Craftsman Curio Cabinet • Wall-Mounted Quilt Rack • Birdhouse

Vol. 22 / No. 130

Craftsman
Curio
Cabinet
The Best
Methods
for Cutting
Tenons That Fit
Learn the
Secrets to
Getting
Workpieces
Straight, Flat
& Square
Build a Round
Birdhouse for
Your Backyard

www.woodsmith.com
 EDITOR’S
COLUMN

No. 130 August, 2000

Publisher
Editor Terry J. Strohman
Donald B. Peschke
SAWDUST
Associate Editors Jon Garbison
Vincent Ancona
Contributing Editor Joel A. Hess
Art Director
Senior Illustrators
Todd Lambirth
David Kreyling
Dirk Ver Steeg
S ometimes even a small project can
provide some interesting challenges.
The birdhouse featured on page 26 of
equipment. While working, we began
to hear chirping overhead. And sure
enough, by the time the last load was
this issue is a perfect example. ready to go, we spotted a tiny bird (I
Harlan V. Clark
For starters, I wanted the bird- believe it’s a house wren) busily shov-
Graphic Intern Kara K. Blessing
house to be cylindrical. ing sticks and twigs into
But what was the best the birdhouse. At that
CREATIVE RESOURCES
Creative Director: Ted Kralicek • Project Developer: Ken way to make it round? point, I knew this project
Munkel • Sr. Project Designer: Kent Welsh • Shop Manager: My first thought was to was a winner.
Steve Curtis • Shop Craftsman: Steve Johnson • Senior
Photographer: Crayola England turn it on a lathe. The Now if you build this
SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS
only problem was hol- birdhouse, I can’t guar-
Executive Editor: Douglas L. Hicks • Senior Graphic lowing out a tall cylinder antee you’ll have a wren
Designer: Chris Glowacki •Assistant Editors: Joseph E. would have been tricky. moving in as soon as you
Irwin, Craig Ruegsegger, Joel A. Hess •Graphic
Designers: Vu Nguyen, April Walker Janning, Stacey The solution was to put it up. But it will cer-
L.Krull •Graphic Intern: Heather Boots build the birdhouse tainly give you the
CIRCULATION using a technique called chance to try your hand
Subscriber Services Director: Sandy Baum • New Business
Director: Glenda K. Battles • New Business Mgr.: Todd Bierle •
stave construction. The at several interesting
Promotion Mgr.: Rick Junkins • Renewal Mgr.: Paige Rogers • idea is to bevel rip pieces into small woodworking techniques.
Billing & Collections Mgr.: Rebecca Cunningham • Circ.
Marketing Analyst: Kris Schlemmer •Assoc. Circ. Marketing Analyst:
strips. Then glue the beveled edges NEW FACE. Harlan Clark has recently
Paula M. DeMatteis • Asst. Subs. Mgr.: Joy Krause • together to form a hollow cylinder. joined our staff as a Senior Illustrator.
Sr.Graphic Designers: Mark Hayes, Robin Dowdell
With the walls of the house taken He will be helping create the artwork
CORPORATE SERVICES care of, I began working on a cone- that appears in each issue. We’re all
Director of Finance: Mary R. Scheve•Controller: Robin
Hutchinson • Sr. Account.: Laura Thomas • Accts. Payable: shaped roof. Here I decided to use an glad to have him on board.
Mary J. Schultz • Accts. Receivable: Margo Petrus•Production ordinary piece of sheet metal, mold- HELP WANTED. In addition, we’re look-
Dir.: George Chmielarz • Electronic Publishing Director:
Douglas M. Lidster • Network Administrator: Cris ing it around simple “trusses.” ing for an editor to join us here at
Schwanebeck • Pre-press Image Specs.: Troy A. Clark, Minniette The metal and wood combined to August Home Publishing. If you’re
Johnson • Prod. Coordinator: Noelle Carroll• New Media
Manager: Gordon C. Gaippe • Web Site Art Director: make a great-looking birdhouse. But enthusiastic about woodworking and
Gene Pedersen • Technology Analyst: Carol Schoeppler • would a bird want to make this house enjoy working as part of a team, we’d
Web Content Managers: Terry Walker, David Briggs •
Web Prod.Specialist: Adam Best • H.R. Assistant: Kirsten a home? The answer came sooner like to hear from you. Send a cover
Koele • Facilities Mgr.: Julia Fish• Admin. Assistant: than I had expected. letter and resume highlighting your
Sherri Ribbey •Receptionist: Jeanne Johnson•Mail
Room/Delivery: Lou Webber After taking the photos of the bird- experience to S. Ribbey, 2200 Grand
houses, we got busy packing up the Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312.
WOODSMITH MAIL ORDER
Operations Dir.: Bob Baker • Customer Service Mgr.: Jennie
Enos • Warehouse Supr.: Nancy Johnson • Buyer: Linda
Jones • Tech. Service Rep: Johnny Audette • Admin.
Assist.: Nancy Downey • Cust. Serv. Reps.: Tammy
Truckenbrod, Anna Cox, Deborah Rich, April
Revell, Jeanette Rankin • Warehouse: Sylvia Carey,
Dan Spidle, Sheryl Knox
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2 Woodsmith No. 130

 A LOOK
INSIDE

CONTENTS
Features
Craftsman Curio Cabinet ................6
This curio cabinet combines all the features that make up a true
Craftsman classic — mortise and tenon joinery, quartersawn
white oak, and period hardware. But it’s the beveled glass that
really makes this project stand out and shine.

Cutting Tenons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
A tenon jig isn’t the only way to cut a tenon. Here we look at
three different methods, each one using a different power tool. Curio Cabinet page 6
Plus we give you some tips for getting them to fit perfectly.

Wall-Mounted Quilt Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

This quick, easy-to-build quilt rack looks good with just about any
decor. And by using ready-made turnings for the rod that holds the
quilt, you won’t need a lathe to build this project.

Birdhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The attractive design of this birdhouse explains why birds and
people alike “flock” to see it. But there are some features that
make building it interesting as well. Things like stave construction,
a sheet metal roof, and an optional perch.

Quilt Rack page 20

Straight, Flat & Square . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
One secret to building a great project is making sure your work-
pieces end up straight, flat, and square. Here are a few simple
steps to help you prepare your stock so all your projects go together
as smoothly as possible.

Departments
Tips & Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Shop Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Birdhouse page 26
No. 130 Woodsmith 3
 FROM FELLOW
WOODWORKERS

TIPS & TECHNIQUES

Radial Arm Saw Raised Panels
Making a raised panel on a
table saw usually requires
you to stand the panel on
edge. I’ve never felt com-
fortable doing this, so I came
up with another method
using my radial arm saw.
Essentially, I scoop out
the edges of the panel by
making a series of light
cuts, feeding the work-
piece into the side of the
rotating blade.
Start by locking the
blade so it’s half way out
from the fence of the saw.
Then adjust the height of
the blade so it’s 1/16" below
the top of the workpiece.
Now turn on the saw and
slowly (but steadily) feed < The gentle curve
the workpiece into the side of this panel was cut
of the blade (Fig. 1). Start on a radial arm saw.
with the ends of the panel
and then do the sides. 1
After making a pass on a.
all four sides, lower the
blade 1/16" and repeat the
process until the desired
depth is reached (Fig. 1a).
You should end up with a
raised field surrounded by
a slightly curved border,
just like the photo above.
Kyle Van Dyne
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Hi-Tech Push Block

I like to make my own
push blocks for use with
the table saw, jointer, and
router table. Recently, I
came up with a way to
give the push blocks a bet-
ter grip. I just line the
push block with a piece of
foam rubber cut from an
old computer mouse pad.
All you have to do is cut
the foam rubber to match
your push block and glue
it in place with spray adhe-
sive. A lot of computer and
office supply stores offer
computer mouse pads for
free or very little money.
Carl Peterson
Port Hueneme, California

Measuring Scale
I like the plans in
Woodsmith because of all
the detailed dimensions
they include. But when I
wanted to make a 1
Woodsmith project in three-
fourths scale, I realized that
I would have to do a lot of
calculations to re-figure all
those dimensions. So
instead, I came up with this
simple alternative.
I just photocopied my
rule at 75% of the original
size. Then I cut out the
photocopy and glued it to a
piece of thin cardboard, as ments just as they were or three photocopies and
shown in Fig. 1. printed in the plans, with- glue them end to end to
By using this shop-made out having to make any create a scaled-down “yard-
scale for all my measuring, conversions, see example stick.”
I was able to build the proj- at left. For longer measure- Richard Pfister
ect using the measure- ments, you can make two Springfield, Virginia

4 Woodsmith No. 130

 Create Curves Using a Chain
I’ve tried a lot of different
methods for creating tem-
plates with symmetrical
curves. But the method I
like to use most is very sim-
ple and results in a natural-
looking curve.
Start by tacking a couple
of small nails at the end
points of the curve. Then
hang a length of chain from
these nails, as shown in the
upper photo at left. (I like to
use the style of ball-chain
that you find on old pull-
chain light fixtures.)
More Torque on Clamps
Due to arthritis, I have a Then I slip a short (6")
hard time getting a grip on length of dowel through
the small handles of many the hole, like in the draw-
of my clamps, making it dif- ing at right. The dowel
ficult to tighten them. allows me to get a better
To solve this problem, I grip on the clamp.
simply cross-drill a 3/8"- Fran Russo
dia. hole in each handle. Gold River, California
Gluing Tip Vinyl Inlays
For applying glue to very To dress up my projects, I
small holes or grooves, I’ve like to inlay strips of vinyl
found that a Proxa brush tile as an accent, like you
works well, see drawing. see in the photo. I simply
These brushes are just cut the strips using a razor
right for getting into tight blade, utility knife, or even
spaces. (Proxa brushes my table saw.
can usually be found at Using a router and a
most drugstores, along- straight bit, I rout a
side the toothpaste and groove in my project to
toothbrushes.) hold the strips of tile. The
William Scott depth of the groove
Raleigh, North Carolina should closely match the
thickness of the tile. Then
the strips can be glued in
SUBMIT YOUR TIPS
place with adhesive or
even yellow glue.
If you have an original shop tip, we would like
to hear from you and consider publishing your
tip in one or more of our publications. Just write QUICK TIP
down your tip and mail it to: Woodsmith, Tips I’ve found a great way to
and Techniques, 2200 Grand Avenue, Des clean gum and pitch
Moines, Iowa 50312. Please include your name, build-up from router
address, and daytime phone number in case we bits. I simply soak the
have any questions. If you would like, FAX it to bit in Windex window
us at 515-282-6741 or send us an email message cleaner. After a few min-
at woodsmith@woodsmith.com. We will pay up utes, the pitch wipes
to $200 if we publish your tip. right off with a rag.
No. 130 Woodsmith
Pull the chain tighter to
flatten out the curve or give
it some slack to increase
the curve. Once you have
the curve you want, just
spray paint over the chain.
After the paint dries,
remove the chain, and
you’ll have a perfect outline
of the curve, see lower
photo. Now all you have to
do is cut out the template
FREE
Online Tips
and use it to transfer the
If you’d like even
curve to your workpieces.
more woodwork-
Ray Eickstedt ing tips, the solu-
Lander, Wyoming tion is simple.
Just visit us at our
web site and sign
up to receive a
free tip via email
every week.
www.woodsmith.com
With the large selection
of vinyl tiles on the market
today, the design possibili-
ties are endless. All you
have to do is experiment.
Henry Ellis
Melbourne, Florida
One thing though. If
your router bit has a
guide bearing, just be
sure to remove the ball
bearing from the bit
before soaking it.
Mark Honea
Longmont, Colorado
5
 HEIRLOOM
PROJECT

CRAFTSMAN
CURIO CABINET
The clean lines, quarter-
sawn oak, and glass
panels in this project will
put your valuables (and
your craftsmanship) in
the best possible light.

W hat sets this curio cabinet apart

from other Craftsman projects I’ve
built is clear — it’s the glass. To allow
you to see what’s stored inside, this
cabinet has beveled glass panels in
the doors and on each end. Even the
shelves are made out of glass so you
can see clearly from top to bottom.
Glass doesn’t make a project any
harder to build. But large panels of
glass are heavy, and I wanted to be
sure these had plenty of support.
This meant building strong, sturdy
frames. Nothing tricky, just tradi-
tional mortise and tenon joinery to
connect the frames. And a simple
rabbet to hold the glass.
Once the four case frames are
complete, they have to be assem-
bled into a single unit. Here, I tried a
“new” technique to hide the joint
lines between the frames. I cut deep
rabbets in the front and back frames
to hold the ends. Then to camou-
flage the joint line, a chamfer is rout-
ed down the edge.
It’s a small detail and one only a
woodworker would notice. But it’s
another feature that makes this
curio cabinet as worthy of attention
as the display items inside.

6 Woodsmith No. 130

OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
56!/2”H x 36”W x 17!/8”D

A solid wood panel has to be >

able to expand and contract. The
bottom panel here expands into a
groove in the back assembly.
{ Each corner of the cabinet is joined with
a common rabbet. And the joint line is
hidden with a small chamfer.

No. 130 Woodsmith 7

 End & Front Frames a.
The case of this curio cabinet is made
up of four frame assemblies. I built
the two frames for the ends first and
then worked on another one for the
front. (The last assembly will be the
back of the case that’s added later.)
ENDS . To make the end frames, I
started by cutting the end stiles (A) b.
to size, as shown in Fig. 1. The top
end rails (B) and bottom end rails
(C) are glued up from two narrow
pieces so there’s less chance they’ll
warp with changes in humidity. But
first let me mention something
about gluing up quartersawn oak.
Quartersawn oak, which was
often used in Craftsman furniture, is
red or white oak that’s milled so its c.
faces end up with patterns of flecks
or rays. So if you’re gluing pieces
together (like the rails here), you’ll
want to pay extra attention to how
the patterns look next to each other.
MORTISES . The stiles and rails are
joined with traditional mortises and
tenons. I began with the mortises in
1 exploded view
the stiles, roughing them out with
overlapping holes, as in Fig. 2. And cut the tenons on the ends of the ADJUSTABLE SHELVES . Before gluing
to make sure the tenons won’t bot- rails to fit the mortises, as shown in the end pieces into frames, you’ll
tom out in the mortises, I like to drill Fig. 3. To do this, I laid the pieces want to drill a series of holes in each
the mortise holes slightly deeper down on the table saw to cut the stile for some adjustable shelf sup-
than the length of the tenons (which tenons, but this would also be a ports, as shown in Fig. 4. Just be
will be 1" in this case). good chance to try your hand at cut- sure to lay them out very carefully
TENONS. After cleaning up the mor- ting tenons with the bandsaw, as so your shelves will end up level.
tises with a sharp chisel (Fig. 2a), I described in the article on page 16. Now the end frames can be glued

2 3
a. a.

4 5
a.

a.

8 Woodsmith No. 130

 a.
together. There’s nothing particu- 6 exploded view
larly tricky here. The important
thing is to check that the frames are
flat. (The pressure of the clamps can
actually put a twist into the frame.)
To complete the end assemblies,
the last thing to do is rout a rabbet
around the inside edge of the frame b.
to hold the glass (Fig. 5). This is a
fairly deep rabbet that will require
several passes, and I was worried
about chipout. So I “back-routed”
most of these passes using a hand-
held router. (For more on this, see
page 24.) Then the corners were
squared up with a chisel.
FRONT ASSEMBLY PIECES. Now that the
end assemblies are complete, I
began work on the front frame that’s c.
shown in Fig. 6.
After the front stiles (D), top
front rail (E) and bottom front rail
(F) are cut to size, you can cut the
mortises and tenons that hold them
together, as shown in Figs. 6a, 6b,
and 6c. There’s nothing new here.
The techniques are identical to the
ones used on the end frames earlier,
refer to Figs. 2 and 3.
However, there are still a couple 7
things to do before the front frame a.
can be glued together. First, rabbets
are cut on the outside edges of the
stiles. These create thin lips that will
wrap around the front edges of the
front of the end frames. (I’ll talk
more about this corner joint later
on.) To end up with the smoothest
gluing surface, I cut the rabbets on
the table saw with the stiles stand-
ing on edge, as shown in Fig. 7. band saw (Fig. 8) or a sabre saw. them from being crushed by the
CUT CURVE. Next, I grabbed the bot- After sanding this curve smooth, clamps, I cut some scrap spacer
tom front rail and laid out the gentle the front pieces are ready to be blocks to fit into the rabbets.
curve on its bottom edge. To do assembled, like you see in the photo (These also help to keep the
this, I flexed a scrap piece of 1/8" below. The only problem is the thin pressure centered on
hardboard against a couple nails. lips left by the rabbets on the out- the thickness of
Then the curve can be cut with a side edges of the frame. To prevent the frames.)

To protect the fragile lips on the

stiles of the front frame, you
need to cut some scrap spacer
blocks that fit into the rabbets. >
No. 130 Woodsmith 9
 Bottom & Back Frame 9
Cutting the rabbets for joining the
front and end frames was easy. The
challenge now is to glue these tall
frames together so there’s a tight joint
line and so the case is square. So even
though I assembled one corner at a
time, I also made a few “helpers,”
which you can see in Fig. 9.
CORNER BLOCKS. First, I cut a
pair of corner blocks from
scrap plywood. They held
the frames square as I posi-
tioned the clamps, as shown a.
in the photo. Plus they kept
the assembly square as I
tightened the clamps down.
CAULS . But I didn’t place
the clamps directly against
the frames. I would’ve need-
{ Shop-made corner blocks ed a truckload of clamps to
hold each corner square, pull the thin lip tight against
while cauls spread out the the end frame. Instead, I
clamping pressure. spread out the clamping
pressure by inserting cauls and drilled shank screwed to the cleats, you can
between the clamps and frames holes in them for attach- begin working on the back assem-
(Fig. 9). You may still need an addi- ing the bottom (Figs. 10a bly. Instead of an open frame like
tional clamp or two to close up some and 10b). These shank holes are the other assemblies, this one has
stubborn gaps, but you’d be sur- oversized (1/4") so the bottom panel two plywood panels and a center
prised at how much the cauls help. will be able to expand and contract stile (Fig. 11). And a strong and easy
BOTTOM PANEL. When both corners with changes in humidity. way to connect all these pieces is
were glued together, I glued up a When gluing and screwing the with stub tenon and groove joinery.
bottom (G) and cut the panel to cleats to the case, I positioned them To begin, the back stiles (J) and
length to fit between the end frames 1/ " below the front rail (Fig. 10b). center stile (K) can be cut to size, as
2
(Fig. 10). What’s a bit unusual is that You can see in Fig. 10a that this will shown in Fig. 11. But like the end
the panel is ripped 1/2" narrower put the front edge of the bottom frames, you’ll need to glue up the
than the depth of the cabinet, as you panel 1/4" above the front rail. But wide top back rail (L) and bottom
can see in Fig. 10a. (This allows that’s okay. I intended the bottom back rail (M) from two pieces.
room for the back assembly later.) panel to act as a stop for the inset STUB TENON & GROOVE . Once all the
BOTTOM CLEATS. Next I cut 11/2"-wide doors that are built later. frame pieces have been sized, work
bottom front (H) and end cleats (I) BACK ASSEMBLY. After the bottom is can begin on the stub tenons and

10

a.

b.

10 Woodsmith No. 130

 11 exploded view
grooves. First the inside edges of all b.
the pieces (and both edges of the
center stile) get a centered groove
that’s sized to hold a piece of 1/4" ply-
wood, as you can see in Fig. 12.
Then mating stub tenons can be cut
on both of the rails (Figs. 11b and d)
and the center stile (Fig. 11c).
PANELS & PLUGS . With the joinery
complete, I dry assembled the c.
frame pieces and cut two back pan-
els (N) to fit into the openings (Fig.
11). Then with the frame still dry
assembled, two small plugs can be
cut to fit the grooves in the stiles
below the bottom rails. This “locks
in” the position of these rails so the
assembly will be a little easier.
GLUE UP BACK . Now before gluing d.
the back assembly together, the out-
side edges of the stiles (J) need to
be rabbeted (Fig. 11a). This means
that when gluing the back assembly
together, you’ll need to set spacer
blocks in the rabbets like you did
earlier (refer to the photo on page 9).
After the back has been assem-
bled, there’s one thing to do before a.
it can be glued to the case. A groove
needs to be cut across the assembly
to fit over the bottom panel (Fig.
13). This groove won’t butt up tight
against the back of the bottom panel
(G), as shown in Fig. 14a. There’s a
little “breathing room” so the panel BACK CLEAT. When the glue was dry, CHAMFER. With the case still on its
can expand and contract. I set the cabinet on its back and back, I hid the joint line at each cor-
ADD BACK . At this point, the back added a back cleat (H) that’s identi- ner with a 1/8" chamfer, as shown in
assembly can be glued to the case. I cal to the one in front. But when the photo. This chamfer is also rout- { A small chamfer
used the same cauls as before, but attaching this cleat, don’t screw it to ed across the ends of the corners to hides the joint line
this time, both corners have to be the bottom panel. The panel has to prevent chipout if the project is ever at each corner of
glued up at the same time. be able to move freely. dragged across a floor. the curio cabinet.

12 13 14 exploded view

a. a.
a.

No. 130 Woodsmith 11

 Top & Apron 15
Now that the case has four sides and
a bottom, the next logical thing to
work on would be the top panel. But
in order to attach the top, I had to add
a couple cleats to the inside of the
case. Each ended up a little different,
so I worked on them one at a time.
FRONT CLEAT. I started with the top
front cleat (O) first, as shown in Fig.
15. This piece does double duty. It
holds the top down. And like the a.
bottom panel, the top cleat hangs b.
down 1/4" below the front rail (Fig.
15b) so it’ll also act as a door stop.
After cutting this cleat to size, I
drilled counterbored shank holes in
it for securing the top panel later
(Fig. 15b). These holes are over-
sized so the panel will be able to
expand and contract. In fact, the
counterbores were so large (9/16"-
{ A “dual” lamp at dia. to hold a #8 flat washer) that I down tight against the case. you plan on adding a lamp inside the
the top of the case opted to drill them on the drill press BACK CLEAT. Next I added a second case (as shown in the box below),
will put the dis- so I didn’t accidentally drill through cleat to the back of the case. The top you’ll want to create a “channel” for
play items in the the face of the workpiece. back cleat (P) is the same length as feeding the cord through the back
best possible light. When gluing the front cleat to the the front cleat, but I oriented it dif- assembly. So before gluing the cleat
case, I didn’t position it flush with ferently so there would be plenty of in place, I cut a shallow dado across
the top rail, as you might expect. room to reach in and screw the top its top face (Figs. 15 and 15a).
Instead, it’s set down 1/8" from the panel down later. TOP . With the cleats in place,
top. This way, when the top panel is This cleat will also be set 1/8" down you’re ready to glue up the top (Q),
added later, it’s sure to be pulled from the top of the case. However, if as shown in Fig. 16. I sized the panel

DUAL CABINET LAMP

With all the glass in this project, you might
not think this cabinet would need any more
light. But while there’s plenty of light at the
sides of the cabinet, I wanted to add a small
source of light above the display items.
When picking out a lamp, I wanted
one that was easy to install but wouldn’t
create a lot of heat inside the cabinet. So
I chose a “dual” cabinet lamp, see the
margin photo. This lamp uses a pair of 25
watt incandescent bulbs with a “hood”
over each to direct the light. And installa-
tion is easy. All you have to do is screw it
to the top front cleat (O), as shown in
Fig. 1 below. (It should be centered on
the cleat top-to-bottom and side-to-side.)
However, you don’t want to install the
lamp quite yet. I drilled the mounting
holes before the top was added. But I
didn’t actually screw the lamp in place
until after the cabinet had been finished.
The other thing you’ll need to do
before adding the top panel is to com-
plete the “channel” for the cord. Since a
dado is already cut in the back cleat (Fig.
15 above), I used it as a guide. I sawed a
kerf on each side of the dado (Fig. 2) and
the cleaned out the waste with a chisel.
Note, though, that the top will have to be
removed when installing the lamp.

1 2
a.

12 Woodsmith No. 130

to overhang the case 2" at the front 16
and sides and 1/8" at the back (Figs. exploded view
16a and 16b). After it’s cut to size, all
that’s left is to rout a 1/16" chamfer
around the edges.
But it’s not time to screw the top
in place quite yet. The three-sided
apron that wraps around the back of
the top needs to be built and
screwed to the top panel first.
APRON ENDS. To make this apron, I
actually started with the apron ends
(R) — the short pieces shown in
Fig. 16. (I made them first because
they have mortises that will hold the
tenons on the apron back.)
The only thing challenging about
building these end pieces is their
size. They’re too small to work with a. b.
safely, so I started with one oversize
blank. I laid out a mortise near each
end and then drilled overlapping
holes with the drill press, as you can
see in Fig. 17. These mortises will
actually be “open” on the bottom, so
after squaring up one end and clean-
ing the sides with a chisel, the ends
can be cut to final length (13/4").
APRON BACK . With the ends com-
plete, I made the longer apron back
(S) that connects them. After cut-
ting it to size, the first thing I did
was cut the short tenons to fit into
the mortises on the end pieces.
The unusual thing about these
c. d.
tenons is that because they are fit-
ting into an open mortise there’s
only one large shoulder on top. So the apron back’s top edge. Like the attached it to the top panel with
after cutting the cheeks, I set the curve on the front frame (Fig. 8 on woodscrews (Figs. 16a and 16b).
apron back (S) on its top edge and page 9), I cut this curve with a band You could also screw the top to
cut the shoulder in several passes, saw, staying to the waste side of the the case at this point (Figs. 16c and
sneaking up on the height of the line so I could sand it smooth. 16d). But I didn’t. Both faces of the
blade until the tenons fit snug, as ASSEMBLY . Clamping the apron top will need to be stained and fin-
you can see in Fig. 18. together is no trick. And when the ished later, so I just set it on the case
Now that the tenon is cut, you’re glue had dried, I softened the top so I could get a glimpse of what the
able to lay out the gentle curve on edges with sandpaper, and then curio cabinet was going to look like.

17 18
a. a.

No. 130 Woodsmith 13

 a.
Doors & Glass 19
All that’s left now is to build the two exploded view
inset doors, as shown in the photo at
left. Like the ends of the case, each
door is just an ordinary frame that’s
built to hold a piece of beveled glass.
CUT TO SIZE. The biggest trick with
inset doors is getting a consistent b.
1/ " gap on each side. But instead of
16
trying to build the doors to the exact
size, I cut the stiles (T) and rails
(U) so that when the doors were
assembled, they would fit tight top
to bottom with no gap between
them (Fig. 19). This way, I was able
to trim the edges later to make sure
the gaps ended up consistent.
MORTISE & TENONS. After the pieces
are cut to size, you can join them
with mortises and tenons, as shown
{ All the glass for in Figs. 19a and 19b. They’re not
the project can be any different than those you cut on
c.
ordered as soon as the end frames (page 8).
the inset doors With the joinery cut, the frames
have been built can be glued together. With tall for the hinges on the door stiles. (To When the hinges are screwed to
and mounted inset doors I take special care to keep things simple, there aren’t any the doors, mounting them to the
inside the case. make sure each frame will end up mortises on the case. Just the cabinet requires some patient and
flat before I start applying any glue. doors.) I did this on the table saw careful work. I like to mount the
RABBET . Next, the inside edges of with a tall auxiliary fence to support doors in the case one at a time,
the doors need to be rabbeted to the frame, as you can see in Fig. 20. marking the amount to be trimmed
hold the glass (Fig. 19c). This rab- The trick is to sneak up on the depth right from the case (though I do
bet is identical to the one you back- of the mortise so exactly 1/16" of the remove them to do the trimming).
routed in the end assemblies earlier hinge knuckle will stand proud Once the doors have been mount-
(refer to pages 8 and 24). when the hinge is screwed to the ed in the case, it’s a good time to
MOUNT DOORS. To mount the doors, door (Fig. 20a). This creates the 1/16" order all the glass for the project. I
the first step is to cut the mortises gap between the doors and the case. ordered 3/16"-thick glass with a 11/4"-

MATERIALS & SUPPLIES 20

A End Stiles (4)
B Top End Rails (2)
C Bottom End Rails (2)
D Front Stiles (2)
E Top Front Rail (1)
F Bottom Front Rail (1)
G Bottom (1) #/4 x 13%/8 - 30!/2
H Btm. Fr./Bk. Cleats (2)
I Bottom End Cleats (2)
J Back Stiles (2)
K Center Stile (1)
L Top Back Rail (1)
M Bottom Back Rail (1)
N Back Panels (2) !/4 ply. - 12&/16 x 37!#/16
O Top Front Cleat (1)
P Top Back Cleat (1)
Q Top (1)
R Apron Ends (2)
S Apron Back (1)
#/4 x 2#/8 - 53!/4 T Door Stiles (4) #/4 x 2!/2 - 44!/8
#/4 x 6 - 12 U Door Rails (4) #/4 x 3!/2 - 10&/16
#/4 x 8 - 12 V Glass Stop (4) !/4 x !/4 - 96
#/4 x 2!/2 - 53!/4 • (2) Door Pulls
#/4 x 2!/2 - 29 • (3 pr.) 1#/8" x 2!/2" Brass Butt Hinges*
#/4 x 4!/2 - 29 • (12) Angled Shelf Supports*
• (12) Rubber Cushions for Supports
#/4 x 1!/2 - 30!/2 • (4) Double-ball Catches*
#/4 x 1!/2 - 12 • (1) Dual Cabinet Lamp
#/4 x 2!/2 - 53!/4 • (100) %/8" Wire Brads (18 Gauge)
a.
#/4 x 3!/2 - 37&/8 • (12) #8 x 1!/4" Fh Woodscrews
#/4 x 6 - 27#/4 • (4) #8 x 1!/2" Fh Woodscrews
#/4 x 8 - 27#/4 • (10) #8 x 2" Fh Woodscrews
• (4) #8 x 2!/2" Rh Woodscrews
#/4 x 2%/8 - 30!/2 • (9) #8 Finish Washers
#/4 x 1#/4 - 30!/2 • (4) #8 Flat Washers
#/4 x 17!/8 - 36 • (4) #/16" Glass Panels with 1!/4" Bevels
#/4 x 2!/2 - 1#/4 • (3) !/4" Glass Shelves with Pencil-edges
#/4 x 2!/2 - 31!/4 * Treated with a darkening solution, see page 35.

14 Woodsmith No. 130

wide bevel for the end frames and 21 Cutting Glass Stop
door frames. And for the adjustable
shelves, I ordered 1/4"-thick glass
with a “pencil-edge” finish. (For
more details, turn to page 35.)
GLASS STOP . While waiting for the
glass, you can make the glass stop
(V), shown in Fig. 21a. The steps in
Starting with a #/4”-thick
the right margin show how to cut
the stop safely from 3/4"-thick stock.
(The chamfer routed in Step 1 will
1 oversized blank on the
router table, rout a !/16” cham-
be a perfect place to locate the brads fer along two adjacent edges.
when you install the glass later.)
FINISH . After I had enough glass
stop made, I began to apply the fin-
ish. The thing about a curio cabinet a.
is it has to look as good on the inside
as it does on the outside. This is a lit-
tle easier with the top and doors
removed, but the inside of the case
will need to be sanded with more
care than usual, especially the back.
2 Set the table saw rip fence
!/4” from the saw blade
and make two cuts, flipping
To even out the color of the hard- the blank between passes.
wood and plywood, I used a gel
stain. And to protect the wood, you
can apply several top coats of either hardware for a while in a darkening 22
a polyurethane or varnish finish. solution, see page 35. (The positions
The wood wasn’t the only thing of the pulls and catches are shown
that was finished on this project. in Figs. 19 and 22.)
Before installing the hardware, I The last step is to install the glass.
darkened the bright brass hinges,
door catches, and shelf supports to
match the Craftsman-style pulls.
The glass stop is mitered and nailed
in place (Figs. 21 and 21a). The
glass shelves rest on shelf supports,
3 Reset the fence and lay
the blank down so the
!/4”-wide stop falls to the waste
This is just a matter of soaking the as in the photo below. W side of the saw blade.

CUTTING DIAGRAM

{ The adjustable shelves are 1/4"-

thick glass panels with “pencil-
edges.” The glass rests on angled
shelf supports with adhesive-
backed rubber cushions.

No. 130 Woodsmith 15

 WOODWORKING
TECHNIQUE

CUTTING TENONS
There’s more than one way to cut a tenon. The trick is determining
which method will produce the best results for the task at hand.

W hat’s the best way to cut a tenon?

It seems like I ask myself this
question just about every time I build
a project with mortise and tenon
joints. But I’m not really sure there’s
an answer. Or maybe I should say
there’s not just one answer. There are
several ways to make a tenon, and
each one has its place.
On the next few pages you’ll see
three different methods for making
tenons: using a table saw, a band
saw, and a router table. The “best”
method to use really depends on
several factors, such as the size of
the tenon, the number of tenons
you have to make, and even how
much of a hurry you’re in.
Regardless of the method you
choose, the goal is the same. You
want to end up with a tenon that fits
into its mortise like a hand in a
glove. And this usually means you’ll
have to do a little bit of hand fitting.
To help you out, we’ve included
some of our favorite tips for fitting
tenons in the box on page 19.
There’s just one other thing
before getting started. When I make
mortise and tenon joints, I prefer to
make the mortise first, and then cut
the tenon to fit. I find it a lot easier to
shave a little bit off the thickness of
a tenon than to “widen” the opening
of a mortise. Having the mortised
workpiece on hand makes it easy to
check the fit as you’re making test
cuts and setting up your equipment.

Table Saw Method

I probably use a table saw to cut about
90% of the tenons I make. And there
are some good reasons for this. A
table saw cuts tenons quickly and
cleanly. And with an accurate rip fence
and miter gauge, it’s easy to “fine
tune” the tenon for a perfect fit.
To cut tenons on a table saw, I like
to use a stack dado blade. Basically,
the dado blade “wastes away” the
wood from around the tenon.
THREE STEPS. Cutting a tenon on a
table saw can be boiled down to three
steps. First, the waste is cut away
from both sides or “cheeks” of the
tenon. This is simply a matter of set- passes as necessary to remove the the blade just a hair lower than I
ting the height of the dado blade to remaining waste. When you finish think it needs to be. This way, the
remove the waste in a series of pass- with the first cheek, flip the work- tenon starts off a little thick, or “fat.”
es. I like to use the rip fence as a stop piece over and cut the second cheek. Then I “sneak up” on the final thick-
to establish the shoulder of the tenon A backer board attached to the miter ness of the tenon by raising the
first, just like you see being done in gauge helps prevent tearout. blade a tiny bit and removing a little
the photo and in Figs. 1 and 1a. Then SNEAK ATTACK. Here’s a trick I like to more waste from each side until the
you can make as many additional use when cutting the cheeks. I set tenon fits nicely in the mortise.

16 Woodsmith No. 130

 TENON SIDES. The next step is to cut 1
the sides of the tenon. Some tenons a.
have identical shoulders on all four
sides. If this is the case, then all you
have to do is flip the workpiece on
edge and remove the waste the
same way you did with the cheeks.
Fig. 2 shows this being done.
But if the shoulders on the sides
are wider (or narrower) than the
shoulders on the cheeks of the tenon,
you’ll have to raise or lower the blade 2
accordingly. Then, without moving a.
the rip fence, go ahead and remove
the waste from the sides of the tenon.
CLEAN UP. A dado blade often leaves
ridges on the cheeks of the tenon.
These can make inserting the tenon
in the mortise difficult. So I like to
“clean up” the cheeks of the tenon by
sliding the workpiece side-to-side and
forward and backward over the
blade, as shown in Figs. 3 and 3a. 3
TENON JIG. There’s another way to a.
cut tenons on a table saw, and that is
to use a tenon jig. (You can buy one
or make your own, see Woodsmith
No. 127.) A tenon jig holds the work-
piece upright so the cheek is cut in a
single pass. And it works great —
provided you’re willing to take the
time needed to adjust them.

STUB TENONS

Cutting tenons on a table saw using the
method shown above is fine if the tenons
are 1" long or longer. But for “stub” tenons
(the kind that are often used when creating
a frame that holds a plywood panel) you run
into a bit of a problem. Because stub tenons
are so short (usually only 1/4" long) you run
the risk of the dado blade striking the rip
fence if you try to use the fence as a stop for
the shoulder of the tenon.
To get around this problem, I simply
“bury” the dado blade in an auxiliary
fence. This auxiliary fence is just a piece of
scrap wood or 3/4" plywood that is attached
to the standard rip fence on your saw, just
like you see in Fig. 1. Before the fence can
be used, however, you’ll have to create an
opening for the blade. To do this, lower the
dado blade all the way and move the rip
fence over so the auxiliary fence is partly
over the blade. Now turn the saw on and
slowly raise the dado blade so it cuts into
the fence, just like you see in Fig. 1a. You
only need to raise the blade high enough
to allow you to cut the tenon.
After you’ve created the opening in the
auxiliary fence, the stub tenons can be cut
the same way an ordinary tenon is cut (see
above). The only difference is that it takes
just one pass to cut each cheek. And usual- { Stub tenons, like those shown
ly, you won’t have to remove any waste above, are often used in the con-
from the sides of the tenon. struction of frame and panel doors.
1
a.

No. 130 Woodsmith 17

 Band Saw Method
When it comes to cutting a tenon,
there’s one tool that often gets over-
looked — a band saw. But when
you stop and think about it, a band
saw is really a great tool for cutting
tenons quickly and easily. Once
you’ve laid out the tenon on your
workpiece, it’s just a matter of fol-
lowing a simple cutting sequence.
First, the shoulders. Then the cheeks.
In order to make these cuts as
accurate as possible, it’s a good idea
to check that your band saw is in
top running condition. And you’ll
also need to have a miter gauge and STOP BLOCK. In addition to length, CHEEKS. When cutting the cheeks,
a simple fence that clamps to the you also need to establish a consis- the fence and stop block are also
table of your band saw. tent depth of cut. That’s where the used. If you look at Figs. 3 and 3a,
SHOULDERS. The first step is to cut stop block shown in Fig. 1 comes you’ll see that the fence is posi-
the shoulders of the tenon. These in. But the idea here is to set the tioned so the blade is just to the
shoulder cuts determine the length stop block so you cut slightly past waste side of the layout line. You
of the tenon. Typically, they’re made the point where the lines for the can also see how the stop block is
on all four sides of the workpiece. shoulder and cheek meet. This used to control the depth of cut.
To produce a tight fit with the way, the waste piece will fall off It’s just a matter of cutting the first
adjoining piece, each cut needs to when you cut the cheek later. cheek, then flipping the workpiece
be an equal distance from the end. Note: If the top and bottom over and cutting the other cheek.
STOP. An easy way to make these shoulders of the tenon aren’t the Then you can check the fit of the
cuts accurately is to use the miter same depth as the side shoulders, tenon in the mortise.
gauge with the fence as a “stop.” To you’ll need to reposition the stop TRIM TO WIDTH. Once you’re satis-
do this, clamp the fence in place so block between cuts. fied with the fit, all that’s left is to
when the end of the workpiece After cutting all of the shoulders trim the tenons to width. This
butts against it, the blade will cut on the project pieces (Fig. 2), you requires repositioning the fence so
just to the waste side of the shoul- can concentrate on the cheeks. the waste isn’t trapped between the
der line (Figs. 1 and 1a). They establish the tenon thickness. blade and fence (Fig. 4).

1 2
a.

3 4
a.

18 Woodsmith No. 130

Router Method
There’s one other method I use to
make tenons that is worth mention-
ing. A router table and a router
equipped with a straight bit are a great
way to cut short tenons on small work-
pieces, see photo at right.
As you can see from Fig. 1, cut-
ting tenons on a router table isn’t a
whole lot different than cutting
them on a table saw. The fence con-
trols the length of the tenon, and a
miter gauge helps guide the work-
piece through the cut. (A backer
board helps to prevent chipout.)
The main difference is that
instead of a dado blade, you’re using
a router bit to remove the waste. So
this method is best suited to making
short (1/2" or less) tenons that can
be completed in a single pass (like
stub tenons on small workpieces).
SMOOTH CHEEKS. The nice thing
about using a router is that it gives
you a smooth, clean cut. This cre-
ates a better fit and glue joint when
it comes to assembling your project.
There’s just one
thing to be aware
of when making
tenons on a router.
It’s important to
make sure your router
table fence is parallel with the slot
for your miter gauge. Since most
router table fences don’t necessari-
ly remain parallel to this slot, you’ll
need to check this adjustment
manually with a square, as you see
being done in Fig. 2. W

1 2
a.

FITTING TENONS
Power tools are great timesavers when it
comes to cutting tenons. But even though
it’s possible to cut a perfect-fitting joint
with power tools, if you’re making a lot
of mortise and tenon joints, chances are
that some of them will require a little
hand work to get them to fit properly.
Fortunately, this isn’t too difficult, and
you’ll probably still spend less time fitting
the joints than you would if you had to cut 1 If the tenon is too snug, you can sand
the cheeks until it fits. Note that sand-
paper doesn’t wrap around side of sand-
2 To get a tight joint line, slightly under-
cut the shoulders of the tenon with a
chisel.This allows the edges of the shoul-
each tenon entirely by hand.
There are two things I look for when fit- ing block that contacts shoulder of tenon. der to draw up against the mortised piece.
ting a tenon to a mortise. First, I want the
tenon to slide in the mortise smoothly,
without being too loose or requiring too
much force. If the tenon is loose, you can
try gluing a thin piece of veneer to the
cheek of the tenon. But more often than
not, the fit is a little too tight. If this is the
case, all you need to do is pare down the
high spots with a chisel or lightly sand the
cheeks of the tenon, as you see in photo 1.
The other thing I look for is a good,
even fit between the shoulders of the
tenon and the mortised workpiece. 3 Stepped shoulders are a fairly com-
mon problem. To avoid this, inten-
tionally cut the shoulders on the edges of
4 To remove any waste or excess mate-
rial at the base of the tenon, make a
!/32"-deep cut all around the base of the
There are several tricks to improving this
fit, as you can see in photos 2 through 4. the tenon slightly proud, then trim flush. tenon on the table saw.

No. 130 Woodsmith 19

 WEEKEND
PROJECT

WALL-MOUNTED QUILT RACK

Although the treasures it holds are timeless, it shouldn’t take you long to
build this classic quilt rack — just a few hours in the shop.

I have to admit that I feel a little guilty

when I look at this quilt rack. Or
maybe I should say when I look at
the quilt hanging on the rack. That’s
because I can’t help thinking about
the countless hours that go into a
hand-made quilt. By contrast, it only
took me a weekend to make the quilt
rack. But I think that over time, the
rack will become as much of an “heir-
loom” as the quilt it displays.
The secret behind this quilt rack
is the simple construction. The
pieces are all glued and screwed
together. And the rod that holds the
quilt is made up of a dowel and a
couple of wood “candle cups.”
To make the quilt rack more ver-
satile, I added a couple of grooves
along the top to display plates. In
fact, making those grooves is proba-
bly the most challenging part of the
project. But more on that later.
SHELF. If you take a look at Fig. 1,
you can see there are only four

MATERIALS
A Shelf (1) #/4 x 5 - 40
B Back (1) #/4 x 4!/2 - 38
C Brackets (2) #/4 x 3#/4 - 4!/4
D Rod (1) &/8-dia. x 34

SUPPLIES
• (10) #8 x 1!/4" Fh Woodscrews
• (6) #/8" Flathead Cherry Plugs
• (2) Keyhole Hangers
• (4) #6 x !/2" Fh Woodscrews
• (2) 1(/16" x 1#/8" Cherry Candle Cups
• (2) !/2" Mushroom-Head Cherry Plugs
1 exploded view

20 Woodsmith No. 130

pieces to make for this quilt rack — 2
a shelf, back, and two brackets that exploded view
hold the quilt rod. (I used cherry for
my quilt rack.) The first part to
make is the shelf (A).
Starting with 3/4"-thick stock, the
shelf is cut to size on a table saw. (The a.
dimensions are shown in Fig. 2.) I
ripped the shelf to width first, then
crosscut the two ends to final length.
ROUNDED CORNERS. The front corners
of the shelf are rounded to give the
shelf a softer appearance. Just lay
out the radius on each corner 3
according to the dimensions shown a.
in Fig. 3a. Then cut away the waste.
You can see in Fig. 3 that I used a
band saw to do this. But a sabre saw
would also work just fine. No matter
what tool you use, it’s important to
stay just outside of the layout line.
Then sand the corners smooth.
PLATE GROOVES. The shelf has a cou-
ple stopped grooves routed in the
top to display plates. The easiest 4
way to rout these grooves and keep a.
them parallel is to use a fence on the
router table. But this creates a bit of
a problem. Because the grooves will
be routed with the workpiece face
down, you can’t see where to start
or stop the grooves. So I penciled in
a couple of marks 5" from each end
of the shelf. Then on the router
fence I drew a couple marks on
either side of the router bit.
To see how I routed these
grooves, take a look at Figs. 4 and off, and the workpiece is removed. This is a two-step process. First, a
4a. With the mark on the shelf To make the second plate groove, roundover is routed on the top edge
lined up with the start line on the just reposition the fence, making of the shelf, as shown in Fig. 5.
router fence, the workpiece is sure that the router bit is still (To prevent chipout, it helps to use
slowly lowered onto the spinning between the marks. a backer board to back up the cuts
router bit. Then it’s pushed for- ROUT PROFILE. To complete the on the ends, like you see in the
ward until the mark on the opposite shelf, a profile is routed on the ends drawing.) Then, the shelf is flipped
end reaches the stop line on the and front edge. (The back edge is over, and a cove is routed on the bot-
fence. The router is then turned left square to fit against the wall.) tom edge, as shown in Fig. 6.

5 6
a. a.

No. 130 Woodsmith 21

 Back & Brackets 7
With the shelf complete, exploded view
you can start on the back
and the brackets. I began by
cutting a blank for the back (B)
and two blanks for the brackets
(C) out of 3/4"-thick stock according
to the dimensions shown in Fig. 7.
CREATE PROFILES. The next step is to
lay out the curved profile on the b.
three blanks. I drew the patterns out
on paper and then mounted them to a.
the blanks with a spray adhesive.
Cutting the profile on the ends of
the back is simple. Just cut slightly
outside of the line, like you see in
Fig. 8, and sand the ends smooth.
The profile for the brackets is a
bit trickier because it curves in and
out more tightly. To avoid having to 8 9
cut the tight inside curve, I drilled a
1"-dia. hole in each bracket (Fig. a.
10). Then I cut away the rest of the
waste and sanded the edges smooth.
ROUT EDGES. The edges of the back
and brackets are softened using a
round-over bit on the router table.
For the back, I routed the front
face of the ends and lower edge
(Fig. 9). Note that only the ends
and the lower edge of the back are 10 11
routed. The top edges (the ones
that will join up with the shelf) and
the back edges (the ones that will
be against the wall) are left square.
Although the bit setup is the a.
same for the brackets, the profile
is slightly different. Here I routed
on both sides of the workpiece, as
shown in Figs. 11 and 11a. This
doesn’t create a full roundover but
rather, a rounded “bull-nose” pro-

Pattern for Bracket

(1" grid)

Pattern for Back

(1" grid)

22 Woodsmith No. 130

file. Just make sure to leave the 12 exploded view
top and back edges square, since
these are the edges that will get
glued to the shelf and back.
KEYHOLE HANGERS. Before assem-
bling the rack, I installed the key-
hole hangers on the back. Looking
at Fig. 7b, you’ll see that these hang-
ers are set into a recess, so you’ll
have to drill a stepped mortise. For
more details on this, see page 24.
ASSEMBLY. The rack is assembled
with glue and screws. But because a. b.
of all the curves and routed pro-
files, it’s difficult to clamp all the
pieces together at once to drill
holes for the screws. So instead, I
glued the pieces together first in
two steps and then added the
screws later. I started by gluing the
brackets to the back. (See Fig. 7
for the position of the brackets.)
Then I glued the shelf to the 13
top of the brackets and the top a.
edge of the back. When the
glue was dry, I drilled holes
and added the screws according to
the locations shown in Figs. 12,
12a, and 12b.
There’s one thing to note about
the screw holes. The holes that are
drilled through the top of the shelf
are counterbored. Then after the
screws are inserted, each hole is
plugged with a flathead wood plug.
QUILT ROD. The rod that holds the For the caps on the ends, I used this, just enlarge the hole with a 1/2"-
quilt couldn’t be much simpler. It’s some turned candle cups. (See page dia. drill bit. Then glue in a 1/2"
made out of a piece of 7/8"-dia. dowel 35 for sources.) There’s just one mushroom head plug. Now the cups
that is capped at each end with a problem. The candle cups come can be glued to the ends of the rod.
pre-turned cup (Fig. 13). To make with a small hole in the bottom. FINISH. Because the dowel and
the rod, start by cutting the dowel to Since I didn’t want this hole to show, turned parts of this project were a
length. (I cut mine 34" long.) I filled it with a wood plug. To do couple shades lighter than the lum-
ber I used to make the rest of the
FINISHING END GRAIN quilt rack, I decided to stain the proj-
ect to even everything out. There’s
just one thing to be aware of here.
There’s a lot of exposed end grain
on this project which can some-
times prove difficult to stain. For a
tip on dealing with end grain, see
the box to the left.
When it comes to a top coat, you
have a couple options. I used a wipe-
{ When staining end grain, a regu- { OOne solution is to sand the end on oil finish (General Finishes). But
lar stain will soak deep into the grain a grit or two finer than the you could also use a spray finish
pores of the wood, darkening the rest of the project. Here, I sand- (like Deft). A spray finish makes it
ends much more than the face. ed the end grain to 220-grit. easier to get into all the curves and
turned areas of the rack. W

No. 130 Woodsmith 23

 SOME TIPS FROM
OUR SHOP
SHOP NOTES
Backrouting Rabbets
When routing rabbets that
hold a glass panel, the last
thing you want to end up
with is chipout. During nor-
mal routing operations, the
bit can cause the edge to
splinter as it leaves the
workpiece, as you can see in
the margin drawing. So to
{ When routing in make sure the rabbets on
the normal direc- the curio cabinet were clean
tion, the rotation (page 8), I decided to back-
of the bit can rout them, see photo.
cause the edge to During backrouting, the
splinter. bit removes material from
1 2
Keyhole Hanger
With the quilt rack on
page 20, I needed a strong,
invisible way to hang it on
the wall, so I used two key-
hole hangers, see photo.
{ Keyhole hangers To install these hangers, I
are slotted mount- like to drill a stepped mor-
ing plates that sit tise. The shallow ends of
in a shallow mor-
tise cut in the 1 2
workpiece. A
deeper, stepped
mortise provides
clearance for the
head of a screw.
a.
24
the front edge of the cut,
see Fig. 1. Since the
back edge is already cut
away, the wood can’t be
splintered. Backrouting
rabbets works well and
it’s safe as long as you take
a few precautions while
doing it.
SAFETY. The deeper the cut,
the more the bit wants to
grab and pull at the work-
piece. So the first rule of
backrouting with a hand-
held router is to take light
the mor tise are for the
“plate,” while the deeper
middle provides clearance
for the head of the screw,
see Fig. 3.
To do this, lay out the
mortise, draw a centerline
and trace around the plate.
a.
Woodsmith
passes. Note: Backrouting
on a router table can be dis-
astrous. The router can
actually pull the workpiece
(and your fingers) right into
the bit. For this reason, I
avoid backrouting on a
router table.
When backrouting with
Then drill two sets of holes.
First, two shallow holes are
drilled for the plate, see
Figs. 1 and 1a.
For the middle section,
drill overlapping 3/8"-deep
holes, see Figs. 2 and 2a.
This will create clearance
3
a hand-held router, make
sure to clamp the workpiece
to a bench so that it doesn’t
shift or go flying off. Also,
keep a firm grip on the
router in case it kicks back.
The bit may tend to “buck”
a little, so you’ll want to
move slowly. Try keeping
your elbows tucked into
your body and your arms
and wrists locked in place
for more control.
Finally, after removing
almost all the material,
make a final pass in the nor-
mal direction. This will get
rid of any chatter marks left
behind by the backrouting,
see Fig. 2. W
for the roundhead screw,
which is set in the wall.
Once the sides of the
mortises are cleaned up
with a chisel, simply screw
the hangers in place and
hang the quilt rack on the
wall, see Fig. 3. W
No. 130
Circle-Cutting Jig
To make it easier to cut the
disks for the birdhouse fea-
tured on page 26, I came
up with a simple circle-cut-
ting jig. Since the disks
were varied in size, I
needed a way to cut them
quickly and easily.
So my solution was to
make the jig adjustable. It
has a pivot pin set in a slid-
ing arm that can be adjust-
ed to the diameter of the
circle you want to cut. The
jig is easy to build and easy
to use, see photos.
JIG BASE. The base for the
jig is just a square piece of
3/ " plywood. Since the key
4
to adjusting the jig is the
sliding arm, you want a
smooth surface for it to
ride in. So use a router
table with a straight bit to
cut a centered groove in
the base, see Fig. 1.
To keep the sliding arm
from moving around, add
a pair of screws with wash-
ers to hold it in place. First,
two shallow counterbores
are drilled in the base on
each side of the groove, see
Figs. 1 and 1a. They should
be deep enough for the flat
washer to just sit below the
surface of the base. (Note:
Drill a countersink in the
washer for the woodscrew.)
1 Adjust the pin on the sliding arm to
match the radius of the circle you want
to cut. Measure from blade to center of pin. into blade until stop hits edge of table.
No. 130
1
SLIDING ARM. The washers exploded view
pinch down on the sliding
arm to hold it secure. So
after ripping the hardboard
to the correct width (it
should fit in the groove and
slide easily without any
slop), rout a couple of rab-
bets in the top sides.
You need to be able to
fine-tune the depth of the
rabbets, and since the hard-
board workpiece for the
arm is small, go back to the a.
router table to cut them.
They should end up slight-
ly shallower than the coun-
terbores for the washers,
see Fig. 1a.
To hold a 1/4" dowel for
the pivot pin, drill three off-
set holes in the sliding arm. 2
This makes it easy to flip
the arm to cut larger cir-
cles, and the screws and
washers will continue to
hold it securely.
RUNNER . Finally, a hard-
wood runner is cut to fit the
band saw’s miter gauge slot,
and a stop is attached to one
end. This runner is the key
to aligning the sliding arm
with the band saw blade.
You want the pin in the arm so that the pin is centered the base on the runner and
to stay parallel to the cut- near the front of the saw the runner on each side of
ting edge of the blade. blade, see Fig. 2. Then care- the base. Lift the jig from
To do this, place the base fully align the pieces of the the table and glue every-
on the runner, lining it up jig and mark the position of thing together. W
USING THE JIG
2
Drill centered hole on blank and set on
pin. Start saw, then push jig and piece
3 Keeping stop against table, rotate the
workpiece on the pivot pin until the cir-
cle is completely cut from blank.
Woodsmith 25
 OUTDOOR
PROJECT
BIRDHOUSE
Country or classic — the choice is up to you. All you have to do is select
from several design options to create the birdhouse of your dreams.
MATERIALS
A Staves (20)
B Cylinder Ends (2) #/4 x 5 dia. (rgh.)
C Upper Base (1)
D Lower Base (1)
E Roof Plate (1)
F Roof Trusses (2)
G Perch Support (1)*
H Perch Platform (1)*
*Optional
26
W hen you first look at this birdhouse, you might think
it’s a turning project. How else but on a lathe could you
make a round cylinder? Well believe it or not, you don’t
need a lathe to build this project. Instead, the cylinder is
assembled from a number of narrow strips. Each strip is
beveled on both sides. Then the strips are laid side-by-side
and “rolled” into a circle, see Construction Details on the
opposite page. Don’t worry though — it’s not a compli-
cated process. I’ll take you through it a little later.
OPTIONS. Aside from the shape of the birdhouse, one of
the neat things about this project are all the options that
are available when building it. Take the roof for exam-
ple. We built one birdhouse with a galvanized sheet
metal roof and another with a copper roof. Either way,
you’ll get the opportunity to try something a little differ-
ent — working with sheet metal. And you won’t need
any special equipment other than a pair of tin snips.
But the roof isn’t the only option. You can build the
birdhouse to hang from a tree or to mount on a post, see
drawings on opposite page. Selecting different stain
combinations is another way to give your birdhouse a
custom look, see photo. And you might even want to
add a perch. We’ve included this option on page 31.
WOOD SELECTION. When it comes to choosing a wood,
pick something that is decay-resistant, like redwood or
cedar. But don’t use pressure-treated lumber. It contains
arsenic, which is poisonous to birds (and humans).
You’ll also want to be sure to use an exterior glue (like
Titebond II or Resorcinal).
FOR THE BIRDS. One last thing. Before you start building
your birdhouse, it might be helpful to give a little
thought to the type of birds that will be living in it. The
box on the opposite page should help you out with this.
SUPPLIES
!/4 x &/8 - 7 • (4) #8 x 2" Fh Brass Woodscrews
• (4) #8 x 1!/4" Fh Woodscrews
#/4 x 6!/2 dia. • (1) 12"x12" Sheet Metal (26 ga. Copper or 30 ga. Galv.)
#/4 x 5#/4 dia. • (14) 4d Copper or Galvanized Box Nails
#/4 x 8 dia. • (1) 3!/4" x 1!/2" Finial (post-mounted option)
!/2 x 3 - 6!/2 • (1) 1!/4"-dia. Copper End Cap (post-mounted option)
!/4 x 1!/4 - 2 • (1) 1!/4"-dia. Copper Pipe (post-mounted option)
!/4 x 1!/2 - 1#/4 • (1) 2!/2" Stainless Steel Screw Eye (hanging option)
• (1) !/4" x 1" Stainless Steel Finish Washer (hanging option)
Woodsmith
h No. 130
 OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
14”H x 8#/8” Dia.

HOLE OPENING SIZES FOR VARIOUS BIRD SPECIES

If you live in a location where and the birds you want to attract Species of Bird Diameter of Height of Entrance
there are lots of birds, chances will have a difficult time getting Entrance from Floor
are pretty good that a feathered into the house. Make the hole Bluebird 11/2" 6"
friend of some sort will take up too large, and the nestlings Chickadee 11/8" 8"
residence in your birdhouse. inside become prey for larger Tufted Titmouse 11/4" 8"
But if you want to keep out the birds or other sorts of preda- White-Breasted Nut Hatch 11/4" 8"
“riff-raff” and attract a certain tors. To help you out, you’ll find House Wren 7/ " 1 to 6"
8
type of bird, you’ll do well to pay a chart to the right listing some Tree Swallow 11/2" 1 to 6"
attention to the size of the entry common birds and the recom- Downy Woodpecker 11/4" 8"
hole and its height above the mended hole size and height to House Finch 2" 4"
floor. Make the hole too small, use with each one.

No. 130 Woodsmith 27

 Cylinder & Base 1
The construction of this birdhouse is a.
pretty straightforward. The first step
is to create a thin-walled cylinder that
will be the main portion of the house.
This cylinder is probably the most
challenging (and rewarding) part of
this project. It’s built using a tech-
nique known as stave construction.
A number of individual staves, or slats,
are beveled along their edges and 2
glued together to create a cylinder. a.
STAVES. The staves (A) are only 1/4"
thick. To build the birdhouse, you’ll
need twenty staves. I cut mine to
final length but made them a bit
wide (11/4"). This makes it easier
to bevel the edges.
The trick with any stave
construction project is deter-
mining the angle of the bevel
and making sure all the 3 4
bevels are consistent. For the
birdhouse, there are twenty
staves, each with two beveled
sides. If you divide 40 into 360°, you
wind up with a 9° bevel. So all you
{ A few rubber have to do is tilt your saw blade 9°
bands provide a and rip both sides of each stave, just
convenient way like you see in Fig. 1.
to “clamp up” Once all the staves are cut to size
the cylinder while and beveled, the next step is to
the glue dries. assemble them into a cylinder. down). Then place two or three sleeping bag or a bedroll.
Because there are so many pieces, strips of masking tape across the The tape holds the staves togeth-
gluing them all together poses a bit staves to hold them together. er, but you still need a way to clamp
of a problem. But there’s a little trick After turning the entire assem- them up. Fortunately, a handful of
to this, which you can see by taking bly over and applying glue to all rubber bands provided the solution,
a look at Fig. 2. Start by laying the the beveled edges, you can “roll” as you can see in the margin photo.
staves edge-to-edge on top of your the staves into a cylinder, almost At this point, the thin-walled cylin-
bench (with the bevels facing the same way you would roll up a der is a bit fragile and vulnerable. So
to strengthen and support the walls,
5 I made a couple of cylinder ends
a. (B) that fit inside the cylinder. As
you can see in Fig. 5, these pieces
are nothing but round disks that will
be glued into each end of the cylin-
der. (The bottom cylinder end has a
large hole in the middle to allow you
to clean out the birdhouse.)
CIRCLE-CUTTING JIG. To cut the round
disks for the cylinder end, I made a
special circle-cutting jig for the band
saw. It’s easy to make and will be
used to make other parts of this
birdhouse later. (You can use the jig
for other projects as well.) To find
out how the jig is made and used,
turn to page 25.

28 Woodsmith No. 130

 In Fig. 3, you can see the disks 6 7
being cut to rough shape. After this,
they’re sanded on a disc sander until
they just fit inside the opening of the
cylinder. Then a sabre saw can be
used to cut out the center of the bot-
tom cylinder end, like you see being
done in Fig. 4. The cylinder ends are
simply glued in place inside the
cylinder, flush with the ends.
OPENING. The next step is to drill
the hole that will serve as the open-
ing for the birds. After selecting a
hole size according to the chart on 8
page 27, you can drill the hole using a.
a hole saw and a drill press. If you
take a look at Fig. 6, you’ll see how I
clamped a scrap block to my drill
press table to help hold the cylinder
in place during this procedure.
SMOOTH OUT THE CYLINDER. With the
hole drilled, you can smooth out
the sides of the cylinder. I did this
by using a block plane to knock b.
down the peaks of the staves, like
you see in Fig. 7. Then all it takes
is a little sanding to make the cylin-
der smooth and round.
BASE. If you take a look at Fig. 8,
you can see that the base of the bird-
house is made up of two pieces — an
upper base (C) and a lower base (D).
These are just two round pieces of to the birdhouse, you’ll need to together and screwed to the bird-
stock with a cove routed around the decide how you want to mount the house. It’s important that you don’t
edges, as shown in Figs. 8a and 8b. birdhouse. If you’re going to mount glue the base to the birdhouse, how-
Here again, the circle-cutting jig it on a post, you’ll need to drill a hole ever. Each year, after the birds fly
described on page 25 makes quick in the base cap for the post. (See the south for the winter, you want to be
work of cutting out these pieces. box below for more on this.) Then able to remove the base in order to
Before screwing the base pieces the two base pieces can be glued clean out the old nesting material.

POST

To mount the birdhouse to a

post, I drilled a 11/2"-dia. hole
through the center of the lower
base piece, as shown in the draw-
ing at right. Then I epoxied a 11/4"-
dia. copper end cap into the hole,
just as you see in detail ‘a’. (You’ll
find end caps in the plumbing sec-
tion of your hardware store.)
The end cap allows you to fit
the birdhouse over the end of a
11/4"-dia. copper pipe, which can
be mounted in the ground to
serve as a mounting post.

No. 130 Woodsmith 29

 Roof 9
All that remains to complete the bird- a.
house is to add the roof. You have
another choice to make here. You can
use galvanized sheet metal or copper.
But the construction of the roof
is the same regardless.
The roof consists of three
parts. A round base, or plate,
sits on top of the birdhouse and
overhangs the walls. Then a
couple of roof trusses are added
to support the sheet metal. You
can see all of this in Fig. 9. b. c.
ROOF PLATE. I started by mak-
ing the roof plate. Like many of
the other parts of the bird-
house, the roof plate (E) is just
{ A large diameter a round disk that’s cut on the
dowel helps you to band saw using the same circle cut-
bend the sheet ting jig. But this time there’s a little
metal without twist. The edge of the roof plate is
kinking it. beveled at a 45°angle. So in order to 10
cut this piece, you’ll have to tilt the a.
table of your band saw, like you see
in Figs. 10 and 10a.
After the roof plate is cut to size, it
can be glued and screwed to the top
of the birdhouse. Just make sure to
center the roof plate on the cylinder.
ROOF TRUSSES. The second part of
the roof is the truss system. This
is a couple of triangular-shaped
pieces that are fitted together with
a half-lap joint to form a “cross”
that supports the sheet metal. ished length will match the small I did this by making a template out
To make the roof trusses (F), diameter of the roof plate (Fig. 12a). of paper and tracing it onto the
start by cutting two blanks from 1/2"- The trusses should be flush with the sheet metal with a permanent mark-
thick stock. I found it easier to cut edge of the roof plate. er. The pattern is shown in Fig. 13.
the half-lap joint before mitering the The roof trusses are glued togeth- To cut the sheet metal, I used a
pieces. You can see this in Fig. 11. er and then glued to the roof plate. pair of tin snips. Wearing a pair of
Once the half lap is cut in both Once this is done, you’re ready to leather gloves to protect your
pieces, the ends can be mitered at a start working on the sheet metal. hands, start by cutting a 12"-dia.
45° angle, just like you see in Fig. SHEET METAL. To cut the metal for the circle. Then remove a section of
12. As you’re mitering the trusses, roof, you’ll need to start by laying the circle, like in Fig. 14. To cut
check to make sure that their fin- out the pattern on your sheet metal. out the small opening in the center

11 12
a.

30 Woodsmith No. 130

of the circle, I had to “nibble” away
at the metal with the very tips of
the tin snips (Fig. 15).
Once you have the sheet metal
cut, the next step is to bend it into a
cone to fit on the roof of the bird-
house. The trick is to pre-bend the
metal by gradually working the flat
sheet into a cone before placing it
on the birdhouse. The thing you
want to avoid is kinking the metal by
bending it too sharply. To prevent
this, I found it helpful to use a large-
diameter dowel as a forming tool to
back up the sheet metal while bend-
ing it. You can see what I’m talking
about if you take a look at the photo
in the margin on the opposite page.
AGING THE COPPER. Before nailing the
copper to the birdhouse, I “aged” it
by heating it with a propane torch,
see photo at right. This gives the
copper a brown, aged look, like an
old penny. This is just an option, but
if you want to try it, make sure to do
any heating of the copper before
placing it on the birdhouse.
NAILING DOWN THE METAL. The sheet
metal is attached to the roof with
small nails. But even with the metal
pre-formed, nailing it down can be
tricky. Here’s how I tackled it.
First, I nailed the “flap” of the
sheet metal down to one edge of the
trusses with a couple of nails. This
anchors the sheet metal in place.
Then I shaped the metal around the
13 14
{ Heating the
15 copper burns off
oily fingerprints
and gives the
metal an aged
appearance.
roof and held the ends together with
a couple strips of masking tape.
Now it’s a simple matter to nail the
sheet metal down to the trusses.
TOPPING IT ALL OFF. The last step to
complete the construction of the
birdhouse is to top it off. If you want
to hang the birdhouse, you’ll need
to add a screw eye like in Fig. 9b.
Otherwise, you can add a finial like
in Fig. 9c. And if you want to add a
perch, see the box below.
STAIN. I finished the birdhouse by
brushing on a couple coats of an
exterior stain. And to add some vari-
ety, I stained the base and perch a
different color than the body. W

OPTIONAL PERCH

Perches aren’t really neces- assembly, I placed a small the birdhouse. Then I gen- just like you see in Fig. 2.
sary for the birds that live in piece of adhesive-backed tly sanded the back of the Finally, I glued the perch to
the house. But if you’re build- sandpaper on the outside of perch to create the hollow, the front of the house.
ing your birdhouse for show
more than for use, you might 1 2
want to add a perch for the
sake of appearance.
I made a simple two-piece
perch out of 1/4"-thick stock.
The parts are cut out on a
scroll saw or band saw
according to the pattern and
sizes shown in Fig. 1. Then
they’re glued together.
To create a hollow along
the back edge of the perch

No. 130 Woodsmith 31

 IN THE
WOODSMITH SHOP

STRAIGHT, FLAT & SQUARE

Straight, flat, and square boards are easier to work with, can be glued
together with fewer problems, and make for doors and drawer fronts that
stay flat. Here’s how we get our lumber from rough to ready.

Choose Your Boards Carefully

Successful stock prepa-
ration actually star ts
when you begin picking
out the lumber for a proj-
ect. After all, the boards
you choose to bring
home will determine
how easy it will be for you
to end up with flat and
straight workpieces. Here are a
few things to keep in mind.
{ Starting with THICKER IS BETTER . Most boards are
rough stock gives either rough sawn or surfaced two
you more control sides (S2S) or four sides (S4S).
over the final (These terms are defined briefly in
workpieces. the box on page 33.) Rough sawn is
exactly what it sounds like — rough
stock that hasn’t been “cleaned up.”
S2S and S4S refer to boards that
have been planed so their faces are
parallel (but not necessarily flat).
Whenever possible, I try to buy
rough lumber. It means more work
jointing and planing. But 4/4 (read
“four quarter”) rough stock is close
to 1" thick. On the other hand, 4/4
boards that have been surfaced
(S2S or S4S) are only about 13/16"
thick. So if there is any cupping or
bowing in these boards (either now
or as they acclimate to your shop),
you’ve only got 1/16" to work with
before they’re down to 3/4" thick.
Buying rough stock means I have
more control over the final product.
BE PICKY. This is also a good time to
be really picky about the boards you
choose. Almost every board will
bow or cup a little, but badly warped
pieces should be passed over. And if
I can see that it’s twisted, I’ll put it
right back into the stack.
BUY PLENTY. Finally, I try to buy at
least 20% more wood than a project
calls for. This can feel like money
down the drain, but I remind myself
that there will be knots and other
defects to cut out, mistakes I’ll
make, and test pieces to cut. Plus, if
I buy extra wood, I won’t be tempted
to use pieces that are warped.

Give the Wood Time to Move

It’s tempting to start working as soon bring them into the shop. This just Every time a face is planed or an
as the boards are hauled into the means stacking them with strips of edge is ripped, the wood may move
shop. But this is a good time to do a wood in between to allow air to cir- a little. So again, to allow air to circu-
little procrastinating. That’s because culate on all sides, see left photo. late, I’ve gotten into the habit of set-
the humidity in your shop is probably STORING PROJECT PIECES . But that’s ting pieces on edge when I’m not
drier than the store, lumberyard, or not the end of the wood movement. working with them, see right photo.
mill where you bought the wood. And
as the lumber acclimates to its new
home, you may see some changes.
For instance, the ends of a board can
check, or a board that was flat in the
store may cup or bow.
The thing is, you won’t know for a
week or two, and if you jump right
in, there may be some unwanted
surprises in your finished work-
pieces. Giving the wood time to
move will let you plan around these
changes when laying out the pieces.
LONG TERM STORAGE. Besides giving
the wood time, you also want to Let it sit. To let the wood adjust to the Setting pieces aside. To let air cir-
make sure it acclimates evenly. So I moisture level in your shop, stack culate at the end of the day, I set proj-
“sticker” the boards when I first boards with small strips in between. ect pieces edge down on small strips.

32 Woodsmith No. 130

Cut to Rough Size First
After the lumber has acclimated to
your shop, what’s the next step? Do
you joint and plane the long, rough
boards flat or cut them to rough size?
It might seem to take less time and
effort to work with a few long boards.
But it’s actually more efficient to cut
them to rough size first.
MORE EFFICIENT. With a larger board,
you have to remove more wood to
get it flat. Take a cupped board for
example. To joint and plane across
its entire width means removing a
lot of material at the center, as
shown in the drawing. But if the
board is ripped into narrow pieces
first, there will be much less waste.
ROUGH CUT PIECES. So after the wood
has acclimated, the next thing I do is
lay out the workpieces of the project Roughing it. Cutting pieces to rough
and cut them to rough size, as size first means there’s less material to
shown in the photo. And I don’t just remove to get them flat and straight.
lay out the initial pieces. This is the
best time to select boards for highly leave them a little long. The prob-
visible areas, like drawer fronts, lem is most thickness planers (mine
door frames, and top panels. included) leave a “snipe” at the end
ALLOW FOR SNIPE . When roughing of the board, and the ends of the
out the pieces, it’s a good idea to piece will need to be trimmed a bit.

Get One Face Perfectly Flat

After the pieces have been roughed
out, the next thing I do is get one face
of each board flat. My tool of choice
for this is the jointer, though you could
also use a hand plane. (A thickness
planer normally won’t flatten the face
of a board unless the opposite face
has already been made flat.)
Though some people just think of
a jointer as an edge-cutting tool, it’s
also great for flattening a board’s
face. And the procedure is the same.
JOINTER BASICS. The piece should be
fed into the cutterhead so the edge
grain from left to right “runs down-
hill.” This way, the jointer knives
won’t catch the wood and cause
tearout. And if the board is cupped { To tell when the
or bowed, I place the “hollow” face face is flat, scrib-
down on the bed (see drawing) so ble a line across
there are two points that keep the Joint one face. Flattening one face the board and
board from rocking. first is the key to ending up with pieces continue jointing
LIGHT PASSES. Jointing the face of a that are flat, straight, and square. until all the
wide board requires a firm grip and marks disappear.
a good push block. But you don’t check my progress (especially with
need to “hog out” a lot of material in S2S and S4S boards, since the faces
one pass. My jointer is usually set to are already smooth), I scribble lines
remove 1/32" or less. And to help me across the face, as you can see in the

BOW: A board that is warped along the
length of its faces. (It will rock from end
to end on one face.)
CHECK: A split that occurs on the end of a
board as it dries out.
CROOK: A board that is warped along the
length of its edges. (It will rock from end
to end on one edge.)
CUP: A board that is warped across the
width of its faces. (It will rock from side-
to-side on one face.)
LUMBER LINGO
“FOUR QUARTER” STOCK (4/4): Designation for
hardwood that is rough cut 1" thick. If the
board has been surfaced, the actual thick-
ness will be closer to 13/16". (5/4, 6/4, and
8/4 are also common.)
ROUGH SAWN: Boards that have been dried
and cut to rough size, but their faces
haven’t been surfaced.
SNIPE : A deeper slice that’s planed off the
ends of a board with a thickness planer.
SURFACED FOUR SIDES (S4S): Hardwood lum-
ber that has been surfaced (planed) so
both faces and both edges are smooth.
SURFACED TWO SIDES (S2S): Hardwood lumber
that has been surfaced (planed) on both
faces, but the edges have been left rough.
(Faces are parallel but not necessarily flat.)
TWIST: A warped board that is distorted on
both its faces and edges. One corner is
lifted, and the ends aren’t parallel.
WARP: Any deviation from true or square
in a piece of wood.

No. 130 Woodsmith 33

 Thickness Stock with Planer
After one face has been jointed (or
hand planed) flat, the board is ready
to be run through a thickness planer.
The planer does two things. It makes
the second face flat and parallel to the
first. And it reduces the thickness of
the stock. Note: It bears repeating
that if you don’t start with one flat
face, a thickness planer will only make
the faces of the board parallel — but
Joint an Edge
Now that both faces are flat and par-
allel, all that’s left is to make sure the
edges of the workpiece are straight
and square to the faces. The first edge
is straightened on the jointer. Just
make sure the fence is 90° to the table
Cut to Final Size
To get the second edge straight and
parallel to the first, I simply walk the
board over to the table saw and rip it
to final width, making sure that the
jointed edge is against the rip fence,
like you see in the photo.
CLEAN EDGES . However, sometimes
a saw blade will leave saw marks or
burn the edge of the workpiece. You
could remove these by sanding or
scraping, but a quicker way is to use
the jointer after the piece has been
ripped on the table saw. (Cutting it
on the table saw first ensures that
the edges will be parallel.)
34
they won’t necessarily end up flat.
PLANER BASICS . Feeding a board
through a planer is even easier than
pushing it over a jointer. After all,
the feed rollers do most of the work.
I still like to take light passes (1/32"
or so) and take care to feed the
piece so the cutterhead is cutting
with the grain. (Remember, a planer
shaves off the top face of the piece.)
PLANE BOTH FACES . If there’s more
thickness planing to do after both Thicknessing the stock. A planer
faces are flat and parallel, I usually not only reduces the thickness of the
flip the piece between passes. Plan- board. It creates a face that’s flat and
ing the same amount from each face parallel to the jointed face.
like this “cancels out” (or at least
minimizes) any cupping or bowing the same thickness. So I run all the
that happens after the fresh wood is boards through the planer at each
exposed to the air, see drawing. setting before changing it. Thinner
BOARDS OF A FEATHER. When planing, pieces can be added into the works
it’s important that the pieces end up as you adjust the depth of cut.
and joint the concave edge until you
can “hear” the jointer cutting along
the entire length of the piece.
Again, you want to cut with the
grain, but with many boards (espe-
cially longer ones), the grain direc-
tion may change, as it does in the
drawing at left.
This shouldn’t be too big a prob-
lem. As you’re jointing, slow down
when you get to the point where the
grain direction changes. This way, Joint an edge. Now that both faces
the knives will be taking smaller are flat and parallel, you can begin to
“bites,” and you’ll be less likely to work on the edges. So it’s back to the
end up with any chipout. jointer to clean up one edge.
In this case, I rip the board so it’s
1/ " wider than the final width. Then
32
make a light pass on the jointer.
START OVER. In a perfect world, this
would be the end of the process,
and you could start on the joinery.
But occasionally I’ll discover that a
piece I had milled straight and flat
the day before has warped enough
overnight to prevent me from using
it. It wasn’t that I’d done anything
wrong; it’s just that wood moves. If Final edge. To get the second edge
this happens, don’t be afraid to start straight and parallel with the first, it
over with a new piece. In the end, can be ripped on the table saw (and
it’ll save you time (and frustration). cleaned up on the jointer, if needed).
Woodsmith No. 130
 MAIL
ORDER
SOURCES

SOURCES Similar project

Woodsmith Project Sup-
plies is currently offering
a couple of hardware kits
for the projects in this issue.
(See the left box below for
ordering information.)
Similar supplies, as well as
supplies for the other proj-
ect featured, are also avail-
able at local woodworking
and hardware stores or the
mail order sources at right.
CURIO CABINET
The first thing you notice
about the curio cabinet is
the glass, and I’ll mention
something about ordering
it in a minute. But there’s
quite a bit of other hard-
ware to talk about, as well.
Finding the dark metal
Craftsman-style door pulls
wasn’t a problem. But the
hinges, door catches, and
shelf supports were all
bright brass. And they
would have looked out of
place next to the pulls.
To match the dark
pulls, I used a darkening
solution, as you can see in
the photo above right. All
you do is soak the bright
brass hardware in the
supplies may
be ordered from
the following
solution until it darkens. than the cabinet opening companies:
Then the hardware can be because the shelf sup- Appalachian Millwork
& Lumber
buffed lightly with an ports I used were each 800-849-9174
abrasive pad or steel wool. about 1/16" thick. www.appmill.com
You can find this dark- Hardwood candle cups,
Cherry dowel & plugs
ening solution under a QUILT RACK
variety of names at local The wall-mounted quilt Cherr y Tree
hobby shops (it’s used for rack on page 20 doesn’t 800-848-4363
model trains) or the mail require much metal hard- www.cherr ytree-
online.com
order sources at right. ware. But there are a few { To match the antiqued Cherry dowel,
Currently, you can specialty wood par ts to finish of the Craftsman candle cups & plugs
order a hardware kit from track down. You’ll need two pulls, the bright brass
Constantine’s
Woodsmith Project Sup- candle cups, a 7/8"-dia. hardware was soaked in 800-223-8087
plies that includes every- dowel (at least 34" long), a “darkening solution.” www.constantines.com
thing you need, including and two kinds of plugs. Curio cabinet hardware,
Brass antiquing solution,
the dual lamp with 25 watt There are a number of whether it’s hung from a Finials
bulbs and the darkening sources for these parts, chain or mounted on a post.
solution for the brass. The but if you want all the Most of the supplies you Midwest Dowel Works
kit does not include any of wood parts to be cherry, need can be found locally 800-555-0133
www.midwestdowel.com
the glass, see below. you can either order them at a hardware store or Hardwood candle cups,
• Curio Cabinet Kit from the source at right or home center. However, you Cherry dowel & plugs
7130-100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$69.95 order the kit currently may need to order the
McMaster-Carr
GLASS . After the doors being offered by Wood- wood finial that fits on top
630-833-0300
are built, the glass can be smith Project Supplies. of the post-mounted house www.mcmaster.com
ordered from a local glass This kit includes all the from one of the mail order Copper sheet metal
shop. For the ends and specialty wood parts (in sources at right.
Rockler Woodworking
doors, I ordered 3/16"-thick cherry), plus all the metal COPPER SHEET METAL . The
800-279-4441
glass with a 11/4"-wide hardware you’ll need. copper sheet metal may www.rockler.com
bevel and had these pan- • Quilt Rack Kit also prove difficult to find. Curio cabinet hardware,
els cut 1/8" smaller than 7130-200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$13.95 I purchased mine from a Quilt rack hardware,
Hardwood candle cups,
the frame openings. nearby sheet metal suppli- Cherry plugs, Finials
For the shelf panels, I BIRDHOUSE er. But you can also buy a
ordered 1/4"-thick glass The materials required for 12" x 12" square of 26 Woodcraft
with “pencil” edges. And the birdhouse on page 26 gauge copper from the 800-225-1153
www.woodcraft.com
they ended up 1/4" less will var y depending on source listed at right. W Curio cabinet hardware

Woodworker’s Supply
WOODSMITH PROJECT SUPPLIES 800-645-9292
“Brass Ager” solution,
To order a hardware kit from Woodsmith Project Quilt rack hardware,
Supplies, please use our Toll Free order line, see below.
It’s open Monday through Friday, from 8 AM to 5 PM
on the web Hardwood candle cups,
Cherry plugs, Finials

Central Time. Before calling, please have your VISA, • Over 100 Woodworking Tips Online
MasterCard, or Discover Card ready. • Visit Our Readers’ Project Photo Gallery
If you want to mail in your order, call the number • Project Plans You Can Download New Online Customer Service
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charges as well as any applicable sales tax. • Forums for Woodworking, Tools & Classifieds www.woodsmith.com
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No. 130 Woodsmith 35

 A LAST
LOOK

FINAL DETAILS

{ Birdhouse. Whether you choose this hanging design or the { Craftsman Curio Cabinet. With its beveled glass,
post-mounted option, this attractive birdhouse is sure to be quartersawn oak, and antique brass hardware, this curio
a hit with your feathered friends. Easy-to-follow directions cabinet will be on display just as much as the contents
for this project can be found on page 26. inside. Step-by-step instructions start on page 6.

{ Quilt Rack. All it takes is a weekend to make a quilt rack that’s sure to
become as much of a treasure as the items you display on it. Complete
plans start on page 20.