just the fit of the miters. This way, any problems are ironed out before cutting the project pieces. The key is to miter the pieces in the proper sequence. SEQUENCE. To keep things or- ganized, I lay out all the pieces in their “finished” position and mark the cutting sequence on the ends of the test pieces, see Fig. 5a. Then, with the miter gauge set to 45°, the ‘A' ends of the test pieces and the matching ends of the pro- ject pieces are cut. Note: To provide insurance against the work creeping, I clamp a block to the fence, see Fig. 5. MOVE GAUGE. After cutting all the miters on one end, you'll need to position the miter gauge on the other side of the blade and angle the head to the opposite 45° set- ting. It's okay just to get close, at least for now. That's because the idea is to sneak up on the perfect fit by mi- tering the ‘B' ends of all the test pieces, see Fig. 6a. If there's a gap when you fit these pieces together, just readjust the gauge and trim the miters again, see Fig. 7. Note: If the gap is so small that any adjustment only exagerrates the error, see the tip at left. COMPLETE MITERS. Finally, once you're satisfied with the way the test frame fits together, you can miter the opposite ends of the project pieces. Since these miters duplicate the test miters, they're bound to fit tight together. Note: To protect the tips of the miters, I use a stop block with a mitered end to cut the pieces to exact length, refer to Fig. 6. 14 ShopNotes No. 10 TECHNIQUE Miter Jig If you’re doing a lot of mitering, it might be worthwhile to build a special jig. Although this jig is used in place of the miter gauge, the basic idea is the same — cut- ting two complementary miters. fence. The key is a two-part fence that corresponds to the two settings of the miter gauge. To- gether, the two parts of the fence form a 90° angle, see Step 3 be- low. As a result, the overall angle of the miters will also be 90°. Besides the angle, there’s one other thing to consider. If you cut your workpieces to rough length before mitering them, the ends will extend past the blade. To keep the ends from hitting the opposite fence, the two parts are offset, see photo. Note: This offset determines the widest workpiece you can miter with the jig. (In my case, this is 3".) Step 1: Build the Base. The base consists of a 3 /4 -thick piece of plywood and a pair of hardwood runners that slide in the miter gauge slots in the table saw. After cutting the plywood to length to fit the table, it’s cen- tered over the blade to mark the location of the slots on the edges of the plywood. These marks are used to position the runners be- fore screwing them in place. Step 2: Cut Kerf in Base. The jig is designed to carry a workpiece through the blade by pushing the base across the saw table. This requires cutting a kerf in the base for blade clearance. To prevent the two halves of the base from flapping up and down, a cleat is glued at the front edge before cutting the kerf. The back edge is kept rigid by not pushing the base all the way through the blade. Step 3: Attach Fence. To ensure the miters form a per- fect 90° angle, the two parts of the fence are positioned using a framing square. By offsetting the fence, you can extend pieces that are cut to rough length past the blade. After screwing the fence to the base, it’s just a mat- ter of pushing the jig through the blade to trim off the ends. No. 10 ShopNotes 15 FEATURE PROJECT A heavy top supported by solid legs and a “sand box” absorb the vibra- tion set up by a bench-top lathe. Ladie Stand I had visions of spending a quiet evening turning a project on my new bench-top lathe. But after going down to the shop to try it out, I was disappointed. Unlike the smooth- running full-size lathes I had seen, it rum- bled and shook as I was turning. Fortunately, the problem wasn’t the lathe at all — it was the stand the lathe was mounted on. Even though the stand was fairly rigid, it was still too lightweight to dampen the vibration set up by the spinning workpiece. SPONGE. To improve the performance of the lathe, I decided to build a heavy stand — one that would work like a big sponge to absorb the vibration set up by the lathe. The trick was to add enough weight to keep the lathe from rattling around with- out making the stand look like a wood boxcar. After looking around for the heaviest, densest material I could find, I found just what I needed — 3 / 4 "-thick particleboard. Two layers of this particle- board are built into the legs and the top of the stand. BEAM. To add even more weight, there’s also a hollow “beam” that spans between the legs of the stand. This beam can be filled with almost 60 pounds of sand to create additional “ballast” that dampens the vibration of the lathe, see photo below. KNOCKS DOWN. But all this weight can be a mixed blessing when it comes time to move the lathe stand. To keep it from becoming a “perma- nent” fixture in the shop, the stand is bolted to- gether so it can be easily knocked down. OTHER FEATURES. While I was at it, I added a pair of drawers to store my lathe accessories. There’s also a unique pivoting tool rack that posi- tions your lathe tools within easy reach when you’re turning. (For more on this tool rack, see page 21.) To add stability, a hollow wood beam is filled with sand. This an- chors the stand and dampens the vibration of the lathe. Cutting Diagram 3 / 4 ” x V/a - 40" 3/ 4 "-THlCK H ARDWOOP 16 ShopNotes No. 10 FEATURE PROJECT RIGHT FALSE FRONT Hardware • (4) %" x 4" Carriage bolts • (4) V4" x 3V2" Lag Screws • (4) 3/e," Washers • (4) V4" Washers • (4) %" Hex Nuts • (2) Pairs 12" Full-Ext. Or. Slides • (34) #& x l/z" Fh Woodscrews • (32) #8> x Vz" Panhead Screws for • (10) #& x IV 4 " Fh Woodscrews attaching drawer slides Materials List legs Top A Core Pieces (4) 13x30 - 3 /4 Particleboard M Top Pieces (2) 1 4 V 2 x 5 &V 2 - 3 /4 Particlebd. 3 Side Pieces (4) 13 x 30 - V 4 Masonite N Cover Pieces (2) 14Vz x 53V2 - V 4 Masonite C Side Trim (&) 3 /4 x 2% - 30 0 Top Side Trim (2) 3 Ux2- 14V2 P Cap Pieces (4) 5 /4x3'/2-30 P Front/back Trim (2) 3/4x2-60 Beam Drawers E bottom (1) 3 /4x5'/4-42Y 2 Q Support Pail (1) 3/4 x 4 V 4 - 12 (two pieces) F Sides (2) 3 /4x6-42V 2 P Hanging bracket (1) 3/4X4V2-12 G Dividers (3) 3 /4 X 5 ] /4 - 4V2 S Drawer Sides (4) 3/4X4-12 H Support Cleats (2) 3/4 X 3 /4 - 4V2 T Left Drawer Fr./bk. (2) 3/4x4- 123/4 1 Lid (1) 3 /4 X 6 13 /l6 - 42V4 U Pight Drawer Fr./bk . (2) 3/4X4-213/4 J Edging Strips (2) 3 /4Xl 3 /4-42'/4 V Left Drawer bottom (1) 11/4 x 12 3 /4 - V 4 Masonite K Mounting Pails (2) 3/4x5-12 W Pt. Drawer bottom (1) II /4 x 21 5 /4 - V 4 Masonite L Apron (1) 3/4x5-41 X Left False Front (1) 3/4 x 4 7 /& - 15 13 /ie Y Pight False Front (1) 3/4 x 4 7 /& - 24 13 /e No. 10 ShopNotes 17 FEATURE PROJECT The Legs To trim the edges flush , / used a flush trim bit in a hand-held router. I started work by building the legs. The unusual thing about the legs is they’re not your ordinary square posts. Instead, they’re solid “slabs” that are designed to dampen the vibration set up by the lathe. SLAB. To make the slabs as heavy as possible, they’re built up from two core pieces (A) of 3/4 M -thick particleboard, see Fig. 1. Then they’re covered with two V 4 "- thick Masonite side pieces (B). Note: The height (length) of the legs determines the finished height of the stand. To position the center of a workpiece about even with my elbow, I made the legs 30" long (high). CONTACT CEMENT. When glu- ing up the slabs, I used contact cement to create an instant” bond. The problem is getting the edges aligned. To do this, I cut one core piece to exact size. Then I built up each layer by attaching an oversized piece and trimming the edges flush, see tip at left. TRIM PIECES. To cover the front and back edges of the legs, I added 3 / 4 "-thick hardwood (ma- ple) trim pieces. After rounding one edge of each side trim (C) piece, they’re glued in place, see Fig. la. Then, to cover the edges of the side trim, the cap pieces (D) are glued on, and the outside edges are rounded over. BEAM Once the trim is installed, the next step is to build the beam. This is just a box that connects the legs and can be filled with sand to help absorb vibration. It consists of a hardwood bot- tom (E) that fits in grooves cut in the sides (F), see Fig. 2. The sides are held together with dividers ( G) that are screwed to the bot- tom and glued into dadoes cut in the sides, see Figs. 2a and 2b. ATTACH BEAM. After assem- bling the beam, you’re ready to 18 ShopNotes No. 10 FEATURE PROJECT attach it to the legs. The ends of the beam fit over two support cleats (H) screwed to the inside of the legs, see Figs. 2 and 2c. To hold the stand together (and to make it easy to knock down), holes are drilled through the legs and the end dividers (G) before bolt- ing the beam in place. LID. Next, I cut a lid (I) from ^"-thick hardwood. It fits be- tween the legs with a V 4 " of clear- ance for easy removal, see Fig. 3. To hold the lid in place, it’s glued into grooves in a pair of edging stnps (J), see Fig. 3. This cre- ates a shelf with a lip for tempo- rary storage of lathe accessories. MOUNTING RAILS. With the lid in place, there are only two things left to do. Two mounting rails (K) are screwed to the side trim pieces (C) so you can attach the top later, see Fig. 4. And to sup- port the back edge of the top, an apron (L) is screwed to the end of these rails, see Fig. 4 and 4a. The Top Like the legs, the top is built up from two layers of 3 / 4 M -thick par- ticleboard. Here again, these top pieces (M) are “sandwiched” be- tween two cover pieces (N) made of Vi'-thick Masonite, see Fig. 5. TRIM. To cover the exposed edges, I “wrapped” the top with 3 / 4 "-thick hardwood trim pieces. After ripping the pieces to width to match the thickness of the top (2"), the side trim (O) and front/back trim pieces (P) are glued on. Then the top is com- pleted by chamfering the top edges and corners of the trim pieces. ATTACH TOP. Now it’s just a matter of attaching the top to the base. To do this, center the top from side to side and front to back. Then, after drilling coun- terbored shank holes, the top is secured to the mounting rails with lag screws, see Fig. 5a. CHAMFER EDGES TOP FRONT/BACK TRIM g # ^ — — DRILL 3 / 4 "-DIA. (counterbore. W'-DEEP < 0 > 3 1 f — -r i . * it — V X 31/2" — 4 n ■j />: LAG SCREW A I, u - -t MOUNTING RAIL — * z\ 7/ V jl _zl ) No. 10 ShopNotes 19 FEATURE PROJECT The Drawers Once the top was in place, I built two drawers — a narrow drawer for chucks and faceplates, and a wide drawer for tool rests and long accessories. To provide easy access, the drawers are mounted on full-extension slides. (For more on these slides, refer to page 30.) Note: If the motor on your lathe hangs below the headstock, you’ll need to cut an opening in the top for the belt to' fit through. Whether you build one or both drawers, the openings are cre- ated by screwing a simple T- shaped piece to the top, see Figs. 6 and 6a. It consists of a support rail ( Q) that’s made by gluing up two 3 / 4 H -thick pieces and a hang- ing bracket (R) which is screwed to the top edge of the support rail. Note: For additional support, the end of the support rail is screwed to the apron (L). DRAWERS. After establishing the openings, work can begin on the drawers. They’re held to- gether with a simple, but strong joint — a locking rabbet, see Fig. 7b. Before cutting the joints though, you’ll need to figure out the size of the drawer pieces. DETERMINE SIZE. This is easy for the drawer sides (S). They’re all the same length (12"). The tricky part is determining the length of the front/back pieces (T and U) for each drawer. To do this, start by measuring the width of the opening. (In my case, this was 23V£" for the right- hand drawer.) Then subtract the amount of clearance you’ll need for the drawer slides. (Each of the slides I used required V 2 " clear- ance on each side for a total of 1".) The last thing to take into ac- count is the locking rabbet joints. After subtracting 3 4" (%" on each 20 ShopNotes No. 10 FEATURE PROJECT side), I ended up with front/back pieces that were 2134" long. LOCKING RABBETS. NOW you can cut the locking rabbets. This is just a matter of rabbeting the front/back pieces to form a tongue, see Fig. 7b. Then cutting dadoes in the side pieces to ac- cept the tongue. Before assembling the draw- ers, each piece is grooved to ac- cept the drawer bottoms (V and W), see Fig. 7a. Then I drilled holes in the drawer fronts for two false fronts which are added later, see Fig. 7. INSTALL SLIDES. With the drawers assembled, the slides can be installed, see Figs. 8a and 8b. I used a pair of heavy-duty 12" slides for each drawer, see page 31 for sources. INSTALL CABINET PART OF SLIDE FLUSH WITH BOTTOM OF SUPPORT RAIL ^a. •' 4 FALSE ^ r — FRONT \ INSTALL SLIDE 'I FLUSH WITH 1 FRONT OF DRAWER ii®_ ® 1 V 1 1 fb. TOP FALSE FRONTS. Next, to cover the slides and provide a uniform look across the front, I added false fronts (X and Y) to the drawers, refer to Fig. 7. 1 cut the fronts to allow Vs " clearance around the edges and ends. This lets you open and close the drawers without hitting each other. To complete the lathe stand, the false fronts are screwed in place using the holes that were drilled earlier. Optional Tool Rack After completing the stand, I built a rack to hold my lathe tools. The unique thing about this rack is it pivots to give me easy access to my tools when Fm turning. And when I’m finished, it swings out of the way. THREE PARTS. The rack is a three-part as- sembly that fits over the edge of the stand, see Drawing. To keep tools from falling out, there’s a row of open-ended holes in the top that are slightly smaller than the thick part of the han- dles, see photo. The holes in the bottom are slightly larger than the diameter of the blades. PIVOT. The rack pivots on a hex bolt that passes through a hole drilled through the top of the rack and the front trim piece of the lathe stand, see Detail b. Two other holes accept a steel pin that "locks” the rack in either the open or closed position, see Detail a r No. 10 ShopNotes 21 Layout Techniques By using some simple tips and tech- niques, you can greatly improve the preci- sion of your woodivorfcing. — M L et's face it, all woodworkers make mistakes. And most can be traced back to an error in measurement or layout. But IVe found that many of these can be avoided by using some simple tricks and the right techniques. The nice thing is none of these tricks require special tools. In fact, most of the layout problems Fve come across can be solved with three basic tools: a 12" rule, a tape measure, and a square. RULE. One tool I find myself reaching for all the time is a 12" rule. A good quality rule should have the markings etched into the rule — not just printed on top. Etching actually “cuts” the mark- ings permanently into the sur- face of the rule. This way they won't wear off over time. TAPE MEASURE. Another tool I use often is a tape measure. The problem I've found with lower quality tapes is the markings can vary over their length. So before you buy one, check it in the store by extending the tape out a few feet and folding it back on itself, see Fig. 1. Then butt the edges of the tape together and make sure the markings line up. SQUARES. In addition to a rule and tape measure, the squares in my shop get a lot of use. Regard- less of the type, it's important that they be truly square. Here's a quick way to check a square. Place it against a straight- edge and draw a line, see Fig. 2. Now flip the square to see if the blade lines up with the line. If it doesn't, the square isn't accurate. TIPS. Once you can rely on your basic measuring tools, see the fol- lowing four pages for tips to sim- plify almost any layout. General Layout Tipe ACCURATE READINGS Getting an accurate reading with a rule can be a challenge. Unless you look at the rule from directly overhead, the thickness of the rule can cause an error as you read the scale. To prevent this, I stand the rule on edge, see Drawing. Hold- ing the rule like this brings the markings flush with the work- piece and eliminates any error. 22 ShopNotes No. 10 TECHNIQUE MEASURING TIP Using a rule to get an accurate measurement on a workpiece can be tricky. The problem is getting the end of the rule to align exactly with the edge of the workpiece. To solve this, I use a stop block, see Drawing. Just hold a scrap of wood up against the workpiece. Then push the rule against the block for an accurate measurement. PARALLEL LINES To quickly draw a line (or lines) parallel to the edge of a board, I use a combination square and a pencil, see Drawing. Start by setting the square to the desired distance. Then posi- tion the head of the square against the board. Now with a pencil at the end of the blade, pull both toward you to draw the line. Measuring Inside Dimensions SCRAP BLOCK Measuring the inside of a drawer or a box can be a problem since the blade of a tape measure doesn’t fit in a corner, see Detail. One solution is to use a block and a tape measure, see Drawing. Use the tape to measure from the opposite side to the edge of the block, then add the length of the block to this measurement. MEASURINC STICKS Another solution to finding an in- side dimension is to use “measur- ing sticks,” see Drawing. They’re just scrap sticks with pointed ends. To use them, just slip the sticks inside the box or drawer and ex- tend the ends until the points touch the workpiece. Then clamp the sticks together and lift them out. Now simply measure from point to point. No. 10 ShopNotes 23 TECHNIQUE Center Finding Tips CENTER OF A BOARD Quick, what’s the center of a board that’s 5 n /32"-wide? Or 13 /i6 M -thick? Here’s a trick to finding the center without any complicated division. First, position the “0” end of your rule at one end of the work- piece, see Drawing. Then angle the rule so the other end rests on a number easily divisible by two — the halfway point is the center. CIRCLES Finding the center of a something round is easy with this simple jig, see Drawing. Just clamp a combi- nation square to a framing square. To use it, position the framing square so both riegs” touch the workpiece. Then draw a line along the top edge of the combi- nation square. Now rotate the workpiece and mark another line to locate the center. RECTANGLES & SQUARES If you’ve ever had to mount a knob centered on a drawer front, you know how tricky it can be to get it exactly in the center. The answer is simple — don’t measure anything. Instead, draw a pair of diagonal lines from cor- ner to corner to quickly locate the center. Note: This tip works for both square as well as rectangu- lar workpieces. IRREGULAR SHAPES To locate the center of a work- piece that isn’t square (such as a turning blank), I use a shop-made template. It’s just a piece of Plexiglas with circles scribed in the surface, see Drawing. To use it, place it on the work- piece so the largest possible circle fits inside the edges of the work- piece. Now use the center of the template to mark the workpiece. 24 ShopNotes No. 10 TECHNIQUE Measuring Round Objects DIAMETERS Measuring the diameter of a round object can be difficult. If the object is small, you can make a simple caliper with a rule and a pair of square blocks, see Drawing. To find the diameter of the ob- ject, place it against the rule and butt the blocks up against the part. Then simply read the di- ameter on the rule. If the object is large, you can use the same idea. But instead of a rule and blocks, use a framing square and a try square, see Drawing. CIRCUMFERENCE How do you cut a piece of veneer tape or T-molding to fit around a round workpiece? A tape meas- ure isn't flexible enough for small objects. And it's awkward to hold one around a large object. The best way I’ve found to do this is to use masking tape. I just wrap it around the edge and splice it for an exact fit, see Draw- ing. Then to determine the cir- cumference, just peel off the tape and measure it with a tape meas- ure or rule, see Detail. A penny is exactly 3 /4 . " It's handy for quick measuring or laying out a 3 /s radius on a corner. Drafting Tools for Layout There are a number of drafting tools that I keep on hand in the shop to make working with cir- cles and curves a lot easier. Circle templates, flexible curves, and French curves can be found at your local art store. (For alternate sources, see page 31.) A circle template is handy for finding the center on small objects or for laying out a radius, see photo. Flexible curves and French curves make quick work of transferring and laying out curves, see photo. Templates: A circle template is a quick way to accurately lay out a radius or circle, or to find the center of a circle. Curves: Flexible curves and French curves are handy for laying out or trans- ferring graceful curves on a workpiece. No. 10 ShopNotes 25 Sanding * Products A new breed of sanding products that claim to be longer lasting , maybe even “permanent” ometimes it seems that I spend more changing sandpaper than I spend sanding. So when I came across some new products claim- ing to be longer-lasting, even “permanent,” I was intrigued. NEW BELTS One product that has seen a lot of change recently is sanding belts. Two of the big names in abrasives (Norton and 3M) have developed a new line of sanding belts. Both belts are easy to identify — the Norton belts are blue, and 3M's are purple, see photo below. Each feature a man-made min- eral that lasts longer than garnet or aluminum oxide sandpaper. The mineral Norton has devel- oped is called Norzon. As this mineral gets dull with use, part of the surface shears off to expose new sharp edges. In other words, it's self-sharpening. 3M's man-made mineral, Re- galite , is a ceramic-like mineral that's harder than other abra- sives. It lasts longer simply be- cause it stays sharp longer. BI DIRECTIONAL. Besides us- ing longer-lasting minerals, both companies have increased the life of their belts by making them bi- directional. This means you don't have to worry about direction when you load the belt on your sander — it goes on either way. This provides an additional 15% to 25% more life from a belt that has started to lose its cutting power. Why? Because reversing a worn belt helps clean it by dis- lodging wood particles stuck in the surface. And at the same time it exposes fresh minerals for ad- ditional sanding. SPLICE. The secret to making a belt bi-directional is the splice that holds the belt together. On a con- ventional belt, the belt is over- lapped and glued together, see Fig. 1. This creates a "bump” in the belt which can only travel in one direc- tion without breaking. To solve this problem, a butt joint is used, see Fig. 2. It's held together on the back side withi heavy tape. This allows the belt to travel in either direction with- out coming apart. It also means the belt will run smoother with less ‘bumping.” GRITS. Bi-directional sanding belts are available from both Norton and 3M in grits ranging from 50 to 150 ( Norzon is avail- able in 180 grit). Note: Norton ◄ Norton’s blue sanding belts use a self- sharpening mineral called Norzon to last longer. ◄ 3 M’s purple sand- ing belts feature a ce- ramic-like mineral that stays sharp longer than con- ventional sanding belts. -HEAVY TAPE REINFORCES BUTT JOINT 26 ShopNotes No. 10 IN THE SHOP ▲ Sandplate is made by etching a thin steel plate to produce thou- sands of small sharp points. also manufactures Norzon in various size sheets and disks. The Norzon belts I’ve used are aggressive — they take off stock quickly and are a good choice when you need to remove a lot of stock in a short period of time. The only drawback is they cost three to f times as much as standard sand- ing belts. But they’re worth it when you need to do heavy sand- ing, like leveling a workbench top. Like the Norzon belts, 3M’s Re- galite belts cost more — but only about twice the price of a stand- ard belt. They’re not as aggres- sive as Norzon , but that’s okay. For most sanding jobs, I pre- fer a belt that cuts slower and offers more control. METAL SANDPAPER A totally different ap- proach to increasing the life of sanding products has been taken by two other companies: Problem Solvers and Sandvik. Both companies are using metal instead of minerals to provide the cutting action. PERMA-SAND. Perma-sand is made by Problem Solvers, Inc., see photo above. It’s manufac- tured by bonding bits of tungsten carbide to a flexible steel back- ing, see Drawing above. The car- bide used is like the tips of your saw blades and router bits. It’s Ferma-Sand heat-resistant, tough, and re- mains sharp a very long time. Perma-sand is available in 5", 6", 7", and 8" disks. And in quarter, third, and half sheets. All are available in grits ranging from an extremely coarse 24 to a fine 320. I found the 60 to 150 grits of Perma-sand work best (the finer grits load up). They’re especially useful for preliminary shaping and roughing work. SANDPLATE. Another metal “sandpaper” called Sandplate is manufactured by Sandvik, see photo below. But unlike the prod- ucts mentioned above, Sandplate is designed for hand sanding, not power sanding. Sandplate is a thin steel plate that’s etched with acid to create thou- sands of small points, see Draw- ing below. If you were to examine Sandplate with a magnifying glass, you’d find a surface that resem- bles a cheese grater. The tiny points shave away material like a rasp. Sandplate comes in various shapes and in three grits: coarse, medium, and fine. The ad- hesive-backed plates are designed for holders made by Sandvik, see photo be- low. But you could just as easily buy a replacement plate and attach it to a shop- made holder. As with Perma- sand, I found the lower grit Sandplates worked best. The only drawback I’ve found to Peima-sand and Sandplate is they aren’t readily available. (For a list of mail-order sources that carry these products, see page 31.) A FINAL THOUGHT. With these new products you won’t be chang- ing sandpaper every few minutes. Now you can spend more of your time in the shop build- ing, and not sanding. New minerals and metal “sandpaper” create sanding products that last and last. ▲ On Perma-Sand, bits of tung- sten carbide are “brazed” to a metal backing plate. No. 10 ShopNotes 27 Shop Solutions • Pipe Clamp Edge Vise ■ My workbench doesn't have a bench vise. So recently when edge jointing a board with a hand plane, I came up with a way to support the board on edge using pipe clamps, see photo. To do this, you'll need two lengths of pipe threaded on both ends, with both pipes being slightly longer than the width of your bench. Also, you'll need two sets of clamp fixtures for each pipe, see Drawing. (If you're us- ing the pipe from your clamps, but it's only threaded on one end, your local hardware store should be able to thread the other end.) Then to clamp the board in place, just stand it on edge and tighten the clamp. Joe Planisky Phoenix , Arizona Supports for Cutting Plywood ■ Cutting a full sheet of plywood by yourself can be quite a chal- lenge. The easy part is guiding the saw — the tricky part is sup- porting the workpiece and catch- ing the waste. To do this, I use a pair of saw- horses and four pipe clamps, see Drawing. The clamps serve as ex- tra “helpers" to support the workpiece and waste. Depending on the length of your clamps, you may need to cut a spacer to fill in the gap between the clamp head and the plywood. (I cut my spacers from scrap 2x4.) Note: Position the clamps far enough back from the cut line so the saw will clear. James T. Wypijewski Tucson , Arizona No. 10 28 ShopNotes TIPS & TECHNIQUES Auxiliary Band Saw Fence ■ Ripping narrow strips safely on my band saw is difficult. The height of the rip fence prevents me from lowering the upper guide assembly down close to the workpiece. This means too much blade ends up being exposed. So I made an L-shaped auxil- iary fence that clamps to the rip fence, see Drawing. The base of the auxiliary fence holds the workpiece out so the guide as- sembly can be lowered to cover the exposed blade. Tim Willis Athens , Georgia Quick Tips ■ I noticed in the rust removal article in ShopNotes No. 7 you didn’t mention white vinegar. Fve been using it as a rust re- mover for years on small parts and old tools — with good results. Just place the rusty part in a sealed container that’s filled with white vinegar. Then change the vinegar daily until the rust is gone. To help speed up the proc- ess a little, loosen the rust with a plastic scouring pad between each soaking. The nice thing is, a gallon of white vinegar costs around $2. Bill Schmidt Oakdale , California ■ I’ve ruined a number of per- fectly good glue brushes by for- getting to rinse them out. So now when I’m through with a brush, I’ll immediately drop it in a small container full of water that I keep on a shelf in the shop. Bruce McCampbell Raivlms , Wyoming Shop-Made Cord Tie SECOND: ATTACH REMAINING PIECE AND FOLD OVER Send in Your Solutions ■ To keep the cords on my port- able power tools neatly coiled, I secure them with a shop-made tie, see photo. The tie is made from two pieces of adhesive- backed hook and loop fastener (Velcro) and is available at most hardware stores, see Drawing. The advantage to using this type of tie over a string or a rope is it’s always attached to the end of the power cord — I don’t have to hunt around the shop for it. But best of all, a coiled cord can be tied quickly. For most of my cords, I use 6"-long ties. F or longer cords, like extension cords, I use 12" ties. Tom McArdle Miami , Florida If you’d like to share your original solutions to problems you’ve faced, send them to: ShopNotes , Attn: Shop Solutions, ~2200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312. We’ll pay up to $200 depending on the published length. Send an expla- nation along with a photo or sketch.. Include a daytime phone number so we can call you if we have questions.. No. 10 ShopNotes 29 HARDWARE STORE Full-extension slides let you pull a drawer all the way out of a cabinet so there’s no wasted space in the back. Full-Extension Drawer Slides O ne way to increase the usable space in a drawer is to install full-extension drawer slides. These slides let you pull the drawer all the way out of a cabinet which gives you easy access to what’s inside — even the small stuff that tends to “migrate” to the back comers. CHANNELS. The secret is a sys- tem of telescoping steel “chan- nels.” As the drawer is opened, these channels cantilever the drawer out in front of the cabinet. With the channels fully ex- tended, you’d think the drawer would tend to sag. But that’s not the case. They’re designed to carry loads that range from 75 to 150 pounds — strong enough for a whole drawer full of tools. BEARINGS. Even with that much weight, the operation is smooth. And the slides are about as quiet as a caterpillar crawling across a pool table. That’s be- cause the channels ride on a line of steel (or nylon) ball bearings. To prevent the bearings from working their way to one end of the slide, they’re held in place with retaining clips, see Fig. la. Distrib- uting the bearings evenly like this keeps the drawer from wobbling. INSTALLATION. Although full- extension slides are precision made, you don’t have to be a jew- eler to install them. Just press a “quick-release” lever to separate the slide into two parts, see Fig. 1. Then attach one part to the cabinet and the other to the drawer. Note: Cabinets with a face frame require a slightly different installa- tion, see the box below. ADJUSTMENT. Once the slides are installed, the horizontal slots in the cabinet part of the slides allow you to move the drawer in or out, see Fig. 1. And the vertical slots in the drawer part let you adjust it up or down. BRANDS. Full-extension slides' are manufactured by several dif- ferent companies, and are avail- able through a number of woodworking catalogs. (For a list of sources, see page 31.) Note: Since the clearance re- quirements vary depending on the slide, it’s best to have the slides in hand before you build the project. Face-Frame Installation 30 ShopNotes No. 10 PROJECT SUPPLIES Sources ShopNotes Project Supplies is of- fering some of the hardware and supplies needed for the projects in this issue. We’ve also put together a list of other mail order sources that have the same or similar hard- ware and supplies. INDEXING JIG The micro-adjustable Indexing Jig (shown on page 4) attaches to the fence on your router table and eliminates the guesswork when positioning the fence. Note: The Indexing Jig is sized to fit the Router Table featured in ShopNotes No. 1. But it will fit any router table that has 10" to I8V2" from the center of a router bit to the back edge of the table. ShopNotes Project Supplies is offering a hardware kit that in- cludes all the hardware needed to make the Indexing Jig. All you need to supply is the plywood, V^'-thick Masonite, and a 6" metal rule for the indicator. S10-6810-100 Indexing Jig Hardware Kit $19.95 LATHE STAND One of the best ways to improve the performance of a bench-top lathe is to attach it to a heavy- duty stand like the one shown on page 16. Sturdy construction and extra weight (ballast) combine to effectively deaden any unwanted vibration. The end result is a lathe that runs smoother and quieter. In ad- dition, this stand features two convenient pull-out drawers and an optional lathe tool rack. ShopNotes Project Supplies is offering a hardware kit for the Lathe Stand. The kit includes all the hardware needed to build the stand, along with two pairs of 12" Accuride full-extension slides for the drawers. All you need to supply is the particleboard, 3 4"-thick hard- wood, V^'-thick Masonite, and sand for “ballast. 1 ” Note: You’ll also need the correct size mount- ing bolts, nuts, and washers to attach your lathe to the stand. S10-6810-200 Lathe Stand Hardware Kit $39.95 DRAWER SLIDES. We used Ac- curide slides in the Lathe Stand, but full-extension drawer slides are also made by Blum, Grant, and Knape & Vogt. See Mail Or- der Sources below for companies that carry full-extension slides. LAYOUT TOOLS The article on Layout Techniques (featured on page 22) describes a number of layout tools including: squares, rules, circle templates, and flexible and French curves. Many of these are available at hardware stores and art centers. They’re also available from some of the mail order sources below. SANDING PRODUCTS The sanding belts featured on page 26 last longer because they use new man-made minerals and a special splice that makes them bi-directional. They’re available at some hardware stores. If you can’t find them locally, see Mail Order Sources below. Note: The “metal” sandpaper described in the article may be available at local woodworking stores. Or it can be ordered from some of the sources listed below. DRILL BIT CASE The lid on the Drill Bit Case (shown on page 10) is fastened to the case with a hinge and a hook. This hardware is available at many hardware stores, or from some of the sources listed below. MAIL ORDER SOURCES Similar hardware and supplies may be found in the following catalogs. Please call each company for a catalog or for ordering information. Constantine’s 800-223-8087 Full-Extension Di'awer Slides , Layout Tools, Hardware Garrett Wade 800-221-2942 Layout Tools | Trendlines F 800-767-9999 Full-Extension Drawer Slides, Layout Tools, SM Sanding Belts Problem Solvers, Inc. 800-397-6980 Perma-Sand Woodcraft 800-225-1153 Full-Extension Drawer Slides, Layout Tools, Norton Sanding Prod- ucts, Hardware The Woodsmith Store 515-255-8979 Full-Extension Drawer Slides, Layout Tools, Sandplate, Hardware Woodworks 800-243-8665 Layout Tools, Sandplate The Woodworker’s Store 612-428-3200 Full-Extension Di'awer Slides, Layout Tools, Hardivare ORDER INFORMATION BY MAIL To order by mail, use the order form that comes with the current issue. The order form includes information on handling and shipping charges, and sales tax. If the mail order form is not available, please call the toll free number at the right for more information on specific charges and any applicable sales tax. BY PHONE For fastest service use our Toll Free order line. Open Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Central Time. Before calling, have your VISA, MasterCard, or Dis- cover Card ready. 1 - 800 - 444-7527 Note: Prices subject to change after September 1 , 1993. No. 10 ShopNotes 31 Scenes From the Shop Before electricity , lathes (like the one shown above) were often driven by a treadle that was pumped by the turner's foot. The cast flywheel was put into motion by stepping on the treadle. This motion was then trans- ferred to the workpiece (chucked between the fixed head and movable tailstock) by way of a large leather belt. s