■ Scraper Plane ■ Outdoor Finishes ■ Picnic Table ® Pegboard Storage Rack a Splined Miter Joinery ShoriNotes Vol. 5 Iccuo 97 Issue 27 & — ShopNotes Issue 27 May 1 996 publisher Donald B. Peschke editor Tim Robertson associate editor Phil Totten contributing editors Vincent S. Ancona David Stone art director Cary Christensen senior illustrators Kurt Schultz Roger Reiland Mark Higdon creative resources Creative Director: Ted Kralieek ■ Exec. Editor: Douglas L. Hicks ■ Project Design Director: Ken Munkel ■ Sr. Proj. Designer: Kent Welsh ■ Shop Manager: Steve Curtis ■ Shop Craftsman: Steve Johnson ■ Sr. Photographer: Crayola England ■ Elect. Comm. Coord.: Gordon C. Gaippe •Assoc. Graphic Design Dir.: Susie Rider ■ Senior Graphic Designer: Chris Glowacki ■ Graphic De- signer: Cheryl L. Cynor CIRCULATION Circulation Director: Susan Du Bois •Assistant Circ. Dir. Troy Dowell •Subscription Managers: Sandy Baum, Paige Rogers ■ Asst. Sub. Mgr.: Julie Greenlee •Newsstand Mgr.: Kent A. Buckton CORPORATE SERVICES VP, Planning & Finance: Jon Macaithy ■ Control- ler: Robin Hutchinson ■ Sr. Acct.: Laura Thomas ■ Bkpr: Holly Lucas • Prod. Dir.: George Chmielarz ■ Prod, Mgr.: Carol Quijano ■£/- -j y Civ \ RADIUS Handles Towel holders with handles already turned to shape are available from: • Cherry Tree 300 - 343-4363 All that’s left to complete the body of the plane is to add a pair of handles (F), see drawing. There are a couple of ways to go about this. One ready-made solution that we used for the ■ . maple plane is to cut the handles off a wood towel holder, see margin. Or you can turn the handles to shape on a lathe which is what we did with the walnut plane shown on the back page. STEEL ROD. Either way, the handles are held in place with an ordinary steel rod that I picked up at the local hardware store. To strengthen the handles, the rod passes through both sides and the bridge of the plane, see detail ‘a’. This requires drilling holes for the rod in the ends of each handle and through the body of the plane, see Figs. 4 and 5. To do this, drill halfway through from both sides using the holes drilled ear- lier in the sides as guides. epoxy. After drilling the holes, simply attach the handles to the rod and the sides of the plane with epoxy. NOTE: rod passes THROUGH 300 Y OF PLANE 6 ShopNotes No. 27 FINE TOOLS Sole Flatee At this point, all the wood parts of the plane are complete. But to protect the bottom of the plane from wear, I added two brass sole plates, see drawing. These are 2"-wide strips that are attached to the front and back base pieces. (Brass strips are available at many hobby shops.) The strips are held in place with small brass screws. Note: To avoid splitting the wood, the holes for the screws in the back plate are located farther from the inside edge, see detail ‘a'. COUNTERSINKS. To keep from gouging the workpiece, the screws are countersunk in the sole plates. What works well here is to tighten a countersink bit in the drill press and turn the chuck by hand, see photo A at right. FITTING. After screwing the sole plates in place, it's just a mat- ter of filing and sanding the edges flush with the plane, see photo B. Finally, I sanded the sole flat using silicon-carbide sandpaper (up to 600 grit), see photo C. A piece of glass ensures a flat surface. Setup The scraper plane is easy to set up. But first you'll need to sharpen the scraper. SHARPENING. What you're af- ter is to create a “hook" or burr that scrapes the wood fibers, see draw- ing above. Start by filing the end of the scraper at about a 45° angle (the exact angle isn't critical). Then roll the edge with a burnisher or hardened piece of steel (like a drill bit) to form the burr. setup. Once the scraper is sharpened, you can set up the plane. The quickest way I found to do this is to place the plane on a flat surface. Then just slip the scraper into the plane so the burr faces to- ward the back , see Step 1 below. And when the scraper “bottoms out," slide the wedge into place, see Step 2. All that's left now is to flex the scraper in a slight bow by adjust- ing the finger screw, see Step 3. A half turn or so after it contacts the scraper is just about right. The best way to check is by making a trial cut. Pushing the plane across a board at an angle should produce thin, lacy shav- ings, see the photo above. & Step 1 . With the plane resting on a flat Step 2. Now slide the wedge down surface, back off the finger screw and until it’s firmly seated between the slip the scraper in until it bottoms out. bridge and the scraper blade. Step 3 . Turning the finger screw flexes the scraper in a slight bow which helps produce fine, wispy shavings. No. 27 ShopNotes 7 Splined Miters How do you add strength to a miter joint? Rout a groove and glue in a wood spline. A slot cutter bit makes quick work of routing a groove for a spline. And different size bear- ings let you adjust the depth of cut. I ’ve always thought of a miter joint as something of a mixed bag. Since the pieces are joined together at an angle, the end grain is hidden. But gluing end grain to end grain produces a weak joint. SPLINE. F ortunately, all that’s needed to strengthen a miter joint is a simple spline. This is just a strip of wood that’s glued into a groove cut in the angled end of each piece, see photos above. With a spline, you get a larger glue surface. And it creates a strong surface-to-surface glue joint. SLOT CUTTER. A quick way to cut the grooves for the splines is to use a router and a slot cutter bit, see margin at left. Depending on the length of the pieces, I use two different approaches. LONG PIECES. Since long pieces can be awkward to handle (like the pieces in the picnic table on page 10), it’s easiest to clamp them to the bench and use the router in a hand-held position. The problem is the tip of the miter doesn’t provide much sup- port for the router base. And when the bit cuts through, it’s likely to chip out the edge of the workpiece. To support the base and prevent chipout, I clamp mi- tered scraps on each side of the workpiece, see Fig. 1. groove. Now it’s just a mat- ter of routing the groove. As a rule, the width of the groove is about a third the thickness of the workpiece. (Rout a V&'-wide groove in l 1 / 2 ,, -thick stock for ex- ample.) And the depth of the groove matches its width. To ensure the groove is cen- tered on the thickness of the workpiece, the idea is to rout it in two passes — flipping the work- piece between each one. (I use a slot cutter that’s smaller than the width of the groove.) The thing to be aware of here is if you rout the upper part of the groove first, there won’t be any material left to guide the bearing during the second pass. So you’ll need to rout the lower part first, see Fig. 1. Then flip the work- piece over, reposition the scraps, 8 ShopNotes No. 27 TECHNIQUE and rout the rest of the groove, see Fig. 2. SHORT PIECES. When routing a groove in a short workpiece, I find it's quicker and easier to use the router table. The basic idea is the same. The groove is routed in two passes, see Figs. 3 and 4. And using a mitered scrap as a push block re- duces chipout. To prevent the tip of the miter from catching, I car- pet-tape a piece of Masonite to close the opening in the fence, see margin tip at right. A piece of Masonite with notches cut in it prevents the tip of the miter from catching on the opening in the fence. Splines 1 Once you’ve routed the grooves, the next step is to cut the splines. GRAIN. The important thing here is the direction of the grain in the spline. To provide the most strength, the grain should run perpendicular to the joint line, see photo on previous page. SIZE . Besides the grain direc- tion, you also need to consider the size of the spline. What you want is to cut the spline to thickness so it fits snug in the groove. But not so tight that it squeezes out all the glue. | And to ensure the workpieces draw tightly together, it's cut to length (width) so it doesn’t ‘"bot- tom out” in the grooves. Finally, to allow for trimming, I usually cut the spline from a block of wood that’s wider than the length of the joint. Note: When working with wide pieces like those on the picnic table, you can butt two small splines together. cut splines. An easy way to make the splines is to use a scrap from the project you’re working on and cut it on the table saw. Start by setting the rip fence to the desired thickness of the spline, see Fig. 5. Then raise the blade Vs" higher than the length (width) of the spline and cut a series of kerfs. After repositioning the fence and lowering the blade so it just cuts into the kerf, you can cut each spline from the block, see Fig. 6. ASSEMBLY. Now it’s just a mat- ter of applying glue to the splines and grooves and clamping the pieces together. When the glue dries, trim the end of each spline flush and sand it smooth. iL No. 27 ShopNotes 9 RELATED PROJECT Picnic Table As sturdy as it is good looking, this picnic table is built to last. A ll it took was a few warm days to remind me of the picnic table and benches I’d been planning to build. What I had in mind was a simple, straightfor- ward design. Something I could knock out in a few days, yet sturdy enough to last for years. To make the table and benches easy to build, the joinery on each one is identical. Strong mortise and tenon joints keep the bases from racking. And splined miters en- sure that the tops stay flat. But no matter how T strong the joints are, the table and benches still need protection from the weather. So I used redwood for the tabletop and benchtops and applied an outdoor oil. And I built the bases with less expensive Douglas fir and ap- plied several coats of paint. (For more on redwood and outdoor fin- ishes, see pages 30 and 31.) TABLE BASE I started work by building the base of the table. It consists of two end assemblies that are con- nected with stretchers at the top and bottom, see drawing be- low. And a pair of sup- ports for the top span the upper stretchers. END ASSEMBLIES. Each end assembly is made up of a pair of legs held together with a rail at the top and bottom, see Fig. 1. To simplify the mortise and tenon joinery, each leg is built up from two leg pieces (A). Cutting a dado near the middle and a rab- bet at the top of each piece will form “mortises” for the rails when 10 ShopNotes No. 27 the legs are glued up. rails. Each leg is held to- gether with a narrow top rail (B) and a wide bottom rail ( C). Ten- ons are cut on the end of each rail to fit the mortises, see Figs, la and lb. And to accept the stretch- ers, there are two shallow dadoes in the top rail and a single dado centered on the bottom rail. To make assembly easier, two counterbored shank holes are drilled on each dado, see detail V on page 10. And counterbored shank holes drilled from the bot- tom of the rails will be used to attach the top, see Figs. 1 and 5. Now it’s just a matter of gluing up each end assembly. To provide plenty of working time (and pro- tect against moisture), I used slow-curing epoxy. STRETCHERS. To hold the end assemblies together, I added a bottom (D) and two top stretchers (E). After cutting a pair of notches in each top stretcher to accept the supports (added next), the stretchers can be attached to the end assemblies with lag screws. top supports. All that’s left to complete the base is to add two top suppoHs (F). To provide some extra knee room when sit- ting down to a meal, the ends of these supports are chamfered, see detail ‘b’ on page 10. Then the supports are simply screwed in place so the ends are flush with the leg assemblies. BENCH BASE The bases for the two benches are built the same way as the table base. But the size and number of parts is just a bit different. The biggest difference is the leg pieces ( G) are shorter, see Fig. 1. And unlike the table base, the rails (H) that join the legs to- gether are both the same width. Another difference is the end assemblies are held together with two stretchers (I) instead of three, see drawing below. And both stretchers are the same width. Here again, two notches accept the top suppoHs (J). No. 27 ShopNotes 11 RELATE Tabletop An easy way to make one long pipe clamp is to thread the ends of two shorter clamps into a coupler. With the bases complete, you can turn your attention to the table- top. It consists of a mitered frame that surrounds several wood planks, see Fig. 2. frame. The frame is made up of two end (K) and two side pieces (L) that are mitered at a 45° an- gle, see Fig. 2. To strengthen the miter joints, they’re held to- gether with wood splines. These splines fit in grooves that are routed in the end of each frame piece. (For more on making splined miters, refer to the article on page 8.) In addition to the grooves for the splines, you’ll need to rout two other grooves of the same size. To accept the tongues on the planks that are cut next, there’s a groove in the inside edge of each end piece, see Fig. 2. PLANKS. With the frame com- plete, the next step is to cut the planks (M) to length, see Fig. 2. Rabbeting the end of each plank on the top and bottom forms a tongue that fits the grooves in the end pieces, see Fig. 2a. chamfer. While I was at it, I routed a decorative chamfer (Vie") around the top and bottom edges of the planks and the inside edges of the frame pieces. splines. Before assembling the tabletop, you’ll need to make the splines. I found it easiest to Assembly. The first step is to epoxy two corners of the frame. Clamping a spacer to the end of the frame and positioning another clamp across the sides keeps the cor- ners square, see drawing at left. Then apply epoxy to the center of each tongue and slide the planks into the end of the frame, see middle drawing. Finally, with shims creating an even gap between the planks, clamp the opposite end of the frame in place, see margin and drawing at right. 12 ShopNotes No. 27 RELATED PROJECT use the cutoffs from the top for this. But since these pieces are too narrow to span the length of the joint line, you'll need to butt two small splines together, see Fig. 3. assembly. Now you’re ready to assemble the tabletop. Even after dry assembling and check- ing the fit, gluing up a large pro- ject like this can be a challenge. So I assembled it in stages, see bottom of page 12. There are a couple of things to watch for here. To avoid filling the grooves that the planks fit into, the splines are set back from the inside corner, see Fig. 3a. And to allow for wood movement, I used shims to create a uniform (Vl6") gap between the planks and applied epoxy to the center of each tongue only. After trimming the splines Assembly At this point, all that's left is to attach the top of the table and the benchtops to their bases. TABLE. The easiest way to po- sition the tabletop is to place it upside down on the floor and cen- ter the base on top of it, see Fig. 5. After drilling counterbored shank holes in the stretchers (E) and countersunk shank holes in the top supports (F), the top is simply screwed in place, see de- tails in Fig. 5. Installing screws in the holes drilled earlier in the top rails (B) secures the ends of the frame. BENCHES. Now it's just a mat- ter of attaching the two benchtops. They're screwed to the bases using the same basic procedure as before, see Fig. 6. CHAMFER. There's one last thing to do. To prevent the legs from splintering when moving the table and benches, I sanded a slight chamfer on the bottom edges, see Figs. 5 and 6. fk flush, there's just one more thing to do. That's to “break" the sharp edges on the top and bottom of the table by routing a V4" chamfer. BENCHTOPS The two tops for the benches are built the same way as the table- top. They're just smaller. While the end pieces (N) on the benchtops are quite a bit shorter than the ones on the tabletop, the side pieces (0) are exactly the same length, see Fig. 4. Here again, the mitered frame for each benchtop is held to- gether with splines. And a tongue on the end of a single plank (P) fits into a groove in each end piece. No. 27 ShopNotes 13 GREAT TIPS Great Plywood Tips Here's a collection of tips that are sure to come in handy the next time you’re working with plywood. Cutting Guide ■ Clamping a board to plywood guides the base of a circular saw or router so you can make a straight cut. But positioning it on the workpiece so the cut is made exactly where you want can be a guessing game. To solve this, I use a cutting guide, see photos. The way it works is simple. The edges of the guide act as a refer- ence that indicates the path of the blade (or bit). So to ensure an accurate cut, just align one of the edges of the guide with the layout lines on the workpiece. There’s nothing complicated about making the cutting guide. Start out with an extra- wide base made from Vi"-thick hardboard, see drawing. After gluing and screwing a plywood fence to the base, one reference edge is cre- ated by trimming off the waste with a circular saw. And the other by cutting it off with a straight bit in a router. To use the guide, clamp it to a workpiece so the edge aligns with the layout marks. Then just make a cut with the same blade or bit that you used to create the refer- ence edge. Note: Since a router bit may not be exactly centered in the base of the router, keep the same point on the base against the fence. Quick Tips A Laying a sheet of foam insula- tion on the floor makes it easy to cut a full sheet of plywood down to manageable size. A To glue edging strips to ply- wood, simply position C-clamps along the edge and use a wedge to apply pressure. A By cutting an extra deep rab- bet, you can center a screw on the thickness of the workpiece. This way, it won’t split out the side. 14 ShopNotes No. 27 GREAT TIPS Reducing Chipout ■ Few things are more frustrat- ing than having a saw blade chip out the face veneer on an expen- sive piece of plywood. While a blade that’s specially designed to cut plywood can pre- vent this (see box at right), you can also get good results with a combination saw blade. SCORE. One way is to use the saw blade to lightly score the ply- wood, see Fig. 1. To do this, raise the saw blade so it just barely cuts through the face veneer and make a pass. This way, the blade severs the wood fibers of the veneer instead of tearing them out. A second full-depth pass completes the cut and produces a crisp edge. INSERT. Another way to get a quality cut is to replace the origi- nal metal insert on the table saw with a zero-clearance insert made of wood, see Fig. 2. The basic idea here is to elimi- nate the opening between the blade and the insert by providing support right up next to the saw blade. This way, when the blade cuts through the workpiece, the insert backs up the bottom face of the plywood and prevents the ve- neer from splintering. Plywood Blades One way to improve the quality of cut when working with plywood is to use a saw blade that’s designed just for that purpose. To produce razor sharp cuts, both the 10" table saw blade and 7 1 4" circular saw blade shown here have 200 small steel teeth set around the perimeter of a thin, tapered rim. A thick, center hub adds rigidty to the blade.., ^ Note: To avoid binding, adjust ^ \ the blade height so only the \ rim (not the hub) passes through the workpiece. SECOND: make FULL DEPTH PASS PLYWOOD FACE VENEER J FIRST: raise saw SLADE SO IT JUST CUTS THROUGH FACE VENEER Flush Trimming ■ To create the look of a solid wood panel, the lip on a piece of edging that stands a bit proud needs to be trimmed flush with the surface of the plywood. PLANE. If there are only a few pieces, I use a block plane to re- move most of the waste. To avoid ROUTER. A router and a flush trim bit make quick work of the job if you have a lot of pieces to trim, see Fig. 2. Clamping a scrap to the workpiece keeps the router from tipping. And a rabbet in the scrap provides clearance for the lip on the edging, see detail. gouging the plywood, apply a piece of masking tape and plane until the tape starts to “fuzz,” see Fig. 1. With the tape removed, you can finish up with a sanding block. Just sand until pencil marks on the plywood start to disappear, see detail. No. 27 ShopNotes 15 FEATURE PROJECT Sliding Cutoff Table * Wide Panels. To make accurate crosscuts on pan- els up to 24" wide, this sliding cutoff table combines a large plywood platform with a long fixed fence. Angled Cuts. By attaching an adjustable fence that pivots around the curved end of the sliding table, you can make angled cuts as well. I can't tell you where it is ex- actly. But there’s a point of no return for the miter gauge on my table saw. Especially when I pull it back to crosscut a wide panel. It’s the point where the head starts to wobble because the run- ner isn’t fully supported in the miter gauge slot. And that makes it almost impossible to crosscut a wide panel safely and accurately. That’s why I built this sliding cutoff table. With the workpiece resting on a large platform that slides across the saw table, it’s easy to crosscut panels up to 24" wide, see top left photo. And add- ing an adjustable fence allows you to make angled cuts as well, see top right photo. stop blocks. Whether you make straight or angled cuts, sometimes you need a number of pieces that are identical in length. To ensure accuracy, a pair of stop blocks that slide in T-shaped slots in the fences can be locked tightly in place, see photo A. inserts. In addition to the stop blocks, this sliding cutoff ta- ble has tw T o “zero-clearance” in- serts that prevent chipout on the bottom of a workpiece. To make this work for both 90° and 45° cuts, it’s just a matter of remov- ing one insert and replacing it with another, see photo B. SAFETY. Finally, a pair of wood blocks (see inset photo below) work together to stop the table at the end of a cut. This Juries” the blade in a thick block on the back of the ta- ble, see photo C. A. Stop Blocks. A pair of stop blocks allows you to cut multiple pieces to length quickly and accurately. B. Inserts. Two removeable inserts (one for 90° and the other for 45° cuts) reduce chipout on the bottom of a workpiece. C. Safety System. A thick wood block and two stops prevent the blade from being exposed at the end of a cut 16 ShopNotes No. 27 FEATURE PROJECT EXPLODED VIEW OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 6"Hx40 1 / 2 "Wx32 1 /4"D FENCE PIECES 6 /l6" THREADED INSERT MOUNTING BLOCK M Materials A Large 3a se (1) 3 Small 3aee (1) C Insert Flates (2) P Funner (1) E Front Face (1) F Insert Slocks (4) G Short End 3locks (3) H 3ack Face (1) I Long End 3lock (1) J Top Pieces (2) K Stops (2) L Fence Pieces (2) M Mounting Slock (1) N Spacer (1) 0 Arm (1) P Support (1) Q Slade Guard (5) R Stop Slocks (2) 27 1 /2x27- 3 /4Ply. 271/2x5 -% Ply. 6 x 26 - 3 /4 Ply. V2 x 3 /4- 271/2 3 /4 X 3V2 - 16 3 /4x3V2-10 3 /4x3V2-3 3 /4 x 3V2 - 33 3 /4x 3/2-25 1/2x2- IV4 1/2x2- 3 7 /e> 3 /4 x 3V2 - 32 5 /a x 1/2 - 2V4 1 1/2 x 3 /4-V& Mas. 3 /4 xV/ 2-3 3 /4 x 1/2 - 39 3 /4 X 3 3 /4 - 5I/2 3 /4 X 1/2-4 43" x 43" - 3 / 4 n -THICK PLYWOOD Hardware • (10) 5 Ae” Threaded Inserts • (2) 5 /, e "x1 3 /4" Toilet Bolts • (2) 5 /w n x 2 / 4 " Threaded Knobs • (4) 5 /w" x W Threaded Knobs • (2) 5 Ae" Plastic Knobs • (3) 5 Ae" Washers • (23) #<3 x I/ 2 " Fh Wood&crews • (4)#3x2"Fh Woodscrews • (4)#3x%"Fh Woodscrews To order a complete hardware kit, call: 300-347-5105 6327-200 $12.95 No. 27 ShopNotes 17 FEATURE PROJECT base To build accuracy ► into the sliding table , check that the corner of the large base piece is square, and the miter gauge slot is parallel to the blade. To install a threaded insert, chuck a cutoff bolt with two nuts tight- ened against each other in the drill press. Then turn the chuck by hand. I began work on the cutoff table by building a plywood base. It serves as a platform that carries the workpiece through the blade. The base is made up of three parts: a large (A) and small base (B) piece with a removeable in- sert plate ( C) sandwiched in be- tween, see Fig. 1. Note: To make straight and beveled cuts, I made two insert plates. curve. To keep the adjustable fence (added later on) from bind- ing, there’s a curve cut on the outside corner of the large base piece, see Fig. 2. This requires establishing a pivot point for the fence, then cutting the curved shape and sanding it smooth. RUNNER. The base is guided by a hardwood runner that slides in the miter gauge slot. To pro- duce accurate cuts you’ll need to make sure this slot is parallel to the blade. The runner fits in a dado cut in the bottom of the base. When lay- ing out the location of this dado, the idea is to have the blade cut through the center of the insert. To do this, place the base piece on the saw table 3" away (half the width of the insert) from the cen- ter of the blade, see Fig. 2a. Then mark the location of the dado by using the slot as a reference. Before cutting the dado, it’s best to have the runner (D) in hand. It’s a piece of hardwood (maple) cut to fit the miter gauge slot so it slides smoothly without any '"play”, see Fig. 2b. THREADED INSERT. After cut- ting the dado and screwing the runner in place, all that’s left is to install a threaded insert, see Fig. 3 and margin at left. It fits in a hole that’s drilled at the pivot point for the adjustable fence. 18 ShopNotes No. 27 FEATURE PROJECT Fixed Fence & Support Rail The base is held together with two parts. A fixed fence runs across the back edge and sup- ports the workpiece as you make a cut, see Fig. 4. And a support rail adds rigidity to the front. POCKET. To slip the inserts in and out of the sliding table, the fence and support rail each have a “pocket” that’s built up from s / 4 n - thick hardwood blocks (maple). To form this pocket in the sup- port rail, a front face (E) is cut to length, see Fig. 5. Then an insert block (F) is sandwiched between two short end blocks (G). Except for its size, the fence isn't all that different. But here, there's a long back face (H). And another insert block (F) fits be- tween the short end block (G) and a long end block (I), t-slot. Before assembling all these pieces, a T-shaped slot is cut in the fence for a toilet bolt that lets you adjust the stop block (added later). Making this slot is simple. First, cut a shallow groove in the back face (H) and a deeper groove in the long end block (I), see Fig. 5a. Then rabbet the top edge of the long end block. blocks only are glued in place. (I used the insert blocks as spacers.) When the glue dries, the fence is screwed (not glued) to the base pieces so it's square to the blade and flush with the back edge. And the support rail is screwed flush with the front edge. INSERTS. At this point, the in- sert plates (B) and insert blocks They're held in place with knobs that tighten into threaded in- serts, see Figs. 4 and 5. STOP BLOCK. All that's left is to add a stop block. It consists of a top piece (J) and stop (K) glued up in an L-shape, see Fig. 6. Tightening a knob on a toilet bolt that passes through the top piece holds the stop block in place. With two inserts, you can use one for 90° cuts (top) and the other for 45° cuts (bottom). No. 27 ShopNotes 19 FEATURE PROJECT Adjustable Fence At this point, the cut- off table can be used for making 90° cuts. But to make angled cuts as well, I added an adjustable fence with a simple clamp that locks it in place, see Fig. 7 and photo. T-SLOT. Like the fixed fence, a T-slot for a stop block runs along the top edge of the adjustable fence. Af- ter cutting two 3 /4"-thick fence pieces (L) to size, this T-slot is made the same way as the one in the fixed fence, see Figs. 8 and 8a. NOTCH. Once the fence is glued up, a notch is cut at one end. To provide a pivot point that lets you swing the fence to the desired angle, a knob passes through a hole drilled in the notch and into the threaded insert installed ear- lier, see Fig. 7a. Tightening (or loosening) the knob lets you at- tach (or remove) the fence. CLAMP. Now you can add the clamp. It consists of three parts: a mounting block and arm made of hardwood, and a Masonite spacer in between, see Fig. 7b. What makes this clamp work is the mounting block is thinner than the base. This way, the spacer creates a small gap that allows the arm to pinch against the base of the cutoff table when you tighten the clamp. To provide this clamping pres- sure, the mounting block (M) and spacer (N) are first glued in place, see Fig. 9. After installing a threaded insert in the mounting block and attaching the arm ( 0) with screws, a simple knob can be used to tighten the clamp, see Fig. 7b. Finally, it’s just a matter of add- ing a second stop block for the ad- justable fence, see Fig. 7. 20 ShopNotes No. 27 FEATURE PROJECT Stop System All that’s left to complete the slid- ing table is to add the stop system. Besides supporting the sliding ta- ble, it covers the exposed part of the blade that passes through the fixed fence at the end of a cut. To make this work, the stop system consists of three parts: a support, a blade guard, and a pair of stop blocks, see Figs. 10, 11, and photo C on page 16. SUPPORT. The support (P) is a long strip of wood that attaches to the extension wing of the table saw, see Fig. 10. It prevents the sliding table from tipping at the beginning and end of a cut. To determine the length of the support, simply measure the depth of the saw table and add 12". (This gives you 6" of support at each end.) After cutting the support to length, it’s just a mat- ter of bolting it flush with the top of the saw table, see Fig. 10a. BLADE GUARD. Now you can add the blade guard ( Q), see Fig. 11. It’s a thick block that’s made by gluing up five pieces of 3 / 4 "- thick hardwood. In use, the part of the blade that cuts through the back of the fence is “buried” in this block at the end of a cut. Before attaching the guard, I cut V£"-wide chamfers on all the outside edges. Then the blade guard is glued in place so it’s cen- tered behind the insert. STOP BLOCKS. The last thing to do is to add two stop blocks (R). These blocks prevent the blade from cutting through the blade guard by creating a positive stop at the end of a cut. One block is glued and screwed to the end of the support, see Fig. 10. The other attaches to the bottom of the cutoff table, see Fig. 12. To determine the location of this block, position the cutoff ta- ble on the saw so the front of the fence is centered over the saw arbor, see Side View. Then glue and screw it in place. Note: An Vfc" gap between the block and support keeps the table from binding, see End View. & NOTE: CENTER SLADE GUARD DEHIND INSERT 3 %” CUT Vz" CHAMFERS ON OUTSIDE EDGES NOTE: REMOVE INSERT AND SAW SLADE TO SEE ARDOR NOTE: see "SIDE VIEW" TO LOCATE SECOND STOP SLOCK SIDE VIEW m ^ /V FIRST: REMOVE SAW SLADE AND RAISE SECOND: center front - OF FIXED FENCE OVER SAW SLADE ARDOR No. 27 ShopNotes 21 IN THE SHOP Drilling Holes O n the surface, assembling a project with screws is fairly straightforward. Just drill a hole (or a series of holes) and drive in the screws. Maybe that's why it's so frustrating when things don't go exactly as planned. For exam- ple, the screw doesn't draw the pieces tightly together. Or the head of the screw snaps off. If something like that happens, it's only natural to blame the screw. But more than likely, the real problem can be traced back to the holes that were drilled for the screws. So when working with stand- ard tapered woodscrews, I drill a series of stair-stepped holes to fit the shape of the screw as closely as possible. This can either be done with individual drill bits. Or you can use a special combination bit, see right-hand box on page 23. TWO HOLES. To ensure a smooth assembly and a joint that's held tightly together, I start by drill- ing two holes. A large shank hole goes all the way through the top piece, see photo above and draw- ing in margin. And a small pilot hole stops in the base piece. Note: To drill these holes as accurately as possible, I use brad point bits. shank HOLE. The shank hole provides clearance for the smooth part of the screw. And it keeps the threads in the top piece from “catching" and creating a 9 \ \] IZ? / SHANK r s- hole TOP 1 PIECE j : ^ p i l i BASE PIECE Lr i PILOT J HOLE gap between the pieces, see Fig. 1. size. An easy way to select the right size drill bit for the shank hole is to hold the screw in front of the bit, see Fig. 2a. The sides of the bit should just barely stick out past the shank. Then when you drill the hole, the screw will slide through without binding, see Fig. 2. PILOT HOLE. The next step is to drill the pilot hole in the base piece. The most important job of the pilot hole is to prevent the wood from splitting. To do this effectively, the pilot hole has to be sized correctly. If it's too large, the holding power of the screw is reduced. Too small and it increases the chances of splitting the wood or snapping the head off the screw. As a rule, I drill the pilot hole slightly smaller than the root of the screw (the part of the screw 22 ShopNotes No. 27 IN THE SHOP ~ il — .j ixn; ~ NTERSINK BIT CENTERS >ELF ON SHANK HOLE <4- nr l CUUI / ll 1 ^ ITS ' OT L /. ! : C-J N / \ t r 7 SHANK / H0LE FILCH > ’ HOLE COUf' r 4TERSINK i ¥ between the threads). This gives the threads something to grab. Here again, to find the correct size drill bit, line up the bit with the screw. But this time, place the screw behind the bit, see Fig. 3a. The root of the screw should just peek past the sides of the bit. depth. Another thing to keep in mind is the depth of the pilot hole. This will vary depending on whether you’re working with hardwood or softwood. Since hardwood is more likely to split, I drill the hole almost as deep as the screw will penetrate, see Fig. 3. Leaving two or three threads to bite into the wood is plenty to produce a solid grip. But with softwood, I drill a shallower hole — usually about half the length of the threaded part of the screw that will be in the base piece. APPEARANCE While the shank hole and pilot hole take care of the basic me- chanics of a screw joint, you also need to consider the finished ap- pearance of the screw head. countersink. On most shop projects, I drill a countersink. This leaves the screw head ex- posed and set slightly below the surface. The beveled sides of the countersink match the shape of the screw head so it can draw down tight. The important thing is to drill the countersink after the shank hole and pilot hole, see Fig. 4. This way, the tapered sides of the bit automatically center it on the shank hole. (For more on coun- tersink bits, see box below left.) COUNTERBORE. For a finished appearance, a counterbore lets you recess the sci;ew head below the surface. This is a deep, straight-sided hole that’s drilled to accept a wood plug or filler. The thing to be aware of is the counterbore is drilled before the shank hole and pilot hole, see Fig. 5. (If you drill the shank hole first, the bit wall wander because there’s no centerpoint to guide it.) So which bit do you use to drill a counterbore? Since a twist bit also forms a countersink at the base of the hole, it’s a good choice for flathead woodscrews, see Fig. 5. But for a roundhead screw that’s flat on the bottom, I use a brad point bit. & Countersink Bits There’s a big difference in these two counter- sink bits. One uses a single cutting edge that slices the wood fibers and leaves a clean hole, see left-hand photo. The other has multiple cutters that scrape the wood and produce a scalloped cut, see right-hand photo. Combination Bit If you’re installing a lot of screws, this tapered combination bit saves time by drilling a series of holes in a single operation. You can use it to drill the countersink, shank hole, and pilot hole, see left-hand photo. Or adjust it to drill the counterbore as well, see right-hand photo. To set the screw head just below the surface, drill the countersink deep enough so the head fits the top of the opening. Sources • Woodcraft (single & multiple cutter coun- tersink, comb, bits ) 800-225-1153 • Garrett Wade (com- bination bits) 800-221-2942 • Woodworkers Supply (single cutter coun- tersink, comb, bits) 800-645-9292 • Constantine's (mul- tiple cutter counter- sink, comb, bits) 800-223-8087 No. 27 ShopNotes 23 *vr Just open the doors to find the hidden storage space inside this compact rack. THE SMALL SHOP Pegboard Storage A t first glance, it's hard to imagine that you can or- ganize a wall full of tools in this compact storage rack, see photo. But a closer look reveals the “hid- den” storage space inside. This extra storage is provided by two doors that have pegboard on both the front and the back. To provide easy access to tools on each side, the doors swing out in opposite directions, refer to the photos on the back page. frame. The doors are sup- ported by a sturdy frame made from “two-by” material (I used Douglas fir) and a 3 A "- thick ply- wood top and bottom, see draw- ing below left. It’s held together with simple (yet strong) lap joints that are made by cutting a series of notches in the frame pieces. A pair of stretcher's (A) used to attach the rack to the wall are rabbeted on each end, see Fig. 1. These rabbets fit dadoes in the back of the two uprights (B ) . Another pair of dadoes on the inside face accept short arms ( C) that are rabbeted on one end. Before assembling the frame, it’s easiest to drill a hole in each arm for a pin that will allow the doors to pivot, see Fig. 2. And a shallow groove is cut for the top and bottom that are added later. ASSEMBLY. Now you can as- semble the frame. The stretch- ers, uprights, and arms are held together with glue and screws. To add rigidity to the frame, the plywood top and bottom (D) are cut to fit between the grooves in the arms. But before gluing and screwing them in place, I 24 ShopNotes No. 27 added hardwood trim strips (E) to cover the front edges. DOORS With the frame complete, you can add the doors. They're just sim- ple wood frames with pegboard on each side, see Fig. 3. The overall height of the doors is the same. But the back door is 1" narrower so it swings past the front door when you open it, see Fig. 3d. Determining the length of the frame pieces is easy. The stiles (F) on each door are identical in length. (To provide an Vs" clearance at the top and bottom, I cut them 36" long.) But the front rails ( G) are 1" longer than the back rails (H). (This takes into account the over- all width of the doors and the join- ery that holds them together.) With the frame pieces cut to length, matching rabbets are cut on both sides for the pegboard panels, see Fig. 3a. And a notch in the ends of the stiles accepts the rails, see Fig. 3b. panels. After screwing the frame pieces together, it's just a matter of cutting front (I) and back door panels (J) to fit and screwing them in place, see Fig. 3c. And a scrap pull (K) is glued to the front of the back door. attach DOORS. All that's left is to attach the doors. They pivot on two hex bolts that pass into bronze bushings installed in the top and bottom edges of each 14" flat h WASHER 14" x W HEX BOLT V\e* CHAMFER door, see Fig. 4. and 4a. These bolts pass through holes in the arms (drilled earlier) and thread into T-nuts in the inside face of the arms. Finally, to lock the doors in place, a hole is drilled in each up- per arm for a spring loaded catch, see Fig. 5. Note: One catch mounts to the back of the front door. And the other is on the front of the back door, refer to Fig. 3. Hardware • (3) #8 x IVa" Fhws • (20) #8 x 2/2" Fhws • (8) #8 xW Fhws • (30) #10 x V 2 " Fhws • (4) Va" x 2^2 " Hex Bolts • (4) V 4 " Flat Washers • (4) V 4 " Fender Washers • (4) V4" T-nuts • (4) %" xW'-iong 8ronze Pushings • (2) Left-Hand Spring Catches w/Screws To order a complete hardware kit call: 1-300-347-3103 6827-300 $20.95 No. 27 ShopNotes 25 SELECTING TOOLS Quick Clamps pressure with the other hand. But there's more to a clamp than how handy it is to use. To see how they performed w r hen gluing up a project or making a tool setup, we ran the clamps through a series of tests, see photos above. To provide a range of view- points, we asked three wood- workers with different amounts of experience to test the clamps: Can/ (a weekend woodworker), Steve (an advanced woodworker), and Ken (a professional carpen- ter and cabinetmaker). ES These clamps look quite differ- ent from each other. Do they work differently too ? Steve: The two clamps that are the most alike are the E-Z Hold and Quick-Grip. With these, I just squeeze the handle to slide the lower jaw along the bar until it's tight against the workpiece. Ken: While both clamps use a pumping action to advance the jaw, I liked the in-line handle on the E-Z Hold the best. (See the top drawing at left.) That's be- cause no matter how the clamp is oriented, it's convenient to use. But since the pistol grip on the Quick-Grip is perpendicular to the bar, it can be awkward to use depending on the position of the clamp. (See center drawing.) Cary: The Quick-Star uses a different approach altogether. The lower jaw on this clamp is spring-loaded, so it advances “automatically" like a tape meas- ure. (See bottom drawing.) How does that work? Cary: It's pretty simple really. Pulling the lower jaw down the bar applies tension to the spring. And releasing it retracts the spring and pulls the jaw against the workpiece. Once the jaw is snug, it works like a standard bar clamp. As you Quick-Grip 12" clamp $16.95 13" clamp $17.95 24" clamp $19.95 36" clamp $22.95 Qu\ck-3tar 3" clamp $23.95 12" clamp $27.50 things up considerably. That's where these quick clamps come in, see photos below and prices in margin. They free up one hand by allowing you to position the clamp and apply E-Z Hold (Jorgensen) 312-666-0640 Quick-Grip (American Tool) 600-767-6297 . Quick-Star (Gross Stabil) 600-671-0838 Pricee E-Z H old 10" clamp $11.95 16" clamp $ 12.95 22" damp $13.95 23" clamp $15.95 T here's one thing that's al- ways in short supply when clamping up a project — a third hand. With one hand positioning the clamp, and the other keeping the parts aligned, an extra hand to tighten the clamp would speed 26 ShopNotes No. 27 Quick-Grip 156 psi Quick- Star 363 psi Clamping Pressure Irregular Shapes . Unlike the Quick-Grip (left), the clamp pads on the Quick-Star (center) and E-Z Hold (right) make full contact with irregular-shaped objects. pivots as I tighten the clamp and the pads conform to the shape of the object. Steve: While it doesn't have quite as much flexibility, the up- per clamp head on the E-Z Hold also pivots. In fact, the whole upper jaw slides off the bar so I can use it as a spreader. That’s handy when I need to take a project apart after dry assembling it to check the fit. (See margin.) gj One last question. Besides the color ; are there any real differ- ences between the clamp pads? Steve: Size is one thing. The large pads on the E-Z Hold and Quick-Grip seemed to distribute pressure farther along the joint line than the small pads on the Quick-Star. (See photos at left.) Cary: And I liked the positive grip provided by the soft, rub- bery pads on both the E-Z Hold and Quick-Grip. Pressure. With a pressure gauge mounted on a hydraulic cylinder , we measured how much pressure each clamp applied. tighten the handle, a screw ap- plies the clamping pressure. Which is why the Quick-Star ap- plies more pressure than the other two clamps. (See drawing and photo above right.) Ken: But that’s not to say you can’t get a tight fitting glue joint with the E-Z Hold and Quick- Grip. Since they don’t produce as much clamping pressure, the key is to make sure the joint fits tight before gluing the pieces together. And since I do that anyway (even when using heavy-duty clamps), that’s not a big deal. [jjJ What about the clamp heads? Cary: That’s one of the biggest differences I noticed. Because both clamp heads on the Quick- Grip are fixed, the pads don’t make full contact when I clamp an irregular-shaped object. (See photo above left.) But the lower clamp head on the Quick-Star is basically just a ball and socket joint. So the head Clamp Pads. The large jaws Grip (center) provide a more sta- and the soft rubbery clamp pads ble grip than the smaller plastic on the E-Z Hold (left) and Quick- pads on the Quick-Star (right). Simply reversing the jaws on the E-Z Hold clamp allows you to use it as a spreader. Cary: Choosing the best quick clamp was a tug of war. I liked the spring-loaded jaw and the extra clamping pressure you get with the Quick-Star. But not enough to pay over $20 for it. So I picked the E-Z Hold in- stead. It only costs about half as much. And it would easily handle most of my clamping needs. Recommendations Steve: At first, it was the low cost of the E-Z Hold clamps that caught my eye too. (Especially if you’re buying a bunch of clamps.) But the real reason I picked the E-Z Hold was the convenience of the in-line handle. Also, convert- ing the clamp to a spreader is something that would come in handy for me once in awhile. Ken: I guess that makes three of us. Although it doesn’t produce as much clamping pressure, I chose the E-Z Hold too. It exerts plenty of pressure if you start with a tight-fitting joint. And the large clamping sur- face provided by the soft, rub- bery pads distributes pressure evenly along the joint line. & No. 27 ShopNotes 27 TIPS & TECHNIQUES Shop Solutions 6pring-Loaded Hold-Down ■ Like many woodworkers, I use a shop-made “sled” to rip a straight edge on rough cut lum- ber. But rather than buy special clamps to hold boards securely to the sled, a pair of spring-loaded hinges applies all the pressure I need, see photo. One leaf of each spring is at- tached to a rail that's screwed to the base of the sled, see drawing. And the other fastens to a board that acts as a hold-down. To hold the workpiece securely in place, I screwed rubber “feet” to the bottom of the hold-down and glued sandpaper to the base. And a stop glued and screwed to the end of the base helps push the workpiece when making a cut. Teny Vikla Cottage Gh'ove, Minnesota 3rad & Nail “Drill Dit” ■ Predrilling a pilot hole for a brad or finish nail helps prevent them from splitting the wood. But I don't always have a drill bit that's the same size as the brad or finish nail. To drill holes that are the exact size, I cut the head from one of the brads or nails I'm using and chuck the shank in my drill. The shank works like a drill bit to drill a hole that fits the brad or nail perfectly. David Krimmel San Diego , California 28 ShopNotes No. 27 TIPS & TECHNIQUES ▲ Since his lip balm is always handy, Bill Johnson of Akron, Ohio, applies it to screw threads to make the screws easy to drive. Finishing Base I ■ To make it less tiring on my back when finishing doors and other flat projects, I built an “easel” that holds the workpiece at a comfortable height, see photo. The main parts of the easel are a pair of uprights made from “two by” material that are set up on a saw T horse, see drawing. A square notch in the bottom of each up- right fits behind a stretcher screwed to the legs of the saw- horse, see detail ‘b\ And an an- gled notch in the back edge determines the slope of the easel. To keep the uprights from tip- ping, I drilled two holes in each one for a pair of long dowels. By gluing and screwing one end of A To increase the grip of his push block , John French of San Di- ego , California, glues shelf liner to the bottom of the block. ► Right out of the pack- age, it's easy to identify the grit on a hook and loop sanding disk. But if you change disks fre- quently, the grit markings on back soon wear off. So Wayne Loper of Duncan- non, Pennsylvania, uses a per- manent marker to label the grit on the one place on the front of the disk that doesn’t clog or wear out — the center of the disk. 1" PVC PIPE (CUT IN HALF LENGTHWISE) each dowel to the same upright, you can slide the other one on the dowels to adjust the easel for pro- jects of different widths. Finally, a dowel in the front edge of each upright supports the work- piece. And a piece of PVC pipe that's cut in half* (lengthwise) and screwed to the uprights keeps the wet finish on the project from sticking to the easel, see detail 'a'. Allan Gabel Sussex , Wisconsin Send in Your Solutions 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, I A 50312. (Or if it's easier, FAX them to us at: 515-282-6741.) We'll pay up to $200 depending on the published length. Please include a daytime phone number so we can call you if we have any questions. No. 27 ShopNotes 29 Redwood T here’s a good reason why the houses my grandfather built still have their original wood siding. The siding is made from redwood. And even though the finish on many of those homes has deteriorated over the years, the red- wood is still as solid as the day he nailed it in place. That’s because redwood has a natural resistance to both insects and decay. Because of this durability, redwood is an ideal wood for a project that’s going to sit outside (like the picnic table on page 10). But to take advantage of its ability to fend off damaging insects and rot, you’ll need to take a close look at the different grades of redwood. TWO GROUPS. Although there are a number of different grades, each one falls into one of two main groups: Heartwood or Sapwood. When buying redwood for an outdoor project, I make it a point to select Heartwood lumber. Heart- wood is easy to identify by its reddish-brown color, see photos at right. But there’s something about it that’s even more important than color. The heartwood is cut from the inner pari of a redwood log — the pari that makes it resistant to insects and decay. But there’s no natural resistance in the sapwood that’s cut from the outer part of the log. HEARTWOOD. The two best grades of Heartwood are Clear All Heart (straight grain, free of knots) and Heart ‘B’ (some irregular grain and a few small, tight knots), see photos be- low. Note: We used Heart ‘B’ on the picnic table. Not surprisingly, these two grades of redwood are also the most expensive. Here in Des Moines, Clear All Heart costs about $4.40 a board foot, and Heart ‘B’ is $3.50 a board foot. A less expensive grade you may want to consider for some projects is Construction Heari/Deck Color. Unlike the creamy colored sapwood (top), the red heart- wood resists insects and decay. Heart ($1.50 a board foot), see bottom photo. Al- though boards in this grade aren’t as straight grained and have larger knots, you can sometimes cut around them. WORKABILITY. Regardless of the grade you use, there are a few things you should keep in mind when working with redwood lumber. Like most other softwoods, redwood cuts easily. But to help reduce splintering, * it’s still a good idea to first drill pilot holes before nailing or screwing it in place. And if there are any small splinters along the edges, glue them in place before sanding or finishing as they have a tendency to “catch” on sandpaper, paint- brushes, and rags. Also, when routing redwood, it’s best to sneak up on the profile by making a number of passes to reduce tearout and splintering. availability. Because redwood is such a spe- cialty use item, you’re not likely to come across it at your local home improvement center. But you can find it (or order it) at many lumberyards. If you have trouble locating redwood, you can give the California Redwood Association a call (415- 382-0662) for the nearest dealer in your area. & Clear All Heart. Lumber with this grade is straight-grained and free of knots. Heart ‘B\ You'll see some irregular grain and small knots in Heart B’ lumber. Construction Heart/Deck Heart. Look for knots of varying sizes with this grade. 30 ShopNotes No. 27 ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF CALIFORNIA REDWOOD ASSOCIATION THE FINISH R Outdoor Finishes W hether it's drenched in the rain or baked by the sun, the finish on a piece of outdoor furniture has an incredibly tough job. So it's impor- tant to select a finish that protects the wood from damage caused by extremes of weather. In addition, there are a couple other things I look at before choosing an outdoor finish. How it affects the appearance of the project for instance. And the maintenance required to preserve the finish. To strike a balance between all these things, I usually select from three different types of outdoor finishes: penetrating oil, spar varnish, or paint. PENETRATING OIL The easiest finish to apply is a penetrating oil that’s specially formulated for outdoor use. Wiping the oil on and off (I apply at least three coats) seals out moisture by penetrating inside the fibers of the wood. Since the oil doesn’t build up on the surface, it won’t crack or peel. And it preserves the natural llook and feel of the wood, see photo A. maintenance. But it doesn’t take long before an oil finish starts to look dull and loses its ability to keep out moisture. So about every two or three months, you’ll need to wipe on a fresh coat. SPAR VARNISH For a more durable finish that still preserves the natural beauty of the wood, I use an exterior (ma- rine) spar varnish, see photo B. It forms a protec- tive barrier against moisture on the surface of the wood. And it’s extremely resistant to wear. filters. When selecting a spar varnish, look for one with ultra-violet (UV) filters. These filters ab- sorb the UV rays from the sun that break down a finish over time. To take advantage of the filters, it’s best to apply at least three coats of spar varnish. But since the filters gradually lose their effectiveness, you’ll need to establish a regular maintenance schedule. The important thing is to renew the finish before it starts to deteriorate. About once a year, I sand the finish lightly and apply another coat. PAINT lthough it hides the wood, a provides the best protection good coat of paint still against the weather. That’s because it keeps out moisture and pre- vents sunlight from penetrating the finish. As with any finish, the end result is only as good as what’s underneath. So start by applying a heavy coat of penetrating (outdoor) oil. Especially on end grain that will wick up moisture if the paint fails. PRIMER. When the oil dries completely (about two or three days), the next step is to apply a good quality alkyd (oil-based) primer. While it provides excellent resistance to water, an alkyd paint can crack as the wood moves with changes in humidity. TOP COATS. So when it’s time to apply the top coats, I use a more flexible latex (water-based) paint, see photo C. Two coats will usually protect the wood for several years or more, ik m Penetrating Oil. Even though it darkens the wood, the most natural looking outdoor finish is a penetrating oil. To ensure continuous protection against moisture, apply another coat of oil every few months. Spar Varnish. With an exterior spar varnish, you get a more durable (and glossier) finish. Even so, you'll need to maintain the finish about once a year to prevent cracking or peeling. M Paint. While it hides the natural beauty of the wood, a painted finish offers the best protection against the weather. And you don’t have to worry about renewing the finish as frequently. No. 27 ShopNotes 31 Scenes from the Shop ▲ The highly figured grain on this walnut scraper wood wedge and brass finger screw hold the scraper at plane creates a fine tool that’s as pleasing to look at as just the light angle to produce thin, wispy shavings, it is to use. Like the scraper plane shown on page i, a And brass sole plates on the bottom resist ivear. k A panel full of tools is just paid of the storage pro- other side as well as a back door concealed within vided by the pegboard rack shown above left and on (center). Swing out the back door and you can even page 2Jp. Open the front door and there’s storage on the hang tools on the other side of it or the wall (right).