4 "special PROJECTS, TIPS, & TECHNIQUES www.ShopNotes.com PERFECT IHIpRi i YOUR TABLESAW • New TableSawSled TOUR SHOP SPACE • Hi-Tech Hanging System • Easy Hardware Storage Top-Notch \m jf l j i i i i i W , k 1 I 9 J ' 9 I A Pubficaiion of August Home Publishing DISPLAY UNTIL FES. 27th, 2006 Contents Hardware Organizer page 28 Table Saw Miter Sled page 34 No-Fuss Drawers page 26 Features weekend project Quick & Easy Router Table With just a single sheet of plywood and a handful of hardware, you can buiid a top-notch router table in a weekend. Later you can upgrade it with a support stand, doors , and drawers. hands-on technique No-Fuss Drawers on the Router Table 26 Building drawers doesn't have to be a hassle. You can build a solid drawer quickly and easily with just a single router bit. storage solutions Hardware Organizer 28 Keeping track of the small stuff can be a chal- lenge. Build this hardware organizer and you'll be able to find just what you need in no time at all best-built jigs & fixtures Table Saw Miter Sled 34 Are perfect miter cuts just a dream? With this sled , you!! be cutting dead-on miters every time. Departments Readers' Tips 4 router workshop Top 1 0 Router Table Accessories 8 Take your router table to the next level with these inexpensive , must-have accessories . materials & hardware Precision Miter Bars . 12 You'll appreciate the usefulness of these miter bars any time you buiid a jig or fixture. jigs & accessories Choosing Brad Point Bits Not all brad point bits are the same . Find out what separates the best from the rest Shop Short Cuts 14 16 Shop-tested tips and techniques to solve your woodworking problems. hands-on technique Flat Panels Fast Fiat, smooth panels in an hour all you need are a belt sender and these simple steps. 2 ShopNotes No. 80 Quick & Easy Router Table 1 page 18 in the shop Splinter-Free Cuts in Plywood 38 Learn all you need to know to get clean , splinter-free cuts in plywood time after time . setting up shop Versatile Pegboard 40 Put pegboard to use in your shop this weekend with these seven handy ideas. mastering the table saw Setting up for Safe Ripping 44 Here’s what you need to know to make safe rip cuts on the table saw a sure thing. great gear Zero-Clearance Inserts 46 Want to improve the cut of your table sa w? We take a took at zero-clearance inserts. ultimate garage Handy Hang-Ups 48 Conquering the clutter in a garage isn r t a problem with this handy organizing system : Q&A 50 Sources 51 Cutoffs A table-mounted router is at the top of my ^ List of 'must-have" shop tools, A router table allows you to work more safely effi- ciently and accurately In fact, it's such an important tool in my shop, I just can't imagine working without one. So we decided to dedi- cate this issue of ShopNotes to one of our favorite tools — the router table. For starters, we're featuring an all-new router table design. The idea belli nd this project was to start out with a simple, practical design that could be be built quickly and inexpensively. So we decided to limit ourselves to a single sheet of Baltic birch plywood - — a $50 investment The final design features a full-size table top that tilts up to provide easy access to the router, an easy-io-adjust fence, and a handy storage drawer. All in all, a lot of router table for a small amount of money. But the part of this project I like the best is how versatile it is. Start with the basic router table, then you can add a simple base cabinet. From there you can upgrade the cabinet even further by adding doors and drawers. Finally if you want to take this router table (or any other router table) to the next level, be sure and check out our Top 10 Router Table Accessories starting on page 8. For me, this router table project is what ShopNotes is all about — helping you get tire most out of your shop. This symbol lets you know there r s more infor- mation available online at www.ShopNotes.com ShopMoles ONLINE ^5 EXTRAS www.ShopNotes.com 3 NOTE: TABLE TOP MADE OF 3 A" PLYWOOD WIDE SIDES RAISE WORKSURFACETO COMFORTABLE HEIGHT HANDLE ON EACH SIDE Readers Your Shop ATTACH CHAIN wm x m" Fh WOO DSC RE WS NOTE: OVERALL HEIGHT IS 31" HANDLE CHAIN PREVENTS LEGS FROM EXTENDING TOO FAR Portable Assembly Station My workshop is small And I don't have room for extra workbenches and assembly tables. So 1 built the portable table you see illustrated above. It can be set up for use and then quickly taken down and stored along Lire wall of my shop when it isn't needed. line top of the table is simply a plywood box that's notched at the sides, that way; the top can can sit securely on a pair of folding saw- horses. A handle located on each side makes it easy to lift and move for set up and storage. The s a wh o rses a re d esi gned to fold for easy storage. The legs are two pairs of 2x4's angled at the top end and bolted to 1x4 top rails. The two top rails are then connected by a hinge, like you see in Figure 1 at left. To assemble the sawhorse, you'll first want to screw the hinges to the top rail and then remove die hinge pins. Next, bolt the legs to the rails and then re-install the hinge pins. A piece of chain keeps the legs from extending too far. Now, when you pick up the sawhorse by a top rail, die legs close up. Just squeeze the top rails together and the legs spring open. Arnold R ] oilmen Brooklyn Center, Minnesota COUNTERBORE HOLE, 3/is" DEEP FSKST: screw HINGES IN PLACE INSIDE FACE OF TOP RAIL CENTER HINGE f ROUT OUT BELOW HOLE FOR HINGES FOR HINGE MOUNTING, SEE FIGURE 1 AND la SECOND: remove HINGE FINS TO SEPARATE RAILS FOR ASSEMBLY . vr x 3^ ,s CARRIAGE BOLT GLUE LEG TO RAIL BEFORE ADDING BOLTS TOP RAIL s" A a. V " A - »* V TOP V RAIL v 1 >v A=v. 1ft, 1 • s. LEG ' HINGE \ V. \ J 4 ShopNotes No. 85 Transparent Template Accurately positioning the screw holes when making a new router plate or router table insert is always a challenge. But 1 found way to eliminate any chance of error. 1 make a copy of my router pla te on a transparency at the copy machine. It's easy to do. All you need is some transparency film for copiers and your router plate. After taking the baseplate off your router, lay it on the copier. Then load the transparency into the tray of the copy machine and make a copy of your router plate. Now, you can lay the film on the material And since you can see through the film, it can be moved into just the right position for you to mark the hole locations. The template is durable so you can store it away for future use. Ted Pietrzak Auburn t California Submit Your Tips If you have an original shop tip, we would like to hear from you and con- sider publishing your tip in one or more of our publications. Just write down your tip and mail it to; ShopNotes , Tips for Your Shop, 2200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50312. Please Include your name, address, and daytime phone number {in case we have any questions). If you would like, FAX it to us at 515-282-6741 or send us an email message at: shop- notes@shopnotes.com. We will pay up to S200 if we publish your tip. The Winner! _ Congratulations to Arnold Johnsen of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. His tip on making a pc assembly station was selected as winner Porter-Cable router just like the one shown right. His assembly station is easy to build and stores away when it isn't needed. To find out how you could win a Porter- Cable router check out the information above. Your tip just might be a winner. $1 opNotiB l _ nr /ET^W O/lfiC Issue 85 Jan./Feb. 2006 PUBLISHER Donald B. Peschke EDITOR Terry I Strohman SENIOR EDITORS Bryan Nelson, Vincent Ancona ASSOCIATE EDITORS Phil Huber, Ted Haifa ASSISTANT EDITORS Ron Johnson, Mitch Holmes, Randall A. Ma*ey EXECUTIVE ART DIRECTOR Todd Lambirth ART DIRECTOR Cary Christensen SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jamie Downing SENIOR ILLUSTRATOR Roger Reiland ILLUSTRATORS David Kallemyn, Peter J. Larson CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ted Kraltcek SENIOR PROJECT DESIGNERS Ken MunkeL Kent Welsh, Chris Fitch PROJECT DESEGNER5/BUILDERS Mike Donovan, John Doyle SHOP CRAFTSMEN Steve Curtis, Steve Johnson SR. PHOTOGRAPHERS Crayola England, Dennis Kennedy ASSOCIATE STYLE DIRECTOR Rebecca Cunningham ELECTRONIC IMAGE SPECIALIST Allan Ruhnke VIDEOGRAPBERS Craig Ruegsegger, Mark Hayes ShopNotes® (ISSN is pubfiahed bimonthly uhim, Mardi, MayJiiiy, Sept, Nov.} by August Ho in o FliMshing, 22(*J Grand Avt, Des Moines,. LA 50812- 5 h a pN ol &<' 'J iiH a re fii fc e n? d trademark uf August Home FtAilishmg i.i 'Copyright 200R by August Homo Publishing, All fights reserved. Subscriptions; Single copy MM- One yOar.^bscription (+1 ifisuesl: (£27.95. CanadVInte rtiati onol add $.lfi per year, C.S. funds. Canadian Suh^riptkins: Canada Post Agreement Number 1003830 1 ■ Send change of address information arid blocks- ofundeliverabte copies- to P.O, Box S8l, Station. Main, Markham. ON L'tP SM6. Canada BN £4507 5473 RT Periodicals Postage Paid at DeaMoine^ I A and at additional mailing offices, Postmaster: Send change of address to SfatyNoUxt, P.O. Box 37 100 , Em me, IA 50037-2103. VaifltmSbs p fy s“£-s ,mm ONLINE SUBSCRIBER SERVICES * ACCESS your account * CHECK on a subscription payment * TELL OS if you've missed an issue * CHARGE your mailing or e-mail address * RENEW your subscription * PAY your bill Click on f/ Subscriber Se rvices" in the list on the left side of out home page. Menus and forms will take you through any ot The account-maintenance services you need. HOW TO REACH US: FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS, ADDRESS CHANGES OR QUESTIONS, WRITE OR CALL: Customer Service 2200 Grand Ave.. Des Moines, IA 503 T 2 SOO-333-5854 8 a,m. to 5 p.m. CT OR SEND AN E-MAIL TO: orde rs @s ho pnotesxom August Home jl ishing company Printed in U.S.A. www, ShopNotes.com 5 Get more wood- working tips free. Visit us on the Web at ShopNotes.com Sign up to receive a free shop tip by email every week. Squaring Jig One of the difficult tasks of working alone is squaring large face frames and cases. It seems that 1 can never get my tape measure to behave when I need to measure from comer to comer to square firings up. So 1 built the squaring jig you see in the photos at right to make this a simple task. The jig is easy to build. 1 made the comer block with a 90° notch by first drilling a centered hole in a square piece of % n ply- wood. Then you can set up the miter gauge on your table saw and make two 45° cuts in the block. Finally, screw the comer block to a Y/ plywood backing block, like you see in the illustration below. S8> * 1" Fh WOODS CREW The arm is a piece of V^-thick hardwood. A hole in one end of the arm allows you to secure the comer block to the arm with a YT hex bolt. The jig makes it easy to work from the far end of a frame or case. You first slide the W LOCK HUT AND WASHER MEASURING AR M [5/2X1 CORNER BLOCK (3 x - % FK/0 END VIEW CROSS SECTION block over the corner and lock it into position. Then just extend the long measuring arm diagonally across to tire opposite comer. With tills jig, you don't need to remember any measurements, just place a piece of masking tape at the end of the arm and mark die the comei; like you see in the inset photo above. Then you can quickly move the jig to check the other diagonal and compare this dis- tance to the mark you just made. Now, 1 no longer worry about the size of the case or face frame Tm working with. It's easy to get diem squared up. And I don't need anyone around to give me a hand. E. John Be Waard Marshall Michigan Quick Tips Whenever glue needs to be placed into small , hard-to-reach places, Istvan Balogh of Tulsa, OK, slips a drinking straw into the spout of the giue bottle. This extends the reach and lets him apply glue into places too small for his glue bottle to fit. With the simple straw extension, glue can also be quickly dispensed with pinpoint accuracy into even the smallest joint spaces. 6 ShopNotes No. 85 Table Position Jig Whenever f tilt my drill press table for angled drilling, I struggle to get the table squared up again using just my square To help me do this with a lot more precision, I built the drill press table posi- tioning jig shown in the photo at right. It's easy to build and accurate to use. The jig is simply a dial indicator attached to a plywood arm (see drawing at right). The arm is damped to a set-up rod that can he chucked in the drill press. You can use any 5 /V r ~dia. rod. (I used an old drill bit). To square the table, just slip the set-up rod in the chuck of your drill. Then raise the table until it just slightly depresses the extended indicator point. Next, rotate the chuck bv hand (don't turn on the power) and watch for movement of the needle on the dial. The table is square when the reading on one side of the table is the same as that on the other side of the table. The jig takes only a few minutes to set up. And it's more accurate than using your square. Frank Penicka Mount Pearl Nfld* Canada A R.B , Himes of Vienna, OH f uses a replacement pencil eraser for a protective cap on his air tools. The eraser fits over the air connection port to keep dirt and debris out NOTCH SIZED TO HOLD s /io"-PIA, ROD TOP VIEW CLAMFENO &LOCK NOTE: ROD HOLE CUT WITH V 2 " V-GROQVE ROUTER 3 \T NOTE: s\ze DOLT TO FIT DIAL EN DiC ATOR MOUNT 1/4" W\HO NUT AND WASHER NOTE: ALL STOCK IS w 1 PLYWOOD DIAL INDICATOR A C. Jeffrey Goldberg of Tuscon, Az, uses a plumber's Mack Lavatory Washer to keep his router wrenches from slipping off thecollet during bit changes . He uses contact cement to attach the washers to both wrenches and then trims the washer away at the opening (see inset). www.ShopNotes.com 7 most out of your router table. Here are our favorite accessories to do it right. 1 Insert Plate Screwing a router directly to the top of a table is quick and easy But if you'll be changing bits in and out fairly often, you might want to consider making a change. Insert Plate. What I'm talking about here is upgrading your router table with an insert plate. The idea behind an insert plate is simple. With the router attached to the plate and slipped into an opening in the top of the table, you have a secure system for routing. But here's the really nice part - — instead of having to work under the table to make changes and adjustments, you simply 'pop" the plate (and router) out and work above the table. The insert plates you'll find most often are made from phenolic and aluminum (photo at left). And depending on the material and th ickness, the price can vary from $25 to around $100. Custom Openings. Regardless of how the plate is made, most fea- ture plastic reducer rings like the ones you see above. Having a set of reducer rings allows you to install (or customize) a ring to minimize the clearance around the bit. This makes for safer cuts and provides more support for tire workpiece. Final Considerations. The one thing you'll need to keep in mind when choosing an insert plate is that most plates are sized to fit the router table made by the same manufacturer So if you already have a router table, you may need to modify the opening to fit the plate. For an easy way to rout an opening for an insert plate (or modify the one you have), check out Shop Short Cuts on page 16. 8 ShopNotes No. 85 2 a 3 T-Track and Miter Track An insert plate makes it easy to get your router in and out of the table. But when it comes to taking your table to the next level, there are a cou- ple accessories you'll want to add — and that's the T-track and miter gauge track shown at tire upper right. Start with T-Track. Of the two, Ore most versati le is T-track. T- track is nothing more than a metal channel you install in your router table fence. This way you can quickly and easily mount feather- boards, bit guards, and stop blocks {more on these later), allowing you to work more accurately and safely Regardless of the manufacturer, all T-traek works basically the same. A slot hr the track accepts a flange (or toilet) bolt (lower left photo), while some versions accept tire head of a hex bolt By slipping an accessory like a stop block, over the bolt, you can position the accessory anywhere along the track. Locking it in place is just a matter of tightening the knob. What T-track has going for it is that it's fairly inex- pensive, starting at about $8 for a 2' piece and rumring up to $14 for a 4' length. You wall need to keep in mind that T-track can vary from W up to 3 A" in thickness. So be sure your fence design allows you to screw the T- track securely in place. Add a Miter Track. Besides T- track, another way to make your router table work harder is the miter gauge track you see at right. Instead of mounting to the fence, the miter track slips into a groove cut in the top of the table. By doing this, you can use your miter gauge (or any other accessory with a miter bar) for operations that would be difficult or impossible to T-Track T-track allows you to use a flange bolt and knob to attach a wide range of accessories to your fence , accomplish on a router table, like the series of dadoes being routed in the photo below. And just like T-track, the miter track can be used for adding a featherboard to ensure your work- piece stays tight against the fence. Miter track is available in dif- ferent lengths and the pricing is similar to the T-track. The 3 -long piece I bought cost around $17. For sources of both T-track and miter track, turn to page 51. k Simple Designs. T-track (left) and miter track are nothing more than simple metal extrusions. But they’ make it a snap to use and mount accessories. k Miter Track : Adding a miter track to your router tabie allows you to use other accessories, like the miter gauge and auxiliary fence you see here. 4 & 5 Keep the Power Under Control Con trot the Power . An auxiliary switch mounted to the front of your router table provides quick and easy access to the power. One of Ore problems you'll run across when working at a router table is the hassle of searching underneath the table trying to find the powder switch. The first time you need to do it quickly, you'll appreciate the added safety of an auxiliary ON /OFT switch. The switch you see at left only costs about $25, and this is a pretty inex- pensive way to get better control. Speed Control, Another way to keep better control is to adjust the speed of your router to suit the task at hand. If your router doesn't have this capability, you can add it by installing the speed control unit at right. Using it is just a matter of turning the router on, adjusting the speed as necessary, and then routing, (You can expect to spend about $40.) Adjusting the Speed , With a variable-speed control unit, you can match the router speed to the size of the bit and the type of material. www. ShopNotes.com 9 6 Featherboards Running a small piece of wood safely past a router bit spinning at 20,000 RPM can be a challenge. There's always the possibility the workpiece will kick out, lift up, or even kick back toward you . So it's a good idea to put that T-track on the fence and tire miter gauge slot in the table to good use and add a featherboard or two* The Benefits* Wh ether you mount the featherboard to the table or fence, if applies pressure against tire workpiece. The flexible forgers allow the workpiece to slide smoothly in one direction, helping prevent the workpiece from moving up, away, or kicking back at you. You can make your own feath- erboard, but there are a number of manufac- turers drat make inexpensive A Extra Hand Featherboards work like an extra hand, keeping a workpiece tight against a table or fence. models that are easy to use. One of my favorites is the Bench Dog Feather- Loc shown in the margin. Bench Dog has models you can mount to the fence or table. The table version has a short miter bar for locking the featherboard any- where along the miter track with the turn of a knob. Prices vary from $20 to $25 depending on the model. Tandem Model. If you plan to rout tall workpieces on edge. Bench Dog offers a version that stacks two featherboards together with a spacer in between. This tandem version provides additional pressure to ensure die workpiece stays flat against the fence. Stopped Cuts. When you need to start or stop routing a workpiece at a precise point along its length, then a stop attached to the fence of the router table is the accessory you need. A stop can be as simple as a wood block clamped to the face of the fence. But many manufacturers have made stops even more con- venient by designing them as a separate accessory that attaches to the T-track they manufacture. A manufactured stop is easy to adjust and clamp in place. And it's a whole lot quicker than trying to deal with a wood block and sepa- rate clamp (or two). Compatibility, But you might run into trouble trying to adapt some manufactured stops to the fence and T-track you're using. So I've found that an easy solution is to simply turn the Bench Dog Feather-Loc upside down and turn it into a handy stop, like you see in the photo above. 7 Corral the Dust Whether it's hand-held or mounted in a table, a router tends to create more dust and chips than you can imagine — and it spreads the mess around the shop faster than you might think possible. Collect the Dust To minimize this problem, the first thing you should do after attaching the fence to the router table is bolt a dust hookup in place, like the one you see in the photo at right. The nice thing about adding a dust hookup is that it doesn't cost a lot. The one you see at right is only $13 and makes hooking up your shop vacuum or dust collector hassle-free. Most woodworking stores or mail-order sources carry dust hookups for router table fences (refer to page 51 ). 10 ShopNotes No. 85 8 Guard Against the Bit When you're focused on making a cut at die router table, it's all too easy to end up with your fingers too close to die hit. That's why it's a good idea to install a bit guard, like the one in the photo at right. The guard provides a constant reminder of where the bit is and where not to put your fingers. The bit guard I like to use is just a tinted piece of shatter-proof plastic. I picked up the high-visibility model shown (715005) at the Woodsmith Store for about $16. But you can find similar guards from other sources. (Refer to Sources on page 51.) Regardless of die manufacturer, you'll find the design and function of most router bit guards is identical. A pair of vertical slots in the guard allows you to attadi it to die T- track in the fence and adjust die position of file guard up or down with a pair of flange bolts, knobs, and washers. Using the guard is just a matter of adjusting the height to match die thickness of your w orkpiece. The goal is to minimize the clearance between the workpiece and guard, preventing your fingers from inadvertently passing near the router bit. k See-Through Guard. Using a dear plastic bit guard is a constant reminder to keep your fingers away from the bit k Gei a Grip. Besides keeping your fingers away from the bit, a pair of push blocks provide a grip on your workpiece that cant be beat 9 Push Blocks for Safety A bit guard attached to the fence is one way to ensure your fingers don't inadvertently find their way into a cutting edge. Anodier good way to keep them safe is to use a pair of push blocks. Pressure & Security. A pair of push blocks allow you to apply firm, even pressure to a workpiece. At the same time, they prevent injury by keeping your hands away from die bit, as you can see in the photo at left. For a long time, 1 used an old grout float as a push block. But it's large size and handle shape weren't always comfortable to work w ith — especially when I was working with a small workpiece. So 1 switched to a pair of Shop Fox push blocks, like the ones you see at right The bottom of die push block has a soft foam facing to grip die work- piece securely And the angled handles place your hands in a comfortable position to apply pressure down and into die fence. This lets you focus on die cut — not the grip you have on the workpiece. Push blocks are cheap insur- ance, so it makes good sense to keep a couple on hand. The pair from Shop Fox were $10. (Refer to page 51 for sources.) ▲ Great Design. The angled handies of these push blocks provide a secure, comfortable grip. * Dual-Use . With the gauge standing upright , setting the height of a router bit is a snap. 10 Accuracy with a Set-Up Gauge One of the biggest challenges when using a router table is accurately setting the height of die bit and the position of die fence. Sure, you can use a metal scale to try to get things right where they need to be. But I've found that I get the best results with a set-up gauge. Dual-Use Gauge, A number of manufac- turers make gauges for setting the height of a router bit. But they aren't very handy for positioning the router table fence. That's why I prefer to use a dual-purpose gauge, like die one you see at the far right. Tills gauge features a pair of legs that span wide insert plate and fence openings. Plus, there's a hairline indicator for taking accu- rate measurements. A handy lock knob fixes die scale in place so you can remove the gauge for easy reading. This also makes it simple to return the fence (or bit) to a previous setting. Using the Gauge, Although using a set-up gauge Isn't too dicky, diere are a couple things to keep in mind. First, be sure the scale is set against die cut- ting edge of the bit, as in the main photo. And second, the gauge measures to die outside edge the bit, so allow for this when setting the fence. ^ www.ShopNotes.com 11 Add these miter bars to your own jigs and adjust them for a perfect fit. precision Miter Emm In the past when I made jigs for the shop, like the miter sled on page 34, I used to make my own in iter bars (see box on the opposite page). But it was hard to get that perfect fit in the miter slot. Sometimes they were too tight and at other times, they were too loose. So I was looking for something a little better. After-market miter bars proved to be the answer. I looked at four different miter bars from Kreg, Incra, Rockier , and Woodhaven (see Sources on page 51), As you can see in the photos, they're all a little different. ADJUSTABILITY A miter bar needs to slide easily in the miter slot. But, if it's too loose, your jig won't be very accurate. And if it's too tight, it's hard to use. You're looking for just tine right "feel" where it's snug but slides with little effort. To start with, you'll find that these miter bars are slightly under- sized for a 3 /\ l miter slot. That's so you can adjust them to fit snugly in your saw using one of the fol- lowing methods for adjustment. Set Screws. Kreg and Woodhaven use nylon set screws as shown in A Kreg . Use an Allen wrench to turn the nylon set screws in or out to fine-tune the fit in your miter slot A Woodhaven. A small screw- driver is all that's needed to adjust the nylon set screws. A tncra. A unique wedge system flexes the sides of the miter bar as you adjust it from the top . A Rockier. Spring-lc bait plungers automa adjust to fit the miter slot 12 ShopNotes No. 85 J \G OR FIXTURE BASE ' WEDGE FORCES SIDES TO EXPAND WHEN TIGHTENED - ALLEN WRENCH TABLE SAW ACCESS HOLE TO ADJUST FIT OF BAR ENCRA MJTER BAR the photos on the previous page. The screws tit into threaded holes in the sides of the bars (Figure 1). To adjust the fit in your miter slot, insert die set screws until they just start to project out die other side. Then start at one end of the bar and adjust each screw as you slide die bar into the slot. Here, you're looking for that perfect feel where there's no side- topside play. Ball Plungers. Rockier uses a dif- ferent approach for adjustment. It uses spring-loaded ball plungers screwed into one side of the miter bar (see photo on opposite page). In theory, the spring action keeps the bar snug in the slot. But I found that I could easily overcome the force of the spring and move it from side to side. You can make minor adjustments, but not enough to avoid the problem entirely Be sure to consider this if you're looking for a lot of accuracy from your jig. Wedges, When 1 opened the package for the Incra miter bar, i was a little surprised. Instead of a solid aluminum or steel bar like the others, it's a machined piece of alu- minum extrusion. As you can see in Figure 2, they use a unique method for width adjustment. On the bottom of the bar are wedge-shaped nuts. When the adjustment screw is tightened from above, the wedge forces the sides of the bar to expand. It doesn't take much to get a nice fit. Shop- Made: Miter Bars A slight turn of the adjustment screw makes a big difference. This "wedging" action has another benefit that you won't find in the other miter bars. You can actually tighten the bar to prevent it from moving at all. This allows you to build jigs that you can posi- tion in the miter slot, then lock down. Featherboards and clamp- ing jigs come to mind. MOUNTING OPTIONS I found that all of these bars are easy to attach to a jig. They feature countersunk holes on the bottom for Hathead screws. On all the miter bars except he Kreg, these holes are also threaded. That allows you to mount the bars with machine screws from he top of a jig for more flexibility. For my quick- and -dirty one-use jigs, I'D still sometimes make my own miter bars. But since these after-market bars range in price from $15 to $30 you may want to order a couple extras to keep on hand. Their convenience and adjustability can't be beat, ^ When I'm in the middle of a project and need a jig in a hurry, a shop-made miter bar will do in a pinch. It's easy to make your own with mate- rials you can keep on hand. Wood. For a quick miter bar, make one from vour wood scraps. To minimize swelling and shrinking that occur with changes in humidity, stable hardwoods are best. Choose quarter sawn stock if you can. It won't change in width much with changes in humidity levels in your shop. Aluminum. You can buy x %' 1 aluminum bar stock. It's soft enough that you can drill and file it. Once you get a good fit in the miter slot, there should be little need to adjust it later. UHMW, This durable, easy-to-work plastic is also available in %" x %” stock, ft's low-friction, so it's ideal for miter bars. You can fine-time the fit for your miter slot using woodworking tools. WOOD ALUMINUM UHMW www.ShopNotes.com 13 DRILL BIT ANATOMY All brad point bits aren’t the same. Find out what you need to know to get the best results. TWIST BRAD POINT DRILL BIT DRILL BIT flat tip Spiral flute flat tip starting of hole Of all the bits that can be used to drill holes in wood, the brad point is probably the most versatile. Chuck a brad point bit into a drill press and you 11 get clean accurate holes in almost any type of wood. They can even be used to drill overlapping holes, which can make quick work of mortising. However; you can't always use a drill press and that's where brad point bits have a big advantage — they work equally well in a hand- held drill. This can be a real plus when you need to drill precise holes for installing hardware or adding shelf pin holes. And finally they come in a wide variety of sizes, so you can get exactly the hole size you need. So what is it about a brad point bit that makes it so special? At first glance, you 11 notice that a brad point bit looks very similar to a standard twist bit. They both have a straight shaft with sharp, spiral flutes to pul the chips up out of fire hole. In fact, some brad point bits start out as regular twist bits, then tire tip is reground to a dif- ferent shape. And it's this unique design at the tip of the bit that's the key to a smooth, clean hole. Getting to the Point Take a look at the drawing in the lower left corner of this page and you can see what Fm talking about. On the left is a standard twist bit. The end of the bit is ground at a shallow angle. And you'll notice that the very tip of the bit is almost flat. Now, take a look at the brad point bit on the right. Here the tip of tire bit is ground completely dif- ferent. There's a very sharp center point, flat "cutting lips," and two "spurs" at tire outside edge. Controlled Accuracy So what's all this mean when when it comes to drilling a hole? Well, with a twist bit, as you start to drill, Eire bit wants to skate around on top of the workpiece. That's because a twist bit Ls designed for drilling into metal and the flat tip doesn't bite into the wood like you'd want When you use a good-quality brad point bit, the sharp center- point guides the bit into the work- piece. Then as the bit spins, the spurs score the perimeter of the hole, leaving dean, smooth sides and preventing tearout Finally, the cutting lips act like revolving chisels. They pare away wood shavings within the scored perimeter. Tire end result — the bit doesn't wander and the edges of the hole are clean and crisp. As you can tell. I'm sold on brad point bits. But open up a wood- working catalog and you'll find a wide variety of bits. Some cost a few dollars for a complete set while others cost several dollars for a single bit. Sorting it all out can be confusing. They're all brad points bits, so what's the difference? 14 ShopNotes No. 85 MAKING A CHOICE Let's take a look at what you can get, starting with the Least expensive bits. Bargain Bits. Typically, there are two things that set bargain bits apart from higher quality bits — tip design and steel. If you look at the end of the bit, you'll notice that it lacks the spurs that score the perimeter of the hole. It's also missing the flat-ground cutting lip. Instead, the cutting lip is ground so it slopes up from the base of the center point to form a notch on each side. This forms a point on the edge of the bit that takes the place of the spur The problem is, the grind can be rough and these points dull quickly. So they have a tendency to dig into the wood causing tearout at the edges of the hole. Another problem with bargain bits is that they're typically made from rather soft steel This means they dull quickly and can start to bum. In fact. I've had new bargain bits turn tire sides of a hole black from burning. HSS Bits. For just a few dollars more, I find the high-speed steel (HSS) bits to be a better value. They 're made from tougher steel and they stay sharp longer. YouTl find different styles of HSS brad point bits. The second photo on the right shows a production- style bit that's available from the Fisch company Like the bargain bits, it has deep gullets that form points. But tire grinding is very precise and at a steeper angle so tire points are very sharp. But the centerpoint of the bit is beefier and has a flat edge, which can make it more difficult to center precisely. My favorite style of brad point bit is one that has a conventional design. A long, sharp centerpoint, flat cutting lips, and sharp, scoring spurs (third photo). When you put all of that together in a HSS bit, you've got a bit that can drill clean, precise holes all day long. Carbide Bits. Man-made materials, like MDF or melamine, can dull HSS bits with continued use. So if you plan on drilling a lot of holes in this type of mate- rial, you might want to consider getting a few carbide- tipped brad point bits. They'll last longer than HSS, die only down side is they're fairly of expensive.^ J ► Often made from soft steel with roughly ground points, bargain bits can cause burning and tearout. r -\ ►- Designed for production use, these bits feature extra-deep gullets and sharp points , CONVENTIONAL DESIGN ► A traditional brad point bit features a sharp centerpoint, flat cutting lips, and scoring spurs. ►- While it's more expensive, adding a carbide tip means the bit will stay sharp for a long time. Troubleshooting: Using Brad Point Bits Here are some common problems you may experience when using brad point bits and how to solve them. Burning. Typically, Til experience burning when Tin using a bargain bit or a bit that needs to be sharp- ened. A newer or better-quality bit usually solves the problem. But if you have a good, sharp bit and it's still burning — try slowing down. I've found die manufacturer's recommended speed for drill bits is too high. Often times the speed recom- mendations are for power boring machines, which is way too fast for a drill press or hand drill. So 1 like to go with the slowest speed and I still get a dean hole. Tearout. If you're experiencing tearout around the edge of the hole, you may be trying to feed the bit too fast. Here again, the solution is to slow down and let the scoring spurs do their job. Oversized Holes. Occasionally, you may find a bit that produces an oversize hole. This usually only hap- pens with poorly manufactured bargain bits. Ihe only solution is to trade up to a new or better-quality bit. www.ShopNotes.com 15 rfC. ONLINE EXTRAS To learn how to install a router plate without a template, visit ShopNotes.com Router Plate Installation Whenever it comes to installing a router plate, the trick is always in sizing the opening to match the plate exactly. To make things easier when it came to installing the plate for the router table on page 18, I used a purchased template (see page 51 for sources). The template is nothing more than a piece of med i u m-densi ty-fiberboard (MDF) with an opening to match the size of the router plate. To use the template, all you have to do is tape it down to your router table top. Then using a pattern bit, rout a channel all around the edge of the opening* You 11 want the depth of tills channel to match the thickness of your plate. Once you've routed the channel, remove the tem- plate and cut away the waste inside the opening with a jigsaw. Finally you can smooth the rough edges of the opening by filing or sanding. A Set Bit Depth. After attaching the template to your router table top with carpet tape , set the router plate on top of the template to determine the bit depth . A Cuffing Out Wasfe. To remove the waste from the and using a VD-dia. pattern bit , rout a channel all center of the opening , drill a clearance hole in each around the inside of the template . corner Then use a jig saw to cut out the waste . 16 ShopNotes No. 85 BLADE GUARD MITER SLED 3. ABE USE DRAFTING TRIANGLE TO INITIALLY POSITION FENCE SCREW FENCE TO EASE ONCE FINAL ADJUST* ME NTS ARE MADE Attaching Fences to the Miter Sled There's not much to Attarhina rhp fences on the mite They're simply screwed in place. But getting each fence positioned at a perfect 45° angle on the first attempt is easier said than done. To make tills task a bit easier, I used a pair of oversize holes for the screws that attach the fences. This allows you "tweak" the position of fence for a perfect 45° miter. To initially position the fence, I used a plastic drafting triangle. (These triangles are inexpensive and surprisingly accurate.) I set the triangle against the blade guard and drew a line to indicate tire position of the back edge of the fence. Then I attached the fence to the miter sled base with a each FENCE NOTEi ATTACH AND ADJUST ONE FENCE BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE OPPOSITE FENCE FIGURE WASHERHEAD SCREW 1 LOOSEN i 1 SCREWS SLIGHTLY TO ADJUST FENCES : ' • -y'i:. V K pair of washerhead screws. With the fence attached to the base, you can now check the posi- tion of the fence for accuracy To do tills, I made a couple of test cuts and then placed the test pieces together side by side. Now simply use a square to check the included angle (Figure 2). If the angle is 90°, you know that fence is positioned at 45°. If it's not, youTi need to nudge the fence a bit and check the setting on a new set of test cuts. Once you have the fence in posi- tion, you can tighten down the two washerhead screws (Figure la). Then to hold the fence securely I added three more screws from the underside of the base of the sled (Figures 1 and 1 b). With the first fence in position, you can now repeat the process to attach the second fence. Once you're done, both fences should be set up to cut perfect miters. Installing magnetic catches is usually a pretty simple task — just drill a hole and screw the catch in place. But since the ply- wood in the hardware organizer on page 28 isn't much thicker than the diameter of the catches, 1 was concerned that 1 might actually blow through the side of the case while drilling the holes for the catches. To solve this problem, 1 made a simple drilling guide out of a piece hardboard and a scrap of plywood (see photo). A hole in the block of the guide keeps the drill bit perpendicular while drilling the holes for the catches. Plywood Edae Drilling Guide BUTT TEST PIECES TOGETHER TO CHECK FOR SQUARE www. Sh o p N ote s . coni 17 This simple table will get you going, later add a few options for even more capabilities. This router table is packed with some impres- sive features. But what I really like about it is that it takes only one 5 x5' sheet of Vi Baltic birch plywood (see the cutting diagram on the next page) and a weekend to build. Large Top. Fast construction isn't the only thing going for this router table. For starters., the top is a full 20 ,r x 32". But there's more to it than pure size, the top tilts up for easy router access. The heavy-duty fence makes accurate cuts a snap. And it adjusts quickly and locks securely to the tabletop. Simple Joinery, The case, built with simple, no- hills joinery, can be quickly damped to a workbench or even sawhorses. And there's a drawer at the bottom for storing bits, wrenches, and other items. Upgrades and Add-ons, From the begin- ning, this router table is designed to be upgraded and added on to without having to start over. For instance, you can add an optional stand with either adjustable shelves or a door and some drawers (photo at left). The tabletop and fence are also ready for some extra features, like a miter track, a router plate and T- track* And to top it off, at least around here, you can pick up the sheet of plywood for around $50. k Deluxe Version. Basic router table with upgrades and optional stand , 18 ShopNotes No. 8h Exploded View Details FENCE IS EASY TO ADJUST FENCE BRACE TURN TO PAGE S3 FOR ROUTER TABLE AND FENCE ADD-ONS FI VOTING ARM ROUTER TABLE AND FENCE BUILT FROM ONE SHEET OF Vz" PLYWOOD v SHELF IN OPTIONAL STAND PROVIDES EXTRA STORAGE SPACE ShopNotes To download a free cutting diagram for the optional stand, go to: www.ShopNote3.com www.ShopN otesxom TOP TILTS ON PIANO HINGE 60 J1 x 60* -Yz a PLYWOOD CUTTING DIAGRAM (ROUTER TABLE, TOR AND FENCE) ROUTER SCREWS DIRECTLY TO TABLETOP STURDY, TWO -LAYER TOP PINCH BLOCK DRAWER FEATURES EASY-TO-CUT RABBET JOINERY WITH ANOTHER SHEET OF PLYWOOD, YOU CAN BUILD A STAND TO ADD DRAWERS AND DOOR, TURN TC PAGE 25 BA CK FRONT 3TILE CORNER BLOCK DRAWER 15UIPE BOTTOM DIVIDER (15% x 24 ) NOTCH PETAIL PR A VVER GUIDE BACK DRAWER BOTTOM BOTTOM BOTTOM DRAWER BACK DRAWER SIDE NOTE: BOTH BOTTOM AMD DIVIDER ARE NOTCHED (S EE DETAIL r a') DRAWER FRONT FRONT &TTLE CORNER BLOCK One of the goals I bad when building the ease of the router table FRONT SECTION VIEW c. TOP VIEW i, i L - p DRAWER r __.,3!PE DRAWER BOTTOM Vo 1 DRAWER FRONT J -- i_ — - ir h -< d. - i " Yz % ^ S,PE BACK : OHELF -- f j 1 m DRAWER OUIDEkj DRAWER DRAWER : 4^_ J SIDE BACK DRAWER BOTTOM y % bottom z.- - ^ was to make sure it could be built quickly. But it still needs to be strong enough for every day use. Straightforward Joinery As I mentioned earlier, the router table case uses sturdy plywood construc- tion with dadoes and rabbets. The whole table is built from l /i ply- wood. (I used Baltic birch.) Sides First, 1 began construction with the case sides. I n Figure Id, you can see that there's a dado and a rabbet cut in each side piece. This joinery locks a divider and the case bottom in place for a strong, wiggle- free assembly The divider also creates a pocket for Hie drawer that will be added later Before assembling the divider and bottom to the sides, 1 cut a 2%' -wide notch at the front comers of each piece, as you can see hi Figure la. Tills notch holds a pair of narrow' stiles that keep tile front of the case rigid while still providing a large opening to get at the router. The back is a simple plywood panel lhat's sized to overlap the sides. With these main parts cut, you can glue the case together. Comer Blocks, Hie divider and case bottom make the lower portion of the case plenty strong. But since the tabletop isn't screwed to the case, the upper part of the case needed some reinforcement The solution lused here was to make four, angled comer blocks, as illustrated in Figure lb. You can see in the main drawing that 1 posi- tioned them 3 /a from die top edge of die case. The reason for this ls simple. The hinged tabletop is designed to nestle down over the top of the case, so lowering die comer blocks ensures that they won't interfere with the fit. There are just two parts left to add to the case before moving on to the drawer. And diose are a pair of drawer guides. They're cut to fit behind the front stiles to keep die drawer from binding in die opening, as shown in Figures 1 and Id. Simple Drawer: The drawer in die router table provides a place to store wrenches, bits, and other sup- plies. And like the rest of die router table, it's straightforward to build. In the drawing above, you can see diat a rabbeted frame simply wraps around the drawer bottom. The rela- tively thick bottom provides plenty of glue surface for a strong bond. Large, Flat Top, With die case complete, I set it aside and turned my attention to die top, shown in die 20 ShopNotes No. 85 drawing below. Since this is where all the work will take place after the table is complete; the goal here is to make it flat and rigid. Making a large top from plywood isn't a challenge — just ait it to size. But with V 2 " plywood^ you want to make sure it won't flex under the load of large; heavy pieces. So, to make this tabletop stay flat, it's rein- forced around the bottom edge. The top has a few openings cut into it. The center hole is where the router is attached to the table and where the bits comes through At T in diameter, if s big enough to handle most bit sizes. The other two openings are a pair of slots that will be used to connect and adjust the fence that will be added later, as in Figure 2. To attach the router to the table, 1 simply screwed it to the top. Fillers and Braces, As I men- tioned, the top is strengthened with some cleats underneath it. Besides keeping the top from flexing, the cleats do one other thing. They are positioned so that the top fits over the case like a lid, you can see this in Figures 2a and 2b. Tilt-Top Design. Rather than screwing the top to the case, 1 attached it with a piano hinge along the back edge. This allows me to tilt up the tabletop and get at the router to change the bit height without having to stoop over. Then, to hold the top open so 1 can use both hands, J bolted a prop arm to the inside of the case, as shown in the drawing and arm detail below 2"-D!A. HOLE HOLE BIDE FILLER (2x17) BACK BRACE (1 x 32) NOTE: ALL PARTG ARE W' FLY WOO P FRONT BRACE (2 x 32) SIPE FILLER FRONT SECTION SIPE SECTION 24" FJANO HINGE wf SCREWS — ARM (3 x 127s) ARM DETAIL BACK BRACE FRONT BRACE CORNER BLOCK www-ShopNotes.com \ -3 t 7 34 ^ 24" PIANO HINGE -x wf SCREWS H a’ INNER FENCE FACE WASHER: ROUT A %" CHAMFER ON CUTOUT IN BASE OUTER ENCE FACE FINCH BLOCK ( 1 * 2 ) A Router Fence. Grooves in the router table allow you to easily position the fence and lock it securely to the tabletop. T-KNOB * 2 " CARRIAGE BOLT FINCH BLOCK a precision Fence BACK VIEW {CROSS SECTION) it. Second, the fence face has to he square to the tabletop. T his way, you can be sure your cuts are accurate every time. Finally, it has to lock securely to the tabletop. Heavy-Duty Face. The hist step in building the fence is making the faces. Hem, I used a double-layer / fence assembly. The added 3jfr layer of l /i plywood makes it less likely to flex or warp. You'll notice that tire inside face of the fence is made from two pieces. I did this to get the most parts from a single sheet of plywood. A centered cutout in each layer is large enough The last section of tire router table to make is the fence, as in the drawing above. And it's really what makes the router table a precision tool. For the fence to work its best, it needs to do three things, First, the fence needs to be rigid so it won't deflect as a workpiece slides across to accommodate most router bite. Materials & Hardware CASE A Sides { 2 } B Bottom/Divider (2) C Back (1) D Front Stiles (2) E Drawer Guides (2) F Corner Blocks (4) DRAWER G Front/Back (2) H Sides (2) I Bottom (1) TOR J Top (1) K Front Brace (1) L Back Brace (1) M Side Braces (2} N Side Filters (2) O Prop (1} 13%xl5%-%Ply. 15% x 24 - % Ply 13% x 24% - % Ply. 3 x 13% - % Ply. 13% x 2% - % Ply. 2% x 2% - % Ply. 1 1! % x 18 7 % - % Ply. i t % 6 x 15% - % Ply. 14% X 17 7 46 - % Ply. 20 x 32 - % Ply. 2 x 32 - % Ply. 1 x 32 - % Ply. % x 17 - % Ply. 2x17-% Ply, 3x13-% Ply. FENCE P inner Faces (2) Q Outer Face (1) R Base [1] 5 Braces (4} T Pinch Blocks (2) 3 x 16 - % Ply. 3 x 32 - % Ply, 3% x 32 - % Ply 2% x 2% - % Ply. 1 x 2 - % Ply * (1) Nickel-plated piano hinge w/Screws * (1) % ,r x 1%" Fh Woodscrews *(1)% N Flat Washer * (]} %" Lock Nut * (2) %6 r ' x 2" Carriage Bolts * (2) %6 r ' Flat Washers * (4) %6 rl TKnobs Stable Base. This assembly is then glued to a base that has a matching cutout. To help dust and drips dear this opening, I routed a chamfer on the cutout in the base (Figure 3a). The joint between the fence and the base needed some reinforce- ment. I did this by gluing braces to the backside of the fence face. Attaching the Fence. The fence is connected to the table with carriage bolts, washers, and knobs. The car- riage bolts run through a pair of pindi blocks. These slide in the channel created by tine reinforcing cleats on the bottom side of the table. Now, the router table is ready for use. But on the next page, you'll find some options to get more out of it. 22 ShopNotes No. 85 router table U pgrade There isn't much you can't do with the basic router table and fence. But von can make it work even harder and more efficiently with a few, sim- ple upgrades (photo at light). The best partis, you can build the table- top, and fence, as shown in the plans and then add any or all of these upgrades at a later time. Router Plate. The tilt-up tabletop makes it easy to get at the router But you can make router access even easier with a mounting plate. This is especially handy for bit changes and removing the router for hand-held use. The router plate shown in tire photo above also has drop-in insert rings. They let you match the size of the opening to the size of the bit. The plate rests in a rabbeted opening in the top. You can read more about installing it on page 16. Miter Track. Another tabletop addition is a miter gauge slot. With Easy Upgrades , A miter track , router plate, and T-track add versatility to the router table . attaching bit guards, feather- boards, and stop blocks is a snap. Dust Collection. The final addi- tion is to screw a dust collection port to die back of the fence. This is a big way to improve visibility and clear die shop air, as shown in detail 'a/ Turn to page 51 to find sources. You can find other router table acces- / series on page 8. A W, this, you can use a standard miter gauge on your router table to rout the ends of narrow workpieces. Tire only thing to note here is that you'll need to add a reinforcing strip to die underside of dre table, as shown in detail 'b/ T-track, On the fence, there are two upgrades that really make a big impact. Tire first is to add T- track along the top edge. With this. DUST FORT DUST FORT #6 ft %. IJ Fh WOODSCREW CUT BASSET [N FENCE FACE TO FIT T-TRACK MOTE! FOR MORE ON DUST COLLECTORS SEE PAGE S TO INSTALL ROUTER PLATE, TURN TO PAGE 16 WOODSCREW ATTACH SR ACE TO TABLETOP BEFORE ROUTING GROOVE FOR MITER TRACK MITER V\ TRACK E3RACE - (2x23!£) , NOTE: ,- &!ZE MITER TRACK ... B RACE SO TO P STf LL " . "CLOSES FLAT AGAINST CASE www.ShopNotes.com ill . -jW optional tool Stand There's nothing stopping you from putting the router table to use just the way it is* And it's small size makes it portable enough to take to a job- site* But for routing in the shop, it might make sense to have a dedi- cated stand like you see in the photo at right* This simple stand captures the router table in a ledge around the top and places the tabletop up to a comfortable height. And you']] gain some valuable storage space* You'll find the process of building the stand pretty similar to the router table. And like the router table, the stand only requires a single sheet of l /i' plywood. Case Sides First To build the stand, 1 started by cutting the sides to size. These have two dadoes cut in them to hold the top and bottom panels (Figure 4b). And a rabbet cut along the back edge of each side holds the case back in place. Next, I cut the top and bottom panels to size. These have a cem tered dado that captures a vertical divider. After dry assembling the FIGURE sides, top, and bottom, you can double check the measurements for the divider and cut it to ht. To reinforce the bottom of the case, I made a toe kick and a pair of cleats to fit under the case bottom. The last thing to do before assem- bling the case is to cut a back to fit between tire rabbets in the case sides, as shown in Figure 4a. Shelves and Supports. There are just a couple details left to wrap up the stand. I cut three shelves to size* And finally, 1 drilled a set of shelf pin holes in tire sides and divider to support tire shelves. & ShopNotes No* 85 BACK 6IPE CLEAT (2% x \5Vz) Ve N : TOP : FRONT 1 view ■f BACK iir S3 DB BOTTOM SACK 2 % t*1 ■<-& a * Vs! BACK pT 1 3 bottom ^-StPE it TOP VIEW V Upgraded Stand It s pretty amazing that you can build the stand shown on the oppo- site page from a single sheet of ply- wood. And not only does it raise die router table up to a comfortable working height, it adds a lot of storage for die accessories that routers tend to accumulate. But like die tabletop and fence, you can also take the stand up a notch. And all it takes is another sheet of l /i plywood. You can see what I added in die drawing below and the photo at right. At first glance, making a few drawers and door may not seem like a big improvement, but I found that it was more than worth die effort. With the drawers, you can easily find and get at the small tools, bits, and accessories that usually find their way to the back of the shelves. Another benefit of the drawers and door is that it blocks out dust Making the Door. The door is about as easy as it gets. It's simply cut to size and then a cutout is made for a handle. The door is mounted on self-closing hinges. Drawers. The drawers in the stand follow pretty much the same construction as She small drawer in the router table. But there's an important differences. The drawers ride on thin guides that arc cut from plywood and screwed to the stand (detail and drawer guide detail). The guides fit in grooves that are cut in the drawer sides before assembly. Finally, a matching notch is cut in the drawer back in order for the drawers to slide in place, as illustrated in detail 'c/ SELF-CLOSING HINGE DRAWER GUIDE DOOR "'#6xFFh WOOOeCK EW NOTE: SUILPiNG DOOR AND DRAWERS REQUIRES 1 SHEET OF PLYWOOD M DRAWER GUIDE DRAWER BOTTOM {W% * 1514) DRAWER BIDE {43fc x 10) DRAWER \ FRONT/BACK (4%. x I13 b) www. ShopNotes.com 25 The next time you need to build a lot shown on the next page. And best of drawers — especially small draw- of ail, what makes this joint even ers — you might want to consider better is that you can cut it entirely using a tongue and dado joint. This on the router table — using only a strong, no-fuss joint makes quick W'-dia, straight bit. work of building drawers. Preparation, Before heading The nice tiring is, there are no over to the router table, it's a good tricky setups to making this joint, idea to cut all the drawer parts All it takes are the three easy you'll need (plus a few extra test steps — dadoes, rabbets, pieces for setting up the bit and and grooves — fence). 1 use V 2 -thick stock for the drawer front, back, and sides. Hus way you can then perform each step in an assembl y-line fa shion . Dado First. First, you'll \ FIRST: dadoes capture 'I rout dadoes in the drawer \ DRAWER FRONT AND "• A , > \ back sides. Here. I like to use a A One-Bit Drawers . Use a Va" straight bit to rout flat-bottomed dadoes, rabbets f and grooves for this simple drawer joint DRAWER SACK process is routing rabbets on the drawer front and back. Here again, you'll want to use a backer to pre- vent chipout. The result is a box hat's square, and tire front and back are flush with the sides. Grooves Last, With the corner joints taken care of, the final step is routing a groove for the drawer bottom. This groove will leave vis- ible gaps in the front and back of die assembled drawer, as in die drawing at right But you'll take care of that in the assembly stage. Assembly Once the joinery is complete, you can fit the parts together and slide the plywood bottom in place. After attaching a false front to conceal the ends of the grooves, you're done. MOTE: DRAWER FRONT/BACK AND SIDES MADE FROM W'-THJCK STOCK THIRD: DRAWER BOTTOM FITS IN GROOVE ROUTED JN ALL FARTS SECOND: ROUT A RABSET SIZED TO FIT DADO DRAWER FRONT ATTACH a FALSE FRONT WITH SCREWS IN OVERSIZE HOLES TO SET OAFS AND FINAL FOB ITS ON / OAF HIDDEN BY FALSE FRONT ShopNotes No. 85 I The Dado The first step in making the joint is routing a dado across each end of the drawer sides. It will accept a tongue that will be routed on the ends of the drawer front and back. In setting up for an accurate cut, I try to do as little measuring as possible. Instead, I use the work- pieces themselves as setup gauges. You can see what I'm talking about in the left drawing. Here, l use one of the front or back pieces to posi- tion the router fence. The outside face of the front should align with the outside cutting edge of the bit. The only measuring I do is to set the bit height (right drawing). DRAWER FRONT/ SACK PACKER BOARD PR AWE! ‘ SIDE- ^ NOTE; use a &ACKBE&OAKD TO PREVENT TEAROUT AND KEEP WORKPIECE SQUARE TO FENCE/ USE DRAWER " L ’ FRQNT OK BACK ANP S1KAIGHTEDGE TO. POSITION ROUTER FENCE OUTSIDE EDGE OF BIT SHOULD AUGN WITH THICKNESS OF WORKPIECE SET S!T HEIGHT TQ\W The Rabbet The mating half of the joint is a tongue that's made by cutting a rab- bet on each end of tire drawer front and back. The goal of this step is to end up with a tongue that fits snugly in the dado in tire side. Like routing die dado, I use the workpieces to set up for die cut. In die "setup" drawing at left, you can see how [ use the dado in the side pieces to set the hit height. As for setting the fence, all you need to do here is position it so the face is flush with the inside cutting edge of the router bit. As always, make a test cut to check die setting- 3 The Groove That takes care of the joinery but there's still one step left. And that's a groove in the drawer front, back, and sides to hold the drawer bot- tom. 1 like to cut this groove about VY up from die bottom edge. If you plan on using Yf plywood for the drawer bottom, the fit may be a little loose. For a snug fit, you can do this on die table saw and make a couple passes with a stan- dard blade to sneak up on the fit. ^ POSITION GROOVE - V FROM EDGE , r&n SET BIT HEIGHT TO ’4“ NOTH: rout groove ON INSIDE FACE OF AL DRAWER PARTS MOTE; &ACKERDQARD NOT NEEDED TO ROUT GROOVE WITH GRAIN wwwShapNotes.com 27 Adding storage in your shop is always a great thing, but it doesn't do a whole lot of good without some organization. That's especially true for small items that seem to wander off, never to be found again. This hardware organizer is the perfect solution. In a space just a bit larger than the average kitchen wall cabinet, you can organize dozens of plastic bins filled with all sorts of screws, washers, nuts, bolts — whatever small items you have. Tire doors swing open a full 180°, giving you complete access to the contents stored inside. And best of all, the construction is simple — you build a box, then cut the doors off. And the bins hang on cleats made from aluminum and wood. Hardware Organizer Keep track of small hardware with this handy cabinet. 28 ShopNotes No. 80 building the Hie organizer starts out by building a large plywood box (Figure 1). The first step is to cut the top, bottom, and sides. Then, you're ready for the tongue and groove joinery; which can all be cut on your table saw. The Joinery. When I cut this type of joinery, I like to start with tire grooves and dadoes. Then I can sneak up on the thickness of the tongues until they fit snugly. Tire front and back will fit flush with the outside edges of the other parts on all four sides. So, you'll want to make sure the inside edges of tire dadoes and grooves line up with the thickness of the front and back (Figures la and lb). And be aware that there are no dadoes in the top and bottom. These parts only get grooves along their outside edges. Once you have the grooves and dadoes cut, you can start working on the tongues and then get ready to put the box together. Assembly It's a good idea at this point to dry-assemble the parts first to figure out the best way to put the case together. Once the parts were glued up, 1 clamped it all together and made sure the case was square. And, finally, when the glue is dry, you're ready to turn the case into a hardware organizer with doors. The box below walks you through the process. SECONP: TURN DOORS OVER AND CUT THROUGH^# ends NOTE! SECOND CUT IS SHOWN CUT THROUGH - SIPES POOR FENCE DISTANCE STAYS THE SAME FOR ALL FOUR CUTS LOWER SLADE, THEN CUT TOP AND BOTTOM LEAVING THIN WED r OF WASTE Creating the Doors — CASE FIRST: WJTH OPENING DOWN MAKE CUT HALF- WAY THROUGH ENDS A Split the Case. First , cut through the case along each side (detail A Making the Doors. After adjusting the rip fence to ‘a 1 ). Then , lower the blade and cut the top and bottom ; leaving a little cut two equal doors , lay the door opening down on waste to prevent the saw kerfs from closing up and pinching the blade your table saw. Raise the blade to cut halfway through (detail *bj. Cut through the remaining waste with a utility knife. the ends. Then , flip it over and cut down the middle. www.ShopNotes.com 29 attaching the Doors & Hangers Now that you've cut the doors oft, you're ready to reattach them with hinges to make the cabinet. A nice feature about this organ- izer is that the doors swing fully open, allowing easy access to everything that's stored inside. Piano hinges are great for this type of door, because the hardware may get heavy and cause the doors to sag. These hinges extend the full length of die organizer, giving you more surface to screw them to and Flush Fit. For the doors to fit flush when closed, you'll need to shave the same amount of material off both the case and doors where shown in Figure 2b, I did this by making a very thin cut on my table saw, raising the blade to match tire thickness of the sides. adding extra support. the hinges will be installed, as Magnetic Catches. Before you attach the hinges, it's a good time to install the magnetic catches, as detailed in Figure 2, Not only are there magnets to keep the doors closed (Figure 2a), but 1 installed one on each side of the case to help hold the doors open (Figure 2). These magnets mate with washers and flathead screws installed in tire doors, as in Figures 2a and 2c. (For sources, turn to page 51). The diameter of tire catches is close to the thickness of the plywood, which can make drilling the holes for them a little tricky. To see how I did this, see Shop Shortcuts on page 16. Hinge Installation. Now you can install the hinges. 1 used carpet tape to hold them in place while 1 drilled the pilot holes (see box on opposite page). When all the holes are drilled, attach the hinges to the case and doors. After adding the door pulls, you're ready to mount the organizer ShopNotes No. 85 CASE HANGER5 (14*2^-20) ALUMINUM ® Ofexl-20) #GxM n Eb WOOD' SCREW DOOR HANGERS HOLD TWO SENS EACH CASE HAWSERS HOLD FOUR DINS EACH to the wall Because the cabinet and hardware can weight quite a bit, I made sure to screw securely into die studs in at least four places. Bin Hangers* Mow, you can turn your attention to the bin hangers. While this organizer is a great way to keep all your hard- ware together, there may be times when you'll want to take hardware to where you're working. So, to make it easy to remove die bins, they simply hang on cleats. Aluminum Strips. 1 was a little worried that hanging the bins on rabbeted strips of wood wouldn't provide enough strength to hold bins full of hardware. To give the cleats strength and durability, I added Vie 1 -thick aluminum strips. Also, the plastic bins slip easily over the aluminum strips (see photo at the top of the opposite page). Before making the hangers, it's a good idea to have the bins in hand. The ones 1 used are Akro-Mils plastic bins (for sources, turn to page 51), but other bins may use a different method for hanging. By having the bins on hand before you start, you can make any required adjustments to the cleats. Fitting the aluminum strips to the hardwood cleats is just a matter of rabbeting the top edge so they fit Bush, as you can see in Figure 3a. figure CLEAT > END VIEW (CROSS SECTION] AVer x 5% -■■■ PLASTIC BiH (SEE SOURCES) <§> DOOR HANGER5 (Va x 2Vz - 9Vz) Perfect Match, An easy way to ensure the aluminum strips and the wood cleats are cut to the same length is to cut them together. The aluminum strips came in 4 r lengths. Hinge Installation A First Tape . Carpet tape wit! hold the hinges in place while you drill the pilot holes. Trim away any excess tape with a utility knife. A Second, Pilot Holes, Once the hinges are stuck in place , drill pilot holes so the screws won't split the plywood . so I first cut the stock for the wood cleats to match the length of the aluminum strips. Next, I cut a rabbet the entire length of the stock and then used carpet tape to hold the aluminum in place. That way, as 1 cut the hangers to length, the aluminum strip and wood cleat would match exactly. A carbide- tipped saw blade allows you to cut the hangers to size and leave a clean edge on the aluminum and cleat wood. Countersinks, After cutting the hangers to size, I drilled counter- sunk mounting holes. Tinally, you can install the hangers, as illustrated in Figure 3, just be sure to leave enough clear- ance between the hangers so you can easily lift the bins out of the case if you need to. Now, you can start filling those plastic bins with all the little hard- ware items that are normally scat- tered about your shop. www. Sh opN o te s. c om 31 No matter how careful lam when gluing up a large, solid-wood panel for a project, the joints between the boards never seem to end up perfectly flush. So when the damps come off, the panel needs to be smoothed out before moving on to the next step. To do this, 1 use my belt sander and a simple technique that gives me a perfectly flat panel. First Things. There are a couple of things you'll want to think about before you get out the belt sander. First, whenever possible, 1 start by gluing up a panel that's oversized in width and length. A few inches of extra length and an inch in width means you won't have to worry quite as much about keeping the hard-to-sand edges perfectly square (see the box on opposite page). Next, dried glue can quickly "gum up" a fresh sanding belt and really slow down your progress. So before 1 start sanding, I T Scrape First. Before picking up the belt sander, scrape off any glue squeeze-out check hie panel for any glue across the panel, as shown in the squeeze-out. A few minutes work right photo below. Then, as you with a scraper saves time and effort sand, hie disappearing pencil lines later and increase the life of your will be a guide to your progress, sanding belts (lower left photo). Start Crossgrain. Now, with the Squiggly Lines. There's one last panel held tightly by hie bench help I like to give myself before dogs and a dean, 80-grit belt on the starting to sand. You II find that sander, I start sanding straight once you get started, it can be diffi- across the width (crossgrain) of the cult to tell the high spots from the panel. I know sanding across the low spots and where you've grain sounds a little odd, but at this sanded from where you haven't stage you're simply trying to level The trick here is to give yourself a the joints and flatten the panel, visual reference by dragging the And sanding crossgrain is the side of a pencil back and forth quickest way to get hie job done. 32 ShopNotes No. 85 Starting at one end, overlap your strokes as you work down the length of the panel (upper left photo). Concentrate on keeping the sander moving steadily to avoid creating dips or gouges. I always take extra care and use a light touch near the edges. Try not to run more than half the sander off the edge before drawing it back. This, and steady control, helps avoid rounding the edges. The belt sander will "cut" aggressively and that's exactly what you want. You'll be surprised how quickly the pencil marks vanish. Don't worry about the crossgrain scratches left by the straightedge across the panel to find and mark the high spots. coarse sanding. They TL be removed quickly and easily later on. Change Angles. Even though the idea is to get the job done fast, you want to avoid "getting in rut," so to speak. So after one perpendi- cular pass along the length of the panel, I repeat the process, now moving the sander diagonally across the panel (upper right photo). Just be sure to cover the entire surface, including the edges. If you find it hard to reach across the panel, turn it end for end. High Spots. When all (or most) of the pencil lines are sanded away, lay a straightedge across the panel to check for flatness. The high spots you find are marked again to show where you need to focus your efforts (lower left photo). You 'll want to do tills every 6 or 8 inches along the length of the panel. Then, after switching to a 100-grit belt, I go back to work, still sanding across the grain and concentrating on knocking down the high areas. With the Grain. After a couple rounds with the straightedge and sander, the panel should be flat. The final step is to remove all the crossgrain sanding scratches by sanding with the grain. Gn longer panels, it's easier to work on one section at a time. So first, I divide the panel into man- ageable sections with sets of pencil lines (right photo). The goal is to create a smooth, scratch-free surface ready for finish sanding. So here, 1 switch to a slightly finer (120-grit) sanding belt. Tire key is to sand the surface thoroughly and then check closely for any little telltale scratches left from the previous sanding step. Work on each section until it passes the test and then finish up by lightly sanding the area between the sections. Finally, clean off the dust and give the panel a close inspection with your eyes and fingers. You'll likely be rewarded with a panel A With the Grain. Concentrate on one section at a time f and the crossgrain scratches wit I disappear quickly. that Looks flat, feels smooth, and is ready for fin I sh sa nd i n g. SL Smooth, Square Edges V\ ,r hen you don't have the luxury of much extra mate- rial to work with, keeping the edges square while sanding a panel flat can be a challenge. To do a thor- ough job, you want to run the sander over the edges. But without the full support of the panel, the sander becomes more difficult to control and keep flat against the surface. Rounded, uneven edges can be the result. The photo at right shows an easy fix for this problem. You can use a scrap piece to create the "sacri- ficial" length or width the panel doesn't have. Here, the scrap piece is clamped in the dogs at the end of the panel. Now you have a little extra surface to work with and keeping the edges square won't be a problem. m Better Control. A scrap piece gives you more surface and better control for dean . square edges . www. Sh opN o te $. co m 33 ome; clorrmave to o sates. VN/riti till; miter error cute I don't think there's a woodworker anywhere that hasn't been frustrated at one time or another when it and slide smoothly for consistent cuts. And once you get the fences calibrated, you can cut dozens of perfect comes to cutting miters on the table saw It seems that no matter how hard I try, I'll sometimes end up with a gap in the joint when I get all tire pieces assembled. This table saw miter sled solves that problem. To make accurate cuts, the sled has two bars that ride in the miter slots on your table saw. This makes it solid miters. The fences also have a T- track that allows you to use a stop block. This guarantees that your work- pieces will be exactly tire same length. With all tire miter sled's features, solid construction, light weight, and precision fences and stops, you'll be cutting perfect nriter joints in no time. 34 ShopNotes No. 85 LEFT HANDLE BRACKET 5 UF PORTS END OF HANDLE ADJUSTABLE STOP BLOCK FOR CUTTING MULTIPLE PIECES TO THE SAME LENGTH BACK FRONT NON-SLIP MATERIAL PREVENTS MOVEMENT OF WORKPIECE DURING CUT STOP BLOCK - BASE MITER BAR NOTE; SEE PAGE SI FOR HARDWARE SOURCES STAR KNOB LOCKS STOP BLOCK IN POSITION STAR KNOB Exploded View Details OVERALL DIMENSIONS; 17 n Dx50 M Wx5 T, H THREADED INSERTS - FOR ATTACHING OPTIONAL FENCE — EXTENSION, SEE BELOW PERMANENT FENCE IS CALIBRATED FOR PRECiSECUtS - ALUMINUM T-TRACK FOR MOUNTING STOP BLOCK FENCE FLAT BASE FOR ACCURACY AND STABILITY HEAVY DUTY BLADE GUARD J BURIES BLADE \ " FOR SAFETY x - -DIA. DOWEL HANDLE MITER BARS SLIDE IN TABLE SAW MITER SLOTS AND ADJUST FOR A PERFECT FIT ..BI- SECTION VIEW ALUMINUM ANGLE ALIGNS FENCE EXTENSION WITH MAIN FENCE / STOP BLOCK CAN BE MOUNTED ON FENCE EXTENSION OPTIONAL FENCE EXTENSIONS, to make the miter sled MORE VERSATILE, THESE FENCE EXTENSIONS ALLOW YOU TO USE THE STOP BLOCK WITH LONGER WORKPIECES STUDDED STAR KNOBS SECURE FENCE EXTENSION ALUMINUM T-TRACK ALIGNS WITH T-TRACK ON PERMANENT FENCE www.ShopNotes.com CORNERS ARE REMOVED TO MAKE SLED EASIER TO HANDLE building the Base & Guard FRONT VIEW FIGURE The base of the miter sled is the foundation for tire whole assembly. So you'll want to use a material that's flat and stable. That makes installing and adjusting the other parts easier. I chose plywood. I started with a rectangular piece. You'll want to make sure the front and back edges are straight and smooth. That way, you can use them later as a reference for locating and adjusting the fences. To make the sled lighter and easier to manage, I cut off the cor- ners of the base, as shown above. Once that's done, you il need to find and mark the centerline of the base. You'll use this line later to align the sled with the blade on youx table saw. This center Line also serves as a reference line when it comes time to attach the blade guard and fences. (I used a framing square to mark the centerline.) Attaching the Runners. Now for the challenging part — mounting the runners. The trick here is to first attach the miter bars using carpet tape. The tape just holds them in place so you can attach them with screws. Use your table saw as a guide for mounting the miter bars. You can see how to do this in the box below. Blade Guard. Once you've got the runners mounted, you can turn your attention to the blade guard. The blade guard does two things. First, it shields your hands from the saw blade. As you finish the cut on the workpiece, the blade ends up "buried" under the blade guard. Second, the blade guard adds stability to the sled. It ties the two sides into one unit. Aligning the Runners Since the miter sled uses two miter bars, it can be diffi- cult getting them aligned to your table saw. Here's an easy trick for attaching them that will ensure smooth operation. You'll use carpet tape as a helping hand. The first thing you need to do is insert two pennies in each miter slot of your saw. See the drawing at right. This wQl hold the miter bars proud of the table surface so that the carpet tape will "grab" the base. After attaching two or three pieces of carpet tape to each miter bar, align the ends of the bars with, the front of your saw table. Next, you'll want to align the back edge of the sled base flush with the front of the saw, as shown at right. But you'll want to l>e careful not to let it touch the carpet tape yet. Now, carefully move the base so its center line is in line with die saw blade. Then it's just a matter of low- ering the sled onto the miter bars. Finally, you can remove the sled and permanently attach the runners. ALK3N BACK EDGE OF BASE FLUSH WITH EDGE OF SAW TABLE THEN LOWER SLED EASE ONTO MUTER BARS CENTERLINE DOUBLE-SIDED TAPE • TEMPORARILY POSITIONS M ITE R BARS O N BAS E PENNIES RAISE - MITER BAR A BO YE TABLE SURFACE 36 ShopNotcs No. 85 Blade Guard Step-by-Step A The First Cut . Using an auxiliary fence on your miter gauge , start forming the notches for the permanent fences in the blade guard. A Miter for the Fences . Rotate your miter gauge 45° to complete the notches where the fences will rest Make two cuts to center the point. A Forming the Nose . Flip the guard over and make two 45 0 cuts. The point should be centered to help with aligning the guard with the blade , A Compound Cut The last set of cuts is on the top of the biade guard. Tilt the saw blade 45° and cut the remaining bevels from the nose . To ma ke the guard, cut a block to width and length. Then following the steps above, make the cuts to form the "nose" of the guard. Once the blade guard is cut to shape, you'll need to drill a hole through it for the handle that will be added next. You 11 want to make sure the hole is square to the sides of the guard. Thatll make it easier to fit and align the handle later. To attach the guard to the base, apply glue to the bottom edge and align die back of the guard flush with die back of the base. Be sure to center and square it to the reference line you made earlier. Then simply screw it in place from underneath. This is where you'd want to watch where you place the screws to keep them out of the path of the blade. The Handle Assembly, The handle is simply a ~/a dowel that slips through the blade guard. It's held in place by two end brackets. The handle gives you excellent control of the miter sled. It also gives you a good place to rest your hands to keep them out of the blade's path during a cut. You'll cut the handle brackets to size then drill a stopped hole in each bracket. This is for attaching the dowel (see the front view on the right). Hie comer of each bracket is cut off. You can see details of this in Figure 2a on the right. Now, you can put the handle assembly together. Slip the dowel through the blade guard, then attach a handle bracket at each end of the dowel. A drop or two of glue will keep the dowel from spinning fences and non-skid material. You'll work on those next. But before you move onto making the fences, take the time to check the fit of the sled on your saw and make any last-minute adjust- HANDLE (% x W/z ) - #& X VA” Fh W OGDSCREW MOUNTED FLUSH TO BACK PO WEI FOR, HANDLE IS INSERTED THROUGH SLADE GUARD BLADE GUARD HANDLE BRACKET (l x ; 3Vz - 2Yz) when using the sled. Then you can glue and screw the brackets to the ply wood base from underneath to tie everything together. Ready for Fences, At this point, the base of the sled is complete except for the two permanent ments. You're looking for fit in die miter slots. a smooth HANDLE BRACKETS ARE ATTACHED WITH TWO '"X SCREWS -2Vs n- £5 LA PE — v GUARD HANDLE HANDLE BRACKET #a x w Fh WOOD SCREW BASE MITER 7 BAR — - FRONT VIEW (CROSS SECTION) FIGURE www. ShopN Gt.es . c om 37 #5 x 2 M WAS HE R- HEAD SCREW OVERSIZED HOLE -j ALLOWS - FOR -ir FENCE ALIGN- p MENT MITER BAR NON-SLIP MATERIAL IS SQUARED TO ALIGNMENT LINE USED FOR FENCES SECOND; CUT MITER FIRST: ATTACH T-TRACK FIGURE NOTE! MAKE FOUR 14 M -L0NG FENCES IF MAKING EXTENSIONS, THEN TRIM FENCES FOR SLED TO LENGTH SHOWN #0 x%" Fh SAWDUST WOODSCREW RELIEF NOTCH OVERSIZED HOLE ALLOWS FOR ADJUSTING FENCE One of the biggest frustrations with cutting miter joints is getting die angle of the cut just right. But that's not the case with this miter sled. Til show you a handy trick for adjusting the fences perfectly. Another problem with miter joints is cutting the pieces to a con- sistent length. If one piece is just a hair longer than another one, there will be gaps in the miter joints. To eliminate this problem, the fences on the sled have an aluminum TV track built into them that makes it easy to attach a stop block. Fence Assembly The , fences are the most impor- tant part of the miter sled and 1 wanted them to remain straight and true foT a Long time. That's why it's a good idea to cut them from straight-grained hard- wood. I left the pieces a little long so that 1 could trim them to size later after the T-track was installed. To make it easier to miter longer workpieces, you might want to make the fence extensions shown on the next page. While you're set up to make the permanent fences, you can also make the extensions. I cut the groove for the alu- minum T-track using a dado blade NOTE: FOR MORE ON mounting fences SEE PAGE 17 FIGURE a cross SECTION TW'-DIA.. W-DEEF COUNTERED RE WETH V+" — THRU HOLE LEFT FENCE ASSEMBLY #E» x IV 4 Fh W00D5CREWS ARE INSTALLED AFTER FENCE IS ADJUSTED TO 90° RiGHl FEN CE ASSEMBLY on my table saw. Make the groove deep enough so that the T-track sits flush or slightly recessed to tire sur- face of the fence. This will help the stop block seat properly when it's mounted to the fence. After you attach the T-track, trim one end of the fence square (see drawing above). Then cut the 45° angle on the other end. You'll want to use a carbide- tipped blade on your table saw since you'll also be cutting through tire aluminum T- track, just make sure you cut the miters in opposite directions on the two fences (Figure 4 below). To keep sawdust build-up from interfering with the cut, I rabbeted a sawdust relief on tire bottom front of the fences (drawing above). Attach the Fences. It can be a challenge to attach the fences to the base at perfect 45“ angles. To solve tins problem, 1 drilled oversized holes and counterbores for the two washer-head screws used to attach each fence (drawing below). The oversized holes gave me some "wiggle room" for fine-tuning the angle of the fences. To get an idea of where to attach tire left fence, I drew a 45° line from the tip of die blade guard. Using this line as a guide, I screwed the fence in place with the two washer- head screws. Be sure you don't use any glue here because you'll want to be able to make adjustments later if you need to do so. ShopNotcs No. 85 Test Cuts. Once the fence is fas- tened tight, make some test cuts on two straight boards and adjust the fence until you get a perfect fit. To see how to do this, turn to Shop Short Cuts on page 17, Then do the same for the other fence. Non-Slip Surface. Sometimes when Tin cutting miters, the work- piece has a tendency to “creep" as the saw blade starts to cut. To solve this problem, 1 found some non- skid material that is used on stairs. As you can see in Figure 4, 1 aligned the material with the front face of the fence, YouTI have some material hanging over the edge of the base to trim with a utility knife. Stop Blocks. The last pieces you need to complete tire miter sled are stop blocks. They're easy to make but they serve an important role. f a, END VIEW {CROSS SECTION) BLADE GUARD STAR KN OS STAR KNOB BASE MITER BAR STOP SLOCK {% X V /2 - 2V2) NOTE: TRIM STOP BLOCK SQUARE AFTER ASSEMBLY A J They help you cut your workpieces to a consistent length. The stop blocks are just two pieces glued and screwed together at right angles (see Figure 5 above). You'll drill a hole in the back that's used to attach them to the fences. You can make two of them so that you can have one on each fence. Perfect Miters, With the fences and stop blocks in place, your miter sled is complete. Ma ke some final test cuts and you're ready to cut perfect miter joints, ^ Optional Fence Extensions The miter sled is great for cutting perfect miter joints. But T found I sometimes needed to make repetitive cuts on pieces that were longer than the fences. So I added these fence extensions. Tire stock for the fence extension is identical to the stock used for the stationary fences, including the aluminum T- track. The only difference is that 1 added a length of aluminum angle for attaching die extension to the stationary fence (see drawing below). Once the fence extensions were complete., the first thing I, did was cut a 24" length of aluminum angle. After aligning one end flush with the outside end of the fence extension, I fastened the alu- minum angle in place, as shown in the drawing below. 1 wanted to have an easy way to attach and remove the fence exten- sion, so I used the threaded inserts and studded knobs shown below. I drilled die mounting holes in the aluminum angle and used the holes to mark the location for the threaded inserts. (For some tips on installing the threaded inserts, turn to page 50.) www.ShopN otes.com #3 sc Fh WGOPSCREW END VIEW \ f b x V& MOTCH tips for clean Plywood ■ Cuts Plywood veneer splinters easily when cut. Use these simple tips to prevent it. Scoring. ► The key to preventing splinters from appearing along the edge when you crosscut plywood is to pay special attention to the thin veneer layer One of the easiest ways to do this is to score or cut through the wood fibers of the veneer before making the cut. A sharp knife or a rotary fabric cutter, like you see in the photo at right works great for this. You'll find this method is fast and effective. But you'll need to take some time to align the saw blade accurately with the score line. That way, you'll cut through the fibers you already scored. Saw Blade Scoring. ^ Another meth od to prevent splintering is to u se your saw blade to score the veneer of tire plywood. With this method, you'll need to make two passes, as shown at left. On tire first pass, set the blade at a height that will just cut through the lower veneer layer. Next, you can raise the blade and com- plete the cut with a second pass. I like to use an auxiliary fence on my miter gauge to help keep the workpiece aligned with the blade. And if multiple pieces are being cut, I add a stop block to ensure the pieces are the same. 40 ShopNotes No. 85 Adjust Blade Height ▼ The height of the blade as it cuts through the plywood can be a cause of splintering. If the blade is set too high, the teeth cut almost perpendicular to the veneer. This makes a clean cut on top but it causes chipout at the bottom. You can quickly correct this problem by simply adjusting the blade height so that it's only Vs' 1 above the plywood. The change in cutting angle reduces chipout 5 Zero-Clearance Inserts. T A good way to get a clean cut is to have no opening between the blade and the table saw insert. Then as the blade cuts through the workpiece, the insert is there to back up the bottom veneer of the plywood. This ensures you'll make a clean cut each and every time. A quick, zero-clearance insert can be made by using carpet tape to attach a piece of hardboard to your table saw T . Then raise the blade through the top. You can team more about other zero-clearance inserts on page 46. Circular Saw. ► Cutting plywood with your circular sa w presents a different problem. Here, the splintering occurs on the top side. If I need a clean cut on both sides, I start by placing the good side down. Then, I make an auxiliary hardboard plate, like you see in the illustration at right, and attach it to fire baseplate of the saw. The plate acts as a zero- dea ranee slot for the blade as it cuts the plywood. www.ShopNotes.com Tape.? Another way to prevent splintering is y to support the veneer layer as the blade makes the cut. One of the easiest ways to do this is to apply a strip of masking tape directly over the lay out li ne (see photo below). This gives the face veneer enough support to keep it from being tom away by die saw blade. After making the cut, slowly remove the tape by pulling it toward the edge of the cut. B BSCkfif Board. ¥ A quick mediod of sup- porting the veneer layer is to place a piece of hardboard directly below the workpiece as you make your cut. The hardboard supports the bottom veneer layer so it can be cut cleanly without splintering. Again, I like to add an auxilary fence to the miter gauge, like you see in the illustration below. This helps keep the workpiece aligned with the blade and holds the backer board firmly in position as the cut is made. NOTE: cut AUXILIARY PLATE TO SIZE OF BASEPLATE COUNTERSUNK SCREWS A U XI LEARY FLATE versatile Fegboard Here are seven handy ways to make use of pegboard in your shop. Sanding Table A pegboard surface provides a con- venient way to pull dust down into the dust collector of this sanding table (photo and drawing at right). The table is a simple box that houses a baffle to channel the flow of air inside the table. A hole is cut into one side of the box to hook up a shop vacuum or dust collector. The pegboard top is what really makes this table work. It acts as a sanding platform and helps funnel dust down into the box. To improve the airflow into the box, I drilled a shallow countersink into the existing holes. PLASTIC REDUCER FEGB'OARP PLATFORM NOTE: GLUE PEGBOARD TO PLYWOOD. THEN CUT TO CIRCULAR SHAPE CUT OFF CORNERS t Of BASE xn.; HO TE: COUNTERBORE BOTTOM OF BASE FOR NUT COFFEE CAN LID SERVES AO LAZY SUSAN “BEARING" SHARPEN DOWELS IN PENCIL SHARPENER Jf Finishing Carousel The carousel above allows me to rotate a small project to easily reach each side while I'm applying a finish. Pointed pegs lift the workpiece, so T can get to the bottom. A piece of pegboard on top of the plywood platform serves as a template when drilling holes for the pegs. Plus it adds extra support to tire pegs. Drill Guide Attach a cleat to one side of a small piece of pegboard and you have an instant drilling guide for shelf pins. Drill tire first hole and insert a dowel into it to hold the jig while you drill Ore rest of the holes. W PEGBOARD 9 CL; DOWEL CENTER T"' 1 HOLES BETWEEN \ INSIDE EDGE 0 OF CLEAT AND EDGE OF HARD BOARD 42 ShopNotes No. 85 Tool Caddy If you need a way to keep small hand tools organized, then build the lazy Susan tool caddy shown in the photo on the right. The caddy has pegboard sides held by grooved comer posts. You'll want to make sure the holes in the opposite sides line up with each other. You can slide VY dowels through the sides to divide the space inside the caddy (drawing at right). By making the dowels extra long, you'll have a great place to hang small hand tools, A ' -thick bottom screwed to die caddy keeps it square. Self- adhesive magnetic strips can be added to the outside of the caddy to hold smaller tools, like driver bits or a short metal rule. HA RDW0GD BOTTOM x 014 - BASE i&Vz x m ■ 14 Habd.) LAZY SUSAN BASE (3/4 x && - SUPPORT ROD DOWEL, 9” LONG) SELF-ADHESIVE MAGNETIC STRIPS NOTE: PEGBOARD HOLES MAY NEED TO BE ENLARGED TO PIT DOWELS 6' 1 LAZY SUSAN Vertical Tool Hangers With just a little ingenuity you can add storage in unlikely places, like you see in the drawing and photo at right. A good way to add storage to your con- tractor's saw is to sandwich a piece of peg- board between the extension wings and the top of the table saw. The pegboard hangs below the table and provides a way to store wrenches, blades, and other saw accessories. To add storage to your workbench, you can nail some cleats to the legs and upper and lower end rails of the bench (far right photo). Then place the pegboard against the cleats and tack a second set of cleats down to hold the pegboard in place. PEGBOARD IS SANDWICHED BETWEEN TABLE SAW TOP AND EXTENSION WING Pegboard Add-on This shelf is a great way to store small items on pegboard. And the shelf can simply hang on L-hooks inserted into the pegboard (see inset photo at right). For added support, I attached a back piece to the bottom edge of the shelf (main photo). The back also provides an area to screw in several more L-hooks. These hooks create a convenient place to hang a few extra hand tools. A To add storage to pegboard ? use L-hooks to attach a small shelf. www.ShopNotes.com 43 Ripping stock on the table saw may seem like a pretty straightforward job. So it might be easy to forget about a serious hazard that you really want to avoid — kickback. But the good news is that it's really easy to avoid this problem. AH it takes to make rip cuts a lot safer and even more accurate is to get into the rou- tine of always using a few, simple helpers. These easy-to-use acces- sories put you in better control and rip cuts will be much safer. FIT ENSERT PLATE TO THROAT OPENING IN SAW NOTE: KERF AND SPLITTER ALIGNED WITH SAWBLADE IN5ERT PLATE MADE OF V 2 IJ MDF OR PLYWOOD SCREWS EN BOTTOM OF THROAT PLATE ALLOW "FLUSH 11 ADJUSTMENT Blade and Fence. Before talking about the accessories I use for rip cuts, I should mention a couple of things. First, you'll get less cutting resistance and safer, cleaner cuts with a sharp blade on the saw. And next, before making a rip cut, I like to double- check the alignment of the rip fence. You'll avoid the chance of binding if the fence is perfectly par- allel to the blade. ABO A SPUTTER Installing a splitter on your table saw is probably the number one way to avoid the problem of kickback while ripping. And a shop-made splitter, like the one shown in the drawing at left, can make this a real low-cost but high-value safety addition. The Benefit. As you can see in die photo above, the thin, hard- wood splitter is installed in a shop- made zero-clearance insert. It's positioned behind and directly in line with the saw blade. As the board passes through the blade, the saw kerf slides onto die pointed splitter What this does is eliminate die possibility of the kerf closing and pinching the back of the saw blade, with kickback being die pos- sible result. And as a bonus, the action of the splitter will minimize burning and rough cuts. 44 ShopNotcs No. 85 Easy to Make. Adding this basic splitter to your saw is a pretty easy task (far left drawing, opposite page). You start by making a new throat insert for the saw out of VY MDF or plywood. To do this, I simply carpet tape the stock insert to a rough-cut blank and then flush trim a new, perfectly sized insert (right drawing, opposite page). You can start cutting the kerf slot by putting the insert in place and raising the blade up through it. But to complete the cut, you'll need to set up the rip fence. Then you can cut the splitter to fit, taper the front end, and glue it in place. USE A FEATHERBQARO I don't think you can ever have too much control over the workpiece when making a rip cut. But since three hands aren't an option, what 1 like to do is add an extra set of "fin- gers" to the saw with a lock-in feath- erboard, like the one shown below. Continous Pressure. A feather- board takes over the responsibility of keeping the workpiece snug to the rip fence. With firm, continuous pressure the workpiece can't wander away from the fence. And since the fingers of the feather- board only allow movement in one direction, the chance of the stock being kicked back is reduced. To do its job well, the feather- board should apply pressure in the right spot and provide the right amount of "push." To avoid pinching the saw kerf closed, you want to position the featherboard just in front of the blade. And then adjust the tension so that it doesn't take too mudi effort to push the workpiece past the blade. MOTE: position ^ FEATH ERBOARD^ ^IN FRONT OF/ ,.. SAW -Y BLADE/ FEATHERBOARD LOCKS INTO I^MITER C3ALHSE SLOT FINDERS OF FEATHERBOARD LIGHTLY PUSH WORKPIECE / / AGAINST FENCE A GOOD PUSH BLOCK When ripping stock on the table saw, a good push block isn't optional, it's a must. And the simple 2x4 scrap push block shown in the drawing above is my top choice. Why? This push blocks helps you maintain solid control and avoid any chance of kickback by doing three things. First, the thick "lied" of the block provides a solid, steady push. And then along with a forward push, this design also lets you apply the right amount of downward force needed to keep the workpiece flat on the saw table. And maybe best of all, as you can see in the drawing above, this push block can ride right over the saw’ blade. This means you always have full control of both pieces and the job is made much safer. ^ Safe Bevel Cuts Ripping a clean, beveled edge on a workpiece isn't difficult, but there's definitely a right way and a wrong way to go about it. The correct way to make a bevel cut is shown in the photo at right Here you see that the saw blade is tilted away from the rip fence. The two drawings at far right give you the idea. The upper drawing (wrong way) shows that when the blade angles toward the fence, the work- piece is completely trapped. If the workpiece lifts slightly off the table, it's pinched between the blade and fence and then kicked back. When you make bevel cuts as shown in the lower drawing, neither workpiece will be trapped. To make bevel cuts the right way, you may have to move die rip fence from the usual right side of die blade to the left side (this depends on the tilt direction of your saw). But cuts without the chance of kickback are w r orth the effort. PROBLEM: WORKPIECE 15 TRAPPED AND CAN EASILY BE KICKED BACK RIP FENCE BLADE TILTS AWAY FROM FENCE SOLUTION: BLADE IS TILTED AWAY FROM FENCE SO THAT NEITHER PIECE IS TRAPPED www.ShopNotes.com 45 zero-clearance Throat Inserts Replacing your stock insert with a zero-clearance insert is an easy upgrade for cleaner cuts. I've found that one of the quickest and easiest ways to get better results from your table saw is to install a zero-clearance throat insert when the job calls for it. Unlike the stock metal throat insert that comes with your saw, a zero-clearance insert gets "up close and personal" with the saw blade (photo above). And there are a couple of advantages to this tight fit between the blade and the saw insert. No gaps around the blade means that the edges of the cut are always "backed up" by the insert below. This leads to much cleaner. chip-free cuts, especially when using a dado blade on "chippy" plywood. A second benefit is added safety. With a zero-clearance insert in place there's no chance of a cutoff being trapped between the blade and insert opening and being kicked out. This protects the blade, the saw, and you from damage. Right Insert, Right Saw. Buying an after- market table saw insert isn't a one-size-fits-all proposition. Most have w r ays to "tweak" the fit to the opening in your saw, but you'll need to start with an insert sized to fit your particular brand and model. The manufacturers have taken care of this by making a variety of inserts to fit different saws. All you need to do is get the right insert for your saw. Even though all zero-clearance inserts have one basic task, you'll find a lot of differences between the available inserts. So I'll give you a little help by taking a look at a handful. You'll find sources for all the inserts shown here on page 51* Another option is making your own insert, as shown on page 44. Price $13- $15 < Retaining pin Lacks pre-cut slots Lacks finger hole Setscrews used to adjust insert flush to saw table UHMW PLASTIC If you're looking for a simple, bare- bones throat insert, the UHMW (Ultra High Molecular Weight) plastic insert shown at left might be your best bet. UHMW plastic is a tough, dense, and very stable material that's almost friction free, so it's great for table saw insert duty. It won't hurt your saw blade or melt from the heat and once in sailed, the thick insert will stay dead flat. But when it comes to adjustment and installation features, you 11 only get the basics. Four set screws threaded into the plastic allow you to adjust its height. But the lack of a pre-cut starter kerf might make the installation more difficult. 46 ShopNotes No, 85 THE LEECRAFT [ like to think of the melaminecoated phenolic insert shown at right as the standard workhorse in the lineup. It has everything needed to do the job well and make it easy to use. It starts with a smooth/ stable surface created by the V? -thick, solid phenolic plate. The insert can be quickly adjusted flush to the table with four easy-to-reach THE WQODHAVEN INSERT Wood harm takes another route by making their inserts out of thick melamine-coated MDF. The idea here is that MDF i.s less abra- sive on vour saw blades, so they 'll stay sharp longer. This makes sense and MDF shouldn't give you prob- lems with flatness or stability. This insert comes with ail the standard features — set screws to adjust the height, two screws in tire THE BETTERLEY TRU-CUT When you take a good look at tire Tru-Citl Blade Insert System at right, you quickly see that it's a cut above the rest. This two-part insert consists of a precisely machined aluminum insert plate that holds replaceable phenolic kerf inserts. Tire advantage to this approach is that once the alu- minum insert plate is installed in your saw, it becomes permanent. You 11 only be changing out the kerf inserts, saving yourself effort. screws. A second set of screws, one in tire end and one on the side, allows you to eliminate any play in the opening for a snug fit. Flip the insert over for a look at the underside and you'll find a narrow "starter" slot positioned directly over the blade. This slot provides the clearance needed for installation on some saws. edge to fit it snugly to the opening and a retaining clip to lock the back end down. But the difference here is that all this hardware has to be installed by tire user. And don't be thrown by the complicated look of the underside. Youll find a starter slot for the blade and a splitter, but the rest of the cutouts simply allow tire thicker plate to sit flush to the table. And when it comes to bells and whistles, you'll find them aU. First off, two spring-loaded ball plungers on the side of the plate, hold it rattle-free in the table opening. Then two separate sets of set screws allow you "flush out" both the insert plate and the kerf inserts. You'll even find a slot for use with a splitter. Tire only down- side 1 see to the Tru-Cui is the cost, about $80 with one kerf insert. Shop Tip: Cutting a Slot Once you've picked up a new throat insert, the next step is to put it to work on your table saw. And there's one thing about this that needs a lit- tle bit of explanation. To Install die insert, you 'll firs t have to crank tire blade down to its lowest point. Then you can make any adjustments needed to fit the insert snugly in the opening and flush to the table surface. Now, the trick is to safely cut a slot for the blade. The photo at right shows a good way to do this. A scrap of 2x4 is damped to the rip fence, snug to the table and posi- tioned over the side of lire insert. If the back end of your fence doesn't lock down, damp it to tire table. Tire 2x4 will hold the insert down as you slowly raise the spinning blade to the desired height. Pre-cut blade starter slot Price $18- $20 Tensioning screw Screws used to adjust insert flush to saw table Finger hole for easy removal Retaining clip Tensioning adjust insert to saw table Pre-cut starter slot Price about $15 Replaceable phenolic — - inserts Slot for splitter Retaining point Finger hole Price about $80 Spring- loaded tension points s Anodized aluminum pfate Setscrews used to adjust insert flush to saw table www.Sh0pNotes.con1 47 This new, wall-hanging system will turn the clutter in your garage into a neatly organized storage area. Have you ever noticed how most garages seem to attract stuff like a magnet? Ladders, yard tools, bicy- cles, sports equipment, camping gear — anything and every tiring that you don't want to drag inside the house seems to get tossed in the corner of the garage. And while there are all sorts of garage storage products on the market, the trick has always been to find one that's flexible enough to handle all your >nap and Lock* After nounting the Fas t Track to he walk a plastic cover slips over he track , Then various hangers war the track and lock in place * To langer just lift up to unlock it fr - Molded Plastic Metal Track storage needs. But the new FastTrack garage storage system by Rubbermaid (see photo above) may just meet that challenge. Now, you might be a little skep- tical about a garage storage system that's made by a company known for plastic food containers. (1 know 1 was.) But don't let that fool you. After trying out the FastTrack system, I was quickly sold on it. Track. As the name implies, the heart of the FastTrack system is a metal track that mounts to the wall. A heavy, molded plastic cover snaps over the rail. And a lip on both lire top and bottom edges of this cover allows you to quickly snap hooks and hangers in place anywhere along the track, just like you see in the photos at left. u ShopNotes No. 85 The track sections are available in two different lengths — 56" and 88' -long. Each track is pre-drilled to mount to walls with either 16" or 24" stud spacing. And once they are screwed securely to the wall studs, each track is capable of sup- porting up to 1,750 lbs, (according to the manufacturer). Hangers. While the track maybe the backbone of the system, it's the wide variety of hooks and hangers that make FastTrack so versatile. There are over a dozen different types of hangers — many designed for specific applications, (A few of them are shown in the photos on this page and the box below ) There are hangers designed for extension cords, hoses, ladders, basketballs, and bicycles. There's even a two- piece holder that's designed for hanging up a wheelbarrow. Although the hooks have dif- ferent shapes and functions, they share some common features. Each one locks onto the track without any tools. So it's an easy matter to reconfigure your storage space whenever you want by simply moving the hangers to a different spot on the track. Plus, mounting holes in each hanger allow you to attach it directly to the wall if you choose not to use the FastTrack rad. The hangers are made out of heavy-gauge steel wire, with an epoxy' powder-coated finish that looks great and resists rust And the ends of the hangers are cush- ioned with a rubber-like material to protect the items you're storing. Another feature that I really Like is the fact that some of the longer hangers fold up out of the way when they're not in use. This way, you don't have to worry about accidentally bumping into one. Availability. Rubbermaid offers a FastTrack starter kit that includes one 56 M -length of track and three different hangers for under $50. But all the FastTrack components are also sold individually, allowing you to pu rchase just what you need to customize the system for your garage. To find out where you can get this system, seepage 51 . ^ Accessories: Shelves and Baskets The various hooks that are available for the FastTrack system are great for things like extensions cords, bicycles, and rakes and shovels. But some things just don't lend themselves to being stored on a hook. For items such as these, Rubbermaid offers a couple of sizes of wire baskets and a small, hanging shelf (see photos at left and right). Like the other FastTrack hooks and hangers, these accessories mount directly to the wall track. Rubbermaid also makes a set of vertical shelf stan- dards that allow you to add your own shelves for even more storage. k Mesh Storage Basket Rubbermaid offers two sizes of mesh baskets which are perfect for storing gloves , boots , or other apparel. k Three-Hook Shelf. With a wire shelf and three hooks below , you can store a variety of items in a small space , www.ShopNotes.com 49 questions from Our Readers success with Threaded Inserts I was building a jig recently that required the installation of a pair of threaded inserts. After drilling the holes , installing the inserts was a difficult process and T ended up splitting the wood. Are there basic guidelines on installing an insert , such as how big the hole should be? Gary Lohr via email Threaded inserts are must-haves in my shop, I keep them on hand for building jigs and fixtures I need to adjust easily. And they come in just as handy for building and assembling furniture projects. The challenge with an insert is installing it without any problems. To do this, 1 follow a few simple steps — size die hole properly, pre- pare the hole for the insert, and then install the insert straight and flush. Sizing the Hole. The first step is to properly size the hole for the insert.. The chart you see below provides a good starting point for determining the size of the hole you'll need to drill. In most cases, I A insert Tools. A purchased (top two tools) or shop- made installation tool (bottom) is the best way to get good results . INSERT SIZE Softwood & Laminate Material© Hardwood S-32 19 /©4 5 Ae 14-20 % 13 /32 5 /i 6 - 18 > Vi 2 w /ie 3 /s-16 V2 19 /l6 NQTEi 3\ze& shown are for typical brass inserts. The sizing of steel inserts is less consistent due to style and thread configuration, it's best to make a test installation when using any steel insert. drill the hole to match the size of the insert body The problem here is that in some materials (like hard maple) this may not provide enough "give" for the threads as you screw the insert in place. To prevent the workpiece from splitting, I like to increase the hole a Vsi (or even a Vied), Although this makes Lire insert easier to install, it doesn't provide as much material for the threads to bite into. In most cases, 1 find it's usually a good idea to drill a test hole in a scrap piece of the same material, install the insert, and see how well it holds before drilling into my workpiece. One thing that's easy to forget until it's too late is how deep to drill the hole. What you need to keep in mind here is the length of the fastener that will thread inside. You may need to drill the hole deeper in order to provide clear- ance, as in the drawing below. Prep ping the Hole. Once you have the hole drilled, you could install the insert. But I take a little extra time to add a small chamfer to the top edge of die hole. The reason for tills is simple. As you install an insert, the knife-like threads have a tendency to "lift" die material around die edges of the hole. Widi a chamfer, you end up with a smooth, clean surface. Installing the Insert. All that's left to do at this point is install the insert. Now, don't be tempted to grab a screwdriver and simply drive the insert in place using the slot at the end. It's all too easy to install the insert crooked doing this. And, in some cases, you end up shipping out the slot, ruining the insert and your workpiece. To get the best results, I like to use an installation tool that threads or locks securely to die insert (see margin). This makes it easy to drive die insert in place by hand so it goes in straight and ends up flush with the surface of the workpiece. (Plus, you can install die insert with die slot down for a cleaner look.) Since I use inserts frequently, l like to use the installation tool you see in die photo above (see margin on opposite page for sources). This tool allows you to install l U" and 5 /iid inserts quickly and easily with nothing more than a wrench. ^ 50 ShopWotes No. 85 Sources ROUTER TABLE & ACCESSORIES Building the basic router table shown on page 18 doesn't require much hardware. I picked up a piano hinge at a local hardware store, along with the carriage bolts, locknut, Lind washers. If you have trouble locating knobs, Rockier can ries 5 /V’ T-knobs (71514). Adding the Stand, If you decide to build die router table stand with shelves, die only other hardware you'll need is a set of shelf pin sup- ports. The twelve pins (22773) 1 used came from Rockier. For tlie router table stand with the door and drawers, you 11 only need four shelf pins, a pair of Rockier spring hinges (28845), and a few screws for the drawer runners. Router Table Accessories, The accessories (or similar versions) shown star ting on page 8 are avail- able at most woodworking stores, see margin for sources. Rockier carries the miter track (63018), H track (21746), and dust port (35317) shown on page 25. They also have aluminum insert plates. You can buy a blank plate (35863) or order one pro -drilled, to match specific routers. If you use a Rockier plate, an easy way to create die opening in your router table is to use their template (26505) and l /i" pattern bit (33536). AFTER-MARKET MITER BARS Tile article on page 12 features after-mar ket miter bars you can use to build your own jigs and fixtures. Both die Iricrtt and Kreg bars are available from the Woodsmith Store. Hie margin also contains contact information for ordering die Rockier and Wood haven miter bars, as well as sources for ordering material to make your own miter bars. BRAD POINT BITS You can find brad point bits at many hardware stores. But to get high-quality bits, a woodworking supplier is a better choice. Hie Woodsmith Store carries Fisch brad point bits, Lee Valley and Woodcraft offer individual and sets of quality brad point bits as well. HARDWARE STORAGE You can probably find the piano hinge, door pulls, and aluminum bar stock for the hardware cabinet on page 28 at any ha rdware store, Lee Valley carries the magnets (99K3L03), * cups (99 K32.53), " and washers (99K32.63) used to keep the doors open or closed. The small storage bins (Model 30210) are made by Akro-Miis (see margin), Hiese storage bins (or sim- ilar ones) are available at many ha rdware stores and home centers. TABLE SAW MITER SLED Besides a few pieces of hardware, the miter sled requires flange bolts (33965), T- track (4502024), and knobs (23804) available from the Woodsmith Store , Hiey also carry the Kreg miter bars (273736). The anti-slip tape (JT-31009) came from Reid Tool. For die fence extensions, you'll need another piece of T- tradk, four l /V threaded inserts, studded knobs (23838) and a piece of aluminum angle. TABLE SAW INSERTS Replacing the insert in your table saw with a zero- clearance insert is one of the best ways to improve the quality of the cuts you make. Table saw inserts are available from a number of sources (see margin). All you'll need to know before ordering one is the make and model of your saw. THREADED INSERTS Threaded inserts are must-have pieces of hardware for making jigs and fixtures as well as knock-down projects. The tricky part can be installing them. The Woodsmith Store (see margin) carries a wide variety of threaded inserts. And they have a handy jig (721375) that makes installing W and Yifd inserts a snap. ^ ShopNotes Binders Keep your issues organized! As you build your ShopNotes library, here's a way to keep your issues organized. Each binder features durable vinyl covers and easy-to-read perforated number tags. Snap rings with a quick- open lever make it easy to insert and remove issues. And there's an extra pocket inside for storing notes. Each binder holds a full year (6 issues) of the new, expanded ShopNotes. Visit www. S hop EUotes * com to order these binders, or call 1 -BOO-444-7527. ShopNotes Binder O 701950-SN85 ( Holds a issues) $12.95 MAIL ORDER SOURCES Woodsmith Store 800 - 444-7527 Insert ImtrdMUm Jig, Knobs, Miter Bars, Reuter Table Aeemsorm. Shelf Supports, Storage Bins. Table Shew inserts. Threaded Imerte t T-Tmek Rockier 800 - 279-4441 www.rocWer.eorn Miter Bars , Miter Track . Renter Iw.se it Platen, Render Table Areexmrien, Spring Hinges Table Saw htxerte. Threaded Inserts, T- Knobs, T-Traek Akro-Mils, Inc. 800 - 253-2467 www.akro-tn ns.com Storage Bine Amazon www.amazon . com Rubbenmid FuatTixirk Garage System McMaster-Carr 630 - 600-3600 www.mcmaster.co m Atumbuun Angie, UHMW & Al urn hum t Bm - Stork Lee Valley 800 - 871-8158 www, leeval ley. com Brad Point Bite, Render Tahir Acceeeoriee. Table Sait' hixertti Kreg Tool Company 800 - 447-86 38 www. kregtool .com Miter Barx, Aider Traek Woodcraft 800 - 225-1153 www.wo odcraft . com Brad. Point Bite, Router Table Aeceebot m, Ta hi e Sam Inserts Reid Tools 800 - 253-0421 www, reidtool .com Anti-Slip Tap', Kmbx Woodhaven 800 - 344-6657 wwwv woodhaven .com Miter Bars, Table So. w ln$erte Rubbermaid, Inc. 888 - 895 - 2 1 1 0 www, rubbe r maid . co m FoM'iYaek. Garage Systems U. S. elastic Corp. 800 - 809-4217 www. usplasdc . com AJeiv-Mite Storage Bltte Pcac htree Woodworking 888 - 512-9069 www. ptree u sa. com UHMW Tahir Saw Inserts www. ShopNotes.com 51 Scenes from the Shop www.ShopNotes.com You’ll be guaranteed perfect miter cuts time after