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Table of Contents

Tips & Techniques4

Online Extras

  • Fold-Away Extension Tables
    Gordon Gaines of Oakdale, California wanted to extend the short tables on his thickness planer, but didn't have room for a large, permanent setup. His solution: these fold-away extension tables.

Shop Brooms & Brushes8

Learn what you need to look for when choosing a broom or brush for your shop.

Cleaning up around the shop will be easier with a brush and broom from the article on page 8 of Woodsmith No. 174. All the brooms were purchased from McMaster-Carr, including the horsehair broom (7167T4), the tampico/horsehair/polypropylene broom (7168T4), the multi-surface push broom (7736T11), and the angle broom (7634T22).

Most of the bench brushes were purchased at Garrett Wade, including the large flare tip brush (95K03.01), the small, round detail brush (96S04.01), and the goat hair brush (53G06.02). The standard bench brush is available at the Woodsmith Store.

Sanders in the Shop10

Every woodworking shop needs a power sander or two. Here's how to get the most out of yours.

The sanders featured in the article on page 10 of Woodsmith No. 174 can help you get a tedious job done faster and easier. They're available from most hardware stores and home centers. On-line retailers also offer a wide selection. For the sanding insert baseplate that fits the Porter-Cable oscillating spindle sander, you'll need to contact Woodhaven (147PCS).

The sandpaper alternatives featured on page 12 may be a good choice for your projects. The Abranet discs (147492) and replacement pad (147512) are available from Woodcraft. You can get the Microplane discs (23704) and the non-woven sanding pads (39397) from Rockler or sources listed below.

Design & Inlay Kit14

This easy-to-use router jig makes adding decorative designs to your projects a snap.

Online Extras

  • Adding an Epoxy Inlay
    Traditional wood inlays are a great way to dress up the appearance of a project. The problem is cutting and fitting small, oddly shaped inlay pieces can be both difficult and time-consuming. An easy alternative is to use colored epoxy instead of wood. Epoxy will flow into just about any shape, saving a lot of time and effort over conventional wood inlays.

Just as we were going to press, Milescraft announced that the Design/Inlay Kit featured on page 14 of Woodsmith No. 174 had been upgraded. It now includes two more template wheels (including heart, star, circle, and bow tie patterns), additional collars, as well as carbide spiral and V-groove bits.

The good news is, all the items shown in the article are still included and the price will remain the same. The new product is model 1207, the Design/Inlay Kit. The kit will be available from Rockler or Amazon.com.

Candle Centerpiece16

A few small pieces of wood and a couple of hours of time are all you need to invest in this project. But it's the simple construction and attention to the details that make it a winner.

The candle centerpiece on page 16 of Woodsmith No. 174 will give you the chance to use small, prized pieces of figured or exotic wood and show off your joinery skills too. The glass candleholders and votive candles were purchased at Michaels, a nationwide craft store chain.

Traditional Workbench20

A solid workbench is at the heart of every shop. This one gives you everything you could ever want or ask for -- solid hardwood construction, two versatile vises, and plenty of workspace.

  • Page 29: Cutting diagram
    Clarification: The cutting diagram shows part D (the legs) coming from 1 3/4" stock. The parts are only 1 1/2" thick, but would need to be planed or resawn from 1 3/4" stock. There are no problems with the art or copy.
  • Page 22: Foot cutout detail
    Clarification. The article Shop Notebook (p. 32-33) contains details about making the feet for the workbench, but contains an error. It shows the dimension of the location for the foot cutout as 3 1/2" but it should be 5 1/2". See the correction note on the Shop Notebook article in this issue.
  • Page 25: Detail b, End Section View
    Detail "b" incorrectly calls for a 1/16" chamfer on the long edges of part I. It should be a 1/8" chamfer.
  • Page 26: Main illustration
    The illustration and the text do not indicate the diameter of the dog holes to be drilled in the bench top. They should all be 3/4".
  • Page 26: Main illustration
    The illustration and the text do not indicate the length nor width of the stopped grooves for the tail vise. They should be 14-1/2" and 3/4", respectively.

Online Extras

  • Drilling Dog Holes
    The traditional workbench from Woodsmith No. 173 features a large and very solid laminated top. But if you want to save yourself a little work and material cost without sacrificing any of the top's great features, you can make an MDF and hardboard center slab instead. You'll have to use a hand drill and a guide block to lay out the dog holes.

Most of the hardware for the workbench project that begins on page 20 of Woodsmith No. 174 can be found at a local hardware store or home center. The vises were purchased from Lee Valley. The large front vise (70G08.02) and handle (05G12.03) are sold separately. The tail vise screw (70G01.51) is actually meant for use on a shoulder vise and is listed this way. You'll also need to order a handle for the tail vise. Lee Valley sells the bench dogs (05G04.02) in pairs. The front vise and bench dogs are also available at the Woodsmith Store.

Shop Notebook32

  • Page 32: Figure 1, detail a
    The dimension for the location of the foot cutout should be 5 1/2". Note that the dimensions in the article "Traditional Workbench' are correct.

Fretwork Wall Shelf34

The distinctive scroll saw work on this small shelf gives it the look of a timeless antique. But using basic joinery techniques, you can build this classic project in a short weekend.

Online Extras

There are just two pieces of hardware you'll need for the scroll saw shelf on page 34 of Woodsmith No. 174. The keyhole hangers that hold the shelf were purchased from Rockler (28837). Brads to hold the fretwork in place are available at local hardware stores and home centers. We ordered the beveled mirror at a local glass shop.

Finish Information: For the stain, we used 1 tsp. medium red Mahogany, 2 tsp. Cuban red Mahogany, and 1/2 tsp brown Mahogany. Finished with J.E. Mosers Powdered Dye-Water.

Tenons on the Table Saw38

We'll show you two foolproof techniques for cutting perfect-fitting tenons on the table saw.

Edge Routing Secrets42

Edge routing a workpiece is an everyday task, but a few simple tips can give you better results.

Saw & Blade Storage44

Take a look at some great ideas for keeping your saw blades and hand saws organized.

Choosing a Workbench Finish46

It makes good sense to protect this important shop fixture with the right finish.

Haunched Mortise & Tenon48

Here's the scoop on why this joint is the best choice for solid-wood frame-and-panel doors.

Q & A50

Final Details52