November/December 2014 Archives - Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/magazine-issue/novemberdecember-2014/ America's Leading Woodworking Authority Tue, 19 Nov 2024 17:13:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 Wine Presentation Box Project https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/wine-presentation-box-project/ Wed, 23 Nov 2016 20:02:21 +0000 http://rocklerwj.wpengine.com/?p=34459 Special beverages given as a gift deserve a special presentation. This box features a unique mechanism that literally "pops up" three wine bottles as the lid is opened.

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A good friend celebrated a milestone birthday this year, and since he’s a real wine afficionado, I wanted to give him a few very nice bottles of wine presented in a special way. I’ve seen expensive vintage wines sold in wooden presentation boxes, but I wanted to make something that’s well beyond the ordinary. So I designed a box that presents the wine bottles by “popping them up” as the lid is opened.

Most of this project is a very straightforward build and requires no special hardware. The box itself has sides joined with dovetails and a solid wood bottom set into a groove. The hinged lid is made with a mitered frame that holds a floating raised panel. The bottle lifting mechanism attaches to the underside of the lid and has a pair of bullet catches that keep the lid in the open “presentation” position when it’s fully lifted. The top Special beverages given as a gift deserve a special presentation. This box features a unique mechanism that literally “pops up” three wine bottles as the lid is opened. of the lifting mechanism, as well as a bottle rack at the bottom of the box, keep the three bottles aligned and prevent them from shifting or clunking together. My box is proportioned to hold regular wine bottles, but you could adapt it to hold other kinds of bottles or containers.

Resawing the Stock

Cutting redwood planks with a bandsaw
For the presentation box, the author resawed stock that he cut from an old-growth redwood stump on his property. After bandsawing, each piece was surfaced and edged with a jointer and thickness planer.

The box, as shown in the Drawing, is mostly made out of 1/2″-thick stock. Since I didn’t have any stock that thin on hand, I decided to cut a couple of 2′-long bolts from one of the first-growth redwood stumps on my property in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains. These trees are more than a thousand years old and yield wood that’s a beautiful reddish-brown color with very tight grain (it’s also much harder than newer redwood lumber). I resawed the bolts on my band saw and produced more than enough 1/2″ stock for my project, as well as a few pieces of 1/4″ stock to glue up for the box’s bottom. While most of the stock was quartersawn, I plainsawed (cut parallel to the tree’s annular rings) the bolt with the most attractive grain figure, to use for the box lid’s raised panel.

Building the Box

Cutting dovetail pins with a router
The corners of the wine box were joined with through dovetails cut using a Leigh jig and an 8˚ dovetail bit chucked in the router. The tails and pins were spaced evenly to create a visually pleasing pattern.

Once all the parts were cut to the dimensions shown in the Material List, I set about building the basic box itself. To make the box more attractive, I chose to join the sides with dovetails cut using a router and an adjustable finger-style dovetail jig. Alternatively, you may choose box joints or miter the corners together. After spacing the jig’s fingers to create three full pins and two half pins across the width of the sides, I cut test pieces using stock scraps, tweaking the jig until it produced perfect, tight dovetails. I marked the outside face and orientation of each piece, to help assure that the joints would be cut correctly, then routed the pins on both ends of the box’s front and back pieces using a router fitted with a collar bushing and straight bit. I then cut the four matching tails in both ends of the box’s left and right side pieces using an 8˚ dovetail bit in the router. For both cuts, I set the depth of the bit so that the pins/tails ended up slightly proud of the surface with the joint assembled.

Clamping wine box joints during glue-up
Small pine blocks cut from scrap were arranged to provide clamping pressure to the tail portion of the joint. A light coat of glue applied to all joint surfaces produced only a small amount of squeeze-out.

Next, I cut the groove on the inside of all four box sides, to hold the box’s bottom. I did this on the router table using a 1/4″ spiral-fluted straight bit. I set the table’s fence so the groove would end up 1/4″ from the bottom edge of each side and set the bit’s cutting depth so the grooves would be just over 1/4″ deep. To prevent the grooves from showing through at the dovetail-joined corners, each cut had to be started and stopped just shy of the end of the stock. I did this by marking the stock’s start and stop positions on the table fence, then dropping and lifting the stock at the beginning and end of each cut.

Testing squareness of wine box sides
The box sides were assembled in two stages: The front and right side were first glued together, then back and right side. After glue-up, the author checked to make sure that each of the subassemblies was square.

To make the box bottom, I planed several narrower pieces to a final thickness a hair under 1/4″, jointed their edges square, then glued them up to create a 12-3/8″-wide bottom. Once the glue was dry, I scraped off the squeeze-out, then trimmed the bottom to its final dimensions. I sanded the bottom, as well as the inside faces of the box sides, down to 240-grit sandpaper, in preparation for assembly. I took care not to sand the dovetail surfaces, lest I spoil their fit.

Completing wine box base construction
In the second stage of assembly, the two box side subassemblies were glued together. At the same time, the box’s solid wood bottom was slipped into a groove routed around the lower inside surface of each side.

I assembled the sides of the box in two steps: First, I glued up the right side of the box with the front, applying yellow glue to all joint surfaces before carefully pressing the corner together. Before clamping, I arranged four small pine blocks over the tails, then set a larger block over them, to apply pressure only where it’s needed to clamp the joint together. I repeated this procedure with the box’s left side and back, then used a try square to check that parts were square.

After these subassemblies dried, I glued them together while simultaneously capturing the bottom in its groove. It helps if you trim off just the very tips of the bottom’s corners so they’ll slip into place more easily. After applying the clamps, I checked the box for square before setting it aside to dry.

Fixing chipped dovetail pin
A gap left in the joint by a corner that broke off one of the tails was repaired with a small plug cut from a redwood scrap with a similar grain. After applying glue with a pipe cleaner, the plug was pressed into the gap.

Once the glue squeeze-out was rubbery hard, I belt-sanded each side of the box until the slightly protruding pins and tails were flush. Upon careful inspection, I discovered a few places where corners of the tails had broken away, leaving unsightly gaps. I repaired the smaller gaps with filler mixed from redwood dust and glue; for bigger gaps, I carefully cut redwood plugs that I glued in place. Once the joints were perfect, I finish-sanded all the outside surfaces and edges of the box.

Making the Lid

Routing biscuit holes in wine box frame
The ends of the box lid’s mitered frame were slotted for plate joinery biscuits on a router table fitted with a 5/32” slot cutter bit. The same bit grooved the inside edges of the frame for the lid’s raised central panel.

The lid for the box is made much in the same way I’d make a frame-and-panel door for a cabinet project. The frame has 45˚ mitered corners joined with plate joinery biscuits. A groove on the frame’s inside edge holds a panel whose edges have been “raised” (shaped to be thinner at the edge to fit the groove). After cutting the frame stock to width, I mitered the ends on the table saw, using a sliding miter jig to assure that the ends were all a perfect 45˚. I also made sure that the opposite pairs of frame members were exactly the same length. I then used the router table fitted with a 5/32″ slot cutter bit to slot the ends of the miters for #10 plate joinery biscuits. I set the table’s fence so that slots were centered on the mitered ends. I then used the same bit to rout a 5/32″ wide, 3/8″-deep groove on the inside edge of each frame piece for the center panel.

Shaping wine box top panel
The top curved portion of a finger pull bit was used in the router table to raise the lid’s book-matched panel. Each side of each edge was routed so as to reduce the panel’s edge to about 1/8” thick.

As mentioned earlier, I cut some highly figured redwood pieces for the lid’s center panel. For a decorative look, I glued together two narrower pieces that were consecutively cut from the bolt to create a book-matched panel with a mirror-symmetrical grain pattern. Once the panel was glued up, scraped and sanded, I cut it to final dimensions, then shaped its edges on the router table. In lieu of a traditional panel-raising bit, I used a finger pull bit, the top portion of which created the desired 1/4″ radius cove cut (a cove bit also works fine). I set the bit’s height to leave 1/8″ of thickness after the panel’s edge had been shaped on both sides. To avoid grain tearout, I routed the shorter ends of the panel first, then the longer edges. After shaping both sides of the panel, I sanded all surfaces smooth.

Assembling wine box top frame
The author used a quick-release frame clamp to clamp the mitered corners of the lid’s frame together.

To assemble the box lid, I applied glue to all the biscuits and slots on the ends of the miters. I assembled one corner first, set the panel into its groove, and then put the remaining frame members in place. To make the process easier, I used a quick-release frame clamp set, which keeps all four corners aligned as it applies clamping pressure. I scraped off any squeeze-out after the glue had dried. To add detail to the lid, I shaped a small cove around the entire top edge of the frame and then sanded both sides of the frame to final smoothness.

Clamping frame with biscuits installed
After spreading glue into each biscuit and its corresponding slot, the frame members were assembled around the raised panel and each corner of the clamp tightened.

The lid is attached to the box with three small brass hinges. ,After centering the lid atop the box, I clamped it temporarily in place, then inverted the assembly on my benchtop (atop an old towel, to prevent dings and scratches) and positioned hinges as shown on the Drawing. After marking and drilling pilot holes, I drove all 12 screws to secure the hinges in place.

Forming the Lifting Mechanism

The lifting mechanism that stands the bottles up is constructed from 11 different pieces, dimensioned as shown on the Material List above. All but the 3/4″-thick mounting blocks are made from 1/2″ stock. After cutting these parts to size, I bored three semicircular notches into one long edge of the lifting strip (spaced as shown in the Drawing) using a 1-1/2″-dia. Fortsner bit chucked in the drill press.

Drilling bottle rests for wine holders
A 1-1/2”-diameter Forstner bit chucked in the drill press bores three semicircular holes in the front edge of the wine box’s lifting strip. A scrap strip clamped to the strip’s edge prevents the bit from wandering.

As these three holes are centered only 1/8″ from the edge, I temporarily clamped on a scrap strip to keep the bit aligned during drilling. I rounded over both edges of each notch with a 1/4″-radius roundover bit in a small router. Next, I drilled a 3/8″ hole in each end of the vertical support strips (for the bullet catches) as well as a single countersunk 1/8″ hole through each of the mounting blocks.

Setting up hinge mechanism for wine holder
Bullet catches fitted onto the ends of the lifting mechanism are used to hold the lid and wine bottles up when the lid is lifted open. The catches are glued into their 3/8”-diameter holes with just a dab of epoxy.

Assembly of the lifting mechanism takes a few steps. First, I attached the six dividers to the top of the lifting strip, with the two end dividers flush with the ends of the strip. The other four are aligned adjacent to the edges of the notches, as shown in the Drawing. After applying just a touch of glue to each divider, I carefully positioned it square to and flush with the strip’s back edge, then clamped it down. Once this assembly dried, I glued it to the front of the vertical support strip, locating it 1/4″ up from the support strip’s bottom edge and centering it lengthwise. I also glued the mounting blocks and reinforcing strip in place.

Marking bottle lift installation location in wine box
To prepare for mounting the bottle lifting mechanism, the inside edges are marked on the underside of the lid.

When everything dried, I strengthened the connections between parts with 1″-long pins driven with a pneumatic pin gun. Next, using my oscillating spindle sander, I rounded over the corners of the notches in the lifting strip, so their outer edges come flush to the dividers. Finally, I fitted the two bullet catches, gluing each into its hole with just a dab of two-part epoxy.

Installing bottle holders in wine box
The mechanism is then positioned between the lines and the holes are marked for mounting screws.

To mount the lifting mechanism, I started by using a scrap block to mark a line on the underside of the lid that’s in line with the inside of each of the box’s sides. I set the box upside down atop a towel on the benchtop and opened the box so it stood upright. I then placed two shim strips, one 1/2″ thick, the other 3/32″ thick, against the edge where the box’s hinges are. I set the lifting assembly onto the lid and centered it between the marks I just made. With the mechanism’s back edge pressed against the shims, I slipped a sharpened piece of wire into the mounting block holes to mark their positions. I then used the marks to drill small pilot holes for the #6 x 1 screws, repositioned the lifting mechanism and screwed it into place.

Wine bottles laying in presentation box
The author tested the operation of the lifting mechanism (temporarily screwed in place) with three bottles. With the lid fully open, he marked the position of the bullet catches and used a Dremel tool to create divots.

After flipping the box over, I closed the lid, using a pair of scrap blocks to depress the bullet catches. After making sure the mechanism functioned properly by testing it with three wine bottles, I positioned the lid with the bullet catches about 1/2″ below the top edge of the box, and marked their positions. Using a Dremel tool fitted with a 1/4″-diameter round burr, I created a shallow dimple at each bullet catch mark, then tried the mechanism again: The lid should click and stay in position when the catches engage the dimples. To make it a little easier for the catches to disengage when closing the box, you may want to sand or file a slight “ramp” on the lower side of each dimple. The last step is to unscrew the lifting mechanism, apply glue to its top edge, and screw it back onto the lid.

Completing lift installation in wine presentation box
Once the lifting mechanism was operating smoothly, it was glued and screwed to the underside of the lid. The dividers between the notches keep bottles from shifting sideways inside the box.

There’s just one more part to add: the bottle rack to hold bottles. After cutting it to size, I sawed out three 31/2″-diameter semicircles on the band saw, then went over the edges with a 1/4″-radius roundover router bit. I glued and nailed the rack to the bottom of the box, positioning it parallel to and 1-1/2″ from the box’s front side. To finish my presentation box, I applied several coats of Danish oil, which revealed the redwood’s grain figure beautifully. I then waxed the outside surfaces to bring them up to a bright semi-gloss finish. Now all that’s left is to pick out three really good bottles of wine to put into the box!

Hard to Find Hardware

3/4” x 3/4” Butt Hinges, Brass #49165
3/8” Bullet Catches #28464

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List for This Project.

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Arts & Crafts Nightstand Project https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/arts-crafts-nightstand-project/ Wed, 16 Nov 2016 16:35:05 +0000 http://rocklerwj.wpengine.com/?p=34185 What makes this classic nightstand unique? All of the joinery for this functional yet beautiful cabinet was done on the table saw.

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Well-known woodworker Norm Abram had the reputation of using as many power tools per project as was humanly possible. And while we probably can all respect that methodology, this project, on the other hand, turns that theory on its head. We built this classic little nightstand with essentially just one tool: a table saw.

I say “we” because this was truly a collaborative effort. I came up with the initial design, art director Jeff Jacobson refined the project, and woodworker (and regular Woodworker’s Journal contributor) Kimberly McKneelan helped out with the construction. All of this effort was to develop a table saw-based project to feature in our DVD, Mastering the Table Saw.

Arts and Crafts nightstand corner joinery
Cove-edged molding surrounds the top to add shape and shadow lines. The exposed box joints create a decorative pattern on the drawer face.

When it was done, we decided to put it in the magazine so more people could enjoy and build it. Made from quartersawn white oak lumber, it features a large interior compartment. We did not add shelves to this project, but you could certainly do so if you wish. The drawer as we built it is solid lumber throughout, with exposed box joints on the front and back.

Arts and Crafts nightstand door panel
The mitered door frame has strengthening yet decorative splines at its corners. Its raised door panel was shaped on the table saw.

The top is constructed with a buttjoined panel surrounded by a coved molding, which is attached so there is a slight step-down, adding to the shape of the piece. Our finish is hand-rubbed amber shellac, which gives the piece a lovely glow.

Getting Started

As indicated, this piece was made almost exclusively using the table saw. So we used 3/4″ S2S (surfaced two sides) lumber straight off the rack. We straight-line ripped the stock, using a jig, to get clean edges that were ready to butt-join the various panels: top, sides, back and the door panel. We also made the drawer bottom and the bottom of the cabinet from glued-up solid wood panels, but if you chose to use plywood for those pieces, that would be totally understandable.

Just because we chose to eschew the joiner and planer during our stock preparation does not mean that you need to do so. In fact, I would recommend following your standard practice for stock prep. We made our “one tool” point here, but you don’t have to. With the stock ready to go, we glued up the various panels that would enclose the cabinet.

Cutting nightstand legs
To make the leg subassemblies, the author starts with stock wide enough to rip two 2″-wide pieces.

Making the legs is the next task at hand. Arts & Crafts-styled furniture, unlike Queen Anne or Federal furniture, does not use extensive ornamentation to look pretty. Instead, the Arts & Crafts philosophy relies on proper proportions, exposed and well-executed joinery and careful stock selection to achieve a pleasing look. The legs as we constructed them are a great example of how that philosophy is put to work. We could have made the legs from a 2″-square length of quartersawn white oak and they would have functioned just fine. But they would have had at least two problems: first, the quartersawn grain would have only been present on one exposed face of the legs (the other would have been hiding inside the cabinet). Second, the thick leg would be so chunky that we would have needed to notch the bottom around the legs, an unnecessarily fussy step. We could have solved the grain problem by using riftsawn stock, but the chunky problem would remain. So we chose to make each leg from a single piece of quartersawn 3/4″ stock, mitering the leg assemblies so that the figure flows around the corner and is nicely matched on the exposed faces of each leg. Start by selecting stock with attractive grain, then rip the pieces to form 2″-wide leg blanks (see the photos below). Then miter-cut the length of each piece; we took care to miter the edges where the pieces were ripped apart earlier, to ensure the grain pattern matched perfectly at the joint.

Cutting miter for nightstand leg joinery
Then the pieces are mitered….

Achieving an accurate glued-up miter joint along these legs would have been tough duty, but we took the time to plow a 1/4″-wide groove down the middle of each mitered face. Then we formed splines to fit into those grooves to make the glue-up process easy and accurate. Before we plowed the grooves into the mitered faces, we sliced 1/4″-wide grooves down the length of their opposite edges to accommodate the frame-and-panel joinery of the carcass (note the grooves for the back panel are 1/2″ wide – see the Drawings). The panel edge thicknesses will be reduced to 1/4″ during the raising process. Wrap up the leg blanks by cutting angled feet into their bottom ends.

Dry fitting leg joint for nightstand project
…and grooved as shown.

Now would be a great time to make all the carcass rails. They vary in length and width, but they all have the same type of tongue formed on each end (some thicker, some narrower), which will fit into the grooves you plowed into the legs. Find the details for these pieces in the Material List. (Go ahead and rip stock for the door stiles and rails as well.) After the carcass rails are cut to length and width, you can form the tongues at their ends. There are any number of ways to raise them, but we did it on the table saw using a tenoning jig and a 1/4″-wide dado blade in the saw. Use scrap lumber to set up the jig so that the tongues slip into the grooves with a gentle friction fit. When you’ve completed that task, leave the dado blade in the saw and plow grooves in the appropriate edges of the door rails and stiles for the center panel. See the Drawings for details.

Carefully glue up the leg subassemblies, then set them and the rails aside for now. It is time to start working on those panels that were glued up earlier.

Panel Prep

Cutting angles in panel with table saw blade
Making raised panels on a table saw is usually a two-step process. First, you raise the field by slicing angled cuts — here we used a 10° angle — around the edges of the properly sized panel

By now the flat butt-joined panels you worked on earlier should be ready to go. If they are not perfectly flat, you’ll need to address that with a hand plane or by sending them through the planer. Cut them to size using the Material List as a guide.

We used the table saw to raise the field area in the center of the panels. With the blade tilted about 10 degrees and raised about 1-1/2″, the bevel should taper down to approximately 3/8″. We put featherboards both in front and behind the blade so that the panel was held securely throughout the cut. Form the bevels on the end grain first, then follow up by cutting the remaining edges.

Cutting rabbet in nightstand side panels
Then a small rabbet is milled around the edges using a 1/4″-wide dado blade.

With the bevels formed on the panels, the next step is to shape a rabbet on the edges of your panels so that they fit properly into the grooves on the legs and the rails. Cut these rabbets with a 1/4″-wide dado blade in your table saw, adding a sacrificial fence affixed to your table saw’s rip fence to protect its surface. Use the Drawings to dial in the dimensions of the rabbet. The rabbeted edges should slide into the grooves in the rails and legs with a gentle friction fit. In this case, too loose is better than too tight, but just a bit of friction is perfect.

Again, we formed these bevels using the table saw, but if you have a router table and a good set of router bits for this task, there is no reason that you can’t go with what you are most comfortable doing.

Clamping frame and panel nightstand sides
With the raised panel sanded and pre-finished, the author glues up a side panel subassembly. The panel should float in the frame with a bit of room to expand side-to-side with the seasons.

To get ready for building side, back and front subassemblies, you’ll need to sand and pre-finish the raised panels and the flat back panel you just machined. I like to use a cabinet scraper to remove the tooth marks from the beveled edges and then sand the overall panels up to 220-grit. We used amber shellac as our finish: here, apply at least two coats of the shellac before putting them into their subassemblies. With the rails, leg subassemblies and the raised panels prepared, make some real progress by gluing and clamping the side panels together. Follow the same procedure to glue up the door — although you will need to miter the corners of the door stiles and rails. We reinforced the door frame corners with exposed 1/8″ spline joints (see Drawings). Splines look nice and add strength and durability.

Details Make the Difference

Using jig to form molding for nightstand tabletop
The coves formed with this jig demonstrate the remarkable versatility of the table saw. The coved edge molding that surrounds the nightstand’s top adds shape and shadow lines that accent the beautifully selected stock.

Before you get to move on to the final details, go ahead and finish gluing the carcass together. Grab the various rails, panels and filler strips, and do a dry-assembly of all the pieces before you get your glue bottle out.

We chose to groove the inside edges of the “door opening” legs. That way we could locate the upper and lower rails in place, then just fill the remaining open grooves with the strips cut to length. It worked really well and was nearly invisible. Cut the filler strips to size now as you test the overall assembly. When everything goes together well, glue it up and apply clamps. This is an operation that is best done with a buddy, or a really well identified glue-up plan!

With the carcass in clamps, move on to forming the top. In this cabinet, it is constructed from a glued-up panel of 3/4″ stock, selected for its attractive figure. Cut the panel to size and then raise a tongue around three sides of the top, as shown in the Drawings. Again, we did this with a 1/4″ dado in the table saw. We machined the molding entirely on the table saw. We shaped the cove using a cove-cutting jig, running the stock in multiple passes across the blade. Then we plowed a groove to match the tongue that was just milled in the top. (Our trusty 1/4″ dado setup once again provided the cutting power.) The key to this operation is to offset the placement of the groove to mount the molding slightly below the plane of the top. This adds shape to the top and provides a nice shadow line. (See the Drawings for the machining details.) With the molding ready to go, wrap the top’s three edges by mitering the molding to fit. Attach it with glue and clamps before moving on to final sanding.

The top is attached to the carcass with figure-8 tabletop fasteners — but before you attach the top, there are some cleats to glue in place. The drawer cleats and the bottom cleats are simply sticked-up stock that support the drawer and the bottom. Cut them to size and then glue them in place. When the glue cures, fit the bottom to the cabinet. It can be glued in place or screwed. Either choice is traditional and appropriate.

Adding the Drawer

Cutting box joints for nightstand drawer construction
The author forms the box joints for the drawer using a shop-made jig. Box joints are practical and traditional. When done well, they create a beautiful type of interlocking joinery that the table saw excels at making.

Made of solid lumber from stem to stern, the drawer again represents the best of the Arts & Crafts design ethos. The front and back of the drawer are made from 3/4″ stock, while the sides are 1/2″ material. As before, the drawer face should be selected and harvested from beautifully figured lumber. Install a box joint jig on your table saw — we used a shop-made version — and start your setup with scrap lumber milled to the exact thicknesses of the actual drawer material.

The critical component of box joint jigs, regardless if they are shop-made or store-bought, is the registration pin. It needs to be the same width as the notches you will be forming to interlock the wood together. Setting up the jig takes some trial and error, which is where that scrap lumber comes in handy. Look to the Drawings to get dialed in on the layout of the notches and pins. When the box joint cuts are done, reset the dado blade to the ubiquitous 1/4″ cutting width, and plow the grooves for the drawer bottom into the front and sides. You’ll notice that the drawer back is narrower than the drawer front. That is to allow the drawer bottom to slide into the assembled drawer box, underneath the drawer back. Because the drawer bottom is made from solid wood, it needs to be able to expand and contract freely, and this design allows it to move.

We do need to add a small mea culpa here: because we decided to do all the machining for this project on the table saw, we did make a quality compromise on the drawer. Ideally, the drawer bottom groove in the drawer front should be stopped. Instead, we just cut the groove from edge to edge. This left two small square holes in each side of the drawer (see the Drawing above), and we plugged them with small pieces of wood. They are nearly invisible, but you could avoid this by using a router and stopping the groove.

Test fitting drawer bottom panel before glue-up
Dry-fit the drawer parts together before you attempt final assembly with glue and clamps. The drawer bottom is glued only into the front groove; it floats in the side grooves to allow for front-toback expansion.

Test-fit the drawer pieces together and make any adjustments required for assembly. Carefully apply glue to the box joints, but only put dabs of glue for the drawer bottom in the groove in the drawer front, and then clamp it up and let it dry.

Wrapping Up

With the drawer done, the remaining assembly steps consist of attaching the top to the carcass, fitting the drawer to its opening (if necessary), hanging the door on its hinges and installing the ball catch and the Stickley drawer and door pulls.

Sanding follows those tasks…it is unavoidable. (Take the door and top off, and remove the hardware before you get busy sanding.) We sanded up to 220-grit to get a super-smooth surface. Then, we hand rubbed amber shellac onto all the surfaces, applying about six coats. Sand between coats if you feel nibs occurring or if the shellac runs. Hand-rubbed finishes minimize those problems. After your finish has cured, apply a coat of paste wax and buff it out to make the surface feel as smooth and nice as it looks.

Reassemble the pieces and you are done. As I have mentioned often, this cabinet was made entirely on the table saw — and that’s a testament to the versatility of this workshop workhorse.

Hard to Find Hardware

Hardware required for building nightstand table with door and drawer

Antique Brass Ball Tip Hinges #57039
Dark Copper Stickley Pull #26815
Stickley Dark Copper Pull, Large #26740
Brass Ball Catch #28613
Desk Top Fasteners #21650

Click Here to Download the Materials Lists and Drawings for This Project.

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Testing the Rikon 25-010H Combination Planer/Jointer https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/testing-rikon-25-010h-combination-planerjointer/ Tue, 21 Oct 2014 20:00:02 +0000 http://wwjweb01/?p=6508 Woodworker's Journal contributing editor Sandor Nagyszalanczy takes an in-depth look at the features and abilities of the RIKON 25-010H Planer/Joiner in this tool preview video.

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Woodworker’s Journal contributing editor Sandor Nagyszalanczy takes an in-depth look at the features and abilities of the RIKON 25-010H Planer/Joiner in this tool preview video.

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Building a Nightstand on the Table Saw https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/building-nightstand-table-saw/ Tue, 21 Oct 2014 19:03:32 +0000 http://wwjweb01/?p=6501 Looking for more information on how Rob Johnstone and JoAnne Liebeler created the Nightstand project from the November/December 2014 issue of Woodworker's Journal completely on the table saw?

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If you’re looking for more information on how Rob Johnstone and JoAnne Liebeler created the Nightstand table saw project from the November/December 2014 issue of Woodworker’s Journal, click here and check out the Way to Woodwork: Mastering the Table Saw DVD.

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VIDEO: Making Handles for a Custom Folding Knife https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/making-handles-custom-folding-knife/ Tue, 21 Oct 2014 17:53:27 +0000 http://wwjweb01/?p=6498 Chris Marshall demonstrates his process for using a few pieces of scrap wood to create some attractive wood handles for a folding knife.

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Chris Marshall demonstrates his process for using a few pieces of scrap wood to create some attractive wood handles for a folding knife. Click here to purchase the Sarge kits mentioned in the video.

Video Transcript:

Chris Marshall: Start by resawing and planing a piece of stock for the scales down to about 1/4″ thick. Make it long enough to lay out two scales end-to-end and a little wider than necessary. Since this is thin material, it’s a good idea to tape the stock to a carrier board with double-sided carpet tape to keep the wood flat as it gets thinner. The two pieces of scrap wood along the edges of the carrier board make it easier for the planer’s feed rollers to pull the scale stock through.

On this folding knife, the flat ends of the scales fit against these raised metal bolsters here. The intersection of the wood and metal forms about a 7° angle, so I crosscut the two ends of my scale blank to this angle. That way, it will help keep the grain pattern of the wood running parallel to the knife body. And that’s a concern for me here with this very uniform-grained cocobolo I’m using. If your scale stock doesn’t have strong grain like this, you could skip the angle cuts.

This knife blade is razor sharp, and we’ll be handling the blade throughout the building process. So, do yourself a favor and wrap it with several layers of electrical or duct tape for safety. Work smart here.

Now lay the knife on your scale blank so the bolster is snug against the angled end of the wood. Trace around the edge of the liner to form two opposing scale shapes. Draw the shapes on the side of your workpiece that will face out when the knife scales are completed, and mark the scales with an “L” and “R” to keep clear which scale is which.

CM: Each scale will be attached to the metal liners with two tiny machine screws and epoxy, so drilling for those screws is your next step. Use a finish nail or 1/16″-diameter drill bit to mark a centerpoint for each screw hole, tapping the nail or bit through the liner holes as a reference.

To drill these screw holes, you’ll need a 3/16″ brad-point bit to counterbore the screw heads and a 3/32″ twist bit for drilling the screw shank pilot holes. Now, it’s important when drilling these screw holes that the screws don’t protrude through the scales on the backside more than 5/64″. So, I drilled a couple of pilot holes through my scale stock, then experimented with the counterbore depth until I got the drilling depth just right. Slip a screw into the test holes and measure the amount of protruding thread to check it.

Once you’ve got an accurate test hole, drill the four counterbores into the two scales at the centerpoints you marked previously. Then switch to the 3/32″ bit and, aligning it with the spur centerpoints created by the brad point, drill a pilot hole through each counterbore.

It’s time to cut out and shape the scales. You can use a coping saw, scroll saw or your band saw and a narrow blade. Just make sure you cut about 1/16″ outside of the two tracings so there’s a bit of extra material all around the scales for the shaping process.

CM: Now you’re ready to start sanding the scales down to their final shape for the knife grips. First, screw the scales to the liners temporarily, and wrap the bolters with more tape to protect the metal during the sanding process. Then install a coarse-grit sanding sleeve in your spindle sander (or sanding drum in your drill press) to sand the two scales until they’re flush with the edges of the metal liners. Keep the knife moving to prevent divoting the wood.

At this point, you can bring down the scale thickness so the front end of the scales is even with the metal bolsters and the handle has a uniform contour that’s comfortable to hold. I found the quickest way to shape the scales was to invert and clamp my belt sander in a bench vise and use it like a stationary sander. I started the sanding process by holding the leading end of each scale down flat against the moving belt near the sander’s front wheel, and rocking the knife slowly from front to back to form a gentle arch. I continued until the ends matched the bolster thickness but left the centers much thicker.

When the front-to-back curvature is done, soften the sharp edges of the scales at the spindle sander and then add more contour across the handle’s width. It’s easy to do by holding the knife perpendicular to the belt’s travel and rolling the knife gently across its narrow width.

Whether your like it or not, it’s time to start hand-sanding to remove all the scratches from rough shaping, and to do some final contouring. Start with 100-grit until the handle fits comfortably in your hand, then work up to 400-grit, without skipping grits. Look closely for scratches. Now’s the time to make these scales as smooth as possible.

When you’re satisfied with your sanding, go ahead and apply finish to the scales. I started with a coat of dewaxed shellac to seal the oily cocobolo I used for my knife scales, then followed with two coats of oil-based poly. After it thoroughly dried, I buffed the finish to a shine on a cloth wheel in the drill press.

After you’re done polishing them, you’re ready for final assembly. I’m epoxying the scales in place here, just to make sure they never come loose. Remove the scales and clean the liners with some acetone to get rid of any manufacturing contaminants on the metal. Install the screws and put the belt clip on. You’re new knife is all finished.

This was a simple and fun afternoon project, and you get a handsome knife in the end. Give one of these kits a try. Thanks for watching!

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Adding a Lift Mechanism to a Wine Gift Box https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/adding-lift-mechanism-wine-gift-box/ Tue, 21 Oct 2014 16:53:23 +0000 http://wwjweb01/?p=6494 Sandor Nagyszalanczy shows the step-by-step process he used to add a bottle lifting mechanism to a wine gift box.

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Sandor Nagyszalanczy shows the step-by-step process he used to add a bottle lifting mechanism to the wine gift box project featured in the November/December 2014 issue of Woodworker’s Journal.

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Handheld Airless Electric Spray Gun Manual https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/handheld-airless-electric-spray-gun-manual/ Tue, 21 Oct 2014 16:31:14 +0000 http://wwjweb01/?p=6510 For further information on Handheld Airless Electric Spray Guns, click here for an online manual in PDF format on "The Basics of Airless Spraying." (This PDF is produced by manufacturer Graco.)

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For further information on Handheld Airless Electric Spray Guns, click here for an online manual in PDF format on “The Basics of Airless Spraying.” (This PDF is produced by manufacturer Graco.)

The post Handheld Airless Electric Spray Gun Manual appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

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Turning Tops and Yo-Yos on a Lathe https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/turning-tops-yo-yos-lathe/ Tue, 21 Oct 2014 14:09:26 +0000 http://wwjweb01/?p=6530 Ernie Conover shows how to use a lathe to turn two easy-to-make projects that will provide fun for everyone.

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Ernie Conover shows how to use a lathe to turn two easy-to-make toys that make perfect gifts for the youngsters in your life.

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