T 1 


P S • T 0 0 1 

L S • T 

E C H N 1 

1 Q U 

ES, 



□ Building Raised Panel Doors □ Torpedo Level 
■ Frame and Panel Jig □ Using Stile and Rail Bits 





I T 0 R ' S NOTE 


Cutoffs • 


lliilteteB. 

Issue 35 September 1997 

publisher Donald B. Peschke 
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I f I had to put together a wish list for 
my shop, I could tell you my first 
choice in a heartbeat — more space. 

Now t there’s no harm in wishing. But 
the reality is my shop is shoehorned 
into the basement — right between 
the laundry room and storeroom. 

So unless I carve out some new ter- 
ritory (which is about as likely as wan- 
ning the lottery), Pm going to have to 
get by with the space that’s available. 

In the meantime, I’m always on the 
lookout for ways to solve the problem 
of having a limited amount of space. 

TOOL STATION. The revolving tool 
station featured on page 16 is one solu- 
tion. It only takes up nine square feet 
of space. Yet it combines a workstation 
for your benchtop tools as well as 
storage for portable power tools. 

Benchtop tools are mounted in a 
cluster on a circular platform that 
spins around like a carousel. This 
means you can position the tool you’re 
working at directly in front of you 
while the others are out of the way. 
When you need to use a different tool, 
just give the platform a spin. 

The revolving platform is supported 
by a base cabinet that provides storage 
for portable power tools. To make it 
easy to remove a tool (or put one back), 
they’re stored on a large turntable 
that rotates like a lazy susan. 

TIME. But space isn’t always the 
problem. Sometimes there’s not enough 
time to start big projects that have 
been on the back burner — like building 
raised panel doors for all your kitchen 
cabinets (the type a cabinet shop would 
build for a kitchen remodeling project). 

Granted, this may seem like a time 
consuming task. But it doesn’t have to 
be. You just have to borrow a few 
tricks from the big production shops. 
(For more on this, refer to page 12.) 


STILE & RAIL BITS. For example, you 
can cut the joinery for the frame and 
the profile along the inside edge at the 
same time. While commercial shops 
use a shaper for this, the same thing 
can be accomplished with a router and 
a set of stile and rail bits, see page 24. 

FRAME & PANEL JIG. As long as you’re 
in “production mode,” you’ll want to 
glue up the doors quickly too. So don’t 
overlook the frame and panel jig 
shown on page 28. Besides being a 
time-saver, it allows you to glue up a 
frame and panel door that’s perfectly flat. 

TORPEDO LEVEL. One final project 
in this issue that I’m pretty fond of is a 
small torpedo level, see page 6. With a 
walnut body that tapers at the ends 
and polished brass plates, it has the 
look and feel of a traditional level. 

But don’t build the level just for its 
appearance. There’s also a clever^^ 
spring-loaded system that lets yoi^^ 
recalibrate the level if it ever gets 
knocked out of adjustment. 

FINE TOOL JOURNAL. While we were 
building the level, I got curious about 
old levels. So to find out more, I gave 
Clarence Blanchard a call at the Fine 
Tool Journal . 

The Journal (as 
he calls it for 
short) is as unique 
as its logo shown 
at left. It’s a mag- 
azine that’s dedi- 
cated to providing 
information about 
old tools. And it even offers an auction 
service so you can collect old tools. (To 
find out more about the Fine Tool 
Journal , you can call 800-248-8114.) 

Well, to make a long story short, 
Clarence not only gave me the information 
I needed. He also put together the col- 
lection of levels shown on the back cover. 




2 


ShopNotes 


No. 35 




ISSUE THIRTY-FIVE 


Contents 


Tools & Techniques 

Building Raised Panel Doors 12 

Building a number of raised panel doors? You can use a 
special set of router bits to make the frame and the 
raised panel quickly and easily. 

Stile & Rail Bits 24 

A matched set of stile and rail bits and a router table. 
That’s all it takes to cut the joinery and create the 
decorative profile on the frame of a raised panel door. 


Projects 


Torpedo Level 


Made of highly figured walnut and brass, this torpedo 
level has the look and feel of a traditional hand tool. 
With a unique, built-in adjustment system, you can 
calibrate the level quickly and accurately. 


Revolving Tool Station 16 

Just give the circular platform on top of this station a 
spin to position the tool you want to use right in front of 
you. A rotating turntable in the base provides easy 
access to your portable power tools as well. 


Frame & Panel Jig 28 

This shop-built jig solves the biggest problem of gluing 
up a frame and panel door — keeping the door 
perfectly flat. The secret is a pair of cams that apply 
clamping pressure directly in line with the frame. 


Departments 


Readers 9 Tips 4 

Our readers offer their own shop-tested tips for solving 
some of the most common woodworking problems. 

Shop Solutions 26 

Use these tips from the guys in our shop to get 
professional-looking results on the projects in this issue. 


Sources. 


31 


Hardware, supplies, and mail order sources for the 
projects in this issue. Also, a selected guide to past 
projects from ShopNotes that’s sure to come in handy. 



Torpedo Level page 6 



Raised Panel Doors page 12 



Tool Station page 16 



Frame & Panel Jig page 28 


No. 35 


ShopNotes 


3 


TIPS & TECHNIQUES 


Readers’ Tips 



Knock-Down Worktable 


■ It's always handy to have an 
extra worksurface when fin- 
ishing or assembling a project. 
The only drawback is it often 
takes up too much space. 

This knock-down worktable 
solves that problem, see photo. 
It can be assembled or taken 
apart in less than a minute, then 
stacked flat against a wall. 

The legs , aprons , and top of 


CLEAT 


NOTE: 

cur ika-wide 

CLEATS TO 
FIT BETWEEN 
APRONS, THEN 
GLUE AND 
SCREW IN PLACE 


APRON 

( 43 " x 16") 


-THICKNESS 

OF 

PLYWOOD + Vie" 




LEO 

(23%" X 3 1%") 


31% 


LEG 


NOTE: 

CLEATS ARE 
%"-THICK STOCK 


APRON 


APRON 


LEG 


CirmNO P1AORAM 

( 43 " x 96"-%" PLY) 


TOP 


the table are cut from a single 
sheet of plywood, see drawing. 

To create a sturdy worksur- 
face, the legs and aprons are held 
together with interlocking notches. 


Cutting two cleats to fit between 
the aprons and attaching them to 
the top prevents it from sliding off. 

Vernon Harris 
Utica , New York 


Quick Tips 



k When cutting pieces of glass 
to size, Michael Burton of Ogden, 
Utah scores a clean “ break line” 
with a carbide-tipped router bit. 



k For inexpensive drawer glides 
Lonie Richardson, Jr. ofPerrinton, 
Michigan uses short lengths of 
plastic wallpaper corner bumper. 



of Upper Jay, NY quickly sort 
pieces to find the one he needs. 


4 


ShopNotes 


No. 35 





TIPS & TECHNIQUES 


Squaring Gauge 


NOTE: cut v - wide 

CUT SLOT SLOT 1%" LONG 

1" FROM END 

CAM 


UPPER 

EXTEN5I0N 

(1" x IS") 


LOWER - 
EXTENSION 


NOTE: 

DOTH EXTENSION 
PIECES ARE 
%"-THICK 
HARDWOOD 




(1" x IS") 






6-32 x 






MACHINE 4 







SCREW 



CAM 


«sr ^ 


L-HOOK 






! 1 





-V'-DIA. 




7i 

kr 

HOLE 



mnmnnm 


w 


3 /e" 


NOTE: PATTERN 
IS FULL SIZE 


S-32 

LOCK 

NUT 


T 


W r 


V 

t] 


END VIEW 


■ It’s easy to check whether a 
drawer or cabinet is square. Simply 
compare the length of the two 
diagonals. But it can be difficult 
etting the end of a tape measure 
nto the corners for an accurate 
reading. So I use this adjustable 
squaring gauge, see photo. 


Inlay Cutter. 

■ When working with thin wood 
veneer, I often inlay narrow 
strips of contrasting veneer in a 
shallow recess. To score lines for 
this recess that match the width 
of the strip exactly, I use this 
simple cutter, see drawing. 

The cutter consists of two 
single-edged razor blades 
attached to a tongue depressor. 

By slipping flat washers 
between the blades and the 
handle, the width of the cutter 
can be adjusted for inlay strips 
of different widths. 

To cut a recess for a strip, 
simply follow a straightedge 
while applying even pressure on 
he razor blades. Then remove 
the waste with a chisel. 

R.B. Himes 
Vienna , Ohio 


The gauge consists of an upper 
and lower extension that are 
held together with a sliding 
dovetail joint, see drawing. (I 
used a 14° dovetail bit to rout the 
groove and the matching tongue.) 

By sliding the pieces against 
each other, you can adjust the 


NOTE: 

USE WASHERS 
AS SPACERS TO 
ADJUST WIDTH 
OF RECESS 


TONGUE 

DEPRESSOR 


6-32 

WING 

NUT 


length of the gauge. Note: An L- 
shaped hook in the end of each 
piece allows you to fit the gauge 
into the corner of a project. 

CAM. Once the gauge is adjusted 
for the first diagonal, tightening 
a simple cam “saves” the setting 
so you can check the second one. 

The cam is an irregular-shaped 
piece of hardwood (see pattern) 
that fits in a slot in the upper 
extension. After attaching it with 
a machine screw and lock nut, raise 
the cam to lock the gauge in place. 

Dario Brisighella, Sr. 

Oak Creek , Wisconsin 




6-32 - 3 / 4 " long 
MACHINE SCREW 


Send in Your Solutions 

To share your original solutions to 
problems you’ve faced, send them 
to: ShopNotes, Attn.: Readers’ Tips, 
2200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, 
IA 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. 35 


ShopNotes 


5 




FINE TOOLS 



Torpedo Level • 


Walnut and brass give this torpedo level the look 
and feel of a traditional hand tool. And a built-in 
adjustment system makes it easy to calibrate. 


EXPLODED 

VIEW 


R ecently, a Mend dropped by to show me an old 
level he had picked up at a tool auction. The 
body of the level was dented and scratched. And one 
of the vials was broken. 

But in spite of its rough condition, I still admired 
the workmanship that had gone into the level. 
Brass plates fit flawlessly into the wood body. And 
the ends tapered smoothly like a torpedo, prob- 
ably to make it easy to slip into the pocket of a 

carpenter’s apron. 


COVER 

PLATE 



After seeing that old level, I got to thinking about 
building a “torpedo” level of my own, see photo. 

Like the original, this level has a tapered wood 
body with brass accent strips. And two vials make 
it handy for leveling vertical or horizontal surfaces. 

ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM. But the thing that’s 
unique about this level is a built-in adjustment 
system. The vial that’s used to level a horizontal^^ 
surface is cradled in an adjustable holder, se^^P 
drawing at left. This allows you to calibrate the 
level without a lot of fiddling around. And if it ever 
gets knocked out of adjustment, you can “fine 
tune” the vial in a matter of minutes. 

BODY. To provide a stable base for the level, the 
body starts out as a l"-thick hardwood blank, see 
drawing at top of next page. (I used a piece of fig- 
ured walnut I’d been saving for a special project.) 

RECESSES. To accept the brass plates, the next 
step is to cut three shallow recesses in the blank. A 
long recess in the top accepts a cover plate, and 
there are two short recesses in the bottom for a 
pair of wear plates. 

While the length of these recesses varies, they 
all have one thing in common. The ends are shaped 
in a gentle curve where the wood body meets the 
brass plates. To ensure that this shape is consis- 


Hardware 


9 (2) 3-32 x Iff’ Flathead Machine Screws (Braes) 
9 (6) V Flat Washers 
• (2) 3-32 Threaded Inserts (Brass) 

9 (2) Vf-Long x %" 1.9. Compression Springs 
9 (2) 3 /e" x W Bubble Vials 
9 (1) 1" x 10" Brass Strip ffe" thick) 

9 (10) #4 x V 4 " Fh Screws (Brass) 

To order a complete hardware kit , refer to page 31. 


6 


ShopNotes 


No. 35 






FINE T 


tent from one recess to the next, 

1 1 used a hand-held router and a 
simple jig, see page 26. 

plumb vial. After routing 
each recess, you're ready to add 
the vial near the end of the level 
that's used to check whether a 
vertical surface is plumb. (For 
sources of vials and other hard- 
ware needed to build this level, 
see page 31.) 

The plumb vial fits in a stopped 
hole that's drilled in the bottom 
edge of the level, see Fig. 1. (One 
of the brass plates will cover the 
hole when it's added later.) 

To produce an accurate read- 
ing, it's important that this hole is 
perpendicular to the bottom edge 
of the level. So start by checking 
that the table on your drill press 
is square to the bit, see margin 
at right. Then drill the hole using 
slow, steady pressure. 

WINDOW. In addition to the 
stopped hole, a large hole drilled 
.through the sides of the level cre- 
r ates a “window" that lets you see 
the vial. (I used a Forstner bit to 
make a clean cut.) 


5TEP1: 

ROUT LONG RECESS 
FOR COVER PLATE 


3 /4" RADIUS 



STEP 2: 

FLIP WORKPIECE AND 
ROUT SHORT RECESSES 
FOR WEAR PLATES 


LEVEL VIAL. 

At this point, you 
can turn your atten- 
tion to the top vial that's used to 
level a horizontal surface. 

To provide a clear view of the 
level vial, there's a semi-circular 
opening in the top edge of the 
level. Here again, a Forstner bit 
produces a clean cut. Even 
though it's designed to drill a 
hole on the edge of a workpiece, 
I still wanted to provide extra 
supportto keep the bit from wan- 


dering. So I clamped a short 
scrap piece across the recess for 
the cover plate, see Fig. 2. 

CHAMFERS. The scrap comes 
in handy for the next step as well 
— routing an Vs" chamfer around 
the rim of the hole on both sides, 
see Figs. 3 and 3a. While you're 
at it, chamfer the view window 
near the end of the level too. 

INSTALL PLUMB VIAL. Now all 
that's left is to install the plumb 
vial. To do this, simply press the 
vial into the hole, see Fig. 4. 






drill press table is 
square to the bit, 
use a square 
to check it in 
both directions. 


No. 35 


ShopNotes 


7 









FINE T I 


Vial Holder 


The vial that's used to check a 
horizontal surface for level is 
housed in a small U-shaped 
holder, see photo at right. This 
holder fits inside a deep mortise 
in the body of the level. 

ADJUSTABLE. The unique thing 
about this holder is it's adjustable. 
This simplifies the initial calibra- 
tion. (For more on this, refer to 
page 11.) And it allows you to 
“tune up" the level in case it gets 
knocked out of adjustment. 

CUT MORTISE. Before making 
the vial holder, the first step is to 
cut the mortise for the holder, 
see Fig. 5. Besides being fairly 
deep (1”), this mortise is also 
quite wide (%"). This means that 
the sides of the level near the 
opening for the level vial will 
only be 3 /ig" thick. As a result, 
any variation in thickness will be 
quite noticeable. 

F ortunately, cutting the mortise 
so each side is identical in thick- 



y 2 "-L0NG x 14" I.D. 
COMPRESSION 
SPRING 



3-32 x 14" 
THREADED INSERT 
(BRASS) 



ness 

isn't that 
difficult. What I 
found worked well is 
to drill a series of holes 
with a Forstner bit. Just be sure 
that the level is secured firmly 
in place when drilling each one. 
(I clamped it to a scrap that 
was squared up and attached to 



the 

table on the 
the drill press.) 

After removing most of 
the waste, it's just a matter of 
using a chisel to clean up the 
ridges on the sides of the mor- 
tise and to square up the ends, 
see Fig. 5b. 

VIAL HOLDER 

Once the mortise is completed, 
you can concentrate on the vial 
holder. In addition to securing 
the vial, the holder has a built-in 
adjustment system that lets you 
calibrate the level. 

ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM. The key 
to this system is a pair of com- 
pression springs (like you'd find in 
a ball point pen), see photo above. 
Each spring fits over the end of a 
machine screw that passes 
through the vial holder and into a 
threaded insert in the level. 

As you tighten the machine 
screw, the spring compresses and 
exerts pressure on the bottom of 
the holder. By turning the screw, j 
you can vary the amount of pres- 
sure. This moves the end of the 
holder up or down which adjusts 


8 


ShopNotes 


No. 35 





FINE TOOLS 


[the position of the vial. 

BLANK. Since the vial holder is 
quite small, it's safer and easier 
to start by planing an oversize 
blank to a thickness of %" (the 
width of the mortise). Then, 
after ripping it to final width 
(%"), you can cut the blank to 
length (2%"), see Fig. 6. 

Once the blank is cut to size, 
the next step is to drill a hole 
through the ends to accept the 
level vial. Because you need to 
stand the blank on end, it's a bit 
tricky holding it by hand. But 
tightening the workpiece in a 
handscrew will hold it firmly in 
place, see Fig. 6. 

NOTCH. Next, to create an 
opening in the holder that lets 
you see the vial, you'll need to 
cut a wide notch in the top edge, 
see Fig. 7. Again, since the piece 
is small, I used a handscrew to 
hold it in place and cut the notch 
.with a coping saw. As before, a 
rchisel makes quick work of 
cleaning up the corners. 

At this point, you're just about 
ready to install the holder. But 
first, you'll need to drill two 
countersunk shank holes for the 
machine screws that hold it in 
place, see Fig. 7a. 

These holes provide a handy 
way to establish the location of 
the threaded inserts. All you 
need to do this is to center the 
holder in the mortise and use a 
brad point bit to mark the loca- 
tion of each insert, see Fig. 8. 




INSERTS. Drilling the holes for 
the threaded inserts is easy, see 
Fig. 8a. The trick is installing them 
so they go in nice and straight. 

What worked well here is to 
start by chucking a cutoff bolt in 
the drill press and tightening 
two “jam" nuts on the end, see 
Fig. 8b. Then, with the end of the 
bolt threaded into the insert, 
rotate the chuck by hand to 
install the insert. 

ASSEMBLY. With the inserts in 
place, you're ready to assemble 
the vial holder. The first step is 


to press the vial into the holder. 
To ensure that the indicator lines 
on the vial remain centered, I 
used small washers as shims. 
These washers fit between the 
ends of the vial and the machine 
screws, see photo on page 8. 

Now all that's left is to install 
the vial holder. Although it may 
seem unusual at first, the best 
way to do this is to hold the vial 
holder upside down. This way, 
the springs won't fall off the 
machine screws as you tighten 
them into the threaded inserts. 



No. 35 


ShopNotes 


9 






FINE TOOLS 


braee P\atee 




The brass plates on this level do 
more than provide a nice con- 
trast with the walnut body. A 
cover plate protects the top vial, 
see margin. And two plates on 
the bottom reduce wear. 

Note: We used l"-wide 
strips of brass. It’s avail- 
able at most hobby shops. 

To fit the recesses cut 
earlier in the level, there’s 
a gentle curve on the end 
of each plate. The trick is 
getting a perfect fit where 
the curved end meets the 
shoulder of the recess. 

TEMPLATE. To do this, I 
made a template out of 
posterboard (see margin), 
then used it to lay out the 
curved ends on the brass. 
FILE. Now it’s just a matter of 
filing the ends to fit. What works 
Wear well here is to set the file in a 
Plate kerf in a scrap block, see photo 
A. Then pivot the brass back and 
forth, checking the fit frequently. 

COUNTERSINKS. The next step 
is to drill countersinks for the 
screws that will be used to 
attach the plates, see Fig. 9. 

After laying out the location of 
these holes, make a punch mark 
to keep the bit from wandering, 
see photo B. Then drill each 
countersink so the screw heads 
will be just a bit proud, see photo 
C. (They’ll be sanded flush later.) 

VIEW SLOT. In addition to the 
countersinks, there’s also a “view 













X 

\ i 
\ 




\ 










2 

w. 



RADIUS 


▲ Use this full-size 
pattern to make a 
template of the 
curved ends of the 
plates as well as 
the torpedo shape 
of the level. 





slot” in the cover plate so you 
can see the bubble in the vial. 
Drilling non-overlapping holes and 
filing the edges smooth makes 
quick work of cutting this slot. 

TAPER ENDS. Before attaching 
the wear plates, you’ll want to 



taper the ends of the level. You can 
use the same template as before 
to lay out the basic shape. Then 
cut the ends to shape, see Fig. 10. 

ATTACH WEAR PLATES. The 
wear plates also have to be 
shaped to match the ends of the 
level. But it’s easiest to do this 
after you attach them to the level. 

The plates are held in place 
with brass screws. The heads of 
these screws will need to be 
sanded flush with the plates. To 
do this, I attached 220-grit sil- 
icon-carbide sandpaper to a flat 
surface and sanded gently back 
and forth. 

FILE & SAND PLATES. All that’s^^ 
left is to file the edges of the wear^^^ 
plates to shape, see Fig. 11. Then 
sand them flush with the level. 


10 


ShopNotes 


No. 35 






FINE T 


Adjusting the Level 


Plumb 



To get accu- 
rate results, 
the plumb vial 
needs to be 
perpendicular 
to the bottom 
edge of the 
level, see photo. 

Since the 
hole for the 
vial was drilled 
at 90° to this 
edge, it should 
be close. But you may need to 
“true up” the bottom just a bit. 

To find out, start with a known 
level surface. (For a tip on estab- 
lishing this surface, refer to page 
27.) Then check the plumb vial, 
see Step 1. 

If it's not accurate, reposition 
the level until the air bubble in 
the vial is dead on, see Step 2. 
This will create a slight gap 
, between the try square and one 
'end of the level. 

To true up the level, simply 
sand the opposite end, see Step 3. 
Just be sure to check the vial 
again every two or three strokes. 



1 7o check the plumb vial, place 
the level against a try square 
that’s on a known level surface. 


2 Now move one end of the 
level away from the square 
until the air bubble is dead on. 


APPLY LIGHT POWNWARP 
PRESSURE WHILE SANP1NG 
PACK ANP FORTH 



ATTACH 220-GRIT 
SILIC0N-CAR3IPE 
SANPPAPER TO 
FLAT SURFACE 


3 If you need to true up the bottom of the level , attach a piece of 
sandpaper to a flat surface. Then with pressure on the end that 
needs to be shaved down, take two or three light strokes. 



The second part of the adjust- 
ment process is to calibrate the 
level vial, see photo. 

Here again, you’ll need to use 
a known level surface to make a 
precise adjustment, see Step 4. 
After centering the air bubble in 


the vial, it’s a good idea to double 
check the adjustment. To do this, 
turn the level end for end — the 
reading should be the same. 

Once you’re satisfied with the 
adjustment, simply attach the cover 
plate with screws, see Step 5. & 


\ CROSS 

SECTION 

1 

^ lr^ 


mszt 





SPRING 


LEVEL SURFACE 



j With the level resting on a known level surface, adjust one 
*T end of the vial holder up or down until the air bubble is cen- 
tered on the indicator lines of the vial. 


5 After double checking the adjust- 
ment of the vial, the brass cover 
plate is simply screwed in place. 


No. 35 


ShopNotes 


11 









TECHNIQUE 


Building 

Raised 
Panel Doors 





To build raised 
panel doors 
like a pro , all 
you need is a 
router table 
and three 
special bits . 


A few years ago, I had a 
chance to see several big, 
industrial woodworking machines. 
You know the type — the kind 
where you throw a log in one 
end and get a finished cabinet 
out the other. 

Okay, so I'm exaggerating a 
bit. But the point is, these pro- 
duction machines can crank out a 
project in a fraction of the time it 
takes me to do it in my shop. 

That sounded pretty good to 
me as I got ready to tackle a big 
project of my own — building 
raised panel doors for my 
kitchen cabinets. 


5TILE BIT CREATES 
DECORATIVE PROFILE 
AND GROOVE ON EACH 
STILE AND RAIL 


Since there were a lot 
of doors to build (I was 
replacing twenty-three 
“slab” doors), I decided 
to temporarily convert 
my own shop into a 
production workshop. 

SPECIALTY BITS. To 
do this, I bought three 
router bits that are 
specially designed for 
making raised panel 
doors. A pair of stile 
and rail bits simplify 
the construction of the 
frame. (For more on these bits, 
refer to page 24.) And a raised 
panel bit creates the profile 
around the edge of the solid 
wood panel, see page 15. 

COST. Although these router 
bits make quick work of building 
a raised panel door, there is one 
drawback — they're fairly expen- 
sive. (I spent about $100 for the 
stile and rail bits and $70 for a 
raised panel bit.) So it takes 




RAISED 
PANEL PROFILE 

RAISED PANEL BIT CUTS 
PROFILE AROUND EDGE OF 
PANEL THAT "RAISES" 
FIELD IN CENTER 


NOTE: 

ALL PIECES ARE 
3 4"-THICK HARDWOOD 


RAIL CUT 

RAIL BIT FORMS 
TONGUE AND COPED 
PROFILE ON END OF RAIL 
SO IT FITS INTO STILE 


quite a large 
project to help 
justify the cost. 

PLANNING 

Once you get the bits, it's^ 
tempting to get started right 
away. But a little planning now 
will save a lot of problems from 
cropping up later. 

SIZE. First of all, you'll need to 
establish the overall size of each 
door. This depends on the type of 
door you're building. 

OVERLAY. One of the most 
common types is an overlay door. 
Like its name implies, it over- 
lays the face frame of the cab- 
inet, see drawing on next page. 

To determine the size of the 
door, first decide on the amount 
of overlay you want. Then add 
that amount to the size of the 
opening in the cabinet. 

HINGES. Another thing that 
affects the amount of overlay is 
the design of the hinges. So 
you'll want to have them on hand 
before you get started. 

FRAMES 

The first step in building the'' 
doors is to make the wood frames 
that wrap around the raised 


12 


ShopNotes 


No. 35 




TECHNIQUE 


panel. Each frame consists of two 
vertical pieces (stiles) and two 
horizontal pieces (rails). 

THICKNESS. In most cases, the 
stiles and rails are somewhere 
between and 1 " thick. (I used 
3 / 4 M -thick stock for mine.) 

WIDTH. The width of the frame 
pieces is a matter of personal 
preference too. I ripped the 
frame pieces to a width of 2 V 4 ". 

LENGTH. You'll also need to 
establish the length of the frame 
pieces. This is easy for the stiles. 
They're cut to length to match 
the desired height of the door. 
But figuring out the length of 
the rails is a bit trickier. 

To do this, start with the 
desired width of the door and 
subtract the combined width of 
the stiles (4V2" in my case). Finally, 
add the combined length of the 
tongues that will be routed later 
on the ends of the rails. Note: To 
determine the length of the 
tongue, use the rail bit to rout 
the profile on the end of a scrap 
piece, refer to page 14. 

STILE BIT. After cutting all the 
stiles and rails to length, the 
next step is to use the stile bit to 
rout one edge on each piece. It 



forms a groove that accepts both 
the panel and the rail. At the 
same time, it creates the decora- 
tive profile around the inside 
edge of the frame. 

BIT HEIGHT. The shoulder of 
this profile provides a handy 



way to set the height of the bit. 
As a rule, I adjust the height so 
the bit leaves an Vs" shoulder, see 
Fig. la. If it's less than this, the 
shoulder tends to “disappear" 
when you look at it from across 
the kitchen. 

FENCE. Once you've set the 
height of the bit, the next step is 
to position the fence. Why not 
just use the bearing on the bit to 
guide the frame piece? Because 
you'd be taking a full-depth cut. 
And removing that much mate- 
rial all at once could cause 
chipout on the edge of the piece. 

So to provide a crisp, clean 
profile, set the fence to make a 
light cut, see Fig. la. Note: To 
ensure a consistent cut, use a 
featherboard to hold the work- 
piece flat against the table. 

After routing each frame 
piece at one fence setting, move 
the fence back and run all the 
pieces through again. Then 
simply continue this process 
until the bearing is flush with 
the fence, see margin at right. 



▲ With a metal rule 
held on edge , it’s 
easy to align the 
fence so it's flush 
with the bearing. 


No. 35 


ShopNotes 


13 




TECHNIQUE 


The Rails 


At this point the frame is 
halfway complete. But the rails 
won't fit the stiles yet. To pro- 
duce a snug, square-shouldered 
joint where the rail meets the 
stile, you'll need to rout a mating 
profile on each end of the rails. 

RAIL BIT. This is the job of the 
rail bit. It forms a short tongue 
and a coped profile that allows 
the rail to fit into the stile. 

Since the rail and stile bits are 
machined to be a matched set, 
you shouldn't have any problem 
getting a good fit. All you have 
to do is set the rail bit to the cor- 
rect height. 

adjust BIT HEIGHT. An easy 
way to adjust the height of the 
bit is to use one of the work- 
pieces you've already routed 
with the stile bit, see Fig. 2a. 

By aligning the groove in the 
piece with the opening in the 
router bit, the top face of the 
rails and stiles should end up 
flush. (But you'll want to make a 
test cut anyway.) 

Before routing the ends of the 
rails, there are a couple of things 
you can do to ensure a crisp, 
clean cut. 

CLOSE FENCE OPENING. To 
keep the narrow end of the rail 
from accidentally catching on 
the opening in the fence, I 
“close" it with a piece of hard- 
board that's notched to fit 





around the bit, see drawing 
below left. 

BACKING BOARD. Also, to keep 
the rail square to the fence and 
prevent chipout on the back 



▲ A piece of hard board with a notch to fit 
around the bit prevents the end of the rail 
from catching on the opening in the fence. 


A To prevent chipout, use the rail bit to rout 
one edge of the backing board. Then fit the 
“ stile cut ” edge of the rail in the backing board. 


edge, I use a backing board 
that's been squared up, see Fig. 
2. (A chunk of “two by” material 
works fine.) 

A backing board prevents 
chipout when it's resting against 
the edge of the rail that hasn't 
been routed yet, see Fig. 2 and 
2b. But there's a problem when 
you use it to back up the edge 
that's been routed with the stile 
bit. Because of the profile on the 
edge, the rail won't fit tight 
against the backing board and 
the wood fibers can chip out. 

To prevent this, rout one edge 
of the backing board with the 
rail bit, see drawing at left. Then j 
fit the edge of the rail into the 
profile on the backing board and 
rout the end, see Fig. 3. 


14 


ShopNotes 


No. 35 








TECHNIQUE 


Raised Pane\_ 

Now that the frame is complete, 
you can add the centerpiece of 
the door — a solid wood panel 
with a “raised” field in the center. 

The panel is made by edge 
gluing several narrow pieces. As 
a rule, I use 3 / 4 "-thick stock and 
glue up the panel so it’s longer 
and wider than the finished size. 

SIZE. An easy way to deter- 
mine this size is to first dry as- 
semble the frame, see drawing. 
After measuring the opening in 
the frame, add the combined 
depth of the grooves. But don’t 
cut the panel to that size just yet. 

WOOD MOVEMENT. The thing 
to keep in mind is that the wood 
panel is going to expand and con- 
tract with changes in humidity. 

Most of this movement occurs 
across the width of the panel (not 
the length). So I allow for an Vs" 
clearance on each side (V4" 
overall). But a V32" clearance at 
the top and bottom is plenty. 

RAISED FIELD. Once the panel 
is cut to size, you’re ready to 
“raise” the field in the center, see 
drawing. It’s formed by routing 
a wide profile along each edge 
with a raised panel bit, see box. 

The idea here is to make a 
series of successively deeper cuts, 
see Figs. 4 and 4a. Each pass 
widens the profile and reduces 
the thickness of the panel along 
the edges. By making multiple 
passes, you can “sneak up” on 
the final thickness until the panel 
fits snug (not tight) in the grooves. 

To end up with a crisp, clean 
profile, it’s best to rout the ends 
of the panel first, see Fig. 4. This 
way, any chipout on the end 
grain of the panel will be cleaned 
up when you rout the edges. 

ASSEMBLY. All that’s left is to 
assemble the door. To allow the 
panel to expand and contract, it’s 
not glued into the frame. Instead, 
it “floats” inside. So after fitting 
the panel into the rails, simply 
glue the frame together. iL 


WOOD MOVEMENT: 

WOOD PANEL EXPAN PS MORE 
ACROSS WIPTH THAN LENGTH 


RAISEP 

FIELP 



TO DETERMINE 
LENGTH OF PANEL: 

FIRST: MEASURE OPENING 
BETWEEN RAILS 

SECOND: app the combined 

PEPTH OF GROOVES 

THIRD: SUBTRACT Vsz" FOR CLEARANCE 

AT TOP ANP BOTTOM (Vie" OVERALL) 


FRAME 


PANEL 


TO DETERMINE 
WIDTH OF PANEL: 

FIRST: MEASURE OPENING 
BETWEEN STILES 

SECOND: app the 

COMBINEP PEPTH 
OF GROOVES 

THIRD: SUBTRACT V&" FOR 
CLEARANCE AT 
EACH SI PE 
(V4" OVERALL) 


RAISEP 

PANEL 

BIT 


fa. 

FENCE 

\ 

MAKE SUCCESSIVELY 

nppppi ? pACCpc; 

! 1 

. 1 

1 1 

1 

Ml 

• . : i 

: 1 1 ■ 


L'kE.rL.K rA XDZ2E.XD 

UNTIL PANEL FITS GROOVE 
IN FRAME 

M 

! i 

panel 

1 


"nilt ... . .v- 

p 7 — 


NOTE: 

ROUT PANEL 
WITH OUTSIPE 
FACE FLAT AGAINST 
ROUTER TABLE 


Raised Panel Bits 


An easy way to create a “raised” field 
in the center of a solid wood panel is 
with a raised panel bit and a router table. 

HOW THEY WORK. The basic idea of a 
raised panel bit is simple. The panel is 
held flat against the router table. As you 
slide it across the table, the cutting 
edges of the bit sweep across the face 
of the panel. This forms a wide profile 
that “raises” the field in the center. 

SIZE. It’s the width of this profile that 
explains the large size of these bits. 
(They can range in size from 2 3 /4 n to 
3V2' 1 in diameter). Because of their 
large size, the safest operating speed 
for the router is 12,000 rpms or less. 


This requires a router with valuable 
speed control. Also, since these bits all 
have V 2 !, -dia. shanks, you’ll need a 
router with a V 2 " collet. 

Note: For sources of raised panel 
bits, refer to page 31. 





No. 35 


ShopNotes 


15 








Revolving 

1 Station 

Give the “ carousel ” on top a spin or 
rotate the turntable underneath to provide 
easy access to your power tools. 


I 've never met a woodworker yet who had too 
much space in his shop. Maybe that explains 
why we're always looking for ways to use the 
space that is available as efficiently as possible. 

One of the most useful, space-saving ideas I've 
seen in awhile was sent in recently by Robert 
Bunata of Fort Worth, Texas. Basically, it's a 
rotating tool stand that provides easy access to a 
number of benchtop tools in a small amount of space. 

tool station. Using a similar idea, we decided to 
build a revolving tool station of our own, see photo. 
This station has a “footprint" that only takes up 
about nine square feet of space (we tucked ours in a 
comer). Yet it combines a work center and a storage 
area that would normally use up much more room. 

WORK CENTER. The heart of the work center is a 
large circular platform that spins around like a 
carousel, see photo A below. Mounting your benchtop 
tools to this platform provides quick access to each 
tool while keeping the others close at hand. 

STORAGE AREAS. Besides the convenient tool 
access, there's also plenty of storage. Directly 
under each tool is a drawer for storing accessories, 
see photo B. And a rotating turntable in the base 
provides storage for a number of portable power 
tools as well, see photo C. 






A. Carousel. Just spin the carousel 
to put the tool you need directly in 
front of you. Then lock it in place. 


B. Drawers. With a drawer below 
each tool , there’s plenty of storage 
for accessories and other items. 



C. Turntable. A spin of the turntable 
in the base provides quick and easy 
access to portable power tools. 


16 


ShopNotes 


No. 35 


FEATURE PROJECT 


TOP 


COLLAR 

BLOCK 

(D o 


Hardware 


FRONT/ 

BACK 


TV _j 

, 


r“7“ 

\ 






(14) 1" Roller Bearings 

(23) 3 U n Fanhead Screws 

(2) 4" Barrel Bolts (w/ screws) 

(2) 3 / 4 n x 3 U n Aluminum Angle (2 n long) 

(91) # 3 x V/ 2 " Fh Sheet Metal Screws 
(1) 3 U" Fipe Flange (wJ screws) 

(1) 3 / 4 n Iron Fipe (23” long) 

(IO) # 3 x 2" Fh Sheet Metal Screws 

(5) 3 /&"-16 T-Nuts 

(10) 3 /&” Lock Nuts 

(5) 3 /& u x 4" Full Thread Hex Bolts 

(10) 3 /& n x IV 2 " Fender Washers 

(5) %" Flat Washers 

(24) #6 x V 2 " Fh Sheet Metal Screws 
#6 x 3 / 4 tl Fh Sheet Metal Screws 

(36) # 6 x 1%" Fh Sheet Metal Screws 
(4) 4" Sash Handles 

# 3 x V/ 4 " Fh Sheet Metal Screws 

Note: The V roller bearings are 
available from The Woodworkers’ 

Store , To order, call 300-279-4441. 
(Fart number 13722) 



A Sides (2) 

B Right Back (1) 

C Left Back (1) 

0 Top (1) 

E Bottom (1) 

F Long Rails (2) 

0 Short Rails (2) 

H Mounting Blocks (10) 

1 Feet (5) 

Turntable 

J Turntable (1) 

K Edging (1) 

L Collar Blocks (3) 

M Catch (1) 


22 x I &/2 - 3 U MPF 
22 x 33 3 / 4 - % MDF 
22 x 33-% MDF 
36x36- 3 /4 MDF 
33 5 U x 33 5 / 4 - % MDF 
3 / 4 x3-33 
3 / 4 x3-15 
5 / 4 x3-3 
3 / 4 x3-3 

30 x 30 - 3 / 4 MDF 
1%x72%-%Hdbd. 
%x3-3 
%x1 - 3 


Carouse! 

N Top/ Bottom (2) 

0 Dividers (4) 

F Mounting Block (1) 
Q Riser Block (1) 
Drawers 
R Fronts/Backs (3) 
S Sides (3) 

T Bottoms (4) 

U Cleats (3) 

V Stops (4) 


40x40 - 3 U MDF 
6 x 36\ / 2 - % MDF 
3 / 4 x1 -3 
3 / 4 x2'/2-3 

3 / 4 x 5 7 /& - 14% 

5% x 9 7 / 3 - % Hdbd. 
13 5 /& x 9P/& - % Hdbd. 
%x'/ 2 - e> 7 /& 

3 / 4 x 1 / 2 -2 


Note: To build this project, you'll need 2 V 2 sheets of% n -thick 
Medium-Density Fiberboard (MDF), a half sheet of % n 
hard board, and approximately 10 bd. ft. of 3 7 4 -thick hardwood. 


No. 35 


ShopNotes 


17 





FEATURE PROJECT 



Mounting a 
number of roller 
bearings to the top 
and bottom of the 
tool station allow 
the carousel and 
turntable to 
spin easily. 



NOTE: 

TOP, BOTTOM, 

SIDES, AND BACKS 
ARE %“ MDF; RAILS, 

MOUNTING BLOCKS, AND 
FEET ARE %“-THICK HARDWOOD 


Base 

I began work on the tool station 
by making an open, L-shaped 
base cabinet, see drawing. The 
shape of the base will provide 
easy access to the turntable 
that's added later. And it pro- 
vides leg room when working at 
the tools on the carousel. 

SIDES & BACKS. The base starts 
out as two sides (A) and a right 
(B) and left back (C) piece, see 
Fig. 1. (I used 3 / 4 " MDF, but ply- 
wood would work just as well.) 

These pieces are held together 
with simple butt joints. So to 
allow for the joinery in the back 
comer, the right back is wider 
(33 3 / 4 ") than the left back (33"). 

After cutting the pieces to 
size, there's one more thing to do 
before moving on to the top and 
bottom. That's to cut a dado in 
each piece for the bottom of the 
base, see Fig. la. 

TOP & bottom. Besides 
holding the case together, the 
top and bottom provide a surface 
for mounting a number of roller 
bearings, see margin. The roller 
bearings on the bottom make it 
easy to spin the turntable 
around, while those on top allow 
you to rotate the carousel. 

Both the top (D) and bottom 


(E) start out as a square piece of 
%" MDF, see Fig 2. But to create 
an overhang, the top is larger 
than the bottom. 

NOTCH. With the pieces cut to 
size, the next step is to cut a large 
notch in each one so they don't 
extend into the opening in front of 
the base. While you're at it, rout a 
small (Vs") chamfer on the top and 
bottom edges of the top and the 


exposed edges of the bottom. 

ATTACH ROLLERS. Now you're 
ready to attach the rollers to the 
top and bottom. After spacing the 
rollers evenly around the 
perimeter of a large circle, they're 
screwed in place, see Fig. 2. Note: 
To provide plenty of support near 
the edge of the carousel, the circle 
on top has a larger radius (16") 
than the one on the bottom (13"). 



18 


ShopNotes 


No. 35 





FEATURE PROJECT 


Before assembling the base 
it's easiest to drill several large 
holes. There’s a hole in the top 
for an iron pipe that serves as a 
pivot point for the turntable and 
carousel, see Fig. 2. Also, five 
holes in the bottom will be used 
when levelers are added later. 

ASSEMBLY. At this point, you 
can begin assembling the base. I 
started by gluing up a U-shaped 
assembly consisting of one side 
and the two back pieces. 

Then I slipped the bottom in 
place and added the other side. 
Reinforcing each joint with 
screws helps strengthen the base. 

RAILS. To add even more 
rigidity, I installed two hard- 
wood rails under the top and 
bottom, see Figs. 3 and 4. A long 
rail (F) spans from one side to 
the left back. And a short rail 
( G) connects the long one to the 
opposite side. 

ATTACH TOR All that’s left to 
F complete the base is to attach 
the top. It’s simply glued and 
screwed in place, see Fig. 4. 

Levelers 


To compensate for an uneven 
floor, I added five levelers. They 
allow each outside corner of the 
base to be leveled independently. 

Basically, each leveler consists 
of two parts: a thick mounting 
block that attaches to the bottom 
of the base and an adjustable 
foot, see Fig. 5. By turning a bolt 
that passes through the center of 
each part, you can raise or lower 
the foot, see margin. 

MOUNTING BLOCK. To provide 
plenty of strength, each mounting 
block (H) is made by gluing up 
two pieces of 3 / 4 "-thick hardwood 
(maple), see Fig 5. Before gluing 
and screwing the mounting block 
^to the bottom of the base, you’ll 
need to drill a counterbored shank 
hole for a T-nut that accepts the 
adjustment bolt, see Fig. 5a. 





FOOT. Once the block is in 
place, you can add the foot (I). 
It’s a piece of 3 / 4 n -thick hardwood 
that’s captured on the end of the 
bolt by a pair of lock nuts. 


One nut rests in a counter- 
bored shank hole drilled in the 
bottom of the foot. The other 
tightens against the top of the 
foot to lock it in place. 



To raise or lower a 
leveler, simply turn 
the adjustment 
bolt with a 
socket wrench. 


No. 35 


ShopNotes 


19 








A length of iron 
pipe threaded 
into a pipe 
flange works as 
a simple pivot 
for the turntable. 


Turntable 


FEATURE PROJECT 



a. 

IRON PIPE 


CROSS SECTION 


CATCH 


^ COLLAR BLOCK ^ 


] 

pr~ 

« <D 





'? 1 ] 


1“ ROLLER 
BEARING 


fri 


v 


— QdD — 


- 3 A" PIPE 
FLANGE 


BOTTOM 


“t — r 


rtt 


The base of the tool carousel pro- 
vides plenty of storage for 
portable power tools. To make it 
easy to remove a tool (or put one 
back) without having to reach 
deep inside the base, I added a 
turntable, see drawing at right. 

The turntable is nothing more 
than a circular shelf that spins 
around on the roller bearings. 
An iron pipe acts as an axle that 
keeps the turntable centered in 
the base. 

BLANK. The turntable starts 
out as a large, square blank of %" 
MDF, see Fig. 6. Using a square 
blank provides straight refer- 
ence edges for laying out and 
cutting a notch that matches the 
shape of the opening in the base. 

Once the notch is done, you're 
ready to cut the turntable (J) to 
its final shape. An easy way to do 
this is to mount a router with a 
straight bit to a simple circle cut- 
ting jig. (For more on making 
this jig, refer to Shop Solutions 
on page 27.) 

To use the circle cutting jig, 
you'll need to drill a small (cen- 
tered) hole in the turntable for a 
bolt that acts as a pivot pin. But 
this hole will need to be enlarged 
so the iron pipe can stick 
through. I drilled this final hole 
slightly larger than the outside 
diameter of the pipe to prevent 
wear on the turntable. 


Another place that could wear 
a bit is along the edge of the 
notch in the turntable where it 
rides up on the roller bearings. 
To prevent this, I added a pair of 
metal strike plates to each edge 
of the notch. 


STRIKE PLATES. These strike 
plates are quite simple — just 
short pieces of aluminum angle. 
They fit in shallow mortises in 
both the front edge and bottom 
of the turntable, see Fig. 7. After 
laying out the location of the 



20 


ShopNotes 


No. 35 


FEATURE PROJECT 


[mortises, just remove the waste 
material with a chisel. 

EDGING. Once the strike 
plates are screwed in place, the 
next step is to wrap a thin (Vs”) 
strip of hardboard edging (K) 
around the curved part of the 
turntable. The edging is taller 
(wider) than the thickness of the 
turntable. This way, it forms a 
lip that keeps tools and mate- 
rials from falling off the edge of 
the turntable. 

One thing to notice about the 
edging is it’s IV 2 " shorter than 
the distance around the 
turntable, see Figs. 8 and 8a. 
This provides clearance for a 
barrel bolt that’s used later to 
lock the turntable in place, refer 
to drawing on opposite page and 
Fig. 10. 

All it takes to attach the 
edging is to apply a little glue 
and hold it in place with a band 
clamp. After the glue dries and 
you remove the clamp, it’s a good 
idea to secure the edging with 
screws, see Fig. 8a. 

COLLAR BLOCK. At this point, 
you’re almost ready to install the 
turntable. But first, to prevent it 
from rubbing against the pipe, I 
added a collar block, see Fig. 9. 

The collar block (L) is a *U'- 
thick piece of hardwood with a 
centered hole that’s sized to fit 
the iron pipe. Note: For a tip on 
drilling this hole so the collar 
block fits snug around the pipe, 
refer to page 27. 




PIPE. After screwing the collar 
block in place, you can turn your 
attention to the pipe that serves 
as a pivot point for the turntable, 
see drawing on page 20. (I used a 
piece of 3 / 4 " iron pipe.) The pipe 
fits into a flange screwed to the 
bottom of the base, see detail ‘a’ 
in drawing. Note: The pipe is 



extra long so it can double as a 
pivot point for the carousel that’s 
added later. 

Before installing the pipe, 
you’ll need to set the turntable in 
place. Then slip the pipe through 
the top of the base and turntable 
and thread the end into the 
flange. Here again, to keep the 
pipe from rubbing, I screwed a 
second collar block (L) to the top 
of the base, see drawing on oppo- 
site page. 

BARREL BOLT. Finally, to lock 
the turntable in place, I added a 
barrel bolt, see Fig. 10. The bolt 
slides into a hardwood catch (M) 
attached to the side of the base. 
After gluing and screwing the 
catch in place, I located and 
drilled a hole in the catch to 
accept the end of the barrel bolt, 
see margin. 


Shop Tip 



To locate the hole 
for the barrel bolt, 
slip a dowel center 
over the end of 
the bolt and press 
it against the 
wood catch. 


No. 35 


ShopNotes 


21 






FEATURE PROJECT 


Caroueel 




To provide easy 
access to your 
benchtop tools , the 
carousel spins on 
the roller bearings 
attached to the top 
of the base. 


One of the handiest things about 
this tool station is a large 
revolving carousel that supports 
your benchtop tools. Spinning 
the carousel around provides 
easy access to the tool you need. 

The carousel consists of a grid 
that’s sandwiched between a cir- 
cular top and bottom, see drawing 
at right. The grid creates an 
opening under each tool for a 
drawer as well as small 
storage areas on the sides. 

TOP & BOTTOM. The top and 
bottom (N) of the carousel 
start out as large square 
pieces of 3 // MDF, see Fig. 11. 
After laying out the location 
of the screws used to fasten the 
top and bottom to the grid, they 
can be cut to shape. Here again, 
a router and a circle jig make 
quick work of this. 

As with the turntable, you’ll 
need to enlarge the pivot hole in 
each piece to provide clearance 
for the iron pipe. Also, it’s best to 
drill pilot holes in the bottom 
face of the top now for drawer 
stops that are added later, refer 
to Figs. 14 and 14a. 

GRID. Now you can turn your 
attention to the grid that divides 



the carousel into separate com- 
partments. The grid consists of 
foui^ divides ( 0) with interlocking 
slots in each one, see Fig. 12. 

ASSEMBLY. Once the slots are 
cut, you can assemble the grid 
and attach the top and bottom 
with screws. After screwing one 
last collar block (L) in place on 
the top, just get a friend to help 
you lift the carousel onto the 
base, see margin. 


BARREL BOLT. To lock the 
carousel in place when using a 
tool, another barrel bolt is 
attached to the base, see Fig. 13. 
This bolt slides into holes drilled in 
the bottom edge of the carousel. 

To raise the barrel bolt off the 
base so it aligns with the carousel, 
I added an L-shaped mounting 
assembly, see Fig. 13. It’s made 
up of two small pieces of 3 / 4 "-thick 
hardwood: a mounting block (P) 





22 


ShopNotes 


No. 35 





FEATURE PROJECT 


► that's screwed to the base and a 
* riser block (Q) that positions the 
barrel bolt in line with the bottom 
edge of the carousel, see Fig. 13a. 

MOUNT TOOLS. Before drilling 
the holes, you'll want to mount 
your tools. (I used lag screws.) 
This way, you can rotate the 
carousel to the most comfortable 
working position for each tool. 
Then drill the holes at the cor- 
rect locations. 


Drawers 


With the carousel complete, I 
added a set of four drawers. 
These drawers fit the openings 
directly below each tool to keep 
accessories right at hand where 
you need them. 

FRONT & BACK. To build the 
drawers, start by cutting a front 
and back (R) for each one. These 
are 3 / 4 M -thick pieces of hardwood 
^ sized to allow an Vs" gap along 
the sides and top of the opening. 

Shallow rabbets in the ends 
accept the sides of the drawer, 
see drawing and detail *c.’ And 
there's a groove in each piece for 
the drawer bottom, see detail ‘b.' 

SIDES. After completing the 
front and back, you can add the 
sides (S). These are pieces of V4" 
hardboard with a notch at the top, 
see detail 'a.' When the drawer 
stops are added later, this notch 
makes it possible to remove a 
drawer and put it back in. 

BOTTOM & CLEATS. There are 
just two things left to do to com- 
plete each drawer. A hardboard 
bottom (T) is cut to fit so the 
drawer can be glued and screwed 
together. And gluing two hard- 
wood cleats (U) to the bottom 
and sides provides extra support. 

STOP Before installing the 
drawers, I attached four stops 
I (V) under the top of the carousel. 
They keep the drawer from 
being pulled out too far and acci- 
dentally spilling what's inside. fL 




V 2 " CLEAT 


FRONT/BACK 


BOTTOM 


CLEAT 

(V 2 " x&%") SIDE 

(5 7 /&“ x 9%") w / #0 x Vz" Fh 

^ , SHEET METAL 

NOTE: FRONT AND BACK ARE 3 / 4 "-THICK SCREW 

HARDWOOD; CLEATS ARE VATHICK HARDWOOD; 

SIDES AND BOTTOM ARE 1 /*" HARDBOARD 


FRONT 

x 14y s n ) 


4" SASH 
HANDLE 


TOP 


VIEW 


SIDE 


2 


FRONT/BACK 



No. 35 


ShopNotes 


23 







IN THE SHOP 


Stile & Rail Bits • 



A. Stile Bit. A stile bit creates a 
decorative profile and a groove 
on the edge of a stile and a rail. 


B. Rail Bit. A rail bit forms a tongue 
and a coped profile on the end 
of a rail so it can fit into the stile. 




STILE BIT 


I n a commercial cabinet shop, 
the stiles and rails of a raised 
panel door are usually cut on a 
shaper. But if you don’t have a 
shaper, you can accomplish the 
same thing by using a router 
table and a matched set of bits 
called stile and rail bits, see 
photo at left. 

The first time I 
ever saw these 
bits, I was a 
little confused 
why one was 
called a stile bit 
and the other a 
rail bit. 

Naturally, I just 
assumed that the 
stile bit was meant 
to cut stiles, and 
the rail bit was 
meant to cut rails. 
But after fiddling 


RAIL BIT 


around with them in the shop, I 
realized this wasn’t the case. 

STILE BIT. The stile bit is 
designed to cut a decorative pro- 
file around the inside edges of 
the stiles and the rails, see photo 
A above. 

At the same time as it’s cut- 
ting this profile, the stile bit also 
forms a groove. This groove 
accepts the panel of the door as 
well as a tongue that will be cut 
on the ends of the rails. 

After the frame is assembled, 
the decorative profile and the 
groove both must run around the 
entire inside edge of the frame. If 
they don’t, the molded edges of 
the rails and stiles won’t match, 
and you won’t be able to insert 
the raised panel. 

So what’s the confusion? To 
end up with a decorative profile 
and a groove along the entire 


inside edge of the frame, you 
have to use the stile bit to cut 
both the stiles and the rails. In 
other words, the rails must be 
“stile cut” on the inside edges. 

RAIL bit. The rail bit is more 
aptly named. It’s used only for 
cuts made on the end grain of the 
rails, see photo B. 

The rail bit forms a short 
tongue that fits in the grooves 
formed by the stile bit. Along 
with the groove, it cuts a coped 
profile of the decorative edge 
that was formed by the stile bit. 
This way, when you assemble 
the pieces of the frame, it forms 
a tight-fitting joint. 

PROFILES. Depending on the 
type of look you want around the 
inside edges of the frame, youi 
can get stile and rail bits that 
will cut a number of different 
profiles. Three of the most 


24 


ShopNotes 


No. 35 





ROUNDOVER 


BEAD 


OGEE 


common types of profiles are 
shown in the drawings above. 

But there’s more to choosing a 
set of stile and rail bits than 
selecting the profile. In fact, you 
may not want to get a set of bits 
at all. Let me explain. 

INDIVIDUAL BITS. There are 
also individual bits available 
that are designed to make both 
stile and rail cuts. While these 
bits accomplish the same thing, 
they go about it in different 
ways, see boxes at right. 

SHANK SIZE. Regardless of the 
type of bit, one thing to keep in 
mind is the size of the shank. 
Typically, stile and rail bits are 
only available with a V 2 "-dia. 
kshank. So in most cases, you’ll 
Jheed a router with a collet that 
accepts V 2 " bits. 

The only exception is a set of 
matched stile and rail bits with 
V 4 " shanks that are manufac- 
tured by Freud. (Currently, 
these bits are only available with 
the roundover profile.) 

No matter what size shank 
you get, the body of the bit that 
supports the cutting edge is 
pretty beefy. So as with any 
large bit, the speed of the router 
plays an important part in the 
performance of the bit. 

ROUTER SPEED. What I’ve 
found works best is to run the 
router at a relatively slow speed 
(about 10,000-12,000 rpm). This 
not only provides a safer cut, but 
it also reduces the chance of the 
bit burning the wood — espe- 
cially when using the rail bit to 
cut end grain. 

The only drawback to running 
%the bits at a slow speed is you’ll 
naeed a router with variable 
speed control. (Or you can get a 
separate speed control for a 


single-speed router.) 

SOURCES. Stile and rail bits 
are available in many wood- 
working stores and catalogs, 
refer to Sources on page 31. At 


Combination Bit 


first, the price of these bits may 
seem a bit steep (they range in 
price from $60 to $130). But if 
you’re building a number of doors, 
they’re worth the cost. <!L 


This combination stile and rail bit has one 
big advantage over a matched set of bits — 
you don’t need to switch bits between cuts. 

That’s because the parts of the bit that 
make the stile cut and the rail cut are both 
— stacked on a single shank. 

To make a stile cut, you 
raise the bit and use the 
cutters on the lower part of 
the bit, see top drawing. 

Simply lowering the bit 
and using the cutters on 
the top part of the bit 
allows you to make the rail 
cut, see bottom drawing. 

Note: A source for this 
bit is listed on page 31. 














m 

f $ 1M 

ijj 
* 1 




A reversible stile and rail bit 
also combines both cutters 
on a single shank. But that’s 
where the similarity ends. 

To switch from the stile 
cut (top drawing) to the 
rail cut (bottom), you have 
to disassemble the bit and 
swap the cutters around. 

This sounds okay in 
theory. But in practice, it 
usually involves quite a bit 
of fiddling around with 
metal shims (spacers) to 
get a perfect fit. 

For sources of reversible 
bits, see page 31. 




m 


No. 35 


ShopNotes 


25 








Shop 


Solutions 


TIPS FROM OUR SHOP 

ROUTING JIG 

■ Cutting the recesses for the 
brass plates on the torpedo level 
(page 6) is easy. I just used a 
router and a straight bit. 

The trick is getting a seamless 
fit between the wood body and 
the curved ends of the brass 
plates. To do this, I used a guide 
bushing that attaches to the base 
of the router and a simple jig, see 
photo at right. 

JIG. The jig consists of two 
parts: a hardboard template 
with a curved notch and two 
sides that support the base of 
the router. 

When determining the size of 
the curved notch, the thing to 
keep in mind is the bit won't cut 
right up next to the edge. That's 
because the guide bushing (not 
the bit) will ride against the tem- 
plate. As a result, the notch 
needs to be slightly larger than 
the desired radius of the recess. 

To find out how much larger, 
measure the distance from the 
cutting edge of the bit to the outer 
part of the bushing. Then add that 



TEMPLATE 

(2” x &" - VV'-THICK 
HARDBOARD) 


SIDE 

(2" x 14" - iy 2 "-THICK 
STOCK) 


WORKPIECE 


place, see Fig 1. Note: The 
depth of cut should equal the 
thickness of the brass plates, 
see Fig. la. 

ROUT RECESSES. Now it's just 
a matter of routing the recesses. 
After laying out each recess 
(refer to margin on page 10), 
position the workpiece in the jig 
so the mark aligns with the ref- 
erence shoulder, see Fig. 2a. 
After tightening the jig (and^^ 
workpiece) in a vise, you can^P 
rout two recesses on the bottom 
for the wear plates. 

To rout the recess for the 
cover plate, you'll need to first 
rout half the recess, see Fig 2. 
Then, turn the workpiece end for 
end and rout the other half. 


amount to the desired 
radius of the recess. 

rabbets. After cutting 
the curved notch, the tem- 
plate is glued into rabbets cut in 
the sides of the jig. These rab- 
bets are sized so the sides of the 
jig fit snug against the level. 
This way, the workpiece will be 
pinched between the sides when 
you tighten the jig in a vise. 

REFERENCE SHOULDER. Before 
routing the recess, the next step 
is to establish a reference 
shoulder that will help you accu- 
rately position the workpiece in 
the jig. 

To create this shoulder, rout 
along the template and sides of 
the jig without the workpiece in 


CUT 
y 4 "-DEEP 
RABBET y 2 " WIDE 




26 


ShopNotes 


No. 35 





TIPS & TECHNIQUES 


CIRCLE CUTTING JIG 


)■ An easy way to cut the large 
circular workpieces on the 
revolving tool station (page 16) 
is to use a router that’s mounted 
to a simple jig, see drawing. 

The jig is just a hardboard base 
that pivots on a bolt. This bolt 
passes through the base and into a 
centered hole drilled in the work- 
piece. To determine the location of 
the hole in the base, you’ll need to 
know the radius of the workpiece. 
The hole is drilled that same dis- 
tance away from the inside edge of 
a straight bit, see details 'a’ and 1b.’ 

ROUT. Before routing the circle, 
it’s a good idea to first cut the 
workpiece to rough size. (I used a 
sabre saw.) This way, there’s not 
as much material to remove as 
you rout it to final size. 



MODIFYING A SPADE BIT 


■ I wanted the wood collar 
blocks on the tool station (page 
T6) to fit snug around the iron 
pipe. But I ran into a snag when 
it came time to drill the holes for 



of the spade bit V32" above a 
scrap and clamp the bit in place. 



process for the other side. 


the pipe. There wasn’t a spade 
bit available that matched the 
lVie" outside diameter of the 
pipe. So I modified a larger (lVs"- 
dia.) spade bit by filing the sides 
until it was the correct size. 

To ensure that the bit is bal- 
anced and cuts evenly, the impor- 

TUBE LEVEL 

■ Before you can get an accu- 
rate reading on the torpedo 
level (page 6), you’ll need to 
check it on a known level sur- 
face and adjust it if necessary. 

One way to establish a level 
surface is to use a clear plastic 
tube filled with water. The 
basic principle here is simple — 
water finds its own level. 

To take advantage of this, fit 
the ends of the tube into 
notches in a flat piece of ply- 
wood and add water (a drop or 
two of food coloring makes it 
easy to read the level). 

Then slide one end of the 
tube up or down until the water 
column is flush with the surface 


tant thing is to remove the same 
amount of material from each side. 
A handy way to do this is to use a 
nail and a scrap block to position 
the bit, see drawings at lower left. 

After filing one side down to 
the top of the scrap block, repeat 
the process on the other side. 


of the plywood. This will move 
the water column at the oppo- 
site end either higher or lower. 
To create a level surface, just 
shim the “high” side until the 
water columns are equal. (I 
used playing cards.) 



No. 35 


ShopNotes 








Gluing up a frame and panel door with this jig 
is a snap. With two cams applying pressure, 
the jig squares up the door and keeps it flat. 


G luing up a frame and panel 
door can be a challenge. Even 
if the frame pieces that surround 
the panel fit nice and tight, some- 
times it's still hard to get the 
door perfectly square and flat. 


This frame and panel jig 
solves both problems, see photo 
above. To keep the door square , 
it’s tucked into a 90° “corner 
pocket.” And to ensure that it 
stays flat , two cams apply pres- 



sure that’s centered on the thick-^^^ 
ness of the frame, see inset photo. 

Design Note : This jig is designed 
for doors with 3 / 4 "-thick frames. 

It can handle doors up to 24" 
wide and 36" long. 

BASE. I began by making a 
large base (A) for the jig. It pro- 
vides a foundation for two plat- 
forms — one fixed and the other 
adjustable, see drawing. In addi- 
tion, the base serves as a track for 
the cams and a pair of runners 
that guide the adjustable platform. 

These runners fit in dadoes in 
the base and adjustable platform. 

To get the runners to slide 
smoothly without binding, it’s 
important for these dadoes to 
align. So I started with a large 
blank of 3 / 4 n MDF and cut the 
dadoes at the same time, see Fig. 

1. Note: The blank is large enough 
for the base and both platforms. 

GROOVE. After cutting the base 
to size, the next step is to cut a 
wide groove near one edge, seq^Hl 
Figs. 1 and la. This groove^^^ 
guides the mounting blocks for 
the cams that are added later. 


No. 35 


28 


ShopNotes 



JIGS & ACCESSORIES 


PLATFORMS. With the base com- 
plete, you can turn your attention 
to the two platforms. Besides 
raising the door off the base, the 
platforms support a system of 
cleats that keep the frame square. 

Both platforms are made from 
the remaining piece of the blank 
used for the base. But before cut- 
ting it into two pieces, it’s best to 
attach the cleats to ensure that 
they will align with each other. 

CLEATS. The cleats start out as 
a long blank that’s made by 
gluing and screwing two strips 
of 3 / 4 n MDF together, see Fig. 2. 
To help keep the door flat 
against the base, one edge of the 
blank is beveled, see Fig. 2a. 
Then the long (B) and short cleat 
( C) are simply cut to length. 

Before attaching the cleats, 
there’s one more thing to do. That’s 
to bevel the end of the short 
cleat so it fits against the edge of 
^the long cleat, see Figs. 2b and 3. 

ATTACH CLEATS. Now you can 
attach the cleats. The important 
thing here is that the corner 
formed by the cleats is square. 
This way, the door that’s glued 
up will be perfectly square too. 

After gluing and screwing the 
cleats in place, you can rip the 
blank into two pieces: a narrow 
fixed platform (D), and a wide 
adjustable platform (E), see Fig. 4. 

RUNNERS. To complete the 
adjustable platform, you’ll need 




to add the two runners (F), see 
drawing on opposite page. These 
are nothing more than strips of 
MDF that are cut to fit the dadoes 
in the adjustable platform. 

ATTACH FIXED PLATFORM. All 
that’s left is to attach the fixed 
platform to the base. This plat- 


form has a small lip that over- 
hangs the groove in the base, see 
detail ‘a’ in drawing on page 28. 
Later, this lip traps the mounting 
blocks for the cams in the groove. 

To form this lip, simply rabbet 
the bottom edge of the fixed plat- 
form (D), then screw it in place. 




No. 35 


ShopNotes 


29 





JIGS & ACCESSORIES 


Clamping System 


With the base assembled, you can 
turn your attention to the clamp- 
ing system. It consists of two cams 
attached to blocks that slide in the 
groove in the base, see Fig. 5. 

CAMS. The cams (G) are noth- 
ing more than 3 / 4 "-thick pieces of 
hardwood that are shaped like a 
large whistle, see pattern. The 
shape of the cams is designed to 
provide increasing pressure as you 
tighten them against the frame. 

BLOCKS. To raise the cams so 
they're centered on the thick- 
ness of the frames, each one is 
attached to a hardwood mounting 
block (H), see Figs. 5 and 5a. 

A rabbet along one edge of the 
block fits under the lip of the fixed 
platform, see Fig. 5a. This keeps 
the assembly locked in the groove 
as you tighten the cams. After cut- 
ting the rabbet, you can attach 
each cam with a machine screw and 
a lock nut that rests in a counter- 
bored hole in the block, see Fig. 5. 

FINISH. Finally, finish the jig with 
a couple coats of varnish. This way, 
when the glue squeezes out, the 
frame won't stick to the jig. & 





Using The Jig 



1 7"o set up the jig, position the frame so the edge of the 
stile aligns with the fixed platform. Then, slide the 
adjustable platform against the frame and screw it in place. 



2 After assembling the door, place it against the cleats 
and slide the cams in place. With the cams centered on 
the rails, tighten them against the frame. 




30 


ShopNotes 


No. 35 







SkopNotes Project Supplies 

is offering some of the hardware 
and supplies needed to build 
the projects in this issue. 
We've also put together a list of 
other mail order sources that 
have similar hardware 
and supplies. 



Sources 


PRODUCT INFORMATION 



Roller Bearings for Tool Station ► 

The Revolving Tool Station shown on page 16 uses a 
number of heavy-duty roller bearings (fourteen alto- — 
gether) to support the carousel on top and the turntable under- ' 
neath. Since the “ball” in each bearing spins freely in the metal cup, you can 
rotate the carousel (or turntable) to put the tool you need right at hand. 
These roller bearings are easily installed with two screws. 

Roller bearings are available from many woodworking stores and from 
some of the mail order sources shown at right. 


▲ Torpedo Level 

Made of walnut and brass, the Torpedo 
Level (page 6) has the look and feel 
of a traditional hand tool. And it 
provides all the satisfaction that goes 
along with making a tool yourself. 

ShopNotes Project Supplies is 
offering a kit that includes all the 
hardware you need to build the level. 
All you need to supply is the wood. 


TORPEDO LEVEL KIT 

. 6835-100 $ 6.95 


T 



Rail Bit 


Frame & Panel 
Router Bits 

A handy way to build 
frame and panel doors 
quickly and accurately 
is to use router bits that Raised Panel Bit 
are specially designed for that purpose. To build 
a frame and panel door like the one featured on 
page 12, we used three different bits: a matched 
pair of stile and rail bits, and a raised panel bit. 

These router bits are available through many 
woodworking stores and through some of the 
mail order sources listed in the margin. 




Selected Guide to Past Projects 

These jigs and accessories featured in past issues of ShopNotes are sure to 
come in handy as you build some of the projects shown in this issue. 


▲ Router Trammel 

When cutting a workpiece to cir- 
cular shape (like the pieces for the 
Tool Station for example), you can 
use this shop-made Router Trammel 
to rout perfect circles and arcs. 

ShopNotes Project Supplies is 
offering a kit that includes all the 
hardware you need to build the 
Router Trammel. To provide com- 
jplete step by step plans, ShopNotes 
Wo. 3 is also included in this kit. 


▲ Raised Panel Jig 

This Raised Panel Jig makes it easy 
to rout a raised panel. But instead 
of using a special raised panel bit 
(page 15), it uses an ordinary 
straight bit to create a beveled profile 
around the edges of the panel. 

We’re offering a kit with all the 
hardware needed to build the Raised 
Panel Jig. Also, ShopNotes No. 7 
is included to provide complete 
instructions on building the jig. 


▲ Vertical Panel Jig 

This Vertical Panel Jig is designed 
to use vertical raised panel bits to 
rout a decorative raised panel. 
Unlike horizontal raised panel bits 
(see page 15), these bits can be used 
with a single-speed router. (For mail 
order sources, see margin.) 

A kit that includes all the hard- 
ware you need to build this jig is still 
available. It also includes ShopNotes 
No. 9 with detailed step by step plans. 


ROUTER TRAMMEL KIT 

6803-225 $ 6.95 


RAISED PANEL JIG KIT 

6807-125 $ 22.95 


VERTICAL PANEL JIG KIT 

6809-125 $ 16.95 


MAIL 

ORDER 

SOURCES 


Jesada Tools 
800 - 531-5559 

Stile & Rail Bits 
Raised Panel Bits 
Combination Bit 

Woodworker's 

Supply 

800 - 645-9292 

Roller Bearings 
Stile & Rail Bite 
Raised Panel Bits 

Woodcraft 

800 - 225-1153 

Roller Bearings 
Stile & Ra il Bits 
Vertical Panel Bits 

Trendlines 

800 - 767-9999 

Stile & Rail Bits 
(%" shanks ) 
Raised Panel Bits 

Woodhaven 

800 - 344-6657 

Vertical Panel Bits 
Stile & Ra il Bits 
Raised Panel Bits 


< 

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oc 

LU 

Q 

DC 

o 

Z 

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to 

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■ 

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No. 35 


ShopNotes 


31 








Scenes from the Shop 



Beginning in the 1930's, ► 
these torpedo levels were 
a standard item in most 
any toolbox. Made of either 
aluminum or wood, they 
were used extensively by 
carpenters, plumbers, and 
electricians. The shape of 
these levels provided the 
inspiration for the shop-made 
level shown on page 6. 


◄ A groove in the bottom of each of these small 
pocket levels was designed to fit onto the blade 
of a framing square. After tightening a simple 
screw to hold the level in place, a carpenter 
could quickly estimate the pitch of a roof. 


Around the turn of the ► 
century, machinists relied on 
these precision levels to set 
up and test machinery. With 
their cast iron bodies 
and fittings of brass 
and steel, these old 
levels are a convincing 
reminder of the pride in 
workmanship that goes into 
a well-made tool.