eee oe) a eos =Band Saw Circle Jig = Belt Sander Maintenance -| =Shop Tote =Chisel Techniques = Epoxy Systems ioases Bd Donald B. Pesehike Douglas L. Hie ‘Terry J. Strokiman Richard S. Peters ‘Tim Robertson Phstip A. Totton "Tel Kealiok Cary Christensen Kurt Schultz ‘Will Niskanen | Roger Reland | Mark Higdon oroonsmmen Crayula Bngland ‘sesauoincoron Ken Mel enon esienens Jan Hale Svec Kent Welsh wor munaaen Stove Curtis shor assraneumis Stove Johnson | comulation ist iene Seserption | aesager Pals Sse «Citation Aen ‘nd sin Neon Sale Ket. Buen Manage: Garden C Gai » Senior Grape ‘Dever: Robert Whites Grape Art ‘hers b. Crave Contre shina Acoonting La. "Thamas eping Soo GrenlosPrtion Menge Cal Gnas Inf Seri Manager: “eger Moan lt Put, Coat Dongs “Ueseeredpp. Specialist Lina avowed Seite Chery Sent ain Fi» Bers ean ddan Balding Maint: Kon Gi, Morkatng Dieta Bart Murry Cato Art ‘inetar Cindy facie Papin Manger Valve Wise sCotalp Product Manager Bob Baker=Projert Supple: Linda donoa Techical Support Jef Janers Revel: Cyathia Kerman | seperisr dennic Ence » Cyatomer Seize | epreacitatvs Jenifer irl dor Johnson, Sara Kono, Anis Co, RHA Ate ‘Superiore Sorry Carson = Fifiient ria Sheen, Da Mee, Chk Carbon Sia Carey Scatter Ect ty Homa Cerin te Sreceecnicor SEF AN mim SRE aia ann pees PRINTED IN USA. ne of the most impressive things about. watching Steve (our Shop Manager) work is what he doesn't do when he first re ceives plans for a project. He doest't start cutting wood and fitting joints. Instead he calmly sitsat the workbench (sometimes for hours) — and plans. Like Steve, I've always felt that ad- vanced planning is one of the most im- portant (and often overlooked) steps ing through all the local hardware stores we tried using replacement wheels for a sliding door: This worked fine and was inexpensive. But once again, it was very difficult to build, "ADIFFERENT APPROACH. The solu- tion that Jan (our Senior Designer) came up with was to use a different, approach altogether. He got rid of the rollers, And substituted plastie Iami- nate, The results were surprising in woodworking. And the same is true for a wood- working maga- rine. We start We start planning many of the projects that appear in an issue as much as a year in advance. —atable that smoothly, was in- expensive, and ple to make. (Formore on his, planning many of the projects that appear in an issue as much ag a year in advanee. This gives us the time to design the projects, work out the bugs, and redesign them if necessary. An example of thisprocessis, the Sliding Table shown on page 16. SLIDING TABLE. We know from the start that we wanted a shop-built ver- sion of a commercial sliding table. It ‘would mount to the left side of a table saw and allow for easy crosscutting of panels up to 24" wide. ‘After determining what we wanted to do, the next step was to figure out how to do it, And that took some time, About six months. ‘The problem wasn’t coming up with a solution that worked. It was coming up with a simple solution, We started by designing a table that used components similar to those found on commercial tables — roller bearings and metal rails. Although it worked well, it was difficult to build and expen- sive. (The bearings alone cost over one hundred dollars) So we tried to find an inexpensive substitute for the bearings. After look- ing in dozens of catalogs and rummag- ShopNotes see page 16.) SHOPTOTE.But not all projects re~ uire as much planning as the Sliding ‘Table. Every now and then someone shows me aproject that [just can’t wait to build and feature in the magazine. ‘That's what happened when I first saw a prototype for the Shop ‘Tote shown on page 10. It looked like a deep tray with a handle, but when I lifted up the handle I diseovered that only half of it came away with the tray. ‘That was, ‘when I realized the handle was “split” and there were actually two trays, T knew then that it was the kind of interesting project I wanted to build — and feature in ShopNotes. ASQUEAL. Around here the squeal of a high pitehed router usually goes un- noticed, But when the squeal comes out of a baby, it’s another story. Recently, produetion came to a standstill when ‘Terry and Christy Strohman broughtin their new baby boy. All the erew gath- ered around to weleome Richard into our extended family. Note: Terry mentioned that Richard already has a roll-around tool chest. And he uses it every day — it’s his changing table. No. 15Contents Band Saw Circle Jig____________4 Cutting perfect circles is easy with this shop-made jig for ‘your band saw. A builtin tape and indicator let you quickly ‘set up to cut almost any size circle. Belt Sander Maintenance ___8 All it takes to keep your belt sander running smooth and trouble-free is a routine cleaning and inspection. Shopioes: = eae 10) A unique design provides a handle for each way of this hhanay tote. Then the two halves combine to form one grip tocarry parts, tools, or hardware wherever youneed them, Epoxy Syetens _____14 ‘An in-depth look at using epoxy systems in the shop from measuring and mixing, to tips on application. Plus step by step instructions on how to make your own filler. Siidinqvabie = sass seeeeeees "iG | you've ever tried to crosscut a large panel on a table saw, youll appreciate this shop-built sliding table. it features a builtin fence that slips on and off for quick and accurate sel-ups. Chisel Techniques__________ 24 Making a controlied cut with a chisel depends on using tho right grip and a few simple techniques. Shop Solutions 28 Five Shop-Tested Tips: C-Clamp Rack, Hole Saw Relief, Cut-Off Gauge, Pinch Blocks, and a Tip for Keeping Power Gords Out of the Way. Springe = ee eee nS 30 Two types of springs to improve the performance of your shop-buil igs and fixtures Sources 31 Hardware, project supplies, and mail order sources for the projects in this issue. No. 15 ‘ShopNotes Chisel Techniques page 24JIGS & ACCESSORIES Band Saw Circle Jig There’s only one adjustment to make with this jig. Just select the exact size civele you want and cut. O« of the easiest ways to blade, Allyouhavetodoisset the in my case, they're 21" long.) make a perfect civele is to adjustable rail for the exact size TONGUE.'The next step is to cut it ona band saw. Allit takes eirele you want. is apinto spin the workpiece on. ‘The problem isaccurately posi- BASE cut @ tongue on the base pieces for the adjustable rail that's added later, see Fig. 1. The tioning the pin to get the correct I began work on the jig by build- tongue is “ie" thick and is cen- size cirele. To solve this, we de- ing the base. It consists of front tered on the thickness of each signed a circle cutting jig that al- (A) and a rear base (B).'To make base piece, see Detail in Fig. lows you to quickly set up for an these, I started with two identi LEAT, Before the base pieces exact cut, see photo. cal pieces, see Fig. 1. The size of can be joined together, there's There are two main parts to the pieces depends on your saw. one more thing to do — add an the jig: a “split” base, and an ad- ‘To determine their width, L-shaped cleat to the front base Justable rail, see Exploded View. measure from the teeth of the (A), see Fig. 2. ‘The base serves as a carriage saw blade to the front edge ofthe _Thecleatconsists ofafront rail for the workpiece and allows you table and adda } (74), see Fig. (C) which acts as a stop to auto- toslide bothitand the jigintothe 1, (Note: If your saw has a rip matically align the pin with the saw blade as you start the cut. fence, you'll need to measure to blade, And a keeper (D) that Thena cleat on the front ofthe its front edge.) To find their forms lip to eateh the table top. Jig catches the saw table and length, measure from the inside Both pieces are the same locks the jig in place with the pin (throat) edge of the table to the _ length as the front base (21"), But automatically aligned to the saw saw blade and add 14", see Fig. 1, their widths are different. weasuenetare EXPLODED VIEW OVERALL DIMENSIONS: WWaErL 2% Materials & Hardware A Front Base (1) Ta"x 21-94" ply. B Rear Base (1) 7a"x 14-54" py © FrontRail() %a"x ie"-21" D Keeper() 94x He"- 2" E SideRail(1) — 94"x Pho" 144" F Runner () Ya"x94"- 144" Strip (1) Yen Ve"-14" 4 ToplBtm.(2) _ tHe"x14"- Yo" Plex. © (16) #8 x1¥2" Flathead Woodscrews © (4) #8 x34" Flathead Woodecrews © (7) #46" Flathead Woodscrews © (1) 46 Common Nail © (1) etx tle! Thumbscrew © (1) 4" Threaded Insert © (1) 48" LR Reading Self-adhesive Rule 4 ‘ShopNotes No. 15Pe ee ‘To determine the width (height) of the front. rail ©), measure the thickness of yourta- hile top (or table top plus fence) and add Ye! for clearance (134«"), see Figs. 2a and 2b. The keeper (D) is easier —it’s just 146" wide. After you've cut these pieces to size, they can he attached to the front base, see Fig. 2. SPACER. With the cleat in place, the two halves of the base ean be jpined together. To create @ uni form gap, I clamped a temporary spacer (a 14" square piece of hard- ‘wood) between them, see Fig. 3. (Note: Save this spacer, you'll use it later for the adjustable rail.) SIDERAIL & RUNNER. The two halves of the base are connected with a side rail and a runner, see Fig. 3. The side rail (E) adds strength to the jig. It's eut the same width as’ the front rail (154¢") and serewed to the base flush with the edge. ‘The runner (F) allows you to Ht NOTE: MEASURE Tis RUNNER (GEE FIGS) TO DETERMINE LENGTH or Meces,, MeASUEE FROM FIRST: "oot SECOND: cUrRABBETS “To beTeRmie wom] Or rtezes, MEASURE ROM BLADE TEETH "TorRoNr EDGE nob Ye cut to fit in the miter gauge slot on your saw. To locate it on the base, first measure in from the throat side of your saw table to the edge of the miter slot, eee to the bottom of the jig and serew ‘he runner in place ‘To complete the base, all that's left is to remove the spacer and trim the rear base (B) to length, quickly slip the jigin place andi Fige. 1 and 3. Then transfer this see Fig. 4. 2 eae 3) aeonrscets Finer: spawn ment sO quarto i Spite aia / mies orton HS Se RUNNER ® Nore: THIRD: Econo: ex horreas eens sere orton ae: on Ton arn nett ese exo sername seine on 4 FIRST: WASTE, ‘TEMPORARY SECOND: MEASURE FROM ABE TorT0 ‘AND ADD No. 15 ShopNotesJIGS & ACCESSORIES Adjustable Rail After trimming the rear base to size, work can begin on the adjust- able rail. This rail slides between the halves of the base so you can adjust the position of the pin, see Fig.5. shaped ikean I-beam— a hardwood strip fits between « Plexiglas top and bottom, STRIP. You've made the strip (G) alveady. Its the spacer you used earlier, see Fig. 5, All that’s left isto eut it tomateh the length of the rear base (14). Then sand about Ya" off the width and thiek- ness. This ensures the rail will slide easily, and the top (added next) will be flush with the base. TOP & BOTTOM. The }4"-thick Plexigias top and bottom (H) are ‘the same length asthe strip (14"), see Fig. 6. Ax for their width, they're eut to slide in the rabbets in the base (116), Before you assemble the rail, first scratch two indieator marks on the bottom face of the top piece, see Fig, Ga. These marks are used with the measuring tape added later to position the rail, ASSEMBLY, Now you can as- semble the rail. To ensure align- ment, ita good idea to serew the top and bottom to the strip with it in place in the base, see Fig PIN. To complete the rail, just add a pin for the workpiece to spin on. This is a #6 common nail with the head cut off and filed to slight crown, see Fig. 6b. LOCKING SYSTEM. With the rail complete, T added a simple lock~ ingsystem to hold the ral n place —athreaded insert and athumb- serew, see Fig. 7. ‘The threaded insert fits in a centered hole in the side rail, see ¥ig. 7. The thumbscrew threads in the insert to pinch the rail against the base, see Fig. Ta, FINISH. All that's left is to ap- ply two coats of tung oil to the jig. This protects it and also creates a surface that the self-adhesive rule (added next) will stiek to. 6 Note: swoMeecew loexern Sa eat err mse | SEO orvew ‘ So | f (EEE NOTE: ori See" puoT Hove FORPINC THEN EBOXY I Place “a THREADED INSERT —*e. ae Na we ee vata tie" INSERT BEG witli | EN cane i oa Au) weer Gael, Psy ssi ‘ShopNates. No. 15PIE aise ee) Adding the Tape Oncethefinishhas dried, youean Te] qj add the measuring tape. {used self-adhesive left toright reading tape and cut it in two pieces, see Fig. 8. Por a complete hardware Kit, see page 31.) ‘TWO PIECES. The first. piece goesintherabbetin the rear base (B), and is used when eutting small circles (2 to 26" diameter). ‘The other picce fits in the rabbet in the front base (A), and is used when cutting langer circles (26° to 48" diametor),see Figs. Saand 8b. USING THE 1G. Inuse,thead- fa. {iustable rail is inserted into the ‘base so the pin end is closest to REAR BABE BUTTTAPE AGANET Lome e eres Posimon sage TT the saw blade, see box below lett rapt | ee RADUS, a And to cut larger eircles, the ad- suoNe Ra Jjustable rail is turned around so rag ‘the pin end is away from the saw blade, see box below right. "ALIGN EDGE OF TAPE WITH F MARK FRONT BASE Cutting Small Circles Cutting Large Circles PUSH Jc suomY FORWARD 10. worePIece a em EEA x i err Ub een sacar ‘Step 1: Slide the Jig Forward. With workpiece rest- jing on the pin, turn on the saw and slide jig slowly forward. Continue until the cleat catches the table. Step 1: Flip Adjustable Rall. For larger circles (more than 26’), remove adjustable rail and iip it end! for end. Then sig it in the base and setit for the desired cut SPN WoRKetEcE ON PN TO cur ec NOTE: TRIM CORNERS ON LARGE PIECES 10.GLEAR THROAT ON BAW Step 2: Spin the Workpiece. Now to cut the circle, slowly spin the workpiece in a clockwise direction while applying downward pressure. ‘Step 2: Extra Support. To cut larger circles (over 26") Juse the same technique that's used for smaller circles except | add exira support under the workpiece. No. 15 ShopNotes Driti a Yo" hole in rs the underside of your workpiece for the pin.Remove packed-in dust with a small brush and vacuum to keep it from clogging up the belt sander. An abrasive pad a Scoteh-Brite ad) and some lacquer thinner ‘make quick work of cleaning the rollers. We it comes to removing a lot of material quickly, my belt sander is a real work: horse, But the heat and dust that this generates ean eventually take their toll on a belt sander. ‘That's why Iliketo invest a few minutes on some preventive maintenanee before putting it back on the shelf. In most eases, all it takes is some routine clean- ing and a check for worn parts to keep your belt sander running smooth and trouble free. CLEANING One of the easiest (yet most effective) things you ean do to avoid problems is to give the belt sandler a good “once-over: REMOVE DUST. Toprevent dust from working into the motor or bearings, the first thing is to re- ‘move the packed-in dust. Iuse a small brush and vacuum to avoid driving the dust farther into the sander, see top photo below. ROLLERS. Dirt and grease can also accumulate on the front and back rollers and eanse the belt to slip. To clean the rollers, use an abrasive pad and some lacquer thinner, see bottom photo below. WORN PARTS Besides the routine cleaning, 1 make it a habit to cheek and replace worn parts. Note: You ean get re- placement parts at most repair shops. BRUSHES. With use, the “brushes” on your sander may need to be replaced. These are ree- tangular pieces of earb- on that transfer the electric eurent to the motor, see Fig. 1. As the brushes wear down, you'll notice more sparking than usual around the motor, And when you apply pres- sure, the sander will tend to bog down, Ifthe brushes are extremely wor, the sandermay not even start or will only start intermittently. ‘ShopNotes renee Belt Sander ° Maintenance Routine cleaning and an occasional check ‘for worn parts will keep your belt sander running smooth and trouble-free. ‘To check for wear, just remove ‘the retaining eaps and slip the brushes out, see Fig. 1. What youre looking for here is the length of the brushes. Some brushes will have a “wear line” that indicates when they need to be replaced. But for others, you'll need to check your owner's man- ual to see how long they should be. DRIVE BELE. Another common problem is the sanding belt “stalls” when you apply pressure on a workpiece. This can often be traced back to the rubber drive belt that transfers power from the motor to the back roller, see Fig. 1 With use, this belt gets brittle, and the “teeth” start to chip and break. To check, just remove the cover on the side of the sander and replace the belt if necessary. PAD AND PLATEN. Two other parts that may need attention are the cork pad and the thin metal platen (plate) that the sanding belt rides across, see Fig 2. To produce a smooth, even surface ‘when sanding, the platen and pad need to be flat. But what happens is the fric- tion and heat that are generated when sanding eventually start to burn the back edge of the platen. And the cork pad dries out to the point that pieces ofit gettorn out. ‘To replace the pad and platen, all that’s needed is to remove the metal bar that holds them in place, see Fig. 2. As before, new replacement parts areavailable:t No. 15most repair shops. (Ror informa- tion on a different type of platen, see the box below.) TRACKING Perhaps the most fmstrating problem to deal with is when the belt just won't stay on the sand. It either shoots off the open end. Or it slides into the housing and slices the belt to ribbons. BELT STRETCH. When this happens, the first instinet is to adjust the tracking knob. But often the problem is the sanding. belt itself. Sometimes it has stretched out to the point that no amount of adjustment will make it track accurately. So the first thing I do is install a new sanding belt. Te that doesn’t work, it’s most likely the tracking system itself Basically, this system has two parts: the back drive roller and a front roller assembly, see Fig. 5, BACK ROLLER. The back roller hasa slight “erown” that centers FRONT ROLLER. The second Here again, replacing it is a job thesandingbeltandkeepsit from part of the adjustment system is for the repair shop, sliding off. With use, this crown the front roller assembly. It con- FINAL THOUGHTS, But taking ‘wears down and causes the helt sists of.afork that holds the front your belt sander to the repair ta wander, roller and an adjustment knob, shop is the exception — not. the ‘Tocheckthecrown, holdamet- see Fig. 3. Turning the knob tilts rule, Even when you push your alrule against the roller, see Fig. the fork and tracks the sanding belt sander tots limits, a regular 3. If the roller has worn flat, re- belt one way or the other: cleaning and inspection for wear placing it is best handled at a re- ‘Ifthe sander has been dropped are usually all that’s needed to pair shop. or damaged, the fork may be bent. keep it in top running condition. 3 Graphite Platens ‘The basic idea of this graphite platen is simple. As the sanding ADJUSTMENT | belt runs across the platen, the enone, | graphite lubricates the back of “ASSEMBLY | | | 7 j the belt and makes it run cooler, 1] | ‘The platen is made from a fle Pel ible, canvas-like material. To in- | fe ce stall it, you'll need to trim the (router platen to fit your belt sander and punch holes in the end for the ————— Use METAL screws that hold down the retain. graphite platen helps re- RULE ZO CHECK ing bar, see photo. (For sourees of duce heat build-up and ex- ‘graphite platens, see page 31.) fends the lite of your belts. No. 16 ShopNotes 9SEIT Shop Tote A unique “split” handle design provides a handy grip for each tray and allows you hen Steve (our - Shop Manager) ‘walked into the workshop the other day, the first thing I noticed was the sly ‘gin on his face. Then I realized he'd brought a prototype of a project for me to look at — a small tote for organizing and carrying around hardware, hhand tools, or whatever, see photo above. ‘TWO TRAYS. At first glance, I thought that it was just a deep box with a handle. But on closer inspee- tion, I realized that there were actually two trays, ‘one on top of the other. END VIEW Uy eo Ne - Materials A Fronte/Backs (4) Yo"x 22" - 14" B Ends (4) Yo"x 202" - 9%e" C Center Ralle(2) —Yo"x 2¥e"- 13" D Lower Handle (1) *Ve"x 7V2"-13" E Upper Handle (1) *Vo"x5"- 15" F Bottoms (5) 42" x 15¥2" - Yo" Mas. G Narrow Bottom (1) 4x 15¥2"- Ya" Mas. H Dividers (6) Ve" x BVe"- 4" 1 Short Dividers (2) V2"x 2¥0" - BY" "Two layers of Ye" Masonite to stack them on top of each other. Intrigued, [lifted up the top tray only to find that “halt” of the handle came along with it (Steve's grin got wider). The other “half” of the handle was built into the bottom tray. Ingenious. This way each tray hasits own handle, And when the trays are stacked up, the handles combine to form a heavy-duty grip for the entire tote. DIVIDERS. In addition to the unique handle de- sign, this Shop Tote also features a set of built-in dividers. These dividers allow you to customize cach tray to help organize its contents. (For more on this, see page 12.) EXPLODED VIEW noel 10 ShopNotes No. 15Eres e Tray Farts ‘Sinee the basie parts of the upper and lower trays are identical, T started with blanks wide enough to make both trays, see Drawing aright. Thentrimmed the individ- ual pigees to finished width later. FRONT,BACK, & ENDS. All of the tray blanks are the same width (height) 516", But their lengths are different. The blanks for the front and back pieces (A) are 14" long. Then they're rabbeted on each end to receive the end pieces, see Drawing and Detail at right. The blanks for the ends (B) are 9%¢' long. CENTER RAMS. After the front, ‘back, and end blanks are cut to size, the next step is to make a blank for the twocenterrails (C), NOTE: AULBLANKS cor tron oriick = cea CENTER: © _RAILBLANK REEF see Drawing. To determine the length of this blank, measure the distance between the shoulders of the rabbets on a front or back blank. (In my ease, it's 18" long.) SECOND: sma Pieces 1 cureasecre on ‘UPTO WIDTH Now you can rip allofthe tray pieces (A, B, and C) to their finished widths (216"). Then set, these pieces aside, they're used later, hea tice |e peace eta SE Afler the tray pieces are ent to size, you can turn your attention to the handles. On his original tote, Steve used hardwood han- des. But T was concerned they ‘might warp and prevent the trays from sliding together. MASONITE. To get around this, Tused a material that was more stable than sold wood — Masonite. ‘To make each handle, I glued up a blank made from two layers of Yf-thick Masonite, see Fig. L ach handle blank is the same length (13"). The only thing dif- ferent is their height (width).The lower handle (D) is 734" tall. But sinee the upper handle (B) rests ‘on top of the lower tray, it’s 216" shorter (5'talb. HANDLE SHAPE. To make sure the handle shapes match, I earpet taped the blanks together and laid ‘out the shape on top, see Figs. 1 ‘and Ja, Then with the blanks still taped together, cut out the shape. ROUND-OVER. Finally, separate the pieces and round over the holes and top edges only on the router table, see Figs. 2 and 2a. FIRBT: GLUE UP Two LATER (OF Ye MABONTE FOR Exch HANDLE LOWER HANDLE THIRD: Lav our sHare on roF| BLANK AND CUT OUT HANDLES ror soot AN HOLES ONLY LOWER HANDLE 2 er (OHANDLE, No. 15Lower Tray ‘Now that the handles are com- plete, you ean start work on the lower tray. The lower tray uses the taller (7¥4") of the two han- dles, see Drawing at right. CUT GROOVES. The first step {sto eut grooves for the tray bot- toms that are added later. These Yg'wide grooves are cut on the inside bottom edge of each lower tray piece (including the handle), see Figs. 8 and 3a. ‘TAPER HANDLE. Next, tomake it easier to slide the upper tray over the handle of the lower tray when it’s assembled, I sanded a slight taper on the ends of the handle, see Fig. 4. ‘RAY BOTTOMS. With [5 1 the handle tapered, the Ai next step is to deter- |’ mine the sizeof the tray | i bottoms, see Fig. 3. To : do this, first dry elamp the tray together. Then position the center rail (©) and handle (D) so they're centered on the width of ASSEMBLY. After the bottoms the tray, see Drawing above. _havebeencut tosize,allthat'sleft Next, measure each of the is to assemble the lower tray. openings and add ¥4" to both the Start by gluing the enter rail to length and the width. Now you the handle so the grooves on each can eut two 1f’-thick Masonite are facing out, see Fig. 4. Then bottome (F) to size, see Fig.3.(In apply glue to the remaining tray my ease, they're 414" wide and parts and nail the tray together, 1344" long) refer to Fig. & B | SECOND: ony cn rear TOSEMER a THIRD: evr sorroms Worm TEAY WIM GROOVE FAGING OUT SAND SLIGHT TAPER. ON ENDS OF HANDLE 2 7k The upper tray Z (is @ convenient way 10 ‘a handy place for stor- keep some of your most ing and organizing screws, often used tools right at hand, hails, and assorted hardware. 1 The overtrayis @ ‘ShopNotes No. 15