20 NT et) TO WORK IN YOUR SHOP FOR PANIC-FREE|GLUE-UPS nen) See a eee . ote Vol. 15 Issue 90 www.ShopNotes.com ae su Or se > Sort Narra [S-IN-1 PORTABLE TOT eyUsing a Plunge Router page 8 Sin-1 Multi-Tool All-Purpose Layout Tool page 34 2 A "shop-in-a-bax" perfectly describes t ‘around work cart. With eight drawers andi open shelves with easy access, everything is ri where you need i. Plus, the large workeur ‘comes in handy forall kinds of shop tasks. 3-in-1 Multi-Tool SB Tis rut abe packs alta big tine features Perea tag ss oi All-Purpose Layout Tool. Featuring a set of replaceable Keys, th ‘00! serves a wide range of uses yout laying out dovetails or mortises, or checking the thickness of freshly planed stock ae Putting Air Power to Use in the Shop. ; Tired of tangled and in-the-way air hoses? Make using your compressor more efficient by piping your shop for ait Here's what you need to know to set up @ comoressed air systom Departments Readers’ Tips 4 Using a Plunge Router, DEZE ¢ A plunge router is a versatile tool. Learn what you need to know to get the most out of it Tool Steel 12 Doss the tye of steel in your chiso or plane ‘rons realy meke a dflerence? Here the “Ultimate” Drilling Guide Accurately installed hardware or perfectiy spaced shelf pin holes — its a snap wit precision driling guide. wer ShopNotes No. 90Roll-Around Work Cart Shop Short Cuts. Shop-tested tips and tec woodworking problems niques to solve your Gluing Up a Panel Take the hassle and worry out of gluing up @ flat panel with our simple, ivestep process 5 Space-Saving Worksurfaces. ‘Need an extra worksurtace? We feature five ideae that wll work in any elze shop. n g the table IM, Tough Cuts Made Easy DZS , Cutting smal pars onthe table saw can be quite a challenge. Thess tps and techniques provide solutions for doing it easily and safely great gear 20 Cool Tools for Under $50, You're oure to find the porfoot gift in thio colloe tion of stocking-stufters e Sources 5 ‘www.ShopNotes.com Cutoffs PPren 1 bought my first router, t was a WF very basic tool. Not much more than small motor with a couple handles attached. So, I was always looking for ways to make that router do more and work harder. Now it seems like an endless array of routers are available, from heavy-duty plunge models to tiny powerhouses you can hold in the palm of your hand. Even though routers have improved, still look for ways to make them work harder. In this issue, we're featuring a couple articles that do just that. Beginning on page, we'll show you tips on choosing and using a plunge router. And we've included a simple jig to help you get more out ofthis versatile tool If small routers are more your style, be sure to check out the article on page 28. Well show you tool how to tum a palm router into a Sin mul Sapien ot Se cs Taare nee www.ShopNotes.com sa a | i hp 41 AE ae fipty a iene Hi Bulli 25 5h ae 3" Readers Tips for .§ Your Shop | Small Parts Carousel L 1 like to keep extra screws, bolts, be difficult to store and organize. To and other hanéware on hand to solve this problom, I built the amall, save me trips to the hardware store. parts storage carousel you see in {ne problem is all these parts can _ the drawing below. teragy The carousel consists of a singh: SusAN base unit and a set of storage units sized tohold plasticbins. Thestorage tunits rotate 90 you vat find Uhe part Base. To make it easy to access ‘youneed quickly and easily. And, as the storage bing. I huilt 4 simple Nareow DIVIDER 1 Raedy ee wea shown in the drawing above, you base (drawing at let). Fist, cut the Naggow tant build and stack as many topandbottom shelves tsize. And cos any unis as needed for addi- thon connect them tothe L-chaped legs and frame. Finally, add a lazy Susan to allow the unit to rotate. Storage Unit. Each storage unit is built from 4° plywood and %' hardboard. Start by cutting the base and top to size. Then make four separate storage compartments to hold two different sizes of 4wide bins (one deep and one shallow). The two larger compartments are made by joining two sides and a divider to a back. Dadoes in the sides and back hold the 4" hard- board shelves and divider (main drawing and inset). The small center compartments are formed by con- necting the backs of the large com- partments by two spacers and a set ‘ofsmall shelves Hore again, dadoos hold the shelves in position 10 use the carousel, just slide in ‘he bine and fill them with emall parts. Then a spin is all it takes to find the part you need. Jolin Dutcher Salt Lake City, Utah SMALL SHELF Out WIDE LEG (ro ay) 4 ShopNotes No. 90Storing pieces of scrap wood in my © sopisabvaysachallenge. lakes att of time (not to mention space) to sort uough the piles tucked here and there thoughoutmy shop. So [built thesimple and inexpensive scrap wood organizer ‘you see in the drawing below. ‘Theorganizerismadeby stacking con- crete forming tubes together. They come ina variety of sizes so you can adapt the Scrap Wood Organizer Once you decide on the configura tion of the tubes, you can then size and build a simple frame to contain them. ‘The frame I built is made to sit sceurcly con the floor in my shop. Finally, I sort the scraps by size and species of wood so I can quickly find just the piece I need. Now my shop is ‘organized, clean, and fre from clutter. Leslie Harrison Bremerton, Washington NOTES « reame SSN = ronan TUBES Cae, Submit Your Tips 1 you nave an original snop tip, we would like to near trom you and consider 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, lowa 50312. Please include your name, address, and daytime phone number (in case we have any questions). if you would like, you can FAX it to us at 615-282-6741 or simply send us an email mes ‘at: [email protected]. We will pay up to $200 if we publish your tip, The Winner! Congratulations to Paul McKibben of Norcross, i Georgia. His tip on making a panel saw guide for ‘cutting sheet goods was selected as winner of the Porter-Cable router just like the one shown at the right. The panel saw guide is inexpensive i | ee To find out how you could win a Porter- Cable router, check out the information above. Your tip just might be a winner. ‘wwwShopNotes.com Issue 90 Nov/Dec. 2006 EDMTOR ey J Stohman MANAGING EDITOR Bryan Neon CcoNTRIBUTING EDTOR Vincent Arcera ASSOCIATE EDITORS Pil ube Te Rate ASSISTANT EDITORS on ton, hatch Holmes, Randal & Manny Denis Fins [EXECUTIVE ART DIRECTOR Tod Labi ‘ART DIRECTOR Cary Chvsensen ‘SENIOR ILUSTRATOR Fer Rtas ILLUSTRATORS Dai Kaley, Fete Larson CREAIVE DIRECTOR Tes Krak ‘SENIOR PROIEC DESIGNERS Ken Wiel Renton che Ft PROJECT DESIGNERS/BULDERS Vike Donovan, orn Cole ‘SHO CRAFTSMEN Steve Cut, Stove Johrion ‘sR. PHOTOGRAPHERS Crajels England, Dennis Kenney ASSOCIATE STLE DIRECTOR Rebecca Cunningham ELECTRONIC IMAGE SPECALIST Alan Funke IDEOGRAPHER aig Russeope Mark Hayes eee spony Rapti Ring Sn “Gost sargne rents ore ‘Scope ape one she Aarne sie Se ty 8 Oe fa in a ACERS your sccoust {= aE on a sszptonpayrent = QHANGE ur maing or mal eces | RENEW your stscton PAY youl ikon “Surber Sais” nthe on he ef sie of ou fein page Mens Sn Tare wl sou rou ny the coatrantenar sre you eee HOW TO REACH US: FORSUBSCRFTIONS, ADDRESS CHANGES (OR QUESTIONS, WRITE OR CALL: BBE Eesti z0012 foossssesasam w Spm cr (Of SEND AN EMAILTO: ‘orderseshopnotes com Print io USA,PUES mL) T work with alot of sheet goods in my shop. And it's always dificult to break tho large shoto down to size. To help me with this task, I built the panel saw guide shown in the photo above. Is inexpensive to build and easy to use. To build the cutting guide, you can begin with o base of hich Baltic birch plywood. Then add cleats along each edge. The cleats NOTE: a00 stam TOSURE ADEQUATE 60 Panet CEA ‘AW GUIDE oe tye ‘ALUM ‘Gane add strength to the base and raise the saw guides to provide a pocket forthe panel being wut Next, you'll build the saw guide. Its made by attaching a couple of lengils of 4" elumisum channel to the edge of two pieces of 3% hardwood stock, as shown in the drawing and deal below. You'll want to space the guides so they fit the base of your circular saw. To do tis fist square up one guide and mount it with saws to the end cleats. Then mount the other guide in position. To use the panel guide, lide a sheet beneath the saw guides. Then Slip your circular saw between the channel guides, lino things up, and push the saw along the guide Paul McKibben Norcrss, Georgia ShopNotes Nu. 90Clamp Storage Rack edge to hold the clamps securely in placo (Side View). The shelver aro connected with screws to side and A To keep the cords of his power tools ol toe Demis of ee, Quebec, Canada, simply loops a rubber band overa small dowel, wraps the rubber band over the cord, and then secures it over the dowel again. ‘wwwShopNotes.com ‘Afr yur of srg my long bar back pieces (drawing below). This © sraipreciampsaitovertneshop,1 provides si support and makes it builtthecamp soragerackyousce exy to mount the ack the wal Bee eit ace ane eva game onc Aimy danps nce pace ANdDy shelf 9 sae News you cn oe Storing each size of Clamp inline 14d, Frstner bf il paced cnetahind the othe: Lalvystave hols along one edge of exch sel casyecesto the eacsize need. (lop View). Then im away the Thecackis spy ee fie: waste witha sam. ral atch sized shelves, Each sel sits af a thesidesand backs, mounttherack, ee ee ee eee Larry Fellows “Taylor, Michigan \ BR Woes A Mike Ruffalo of Columbia, MO, adds a right angle plug to the cord of his portable power tools. This prevents the plug from pulling away from the extension cord whenever tension Is placed on the cord. psp AS yes rus Neath: eats atic Sea www.ShopNotes.com cee ee gaa by Email” to signiS Speed contro! al) Depth rot aduustment dial Micro-adjust knob onort switch next 10 handario ROUTER FEATURES | Guide edge on base —~ get tho rhost from your: SINS NROUtS? Learn how to turn this handy tool into a shop workhorse. Plunge routers are nothing new. But if you've never ‘owned or used one, alot about them can seem quite abit different from the fixed-base router you may be used fo. So to get most benefit from a plunge router, you first need to understand the “mechanics” that make it work. Then the simple techniques for using plunge router will come easy ‘The Plunge. The trick that a plunge router can do is really pretty simple but extremely useful. With a plunge router you can tum on the motor and then lower the spinning bit straight down into the work- piece (or plunge) with complete control. This means that, nlike a fived-bas outer, you're not limited to starting and stopping acutat the edge ofa workpiece. Stopped grooves, dadoes, mortise, pockets for inlay, and fluting roll fair game for a plunge router The Key Features, But before you can go to work with a plunge router, it's best to familiarize yourself swith the nique fea oct at left and on the opposite page poi ShupNotes No. 90Spring Action. On a. plunge router, tho motor and base are a single unit. A pair of posts attached to the base mate with spring- loaded sockets in the motor casing They allow the motor to travel up and down on the base. You push against the force of the springs to lower the motor and bit, then at the end of the cut the springs take over tolift the motor and bit back up. Plunge Lock. When you lower the bit into a cut, you don’t want to have to concem yourself with keeping it a a constant depth. So a plunge router has a lock that fixes the motor at any position along the posts (photos, top row). The most ‘common type is an easy-to-reach, springaaction lever that you trip You pull it down to release the lock and simply let it spring back when you ‘want fo re-engage it Depth Rod and Stop. So you release the plunge lock and. push the motor and bit into the cut. But what stops the bit at the correct depth? This job is handled by an adjustable depth sux and stp. Together, the depth rod and stop form a simple system. As you see jn pluton on de uppusite page thecepthrodishoused in themotor casing, It can be easly adjusted up oor down and then locked securely in place. The rod sits over a depth stop on the base. When the motors plunged, the rod contacts the stop at the correct depth. Most newer plunge routers have stepped” depth stops, as shown at right. This arrangement allows you to make progressively deeper cuts ‘without having to readjust the rod after each cut. You frst adjust for a fulldepth cut atthe lowest step. Then you rotate the stop to a higher stop and work your way down cut by cut It’s really handy feature Micro-Adjust. A quick adjust iment of the depth sual will yet you close to your target. But for dead-on precision you'll find a micro-adjust feature built int amost routers Fine-tuning the depth is literally as easy as turning a knob, with a finger or thumb worwShopNotes.com The Key Features = J Grip Plunge Lock. Turning the handgrip on this plunge router locks and Unlocks the plunge action. ‘Stepped Depth Stop. The steps ofthis rotating “turret” stop fet you quichly ake a cut in several passes. Is ‘Spindle Lock. Depressing the button locks the spindle so the collet can be tightened or loosened with one wrench. ‘Changing Bits. Since you can’t separate the motor from the base, access to the collet for bit changes is often tight. Most plunge routers get around this problem by including a spindle lock that makes “one- rence” bit Ganges possible Turning It On. There's just ‘one more item I want to mention (Controlling a plunge router during a cut is definitely a “two-handed” job. This means the critical controls Lever Lock. The most common type of plunge lock is a spring-action lever. You ul it back to release the lock. Micro-Adjust. A micro-adjust dial provides an exoy and avcurale way 1 fine-tune the depth of cut ‘A Handy Switch. You won't have any trouble finding the trigger switch on the handgrip of this plunge router. need to be right at hand and easy to operate — including the on/off switch. For this reason you'll find the switch on a plunge router very near or right on one of the hand- grips. The toggle switch on the router on the opposite page can easily be reached with a finger while still maintaining a firm grip, ‘An even handier option isa trigger switch located on the handgrip (photo above). This is my favorite. 0plunge routing ‘A plunge router can handle a lot of challenging tasks. Routing aci- rate stopped grooves and dadoes is good example. And this jb is a good way to get acquainted with the basics of using a plunge router. First Set the Depth. Oncethe bit is installed, the frst step isto adjust the depth of cut. The procedure is going to vary on different brands Of plunge routers, but in general it follows the same basic steps. The photos in the box below take you through the process, Remember to set the Binal depth using the lowest step on the depth stop. Guiding the Cut. Before starting the cut, you need a way to guide the router Forbasic operations like 2 stopped groove or dado, Hike to use a straightedge camped to the workpiece. With the flat sie ofthe base against the guide, you have very steady contra of the router (upper right photo). Ready to Go. With the guide in place, set the router over the left end point ofthe cut. (You'll move the router left to right) When you plunge into the workpiece, you don't want to guess where the bit 1g The Depth: One, Two, Three Zero the Bit. After instaling the set the router flat on your benchtop. Release the plunge lock, lower the biti the surface, and re-engage the lock. 10 A Zero Depth lod and Dial. Next. unlock he depth rod and lower it to contact the ‘botiom step of the depth stop. Adjust the ‘scale fo read zero at this point. A Position the Router. Lower the bit to the surface to position the router for the plunge. will enter. So with the router tured. off, I release the plunge lock and drop the bit to the surface. Then 1 position the router over the layout, as shown in the inset photo above. ‘The Cut. With the router in posi- tion, raise the bit above the surface and you're ready to start the cut Firct, you flip the owitch, then you. disengage the plunge lock and hold it. As you plunge, you want to be sure to hold the router very firmly with both hands — especially as the bit contacts the workpiece. You want to push down until the depth rod hits the stop. Once at full depth ke to reengage the plunge lever to keep the motor ane bit fren iing upon me, Now simply move the router slowly and steally along the straightedge Nealcennee ce ied down slighty so ean sop right ee When you rach the end ing dtscignge fa page lack aed ha speings vl tke over anc rie Tae cee hitsthe top ofthe posts, tum tof Control. Tve found. that one eri eaael plunge routing maintaining fm fontol before, during, and afer the cut So the eck here 1st get a: good fel forthe cation ae Senilateeiaiay ovina plunge lock. This will come easly witha lil practice. & e Set Depth Rod. Now, raise the depth rod until the scale on the dial matches the desired depth of cut. Finally, lock the depth rod in place. ShopNotes No. 90If all you ever did with your plunge router was rout mortises, I think you'd still consider it a great investment. It's fast, easy, and most importantly, you get cleanly cut and dead-on accurate mortises. First, a Jig. To rout a mortise efficiently, you'll need an easy and accurate way to guide the plunge router. My answer is the jg you see atright.Itconsists fa pairofadjust- able guides attached to ahardboard baseplate that replaces the router's baseplate (lower right photo). The guides snug up to either side of the ‘workpiece to position and stabilize the cut: (To find complete plans for the jig, see the margin.) The Setup. To get started, you'll need the jig in place and the bit installed in the router. (1 profer a spiral upeut bit for mortising) @ WH te more tae out, Ttamp the workpiece down so that the jig, will slide along it without obstruc- tion (lower left photo). ‘Adjust the Jig. The next step is to use the layout lines on the ‘workpiece to set up the jig. So set the router and jig on the workpiece with thebit roughly over the layout and slide the guides loosely up against it. To center the bit on the ‘www.ShopNotes.com e Mortising Jig layout, lower it to the surface and lock it in place. Now, you can “tweak” the position of the jig on the work- ppiece until the bit falls between the layout (ight photo below). At this point, snug. the guides up to the ‘workpiece and tighten them down (left photo below). The jig should. slide easily along the workpiece ‘but without any slop or wobble. The Cut. Routing the mor tise is really no different from the basic procedure described earlier. 1 always use multiple passes to “step” the mortise down at about W per cut. Plus, I like to start the cutby plunging just to the inside of the end line. Then I rout back to the layout line before routing forward This is easier than trying to plunge several times at the exact same spot. To end the cut right on the mark, you can clamp a stop block to the workpiece, as shown in the upper right photo, Since the workpiece is trapped firmly between the two guides, all you need to concentrate on are the “plunge mechanics.” And when 4 the workpiece, giving y control of the ‘you lift the jig off the workpiece, I think you'll be surprised that a technique this easy can give such top-notch results Centering the Bit. Lower the bit to the surface and then reposition the jg to center it on the layout Tighten the Guides. With the Jig positioned on the workpiece snug up the guides and tighten the wing nuts ul ‘Making the Cut. Once the jig is adjusted, routing the mortises is a simple operation. A stop block takes any guesswork out of ending the cut. A Simple Jig. The two adjustable guides sandwich very easy and steady vier during the cuts. ShopNotes Go to our website ‘ShopNotes.com to find complete plans for the plunge router martising jig,taking a look at — ee SZ Tool Steel _. Does the type of steel in your tools make a difference in their performance? Here's what | found out Mi | If you've shopped around for The Differences. One of the and A2 plane irons to put them to chisels or plane irons recently, it's things you might read is that A2 work in a “real-world” scenario in cnzy to get confuse. The ferent stee i harder to sharpen than Ol my workshop. types of steel used to make them steel. Or you cant get as sharp an The ions for’ my Veritas low = like O1, A2, and D2—readslike edge with A2. On the other hand, angle block plane came from Lee alphabet soup. And the descrip- some folks claim that A2 holds its Valley. And Fock Tools supplied the tions in some catalogs lend you to edge longer than O1 irons for my old Stanley 60% low believe that certain types of steel Now you can find a lot of tech- angleblockplane. (Refer to Sources (like A2 and D2) are the answer to nical information about steel, but on page 5 for more information) all woodworkers’ problems. without a degree in metallurgy it Honing. The frst thing to do won't make much sense. What it was use a guide (photo at lft) really comes down to is the car- to hone all of the irons the same bide content. Basically, A2 and D2 way. 1 used wetdry sandpaper, steel are tougher than O1 because progressing from 800- to 2000- oftheir higher carbide content. You grit. Then I flattened the back and already know how tough carbide honed a microbevel on each one. is from using a carbide-tipped saw As forthe claim that A2 steel is blade or router bit. But are there tougher to hone because ofits hard- any real differences when it comes ness, LIunestly couldn't tell much to using them in the shop? difference. The reason could be that Shop Use. To set up a practical these are high-quality blades and test for the ste, T decided to use were already ground and lapped block planes. I ordered some O1 at. They didn’t need a lot of honing to gota sharp edge. even A Sharp Eage. A noning guide changed the bevel angle from 25° ensures a consistent auting angla ta XP bu stil didn’t notice much and square edge. ofa difference in sharpening ‘ShopNotes No. 00A Tough Test. Shaving the end grain of workpiece requires a keen cutting edge. As the edge Slicing End Grain. Once the fun were shiaxpened, it was tine to put them to the test. A good way to do this is to plane end grain. I madehundreds of passes with each iron on the end of 3"-thick white oak stock. I tried to keep the shav ings the same thickness (0.010 to 0.015") forall the irons. What I was looking for was how much effort it QE Ee cootnuou saving ‘Another thing I looked at was the quality of the shaving. With a freshly honed iron, you should get a crisp, clean shaving across the ‘width and thickness of the board. A Dull Edge. As the exiges dulled, 1 began to see some dust mixed in with the shavings. And it washarder to push the plane to get a good shaving. The plane would skip, for chatter, across the workpiece Plus, the shavings were noticeably smaller (photo above Flaning is Believing. Now you ‘might be thinking that this wasn’t really a scientific test. And that’s true. But what I Ieamed was inter- esting. The O1 iron started out sharper than the A2 iron. It didn’t take as much effort as with the A2 iron to get a clean shaving, But there was a trade-off. The AZ irons were able to keep taking, shavings long after the O1 irons gave up. I was able to get shavings @ site te OF irons up 0 about 350 passes. The A2 irons were stil able to cut shavings at 500 passes, but it did take quite a bit more effort wwwShopNotes.com Options. So were my results sonnvethiing thal everyone would expect? To get a little more insight, talked to a few tool suppliers. Ron Hock of Hock Teals and Robin Lee of Lee Valley both stated that a lot lof woodworkers request A2 steel They agree that there's a percep- tion that A2 makes a better tool for woodworking. Some suppliers, like Lie Niels, only offer A2 steel for their chisels and plane irons. But the sales of chisels or plane irons using OL steel are strong, Hock feels that O1 steel initially gives you a sharper cutting edge than A2, And Leebelieves thatmost users can get a sharper edge with OL because most woodworkers believe it's easier to sharpen. Joel Moskowitz at Tools for Working Wood agrees that i's easier to get a sharp edge with O1 steel so it’s an excellent steel for chisel. But he didn’t necessarily agree that you couldn't get as sharp an edge with A2 steel. And for mortising chisels that really take a beating, he prefers the harder D2 steel because it's even tougher than A2 steel. Making a Choice. Still confused about which steel to look for on your next tool purchase? If you want the sharpest edge possible, Vd go with O1. Buti you don’t ike sharpening as often, then choase the tougher A2 or D2 steel. For my shop, there's definitely room for both types. Rough work, like chopping mortises or hand Flufty Shavings. A freshly sharpened ion slices through tough end grain for a smooth cut leanly Short Shavings. When a plane iron t starts to make toothpick” shavings and dust. Planing stock to thicknes, makes I ur Da sed w ter esr fe fii work whee L want the elec ahi weg God sharpest tool, Fl go for my O1 Stel chisel or hand plane. & 01 Steel. While you can get a sharper dige with 01 steel, it can become dull ‘sooner than A2. The result is a cutting edge that rounds over, requiring 1are effort to make a shaving across the end grain. is harder than O1, the leaving a rough edge, but stil be sharp enough to make a cut on end grain.hole for locating Gu ide i. ‘and drawers Save time and improve the accuracy of installing hardware. /~ . ¥ Accessories Installing hardware can be a real hassle. Italways seesis lhe ior time than it should. Until now, the best way to speed up the process ‘was to make a simple drilling jig, ‘There are couple problems doing this, however. First, I usually have to make separate jigs for drilling shelf pin holes, installing drawer and door pulls, or adding hinges. Besides that, these jigs generally ‘only work for one project. “4 Removeable end stop registers guide from ond of workpiace ie Top stop sets position of holes from \ All-in-One Jig. So when I came across the True Postion Drilling Guide, T was a little curious, It claims to be a universal jig to pre- cisely locate everything from shelf ppins and hinges to knobs and pulls, and even drawer slides in a pinch. ‘The description sounded almost too good to be true. So I picked one Drawer Pull Holes \_ Sliding guides can be set fo match hardware ‘shelf pin spacing Hardened stoo! bushings are replaceable Guide features | standard and metric scales up to try itout. In the photo above, you'll find everything that comes in the basic set (bit not included), For sources, um to page 51 At the heart of the guide are two aluminum scales that are joined to form a T-shape. Each leg is gradu- ated in both standard and metric scales. The scales “zero” out at the center of the” Sliding Guides. To give the guide its versatility, it comes with two adjustable guides. Each one has a hardened steel bushing that is aligned with the fixed bushing in the main body of the puide. These sliding gues easily adjusttomatch the spacing ofthe hardware. Easy to Use. Drilling for knobs and pulls is as simple as setting the guides to match the hardware, ShopNotes No. 90 e‘Top Stop. The final piece ofthe spss the large top oop. It aideo @ Snthewide center arm and sets the position of the holes in relation to the edge of the workpiece. ‘TWO MAIN TASKS There are two main jobs the drill guide excels at — locating holes for pulls and knobs in drawers or doors and setting up for driling adjustable shelf support holes. Drawer Hardware. You can see how the guide works on a drawer fn tho photo on the facing, page. After marking the center of the drawer, you can use the top stop and aliding guides to accurately position the holes for drilling, Door Pulls and Knobs. The process for drilling doors is pretty much the same. The only difference is you can use the end stop to reg- inter Khe guide un the top ur Luton of the door as well as the edge. Shelf Support Holes. Another place where the guide saves time @ is drilling a series of shelf support holes. Although you can use it to drill holes before assembly, I found itworksjustas well foradding them ‘once a case has been assembled, To drill a set of three holes at ‘one time, mark the position of the center hole. Then you can line up the "2er0” line of the guide with the mark and drill the holes. To drill more holes, you can use a pin to reference the guide, as you can seein the photo above. Although the basic drilling guide will work on any size project, itcan. ‘be tetious dling holes in batches ‘of only three at atime. To save set- uptime, you may want to consider the line driting extensions shown. in the photo at right. Ee heavy-duty aluminum bars are basically super-sized versions of the sliding. guides. They attach with brass knobs and one end is ‘www.ShopNotes.com Big Project Add-on: | Drilling Extensions “Eee Shelf Pin Holes 4 Extra Guides, Getting an aaatwonal pair ‘af cl vides (top) makes it easier to aril a A. project with a face frame applications, though. And that's Jongor sorios requires a slightly different setup. because the guide is designed to of holes (le) Here, you'llneed toremove the top drill Smm holes only. So before you stop ond flip the guide around 20 atart drilling, make oure thio will the knurled knobs butt against the _ work with your hardware. face frame. (You can drill the tear One Complaint. This is really Inukes the sane ao before.) any only vomplaint with the Truc More Holes. For smaller cabi- Position Drilling Guide. There's nets, drilling three holes at a time quite a bit of hardware out there will work just fine. But on taller that uses different hole sizes, 50 cabinets, I suggest getting an making bushings in several other additional pair of sliding guides, sizes would be a big help. (marginatright).Ifyouneedtodrill The Bottom Line. Now you may Jong runs of holes, you may want be wondering just how much an to consider the line drilling exten- “ultimate” drilling guide costs For sions shown in the box below. the system shown on the opposite page (the body, two slicing guides, Meg and an end stop) the cos is about Besides knobs, pulls and shelfpins, $140. Any other accessories that the manufacturer says the guide you'd like to add will cost more can also locate holes for drawer That's lot I know, but i'l quickly slides and European-style hinges. pay fr itself in improved accuracy Ymallitle skeptical aboutthese two and time saved. Extensions attach threaded to accept the end stop from the basic guide. Altogether, ‘you cart dell up t0 23 holes before you'll need to reposition the guide. Convenience has its price, however. The exten- C sions. cost $120 fea ee ut guides to for the set. "~ center leg for ‘consistent zmm (about 1") NOTE: Extensions are 15%" long and eee: have 72 holes each 15Our Shop Shop Short Cuts Attaching Slides Instaling drawer slides level and at fhe right height can he a challenge For the rollaround work cart on ‘page 18, lused a simple technique to ‘make the ob easior — and allt takoe isa scrap piece of MDF or plywood. Starting atthe top, cut the spacer to match the height nocded for installing the top drawer slide. With the spacer against the side of the cart, set the side in position on FIRST: use top epee TO PeMON Tor FOURTH: ro spears poriow ube SEESR ETE Paso 6 A Bottom Slide. A piece of 14° hardboard positions the slide up ff the bottom of the cabinet. top and then screw it in place. Next, move tho spacor to the other side and repeat the process. To install the remaining slides, just trim the height (width) of the spacer tomatch the position for each slide and repeat the process (photo at right and drawing a lft below) For the bottom slides, [simply used a4" hardboard spacer, like you see in the photo above. Wing Cutter: Handle Mount Hole 1 wanted to create a pocket in the end of the comer posts of the ‘workcenter to trap the pipe for the handle. Unfortunately, none ‘of my hole saws or dill its were the exact diameter needed to get a perfect fit. That's where a wing- cutter came to the rescue, Just set the wing cutter to the size of the outside diameter of the pipe and use your drill press to ‘cut the i deep circular groove.Working with Brass ‘The brass I picked up forthe keys of the layont tool on page 34 needed a little work before it could be used. ‘Theedgeswere rounded, soitwasr’t ‘quite flat, an it needed abit of pol ishing. The nice thing i it only took a few simple steps to lean it up. ‘To flatten the key so it would slide smoothly inthe groove of the index block, I used a piece of 120- grit sandpaper attached to the top of a workbench. Simply slide the brass back and forth until i's flat, as shown in photo A. After shaping each key, rub the brasslightly witha fineabrasive pad to getrid of any scratches (photo B). ‘piece of steel wool (0000) provides a soft luster, as shown in photo C. Finally to seal and protect the look of the key, spray on a couple coats of lacquer (photo D). Cutting Extra- Wide Grooves ‘Agood way to cut the wide grooves needed for the router table inserts ‘on page 28 is to start with an extra- long workpiece. This way you can. ‘make the cuts for both pieces at the same time so they/re sized ident- cally (Figure 1). To do this, you'll reed to make multiple passes with the dado blade. Just set your dado blade to make a wide cut and set the depth of cut to match the thickness of the inserts as shown in Figure la To center the groove perfecty, ‘you'll want to set the fence on your ‘able saw so it’s slightly off the center of the workpiece and make the first pass. Then turn the work piece around and make a second ppass. To widen the groove, adjust the fence and continue turing the ‘workpiece end-for-end to keep the ‘groove centered until you reach the final size ofthe groove. After completing the wide ‘groove, you can trim the top and back pieces to size so theyre ready aleeBenbed Pear zie ‘wwwShopNotes.com EIRST: srarr SECOND: en, Stem or StANE ANG MARE center “SECou onsstorage ») This handy cart is loaded with storage options and provides a [role ene)|(e) worksurface no matter Nala Nene rol-Laround the tools a y trot ing up to the for any A your shop. I albuilding the Case The foundation for this cart is a strong and sturdy case. So that’s where I started. As you can see in the drawing at right, the case is built from" plywood, using dado joints throughout: To make the cart really solid, I weed two layore for the top and bottom. ‘Top and Bottom. I began by cut- {ing the four top and bottom panels tosize. Youcanset two of the panels aside since they'll be attached later. Theny with a dado blade ox dhe table saw set to match the thickness of your plywood, you're ready to cul the dadve> Ut wld the case sides and divider. You can start With the dadoes on each end, since tyre all cut with the same fence setting (Figure 1a). Then, simply reset the fence and cut the dadoes for the divider. Sides and Divider. Now you ‘can tum your attention to the case sides and divider. They're identical in size, but they each require dif ferent joinery. The right side and divider have grooves that hold the narrow back, creating a recess for the shelves that are added later (see Figure Ic). The left side and divider are rabbeted to hold the wide back, asin Figures 1b and 1c. — msi0e ror & porto rece ae na WAGES, Bort Assembly. This isa good timeto sides and divider with glue, then predrilland countersinkholes from add screws to hold the back panels. the top and bottom to fasten the Now you can flip the assembly twoback pieces. Then you're ready over and do the same to attach the to assemble the case. Beginning inside bottom piece. ‘with theinsidetop panel, attach the The nex step is to attach the two pieces you set aside earlier that complete the case top and bottom. ‘Tho thing to keep in mind hore ie ‘making sure the edges ofthe pieces stay flush all around. a. ENDL, ‘ShopNotes No. 90Edging, With the plywood case complete, you're ready to add some of the hardwood edging. The edging not only makes the cart look aloticer,bur Italso prevents wear and tear on the plywood comers I started with the end pieces on the top and bottom because they reed ta he in place hofare the other pieces are added (Figure 1). They're simply cut to width and length, and then glued in place. Comer Posts. The next step is the attaching the comer posts. They add stability and hold the handles To fit in the case, they're rabbeted along one edge and on both ends (Figure 2). Shop Short Cuts on page 16 shows how I cut the holes to fit the handles perfectly. Once that’s complet, just slip the handle ineach hole and glue the posts in place. ‘Adding the rest of the trim is pretty straightforward. You can start by attaching the top and bottom side pieces. Then just add the single vertical piece on the back of the cart. Once everything is in place, pull out your router and rout aM chamfer onthe inside edges. NOTE: su eoewme Sotie ree a —_@ VERTICAL EDGING (x%4°28) SIDE EDGING (oat) Materials & Hardware case ‘A Case Top/Bottom (8). 19/4 x45/4-% FY. B Case Sides/Divider (3) 1914 x24%4-% Pv Wide Back) 24x24-% Py Narrow Rack (1) 24x TM Ply E End Edging (4) WixtA- Wa F Corner Posts 4) Wane 27 G_ Side Edging (4) WxY-37 HL vertical Egg (1) AKI 4 sueuves 1 End Shelf (2) 4x9 J td shelf ides (4) waxtassn Upper End Shelf Face (2) Yx3-19 Lower End ShelfSides|4)Y4x3-3% M_ Lower End Shelf Face (2) Yu-9 IN Back Shelf) x54-B © Upper Back Shelf sides 2) ¥4x5%-272 P UpperBackshelfface(l) —Yix3-13 Q Lower Back Shelf Sides(2)42814-3 R Lower BackshelfFace())—44x3-13 S Cord Cleats (4) 112-6 Tor T Top Support (2) _ 224484 -% MDF U Topi) 204 x48)- Hebd Y Top Side Edging (2) Yaxth-50 W Top End Edging (2) YxO-24 ‘www.ShopNotes.com DRAWERS X_ Drawer! Front/Back 2). 3%x204- PI.» 16) 4x1" Sheet Metal Screws +06) 4! Washore + (20) 88x24" Fh Woodscrews + (99) 90 x14 Fh Woodscrews ‘AA Drawer 2 Sides (2) 8 Drawer Sone Back(Q) S4204-140h Ce eee eee) SENG ARE latex Fh Woodscrews DD Drawer 4 Front/Back (2) 5x114-4Ply. $172) 46x)" Fh Woodscrews EE Drawer 4 Sides (2) SKE APY, 7 (40)46 xa" Rh Woodscrews FE_ Drawer 5 Front/Back (2) 6/4x2U/;-Y4 Ply. (2) 14" x20" EMT Conduits GG Drawer 5 Sides (2) on + (4) 5°14" Swivel Casters w/Brake Hi Drawer &Frant Rack (2) 64x + (4) 23742 Eetruded Aluminum Drawor Pale IN Drawer 6 Sides (2) 6x14 YPly. (4) 13% Extruded Aluminum Drawer Puls ML Drawer? Front/Back 2) 7%4x 204-1 Ply. KK Drawer 7 Sides (2) Taxi8- Ply. UL Drawer 8 Front/Back 2) 7% x 1%4- V4 Ply MMDrawer 8 Sides (2) Pax -YPly NN Lrg Drawer Bottoms (4) 174 21% -% Ply. (00 Sm Drawer Bottoms (4) 134% 1/4-¥4 Ply. PP. Drawer I False Front) 2%4x237%-% Ply. QQ Drawer 2False Front) 2%4x 1% -¥4 Ply. RR Drawer False Front) 4x2874.-¥%4 Ply. SS creme meena 2 tre TT Drawer False Front (I) $1428) UU Drawer False Front) 5% Bie 4Py W Drawer 7 False Front (I) 6¥ «28 WOW Drawer 8 False Front (1) 6x 1B + (4) 14’ Full-xtension Drawer Slides + [4)18"Full-Extension Drawer Slides Pa FEESBACK SHELF exe) Fae RACSEo asso aracteo 0 siete Sides win GLUE Y Power strip. Adding a power strip guarantees you'll always have an outiet within easy reach, UPPER BACK SHELF FACE SHELE SIDE / sexziern adding the helves & Top With the case assembled, the cart is beginning to take shape. The next step is to add some organization I started by adding shelves in the recesses on the ends and back. Shelves. I wanted the shelves to be big enough to hold a cordless drill and a few of my other more o CORD CLEAT (see ParTeRN BeLOM) ‘commonly used tools. And to build them I decided to use hardwood stock that matched the edging, ‘The construction is pretty simple, Each shelf is attached to two sides with screws from the bottom, The face is rabbeted along the bottom and both ends to fit over the shelf and then assembled with just glue. Figures 1a and 1b, above, show hhow this works. I sized each of the shelf assemblies to fit the recosso= and then attached them to the sides Cf the case with screws. Cleat Pattern oancen 6 You'll also notice that the lower shelves are formed by the bottom of the case. So the face is only rab- beted on the ends. Then just add the shelf sides to complete them. Cord Cleats. I expected to do a lot of power tool work with the cart, 0 next added a power strip and an extension cord. This way, youll always have an outlet handy When you need to plug in a sander for any other corded tool to work ‘on your projects. I didn’t want the long extension cord to be in the ShopNotes No. 90way, though, 0 I also added a set cof four cleats on the back to neatly ‘wrap it around when not in use. The cleats are just hardwood blocks that cuto theshape shown ‘on the opposite page and attached with screws. The easiest way to shape them is to drill the hole establishing the radius and remove the waste a the band saw. ‘Add the Casters. The cart weighs quite abit on its own, but it will bo really heavy once the drawers are loaded with tools. So when it came time to choose castro, made sure touse something that could handle the load. For the casters | used, refer to Sources on page 51 To mount the casters, you first need to flip the cabinet on its top. Then you ean predrill holes fr the lange lag screws needed to hold them in place. The photo at lower right gives you an idea of how this works. The thing to keep in rind here is to make sure you're mounting them in the plywood bottom and not the edging, Then just serew the casters in place. Norse spon ite ‘The Top. Now youcan turn your attention to the top. Its just two pieces of MDF glued and screwed together with a hardboard top. T cut both pieces of MDF and the hardboard at the table saw without changing the fence setting to make sure they were all identical. Then, I lined up the MDF panels, clamped them together, and drilled holes for Replaceable Top Option A. Replaceable Top. Since the top wil see a lot of wear, you may want to,eplace the hardboard. A simple way to make this easier is to dril «hole through the MDF layers 60 you can pop out the old piece when its time for a change. Just attach the top with carpet tape. ‘worwShopNotes.com the screws, Finally, I added glue and fastened the pieces together. You can glue the hardboard top fon now, or you can just secure it with carpet tape and make it easier to replace it ft gets damaged. The box below shows a simple option for making it replaceable. Mitered Edging, I added hard- wood edging to match the case, mitering it to fit around the top. ‘The edging protects the MDF from ‘damage that can occur in the shop. Finally | attached the top to the cave with surews fi ide. I predilled the holes and used long. screws through the double layers of plywood into the MDF to make sure the top stayed secure.