Squaring Large Projects

The problem with assembling a large project is it's hard to keep it from racking after you add the glue and then try to screw it together. As shown in the drawing, I solved this problem by making several plywood "clamping squares" that resemble a framing square. When clamped in place, they square up the cabinet and hold the pieces in position.

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Squaring a Mitered Corner

For some projects, like the mitered box shown below, a band clamp is the easiest way to hold the project together while the glue dries. But there is one small problem. The mitered corners tend to slip out of alignment as the clamp is tightened. So in addition to the band clamp, I clamp short pieces of aluminum angle bracket to the inside of each corner to draw the miter together. As you can see in the detail, filing a slight roundover on the outside corner of the bracket provides room for glue squeeze-out.

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Installing Hinges

When installing hinges, you need to be ready to make a few adjustments. This can mean putting on and taking off the door a few times. And one thing to avoid is breaking one of the brass woodscrews. So I use a single steel woodscrew to hold each leaf during the fitting process, see top photo below.
And if the hinge mortise is too deep, use a thin piece of cardboard as a shim, see bottom photo below.

Steel Woodscrews

One frustration you want to avoid is breaking a brass woodscrew. So when fitting a door, use a steel woodscrew in the hinge leaf.

Cardboard Shim

If the gap between the door and the case is too narrow, of if the gap tapers from top to bottom, try adding a thin cardboard shim under one or both hinge leaves.

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Checking Diagonals

Comparing the diagonals of a cabinet or a box is a great way to check it for square. But when you're working alone in the shop, measuing long diagonals accurately can be difficult. To make this job easier, I made a pair of simple tape holders.
Each holder is just a scrap of ¾″ thick plywood cut to 4½″ square. Two pieces of ¼″ Masonite 2″ × 4½″ are screwed to two edges of the plywood that make up a corner. Then, to hold the tape and allow for an accurate reading, the corner is mitered to form a slot that fits the blade.
R.B. Hines
Vienna, Ohio

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Assembly Blocks

Sometimes you almost need a third hand to assemble a project. Especially working with large pieces of plywood. To help me keep the pieces aligned, I use assembly blocks made from scrap.
I made these blocks from medium density fiberboard (MDF) with intersecting dadoes cut in the middle (pieces of plywood or solid wood would work as well). Just set the workpieces in the assembly blocks or place the blocks on top to hold the pieces in place until the clamps are installed.
John Erwin
San Diego, California

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Stile and Rail Cut Optimization on a Router

Making the stile and rail on a router can be tricky specially when working with thinner material. Let say you want to built a flat panel door that measures 16" by 32" and the stile and rail measures 1 1/2" in width.  Logically, you would cut two pieces that measure 1 1/2" by 32" and two pieces that measure at least 1 1/2" by 16 1/2".  Once those pieces are cut you may use a router mounted on a table with stile and rail bit set to do the profile.

Now, lets say we want to optimize accuracy and save time without increasing accident risk, we could do the following steps:

 Step 1:   

Cut one piece measuring 3 1/8" by 16 1/2".
Cut one piece measuring 3 1/8" by 32".

Step 2:

Since the pieces are wider they are easier to handle and it is safer to rout the profile on the router table.

Rout the stile on both sides of each piece.
Rout the rail on both sides of each piece.

Step3:

Once all profiles have been completed, just rip the two pieces in the center and you will have the four parts required to make the door!  

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Sink Shelf

             Finally, an easy but useful project that can be completed in a few hours. This over-the-sink shelf can be constructed from softwood or hardwood.  It can be used for a multitude of applications, but my favourite is simply holding small houseplants.  The measurements in this plan are for a standard double 32" sink.  For other sinks, you can adjust the length measurement accordingly.          

                You don�t need fancy tools to complete this project: wood glue, a drill, a wood saw, a hack saw and a sanding block. Of course using �" corner round bit with a router makes a nice edge but a sanding block will work as well. The whole project can be constructed from one piece of wood measuring 7 �" wide by 72" long by 3/4"thickness.

Finish used for this project: water-based Flecto Varathane Diamond Wood Finish, in a satin sheen.

Overall dimensions:34 1/2" long x 5" deep x 9" high

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Here's what you get:

Sink Shelf plan (8 page instructions)
Photos, exploded views, detailed drawings, optimize cutting diagrams, and a complete materials list.

Try it out for FREE!

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Paper Towel Holder

    Finding useful projects that use scrap wood around the workshop can be a challenge. We like to use scrap wood on something worth while. This is why we decided to add this useful yet simple-to-build paper towel holder to our list of free plans.  This project costs virtually nothing and requires little time to complete.  

 Finish used for this project: water-based Flecto Varathane Diamond Wood Finish, in a satin sheen.  

Overall dimensions: 6" long x 6" high x 13" wide

---

Here's what you get:

Paper Towel Holder (6 page instructions )
Photos, exploded views, detailed drawings, optimize cutting diagrams, and a complete materials list.

Try it out for FREE!

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Queen High Storage Bed Plan

This queen size high bed not only looks elegant but also converts unused space into an under-bed dresser!  A sturdy frame and platform support contain the mattress, thus eliminating the need for that space-wasting box spring.  The spacious drawers, six per side, use ball bearing drawer slides to ensure smooth and long lasting operation.  Drawers are constructed using dado/rabbet joinery. The bed is built using plywood and hardwood products and incorporates simple joinery techniques.  Most of the fastening for the bed assembly uses corner zinc braces and screws, thus allowing for easy assembly/disassembly.  We'll show you how to easily create the simple fluted lines and dentil trim that adorn this piece of furniture.

This bed will accommodate a queen size mattress in the range of 60" by 80". Note that extra space around the mattress is allotted for bedding.  The bed has a mattress height of approx. 29" when using a 6 1/2" thick mattress.

Finish used for this project: Minwax Accents water-based stain, Olive Green and Vintage Burgundy, protected with Flecto Varathane Diamond Wood Finish, in a satin sheen.

 Overall dimensions: 71" wide by 91 3/4" long and 49 1/2" high at headboard, 24" high at bed rail, 31 1/2" high at footboard. 

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Wood Sharpening

There is nothing quite like a finely-sharpened edge. Many newcomers to the craft assume they are doing something wrong with their technique and quickly get discouraged because they just picked up grandpa’s old plane and started hacking away at some poor piece of wood. If that plane was well-tuned and the blade sharpened properly, that first experience would be much more pleasurable and the learning curve significantly reduced. Here are some great videos covering various sharpening topics:



Fine Woodworking – Video: Sharpening Basics (paper and stone methods)
Lie Nielsen – Video: Sharpening a Rip Saw
Lie Nielsen – Video: Sharpening a Cross-Cut Saw
Lie Nielsen – Video: Sharpening Plane Irons
Lie Nielsen – Video: Flattening Stones

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Replaceable Inserts Save Sawhorses

In one regard, these sawhorses are like any others — they get chewed up with use. What’s different about them is they have a replaceable insert made from 2x stock. Once this insert gets riddled with saw kerfs, you simply replace it with a new one (Photo, right).
These sawhorses aren’t just one-trick ponies, either. In order to save floor space, they stack together when it’s time to “stable” the horses (Inset Photo).

To form an opening for the insert, the top of each sawhorse consists of two rails made of ¾″-thick stock with a 2x spacer sandwiched between. The rails are notched to make a socket for the legs to fit into. After cutting these notches, glue and clamp the rails and spacer together.
As for the insert, just cut it to size from 2x stock. It’s held in place by a bolt that passes through a hole drilled in the rails and insert.
The sawhorses are supported by splayed 2x4 legs that nest in the sockets in the rails. To make them sit flat, you’ll need to cut a long bevel at the top end of each leg (End View). An easy way to do this is to use a hand saw (or band saw) and then sand the surface smooth.
Before attaching the legs, there’s one more thing to do. That’s to cut a bevel on both ends of each leg so the sawhorses will sit flat on the floor. After making the bevel cuts with a circular saw or miter saw, glue and screw the legs in place.
To prevent the sawhorses from racking, I attached a ½″ plywood gusset to each end. Notch the bottom edge of this gusset to allow the sawhorses to stack together. Then glue and screw the gussets to the legs.
Have a nice weekend,
Wyatt Myers
Online Editor, Workbench

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Sure-footed Sawhorses Woodworking Plan

There are sawhorses and then there are SAWHORSES. What you really want is something hefty, strong, and safe for working on and standing on. But often what you wind up settling for is something (much) less, usually because you want to be able to fold up and store your sawhorses in a small space. These Sure-footed Sawhorses give you the best of both worlds. Sawhorses just don't get much stronger, safer, and handier (note the shelf) than these Sure-footed Sawhorses. And they knock-down into four pieces--shelf, top plate, and two leg units -- for easy moving and storage. These woodworking plan were originally published in Workbench, Vol. 53, #4. CONSTRUCTION: The Sure-footed Sawhorses are 30" high x 38" long x 21" wide. They are constructed of 2x4, 2x6, and 2x8 fir along with some 1/8" hardboard. They lock together using bolts and large wing nuts (we offer a kit if you can't find the hardware locally). WHAT YOU GET.The Sure-footed Sawhorse Project Plan is a four-page, 367 kilobyte .pdf file. It includes complete, step-by-step instructions, detailed drawings and photos, and a materials list.

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Picture Frame Clamp

This is a handy easy to make clamp for picture frames with mitered corners, I have recommended 3/4" thick material because it is easy to obtain, thicker material will give more stability for larger frames, if you go this route either use longer bolts or drill the inset holes deeper. To prevent excess glue that is squeezed out from sticking to the arms place squares of waxed paper under the corners of the frame where it contacts the arms.

Material List

• 4 - 2" X 1/4" Carriage blots
• 4 - 2 1/2" X 1/4" Carriage bolts
• 5 - 1/4" Hex nuts
• 5 - 1/4" Wing nuts
• 10 - 1/4" Flat washers
• 6" X 1/4" ready rod

Assembly

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Combination Taper Jig and Straight Edge

With this jig you can cut tapers or true one edge of a bowed board. The 36" length and 8" width for the base is what I used for cutting legs for a project but any length or width of base can be made to fit the job. Extra clamp strips should be added to longer bases for cutting straight edges.
Parts List
3/4" thick plywood or particle board 36" X 8"
3/4" X 1 1/2" X 7" hardwood 2 pieces
5/16" X 4" long carriage bolts 2 ea.
5/16 flat washers 2 ea.
5/16" wing nuts 2 ea.
 
Assembly
Cut a piece of 3/4" thick plywood or particle board 36" long and aprox. 8" wide using one factory edge to make sure it is straight for the jig base..
Using a 3/4" spade bit drill four holes at 6", 14", 24" and 30" from the left end in the center of the back of the jig base about 3/16" deep for the carriage bolt heads. Drill the holes through the board with a 5/16" bit at each of these points.
Cut two strips of 1X2 about 1/2" shorter than the width of the jig base for clamp strips, drill a 3/16" hole in the center of them.
Mark the top of the board starting 2" from the right end at 12", 24" and 32".
Push 4" long 5/16" carriage bolts through the two appropriate holes in the base, install 1X2 strips, washer and wingnut.
To use as taper jig
Set fence on saw the width of jig base. To cut a 32" long piece with a taper lay the material on the base with the ends lined up with the first and last marks, using the first and last holes for the clamp strips place scrap material the thickness of the material being cut under the other ends. With a ruler set the distance the material is on the base at each end, tighten the wing nuts, check measurements and run throught the saw.
For shorter pieces use the other holes and marks on the base.
For some widths the finished piece may have to overhang the base rather than being clamped to it.
To use as straight edge
Clamp the board into the jig using appropriate holes for clamp strips, set fence on saw to a distance that will make a clean cut through entire width of board. For boards longer than 36" make a base the length of the board.
Miter Slot Option
For a more precise jig fasten a strip of flat iron that fits in miter slot on bottom of base with countersunk wood screws, this works especially well for cutting tapers.

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Table Saw Cut Guide

Use this simple guide to align your cut mark and get an exact cut everytime.

How to Make It

Step 1
Cut a notch halfway through a short length of 1 X 3 and mark an X as shown.
Step 2
Rotate board 180° lining notch with saw guide and cut all the way through.

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Strip Cutting Gauge

Thin strips should be cut on a table saw with the wide board against the fence and the fence moved in for each cut, however it is difficult to accurately adjust the fence for each strip to be the same thickness. This gauge allows you to simply slide the fence over until the stock hits the guide. Because there are so many different types of table saws I have not given any measurements for the lengths of the parts, this should be obvious when the strip is in the miter slot.

Cut a stip that fits snuggly in the miter slot of the table, with a 5/8" spade bit drill a pocket for the bolt head about 1/8" deep, then drill 1/4" hole for bolt. Cut a slot in a piece 1" wide hardwood that is long enough to extend to line up with the saw blade, round the outer end. Fasten the two pieces together with a 1/4" carriage bolt, washer and thumb screw.

Mark the width of the strip to be cut on the material, set fence, then place gauge in miter slot and adjust guide to touch material. Remove gauge, make the cut, insert gauge, with material against fence, slide fence over until material touches gauge, remove gauge, cut, continue in this manner.

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Drill Press Stand

A two drawer file cabinet can be easily converted to a drill press stand, most drills will require a base to raise the top of the cabinet to a convenient height. The locking drawers are an excellent place to store power tools out of the reach of small children that may frequent the work area.

	Lay some 3/4" plywood cut to size on top of the cabinet and drill mounting holes for drill press. A simple base made from 2 X 6 material raises the cabinet to a good working height. For extra stability fasten the back of the cabinet to a wall.

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Baseball Bed Downloadable PDF Woodworking Plan

The perfect bed for the baseball fan or little leaguer. A standard twin size mattress fits into the bed. Note: Lathe work is required to make the bat posts.
Finished Dimensions:
Length: 78.75 inches (196.9 cm)
Width: 43 inches (107.5 cm)
Height: 43 inches (107.5 cm)

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Bed Downloadable Woodworking Plan

A super sofa that doubles as a comfy bed! One minute it is a relaxing sofa. The next, it is a comfortable bed. Either way, our sturdy oak frame supports its fluffy mattress in the greatest of style. Build one for an extra bedroom, the family room, or that college-bound scholar. You will find that the futon gets lots of use, and that you will be the genius who made it. We built our frame around a 54x75 inch full-size futton mattress. If you select a different size mattress, you will need adjust the frame size accordingly. The futon in the upright position shown measures 35 inches deep by 77 inches long and stands 32 inches tall.Plan Author: Chuck Hedlund
Plan Contributors: Marlen Kemmet, Kim Downing, Lorna Johnson, Jamie DOwning
Plan Format: PDF
Plan Size: 1.4MB, 14 pages
Published Date: 1997
Plan Language: English, all measurements are inches/feet unless stated otherwise.
Wood and Supplies needed:
1 of 3/4x 7-1/4 x 96 inch oak lumber
4 of 3/4 x 9-1/4 x 96 inch oak lumber
4 of 5/16 x 3-3/8 x 32 inch long wainscoting
1 of 1/2 x 48 x 48 inch oak veneer plywood
Tools needed:
Table saw, chisels, clamps, drill and other common workshop tools.
About this downloadable woodworking plan: From the Editors of WOOD Magazine. This is a project plan that you will download immediately after your purchase. PDF plans cheaper than the paper plans in this series plus you save the shipping cost and wait time! This PDF has full color pages with scaled and full pattern templates that you can print onto 8-1/2 x 11 inch paper. It will be just like you are reading the magazine article itself! All building instructions and finishing guides provided.

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Dresser and Nightstand Downloadable Woodworking Plan

A complimentary match to the Traditional Bed 31-DP-00961, these two project share similar construction techniques like the simple to do tongue and groove and the loose tenon joints. Unique shop tips included to ease the construction. A custom tinted stain from Sherwin Williams was used and the plan provides a copy of the stain formula.

Plan Format: PDF
Plan Size: 3.9MB, 16 page(s)
Published Date: 2013
Plan Language: English, all measurements are in inches.
Tools needed: Table saw, router, clamps drill and other common workshop tools
Also available is a paper version of this plan:
We can also mail this paper plan to you, 31-MD-00981

Workshop Article included: Take the Loose Tenon Plunge (4 page article).
Finished Dimensions:
Dresser
Height: 53.5 inches (135.9 cm)
Width: 38.875 inches (98.7 cm)
Depth: 21..438 inches (54.5 cm)
Nightstand
Height: 26.875 inches (68.3 cm)
Width: 26.75 inches (67.9 cm)
Depth: 19.875 inches (50.5 cm)

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Craftsman style Nightstand Downloadable Woodworking Plan

A Craftsman beauty that is at home wherever you place it. While it was designed as a nightstand to grace a bedroom, there is no reason you could not put this winning Craftsman style table anywhere in your home. Imagine, for instance, how perfectly it would serve as a lamp table beside your reading chair. We made the wide panels of the nightstand by gluing up narrow stock. For best results, select straight, flat boards, and joint the edges. Take care to match the grain as well as you can when laying out stock to glue up.
Finished Dimensions
Height: 28 inches (71.1 cm)
Width: 22 inches (55.9 cm)
Depth: 18 inches (45.7 cm)
Plan Author: James R. Downing
Plan Contributors: Marlen Kemmet, Larry Johnston, Kim Downing, Lorna Johnson, Jamie Downing
Plan Format: PDF
Plan Size: 0.8MB, 16 pages
Published Date: 1998
Plan Language: English, all measurements are inches/feet unless stated otherwise.
Wood and Supplies needed:
1 of 1/4 x 12 x 24 inch oak veneer plywood
1 of 1/2 x 3-1/2 x 72 inch oak hardwood
2 of 3/4 x 7-1/4 x 96 inch oak hardwood
2 of 3/4 x 9-1/4 x 72 inch oak hardwood
Tools needed:
Table saw, jointer, lots of clamps and other common workshop tools.
About this downloadable woodworking plan: From the Editors of WOOD Magazine. This is a project plan that you will download immediately after your purchase. PDF plans cheaper than the paper plans in this series plus you save the shipping cost and wait time! This PDF has full color pages with scaled and full pattern templates that you can print onto 8-1/2 x 11 inch paper. It will be just like you are reading the magazine article itself! All building instructions and finishing guides provided.

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Workbench Woodworking Plan

01-161 - The Acorn Workbench Woodworking Plan
Scott Landis in his Taunton Book, The Workbench Book, said that this was the very best American designed bench on the market. This is a big project for a woodworker. The Acorn bench has a full-width end vise and a double row of dog holes. A face vise of the same design is mounted flush with the opposite end of bench. The vises are supported with steel guide rods which assure you of years of trouble free use. This is a bench that will be passed to future generations of your family. Information included on where to course all of the hardware required to build this bench. Notes about the vises: It takes a machine shop to build the vices and the dimensions are given to make that happen. Sources on where to buy the vice screws are listed in the plan.
Skill level. Intermediate
Designer: Peter Shapiro is recognized by many as the most prolific workbench manufacturer in America. Under the Acorn Design Trademark over 800 benches have left Peters shop. Today, Peter supervises the woodworking facility for the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles and creates the casework that holds some of the finest art and relics of the world. Peter lives with his family in California.
Finished Dimensions:
Height: 34.5 inches (87.6 cm)
Width: 79 inches (200.7 cm)
Depth: 24 inches (61 cm)

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Build A Classic 5-Drawer Cherry Dresser

These days when you have a storage problem, the solution is usually a bigger hard drive or maybe a new CD burner. Personal space is defined in megabytes, and when you run short, you can't simply grab the nearest empty shoebox. Not so with the more tangible features in our lives. Things can and do get left piled on the sofa or stuffed into an already crowded closet. Our solution doesn't require a plug to play, is guaranteed to work 50 years from now—and is fully compatible with anything you'd care to stow away. It's a classic 5-drawer cherry dresser.

Equally at home in a bedroom, living room or hallway, our traditional design combines a pair of small accessory drawers with three full-width ones for ample storage capacity. It features simple joinery and a unique spacer-block system that makes installing the drawer guides accurate and painless.

In addition to solid cherry, we used 1/4-in. cherry plywood for the end panels. With a 4 x 8 sheet you'll also have enough for the case back, bottom and the drawer bottoms. We chose poplar for the hidden interior pieces and stable, uniform 11.5mm Baltic Birch plywood for the drawer sides and backs.

Materials List
Key	No.	Size and description (use)
A	4	3/4 x 2 x 16-3/4" cherry (side rail)
B	4	1-3/4 x 1-3/4 x 36-1/4" cherry (leg)
C*	2	1/4 x 16-11/16 x 27-11/16" plywood (side)
D1	4	3/4 x 3/4 x 3-1/2" poplar (spacer)
D2	12	3/4 x 3/4 x 6-1/4" poplar (spacer)
E	10	3/4 x 1-1/2 x 17-1/2" poplar (guide)
F	5	3/4 x 2 x 31-1/2" cherry (front rail)
G1	4	3/4 x 1-1/4 x 31-1/2" poplar (rear rail)
G2	1	3/4 x 1-1/2 x 31-1/2" poplar (rear rail)
H	10	3/4 x 1-1/2 x 16-3/4" poplar (runner)
I	1	3/4 x 1-1/4 x 31-1/2" cherry (trim rail)
J	2	3/4 x 2-1/2 x 16" poplar (runner)
K	2	3/4 x 1-1/2 x 16-3/4" poplar (guide)
L	1	3/4 x 2 x 5" cherry (divider)
M	1	3/4 x 1-1/4 x 5" poplar (divider)
N	1	3/4 x 20 x 36" cherry (top)
O1	2	3/4 x 4-7/8 x 15-9/32" cherry (drawer front)
O2	3	3/4 x 6-7/8 x 31-13/32" cherry (drawer front)
P1	4	11.5mm x 4-7/8 x 18-7/8" Baltic Birch (side)
P2	6	11.5mm x 6-7/8 x 18-7/8" Baltic Birch (side)
Q1	2	11.5mm x 4-7/8 x 14-7/8" Baltic Birch (back)
Q2	3	11.5mm x 6-7/8 x 31" Baltic Birch (back)
R1*	2	1/4 x 14-3/4 x 18" plywood (bottom)
R2*	3	1/4 x 18 x 30-7/8" plywood (bottom)
S*	1	1/4 x 29-1/2 x 32-1/2" plywood (case back)
T*	1	1/4 x 18-1/2 x 31-1/2" plywood (case bottom)
U	10	1" No. 10 panhead screw and washer
V	14	3/4" No. 6 panhead screw
W	as reqd.	2" No. 8 fh woodscrew
X	as reqd.	1-1/4" finishing nail
Y	10	3/8"-dia. x 2" dowel
Z**	8	drawer pull, Constantines No. SBH35
AA***	10	1/2" 10-mil nylon tape, Rockler No. 70615
Misc: No. 5530 3/16" beading bit, No. 6583 5/8" fingernail bit and No. 6390 2" raised-panel bit available from MLCS, P.O. Box 4053, Rydal, PA 19046; www.mlcswoodworking.com; glue; sandpaper; Behlen medium brown mahogany Solar-Lux stain; Minwax Polyurethane Clear Satin Finish.

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" H " Style Hinges

" H " Style Hinges Butt hinges with a removable pin can easily be converted to a unique decorative hinge. Profile the hinges with a file or grinder, the edges may be beaten with a ballpean hammer, any plating may be removed by dipping in a mild solution of muratic acid. Soaking over-night in gun bluing will turn them black. Leather Hinges Covering a strip of leather with metal plates makes a very distinctive hinge, the metal can be cut from copper, brass, or iron.

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