Download Elegant Entry Divider
Transcript
i ,) { 4 EDITOR'S NOTES j t I PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER DonaldB. Peschke I \ EDITOR Tim Robertson SENIOR DESIGN EDITOR JamesR.Downing SENIOR EDITORS BillLink.DavidStone ASSOCIATE EDITOR Wyatt Myers ASSISTANT EDITOR Kate Busenbanick PROJECT BUItDER Mike Donovan ARTDIRECTOR Kim Downing ASSISTANT ARTDIRECTOR Kurt Schultz SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER DougAppleby SENIOR ILLUSTRATORS ErichLage,Matt Scott SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER CrayolaEngland PHOTOGRAPHER DennisKennedy ASSOCIATE STYTE DIRECTOR Rebecca Cunningham ETECTRONIC IMAGESPECIALIST AllanRuhnke CONTRIBUTING lIIUSTRATOR John Hartman CREATIVE DIRECTOR TedKralicek SR.PROJECI DESIGNERS Ken Munkel,KentWelsh. ChrisFitch,RyanMimick SHOPCRAFTSMEN SteveCurtis.SteveJohnson ADVERTISING SATES MANAGERS GeorgeA. Clark,Mary K. Day EDITORIAL DIRECToR Terry1. Strohman EXECUTIVE ARTDIRECTOR Todd Lambirth i" F $ rt i1 'n.\ h'r il lI CoPontc Sedcs: Cd?o'ak Vie PBidenB: DordtL. Hickr, Mary R. S€hcvc, Crihildi Cdg Stllc, Di ol Fnnndol Atalys;r: L6ir Smith, Sr .4@"ietrrr LunJ. Thomil,.4norfl! Payable: M2\1. Schdrz, A@rilb keitahL: MaW P.tu!, Eld. Prr. Dirr Dougls M. Li&tca Aod. Dtij C.orge Chfr.lu, lnlomarM T.chilolqy MXi: Btu VuHcuvcEwln, Slsh /drt.r Clit Schwcbeb rc Mhtdaila Teh.: \obctD. Cook, Nil Mdk Mgr.: cordon C. caippc, 7., Si& 1d Dir I Eug€nc P.d.srn, Mubin dtu Mipffi.tuPxtoot, W.b kw, d"i". j Cml Schocpplcr, W.b $il. Coiltdl M{i' D.frd Bns, Si Web kwlo?d: T.try vdkq, W.b Dwlopcr.pdnGilc , ReMd' C@tdinatof, Nichola A. Jacscr, ftrJ D.riotnrri Dii r Mi.h.l Sigcl, &fld! Staicttrr]cnnifd Hunru, HidrJ qffa W: s?drfttjJcsica Tsi Mail/D.liry JcMn Johmn, Adnh. Ar''t.: Bffidi Hffin4 . Circahtid: Cl'*, Lou V.bbci Fcdlirir '&i: KufrJohrcn Cir q'. Di' Sudy Baun, Ch j Mtuiry Dh.: Waydc J. l<\ngbcil, R."Ml ndr. Paigc Rogn, Ck. Stdt{.b Buin4t AMgt: t<n Scilcmct, ail. Md*aikg Aerytj P.rrick A. WaLh, Cir Ma*?riry,&e; Chrilrin. Fon r, Fafilm."r i4l.i Stcph Fonnsh, Su'mc H.jkal . Produ@ Grcup: OFrdm Dir Bob Beker, Ceont Stuk Msr: Jcnnte En6, Wa\hoae Suptuku: NilryJohNn, 8!rr Lind.Jon6, hn. BuF Nmcy DoMcy, Si Crur. Snk R4pr.r Tffiy Tdckcnbrcd, Anm Cox, Aplil Rdcl, Dcbonh Rich, Vrl.rieJo Rnq, Cct. &nh R"'.r Kin Fhhn, Tm Bdhooi kthdinc Pdks, t/ft10tr0 S4f Sylda Gry, Kin Frceue Stahen C!i6n CUSTOMER SERVICE Phone: 800-31 1-3eel f; SUBSCRIPTIONS EDITORIAI. i WkbenchCtstomerServce PO.Box842, DesMoines,lA50304-9961 WrkberchManane 2200GmdAie. DesMoina.IA 50312 I I I I emil Editor@Workbenchmag.com Audlt Bureau of Circulations WORI(BNCH (Fcb., April, June, Aug., Oct., 0SSN 0043-8057) is publish€d bhonrhly Dec.) by Augut Homc Publtohhg Conpuy, 2200 ctud Avc., D6 Mohes, IA s0312. Wo*badt is ^ ndsffik of Aup* Hone Publishhg. CopFight @2004 Augu$ Home Pub[shing Compmy. AI dgh$ lcaflcd. Subscdpdd rat€!: Sinelc copy, 14.9. Oneyce subsnpdon (6 isu6), 122; vo-yce sub., t33; thrcc-yc& sub., t4. Cmadim/Ind., .dd t10 per ytr. Pedodic.ls posE$ paid at Der Moin6, Iowa. and ar additionrt o6ces. "USPS/Pry-Judd's Hcadod Di*ion poly." aurombblc Pochaster: Send addies chnF 6 Wo*bwJ,PO Box 37272,Boon, A 5@37-0272. Cbadie Sub3triptions: Cu.da Po$ AFcemcnr No. 40038201. Scnd chms ofaddls infomadon to: PO Box 881, St.don Md4 Msktm, ON L3P 8M6. ht€d h U.S.A. woRKBENcH tr rrsR.uaR.y 2005 alwayslook forward to the new year.One reasonis this annualspecialissue I that we devote largely to the tools of our trade.In addition to our regI I ular in-depth tool test (a review of new "hybrid" tablesawsin this issue), it's the time when we make our much anticipated announcementof Worbbench\ Top 10 InnovativeTool Awards. Top 10 Tools - In preparationfor theseawards,th e Workbeneh editors have been busy trying out hundreds of new tools. Most of these tools performed their jobs very capably.Aselectfew haveactuallyraisedthe bar for their particular tool category by providing either a safer,a more accurate,or a more emcient way to work wood. These are the tools we selectedasthis year's10 most innovative.For a complete rundown of these breakthrough tools, turn to page 56. Bench Basics - Now there's no doubt that having the right tools is a huge help when building a project. But as every woodworker knows, it's the skills in usingthosetools that really make or breaka project. That's where Bench Basics comesin.This new seriesof articles and online extrasfocuseson the essentials of woodworking. Whether youte just getting started,or you're a seasoned craftsman,BenchBasics will provide you with all the information you need to improve your skills.In this issuefteginning on page 40), we take a look at the most fundamental"tool" of dl - the shoo. 4 / l'tlt H'.February 2005 WORKBENC C N TENTS FEATURES BootBench 49 e^rlrdoor half-lappe d grids,and Solid-wood construction, knock-down hardware makeJora simple,sturdy bootbenchthatyoucanbuildin a weekend. Tools J 0 fop 10Innovative Froma revolutionary newbeltsanderto a digital mitersaut,the2005 winnersofWorkbench\Top 70 Innouatiue ToolAwardsraisethebar- again. () Z tlegantEntryDivider Thisewy-to-builddiuiderfeatures a lighteddisplay pedestal, wood cabinet, stone-clad anddecoratiue columnthatwill transform theentryof yourhome. -lA / * "Hybrid"TableSawReview or cabinet saw?These"hybid" table Contractor sawscombine thebestof bothworlds.We test-driue fournewsawsto trt wirichonesmakethecut. woRKBENcH ! rrsnuaR.v 2005 IN EVERY ISSUE READER'S WORKSHOP 28 MiterSawWorkstation Thisshop-made workstationfeatures a pair of adjustable hold-downs thatseanelongboads before, during,andafierthecut. <The goalof a jointis half-lap to removehalf of thethickness the matingpieces sotheirfacesfit flush.Ourtable sawtipsand techniques make it easyto achieve thatperfectfit. WORKBENCH TIPS SHOP .tA J+ Sharpin 60Seconds ThreeWorlebench projectdesigners sharetheirsecrets jobsite. Honeyour sharpening tools on the for fast ownsharytening skillsby leamingtheirshortcuts. BENCH BASICS 4}settins Upshop In thispremiereinstallmentof BenchBasia,we explainthepros,cons,andconsequences of setting garage, up shopin a basement, or outbuilding. SKILL BUILDER -^ Joinery f -f ttalt-Lap joint usedfor building HalfJapsarea strong grids, and latticework.This tablesaw frames, technique makescuttingthemeasyandarcurate. DEPARTMENTS B Questions & Answers 14 Tips& Techniques Fundamentals zo Finishing 24 CuttingEdge 84 ModernMaterials 94 Tools& Products woRKBENcH tr rEsR.uanv 2005 6Gluesfions 6(ANSWERS the bosicsof FINISHING SPRAY I'uealwaysappliedfnishby brushingor wipingit on,but I'd lilee to try spraying.Doessprayingffir any aduantages, and what A Youcon ochieveprofessionol-looking sproyfinishes equipment will I needtoget started? in your point shop with either or cleor topcoots by DauidValish (HVLP) using o high-volume, low-pressure sproyer. Schuyler, NE The main advantage of sprayingis speed. Plus, spraying lays down a smooth finish thatt free of brush marks. Ifthese benefitsappealto you, then you first need to choose the right sprayer.A11 fall into one of two categories: standard, or high-volume, Iow-pressure(HVLP). Standard Sprayers- A standard spray gun (top left) drawsfrom an air compressor and spraysout air and coating material (paint or finish) at high pressure(up to 80 psi). Standardsprayen,though,have transfereficiency (how much coatingreachesthe surface)as low as20 to 45 percent.That means55 to 80 percentofthe finish you spraybounces off as overspray. These sprayers little costas as$25. HVLP Sprayers- Highvolume, Iow-pressure(HVLP) sprayers, on the other hand, deliver a high volume of air and coating at low pressure (15 to 50 psi).Thisyieldsa transferefficiencyof 75 to 90 percent (seelllustrationbelow). Ifyou alreadyhavean air you can get an comPressor, HVLP "conversion" sprayer (middleleft). It comes with a regulatorthat letsyou reduce the pressureat the gun. (The gun shown is a "gravity-feed" version with the cup on top. "Siphon feed"modelshavea cup on the bottom.) These usuallycost$50 or more. Another option is to use an HVLP rurbine (bottomleft). It producesairflow using an integralfan insteadof an air compressor. Most turbinesare designedfor professionals and cost$250to $1,000.But the Fine Sprayfrom'Wagnersells for lessthan $125.Learnmore com at WagnerSprayTech. HVLPTurbine System 8 woRKBENcH ft FEBRUARY 2005 ANSWERS vs. rqtedhorsepower TOOIPOWER TRUE seemto I'ue noticedthat manufacturers Whentoolshopping, rutings.Is therea beall overthe boad with theirhorsepower way I canreliablygaugetruepowerfromtheseratings? Jef Miles Cedar Rapidq M Looking just at horsepoweron tool motors can be deceiving. That's becausethere'sno widely acceptedstandardfor horsepowerratings. Some manufacturersrate their tools using "maximum-developed"motor horsepower. Others use "continuous-duty," or actual horsepower.Youcan still reliably judge power,though, if you understandtwo ratings: ampsand watts. Amps - Every motor hasan amperage raring that tellshow many ampsthe motor draws under full load a specific voltage.This number never lies becausethe motor cant draw more amps than this.As a rule, a higher amp rating meansa more powerful motor. 'WattsMotor constructiondictates how much power the motor can produce at a given input amperage.This power is measuredin wara, the most reliablemeasure of power. Many motor labels don't list watts,but you can calculateit easilyby multiplying ampsby volts. For example,a motor ratedon the labelat 18 ampsat 120 volts develops2,160watts (18 x120). Many people,by the way,rewire such tools as table sawsfor "more power." But ifyou double electricalvoltage,amp draw dropsby half.Thatmeansa motor develops the samepower whether itk wired for 120 volts or 240. Rewire the above motor, then, and it will drawjust nine amps.Yet output remains2,160 watts (9 x240). powerploner FLATTENING PANEL One boardin a panelI gluedup is uneuenand sticksup abovetheotherson thefnishedface.Can I shavethe boardJlushwith mypowerplaner? SteueMawhorter Millbury, OH / --Storbr Bood --fcoNo, r'rot" overloppinglengthwise possesto ploneremoinder of protrudingboord FIRST: Plone diogonolly ocrossprohudinqbooro h.io estobliiho flotoreo on one end of ponel Protruding Boord ..'*ti: ., I generallyusea belt sanderto makeprotruding 1f flush in panels.But it if a boardsticksup boards !l Ffll/ru" or more, a power planer can do the job be careful,or you can gougethe workpiece. faster.Just First,setthe planer on the board you want to match (call this the "starter").Then set the cutting depth to slighdy lessthan the height of the protruding board. Make diagonalpasses acrossthe protruding board.To gouging, overlap each pass,push down on minimize your hand, and avoid tipplaner with back the only ping the planer asyou work. Once you've pianed an areaat one end of the panel large enough for the for the planer to sit on, switch to lengthwisepasses to removeremainingwaste(Photos,left). woRKBENcH ! FEBRUAnv 2005 ANSWERS Corrugoted RoofingPonel Skirthongsdown to hideendof ponel A DECK UNDER with #8 -_=-Afioch deck screw,ond s /with keeproin out siliconecoulk I'm buildinga patioundermy second-story deck. Is therea way to create a "rooJ"underthedeck,so I canusethepatio whenit rains? Doug Haluerson Denuer,CO Homemade Solution - You can createyour own deck drainagesystemusing corrugatedroofing material runs down between deck boards.You mieht (Illustration).It's availablein a variety of sizes and not be ableto catchall ofthe runoff, but you can cer- materials,including metal,fiberglass, and PVC. In my tainly stop enoughof it to make the spacesuitablefor area,I found 48" x 79" sheetsofPVC roofing for about storageor additionaloutdoor living space. 913 each.Theywere availablein severalcolors. Products Available - A number of companiesmake To installcorrugatedpanels,startby cutting spacer productsdesignedto catchand managewater that drips blocksfrom 2x stock.Placea spacerabout everytwo feet through deck boards.Marketed under nameslike alongeachjoist if the roofing panelruns parallelto the DrySpace,RainEscape,and Dry-B-Lo, they'remounted joists,or on everyjoist ifthe panelruns perpendicular under the deckjoists so they pitch awayfrom the house to them.Each spacershouldbe slightlytaller than the and channelwater toward the outside.There,the water lastto establish a pitch ofabout t/4" for every4 feet. can run out or flow into a gutter attachedto the deck. After cutting the spacers, screwthem to the bottom The biggestproblem with thesecommercialsystems of eachjoist.Then securethe panelsby driving screws is cost.Depending on the systemand the complexiry of through them and into each spacer.Sealeach screw your deck,you may spend$4 or more per squarefoot, with a dab of siliconecauik. even ifyou install the systemyourself. At the outside of the deck, you can hang a skirt You can add a lot of functionaliry to the area under a deck by shielding it from water that board to cover the exposed ends ofthe paneis, as shown. Or mount a gutter inside the rim skirt board, and pitch it toward a downspout located on one ofthe deck oosts. GoT QUE5T|0N5? WEHAVE ANSWERS! In the October 2004 issue, a $130 and corneswith everything you gentleman askedaboutpowder need, including a sprayer,a power coating menl.You saidyoumust supply to charge the powder and the haueit doneprofessionally,but afriend oJ mine said he thought he'd seen a kit aduertisedforpowdercoatingat home,Do you know anythingabout this kit? workpiece, and three colors ofpowder. (There are about 75 colors available.) After sprayng, bake the workpiece in an electric oven (use an old range or toaster oven you no longer cook Aaron Olmstead with) to cure the powder. Learn more Cincinnati, OH about the system at Hotcoat.conl 1.2 HOW TOSEND YOUR OUESTIONS: Email: editor@workbenchmaq.com Forurns : forums.woodnet.net Mail: WorkbenchQ&4 2200Grand Ave.,DesMoines,IA 50312 lncludefull name,address,and daytimephonenumber.You'll receiveone of our handsome Workbench capsif we publishyour letter. woRKBENcH ft FEBRUAnv 2005 o rp tethniques CONSTRUCTION VIEW -----...-Top 0/n"Hordboord, 24" x24"1 FromeCenter l3/t"x lVz" x2l"l stowit for storoge: OUTFEED SUPPORT \ -:- 1gttLocking ,""1* Assembly l7z"-wide robbet, # 1 0x l % , , #6x3/t, UqPer fi;.h;;;.'"*,.r.T;:),ii3, *ffi #"q Fh r'' t/t" x ll/t" Hex Bolt .--..--l #8x3A,'J , V+ -b An outfeed support for a table saw is an indispensable accessory.Andit doesn't need to be elaborate or expensive to do its job well.Thke this one, for example.'When you need to cut a long board or wide panel, you simply Lower lMetol Strop _ Spocer l/2" x3/4" x2"l 1s4r"x3/t" x'5"1 NOTE:Spocerthickness moy vory dependingon sow attach it to the table saw by means of a couple of shopmade hangers (InsetPhoto).When you're done, the support can be removed in secondsand folded for storage. Top - The top of this outfeed support is a piece of 1/4" hardboard that attaches to a wood frame (C onstructionVi ew).The frame consistsof severalpieces of 3,/+"-thick stock rhat are simply cut to length, rhen screwed to the top. Legs - The outfeed support is held up by two legs which are connected by a pair of thick rails.The rails are rabbeted to fit over the legs and fastened with screws. AT:nut and bolt installed in the bottom of each leg lets you adjust the height ofthe support for uneven floors. The legs are connected to the top with strap hinges. And a pair of locking support hinges prevent the legs from collapsing during use. Hangers - To attach the outfeed support to the table saw, you'll need to add the two hangers. Each hanger consistsof two metal strapswith a wood spacer block sandwiched in between them (HangerDetail).The upper strap is bent to fit over the back rail ofthe rip fence. (l bent the strap in a machinist's vise.)The lower strap,which is straight, is cut to length and screwed ro the top frame. As for the spacerblock, size it so the outfeed support will sit just a hair below the table saw.Then secure it befween the rwo strapswith machine screws and nurs. Forsending us thisfeaturetip, AlbertDowdwinsa new8T3700 Ryobitahlev,w! s t.' Mailfipsto: Workbench Tips& Techniques 2200Grand Ave. DesMoines, lA50312 Emait eoito@ workbenchmag.com T4 /t- AlbertDowd Concord, NC woRKtsENcH ! FEBI{uAnv 2005 TECHNIQUES \oo -\-oo flex-hose HOOK'UP Connecting a 4" flexible hose from a dust collector to a shop-made fixture (like the sanding downdraft table shown here) can be a nuisance.The outside diameter of all the 4" metal HVAC fittings I've seen is just a bit too large to get the hose to fit over them. So I have to cut slits in the fitting and then compress it to make the hose fit. To avoid all that fussing around, I used a 4" x 3" PVC toilet flange to make a dust collection port. The flex hose fits snugly over the flange.And best of all, it doesn't require any modification. Note: Toilet flange fittings are availableat most home centers. NOTE:Secureflexible hosewith hoseclomp 4" flexiblehoseto o PaquetteA An eosywoy to connecto dustcollector's Jacques MA shopmodefixtureis with o commontoiletflonge. Somerset, Product lnformation Number 225 TECHNIGIUES jig ensures zero-cleqronce SAFE, SMOOTH CUTS Recently, I was building a project that required cutting 1/+"-wide grooves centered on the edge of some 3/.1"-thick frame pieces. I are fully supported, tearout is virt u a l l y e l i m i n a t e d ,w h i c h r r n p r o v e s the qualiry of cut. This accessory consists of two pieces:a basemade of 1/4"hardboard mounted a 1/4" dado blade in the table saw and installed a dado blade and a plywood fence that are screwed insert. The only problem was the together (CrossSection).A couple of opening around the blade seenred screws secure the jig to the rip fence. huge. So big, in fact, I was concerned To form the zero-clearance that the workpiece might actually opening, lower the dado blade and tip down into the opening. position the rip fence so the blade That led me to build an L-shaped will cut through the base at the accessorythat attaches to the rip desired location.Then turn on the fence on the table saw (seePhoto saw and slou,ly raise the blade aboue).It createsa "zero-clearance" through the base.Additional openopening that provides support for the workpiece right up next to the dado blade. As a result, theret no way for the piece to drop into the opening.And since the wood fibers A Thissimple L-shoped iig l3/t"ply,x 5"x27"1 creoleso zero-cleoronce ings can be made for cutting grooves openingfor o in stock ofdifferent thicrnesses. dodo blode, whichresults AnthonyD'Alessandro in o sofe, Williamsburg,VA chip-free cut. Eosefl/n" Hordboord x4" x27"1 plonersledsolvoges PIECES SHORT 'With the cost of lumber, I'm not crazy about throwing out short scrappiecesof wood. But planing short pieces (lessthan 12" long) isn't recommended by most manufacturers.Thatt because the pieces can ger caught between the feed rollers and chewed up by the blades. To salvagethese pieces, I use a simple sled to plane A Thisshop-modesled letsyou sofelyploneshortpiecesof wood. Stripsof doubl+sided topeond o cleotholdthe piecesin proce. l/2" xVz"x 972"1\ them to thickness (seePhoto).The "shorts" ride piggyback on the sied, which is long enough to go through the planer safely. The sled is a piece of 3/a" plp,vood with a cleat near the back end (Sled Detail). The cleat, rogerher wirh strips of double-sided tape, hold the short pieces in place during machining. The cleat fits into a dado near the back edge ofthe sled. Size the dado so the cleat sticks up about 1/e" above the suface of the sled.This way, ,- Workpiece you can plane material down to that thickness. To use the sled,affix the short strips to the surface, as shown. Then pass the sled - and the strips - through the planer until you reach the desired thickness. (3/t"ply.x9Vz" x24"1 16 3/e,,deep Russ Brown Bethlehem,PA WORKBENCH ! FEl]RUANV 2OO5 TECHNIQUES shopvqcuum ENDS CLOGS NOTE:SetshopvocuUm for "wet" operotion Frustrated by repeated attempts to unclog my sink with expensiveliquid drain cleaners,I resorted to my shop vacuunl. And what started ahlost as an act of desperationbecanre n-ryfirst c h o i c e w h e n i t c o 1 - n e st o f i g h t i n g clogged drains. Just fit the nozzle of the vacnunr hose tightly in the drain opening. Make sure the vacuunl is set for'"wet" opc.ration, and then switch it on. It sl-ror"rld remove the obstruction in seconds. Dauid Cookc Chattarroo,ga,TN While installing the handrail on r.rry newly constructed deck, I found that the 45o nritersI hrd so carefully cut didn't fit tightly together.As it turned out, a variation in the deck neant that the boards carne together at an angle slighdy lessthan 90o. Rather than guessat the angle and recut the boards on my miter saw,I clamped the boardsinto position and used a circular saw to cut across the joint. This created matching angles- and a perfectfitting miter joint. Jason Mehon Calumet,MI Jointettlsa regige<*lensk0f Jahh'f'nfft.NentpendngM SnilillftDW Product Information Number 343 woRKBENCH tr FEBRUAnv 2005 wrNDows &DooRs I needto stain andfnish the woodon my ttell windows,u,indow trim, and doors.Do you haueany good tipsfor applyingstain and fnish to verticalsurfaceslike thk to preuutt runs atrd drips and ensured consistent Iook? Matt Stodddrd Ankeny, IA The first challenge when staining windows (and sometimes doors) is the giass.Glasscan actually absorb stain, so itt a good idea to apply strips of painter's tape before you begin.And be sure to remove the tape right after completing the project to avoid disturbing the finish. A1so, carefully remove, label, and store locks,latches,and pulls to decreasethe possibility of leaving runs and drips. Conditioner - Many woods absorb stain unevenly,leaving blotches.To prevent this, first sand and rerrove the dust, and then apply a liberal coat of pre-stain wood conditioner with a foam brush (Photo,aboue). Gel Stain - Let the conditioner sit for 10 to 15 minutes, and then-before it dries - apply a coat of stain. I recommend a gel stain for windows. It's a thick, heavy- l- bodied stain that is lesslikely to run or drip than liquid stain.The use of pre-stain wood conditioner will lighten the stain color, so test the conditioner/stair-rcombination or-r a scrap piece to make sure itt what you want before applying it to the windows. Apply the gel stain with a foam brush, working frorr the top down (Fig 1/. Let the stain absorb for one to tcn nrinutes, depending on the darknessyou desire.Then wipe the suface with a clean rag. Fast-Drying Poly - The stain should dry in eight hours, after which you can apply finish. For protection, durabiliry and coat, open and close the sasl-r to ensLtrethe finish doesn't bond the window shut. SparVarnish - Tl.re windowsill takes a lot of abr-rsefrom water and sunlight. For that reason,use sparvarnish to finish it.This type of finish l.rasUV inhibitors to r.rrakeit nrore resistantto peeling and fading (Fig 3) 'When it dries, the varnish matches so well that no one will realize you used two different fir-rishesto pl'otect your windows. easy application, I suggest fast-drying polyurethane. Apply it in thin, even coats with a natural-bristle brush, and shine a worklight on the wood to detect runs before they dry @ig.2).Twenry minutes after each Workbenchond BruceJohnson, M i n w o x f i n i s h i n ge x p e r t , o r e teomingup to onsweryour quest i o n so b o u tf i n i s h i n g . Sendyour finishingquesiionsfrc: Moil: WorkbenchQ&A 2200 GrondAvenue DesMoines,lA 503 l2 Emqil: editor@workbenrhmoo.com After puttingon wood conditioner to prevent blotches, opply gel stoin with o foom brushto minimizerunsond drips. 20 Fostdrying polyurethone Finishthe windowsill i s d u r o b l eo n d b r u s h e swith sporvornishto protect smoothly on windows. it from sunlightond moisUseo worklight to detect ture. lt will motchthe rest runsor drios. of thefinishfine. Winners recerve o FREE Minwox *' l'. J Finishing KitlV a't WORKBENCH ! FEtsIIUAnv 2OO5 GLUESMUDGES project,an uglygluesmudge On a recent appeared asI appliedthestain. Is therea goodway remoue thesmudgewhile thestainis still wet?Or do I haueto let it dry,sandtheproject,andrestaintheentirething?What canI do to preuentthisfrom happening in theJuture? DauidJohnson Raymond,ME If you notice stain not "taking" in a particularspot, the key is to addressthe problemquicklybeforethe stainsets. Quick Fix - After wiping the smudgedarea(Fig.1),take a scraper and rake it gently over the areato removeglue residue(Fig.2) Ifyou're working in a tight space,then use a sharpchiselto scrapethe wood fibers. Just hold the chiselwith the bevel facingawayfrom you,andgendypull it towardyou. After scraping,use 180-grit sandA driedgluesmudgewon'tollowstoinor finish paperto sandthe area.Then,gently to penehotethe surfoceof thewood. Fortunotely, sanda smallportion of the stained there'son eosyfix to thisdilemmoif you oct fost. wood aroundthat area.Thiscreates First,removeos muchof the wet stoinfromthe wood os possiblewith o cleonrog. a seam]ess transitionberweenstained and unstainedwood, so any color diferenceswon't be noticeable(Flg. j Finally,carefullywipe awaydust, ). and continue applying stain(Fig.4). Prevention - To prevent this from happeningin the future, try dry-assembling the prqect 6rst,and then taping off any areaswhere squeeze-out may occur beforegluing it up.Anothertip is to rub the project down with mineralspiritsand check it with a light beforestainingit.This will make clear any areaswhere finish might not take.And finally, alwaysscrape glue squeeze-outfirst, then sand,beforeyou staln. Next, useo scroperto removethe glue residue,scropingdown to borewood. Et EJ I Hond-sond the spot,ond olso gentlysondthe stoinedoreo oroundit for o seomless tronsition. 22 Afterwiping owoy dust,resumeopplyingstoin to the projectfor o flowless,smudge-free finish. woRKBENCH Et FEBRUARY 2005 EDOE beilerbitsfor moking PANET DOORS RAISED A Freud'snew roiseo ponel bits (ogeeprofile shown)hove two extro cuttersfor smoother, foster cutson roisedponels. Ifyou're serious about making raised panel doors, then give Freud's new that one bit can cut both sides ofa panel in one pass.The cut createsa raisedpanel bits a closer look.These tongue that fits into grooves in the door rails and stiles.Thisis a marked improvement over other raised panel router bits have some big advantages over other raisedpanel bits - most notably in the way they cut. Most raised panel bits have two carbide cutting edges on a body that's 2" to 3" in diameter. The bits remove so much material that a seriesof progressivelydeeper passes bits, which require you to rabbet the back ofthe panei to fit into grooves. The Freud bits are designed to cut 3/4"-thick stock and require a router table equipped with a fence and a variable-speedrouter. (The bits should run at 10-12,000 RPM.) It takes a few test cuts to get the depth and fence settingsjust right, but once in use,these bits cut more smoothly than any other raised panel is often necessary to achieve a smooth surface. 2+2 Technology - Freud has improved on this situation by adding r\rvo more cutters to its raised panel bits. Moreover, the rwo large cutters bits I've used. The Freud bits are available with three different profiles - bevei, cove, and ogee (shown)- for g1 10 each, cut upward, and the two small cutters cut downward to generate a shearing action that createsflawless,consistent cuts, even on end gratn (Art,left). Backcutter - Freud also added or in a kit with rail and stile bits for or call $200.Visit Frer-rdTbrols.conr, 800-47 2-7 307 for more information. a backcutter to thesebits.This means q drill bit for HOLES CURVED Scoring Boliom The new 3D drill bit fromtend resemblesa standard Forstner bit. But it cuts in ways that j'qqr#iT V' il ,{\ LA and exits through the , Forsrner Dlr can [. an applicationthat conresin handy for running cable,stereowire. or electrical conduit (Photo,right). How It Cuts - The bit hassharpcutting edges on the sldes, aswell asthe botto- ofthe bit (Art,lef). So once the bit entersa The bit can also create an open channel along the face of a workpiece for putting wire below the suface of the wood.To do this,you simply drill until the cutterhead is about halfway hole, pivoting the drill causesthese side cutting edgesto curve into the into the board. Then, pivot the drill sidewaysand cut along the suface. It wood, creating a curved or widened channel.The result is a drill bit with some great DIY applicatrons. DIY Uses - One of the tasksa works great asa standarddrill bit, too. Tiend's 3D bits are available individually in diameters from 1/+" to 71/q",or in four- and eight-bit kits. For more information, call 859-4852080, or visit Trend-USA.corr 3D bit excels at is cutting a curved channel that enters the face of a .A board edge- A Cuttingcurvedholesin wood is iustoneof monyhomeimprove menttosksthisnew 3D drill bit fromTrendcon tockle. woRKBENCH U FEBRUAnv 2005 EDGE qn eosyqnswerto HOLE5AA/MISTAKES How lt'Works - The concept of the "Oops" arboris fairly simple. Essentially, a hole sawthe diameter are going to be times when you need to enlarge an existing hole to of the original hole becomesa "pilot serve a new purpose. Replacing an saw" for centeringthe larger hole saw asyou cfi (mp Phont,Ieft). old lockset is one job that often This is accomplishedby the comes to mind. In the past.your best option was "Oops" arbor itself,which is just a smallerarbor that'stightenedinto to expand the hole carefully with either a jig saw or a keyhole saw. the main hole saw arbor where a But the folks at Starrett have greatly rwist bit usuallygoes.First,the larger hole sawscrewsin placeon the main process simplified the tricky of enlarging a arbor.Then, the "Oops" arbor is {i un .:r_i-r:f _.. r_ hnle wirh their attached,and the smaller"pilot" hole ' ,t; ""'" {.I .,appropriatelysawscrewsonto ir (BottomPhoto,leJt). named"Oops" The "Oops" arborcostsabout$7 Iat McFeelys.conr andotherretailers. arbor. L IlT Home improvement is hardly an exact science.And inevitably, there Lorge Hole Sow // "Pilo( HoleSow Egt L00sEP*runs PatentPending RETA'L SPECTAL 2 PieceSetfor Only O D€slgrcd O Adlwtfiepan€l q5rls: llttur&tfun-Irld' nM(@iltgttffir-7nd' ]zFg ListPrice O El|nh&panelra$e O OrtfiarBsbd<fiom 0 Avdladehhrceprullle Mmnffirgll O Eadr$thdude 2pcs' ,rftS; . l ! J -.;5; I forsf,haB&l torilbwb&l fornilffl/8,' fwnilatE, w't, It;:.t' ?l O Carblde-tpp€dtrlong llfe ^-. F'a- AntmlnlorElt' HighPerformance Cutting Tools ForA DealerNe'r]ast Youhll l4w1tt51n77 PleueWt OurWabslte www.ammatnl,nm Product Information Number 172 # mitersqw WORKSTATION 'When cutting a long board on a miter saw,it r-r-rust be secured in place to keep it from Lifting off the saw and retder causing a potentially dangeroussiruadon. Workberrclt Dennis Sarrianoof Center Moriches. NewYor-k. solvedthis problern with the miter saw wor-kstationshown at left. It provides sllpport for long boards,ph,rsit has rwo holddowns that securethe board during and after the cut.The hold-downs can be adjusted for different stock thicknesses by sliding thern up and down a rnetalbar (lrtsctPltorc,lcft). Though itt designed for r-rsewith a rrriter saw this versadleworkstation isn't necessarilytool-specific.Iti equally capableof supporfine rnd securingr'videstock during circular saw operations aswell (P/roto,lou,crlcft). In use,the nriter saw restson rw'o long rails.Attached to these rails are four stock supports.Tl.renvo nriddle supports are slotted to hold aluminunr bars.l)ir-ectly above the rniddle sllpports, the rvvo l-rold-downs :rrc llso slotted to siide up and down on these bars.Wing nuts "lock" tl.re hold-downs in position. Sizing Considerations - The nriter saw workst.rtiou A ThisoortoblemitersowworKstotionprovidesstoblesupport for cuttinglong boords.Two hold-downs odiustto qccommodotestockthickness//nsel Photo).Tighteningthe knobs "locks"themin oloce to secure stockduringond ofterthecut. shown here is sizedto fit a Makiur I0" nritel sawYou'll probably need to chanqesonre of the din'rensionsshow:r on p4gc 30 to fit yollr particulrr saw (-sccSi.-irg Corr-sirlcrctiorts). 'With that in nrind, ther-eirrc t}l-ee thing to take into account.First,the r-ailsneed to be spaccdto acconulod:rte the sawt mounting holes.The distanceberlveen the outside edgesof the rrils detemrines the length of the sr.rpporus and hold-downs. Second, tl.rewidth of the sr-rpportsl.r:rsto n.ratchthe height of the saw bed.A'nc'ltlird, thc rnicldlc sr"rppol'ts nlllst be spaced to allor'v clearancefor the slw thricughor-rtits full r:rnge of nrovement. + to ollow cleoronce for oll sow operotions Widthof supporis motches height of sowbed A Theworkstotionis os hondyon the iobsiteos it is in the shop.Removing the mitersow letsyou performcirculorsow operotions with eose. 28 wor{KllENcrr f- FErir\uAny 2005 buildi the stqtion As you can see,the only tricky part to building this cutting aid is sizing the components. That done, all you need to do is machine the piecesand put them together. Rails & End Supports - To build this workstation, start by cutting the rwo rails to size and spacing thern as explained earlier.Then you can cut the end supports to length. Remember that the width of the supports needs to match the height of the saw bed. Miter the corners of the end supports, and attach them to the rails with glrre and screws. Middle Supports - While the middle supports are the same dimensions as the end supports,they're composed of two pieces rather than one solid piece. The reasonis simple.Each half is dadoed so that, when glued together, the dadoes form a mortise to receive the aluminum bar that the hold-downs ride on. Adjustable Hold-downs - The last components of this system are the adjustablehold-downs.They re built A Tocutthe kerfin theend of the holddowns,useo tollouxilioryfence to guidetheworkpiecethroughthe cut.Clompingtheworkpieceto o notchedscropblockensureso sofe,controlledcut. WORKSTATIONCONSTRUCTION VIEW z--Aluminum Bor f/a"xl"x10") .'-\{ the same way as the middle supports,with only a slight variation.To lock the hold-down in place,you need to createa gap behind the mortise that pinches shut around the aluminum bar when you tighten a knob.This is done by cutting a kerf in the hold-down after glue-up (sae Photo,left,and Hold-Down Detail, below). To finish up, install the aluminum bars in the middle supports and hold-downs. Raise the assembliesto their full height, then swing the saw through all its cutting modes to make sure there's clearance.Then screw the middle supports in place. ffi NOTE:Sizeworksiotionto fir your mitersow {seepoge 28) AdiusiobleHold-Down llYz" x2Vz"x12"1 MiddleSupport (l7z"x3"xl2"l .\v lU{ %" Ploslic WingNut .\0 .11.'Jr'"'f;r'-qq %"-dio. EndSupport c _F (172" x 3" x l2"l I 7th"wosh., \ "f-- -a \ #8x2Vz"Fh 1 Woodscrew \l ) MiddleSupport NOTE: Adiustoble hold-downs ond middlesupports oremodeby gluing Roil up twopiecesof 3/4rr stock llVz" x2Vz"x 48"1 30 h"-dio. holespossthrough Support supporl& oluminum bor woRKBENcH ft FEBRUAnv 2005 Reader's Work Hondhold liVz" xlVz", cenlered on width ExbnsionWng l3/t" pV. x 8" x 40"f SAFETY UPGRADE: MITER SAM STAND l3/q"pV,x 3" x 4"f In the Readert Workshop department of the December 2004 issue (page42), we featureda shop-made miter sawstandthat sitson a mobile tool chest.Thisstation hasa folding extension wing with an adjustable leg that is hinged to the wing. A magnetic catch keepsthe leg tight againstthe wing in the closedposition. But when you open (unfold) the wing, theret a potential for the Ieg to releasefrom the magnetic catch,causingit to pinch your fingersagainstthe wing. To prevent that, we recommend making the following additions to the miter saw stand: l.Attach a U-shapedguardmade from3/+" plywood to the wing outside of the opened leg, asshown in rhe Illustrationat left. This protects your fingers from getting pinched. 2. Ctrt a handhold near the end of the extensionwing. 3. Remove the magnetic catch from the leg to avoid the possibility ofthe leg suddenlyreleasingasyou raisethe wing. ffiru$wautoioin wooil iustgotmotG [lGGisG.., Beforejoiningyour projectwith the simplicityandstrengthof Pocket HoleJoinery,you mustcut your workpieces accurately. Introducing,KREC Precision Measuring Systems.Woodworking machineaccessories that helpyou to cross-cutyour workpieces with morespeedandrepeatableprecisionthan ever before. perfect for the miter saw tablesaw. drilloress.andmore. ProductInformationNumber220 34 or nrost carpentryjobs, you don't need a fl* f;** per{ectly honed chisel.When it conres to, t say,cutting a hinge nlortise ir.ra door (-src just need a sharp chisel.And Pltotoaboue),you you need it fast. So l.row sharp is "sharp"? And how fast is 'We "fast"? recently posed these questions to - with over' three Workbenrlrprqect desigr-rers Of course,it goes without saying that one of the keys to fhst sharpening is having sr"rpplies that are easilyportable or readily availableat any jobsite. Our project desigrers'reconmendations 80 yearsofcombined carpentry experience. Though their r.netl.rodsof getting a sharp edge differ, their arrswerswere the sanre.The for these sharpening supplies,and their sharperring shortcr.rts, start on page 36. But first, lett look at the anatomy of a sharp edge (pa.qe35). cl.riselor plane iron has to be sharp enough to slice clear-rlythrough the grain without chipping the surfice.And no more than 60 seconcls should bc spent getting that shlrp edge. WOI\KBENCH D FEI]I{UAIIY ! onotomyof o CuttlngEdge SHARPEDGE The cutting edge of a chisel or plane iron is formed by the intersection of the bevel and back. For a sharp edge, the bevel and back must meet at such a fine point that the line the bevel is at one consistent angle. (The one exception to this rule is if you grind a micro- berrveen the rwo almost disappears(Art, ri.qltt). Back - One key to this sharp edge rs having a flat back.This seemslike it should be a given. But if you were to lay a straightedge acrossthe brck ofa rypica1off-the-rack chisel, you d find that the back isn't perfectly flat. So the first step is to flatter-rthe back.To do that,"color"the back ofthe chiselwith a nrarker. Then grind the back asshown in Fig. .l.When the rrarks disappear,the back is flat. This may take awhile, but you should only have to do this once for the life of the chisel. bevel on the blade. See page 38 for more on this.) Maintaining the consistent angle of the bevel is the most important step in the sharpening process,so iti crucial to "find" the bevel by rocking it on the sharpening suface until the bevel sits flat (Fig 2). To "lock" tl.rebevel at this angle, position your index and middle finger directly over the bevel,andjust above the sharpeningsurface (Fiq.J).Your other hand should be positioned slightly back on the chisel.Apply firrn pressure downrvard, and kecp yor"rran-nsfixed at your sicles,moving only yor,rrbody back and forth asyou slide the blade acrossthe surface. Burr - After r few strokes,a snrall"hook." Orrce it\ flrrt.it staysflar. Bevel - The bevel is the angled face at the tip of the chisel.On a well-sharpenedchisel, or burr. will fon'n on the back of the chisel. This is easy to renrove :rsshown in Fi,g.1. 9kew ahleelatallghi angleto edge ol aharpenlng,tone . I '' Holdbaak To"frnd'thebatel angle, rock ahlael up and down Toflottenthebock,holdthechiselflotogoinstthe Rockthe chiselup ond down untilyou shorpening surfoceond opplydownwordpressure "find"thebevelongle.You'llknowit'scoros you slideit ocrossthe stone. rectwhenyou feelit sittingfloton thestone. Loakarme aqalnll body and allde ahleel baok and forth Posiiionyour fingersdirectlyobove the bevel To removethe burr left ofter honingthe bever, ond opply pressure downwordos you slidethe holdthebockof thechiselfloi on thestoneond use chiselbock ond forthocrossthe stone. lightpressure os you slideit bockond forth. 35 TIPS FROMTHE Wffi DTAMOND ./.-*"; STONES Workbenchproject designer Ken Munkel has been remodeling homes for 40 years.For getting a quick edge on his chisels and plane irons, he's come to rely on diamond benchstones (.reePhotos,right). Diamond Advantage - Like other sharpening stones,diamond stones remain stationary while the tooi slides over the suface (Art on page 35). But diamond stones offer several advantagesthat are specific to thejobsite. First,diamond stonesare the perfect size to carry around in a tool box or bucket, and their hard suface won't get damagedby being banged around. Unlike oilstones or waterstones,diamond stonesare used dry. This speeds up the sharpening processand eliminates the mess. .tl Double-Sided Stones- The new double-sided diamond stones are well-suited to jobsite sharpening, as they have a difFerentgrit on each face of the stone. Ken recommends purchasing a stone with "fine" (600 grit) on one side for removing nicks and "extra fine" (1,200 grit) on the other side for fine sharpening.The stones are availablefiorn Eze-Lap (775-8889500, Eze-Lap.corn) and DMT (800-666-4368, I)MTSharp.conr) for around $40 to $60 (Plrctos,ri,qlt). One other note: you'll want to place a non-skid pad r-rnderr.reath the stone before you begin sharpening (seePltoto aboue).-lhis prevents the stone from sliding. Thesedouble-sided diomond stonesfrom Eze-Lop/top/ ond DMf (bottom)hove o differentgrit on eoch foce for moreversotility. SHOP.MADE BLOCKS SHARPENING An MDF blockwith emoryclothottochedto thefocemokeso simple but effectiveshorp eningblockfor chiselsond ploneirons. The method that Workbencft prqect designer Chris Fitch recommends is these shop-r.nade "sharpening blocks." They're just MDF blocks with emory cloth attached to the surface with either spray adhesive or double-sided tape. The rype of emory cloth most readily available comes in 3/+"-wide block that he usesto remove nicks from the blades. The MDF blocks Chris makes are only about 2" x 8", so they're lightweight and easyto tote aroundin a tool box or bucket.Just put them in a plasticbag to prevent side to createa large sharpening sur- them from getting dirry. face for wide chiselsand plane irons The sharpeningblocks can be (seePhoto,left).He usesemory cloth usedjust like diamond stonesto rather than self-adhesivesandpaper sharpen a chisel or plane iron because ofits durable backing. quickly,but you'll want to use a Chris carries three blocks around spritz ofWD-40 to lubricate the o n t h e j o b s i t e : 1 8 0 - a n d 3 2 0 - g r i t block before you sharpen.As with blocks for a quick rwo-step sharp- the diamondstones, a non-skidpad eningjob, and an additional 80-grit keepsthe block from sliding. rolls at automotive supply stores (ight).Chris puts two strips side by 36 woRKBENCH tr rsnnUany 2005 BEITSANDE Sharpening a chisel or plane iron chisel won with a belt sander may seem a little tear the unnerving. But prgect designer Kent Start w 'Welsh swears by this technique as belt sander the fastestway to get a sharp edge. Then, "find" the Before letting the sparks fly, just asbefore,and though, there are a few things to be asainstthe belt.Thisis i aware of. First, sparks can causea fire asthe sander sharpensso if they land in a pile ofdust and chips, only have one chance to get so remove the dust bag and set the Now keep the chisel(or plane sanderon a clean suface like a conlockedtightly againstthe sanding crete floor.And second,set the sander and give the trigger a puLL(Fig.1).A on its side so the belt is on the /cf and few secondsis usually all it takes. running away from you.This way, the Then,removethe burr (Fig.2,below). NOTE:Uae Eovel"loaked' al2O-grlt agalnet eandlngbelt aandlngbelt ?ull baak along belt, to remove burr Holdthebevelflotogoinstthesonding To removethe burr,turnoff the sonder. belt,get o firmgrip, ond pullthetrigger. Thensetthebockof thechiselflotogoinsf A few secondsshoulddo the trick. the beltond pullit ocrossot on onole. When speedis of the essence, thesefr,vo tips will give you a sharp edge in just a few seconds. Micro-Bevel - A microbevel is simply a steeper angle ground onto the tip of the bevel where it meets the back of the chisel ( eft). Lessmaterial is being removed, so \ .1-n4..-,-.r -.---- m,tu-s.;,;a'n|ir*'rr# the sharpening goes much more quickly (Photo,near right). Drill Bit - Another technique is to usethe shankofa high-speedsteel rwist bit like a burnishingrod to "crisp up" the cutting edge of the chisel,as shown in the far right Photo. 38 To creoteo micro-bevel, first find the bevelos shownin Fig.2 o n p o g e 3 5 . T h e n ,r o i s e t h e chiseliusto hoir, ond mokeo few quickpossesoverthestone. Theshonkof o twistbit con put o quickedgeon o dullchisel.Rub the shonkfirmlyogoinstthe cutting edge, slidingit ocrossboth the bevelond bockof thechisel. \yoRKBENCH tr FEBRUARy 2005 D D trUNDAMfltr[TTALSKILLS tr@R o EtrffitrRW@@ n)\vxv/( D n [( xperts in any craft know that to be successfttl, yon have to pay attentionto the basics.Whether it's a pro golfer who still practices his swing, or a master rvooclworker who nreasllres twice and cuts once,they'll tell you to concentrateon the ftlnd:tnretttals in orcler to inrprove yrur skills. Thatisthe purposeof lJcnch llasics.ln every issne,thesc articleswill help you build fundanrentalwoodworking skills. We'lI talk abont technicpres;urd rools in simple ternrsyou can understand,regarcllessof your expcrience. I?lus,every installment of Ilench [Jasics offersmore infonlaticut thrrlr"rghonline c\trJs.Tlrey diq ciccpcrirrttr intcrestirtt{ insightsthat subjccts,or offer erclditiorrrrl will nrake you a tretter r,voodworker- by payingattentionto the besics. 40 woRKBENCH ! FEBRUAnv 2005 lNTHISISSUE: SETTINGUP SHOPpq+z If you really want to get into woodworking,you need a workshop.You might be able to make do with a cobbled-up space,but you'li have a tough time gerting the resultsyoll want without extra effort. Unfortunately, not many of us have accessro a full-blown cabinet shop, or the nreans to build one. But that doesn't nlean you can't put together a fully functional shop in a spaceyou already have. In this first installnrentof Bench Basics,we'll help you understand workshop necessities, such asstorage,power, ar-rdlighting. Then we'll guide yor-rthrough the pros, c o n s , a n d c o n s e q l l e n c e so f s e t t i n g u p s h o p i n y o u r basement,garage,or a separatebr,rildins. coMINGSOON... TOOLS& SHOP LAYOUT.i r t) LUMBERSELECTION SECRETS. rli I'i,'rl Iril il rl 1 TABLESAW BASICS, lli,rili,, CHOOSING& USINGROUTERS. WWW. WORKBENCHMACAZINE.COM 41 :f/ft: *-x\. s IES 5I.JNi:FI RESTRATEG People trying their hand at woodworking for the first time often have a lot of questions - and for good reason.There's a lot to learn. The first questions are almost always the same:'Which tools should I buy, and FORSETTING UPSHOP i-'lere's whot you needto knowto ser where should I set up shop? Choosing tools might seem intimidating becauseof the many choices that exist.But, for the most part, tools are easy to get your hands on. Manufacturers offer tools for most every task and budget. (We'll talk about the specific tools you should have in the next issue.) Shop space,on the other hand, is tougher to come by.We a1ldream of having the perfect shop building one that's custom-made for woodworking and big enough to hold every tool we want. But in the real world, we usually have to carve out shop space somewhere within the confines of the properry we have. For most of us, that means setting up shop in either the basement or garage.The luckiest among us may up 0 hord-working w o r k s h o pi n o n y o f flrreedifferent0reqs i n y o u rh o m e . /1 ') woRKBENCH ft FEBRUARY 2005 woRKSHot NECESSITIES SPACE. Yourshophasto holdallyourtoolsandsupplies withfloorspace forworkareas. Thinkaboutheadroom, to spare getalong.lf too,because lowceilings andlongboards don'talways yourshoplack adequate space, consider whetherareasnearby could,be for storage annexed orjobslikeassembly andfinishing. STORAGE. Shopsquicklyfill with stuffthat takesoveravailgetslost ablework space.And withoutenclosed storage.everything or coveredwith dust.Storagedoesn't,have to be expensive. Useold kitchen'cabinets or shop-built versions. Lumberrequires solidracks to keepit flat andavoiddamagefrom moisture. r!!Fl 7r\ l-rlt Itdl lll WOnfSURFACES. Youcan'tget muchdonewithoutsturdy placesto setyourwork.A traditional cabinetmakerb benchmightbe the ideal,but a basicfoldingworkstation or solid-core doorlaidon sawhorses will work. Buildinga top for the tablesawevenmakesit a t1!!|. work surface, anda few clampscan "pinchhit" for a vise. L.I ACCESS. Shopshaveuniqueaccess needs.Youhaveto get heavy,bulkytoolsin, aswell as longboardsand plywoodsheets. A straightroutein anda largedoorwaysimplifythis.Don'tforget, you buildwill haveto find theirway out. either,that thoseprojects i lSfl ct-lunrE coNTRot. Heatingandair conditioning may soundlikeluxuries, but withoutoneor both,you'lllosea lot of potentialshoptime.Plus,wideswingsin temperature and humidity causetoolsto rustand lumberto warpandcrack.Coolingproves easy,but heatingrequires morecareto guardagainstexplosive fumesanddustthat mayget to a pilot light. NZ VgrunLATlON, Shopair alsoneedsto be clean.Airborne dustcanruinwet finishes, not to mentionyourlungs.And some giveoff dangerous fumes.Windowsarethe commonshopsolvents easiest way to ventilate, or you canaddan exhaustfan.Justmake sureit hasan explosion-proof motor. goodlighting.Fluorescent -I LIGHTING. Qualitywork requires lampsprovideeconomical shoplightingthat doesn'tcastharsh l-l shadows. In specific work areas,add incandescent ousr co[EcTloN. Thebestwayto createa cleanshopis or halogentask lighting.Forsafety5sake,put lightingon itsown circuit. to capturedustat eachtool,beforeit canescape to the flooror air. A shopvacuumworksfor sometools,but largertoolsrequirea dust lrl tt tt Youcanrolla smallcollector collector. fromtool to tool.Or,run hl POWER. Woodworking toolsusea lot of electricity. Big ductsto multioletoolsand connectthemto a centralcollector. Usea routersmaydrawasmanyas 18 amps,whichwill maxout a 20-amp ckculating airfilterto get rid of tiny dustparticles in the air. circuit.Tablesawscandrawevenmore.lf you haveonlyoneshop FI lrl circuit,you can'trun anothertool, likea dustcollectolat the same LJ srcuntwlsAFEil n shopneidstitbffer time.Youneedat leasttwo 20-ampcircuitsfor outlets.Threeis a safeenvironwhouseit andthetoolsit'iofrilains. better.lf your big tools(tablesaw etc.)can be rewiredto run on 220 mentforthose Cutoff powerto ' yourself(kidsespecially) volts,do it. They'lldrawhalfthe amps,leavingmorepoweravailable toolsif anyonebesides canget to them,and protect.your to driveothertools, investment with sturdylocksandadequateinsurance. rI have an outbuilding, or at leastthe spaceto erect one, that can serve as a dedicated workshop. Each ofthese spacescomeswith its own advantages. And, to be honest,there aresome compromises.At qight you'll find a quick overview ofthe prcs and consof each. In the next few pages,we'Il talk in detail about specific considerationsyou'll face when sectingup a shop in a basement, guage, or dedicated building. Wherover it'slocated,your shop hasto be equipped with sornekey necessitiesin order to function well for woodworking.A list of those appearsabove.Chancesare that oo prospectiveshop spacewill have all of these until you make someupgrades.Even a dedicatedbuilding mey not offer everytling you need, unlessyou've built it specfically asarnoodworking shop.Andyou'll probably have to buy or build some items designed for the craft; like storage cabinets and a workbench. But thatt half the fun of getting started in woodworking. GARAGE SHOP easyaccess, convenrent requires electrical upgrades, location,isolated, ample sharedspace,reducedsecurity,climatecontrolissues space,storageoptions 43 SHOP Some basementsget finished and used as living space, but many are left unfinished and underutilized. If yours fits the latter description,it's filled with untapped potential. So why not tllrn at leastsome of it into a shop?After ali, a basement comes already equipped with two of the most important - and most costly - necessities: climate control and electrical access.But a basement shop doc-s pose a few unique challenges. '",& Doublcloycrof dryrvollrcduccs soundhonsfcr throughcciling NOISE \' A dust collector can keep chips and dust under control, but theret still no device that will suck up shop noise. Table saws,thickness planers, and shop vacuums often put out 80 or more decibels (dB) of sound. ".-\.' *-,,u."/'"- --gi- ,,''; This is a big problem in a basement shop becausethose noises invade living areas.Stopping them requires special measures. To keep sound fronr escaping, install sound-deadening insulation in joist and stud bays.Then pad the Secondwoll loycr of Tl-l I plywooddeodens sound ond providessolid rurfocc for honging obiects ; S o r r n dl r a v e l st l ' r r c l r r rw; farl l sa sv i b r a t i o ntsh a 1r., a nL i r r ls l , r f a r . , ,n. tso c ; t a l t rs. L.rye rs and massstop thcsev bratronsf rcrn cicaplr.l. oLrdspeake 44 studs or floorjoists, or hang the drywall on metal "resilient channel" (see the Illustration at le;ft).Thesemethods isolate the dr1'wall to stop vibrations from transferring through the wall. To further deaden sound, add a second layer of wall material. This adds mass,which reducesvibration. woRKBENCH I FEBRUARY 2005 SHOP In most honres,,vo11 wo11'tfircl :r better-spotfbr settirrq up a r,vooclrvolkine shop than the galagc.Thc g:u'rrscls potential corrrcsfi'onr its lords of open sprcc rncl isolaplcnry of rvrrll tion fionr living quurtcrs.Gruasesalsol-rrrvc space on r.vhich you cur build stol'2rqeand u'olksur'frces.Bccar.rsc thc qlmqc is l nrulti-usc sprrcc,ltou rvill likely hlve to br-rilclin storlge sp:,rcetbr"non-sho1-rit.'nrs :urclnr:rketools rrrobile in olclc-rro perk c:rrsinsic'le. Allow cleoronce for vehicles Buildstorogeinto open oreo below toble sow I a .,.' > \ Porking spocefor eoch tool \ ,/' .' MobileBoses for stotionory tools & workbenches --"-' , , : ; l ' l r , ; , t r t l r l i i ) t : ( j l r L , |i :,t VERSATILITY When woodworking tools move into a ealage,cars,yard equipnlent, anclbikc'solten get evrcted.Or those items take over and bury the tools. But puttir.rg a woodworkine shop in the garage doesn't r-rleanyoll hilvc to cle:rr evelything else out. I've l-rada gar;rgeshop for years that fr.rnctionsvery well and still allows space for all the other stuff. No, I clon'! have a huse building. I sirrrply have wheels Lrnder nany of nry tools, as shown in rhe lllrrstrdtion. With tl-rese wheels, I can "park" tools around the perinieter of the salase,and loll thenr into place when needed.I take over both stalls for ehbor-ateprojects, or usejust one and keep nry wife'.scar in the other. How yor.rmobilize is up to you. Comnrelcial nrobile basesare availablc either custonl-sized for particr-rlartools or in "universal" sryles that you clrstonrize.Yoll can fit a mobile baseto a workbench or other hlrd-to-ntove shop fixtures, though you may have to modiflr the base. Shop-built r.nobilebasespr-esentanother great option. Designing your own baseslets you cr-rstomizethem to neet your needs.When possible, build in storage to keep related tools and accessoriestogether. \\ W U . W () ll K ll f \ ( I I \r A (, A Z I N f 45 SHOP Every woodworker dreams of having a stand-alone shop building where he can work on projects without rnterference. Ifyou're lucky enough to have an extra building lying around, or ifyour properry offers space for one, you can build a shop rvith fewer compronrisesthan one located in the basement or garage.Building a dedicated shop takesa larger investment,though, becauseit requires dedicatedsvstenls:rnd more constrllction or finish work. tr;;ffiil .Moreways I to heatyour I shopsafely I andefficiently I I | I I !lr. HEATING 'Winter \ Somemodels drowoir ond exhouslwoste through o single woll opening Direct-veni, seporotred-combustion gos heoter hongs from ceiling ond heois with forced oir Woll-mountedelectric furnoce heotswith forced oir In-floor hydronic sysiem worms floor slob to produce rodiont heot 46 has long been designated"woodworking season." So you'll need a heating systerr if you don't live rn a warr-n climate. A spaceheater may be adequate,or yoll nray have to install a more powerful system. I've known many woodworkers who heated their shop with a wood-burning stove, often stoked with scrap wood and "r.nistakes."But you have to tend the fire while using the shop and are left with no heat at all when the shop isn't in use. Plus, you usually have to increase insurance coverage ifyou have a wood-burning stove. Thankfully, gas and electric heating systems wellsuited to workshops are commonly available.Both types , i i t i l L t . ; ] y r 1 1 1 ; r t ;i t1L , , . r i . I t:{,1, , l i ' ) r l l l ) r . l ' i , ) ' ; l i ] i 'rl; r l , i ! i r l . ; conre with cornpronrises. A gas system requires that you run lines or install a propane tank.This increasesconstruction costs.But gas heat is efficient and usually cheaper than electric. Electric heaters cost lrore to run, but cost lessto install. Note: 220-volt heatersare more elficient than 11O-volt units. Whichevel system you choose, add a thermostat, so you can heat the shopjust enough to keep the interror i l [ ] J i . l t . t i i t ; r v r , l, i r i r r : ,i . ) L t r irlr ' l i i t i : , i ) i l t i , r : : r g , f 1 ; r i , , : r ] y above freezing when the shop isn't in use. wol\KTJENcH fl FEul{uAtr.v 2005 + I r 4* 'l --t]' $ Tl^d backdoor[|''(/ BENCH storage! siurdy& stylishseating-plus t's tough to kccp lvet, nit-tcltlyLrootsout of tl're hottse.Bttt yott rart keep thcnr org:rnizcclrurd otrt oit]rc rv:tvrvith t]iis sturclvbcttch. Not onlv does it oflcr ;r conilbrtrrblcpl;rccto sit ,rnclchrtltqeyottr shoes,but thc slrtted shcliunclenre:tthulsolcts vott stol'r boots atrclothet qe:rr. fittir-rgs M:rclc cntilc'lv of soliclrrsh.thc betrch ltscskttock-clorvn hrrrc-hvarc provic'le:r siurplc flttirrqs sl-relf-.Thcsc to tic the encl fl':urresto thc scat lncl lock-solicl conprovicle a inipoltantlr'', tl'rey u,:r,vto :rsscnrblethc bcnch. Mot'e nectior.rthlt pr"evcntstl-reLrenc]'rfl'onr rlckirrq. Althor,rgl.rthis bench is prinr:rrily rt r-rtilit:rrianploject, I rvarrtetlto "cltess" rvitl'r:rlvood qricl at elch end that'.srlssellrit up r bit.Th:rtls:rccontplishecl joints. As rn option, votl rrrry $':lttt to paint the erids bleci rvith h:rlt-l:rp :rnclrrdcl:r rn:ttchirtq seat cltshiol.t (Pltoto,ri.qlrt). M building the ENDFRAMES The design of this backdoor bench is very straightforward.As you can see in the lllustrationbelow, it consists of two end frames that support a slatted seat and shelf. I began by building the end frames. Each frame consistsof rwo rails (A) and rwo stiles (B) that are cut to size from 3/4"-thick hardwood (End FrameAssembly,page51). =t+ These frame pieces are assembledwith stub tenon and groove joints, asshown in the StubTbnon€t GrooueDetail. Cut the Grooves -The first order of businessis to cut a groove in the inside edge ofeach frame piece. I used a1/+" dado blade in the table saw to do this.The serup is identical to one used to cut grooves in the seat and shelf rurIs (referto Fig. 1 on page53). Note how the rip fence rs .,-' .\.i.: :-r' '' '-,.'-jp."' positioned so the blade is centered on the thickness of the frame piece.After locking the fence, set the blade height (1/2"),and then make a single passto cut each groove. Make the Stub Tenons -'With the grooves com- ..e-'na;r AThegrid fitsintoo robbetthot'srouted in thebockinsideedgeof thefrome.To creoteo shodowlinebetweenthegrid ond thefrome,I eosedtheouteredges of bothossemblies witho sondingblock (right),thengluedthe grid in ploce. pleted, you can turn your attention to the stub tenons on the ends of the rails.Here again,you'll be using a dado blade. Only this time, set it up for a 3/4"-wide cut and "bury" part of it in an auxiliary fence.The Gnce will be used asa stop to establishthe length ofthe tenon. Since Consfrucfion Defoils OverallDimensions: 36" W x 16" D x 191/2" H SeotRoil hos o groove in the insideedge to occept stubtenonson the endso[ the slots ol Grid is formedfrom horizontol(C)ond verticol(D)dividers loinedwith holf lops FillerBlock plugsend o{ grooue SeotSupport fits into o groove in the bofiom foce of the roil ond connectsthe seotossemblyto the end fromes End Frome Shelf is identicolto theleot ossembly shownobove Cross Dowel for connectorbolt End Frome is ossembled from roils(A) ond stiles(B), then robbetedto hold the decorotive ecorotivegrid 50 ry, t r G ilo -A---t WORKBENCH T] FEBRUANV 2OO5 the tenons are 1/2" long, leave 1/2" of the dado blade exposed. (A similar setup is shown in Fig.2 on page 53.) After positioning the fence, the connect the end frames to the seat and shelf assemblies. Rout the Rabbets - \611, s6 accept the grid, you'll need to rout next step is to set the blade height. The goal is to adjust the blade so that by making t\,vo passes(one on each face),it forms a snug-fitting tenon.To accomplish that, start by raising the blade co t/q" and make test cuts in a a rabbet around the back inside edge of each frame. A handheld router with a 1/2" rabbet bit makes quick work of this job (seePhoto at right and RabbetDetail).The bit removes the back lip of the groove that was scrap piece that's the same thickness asthe rails.Check the fit and "tweak" the blade height ifneeded. Once you're satisfied with the cut earlier.After routing the rabbet, square the corners with a chisel. Half-Lapped Grids - At this point, itt time to focus on the decorative wood grids. Each grid is made up of five horizontal dividers (C) and four vertical dividers (D) nrade from 1/ 2" -thick hardwood. The setup, go ahead and cut the tenons in the rails.To do that, butt the end of each rail against the fence and use the miter gauge to push it through the blade. Now flip it over and make the second passto complete the tenon. Holes for Connector Bolts Before gluing up the frames,there's one more thing to do.Thatt to drill two holes in each stile for a pair of connector bolts that wili be used to dividers are assembled with half-lap joints, a process that's detailed on page 54. After cutting the half-laps,glue up the grid. (Jse a sanding block to "break" the adjoining edges of the grid and the frame. Then glue the grid into place (Photo,page 50). r lTo occeptthegrid, routo robbetin the bock inside edge of the frome.Note how the bit removesthe bocklip of thegroove. END FRA'I/IEASSEMBTY ]3V2" %" hole S +3u Roil (374"x3',xll,'l t N 3u R.oul7z"-wide robbet,Tz"deep ofterossembly -l- F 3Y2" \\f) @ VerticolGrid Divider l/2" xVz" x14Vz"l x3n x19Vz"l 1314tt NOTE:Seepoge 54 for informotionon cuttingholFlopioints (/ tv,' \Y Horizontol Grid Divider l/2" xVz"xll"l WWW.WORKBENCHMAGAZINE. COM 51 adda slatted SEAT& SHELF The seat and shelf assembliesthat span betr,veenthe end frames ofthis bench are identical (SeatAssemblyIllustration). Each assembly consists of nvo long rails connected by a number of evenly spacedslats.A pair of supports prevents the assemblyfrom sagging. Make the Rails - Start by cutting the rails (E) to size from 3/a"-thick hardwood.Thar done, you'll need to cut two grooves in each rail: one to accept the slats and the other to fit over the support. The groove in the inside edge of the rail is sized to accept t/4"-thick stub tenons on the slats (Rail Detail). As with the end frames, cut this groove using a 1/4" dado blade on the table saw (Frg. 1 and Crooue Detail). Then glue in short frller blocks (H) to "plug" the exposed ends ofthe groove. The second groove, which is centered on the bottom face of the rail, will fit over the seat/shelf supports.To cut this groove, ser up a 3/c" dado blade, adjust it for an l/s"-deep cut, and make a single passover the blade. Add the Slats - At this point, you can set the rails aside and turn your attention to the slats (F).There are 20 slatsaltogether (ten each for the seat and shelf). Start by cutting the slatsto size from 3/4"-thick stock. l >aDV.lI,T^J (tt,-r1l{,^,)'fl EIOCK SEATASSEA/IBLY FillerBlock Seot/Shelf Roil x 3" x34Vz',1 1374" {,r0, Then cut a stub tenon on both ends of each slat to fit the grooves in the rails (Fig.2).Routing an 1/6" chamfer on the top outside edges of each slat finishes them off. Now you're ready to install the slats.The goal here NOTE:Slotsore spoced%" oporl Roulo 7s" chomfer on bp edgesonly o Slor (%"x3"xll") dep h" groove,Vz" >r t @ FillerBlock l/t" xh" x lVa"l \conn*to, Crois Dowel Bolt NOTE:Rightend frome is removedfor clority 52 woRKBENcH T] FEBRUARY 2005 is to spacethe slatsevenly (1/a" apart). Insertingl/a" hardboard spacersberween the slatsprovides uniform spacing berr,veenthem (Photo,page52).It's a good idea to dryfit the slats and rails before you apply glue.Then center a dab ofglue on the top and bottom ofthe tenons, and fit the slats into place. Add the Supports - All that's left is to add the hardwood supports (G).As I mentioned, the supports help strengthen the seat and shelf, but they also serve another important purpose. Let me explain. Housed in both ends of each support is a threaded crossdowel. Each crossdowel acceptsa connector bolt that passesthrough the pre-drilled holes in the frames (seeSidebarat right).Threading the connector bolts into the crossdowels "locks" the bench together. To make this work, you'll need to drill a hole in the face of each support to hold the crossdowel.That's easy enough to do. But drilling the hole for the connector bolt is a bit trickier.Thatt becauseit goes into the end grain of the support.This end grain has a tendency to make the drill bit veer offcourse.To prevent that, I use BOLTS CONNECTOR Crossdowelsond connecbrbolts lhol producethe90'connections fromes io the seot fie end ioin ond shelfof thebench.Typicolly, this hqrdworeis used in the proiecrs loineryof "knock-down" lo moke them eosy to disqssembleond move.In lhis cqse, though,I wos ofter q slrong, simplewoy to ioin ports.This hodworedoesfiot, plusit ollows melo "snugup" lhe benchif the conneclions everloosenuP. QuickTip:DrillGuideBlock a shop-made guide block (seeSidebarat right). After drilling the holes, itt just a matter of gluing and clamping the supports to the rails.Then insert the cross dowels, fit the seat and shelf berween the end frames,and t[ install the connector bolts. An eosywoy trodrill o stroight holeintotheendof o boordis b useo simpleguideblock.lflsiust o block of wood with o hole drilledin it fto/s usedto guide thedrillbir.A pieceof hodboqrd qttqchedto the block lets you When clompit to theworkpiece. drillingtheholebr theconneclor bolt in the endof the seot/shelf support,be surethe holein the guideblockolignswith thehole br thecrossdowel. Seot/ShelfRoil ACuto groovein theinside edge of eoch roil to occept the stubtenonson the slots. Pqrl A lromeRoil B homeSlile c G ]|orizonfol GridDivider Vertkol GridDivider Seot/Shelf Roil Slot Seot/Shelf Supporl H Filler Block D E F Glty 4 4 T w t 3/l' 3o I lu 3/l' 3tr l9V2' t0 Y2' 8 4 l/2" Y2" V2" 3/t" 20 3/t" 4 8 3/,tl 2', Ul" h Conneclor Bolt \ CrossDowel WORKBENCHMAGAZINE. llu 34V2' lV8" gfues;'A Wo*benrhMooozine.com Dioorom Noil-onGlides(ltem#18665) ly'l 113/r5t'Dbl. (4) CrossDowels(ltem#31823)(4) 2" ConnectorBolts(ltem#318491* ltemsovqilobleot 800-233-9359or www.Rockler.com I Formthestubtenonsof the slotsby cuttingtwo robbets on theendsof the oieces. WWW. 3u 3u llu 14V2" 34V2" Mohriol Ash Ash Ash Ash Ash Ash Ash Ash COM 53 Backdoor Boot Bench ® Issue 287 Volume 61 Number 1 January/February 2005 MATERIALS LIST MATERIALS & HARDWARE Part Qty T W L Material 4 4 #/4" #/4" 3" 10 8 4 20 !/2" !/2" Ash Ash Ash Vertical Grid Divider Seat/Shelf Rail Slat 3" !/2" !/2" 11" 19!/2" 11" Ash Ash 11" 4 8 3" 3" 2" 14!/2" 34!/2" Seat/Shelf Support Filler Block #/4" #/4" #/4" Ash Ash !/4" !/2" A Frame Rail B Frame Stile Horizontal Grid Divider C D E F G H 34!/2" 1!/8" Ash Bench Cutting WorkbenchMagazine.com Diagram NLINE Extras (4) 1!#/16" Dbl. Nail-on Glides (Item #18665) * (4) Cross Dowels (Item #31823)* (4) 2" Connector Bolts (Item #31849) * * Items available at 800-233-9359 or www.Rockler.com CUTTING DIAGRAM A A A A E B B E E B B E #/4" x 10" x 96" Ash G G G G F F F F F F F F F F F F #/4" x 12" x 96" Ash C D H !/2" x 6" x 48" Ash Page 1 of 1 Copyright 2005, August Home Publishing Company. All Rights Reserved. F F F F F F F F , tt . r Ioolesow tecnntoue Tl f' ll 6)T.^\ D Il-: \-r@LlU LIAIA J\ ll JOINERY^ skill Builder A half-lapjoint is exactly what the nanre irnplies- a j o i n t w i t h h a l f t h e t h i c k n e s so f e a c h m a t i n g p i e c e Tnhil*,1 lr*w $efru,p removed so that overlappingpiecesfit flush.This provides a strong fice-to-face glue joint that is useful for building franres,lattices,and grids (like the grids ir.rthe backdoor bench on page 49, or the entry divider on page 62). Sfock Prep & Toble Sqw Setup There are two requirenrer-rtsfor cuttir-rgperfect-fitting half-lap joints: unifornr stock thickness and accurate ICUTAUGNMENT NOTCH.Tooccurotely oligntheworkpiece when cuitingthe dodoesthotformthe holHops,cut o deep notchin o longouxilioryfenceottochedto the mitergouge. blade setup. Stock Thickness - Ulnlessall the piecesthat will be joined together are exactly the sar.nethickness,it's di{Ecult to createflush-fitting lap joints. So the first step is to plane all of 1'our blanks to identical thickness.It'.salso a good idea to make a few blanks for test cuts. Blade Setup - The quickest way to cut half-laps is with a dado blade mounted in tl.retable saw.Justset up the dado blade to match the width of the piecesto be joined together. (For half-lapjoints on piecesrvider than a fullwidth dado blade,you will have to rnake nrultiple passes.) A useful aid for cutting half-lapsis a long auxiliary fence attachedto the miter gauge.I recomr.nendcutting a deep notch in it, asshown in Fig. 1. The notch will be used ro f SETBLADE HEIGHT. With theblodeheightsetto iustunder holfthethickness of theworkpiece,mokeiwo cutsin theend of o testpiece,flippingit betweencuts(2).Roisethe blode sl;ghtly ond repeotihe process untilthesliveris gone /3i. '{ TESTFlT. Once the blodeheightis odlusted, cut robbetsin two tesr pieces,ond checkto see if theyfit flush. 54 accurately align the workpiece along the fence (Fi.q.5). Once the notch is cllt, you can set the blade height. Renrember, you have to remove lmlf rhe thickness of each workpiece.To do that, raisethe blade to just under half the thicknessof the stock.Then make fwo passesin a test blank, flipping the piece over between passes(Fig 2).Thts leavesa thin sliver of wood that will be removed once the final blade height is established.That'saccomplished by raising the bladejust a hair and repeating the pass-arrd-flipprocessuntil the sliver disappears(Fig.3).Be aware that any change in blade height is doubled, so adjustmentsnlust be small.Then, to check the final blade height, cut rwo test pieces,and fit them to€ietherro make sure their faces are flush (Fig. 4). woRKBENCH ! FEBRUAI{y 2005 Cuffing Holf-lops Once the setupis completed,you'rereadyto cut the halflap joints. If youte building a half-lappedframe,this is just a matterof cutting rabbetsin the endsofthe frame pieces.For pieceswith multiple half-laps(like those requiredfor the grids on the backdoorbench),you'll haveto cut a seriesofrabbetsand dadoes. Now cutting all thoserabbetsand dadoesindividually would be pretry time-consuming, and it would increasethe potential for misalignedcuts.For a shortcut that ensures^ccrracy,I cut dadoesin extra-wide blanks and then rip the blanksinto strips.Each blank should be wide enough for all the "like" pieces(either horizontal or vertical),plusa little extra to allow for the saw kerfi betweenpieces. Cutting the Dadoes - Start by marking the dado locationson the blank.Then align thesemarks with the notch in the miter gaugefence,and push the blank over the dado blade with the miter gauge(Flg, 5). Ifyour project requireshalf-lapsthat are an equal distancefrom the ends of the workpiece,be sure to clamp a stop block to the fence for repeatability. Using the same stop-block setting and flipping the blank end for end between cuts ensuresa perfect match-up of horizontal and vertical piecesduring grid assembly. Ripping the Strips - With the dadoescut, the next stepis to rip the stripsto width from the blank (FS. 6). After ripping the first strip, check to make sure it matchesthe width of the blankt dado(Fig./. Once you get a snug fit, rip all the remaining pieces. U Whenmokingholf-lopiointsbr smollgrids(likethose in fie enhy dividerl,i/s bestlo work with qn exhqwide blonktho/solsoexho long.Thiswill ollowyou to sofelycutthe lointson theEble saw. Depending on thesizeof thegrid,)roumaybeqble get pieces to br tuo (ormorefgridsfromoneblonk.In lhol cose,I cul o seriesof dodoes(norobbetslin the blonk.Then,ofi,errippingthe$ripsfromthe blonlqI crosrutfie griddMdersobouton inchor solongerthon needed. Thismeonslheendsof tnedividerswill di,ckout whenyou ossemblethegrid, burthe/re eosyb him ffushwith o hond son (Phoa,rtght). WWW.WORKBENCHMAGAZINE. COM ADEAD-ON DADOES. Afterloyingoutthelocotions of thedodoeson on exho-wide blonk,olignthemorkswiththenotchin themitergouge fence.Thenclompo stopblockto ihefenceond mokethecut. ARIPSTRIPS. THEFlT.Onceyou're Now setthefence ACHECK to rip o stripthotslipsintothe sotisfiedwith the fit, rip the dodowitho frictionfit fseeFiS4 remoining stripsfromtheblonk. wqeqlfM INNOVATI TOOrS ffiffiffiffi I i r r , 't i i i l u f - i i i t t o t . ; r t i o l r: , , tt l 1 , - ' i I { r , : I , ' j , r ' l rt lrri r p1( } I i t t i u l ; r t i tt ' " l *' ' ' i i , ' ' t ' 1 r ; i l j ' 1 .n ' i i r c l l r " L ' p f , " r r c n i i i ,i - r . r : , r : i r r , : i l ' i l u i i l l " f r l O i r ' ( . ) i t . , t jlJr 't t ' ' , I. i t , i ' l r t i c n t [ ) i r ] t ' t i n ; t 1 ls r z r ' r . . : r;tt j j f i ; BLACK& DECKER DragsterBeltSander Black & Deckert radical new Dragster belt sander may represent the first sigruficant improvement to belt sanders in the S0-plus years they've been around. The Dragster features a low-profile front wheel that TheDrogster's low profileoffers moresonding surfoce,better delivers 25 percent more sanding suface than prevrous 3' x 27'models and allows the sander to get three rimes occessto corners, ond the obilityto reoch intotightspots. closer to the edge ofadjoining sufaces (floor to baseboard, for instance). Additionally, a retractable hood exposes the top of the sanding belt for use in a variety of applications, including squeezinginto spaces wherebelt sanders couldn'tpossiblyreach before (Photo,above).Finally,a three-position adjustablehandle maximizesuser control and comfort. The Dragster sells for around 970. Visit BlackAndDecker.com, or call 800-544-6986for more. \ffiffif, o^: a--\; HITACHI '12"DigitalMiter Saw A new miter saw from Hitachi (Model C12LCH) offers the latestin power tool technology with a digital liquid crystal display (LCD) that shows the bevel and miter angle of the saw. The LCD readout indicates angle settings in half of a degree (.5') through most of the range of adjustment. But it also indicates the specific angles for cutting crown molding flat (31.6" miter,33.9o bevel).Such precisesetups are much easierthanks to a microadiusrment knob on the bevei lock (Photo,below).The saw also featuresa lasercut line for quick aligr:rment.The CIZLCH sellsfor around $399.VisitHitachiPowerTbols.con\ or call800-8294752 for rnote information or to Iocatea retailerin your area. An LCD disploytokes theguesswork out of compoundmiter cuts,likesettingup to cut crownmolding,os shownhere. A losercut-line indicotor fieft/ondo microodiustoble bevellock(below)turtherensure occurote, repeotoble setups. 57 filq DEWALT i I CordlessNailer "1f g / DeWolt's new l6gouge cordless finishnoilers ore thefirstsuchtools thotcon reolisticolly keep oocewith the user. After four yean ofresearchand development, DeWalt has managedto deliverwhat no other manufacturer has in the past - a cordlessfinish nailer that works asfast asthe user. The four- to five-nails-per-second cyclerateofthese nailerseclipsesthe cycle ratesof competitive products and is more than fastenoughfor even the most demandingtrim irutallations. Thesearealsothe only cordlessnailen that ofFersequentialfiring for precision nail placementor "bump firing" for increasedspeed(Photo,above). Other featuresinclude an LED worklight, belt clip,and tool-freejam clearing. DeWalt oft-ersthe nailer in eight models,including 72-, 14.4-,and 78volt versions,and with straightor anf,ed magtzines.Pricesrangefrom $380 to $400.VisitDeWalt.com,or call800-433-9258to learnmore. RYOBI 10" BandSaw Dust control on benchtop tools in genenl - andbenchtopband sawsin particular- haslong consistedofa token dust port (usuallyin a really inconvenientspot) and a screaming shop vacuum.Itt never been very efective,butat leastit'sincrediblyloud. Ryobib new benchtop .* band saw (model BS1001SV)offers the first ef[ectiveand quiet alternative. The BS1001SVSilentVacincorpofirtesa radialfan in the lower wheel to createa highly eficient dust collection system.It drawsdustfrom the tabletopand direcs it into the attached dust bag. Other featuresinclude an LED worklight and a quick-release tensionIever (Photos, below). The BS1001SVis availableexclusivelyfrom Home Depot andsellsfor around $230.VisitRyobiTirols.com, or call 800-525-2579to learn more. A high-intensity LED Ryobi'sblodetensioningsystem w o r k l i g hi tl l u m i n o t e smokesblode chongeseosyond a \ thecutlineforgreoter ollowsyou to quicklyreleosethe ^ 1r VVVrNrrVttI I \ r, tttuttttttwt9J preclslon. lensionwhenthesow is notin use. woRKBENcH D FEBRUARy 2005 TRITON PlungeDrill Triton's new 1S-volt cordless hammer drill features a fully retractableplunge mechanismthat guaranteesperpendiculardrilling, along with severalother benefits. For example, the face of the plunge mechanismhasa non-slip pad for precisiondrilling in tile or other smooth sufaces.It also acceptsa coupleof multi-firnction atachments: one for drilling on corners or in round stockand anotherfor repecitive drilling tasks,suchasshelfpin holes. The PlungeDrill sellsfor around $290Visit TiitonWoodworking. conr, or call 888-874-8661for more. ! Triton's newcordless perpendiculor drillensures drillingwitho retroctoble plungemechonism. SKIL X-5hop Although Skil didnt invent any new tools or developany new technology with their X-Shop, we still have to laud their ingenuiry in creatingthis comprehensiveand affordableentrylevel shop system. The X-Shop is built aroundSkilt 10" benchtoptablesaw.Each wing of the saw has an opening that acceptsinsertbasesfor four different power tools (Skil or other brands). By simply swappingone insert for another,you can quickly transform either wing of the sawinto a router table,drill press,sandingstation,or scroll saw.'Whenyou need the full capacityof the table saw,simply place blank insertsinto the openings. The X-Shop sells for around $380 and includesthe tabie saw : t- tt tr, storage cabinet, router fence and insert, as well as inserts for a jig saw and belt sander. The drill pressinsert,power drill, router, belt sander,and jig saw are sold separately. Visit Skil.com,or call 877-7545999 for more information. ABy chonginginserts,the wings of thisSkiltoble sowcon quicklybe rurnedintrro drill press,scrollsow, sondingstotion,or roulertoble.When nol in use, the insertsond toolsstorein thecobinef. 59 RIDGID ;t n*F mr,{r'C fr i,ii;i ils$ Ridgid's new cordless handheld power planer (model R848) is engineered to handle the tough planing jobs that professionalsface every day and DIY'ers face all too often. This 31/a", 78-volt planer features spiral cutting blades that run at 11,000 RPM (or 22,000 cuts per minute) to produce smooth cuts with lesschipout than conventional blades. The spiral blades make a "shearing" cut that is less likely to damage a workpiece.Anyone who has ever tried to shave the bottom of a door without tearing apart the end grain will appreciate this feature (Photo,Ieft). Another advantage ofthe spiral blades is that they cut more efficiently, which can increase the run time of a cordless planer signifi cantly. The R848 has a 0 co 1/16"depth adjustment with "micro" settings for fine depth control. It can also make rabbet cuts up to 1/2" deep. The planer kit includes a chip collection bag, edge guide, one battery, a 3O-minute charger, one extra set of spiral blades,and a wrench for Endgroinis no problem forthespirol blodes of Ridgid's portoble powerploner. Theblodesore self-indexing, so they're eosyto reploce.A wrenchfor blode chonging is included withtheploner. changing the blades.The kit comes packaged in a plastic carrying case. The complete kit sellsfor around $200 at Home Depot and other tool retailenVisit fudtrid.conr. or call 80047 4-3443 for more information. M MILESCRAFT ,'- tl.t'+",'" The Milescraft Orbiter is unlike any other right-angle drilling attachment out there.Thatt becauseit's not limited to only right-angle drilling. attachmentsare limited to a single perpendicularposition,this attachment from Milescraftcanbe setat at virtually any angle. \ TheMilescroft This is thanksto rwo half-spheres Orbitergoeswdl that rotate independentlyof each beyondrightongle other. A unique beveled gearing drillingwith independently systeminsidethe spheresmakesthis rotolingspheresthotoffer dual-axisrotarionpossible, while sacolmostinfiniteonglesettings. rificing very litde torque or speed. 60 The Orbiter featuresa 3,/s"keyless chuck and and a soft-grip handle. The handleis alsothe locking mechanismthat holds the rwo spheresin the desiredposition.TheOrbiter can be usedwith any drill 3/s" or larger. The Milescraft Orbiter sellsfor approximately$30 at Lowes.Visit Milescraft.corn,or call 815-874-2400 for more information. woRKBENcH tr FEBRUARy 2005 !rlilt/t:'t1/L i .- ^ ^., .^ | - \)J-r : DeWalt's new DW304PK reciproc.lting slw fc:rtu|csr fbur-posirion blacleclamp specificallydesignecllbr flush cuttins. The blaclecl:irnp acceptsthe sarv A four-position blodeclomp ond o iooljree blode releose moke the new DW304PK from DeWoltone of the most odoptoblereciprocoting sows on the morket. blade in the two standard vertical positions (tecth facing up or down) :rnd also oflers two horizontal positions (teeth ficing rigl.rtor left). This nrakes tl-resaw aclaptableto j r r r t . r b o r r tr r ) y c r . r t r i n rs{i t u , r t i o r r . inclr.rdinscut.- ffitil'i 18 tinq close to floors, walls,or ceilingswhere clearlnce is linritecl.Thc rcsult is lessuser corrtortion with fewer"brokenblrdes :rnclcrrant cllts. Thc DW304PK sells fbr rbout $100.Visitl)cWrlt.conr, or call iJ(X)+.1.1-()15|{ lor rrror-cirrIbrrrr,rtitrr r. o a Thisversotilenew sow feotureso 1O-ompmotorthot deliversup to 2 , 8 0 0 s t r o k e sp e r m i n u t ew i t h o 1t/s" blodestroke. / With its one-of-a-kind QuikCl-rrngesystenr,l)orter"-Cable\rrew line of circnlar sawsen:rblesLrsel's to elsily chanse thc circular saw blac'le without :r wlench and still secure tl're bl:rdejr.rst,rstightly. o A pivotingdust nozzleond lightThe keylessblade-chansesystenr weighimognesium is a big tirrre sirver.Andit also urakes housing ore stonit nrore likely that userswill :ictually dord foreon oll chanse the blade to better nrrtch the Porter-Coble work:rt har-rd. MogSowswith T h i : i r r q e r r o u sb l : r d c - c h . r r r g i r r u Quik-Chonge. syster-nis rvailable on severalPorterCable circular saw models,incl-rcling left- and rirrht-bladc vcrsiorrs. Of course,the sawsalso include the featuresthat have been the nrark of Porter-Cable quality all along, including Iightweight rrraqrrcsiunr motor housings and integrated dust control nozzles. The sawssellfor $130 and r-rp.Visit PorterCable.corn,or call 800-,187tH 8665 tor nrore irrfbrnration. W W W . W O I \ K B E N ' ] I I M A C ] A Z I N E . ( JO M Instolling o new blodeis quickerthonever, ond iustos secureos with o wrench,thonksto Porter-Coble's keylessQuik-Chonge system. 61 6) r7-)+ @!J-LI-LI _^_n_ C eru[rv U OTI vll TTI'AI ATTO Y J_LUIIUJI Yorr nevor net n scenn6lchonce to mokeo firstimpression. The s o y i n gi s o d , b u tt r u e ,o n d i t why so monyhomes exploins ore builtwithgrondentrywoys thnl imnrocc rricilnrc h' rl tnLo rrn o lofof spoce. Ourentrydivlder, on theoiher hond,provesthotlesscon be more hv nn.,^[innn Ini of "wow i n t o i r , s ro r i f t l es n o r ^ e l t d e f i n e s yourentrywoy,ond definitely mokeso greotfirstimpression. ;>*o -ti woRKBENCH ft FEBr{uAnv 2005 thefinerdetcils The primary role of this prqect is to divide a home's entry\rvay from the rest of the room.But it's filled with features that make it beautiful, not just functional. For starters,there's the display cabinet. On the side that faces the room, it has glass-paneidoors and adjustable glassshelvesinside (PhotoA). Easy-to-install "puck" lights illuminate items on display. On the entr) vay side,those same lights shine through decorative grids and mica panels (PhotoB). WWW. WO RKB E NC H MAGAZI N E. CO M At one end of the cabinet sits a pedestal that's wrapped with "cultured" stone.Ir addsa unique look to the project, and supports a squarewood column that connects the cabinet to a bulkhead above. Mitered trim adds personaliry to the column, as does a light set behind another ser of decorative grids (Photo C). The bulkhead finishesoffthe divider in high sryle, with panels that match the display cabinet and additional display lighting. 63 on eosy,yefelegcnt DISPIAY CABINET Acturlly it'sjust r single piecc. Decorative kerfs cut around the perir-neterand near the nriddle rnake it look like individual panels.The face frame glr,redaround the panel With that done, cut dadoesin the top and bottom for the dividers (Case Illustration,page 65). Now bore holes in the casetop for the lights (CaseTop Vieu, belotu).Then perimeter cor-npletes the look. To create the look of individual panels,set the table saw blade at 1/s" cut openings in the caseback for the decorative wood grids (Photo,page 65), and file the edges smooth. and cut the decorative kerfs (Casr Back Detail). The next step is to rnake the tongue-and-dado joints. Start by cut- With this done, glue and screw the case together. Then drill shelfpin holes in the ends and dividers. Face IJp to the Frames - With ting rabbets to fornr a tongue on each end of the casetop and bottorr-r (Tbn,qua& Dado Dctail, page 65). Then, cut dadoes in the case ends to accept the tongues. the caseassembled,yoll can turn to the face franres (BarA Partclnnd Facc Framelllustrations,page65).The franre pieces are similar or-r the front and This displaycabinet startsasa cherry plywood case built with sinrple tongue-and-dado joints (Display CabinetAssembly).A face frame on one side createsopenings for three doors.The other side also gets a face flame that surrounds a plywood back panel. Inside the case,vertical dividers and glassshelvesform compartnlents for display items. To build the case,start by cutting the plywood case top and bottor.n (A), ends (B), dividers (C), bottom supports (D), and back (E). You'll notice in the Back Pancl Ilhtstrationon page 65 that the back appearsto be three individual panels. DISPTAYCABINETASSEMBIY back, but are installed differently.The @ ToP (3A"ply.x l 6Vz"x 627/a"l @ TopEndEdging xlV2,, xl8,'l l3/4,, Ve"ker(, 7e"deep Doors feoturesturdymortise-ondlenoniointsbut remoin eosyto build (seepoge 67) TopSupporh l3/n"ply.x 3" x627/s"l WoodGrids on thebock ponelprovideo decorotiveoccent (seepoge 66) Innersfilessitflushwith insidefocesof dividers CASETOP VIEW BqckPonarl is instolledos on ossembly to simplify construction Cose isbuiltof 3/4" plywoodond FoceFrome coversthe cosefront ond echoestheoppeoronce of the bockponel ioinedwith simple tongue-ond-dodo ioinis Innerstilesflushwith insidefocesof coseends insidefocesof dividers 64 wol{KIIENCH D FEBr{UARY 2005 #8 x l7z" Fh WoodscrewJ CASE back frame is glued around the back panel beJore installation.The front frame getsapplied to the casepiece by piece. Note also that the face frames overhang the caseby t/q" on each end.This holes, deep allows you to sclibe against the wall, if necessary, when you install the cabinet. At the other end, the overhang forms a recessto receivethe column pedestal. To nrake tl.refranres,cut the rails (F), outer stiles (Ci), inner stiles (H), toekick r:rils (l), and door stop (J) from solid stock (cl.rerry,in oul case).The toekick rails have a kerf on borlrends and the top edge to ntiniic the back pane1. That dorre,glue thc stilesand rails to Cose Boilbm P/a" ply, x the p11'woodback. Or-rcethe glue dries, glue this asser-nblyto the case,ntaking sllre to create the I/.+"overhangs. Next, glue the fi'ont fi'anrepieces to the case.Alieneach with the ends and CoseDivider l3/q"ply. x 1672"x 30"| 32"dodo 7a"deep "-*lF+-]r l6Vz"x 46h"1 CoseEnd (3A"ply.x l6Vz"x34Vz"l 3/e"dodo, %" deep) Bottrom Support (3/a"ply.x 3" x 46VN'l BACKPANET (F)-t.-..-- R;I (32"x Iu x 46Vl'l Bockedge of cose \ Grids Po:1 Sy4" [-llr dividers asshown in the Sti/c,/DoorStop l)ctail and7bp Vicrl on pase 64. -lctz,, Top It OffA rop conrpletes the cabirret (Display CabirtetAssanbly).Cur t_ thc nrain top (K) and two top slrpports (L) fi'onr 3/a" plywood, then slue then'r l/e'I lu tosether.Thc spacebetween the supports provides a channel for tl.rewiring. Hardwoocl ec'lging (M, N) wraps arounclthree sidesof the top. Make the edging pieccsexrra long. rherr cut r decorativekerfin the bottorn edge of each one. Now nriter and trim the edging, and elue it to the top. nl NOTE:Assemble bockos o unit beforemounting foekfl noil 7e"sowke Tocose (3A,'x 7e"&ep 3r/q',x 46ll'l FACEFRAME Outer Srile l3/l' x I x l3/t" ply.x 46Vt" x29Vq"l l+ l(4'+ Toekick Roil' e Door Sfrop l3/s"xY2" x297/s"l Roil l3h"x 1" x461A"1 T @ lu Outer Stile )= tr 13/4t'xI vs" I x34Vz"l Jisotiot i" Support Ioekick Roil+ *To form the grid openings,drill storterholes,ond removethe woste witho iig sow.Topeprevents chipout. WWW. )VORKBENCHMAGAZINE. COM Toekick Roil l3h x3t/n" x46h"l NOTE:Seetoo-- 7e"sowker6,7e"deep 65 half-lapped GRIDS To createa unique decorativeelement on this project, we added wood grids to the displaycabinet back and the column (CridAssembly).Though the displaycabinet only has three openings,it hassix grids grids - three outside and three inside. (The three inside are visible thrcugh the cabinet'sglassdoors.)The column getsfour rectangulargrids (one on eachoutside face). When illuminated from behind, the grids glow with a warm tone.That'sthanksto sheetsof mica. a mineralbasedproduct that may be best knovrrnto woodworkers for its useinAre and Craftslamps.Seethe Sldebarbelow to learn more about this unique material. The grids in our project are made of mahogany, which contrastsnicely with the cherry when stained. Mahogany alsohastight grain that looks great on small piecesand isnt likely to tear out asit's machined. Each displaycabinetgrid consisbof eight dividen (O) joined by half laps.You may think making 48 pieces with perfectjoints would be tough, but it's not. Seethe "Skill Builder" on page 54 to learn an easytechnique. The column grids are rectangularinsteadof square, asyou can seein the ColutnnAssemblyon page 70. So you'll have to make three vertical dividers @) and five horizontal dividers (Q) for each grid. Though these piecesdifilbr in length from the cabinet grids, the spacing and construction methods remain exacdy the same, After you glue up and trim the grids,rabbet eachro fit the opening (Photo,aboveleft).Then stain them (a walnut tone looks great) and set them asidefor now. ATobrm l/s" robbets onhe grids, clomponouxiliory foceftrhe irble sow fenceond butt the blode ogoinstit. Settheblodeheightos shown,thenpossoll bur edgesof eochgridoverhe blode. GRIDASSEftIBLY Beau the Slice Peoplefomiliorwith mirnusuollythinkd lt oso mineruf buti/s octuollyo groupof morcthon30 minercls.All of thembrm os blo,cks modeup of flot, fokycrptuls. The t'onducentfokes glorflwilh oolorsthotrongefromolmoct cleorb brcwn.Puremicosheehoresimplysftcedfrom ilreblocl<s, butmoctsheet micocvoihbletouoodurod<en consists of individuolfqkes lominoted usingresins. You concutfhesheetswith o util'rtyknib. You'llftndmicoot WooduorkersSupplf www.Wooduorker.com ColumnGrid NOTE:Gridsfor disploycobinashown. Columngridsshown on poge20. 66 CABINET DOORS The doors of the cabinet feature solid cherry frames with large glasspanels that let display items show through (DoorAssembly).Theglass6ts into a rabbet cut in the back face of each door after assembly,and shop-made stops hold the glassin place. Because the glass offers no strength to the door assemblies,I decided to beef up the frames with mortise-and-tenon joints (Mortke ETbnon Detail).They don't take much longer than some "simpler"joints and ensure strong doors that aren't likely to rack or rvvist. Start by cutting the door rails (R) and stiles (S) to width and length. Next, cut the mortises in the stiles.I drilled out most of the waste using a 1/4" Forstner bit, t r 4" Door Pull GlossStops l3/s"x3/g"mibr to lengthl Ctloss (ldla"x NOTE:Rout% widerobbets, 3/s"deepin bockof door ofterossembly then squared up the mortises with a chisel.Then, form the tenons on the rails.You can do this many ways. I used a table saw set up with a dado blade. Now you can glue up the doors. I always dry-fit them first to prevent any surprises, such as ill-fitting tenons.Then glue them up and check for square. After the glue sets,dri1l holes to receive the cups of European-style hinges (Hinge Location Detail).These hinges really make door mounting easybecausethey can DoorSfilet-a)\ft,, x29nl 1110,, 95" Full-lnset Self-Closing Hinge DOOR l3A"x2t/q"xl2"l be adjusted to fit the door perfectly in its opening. Now cut the rabbet that will receive the glassin the back face of each door.You can accomplish this easily with a 1/4" rabbeting bit in a handheld router.To ensure a smooth rabbet, make rwo passesto achieve the fuIl 3/8" depth. Square up the corners using a chisel.Note: Have the glass cutl/8tt narrower and shorter than the opening. Finally, make the glassstops (T).The techniques in the Sidebarbelow make it easy.Miter the completed stops to length to fit the opening in each door. Then install them with small wire brads in pre-drilled holes. 2 Smollports,suchos theglosssbps usedin lhedoors,oreeosierb mqke I SECOND: if youcutfiem fromlorgerblonks. 78\ -r FIRSI: Cu > l l < . ' Rip qloss Sfortwitho longpieceof r/zusbck sropree I h" xl/l". obout5" wide.Chqmfer bothcorners kerf \1ffof onehce ottheroubrbble, Sfepl. Nowyouconformtherobbasthot luo" fit overthe door fromes.Ihis tokes lonfytwoculs,Step2.tirsl, cutq ke{ osshown,lhenmovethefunceondrip I Usethe fenceos o guide A One posswith the blode thestopfree.Repeot fie sbpsb moke ond exposeonly o portion roisedl,/a"formstherobbet. moresfopsfromthesomeboord. of thebit for o cleonchomfer. Anotherposscutsthestop. I I ,/F WWW. WO I{KBE N C H MAGAZ I NE. C O M t 67 overthetop BULKHEAD Mounted to the ceiling, the bulkhead featureslighting to illuminate items sitting on the display cabinet. This part of the proJect consistsof a pl1'wood top and bottom with thick hardwood edging (BulkheadCaseAssembly). Dividers separatethe top and bottom, except at the end of the column.There, an open frame and a removable panel allow accessto the column light (Photo,left, and PanelA ssembly,p age69). Plywood panels with decorative kerR enclose the bulkhead. The idea is to assemblemost of the bulkhead in the shop.That will allow you to lift it into piace (with help), then reach inside and attach the bulkhead to the ceiling. Then you simply glue the side panels in place. Cut the Plywood - Get underway with the bulkhead by first cutting the plywood top (U) to size.Note: I made this piece from leftover cherry. Becauseit won't be seen,though,any 3/4" plywood will do. Next, cut rwo bottom panels (V,W) to size from 3/4" cherry plywood. A Thebulkheodhoso removoble ponelthotollowsyou to reochin ond chongethebulbin thecolumn. Toovoid heotbuild-up, fluorescent we usedo compoct bulb. The bottom consistsof rwo separatepanelsrather than a singie long one.That's becausethe grain runs ddorr the panels,rather than lengthwise.You'll see,once you cut the side panels,that this ailows the grain to wrap around the bulkhead.This means that thesebottom panelsneed to be crosscutfrom the end of a olwvood sheet. BUTKHEADCASEASSEMBTY 78"sowkerfs,7e"deep @ TopPonel l3h" ply,x l SVz"x 623/s"l xrvz"Fh !--*g Woodscrew DMder P/a"pV,x lOVz"x l6Vz"l e 3/+,'robbel, Vz"dep t/lcn kerl, 7e" deep on moling edges .) #8 xlVz" Woodscrew End FromeRoil l3/l' x lth" x l6Vz" EndFromeStile l3/l' xlVt" x7"l 71,,]'".,ltt' rs',sowkerfs, (3h"ply.x 30%c"x l57z"l 68 " iJH; ""I','*f,T[." BOTTOMPANETS woRKBENcH tr rssnuaR.y 2005 -l In addition, each piece of side Notice that the bottom panels h a v e s l i g h r l y d i f f e r e n td i r r r c n s i o n s . edging gets rwo dadoes sized to hold This aliows the decorative ker* in all the dividers (Dado Detail, page 58). Before moving on to assembly, the p:rrr: to rlign rfter rssenrbly. Now cut the remaining pll.wood cut four bulkheadend edging pieces piecesfor the bulkhead: the dividers (DD) to size as well. (X), sides(Y), accesspanel (Z), and Access and Assembly - At the colunm end of thc bulklcad, a frarttc light-fixture panel (AA). Here again,you'11need to bore replacesthe divider. Build the frame holes in the bottom panelsfor puck by curting rhe end [r;rrrrcrails (EE) lights and cut the opening that will later receive the light fixture panel (BottomPanels, page68).Also cut the decorative kerfs in the bottom, side, and :rccesspar-rels. Now notch the corners of each divider (Notdr Detail, pagt 68).Also cut a notch for the wiring to pxss through.Thcn rabbct thc licht-flxture opening arrd panel, and notch To wrap up bulkhead assembly, glue two pieces of bulkhead end edging to the accesspanel.Glue the other two to the exposed edges of the divider at the opposite end of rhe bulkhead. Mounr magnetic catchesto the end frame, and screw their strike platesto the accesspanel. Note:You'll mount the side panels 1ater,after instaliing the bulkhead. and sdles(FF) to size.Glue and screw the frame together, and you're ready to assemblethe bulkhead. Assembly begins with gluing the r o p . r n d b o t [ o r r rp r n e l e d g i n g i r r place.I found it easiestto first miter the side edging to length (making sure to not cut offthe dadoed ends). Thcn nriter the end cdgirrg ro fit. ancl glue up the bulkhead top and bottonr assen-rblies. one corner (FixtrrrcPattclDctnil). Once the glue dries,set the bulkAdd Edging - The br-rlkhead side and end edging (BB, CC) start herd top assemblyon your bench with the inside face up. Glue the out as extra-long bl:rr-rks.The dividers in place.Then glue the end Bulklrcad Edging Dctail shows that e:rcl.rpiece liets two different size lranre in position on top of the end edging. Now spread glue on the rabbets.One rllows the edging to fit over the top (or bottonr).The other receivesthe siclcpancls.Cut the rabbets as showrr in the P/roro,nqfit. exposed edges of the dividers and accessfi'rne, position the bulkhead bottor.r-rasser-nbly, and clamp it tight. PANETASSEMBTY c A Useon ouxilioryfencebuttedogoinsto s/0" dodo blodewhilerobbeting theedging.Cutone robbet withthebloderoisedIo 1/2", ond the otherot3/a,". *l lU4u3/4"J* SidePonel " x9Vz"l l3/a"ply. x 3013/e l{'ker|, 76"deep W WW. WOI\K I]E NCH M AGAZINE. COM 69 creotethe COLUMN createa strong glue joint. Cut the rabbetsin the column front andback (ColumnJoint Detail),and then glue up the column (Photo,le;ft). Add the Tiim - Now you can cut the trim pieces(II,lJ, KK, LL). Rather than cut them to individual length,itb bestto machinelong strips of eachrype.Thenmiter them to fit when instailingthe column. One thing to be awareof is that the beveledtrim at the top and bottom is identical.It'sjust oriented di{ferently (Tiim Detaik). Head For the Finish - At this point, I sandedall the parts of the divider and stainedthem (l used Bartley'sPennsylvania Cherry).Then I applieda coatofboiled linseedoil and three coatsofpolyurethane. A square column joins the display cabinet to the bulkhead.The coiumn has openings with half-lapped grids to complement those on the display case.Tiim at the top, bottom, and ) \\ \ midsection adds visual interest and coversany gapswhen the column is installed (Column Assembly). A The column goes together eosily,but the glueuprequires the useof quite o few clomps.lf you don't hove enough,iustuse bondclompsor moskingtope. By the way, this column length fits a standard8-foot ceiling. Ifyour ceiling height differs, measure from floor to ceiling, then subtract 4 feet to determine correct column length. To build the column, cut the front and back (GG) and sides(HH) from 3/a"-rhickhardwood.Then lay out and cut the grid openings. The column is assembled with rabbetjoints on the front and back. These receive the side oaneis and coruMN ,2*' ASSE'VIBtY ll3/a" x 13h,,1314rt miter to lengthl ('D Bevel Trim ColumnFront/Bock x6n x 481/z"l 1t14tt j j BevelTrim Ph" xlth - LowerTrim (1"x4"miterto fitl 70 lower Trim l3/l'x5rA"x48Vz"l woRKBENcH ft FEBRUAnv 2005 mokeo sturdy @ PedeshlSide l3/t"ply.xl3h" x34h"l PedestolFroni l3/n"ply. x l2Va" x34Vz"l PEDESTAL The stone-clad pedestal is one of the most interesting fe:rturesof this prqect.And after all of the careful cutting and precise fitting you've done, you'Il be pleasedthat the pedestal is simpie. It's just a plywood box clad in This material bonds cerrrentboard (PedcstalAssembly,). well to the mortar that's used to attach the stone. To build the pedestal,cut the front, back (MM), and sides (NN) fronr 3/+" plywood.These parts are hidden, so you crn rnake thenr from scrap plywood. Assemble the pedestalby br,rtting the sidesbetween the front and back and then screwing them together. C)onrplete the pedestalby adding the front cladding (OO) and side cladding (PP). Cementboard can be scoredand snappedlike drywall.That meansyour cuts nrisht not be exact, but it doesn't r.rlatter.Thiscladding will get buried tinder the stone. Sir.nply screw the cladding to the pedestal. The Big PayoffWith the pedestal done, you've tacklecl the hard parts of this project. Now you can install the divider in your home, as shown on page 72. A I c (oseDividers Supporls D Botlom Bock E (obinet F Roik G 0ulerSliles H InnerSliles Roil I Toekkk J DoorStops K Iop t Top Supporls M IooSidefdoino N Toptndtdging Grids 2 2 2 3/a" 2 3/t" t 3/a" 4 4 2 3hu 2 3 3/t" I 2 3/tu 3h" 3u 627/s" fteny Plywood 2 3/t" IW' 63s/s" Geny I 3/t" lY2' 3/t" r6w 3hu 3 4&/a" 34V2' 30u 46Y4" ftenyPlywood ftery Plywood ftenyPlywood fteny Plywood 46Vn" 291/a" ftenyPlywood I 461h" fteny I 34Y2' fteny I 2gth" fteny 3r/a" 461/n" fteny Y2" 297/s" fterry t6w, 627/s" ftery Phwood 3/a" 3/t" 3/g" 18" (herry Eose GridDividen 48 P (ol.GridVert.Divident 2 Y2" 3/s" 5Y4" Yz" 3/0" U/e" o Y2' 3/a" Mohogony 33/a" Mohoqony 3hu 2w t2' (heny 3/t" 2Vt" 29u (heny 3/g" 3/a" (ol.Grid Horiz. Divider 20 Doors R Door Roih 6 Door Sliles 6 s T Gloss Stop I Bulkheod U v w WW TopPonel lnnerBoltom Ponel 0ulerBollom Ponel I 3h I 3/{ I 3/q" W. WO I{K IJEN CH MAGAZ Mohogony l8' (tl (heny 15V2" 623/s" fteny Plywood 3 | I3r4o" lSt/z' fteny Plywood 309/ro" lSVz" ftenyPlywood I NE. COM SideClodding #8 xlVz" (72"cemenlboord Fhwoodscrew x 14" x34t/z"l PEDESTAT ASSEMBtY Y z AA BB cc DD EE FF GG HH tl JJ KK tt o l l . r e9 x r6w r6w, ^ l Llooorng is mode fromVz" cementboord FrontClodding fl/2"cemenlboord x 133h"x341/z"l PortOtyTWLMoteriol DisolovCobine (oseTopl8ollom (oseEnds NOTE: I " cemenlboord screw \r'. PorlOt'rTWLMoieriol 3/tu 2 lOV2' 3/t" Sides 4 303/re" 3/tu Aaess Ponel 16V2" I 3/{ lightFixfure Ponel I 5V2" Bulkheod Sidetdging 4 l3/q" 2 Bulkheod tndtdqinq 2 l3/a" 2u 3/t' tndPonel Edging 4 l" 3/t" End trome Roih lt/t" 2 3/t" EndFrome Stiles 2 lth" €olumn 3/{ (olumn Fronl/Bock 2 6rt Dividers 16Y2' 9Y2" 9V2' 5V2" ftenyPlwood ftenyPlywood fteny Plywood ftenyPlyurood 635/e" (heny l8u fteny 9V2' $eny 16V2" (heny 7" $eny 4gh" (heny 48V2" fteny (olumn Sides lowerlrim 2 I I 4" 36' (heny Bevel Trim t 3/{ l1/{ fteny Middh Trim I 3/t" l3/a" Upper Trim I lu 1V2" 36u 36u 38u 3/{ Sth (heny fteny Pedestol 3/t" hont/8ock 2 MM Pedeshl Sides NN Pedestol 2 3/{ I oo trontdodding wl PP Side0oddinq 2 Y2" (3,Ll#8 x 1lz" FhWoodscrews ( l l I B"x 36" AmberMicoSheet* t e r 4" 12h" 34V2" FkPlywood 13Y2" 34V2" tir Plvwood 133a" 14" Double-Bor Knob" ( l l 4" Uriliry Pull"-Hinoes'*'* or.) 35mm.95" Full-lnset '120-uolt, 2O-Wott PuckLighfi 'lte n #941-2731ot Woodworker.com 341/2" (emenfboord 34V2" (emenfboord Pdrult \fM= oi"tdrt cuning WorkbenthMoqozine.com Diogrom : m # O 2 A l8 . 1 0 ;- - . # 0 1 W 3 6 . 1I ; - - . - # 0 0 8 0 3 . 0 ,o1t L e e V o l l e y . c o m 7l Instqllqtion Detoils '-- Bulkheod @ Bulkheod ToP Toggle Bolt '---3_:1?_1,--- llp "Puck" tight Ailoch the columnby ioenoiling throughthe columninto $e cobinetlop. Thenbenoil intro bulkheodot tropof lhe column. Nexl, milrerthe kim pieceslro lengthond noil themb the cofumn /Colurnn Mounting Denil). Setthe top on the disploy cobinetond secureit from underneothwith #8 x l7a" Fh woodscrews. Column Topof Disploy Cobinef Bevel Trim '\ lower Trim 6d Finish -Noil (olumn Mounting Detoil Posilionthe bulkheodon the ceiling,then fosbn it by driving #8 x 3" woodscrewsinlo ot leost one ioistoverheod.Add toggle boltsthroughthe ceilinglo ensure securemouniing (ToggleBoh Denil). Column Tempororilyposilionthe column,then loy out ond bore o hole in the bp so the wiring con possthroughinto the pedestrol. Snokewiring from the lower iunctionbox up throughthe .'tolumn ond into the bulkheod. "Puck" tight Disploy Cobinet Cut openingsin the disploy cobinetond the pedestol for o iunctionbox, then securelhe pedestolto $e cobinetusing #8 x llh" woodscrews. Align the disploy cobinet underlhe bulkheod,then screw fhe cobinet to the woll ond to o 2x2 cleot which is fuscned to the tloor (Floor Clerlt De;toil). 72 w WoRKIJINCH ] IEIII\UAI\Y 20(]5 it'stimeforfinol q I Enlisro helperonduse 2x4 ! "deodmon"to holdthebulkheodogoinstfie ceiling.Screw throughloistswherepossible, thenfill in with togglebolk. '"1 Positionthedisploy cobinet. C. Shimit levelondplumb,fien screwthecobinetb thewollond floorcleot. ') ftrew thepedestolb theend ,".)of thebose.Secure ollwiring ond routethewire thot runsup thecolumnbeforeyouottochthe cobinetlop. .,.'lFishthe wiring up through 4' thecolumnondinb thebulkheod.Thenplumbthe column qnd benoil it b thecobinettop ondbulkheod. fi Mier thetrimpiecesb length 'J oround lhe column,then securelhemwith finishnoils.An oir noilerdoesthiswithoutiorringtheossembly. f; Dry-stockond trim eoch Ll courseof culturedsloneto geto tightfit. Then"builey''eqch piecewith morbr qnd offix it to fie pedestol. Youcqnfind more inhrmqfionoboutcultured sbne, plusfull drep-by-step instructions for instolling thisuniquemoferiol ot WorkbenchMogozine.com WWW.WORKBENCHMAGAZINE. COM 73 ® Issue 287 Volume 61 Elegant Entry Divider Number 1 January/February 2005 MATERIALS LIST MATERIALS & HARDWARE Part Qty T W L Material Part Display Cabinet Case Top/Bottom 2 Case Ends 2 Case Dividers 2 #/4" #/4" 16!/2" 16!/2" #/4" 16!/2" 30" Cherry Plywood Bottom Supports Cabinet Back Rails 2 1 4 #/4" #/4" #/4" 3 46!/4" 1 46!/4" 29!/4" 46!/4" Cherry Plywood Cherry Plywood Cherry Outer Stiles Inner Stiles #/4" #/4" #/4" #/8" #/4" #/4" 1 1 3!/4" EE FF !/2" 16!/2" 3" 34!/2" 29!/4" 46!/4" 29&/8" 62&/8" 62&/8" Cherry Cherry Cherry Top Top Supports 4 2 2 3 1 2 Cherry Cherry Plywood Cherry Plywood N Top Side Edging Top End Edging 2 1 #/4" #/4" 1!/2" 1!/2" 63%/8" 18" Cherry Cherry GG HH II JJ O P Q Grids Base Grid Dividers 48 Col. Grid Vert. Dividers 12 Col. Grid Horiz. Dividers 20 A B C D E F G H I J K L M Toekick Rail Door Stops 46#/4" 34!/2" Cherry Plywood Cherry Plywood !/2" !/2" !/2" #/8" #/8" #/8" 5!/4" 6&/8" 3#/8" Mahogany Mahogany Mahogany 2!/4" 12" 29" Cherry Cherry 18' (L) Cherry Glass Stop 1 #/4" #/4" #/8" U V Bulkhead Top Panel 1 #/4" 15!/2" 62#/8" Cherry Plywood Inner Bottom Panel 1 #/4" 31!#/16" 15!/2" Cherry Plywood W Outer Bottom Panel 1 #/4" 30(/16" 15!/2" Cherry Plywood 2!/4" #/8" Sides Z Access Panel AA Light Fixture Panel BB Bulkhead Side Edging CC Bulkhead End Edging DD End Panel Edging End Frame Rails End Frame Stiles Column Column Front/Back Column Sides Lower Trim Pedestal MM Pedestal Front/Back NN Pedestal Sides OO Front Cladding PP Side Cladding 6 6 S T Dividers Bevel Trim KK Middle Trim LL Upper Trim Doors Door Rails Door Stiles R X Y Qty T W L 2 #/4" 10!/2" 16!/2" Cherry Plywood 4 1 1 #/4" #/4" 30!#/16" 16!/2" 9!/2" 9!/2" Cherry Plywood Cherry Plywood 4 2 4 #/4" 1#/4" 1#/4" #/4" 5!/2" 2" 2" 1" 5!/2" 63%/8" 18" 9!/2" Cherry Plywood Cherry Cherry Cherry 2 2 #/4" #/4" 1!/4" 1!/4" 16!/2" 7" Cherry Cherry 2 2 1 1 1 #/4" #/4" 1" #/4" #/4" 6" 5!/4" 4" 48!/2" 48!/2" 36" 1 1" 1!/4" 1#/4" 1!/2" 36" 36" 38" Cherry Cherry Cherry Cherry 2 #/4" #/4" !/2" !/2" 12!/4" 13!/2" 34!/2" 2 1 2 (34) #8 x 1!/2" Fh Woodscrews (1) 18"x 36" Amber Mica Sheet* (3) 4" Double-Bar Knob** (1) 4" Utility Pull*** (3 pr.) 35mm, 95° Full-Inset Hinges**** (6) 120-volt, 20-Watt Puck Lights 13#/4" 14" 34!/2" 34!/2" 34!/2" Material Cherry Cherry Fir Plywood Fir Plywood Cementboard Cementboard NLINE Divider Cutting WorkbenchMagazine.com Diagram Extras *Item #941-2731 at Woodworker.com **Item #02A18.10; ***#01W36.11; ****#00B03.01 at LeeValley.com Page 1 of 4 Copyright 2005, August Home Publishing Company. All Rights Reserved. Elegant Entry Divider ® Issue 287 Volume 61 Number 1 January/February 2005 CUTTING DIAGRAM A A B B W #/4" x 48" x 96" CHERRY PLYWOOD K E U L L D D #/4" x 48" x 96" CHERRY PLYWOOD Page 2 of 4 Copyright 2005, August Home Publishing Company. All Rights Reserved. AA Elegant Entry Divider ® Issue 287 Volume 61 Number 1 January/February 2005 CUTTING DIAGRAM Z Y Y Y X X Y V C C #/4" x 48" x 96" CHERRY PLYWOOD F G DD #/4" x 5" x 96" CHERRY @ 3.33 BD. FT. I I T #/4" x 5" x 96" CHERRY @ 3.33 BD. FT. M M H J #/4" x 4" x 96" CHERRY @ 2.7 BD. FT. R R R R EE #/4" x 5" x 96" CHERRY @ 3.33 BD. FT. S S N KK JJ R R S S S S #/4" x 5" x 96" CHERRY @ 3.33 BD. FT. GG GG HH HH #/4" x 12" x 108" CHERRY @ 9 BD. FT. Page 3 of 4 Copyright 2005, August Home Publishing Company. All Rights Reserved. FF ® Issue 287 Volume 61 Elegant Entry Divider Number 1 January/February 2005 CUTTING DIAGRAM P O Q !/2" x 3" x 96" MAHOGANY BB BB BB BB CC CC 1#/4" x 9" x 84" CHERRY @ 10.5 BD. FT. MM NN MM NN #/4" x 48" x 96" FIR PLYWOOD OO II LL PP 1" x 6" x 48" CHERRY @ 2.5 BD. FT. PP !/2" x 48" x 48" DUROCK Page 4 of 4 Copyright 2005, August Home Publishing Company. All Rights Reserved. TABLE SAWS The Latest(and Greatest)Choicein TableSaws for the HomeWoodshop . TRUNNIONS: Most of the sowsin this cotegory hovecontroctor-style lrunnions (mountred to the tobletop). TheCroftsmontrunnions ore morecobinetsow-like. (lllushotion, poge 75) BLADE TIIT: Thesehybridsows hoveleh+ilting blodes, likecobinet sows. MOTOR LOCATION: The moiorson thesesowsore locotedinside the boses, connected directlyto the very serious woodworker has, at one time or another, wrestled with the question of whether their next table saw (or perhaps their first table saw) should be a contractor's saw or a cabinet saw. Contractor's sawsare an attractive choice becausethey are relatively economical while still being highly capable.But the power, trunnions, likeo cobinetsow. precision, and dependability ofa cabinet saw are woflh every dime.It's a touglr choice. It might seem that adding a third category of table saw - one that bridges DUSI Threeof these 4" dustportsin cobinet.TheGenerol Internotionol hosthe the gap between contractor's saws and cabinet saws - would only serve to further confound the wavering woodworker. But I don't think it has to. On the contrary, after testing four of these new "hybrid" saws,it's my consid- connectingo 2%" hose ihe cobinet.TheDeWolt sowhosonlyo 21/l'dustport. BASES:TwosowshovecobineFstyle boses.Theother hvo hove "porfiol" 74 ered opinion that this is precisely the saw that most home woodworkers should have.And choosing from within this new category is what this test is all about. But before we get into the specificsofeach saw and how it performed in our tests, let's spend a few minutes clearing up just what makes a table saw a "hybrid." w o R K B E N c H f t p r s R . u a R . v2 0 0 5 Although each of the table sawsin this test is considered r "hybrid." you need only compare the Photos at the bottom of this page to see that these saws are hardly cast fronr a single mold. But a closer look dampening vibration and noise. In most cases,manufacturers also use the cabinet as an irnportant part of the dust collection system by building hoppers into the cabinet to direct dust toward a dust port.The one exception in this group is the DeWalt.This particuiar saw has an open cabinet and usesa shroud around the blade to direct dust toward a 2t/4" dust port (seethe Ccbinel-llke Boses The first similariry lies in the bases, Photo on page 79). or cabinets,that support these saws Molors and house the inner workings. Granted, there are r\,vo distinct sryles In terms of power, the motors on revealsthat these sawsare similar on nrany important counts (see the Illusnailon on page 74). representedhere, but in each case, the cabinet is an integral part ofthe saw (and not just a bolt-together stand like that on a contractor'.ssaw). This design makes for a sturdier saw and goes a long way toward T-= -."';P. This allows for shorter belts and greater power transfer than the contractor design oft-ers.Attaching the nlotor to a more solid structure further diminishes noise and vibration. Trunnions Most of these hybrid saws use the same trunnions (the assembliesthat hold the blade arbor in position under the tabletop and alsoprovide these saws are comparable to contractor'.ssaws- at or slightly below the tilting action of the blade) as their contractor brethren.The trun- 2 hp.And just like contractor'ssaws, hybrids rypically use a single belt to transfer power fronr the motor to the arbor (compared to as rrany as nions are bolted to the tabletop and are snrallerthan the trunnions used on cabinet saws. Craftsman, however, nudged its CRAFTSMAN TRUNNION saw one step closer to cabinet saw quality wich a set of rttassivetrunnions that bolt to the cabinet rather than the tabletop (Illustration, Ieft). ''Trunnion, bolt .l three on a cabinet saw).'[he location of the motor, however - inside the cabinet and supported by the trunnions - is pure cabinet saw design. to cobinet This configuration offers a couple of advantages,including better vibration dampening and easier adjustment. As a result, we'd expect this saw to maintain an accurate setup more reliably than those }'rary with contractor-rype trunnrons. Blode tilt The most significantcabinet-saw characteristic that thesesawsborrow is a left-tilting blade.Many woodworkers feel that left-tilting blades are more user-friendlythan righttilt blades.In the past,left-tilt blades were availableonJyon cabinetsaws. lL .\ .l-ltyhrid Sows Reviewed Crqftsmon WWW.WORKBENCHMAGAZINE.COM Internqfionol DeWqlt 75 Sow Setup working speedsmoothly and quietly.The General International, in particular, impressedme with its purring, vibration-freeperformance. Furthermore, I couldn't find a singlepower switch in the bunch to complainabout.They'reall mounted within easyreach and are too large to be missed. With tools,just as with people, first impressions count. And my first impression of these sawswas good. Each saw arrived well-packed and complete with every part the manual said I should find in the box.All of the saws went together with relative ease.Only the Craftsman took a little longer to assemble,but that's only because this saw comes with so many extras. After putting the saws together, my first test was to simply plug them in and start them up. Not much of a test. I know. but think of it as that A feelergougeond o stroightedge estoblished the flotnessof the tobleond extension winos. lesting Priodtles 'With the introductions behind me, I set my sights on gauging the reiative strengths and weaknessesof each of these hybrid saws. The first order ofbusiness was to make sure each saw was tuned to the same tolerances.This was quick work, since most saws came out of first handshake. Without exception, the saws started softly and powered up to Crqftsmqn OR35504 - Rock-solid peokperconsfru€lion, formonce, o greotblode,ondthe bestfencemoneyconbuy (ollfor under$1,0001 eornedCroftsmon the"Editor'sChoiceAword.' Consider this:Youcouldspend oboutonother$ I,000 for o bonofide cobinetsow ond oll you'd goin is one more horsepowen Hordlyseems worlh it. We look for thistrobe o cotegory leoderfor Croftsmon. *r&: n. d Twocost-iron extension wings, ,l2" o melomine extension, ond o collopsibleoutfeedsupport give thissow the lorgestworksurfoceof the bunch. Price: $950 HP: 13/a volr: 120/240 Amps: 15/7.5 RPM: 3,450 Mox.Cut@ 90": 33/e' Mox.Cut@ 45': 21/l' Mox.Rip,Righfi 30u Mox. Rip,L,efh l8u TobfeDim.: 27" x 56" Wings: Costlron Blode: 40T Corbide ATheCroftsmon wostheonlysowin ourtest group thot offeredo quick-releose blode guordond splitter. 76 woRKBENcH ! FEBRUAnv 2005 the box spot-on. Only the Jet requireda bit ofrweaking to get the bladeparallelto the miter gaugeslots, and the DeWalt fence neededa bit offine tuning to bring it in line. Both issueswere correctedin short order. Next on the list was measuring Ifa top isnt the tabletopsfor flatness. flat, you'll have a bear of a time making accuratecuts. Once again,I waspleasedto find that most topswere indeeddeadflat. The GeneralInternational,however, showeda slight dish (.03") on my first measurement(Photo,page76). This turned out to be the resultof the cast-ironextensionwings being tipped up slighdy at their outside edges.I was able to remedy the problem by placing shimsbetween the wings and the saw table.(I used smallpiecesof dado bladeshimsfor this.)After about 10 minutes of fiddling with it, I was ableto bring the extensionw'ingsinto the sameplane asthe main table. After tabletopscame the arbors. A wobbly arbor will resultin rough cuts, lost horsepower,and undue wear on a blade. I measuredfor runout with a dial indicator and a calibration disc (Photo,ngftt).None of the saws exceeded .005" of runout, which is well within acceptable range. The Craftsman and DeWalt sawsturned out to be particularly steady,with each showing only .003" of runout. Arborrunoutwos meosured usingo diol indicotor disc, on o mogneticboseond o colibrotion Genercl lniernqfionol 50'220Ml Thetobleon this sow required to getthewings someshimming in linewith the tuble.And rhe fenceon thissow left o littleto be desired. * Butevenif you spend $l0O morebr the optionol Biesemeyer-stylehnce ondo bw thisisstillthemost buclaftr shims, ofbrdoblesowin thebst. And in lightof oll ib ofter shongpoinis,it thehonorof 'TopVolue." deserves Price: $ZSO HP: 2 110/220 Volts: Amps: 11.4/5.7 RPM: 3,450 Mox.Cut@ 90': 35/to" 2s/to" Mqx.Cut@ 45": Mox. Rip,Right 301/2" 13s/s" Mox.Rip,lefh TobleDim.: 27" x 44" Wngs: Costlron Blode: None iqhr 3 1 6l b s . WWW.WORKBENCHMAGAZI > TheGenerol lnternotionol sow offerso choiceof connectingo 4" hoseto the cobinet,or o 21/l' hoseto o shroud oroundthe blode. NE. COM lThe bevellockis in on unusuollocotionon thissow, but provides o solidholdon the bevelsetting. Guttlng Pcrlormcnce I Ripping2"-thickwolnui reveoledthe power of eochof thesehybridtoblesows. After a full day of assemblingand tuning the saws,I was anxious to ger dornmto the realbusinesoftable saws: cutting wood. So I sarted sftaight in ripping 2"-thick walnut boards. I was primarily interestedin the power these sawsturned out, but also wanted to get a senseof cut qualiry.To ensureI was comparing sawsand not blades,I equippedeach sawwith an identical 60-tooth blade. On the power score,only one sawdisappointed. The Jet SuperSaw was unable to complete a rip cut without tripping its overload fuse. The restof the sawsin the testpoweredthrough theserip cutswithout any trouble whatsoever. In all fairnessto theJet, ripping a long, thick board with a 60-tooth blade is asking a lot. And when I slvitched to a 24-tooth rip blade, the saw performed admirably.So while power may be an issuefor the Jet, it's not a crippling weakness. As far ascut quality goes,I didnt find any clearwinner, asall the saws producedadequatelysmooth cuts. ]enceg & tlter Gcugeo In addition to power ripping, I performed a variery of other cutting operationsthat were intended to gaugethe accuracyof the fences, miter gauges,guards,and splitters. The fencequestionwasreallyno contest,astherejust isn't any better Jet 3301 TheJetSuperSow is q sbut bble sow (onlythe Croftsmon weighs morclwithsomercolstrrong poinls, like superiordustcollecfionond fit ondftnish. excellent Unfortunobly,thesqwprovedo bit underpowered during our testing,ond I hove to odmit to beingskepicoloboutthedurcbiliry of the belt"drivenblqdelih (lnset Phoiol.Inshorl,thissowisn'lmy firstchoicein thiscolegory. ATheJetblodeguord hos independentlymovingsidesthotofferexcellent visibilityond increosedsofety. Price: $1,000 HP: 13/a Vofts: 115/230 Amps: 12/6 RPM: 4,000 Mqx.Cut@ 90': 31/eu Mox.Cut@45": 21/a" Mox. Rip,Righ* 323/tu Mox. Rip,lefh 8u TobleDim.: 27" x 413/l' Wings: Costlron Blode: None Weighr 398 lbs <A big questionmorkon theJet toble sow is theirbelt-driven blode lift.Thisis one more mointenonce item. iust 78 woRKBENcH tr FEBRUARy 2005 The good news is that General fenceto be had than a Biesemeyer,so Crafsman getsthe nod on this count. offers a Biesemeyer-stylefence asan Nonetheless,theJet and DeWalt option on this saw,and it only raises fencesare pretty good.'While not the price about $100. I highly recquite assmooth or rock-solid asthe ommend this option,since this will Biesemeyer,they slid reasonablywell, srill cost lessthan the other saws. Miter gaugeswere a mixed bag. locked down parallel, and only deflectedunder significant pressure. Jet and Craftsmaneachincluded an The General International's aluminum fence with their miter fence,on the other hand,lefta little gauge.Craftsmanincluded a stock to be desired.My chief complaint hold-down and movable stop with is that the front fence rail came in their miter gaugefence.TheJethad two piecesthat were joined by a setscrewsin the miter bar for snugcoupler. Not surprisingly,the scale ging the fit in the miter slot. None of the miter gauges, wasonly accurateon one sideof the joint.As soonasthe indicatorcrossed including the ordinary versionsfrom the joint, it was offby about 3/te". GeneralInternationaland DeWalt, This fencealsohad a tendencyto tip showed any excessplay in their t Eochmitergouge wos checkedfor ploy in the miterslotond for generolquolity. offthe rail asI slid it back and forth. resDectivemiter slots.ffi DeWqlrDW746X <- TheDeWoltDw746 is fie sow fiot stqrtedthe hybridcrqze.ll nowhoseornd o well-deserved reputotionos o good sow with olmostunlimited expondobility. In order b remoincompetitve ogoin$thenewcomers to thiscoF €ory, however,DeWoltwillhove thesbmpedsbelwings b reploce withcosFiron wingsondupgrade to o fully enclosedcobinetwith enhonced dustcollection. V Theexpondobility of the DeWolt- wlth occessories suchos thisslidingcutoff toble- is one reoson thissow hosgoined sucho following. Only theJetoffers Price: $900 HP: 13/a Volts: 120/240 Amps: 15/7.5 RPM: 3,000 Mox.Cut@ 90": 31/au Mox.Cut@ 45': 21/a" Mox. Rip,Righft 30u Mox. Rip,llefh 16 TobleDim.: 27" x 403/l' Wings: Stomped Steel Blode: 30TCorbide A DeWoltcould improvethistoble sow with cost-ironextensionwings ond on enclosed cobinet. WWW.WORKBENCHMAGAZINE. COM E ,YIAIERIAUi ThePressure-Treoted TRANSITION A Production of CCAtreotedlumberstoppedo yeorogo. By now,everything you will find on lumberrocksis treoted wifhnewchemicols. Preservolive KEYDIFFERENCES ABOVE GROUND Preservolive Rebnfion level AmericonWoodPreservers' Associofion StundordsCodes Croneqrc the doysof simplyloodingyour cort with pressure-treobd lumberond knowingit will rcsistdecoywherwer you useit. Thesedoysthe treotmentlwels wry so you'll needto consultthe endtog of eochboordto ensurethotit mqkhesyourinbndedusoge. lhe illutraimobove isoneexompleof on endtog.Ifte designof these bgs convory widely,butfte criticolinformofionremoinsthesome. T}e mostimporbntthingto lookfor is theopplicotion. Eochboord will berotedfor "GroundConhct" (forboordsthotwillbuch thesoil or be buriedl,'?bove Groundo(br deckingnotin directconbctwith soil),"Foundofion," somelimes obbreviohdos"FDN,,or ,,pWF,,for usein wood foundotions), or "SoltWolerolfor directcontoctwith sohwobr, suchqs in piersor docksl. 84 One full year efter the voluntary ban on Chromated CopperArsenate(CCA) went into effect,it's safeto say that the surplus of CCA-treated lumber has been exhausted,and alternative materialsnow fill the racksat your local lumberyard.That makesit more important than everthat you understandthe new pressure-treated lumber and how to use it to your greatestbenefit. Most of the new "envilonmentally friendly" pressuretreatingchemicalsare copper based,justlike CCA.The differenceis that thesenew chemicalsdo not contain inorganic arsenic,which is the ingredient that brought CCA such fierce criticism. Currently, products treated with Alkaline Copper Quatenary (ACQ-C, ACQ-D, or ACQ-D Carbonate) and CopperAzole (CBA-A or CA-B) comprise most of the CCA replacementmarket. Both of theseffeaunentswork like CCA in that they eliminate wood fibers as a food sourcefor insectsand fungus,which in turn contributes to wood decay.And all indications are that theseffeatmentsare as effective as CCA in preventing decayfor many decades. Despite the similaritiesbetween new pressureffeaffnenb and the old CCA, there area few important differences to take note of. Cost -The new stuffis going to costyou about 15 to 20 percentmore.Thisis due to the increased copper content.The new chemicals,lacking the inorganic arsenicof CCA, rely almostentirely on copper as the fungicide and pesticide.Copper is expensive,so the cost of the lumber hasto reflect that. Varyrng Grades - The second difference is that not all pressure-treatedlumber is createdequal these days.In the past,the relatively low cost of the CCA chemical made it possiblefor manufacturersto pump every board full of the sruff. Now, becauseof the higher cost of new chemicals, manufacturersarea bit more modestwith is application. The key is to check the end tagsofthe boardsto ensure they are rated for your intended use(Sidebar at leJt). Corrosion Danger - The most important difference,though, is that new chemicalsaremuchmore corrosivethan CCA. So the hardwarethat worked fine in CCA wont standup to the new chemicals.Thatmeans hardwareselectionis essentialto the longevity of your outdoor projecs.To he$ sort that out, we've put together a guide for selectinghardware to be used with pressure-treatedlumber that begins on page 86. woRKBENcH D FEBRUARy 2005 H TYIATERIATS NArrs & scREws The treatedwood industry recommendshotStqinless SreelNoils dip galvanizedor stainless r1.sl nailsand screws ore ovoiloblein limitedsizes in pressure-treated lumber. lJnfortunately, as ond stylesond ore roughly clear as this guideline seems,trying to find threetimesos expensiveos this hardware among the racks and racks of golvonizednoils. nails and screwsin a rypical home center can be a confusingand frustratingexperience. Galvanized - One important point I learnedwhile shoppingfor nailsand screwsis that "galvanized" and "hot galvanized" are nol the sameas"hot-dip galvanized." So unless the labelspecificallysays"hot-dip galvarnzedl' HoFDipGolvonized Noils the hardwaremay not be recommendedfor oreeosyto findond reosonobly pressure-treated wood. priced.Justbe surethelobel Another way to know if the nailsor screws reods"hotdipgolvonized" ond you're looking at areappropriateis to check the not iust"golvonized"or packagingfor the phrase,"ConformstoASTM "hotgolvonized." A153."This tellsyou that the zinc coating on the nails or screwsmeetsthe standardsset by the AmericanSocietyforTestingandMaterials for usein pressure-treated lumber. Of course,it may be assimple asfinding a box of nails or screwsthat proudly proclaims itself,"Recommended for use in ACQ and HoFDipGolvonizedScrews all other pressure-treatedlumber." ore hord to find ond oftenof Ifyou canfind any or all ofthosephraseson poor quolity.Betterchoices a box of screwsor nails,then you've found the i ncludeMcFeely'sNo-Co-Rode right hardwareand canbuild with confidence. screw /shownhere)or polymerStainlessSteel - Stainlesssteelscrews cootedscrews(shownbelow). areeasyto find, but they areincrediblyexpensive. Stainless steelnailsarejust asexpensive, but the choicesaremore limited. Fortunately, most industry information saysthat stainless steel hardwareis only necessaryunder the most severecircumstances. There is no ASTM standardfor stainless ore quicklybecomingthe steel,but Type 304 or 376 stainless steelfasscrewof choicewhen working tenersarerecommendedindustry-wide.Type with pressure-treoted lumber. 316 is for the most corrosiveenvironments, Mony brondsevenoffer such as marine applications.In most other worrontiesogoinstcorrosion. cases,Type 304 will suftice. Once again,you'll have to check labels closely to find the rype of stainlesssteelor a phrase that specifically saysthe hardware is intendedfor usein ACQ and other pressuretreatedmaterial. Other Screw Choices - Hot-dip galvanized screwsare prery rare.And even if you ore the bestchoicefor find them, you may not want to use them. fosteningpressuretreoted moteriol The thick zinc coating that resultsfrom this in ony environment. Theirhigh processcommonly clogsthe threadsand the price,however,mokesthem recesses in the headsof the screws,so several improcticolfor mostproiects. screwsin every box will be unusable. 86 A Noils ond screwsintendedfor use in new pressur+treoted lumberwill be lobeled"ASTM Al53" or specificolly mentionnew chemicols. 200HouRs Thesephotos cleorlyshow the imporlonceof usingthe right fostenersin treotedlumber. To the left ore ThickCootnoils from StonleyBostitch.Notice how they hove corrodedfor less thonthe noilson the right,which nove o more typicolzinc cooting. 4OOHOURS 600HOURS Fortunately,there are alternativesbeyond costly stainlesssteel. For example,McFeely's, offers its No-Co-Rode screws,which are mechanicallygalvanizedbut still meetASTM ,\153 for zinc coatings.McFeely'ssellsthese screwsfor use in all pressure-treatedwood, but it doesnot warrantagainstcorrosion. Another popular alternativeis polymercoatedscrews.These are availablefrom several manufacturersand tend to be priced between galvanizedand stainless steelfasteners. At present,there is no ASTM standardfor polymer coatings,but severalindependent testshave confirmed the corrosion-resistant performanceof thesescrews.Your bestbet is to look for screwsthat offer a warranty and specificallystatethat they canbe usedin pressure-treatedlumber. woRKBENcH ! rEnnuanv 2005 E 'YIATERIAlS CARRIAGE BOTTS & tAG SCREWS .rr,:jii These larger fastenersare rarely marked as clearly astheir smaller counterparts, so searching for any reference to standards,fypes, or warranties is a futile eft-ort.According to an ASTM customer service representative,however, most of the galvanized and stainlesssteel fastenersyou'll find in hardware stores will do the trick in all but the most demanding environments. (Marine appli- log Screws ore rorelymorkedwith type or ASTMstondords. cations absolutely requireType 316 stainlesssteel.) Fortunotely, mostgolvonizedor stoinless steellog screwswill hold up well in pressuretreoted CONNECTORS lumber,occordingto o representotive hangers,hurricane hurricaneties, post anchors, fromthe Joist ties, post anchors,and and Joisthangers, AmericonSocietyfor Testing ond Moteriols. orhermeraiconnecrorsareevervbrr assusceotibie to corrosionfrom the new pressure-trearing.n.-- icalsasscrews andnails.Ardt j::"':l:t' ore olso poorlylobeled.Butthe golvonizedond stoinless steelhordworesold in homecenrers ond hordworestoresshouldperformwell. MOREINFORMATIoN AmericonWood-Preseryers' Associolion owpo.com+ 334-874-9800 Southern PineCouncil SouthernPine.com + 504-443-661 2 Environmentol Protection Agency epo.gov+ |202l'272-0167 FASTENER SOURCES McFeely's McFeelys.com + 806443-7937 StonleyBostitch Bostitch,com + 800-5566696 PrimeSource PrimeSourcebo.com + 800-67 6-7777 Senco Senco.com + 800-543-4596 USPShucturolConneclors USPConneciors.com + 800-3 28-5934 SimpsonStrong-Tie StrongTie.com + 800-999-5099 88 2 and screws,hot-dip galvanizing or stainlesssteel offer the solution. Once again, don't mistake standard galvamzed connectors with hot-dip galvanized. To be absolutely certain that the connectors you're using are hot-dip galvanized,look for the "TZ" line of fasteners fronr USP Structural Connectors or the "ZMax" line from Simpson Strong-Tie. Otherwise, look for a label that says the connectors conform to ASTM A653. Both USP Structural Connectors and Simpson Strong-Tie also offer stainlesssteel connectors,bu these may be a little more dif1icult to find on store shelves.If you live in a coastalenvironment or are planning a narine structure,you may need to speciai-order these from a local building supplier. FTASHING fhz^ .f Jr- ,/,{F :7 t A Stoinless steelond golvonizedconnectorsore ovoiloble from USPStructurol Connectors ond SimpsonStrong-Tie. The most difficult piece of hardware to locate rnay very well be flashing. Standard aluminum flashing absolutely cannotbe used in contact with the new pressllretreated lumber. It will start corroding almost as soon as you attach it. The aiternatives are flexible membrane flashing, galvanized flashing, or copper flashing. None of these three is in ready suppiy at the home centersin my area,and even the commercial building supplier I turn to for hard-to-find materials had to special-order copper flashing (Photo,right). PLANAHEAD Clearly some advance planning is in order if you hope to gather all the hardware necessaryfor a long-lasting outdoor project built with new pressure-treated lumber. The Web sitesand phone numben listed in the Box at left will be excellent resources tffifor information and materiak. A Youmoy hoveto speciolordercopperfloshingfrom o buildingsupplier. WORKI]ENCH tr FEBRUANV 2OO5 ffiTools$frW ffiPRODUCTS polm-sized DRIVER CORDLESS The new Skil iXO cordlessdrill/driver is a palm-sized powerhousethat holds its battery chargeevenafter rwo yearsofnon-use. Weighing in at just over 10 ouncesand measuring about 51/z"square,the iXO is the ideal tool to keep in a drawer for those occasionalfix-it jobs. A 3.6-volt Lithium Ion battery providesthe power. The biggest advantageto a Lithium Ion battery is its abiliry to hold a chargefor an extendedperiod of rime when the tool isnt in use. Other user-friendly featuresinclude a forward and reverseindicator to keepyou turning in the right direction, and a soft-grip handle for com-fort. The iXO comes packagedin a carrying casethat oflersa variety ofstorageoptions.Thecasecan sit openfacedinside a drawer,can be mounted to a wall or any other flat surface,or can simply be laid down just about A TheiXO,with its 34 bits,200 fosteners, ond o botterythot'sreodyon demond,is o perfect odditionto ony "cotcholl" drower. anylvhere on its non-marring soft-grip feet. The kit includes a 34-piece bit set with a variery of Phillips, standard,Torx,andAllen bits, aswell as200 fastenersof various typesand sizes. Look for the iXO cordless drill/driver on Amazon.comor other major retailersfor around$50.To learn more,visit Skil.comor call 800-754-5999. lqminote TRIMMER Ridgid hasraisedthe bar for laminatetrimmers with a model that featuresa 6-amp motor (the second-mostpowerfi.rlin the category)an! variable-speedcapabiliry(the only laminatetrimmer with this feature). The R2400 alsoboastsa microadjustablerackand-pinion height adjustment,rwo edgeguides, and the Ridgrd cord packagethat consistsof a 72foot rubber cord with an illuminated tool icon on the plug and a hook-and-loop cord wrap. Look for the Ridgid R2400 laminate trimmer at F{omeDepot for around$120. Visit Ridgid.com or call 800-474-3443 for more information. <Ridgid'snew lominotetrimmerfeotures o powerfulmotor,precisionodiustments, ond vorioble-speed operotion. 94 SHARPENING Thiscompoclshorpening system turnsony drill pressinlo o copoblehoningond shorpening center.TheShopStrop kit includes thesonding plofbrm,sixsondingdiscs,leofierhoningwheel, honingcompound, lool resl,ondon inshuciionol video. The kit sellsfor obout $100. Visit or coll877-2202699ic leommore. Bigleg.com woRKBENcH tr FEBRUARY 2005 PRODUCTS coldheqt SOLDERING The Cold Heat soldering iron is a cordlesstool that seemsto def,r the laws of nature.Poweredby four AA batteries,the Cold Heat tip reaches800o in about one second.It cools down almostasquickly,sincethe tip is heated only during active soldering.It's possibleto solder up to 700joints on a singlebattery pack. The Cold Heat tool is perfect for electricalprojects using 18- to 24-gatge wire and other small projects where precision soldering is required,such asjewelry repair.It works with regular,lead-free,or silver-based solder &om 18 A'WG to 24 A'WG, but performs best with solder of 18 AWG (0.040inchesor 1 mm in diameter)to 20 AWG (0.032 inches or 0.8 mm in diameter).However,you should determine the solderwire gaugebasedon the A Compoctond cordless,the Cold Heotsoldering tool heotsond coolsomozinglyfost.FourAA botteriesprovidethe power source. requirements of yourproject.TheCold Heatis not recommendedfor solderingoflarge metalliccomponenc that require a lot of heat transfer. Expect to pay about $20 for a Cold Heat soldering tool, alongwith a carryingcaseand one replacementtip. Visit ColdHeatools.comor call 800-398-8866for more information or to purchasea tool. ryobi'sone+ SYSTEM AA plug-in lonyordwitho nyloncorryingstropond o melolclospfor honging thetoolis included witheveryindividuol tool in theRyobiOne+system. 96 Ryobi's new One* system is designedto offer consumersnew freedomto createtheir own cordless tool combinations without purchasingduplicate tools or paying extra for batteriesthey don't need. Ifyou alreadyo\^rnany ofRyobi's 18-volt tools,you cannow add individual tools to your assortment without the additional expenseof another battery and charger yet another flashlight. Of course,Ryobi will still be olfering severalcordlesscombination kits, including a starterkit that contains a 1/2" drill, circular saw, flashlight,two batteries,and a onehour chargerfor $119. From there you can grow your tool setby choosingfrom any of the 22 tools sold individually, Additional batteriessellfor 925 each or r'wo for $40.Ryobi tools are available exclusivelyat Home Depot. bosch IMPACTOR Bosch has jumped into the hottest new category of cordless tools with the introduction of three new impact drivers.The Bosch Impactorline includes9.6-, 12-, and 14.4-voltmodels. All three tools boast the most speedand power availablein their respectiveclasses. Each alsofeaturesa1/+t' hex quick-change chuck, a trigger-activated LED work A Boschoffers the light, and a belt clip. Impactor highestspeedond kits come with two NiCad power currently batteries,a one-hour charger, ovoiloblein three and a carrying case.For more sizes of cordless information, call 877 -267impocfdrivers. 2499 or visit BoschTirols.com woRKBENcH fl FEBRUARY 2005