{

#

IItIItI

THE ART OF WOODWORKING

HOMEWORI$HOP

SAFETY TIPS

POWER TOOTS HAND TOOLS. Wear appropriate safety gear: safetyglasses, a face shield for extra protection,and hearing protection. l f there is no dustcol lect ion system, wear a dust mask. Forexotic woods such as ebony, use a respi-rator; sawdust may cause an al lergicreaction. Wear work gloves when han-d l ing rough lumber .

o Drape the power cord of a portablepower tool over your shoulder to keepit out of the way.

. Concent ra te on the job ; do no t rush .

' Never work when you are tired, stressed,or have been drinking alcohol or usingmedications that induce drowsiness.

o A lways keep your work a rea c leanand t idy; clutter can lead to accidents,and sawdust and wood scraps can be af ire hazard.

o Keep your hands we l l away f rom aturn ing b lade or b i t .

. Do not use a tool if any part is wornor damaged.

. Use the approprrate tool for the job;do not try to make a tool do somethingfor which it was not intended.

o Clamp your workpiece to free bothhands for an operation.

o Cut away from yourself rather thantoward your body.

. Do not force a tool; if possible, tryremoving less stock on each pass.

. Keep the edges of cutting tools sharp.

WORKSHOP GUIDE

tIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITtIII

GLUING UP LEG BLANKSFace-gluingFor many table and desk legs, you will need thicker stock than is com-monly available. The solution is to make your own leg blanks by face-gluing thinner stock. Start by preparing the stock slighily larger thanthe f inal size of the leg. To ensure a seamless fit, joint the mating sur-faces. Then glue up the boards face to face, alternating the end grainof the pieces and arranging the stock to maximize grain and color. Theprocess is identical to edge-gluing boards into panels (page 93), exceptthat C clamps should be used. As shown at right, space the clamps at3- to 4-inch intervals to provide constant pressure across the entire ioint.

J(lINERY ADHESIVES

CHARACTERISTICS

Polyvinyl-acetate based; not toxic or f lammable . Strong bonding; working time 3 to 5minutes o Setting time about 30 to 45 minutes; cures fully in 24to 72 hours r Driesclear and colorless r Does not sand as well as yellow glue

Yellow Aliphatic-resin based; not toxic or f lammable o Better immediate adhesion for fasterglue grab than white glue; working t ime 3 to 5 minutes . Sett ing t ime about 30 to 40 minutes;

cures ful ly in 24 Io 72 hours o Dries opaque (faded yel low); more heat-resistant for bettersanding propert ies than white glue

Epoxy Resin and hardener must be mixed prior to use; not f lammable but may be toxicglue o strong, waterproof bonding; working t ime 5 minutes to 2 hours (depending on type)

r Sett ing t ime 5 minutes to 2 hours (depending on type); cures ful ly in 24 hours

Hide glue Protein-based; avai lable in granular or l iquid form; not toxic or f lammable o Strong bond-ing, workingtime 3-5 minutes r Sett ingtime t hour; cures'ful lyin24 hours o Sandable,dries a dark color o Not water-resistant, glue bond can be softened with water for disassembly

Plastic Urea-formaldehyde-based, avai lable in powdered form; not f lammable but toxicresin ' Strong bonding, working t ime 20 minutes . Sett ing t ime 4 to 6 hours; cures ful ly

in 3 days o Water resistance higher than that of al iphatic glues, does not stain acidicw000s, sanos cteanlv

TYPE

Whiteglue

USES

General woodworking

General woodworking

Bonding acidic woods such asoak; use on exotic woods thatbond poorly with other glues

Cabinet construction, antiquerestoration, veneering, and finewoodworking

Veneer ing, laminat ing, andedge-gluing hardwood

THEART OF WOODWORKING

TABTESAND DESI$

tI

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

ttI

THE ART OF WOODWORKING

TABLESAI\IDDESI$

TIME-LIFE BOOKSALEXANDRIA. VIRGINIA

ST. REMY PRESSMONTREAL. NEW YORK

PUBLISHERPRESIDENT

Series EditorSeries Art Director

Senior Editors

Art Directors

Designers

Research EditorPicture Editor

WritersResearch Assistant

C o nt r ib ut in g Illu st r at o r s

AdministratorProduction ManagerSystem Coordinator

PhotographersA dmini s tr a t iv e As si st ant

ProofreaderIndexer

Kenneth WinchesterPierre Ldveill6

Pierre Home-DouglasFrancine LemieuxMarc Cassini (Text)Heather Mills (Research)Normand Boudreault, Luc Germain,Solange LabergeLina Desrochers, H6ldne Dion,Jean-Guy Doiron, Michel GigudreIim McRaeChristopher facksonAndrew Iones, Rob LutesBryan QuinnGilles Beauchemin, Roland Bergerat,Michel Blais, Jean-Pierre Bourgeois,Ronald Durepos, facques Perrault,lames Th6rienNatalie WatanabeMichelle TurbideJean-Luc RoyRobert Chartier, Christian LevesqueDominique GagndJudith YelonChristine M. Iacobs

THE ART OF WOODWORKING was produced byST. REMYPRESS

THECONSUTIANTS

fon Arno is a consultant, cabinetmaker, and freelance writerwho lives in Tioy, Michigan. He also conducts seminars onwood identification and early American furniture design.

I(am Ghaffari is a freelance writer and editor. He has his ownbusiness in Rhode Island designing and building one-of-a-kind and limited production furniture. Kam's backgroundalso includes working professionally in furniture reproduc-tion and fine carpentry and studying with furniture patri-archs Wendell Castle of the U.S. and England's Fred Baier.

Giles Miller-Mead taught advanced cabinetmaking at Montrealtechnical schools for more than ten years. A native ofNewZealand, he has worked as a restorer of antique furniture.

Thbles & Desksp. cm.-(The Art of woodworking)Includes index.ISBN 0-8094-9s12-0l. Thbles 2. Desks 3. Furniture making I. Time-Life Books.II. Title: Thbles and desks. III. Series.TT197.5.T3T33 1994684.r'3-dc20 93-49732

CIP

For information about any Time-Life book,please call l-800-621-7026, or write:Reader InformationTime-Life Customer ServiceP.O. Box C-32068Richmond, Virginia23261-2068

@ 1994 Time-Life Books IncAll rights reserved.No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or byany electronic or mechanical means, including informationstorage and retrieval devices or systems, without prior writ-ten permission from the publisher, except that briefpassagesmay be quoted for reviews.First printing. Printed in U.S.A.Published simultaneously in Canada.

TIME-LIFE is a trademark of Time Warner Inc. U.S.A.

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

Time-Life Books is a division of Time Life Inc.,a wholly owned subsidiary of

THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY

TIMELIFEINC.President and CEO John M. Fahey

Editor-in-chief John L. Papanek

TIME-LIFEBOOKS

President lohn D. HallVice-President, Director of Marketing Nancy K. )ones

Executive Editor Roberta ConlanExecutive Art Director Ellen Robling

Consuhing Editor lohn R. SullivanProduction Manager Marlene Zack

CONTENTSI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

ttI

I

I

I

I

6 INTRODUCTION

12 TABLE AND DESK BASICS14 Wood movement16 Selecting and ordering wood18 Lumber defects19 Preparing stock2L Designing tables and desks22 Table and desk styles

28 DESK CASEWORK30 TWo types of desk casework32 Casework joints33 Building a carcase4L Building a frame-and-

panel desk

54 LEGS AND RAITS56 Leg styles and hardware57 Leg-to-rail joints58 Tiipod table59 Pedestal table60 Thpered legs63 Cabriole legs66 Ttrrned legs68 Pedestal legs69 Octagonal legs72 Leg-to-rail joinery

88 TOPS90 Inventory of top designs92 Hardware and accessories93 Preparing a top96 Attaching a top

101 Adjustable topsII2 Decorative elements

116 DRAWERS1 18 Anatomy of a drawerI20 Drawer joinery13 1 Drawer hardware133 Mounting drawers138 Drawer stops

140 GTOSSARY

I42 INDEX

I44 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

IttI

i.r

I

INTRODUCTION

Simon Watts talks about

HIS RECYCLEDDESK

f have worked with wood for a half-century, building furniture, houses, and smallI boats and still I marvel at the endless possibilities of the material. However, as Iget older and the trees get fewer, I prefer to use wood that has already had a careeras a bridge, a boat, or a building-two careers, if you count being a tree as the first.

Far from a limitation, I've found that working with recycled wood stretches theimagination and takes considerable ingenuity. Used boat lumber is the greatest chal-lenge because it is curved and full of closely spaced fastenings.

I made the desk in the photo for my San Francisco apartment using Douglas-firreclaimed from a local wrecking yard. After removing all visible fastenings, I wire-brushed the surfaces and ran the boards though a thickness planer. I made no attemptto conceal bolt holes, iron stains, and other evidence of the timber's previous life;instead, I incorporated them into the desk.

Like most of the larger pieces I make now this one knocks down completely. Thefour boards of the top are doweled together without glue and the supporting struc-ture consists of mortise-and-tenon joints and draw pins. Driving the tapered pegshome pulls the joint together. The stretcher is tenoned through the legs and securedwith loose wedges.

Unless you have delusions of grandeur, there is no point in making a workingsurface larger than you can comfortably reach when sitting down. That means amaximum of 6 feet long and no more than half that in depth-the size of this desk.

I prefer to keep only the items I associate with desks in the drawers: writing mate-rials, stamps, paper clips, stapler, and so on. Computers, monitors' printers, andassociated equipment are, I think, much better housed in a separate unit. I don't likefile storage built into a desk Drawers frrll of files make a piece of furniture monu-mental, even intimidating, in aDpearance. Also, a person's filing needs change, so Ithink it is better to add or change file units than to remodel or replace a desk.

It may happen that this desk will outlive its usefulness and the wood again turnedinto something else. With no glued joints and no hidden fastenings, that would beeasy-and perhaps suitable considering the recycled nature of the piece. The desk willbe my gift to a woodworker in the next century.

Simon Watts is a woodworker, writer, and teacher. He now lives inSan Francisco wherehe offers nationally recognized classes in woodenboat building. He is also the West Coast editor for American Woodworkermagazine and last year published three boat-building manuals.

INTRODUCTION

Kam Ghaftari discusses

DESIGNINGTABLES

I nu* built practically every type of furniture, from decorative high-sryle chairsI to kitchen cabinets, but I'm fascinated by tables. Both the first piece of furnitureI made and the first one I designed were tables. It's an undeniable challenge to cre-ate a beautiful chair that is also comfortable, or an elegant entertainment centerdesigned specifically around the sizes and functions of its contents. But for sheersimplicity and design freedom, you can't beat a table.

Sooner or later, manywoodworkers want to start designing their own furniture.It's something I strongly encourage; designing greatly increases the satisfactionderived from woodworking. A table is a great place to start. A table has relativelyfew structural elements and technical requirements: If you've got a flat top and asolid support system to hold it up, you have got a functional table. The rest is up toyou. Take into account strength requirements, use, and size when planning the piice.Will this be a heavy-duty kid-proof kitchen table or a delicate decorative hall table,for example? Then bring in forms and shapes that please you. Subtle points such asa delicately shaped leg, decorative joinery, a clever handmade mechanism, or a par-ticularly handsome piece of wood can be showcased in a table.

Your piece can be simple or complex, as austere as Shaker or as ostentatious as roco-co, based on designs of the 1930s or the 1730s-or something unique and imagi-native. Its design can also address a particular need not met by commercially availablefurniture, like a telephone table, or a backgammon or chess table.

The table in the photo was influenced by the classic Danish designs of HansWegner, as well as by my appreciation of the aspen leaf, hence the name, Aspen Thble.This was designed for streamlined production without sacrificing its handcraftedlook. I wanted a table that knocked down flat for shipping, yet was sturdy whenassembled. A light-dury three-legged table is stable if the legs are evenly spaced andfar enough apart. It also doesn't require leveling on uneven floors.

I tenoned the turned legs into the shaped rails, then devised a removable groovedmetal plate that, with screws going into threaded inserts in the rails, ties them alltogether. The rails are also countersunk for screws that fit into threaded inserts in thestable multi-ply top. The inlays in the tops are routed with a collar riding in a femaletemplate. The ivory-colored material is tinted patching resin for solid-surface coun-tefiops. The green aluminum veins are computer milled to ensure a precise fit timeafter time. For a single inlay, this part could be cut with a jeweler's saw and file.

Kam Ghaffari designs, builds, and writes aboutfurniture at his studio in Westerly, Rhode Island.

\1

" \

I

I

tI

I

I

I

TNTRODUCTION

Tory Searer on

ASPANISH-STYLEDESK

\ A f hen you run a commercial furniture shop, creating a unique and pleasingY V design can be an invigorating challenge. Foremost in the process is listening

to the customer and balancing practical and esthetic considerations.The buyers of the desk in the photo wanted a handsome sculptural piece of fur-

niture that would also allow them to display art objects. Other design considera-tions involved incorporating three hanging file drawers as well as numerous smalldrawers and cubbies with a self-contained light source.

The drop-front design was inspired by the original varguefio traveling desksbrought from old Spain to the frontier of New Mexico. The carved motifs and turnedlegs are derived from pieces that survived from the Spanish Colonial era. The entirepiece is made from sugar pine, a wood native to the western United States.

There is an enduring and rich tradition of carving and furniture making in north-ern New Mexico. Ramon Martinez, sitting at the desk, exemplifies this centuries-old Hispanic tradition. Thirtyyears with the company, most as a shop foreman, haveshaped him into a true master crafsman. In building this piece, Ramon made the deskas authentic as possible within the context of the design. All the primary joints aremortise-and-tenon, which is historically appropriate. The raised panels float forexpansion and the decorative hardware is hand-forged. The desk features an insetleather desk pad. The knobs on the outside are connected to concealed bolts thathold the leather pad in place. The bolts can be released so the leather surface can beeasily replaced.

The end result is a compact and funaional desk that adds a very warm and pleas-ing design element to the user's home. The desk has been in use for some years nowand the antiqued finish we applied-a combination of various hand-rubbed oilsand sprayed lacquers-has only improved with age.

Tony Searer owns Southwest Spanish Craftsmen, a furniture shop inSante Fe, Nm Mexico, that specializes in Spanish Colonial. SpanishProvincial" and its own classic soutlr,vestern styles. Previously, hedesigned andbuilt exhibi* for the Museum of Nnv Mexico.

I

I

I

I

tIIIIIIIII

tIITIIIII

F..1

ilil

f . t f r,llE--lil

t:ffiq i l

l i l, # r o

IttIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIII

mation you will need to purchase thewood for your project.

With vour stock in hand, one crucialstep remains before you can start toput your work together: preparing thestock (page l9). This process includesjointing and planing rough wood so it issmooth and square, and cutting stock tolength and width. For rough, unsurfacedlumber, first pas one face acros the join-tet then one edge, producing two sur-faces at 90o to each other. Next, plane theother face of the board to make it paral-lel to the first. When the stock is squareand smooth, you are ready to rip it towidth and crosscut it to length. If youbuy S2S stock, which already has bothfaces surfaced, pass one edge across thejointer, then rip and crosscut it to size.S4S stock, which has all its surfaces pre-

An orbital sander smoothes the top of a double-pedestal desk. After a final pass with a fine-grit paper, the desk will be ready for a finish.

II

TABLE AI\TD DESKBASICS

I tttrough the following chapters of,t \ this book focus on the nuts andbolts of table and desk construction,there is more to building a piece of fur-niture than cutting joints and assem-bling components. Before any of thiscan happen, some time must be spentdesigning the piece, and selecting andpreparing the lumber. This chapterfocuses on the skills you will need tocarry out these preparatory steps. Forsome craftsmen, the preliminaries areamong the most enjoyable aspects of aproject. Hand-picking a mahoganyboard at the lumberyard, or unwrap-ping a package of exotic wood from amail-order supplier, for example, canbe rewarding experiences.

First, you need to select the kind oftable or desk that suits your needs. Theillustrated gallery oftable and desk stylesbeginning on page 22 can provide a starting point in yoursearch for a suitable design. The dimensions you incorporatewill affect both the appearance and suitability of the piece.Standard dimensions are discussed in detail on page 21.

Once you have selected a design (or sketched one your-self), it is time to buy the lumber. The sections on woodmovement (page 14), ordering woo d (page16), and derivinga cutting list from a sketch (page 17) provide the basic infor-

Lumber quality varies widely, evenwithin the same grade. Takingthe timeto examine and selectboards carefullyat alumberyardwillhelp you obtain

the best stock for your project.pared, can be ripped and crosscut imme-

diately. Only edges that will be joined together, such as boardsbeing edge-glued to make a tabletop, need to be jointed.

Finally, remember that it is important to tackle your projectmethodically. For greatest efficienry,lay out your tools in theshop so that your wood follows a relatively direct route fromrough stock to final assembly. When you have jointed yourstock and cut it to size, fashion your joints and sand all com-ponents before assembly.

t3

WOODMOVEMENT

\ [ f ood gains and loses moisture asV V the relative humidity of the sur-

rounding air changes. And as thewood's moisture content changes, sodo its dimensions and weight. Thesechanges can cause problems for a pieceof furniture, some merely irritating,others much more serious. Knowinghow moisture affects wood and mak-ing the appropriate allowances will helpvou avoid difficultv.'

The water contained in a piece ofwood is measured as a percentage ofthe wood's oven-dry, or water-freeweight. For example, if a 50-poundpiece of wood weighs 40 pounds whenit is oven-dry, the weight of the shedwater-10 pounds-divided by thewood's dry weight---4O pounds-is themoisture content of the original piece:in this case, 25 percent.

Wood contains water in two ways:as free water in its cell cavities and asbound water in its cell walls. Whenwood is cut and exposed to the air, itsheds its free water first. When all freewater is expelled, the wood is said tobe at its fiber saturation point (FSP),which is typically between 23 and 30percent moisture content. Up to thispoint, as shown in the illustration atright, there has been no change in thedimensions of the piece; it simplyweighs less. As wood dries further, how-ever, water is removed from the cellwalls, and the board shrinks.

Under normal circumstances, woodnever regains its free water, but changesin humidity in the air do affect theamount of moisture in the cell walls.At 100 percent relative humidity, woodreaches its FSB holding as much boundwater as possible. At 0 percent humid-ity, wood is devoid of all moisture.Usuallv, because the water content ofwood reflects the moisture present inthe atmosphere, the moisture content ofmost woods ranges between 5 and 20percent. The fluctuation in relativehumidity of nearly 80 percent between

typical North American winters andsummers can cause substantial woodmovement over the course of ayear.Because of their size, tabletops anddesktops are especially prone to move-ment. A 3-foot-wide tou with the woodgrain running along its length can expe-rience annual movement of more thanI inch across its width. This can causeserious difficulties for an extension table,for example, which relies on the per-fect alignment of various components.

You can do several things to com-pensate for the effects of humiditychanges on wood. In your shop, use ahumidifier in winter and a dehumidifi-er in summer to keep the humidity lev-el as constant as possible. Also, make

allowances for wood movement in theconstruction of your work. With anextension table (page 90), for example,orient the wood grain of the top to runacross the width of the table, not alongits length. This way, wood movementwill not affect alignment of the pieces.The method you use to attach a top isequally important. Several effectivemethods are shown starting on page 96.Using frame-and-panel construction(page 31) for the casework of a desk willallow wood to expand and contractwithout affecting the stability of thepiece. Some woods tend to swell andshrink more than others. Your lumberdealer can help you select dimensional-ly stable speciis'for your projects.

Vhen the moisture content of a 2-by-10 plain-sawn plank of softwood lumberdrops below its frber saturation point (FSP), the wood shrinks. At 17 percent, theboard is',/o inch nqrrower than it was at lrs FSP; it loses qnother % inch of widthwhen kiln-dried to 8 percent. Shrinkage depends partly on the density of thewood; generally, a denser species shrinks and swells more than a less dense one.

ItIIIIItIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Moisture content above30% (no chanqe)

Moiature content at FOF-26% (no chanqe)

Moist.ure content at 17%(1" ahrinka7e)

Moiature content. at. 13%(/o" ehrinka1e)

Moiature content at B%(h" ehrinkaqe)

TABLE AND DESK BASICS

IItIIIItIIIIIIIIIItIIIItIIIIIIII

WOOD SHRINKAGE

Tangential and radial shrinkageWood does not shrink uniformly. As shownby the the dotted l ines in the i l lustrat ionat right, tangential shrinkage-roughly paral-lel to the growth rings-is about twice theradial shr inkage, which occurs across therings. This difference causes boards andpanels to warp when they shrink or swell asrelative humidity changes. Shrinkage alongthe length of a board is usual ly insignif i -cant. A Z-by-IO plank, for example, whichshrinks % inch across its width might loseless than %e inch along an 8-foot length.When bui lding tops for tables and desks,or ient the grain in the direct ion that wi l lcause the fewest problems. Quartersawnstock, which has growth rings that are atright angles to the face, has less of a ten-dency to cup and is a good choice for tops.

WOOD GRAIN AND JOINERY

Tanqential

.r''.{{ Tan7ential

PEne

0ptimizing grain directionWood movement can have an effect onthe strength of a joint . Orient the grainof the mating pieces of a joint so theywi l l move in the same direct ion. ln themortise-and-tenon jornt shown at left,the boards' tangent ial planes are paral-lel to each other, Consequent ly, thewood movement that one oiece exoeri-ences wi l l be closely matched by theother and the joint wi l l not be weak-ened. Assembling a joint with the tan-gential planes of the two pieces at rightangles could weaken the joint or evenforce it aoart.

1 5

SELECTING AND ORDERING WOOD

T umber for your table or desk projectl-l can come from several sources, eachwith its own advantages and drawbacks.The local lumberyard is the most obvi-ous supplier, and often the most conve-nient, but the selection may be limitedto construction woods such as pine,spruce, and other softwoods. Thoughyou may find the occasional cache ofhardwood, more often than not you willhave to venture farther afield, consult-ing the Yellow Pages or woodworkingmagazines to find dealers who special-ize in some of the less common hard-

woods used for fine furniture. You willusually pay more, but the quality of thewood should be higher too.

There are other less costly ootions forfinding the wood you need. A lumbermill may sell you boards at a reasonableprice, but the wood will most often needto be seasoned and surfaced, whichmeans that you must own a jointer andplaner. Also,larger mills are often reluc-tant to fill small orders. Rerycled boardsare becoming increasingly popular withwoodworkers, a result of the scarcity ofcertain woods. Salvaged wood is rela-

tively inexpensive and, because it oftencomes from old-growth timber, it canbe visually and structurally superior torecently harvested lumber. Regardless ofyour chosen supply, define your needscarefully before ordering wood. The tipsthat follow will help you get what youneed at a reasonable cost. Being well pre-pared will also speed the process con-siderably.

. Species: Ask for the specific woodspecies, rather than a broad family name.For example, order Western red cedar,not simply cedar. To be sure you get what

ItIIIIIIIIII

CATCULATING BOARD FEETOrdering lumber by the board footThe "board foot" is a unit of measurementused to calculate the volume of a givenamount of stock. lt is commonly used withhardwood lumber. As shown in the illustra-t ion at r ight, the standard board foot isequivalent to a piece that is 1 inch thick,12 inches wide, and 12 inches long. Tocalculate the number of board feet in apiece of wood, mult ip ly i ts three dimen-sions together. Then, divide the result by144 if the dimensions are in inches, or by12 i f iust one dimension is in feet.

l" x 12" x 12" = I 572111urd board foot II

I

NUMBER OF BOARD FEET IN8 tINEAt FEET OF DIFFERENTSIZED BOARDS

1-by-3=2boardfeet

The formula for a standard board:I " x 1 2 " x 1 2 " + I 4 4 = I( o r 1 " x 1 2 " x I ' + 1 2 = I )So if you had a 6-foot-long plank that is 1inch thick and 4 inches wide, you wouldcalculate the board feet as follows: 1" x 4" x6' + 12 = 2 (or 2 board feet). Other exam-ples are shown in the illustration. Remem-ber that board feet are calculated on thebasis of the nominal rather than actualdimensions of the stock; consequently, theboard feet contained in a 2-by-4 that actu-al ly measures lYz-by-3% inches would becalculated using the larger dimensions.

1-by-6=4boardfeet

1-by12=Bboardfeet

2-by-4 = 5% board feet

2-W-6=Bboardfeet

IIIttII

T6

TABLE AND DESK BASICS

IIIIIItI

I

I

I

you want, Iearn the botanical name ofthe wood you want and ask for it.

. Quantity: When ordering wood,specify whether you want the stock inboard feet or lineal feet. A lineal footis merely an expression of a board'slength, regardless of its width or thick-ness. The board foot is a soecific volumeof wood;it is usually necesiary for order-ing hardwoods, which are often availablein random widths only. See page 16 forinformation about calculating board feet.

. Size Wood is sold in nominal ratherthan real sizes. so make allowances for

the difference when ordering surfacedlumber. L2-by-a is actually l/"'-by-3Y.".The thickness of hardwoods is oftenexpressed as an improper fraction incuarters of an inch. A 1Z-inch-thickhardwood board, for example, isexpressed as fl4. The nominal and realdimensions of unsurfaced, green boardsare the same.

. Grade Wthin the higher hardwoodgrades, the primary difference betweenthe various grades is appearance ratherthan strength. Considering the differ-ence in price, it is best to reserve the beststock for the visible parts of your pro-jects, using less expensive, lower-gradewood for hidden components. Consult

your lumber dealer for a chart of the dif-ferent grades available.

. Seasoning: Lumber is sold eitherkiln dried (KD), air dried (AD), orgreen. Kiln-dried wood is generally themost stable. It has a moisture content(MC) of 8 percent, whereas air-driedwood has a MC of 12 to 20 percent. Air-dried wood is often preferred by carvers.

. Surfacing: Surfacing refers to howthe stock is prepared at the mill beforeit comes to the lumberyard. Softwoodlumber is usually surfaced on both faces;hardwood is often sold rough. If youhave a planer and jointer, buying roughlumbe.r and surfacing it yourself willProve less expenslve.

A CUTTING LIST

Making and using a cutting listA cutting list records the finished sizes of lumber needed fora part icular piece of furni ture. l f one is not included withthe plans you purchase, you will have to make your ownbased on a sketch of the design. Use the formulashown on page 16 to total the number ofboard feet for each comoonent of theproject; add 20 to 40 percent(depending on the grade) toaccount for waste and defects inthe wood. Also use the nominalthickness ( indicated in parentheses) | l / C

of the pieces in your calculat ions.For the simple table shown at right,which totals 25/oboard feet, youshould ourchase 30 to 35 boardfeet of lumber. Assign each componenta letter for later reference.

CUTTING IIST

26Yr' ash 1.5

29' ash 6.0

III

t 7

LUMBERDEFECTS

T umber defects are flaws that reduceL a board's strength or workabiliry oradversely affect its appearance. They canresult from the way the lumber is pre-pared at the mill, the methods of sea-soning and storing, or, more often thannot, the natural growing conditionsexperienced by the tree.

DEFECTS IN W(l()D

Not all defects are unwelcome. Somenatural imperfections can make a pieceof wood more desirable for some uses,particularly when they produce a visuallystunning figure such as bird's-eye. If theirstrength is not compromised, defectiveboards can be used for concealed parts togreatly reduce a project's cost.

In the end, it is the eventual use ofthe lumber that determines what is anacceptable blemish. By recognizing thelumber defects illustrated below andinspecting your wood carefully beforebuying you can increase your chancesof getting the quality you want for theright price.

tIIIIIIIIIItIIItIIIIIIIIIItIIIII

Gum

< ----4

V2---Checks-_=------\

€=4Bow /-

V

CHARACTERISTICS

A tight knot appears as a whorl encircled by surround-ing wood t issue; a dead knot is encircled by a darkr ing. Formed as gir th of t ree increases, gradual lyenveloping the branches. Live branches integratewith surrounding wood; dead branch stumps cannotintegrate and form dead knots.

An accumulation of resin on the surface of the boardor in pockets within the board. Usually develops whena tree has suffered an injury, exposure to fire, orinsect attack.

Lengthwise ruptures or separations in the wood, usu-ally caused by rapid drying. Splits go right throughboard, from one face to the other. May compromisestrength and appearance.

An endto-end curve along the face, usually causedby improper storage. Introduces internal stresses inthe wood that make it difficult to cut.

An edge-to-edge curve across the face. Common ontangentially cut stock, or boards cut close to the pith.Also occurs during drying if one face of a board hasless contact with the air than the other.

End-to-end curve along the edge, caused by incorrectseasoning or having the pith of a board close to theboard edge. Weakens the wood, making it unsuitablefor weight-beari ng appl ications.

Uneven or irregular warping where one corner is notaligned with the others. Results from uneven drying ora cross grain pattern that is not parallel to the edge.

Lengthwise separation of the grain, usually betweenthe growth r ings. Results from improper drying ofwood or fel l ing damage.

REMEDIES

Tight knots can be cut out or used,as appearance dictates; dead knotsshould be removed before workingwith stock.

Do not use stock if a quality f inishis required, as gum wi l l b leedthrough most finishes.

Can be cut off.

Flatten bowed boards on the joint-er, or cut into shorter pieces, thenuse the jointer.

Cup may correct itself if both facesare allowed to dry to the same mois-ture content. Cupped boards can beripped into narrower ones on theband saw or flattened on the jointer.

High spots can be flattened oniointer or cut off on table saw.

Board can be cut into shorterpieces.

Cut off shake, al lowing for possibi l -ity that the defect may continuelengthwise under the surface.

1 8

PREPARING STOCKI

I

I

tII

ttI

tTttI

ttI

tIIIItIIIIItIII

SURFACING TUMBER

Jointing a boardl f you are working with rough lumber, start by joint ing one face.Lay the workpiece face down on the infeed table a few inchesfrom the knives, butt i ts edge against the fence, and place twopush blocks squarely on the top face, centered between theedges. (Use push blocks with angled handles to keep your handsfrom hitting the fence.) Feed the board slowly and steadily across

the knives (above), apply ing downward pressure to keep theboard f la t on the out feed table, and latera l pressure to hold r tf lush against the fence. Next , jo int an edge of the board. Wi ththe face you just jo inted rest ing against the fence and the edgeon the table, feed the board wi th a hand-over-hand technique.Next, plane the board (step below) to create two parallel faces.

Planing stockSet the cutting depth to Xo inch. Stand toone s ide of the workoiece and use bothhands to feed the stock in to the machine,keeping the edges of the board paral le l tothe p lane r t ab le . Once the mach ine g r i psthe board and begins to pul l i t across thecut terhead, suppor i the t ra i l ing end tokeep it f lat on the table (/eff). Then moveto the out feed s ide of the p laner and sup-por t the workpiece wi th both hands unt i li t c lears the out feed ro l ler . To prevents tock f r om warp ing , avo id pass ing on l yone face of a board through the machine;instead. o lane the same amount of woodfrom both sides.

I 9

TABLE AND DESK BASICS

CUTTING ST()CK T() SIZE

Ripping a workpieceRip stock to width on your table saw using the r ip fence as aguide. Raise the blade to about % inch above the workpiece.Pos i t ion the r ip fence fo r the w id th o f cu t , then feed thestock into the blade, pressing i t against the fence with yourlef t hand and pushing i t with both thumbs (above). Stand to

the le f t o f the workp iece and s t radd le the fence w i th yourr igh t hand, mak ing cer ta in tha t ne i ther hand is in l ine w i ththe blade. Once your f ingers approach the blade, use a pushst ick to complete the pass. (Caut ion: Blade guard part ial lyretracted for clarity.)

I

I

tIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIttI

( - (

Crosscutting stockCut your stock to length on the table saw.With the workpiece f lush against the mitergauge, a l ign the cu t t ing mark w i th theblade. Position the rip fence well away fromthe stock to prevent the cut-off piece fromjamming be tween the b lade and fence,and kicking back toward you. Hook yourthumbs over the miter gauge, hold theboard against the gauge and f lat on thetab le , then feed the board across thetable (right). (Caution: Blade guard partial-ly retracted for clarity.)

20

DESIGNING TABLES AND DESKStIIttI

I

I

I

I

tITtIItItIIIIIttIItttt

I crucialpart of building a piece ofA furniture is deciding on its finaldimensions. A desk that is too high orlow will be uncomfortable; a tabletopthat crowds its diners will make meal-time an aggravating experience. Onceyou have chosen a particular style fromthe gallery oftables and desks startingon page 22, it is time to size its parts.Standard dimensions for a wide range of

STANDARD TABIE AND DESK DIMENSIONS

TABTES

Bedside (night table)

Butler's table

Butterf ly table

Candle stand

Card table

Coffee table

Conference table

Console table

Dressing table

Drop-leaf table

Extension dining table

Gateleg table

Library table

Occasional table

Round dining table

Tilt-top table

Trestle table

DESKS

Computer desk

Executive desk

Office desk

Pedestal desk

Secretarial desk

Secretary

Typewriter stand

traditional and modern table and deskstyles are provided below. Dining tablesshould provide 24 inches in width foreach diner. Allow at least l2 inches fromthe table edge to the center for each placesetting; an additional 4 to 6 inches willprovide space for serving dishes. To allowadequate leg room,leave about 7 'linch-

es between the chair seat and the under-side ofthe top, and at least 2 feet between

the floor and the bottom of the table ordesk rail. Remember, however, that thesefigures are guidelines; furniture shouldfit those using it.

A table or a desk also should fit into itsenvironment. For desks and diningtables, remember to allow for the heightof the accompanying chairs. Bedsidetables should not rise more than 6 inch-es above the bed.

HEIGHT24' , -30"24', - 36',Depends on use2 5 ' - 3 1 '25 ' , -29 ' .12' - 22',?nn

30'29 ' - 30 'Depends on use29" - 31 '29 ' - 30 ' ,30"27" - 29',29',-3r',26', - 28',29', - 31',

20' - 26',29 ' - 30 ' ,29',?nil

30"

Total height:74" -86";Writing surface: 29' - 30'?n r

[ENGTH

18"

36 ' - 48 '

Depends on use

28" - 36'

Depends on use

Depends on use

36 ' , -72 ' ,

40'- 48' ,

Depends on use

Open: 96"; closed: 60"

Depends on use

60 ' - 84 '

24', - 28',

48', - r20',

48" - 50'

72', - 84',

60'

30'- 42',

60 ' - 66 '

30 ' - 44 '

?nil

WIDTH

18 '

20'

Depends on use

28',-36',

20'

Depends on use

16' - 20'

18' - 22',

Depends on use

36', - 42',

Depends on use

24 ' , -36 ' ,

24', - 28',

At least 30"

24" -30',

36', - 42',?n i l

1 8 - 2 2 "

30" - 32'18' - 22',

18'

DIAMETER

12" - L7' ,

Depends on use

24', - 28',

At least 40"

24', - 26',

2 l

TABLEAND DESK STYLESIII

f.f undreds of table and deskL I styles have evolved through-out the ages, each with its own spe-cific purpose. The butler's table, forexample, also serves as a servingtray. The secretary (page 26) com-bines a bookcase, a desk, and a chestof drawers, supplying ample stor-age space for books, papers, andother items, and a writing surfacethat can be folded up out of the waywhen not in use. The followingpages illustrate more than twodozen types of tables and desks toinspire your designs.

The knockdown trestle table is a designthat traces its roots back to the MiddleAges. The example shown above wasbuilt from cherry by Thos. MoserCabinetmakers in Auburn, Maine.

ItItIIIIIIIIIIII

Eutterfly tableAn American drop-leaf table, uLiltzinq a

Card tableA aquare table,aomet.imea withdished cornerofor holdtn4 coina.One aide ta nor-mally left undec-

prvotinq eupport tohold up wide leaveeon eiLher eide of anarrow, central tabletop

orated and placedaqainet a wall when thetable ie not in uae. The topfolds in half and the aideraila fold inward to moveLhe le4e cloeer to4ether

Coffee tableA low occaatonal tabledeeiqned to be uaedwith eofa and chaira

IIIIIIII

Eutler's tableA portable table, theeidee and ende of whichfold up Lo form a qallery,or fence, and handlea

I

tI

:

I

I

I

TABLE AND DESK BASICS

I

T

I

:

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

Extenaion tableAny table whoae len7th canbe increaaed with one ormore leaves; the top eep'aratea alonq elidee, enablin7a hinqed leaf to ewinq up or aaeparate leaf to be added

Gateleg tableA eLyle of drop-leaf Lablewith extenaton leaveeeupported by ewin1in4le4a attached to bottomIeq atretchere

Conaole tableA side, or entry,table with two frontlege that are eet cloeerLo7ether than back leqo;6ome examplea areaecured Lo a wall withbrackets and eupportedby only Lwo fronL leqe

Droo4eaf tableKefbra u any of oeveral eLytee of tablewith htnqed leavee that hanq down when notin uae: when open, the leaves are eupportedin a variety of waya, includin4 qate lego,ewin4 le4a, or bracketo fastened to the raile

Handkerahief tableA trianqular drop-leaf table;when the table ia opened,the top io equare

I

I

I23

TABLE AND DESK BASICS

I

tt

Harueat tableAny of varioua Ameri-can otylea of larqedining tableo, oftenwith leavee on bothaidee of a narrow top

I

T

I

T

t

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

Nest of tableaA aet of occaaionaltablea eized eo thatthey can be etoredone ineide the otherwhen noL in uae

Pedeetal tableA table with a topfagtened Lo a cen-tral column; thecolumn ie uauallymounted on three(Lripod) orfour le4e

Trestle tableA larqe tabletop eupportedby Lreetlea; Luek tenona joinleqo Lo aLretcherE allowinqfor eaay disaeaembly

I

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

ITABLE AND DESK BASICS

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

5tandAny omall tabledeaiqned to die-play objecta; acandle atand isone example

Tilt-toptableA variationof the trrpodpedeatal table fea'turin7 a top thatpivote verEically tocon?erve 9Pace

Night tableA amall occaeionaltable uaed to eup-porE lampe and otherbedaide accesaorrea;ofLen with one ormore drawerq and aahelf or amall ator-aqe compartment

Pembroke tableA type of drop-leaftable with leaveaoupported by brack-ete hin4ed to thetable raila; common-Iy feat.ureo one ortwo drawera

Seattle craftsmanHankHoltzer built the

"Morrison table" shownabove from walnut.The extension table

features a S-foot-diameter top that

opens to 8 feet.It will seat from

6 to 10 people.

Tavern tableLow rectan7ular orcircular table withetretchera andturned leqo: occa-eionally, the tabtehae carved eup-porte at the endaconnected by astretcher

25

TABLE AND DESK BASICS

I

I

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

T

I

T

Fall-front deskA desk with a working aurface that"falla" down into the open poaition,held up by eupporte that btide outof receeaea in the deak front

9earetary Pedestal deak (kneehole type)Featurea a top eupporLed on both aidee by drawercarcaoea called pedeotala: the kneehole is

A otyle of elant-top deek featurin4 afall-front wriLina eurface with a cheatof drawera belo-w and a bookcaee withwood or 4laoa doore above

Writing tableAny flat-topped deakwith a writinq eurfaceand drawere belowthe top

Lap deakA amall lift-top deek held onthe lap while in uae

cloeed at the back and mav contain a

l 4 l l M M M II i l t - -

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

t

I

I

I

tI

tI

I

I

I

rI

I

I

TABLE AND DESK BASICS

Writing deekAleo known by theEriilah term Daven'porL, thie amall deek'hau

u, an4led, tifLin4top wrth etoraqeepace under it; drawerq or cuPvoaraq arelocated on the Eideeof the carcaee, ratherthan in thefront

Pedeetal deok (partner'e type)Similar to the kneehole pedestaldesk, but the Lop ie lar4er and Lhe gapbetween the pedeotala ta lefL open onboLh eidea-oriqinally to allow two peo'ple Lo uee the deEk at the aame time

Roll-top deokA deak wtth a elidinqcover, or tambour,that can be drawndown to cover thewrrtin4 aurface; thetop may be eupporredby pedeetale or lege

5tanding deekAlao known ae aclerk'e deak, thiata ll, el a nti n 4 | ifL-to pdesk typrcally hae oneor two amall draweraand may have a shelfbelow the wriLin7 eurface

Suggestive of an open fall-frontdesk, the piece shown at left incor-porates other design elements, includ-ing a graceful curve along the frontedge of the top. The desk was built

from cherry and maple by ludithAmes of Seattle.

I

rt

27

I

I

ttI

I

tI

I

tIItItIrI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

r

and shrinkage. As illustrated onpage 31, individual frame-and-pan-el assemblies are joined to form acase. The opening in each frame isfilled by a panel that rests in groovescut in the inside edges of the frame.Although the frame pieces are gluedtogether at the corners, the panel isset into the frames without adhe-sive to allow it to swell and shrink.The panel is often beveled aroundthe edges-a decorative touch thatalso allows it to fit more easily intoits groove.

The method you choose forassembling a carcase or frame-and-panel case will influence the char-acter and individuality of your desk.Various joinery options are shown

The double-pedestal desk shown at left features two identical carcasesjoined together by rails, which are concealed by the top. The pedestals siton molded bases and are divided by dust frames to accommodate drawers.

I

I

DE,SKCASEWORK

asework is the fundamentalbuilding block of most desks.

It can be as simple as a four-sidedbox or as elaborate as a frame-and-panel cabinet. Such elements asdividers, shelves, drawers, faceframes, and dust panels providerefinements that transform thiscasework into a piece of furniture.

This chapter will show you howto apply casework techniques tothe construction ofa two-pedestaldesk like the one shown opposite.Carcases are easier to build thanframe-and-panel cabinets. As shownon page 30, all carcases consist offour panels joined to form a box.Make sure that the wood grain ofall the panels runs in the same direc-tion. This will allow the panels to swell and shrink at the samerate as relative humidity levels change. If you assemble a car-case with the grain of adjacent panels at right angles to each oth-er you risk splitting one of the panels.

The second type of casework-frame-and-panel-solvesthe problem ofwood movement by allowing space for swelling

Gluing up a large carcase requires many clamps.ln the setup shown above, bar clamps are

aligned with the panek of the carcase and withthe dust frames being joined to the carcase sides.Applying uniform pressure on all of the jointswill help make the carcase square and solid.

on page 32.The rabbet joint worla well with either solid woodor plyr,vood panels. Through dovetails are more time-con-suming to make but they are more attractive and considereda sign of fine craftsmanship. Frame-and-panel assemblies canbe put together with mortise-and-tenons or the more deco-rative cope-and-stick joint.

29

TWO TYPES OF DESK CASEWORKtIII

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

CARCASE CASEWORK

Duet frame (page 56)A frame-and-panel aaaembly thaL adde etrenqth tothe carcaee and oupporLa drawera; frame ia connectedto carcaee eides by twin morLiee-and-tenon and blindspline-and-qroove jointo. A larger frame eupporto amiddle drawer between the two deak pedeatale

BackTypically%-inch plywood nailed and gluedinto a rabbet routed around the backedge of panela; can alao olip into qrooveorouted ineide the facee of panele

9pline

.)

Rear connectin7 rail(pase 53)Connecte Lhe backof the two deakpedeatala with blindmorLtge-and-tenonjoinLa; alao hideaback of middle drawer

\

Frontconnectins )rail (paqe 39) ,/ConnecLa Lhe --/front of Lhe twodeok pedeatale:jotned to the car-ca9e5 0y aove-tailed half-lapo

Eraae9upporto backof carcaae

/--l\

Dovetailhalflapjoint

\- Twin tenon

---------'

-__----f

Corner joint (page 33))ec u rea pa n el e tog eLher.KabbeLjoint ia ahown, butthrough doveLail and platejointe are aleo popularchoicee: for a aelection ofjoints, eee paqe 32

?topped grooveAccepto oplineof duEL frame

PanelUeed Lo form the top,boLtom, or eidee of acarcaae. Can be made ofplywood or solid lumber;if aold, typically madefrom qlued-up boarde

Eaee molding

Qase ao)A decorative frame ofmolded etock beveled atLhe ende and joined witnplate (or biecuit) joinLe.Carcaae aite in rabbeLarouted around top edqeof frame; brace at backprovidee oupport

30

I

I

IDESK CASEWORK

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

t

I

I

FRAME-AND-PANEL CASEWORK Frontconneatingrail

Rear aonneating railDovetail

Haunahed mortiae-and-tenon joint . ' \twtn mora,oe- \

and-tenonioint )

A / // \ / ,( ) t\ t

RailHortzontal memberof frame-and-panelaooembly: bottomrailo may featurea decorative archalon4 bottom edqe

)Middle drawer rail(pase 52)ConnecLa two frame- and-

9tileVertical compo-nent of a frame'ana-Panelaeeembly; ettleehown ia parA ofboth rear andaide aeaembltea

panel deek pedeatale andeupporto middle drawer;joined to pedeetala by twinm o rtt e e - a n d -te n o n I o i nte

Drawer rail

Qaqe a9)Supporte drawereand 7trenqthengcaee; joined to eLileefo twin mortiae-and-f,enon jointo

Panel (page 4))olid wood piece that.fite into qroove tnframe: can be flat.orhave ita edqea rabbet-ed or beveled to "raiae"

cenLer of panel

Blind mofiiee-and-tenon joint

Decorativebot'tom rail

lnner frame-and-panel asaemblyFeaturea lar7er Lop railthan ouLer aoeembly, andcorreopondin4ly omallerpanel: rail te lar7e enou4hto accept duatframe belowcenter drawer

Bottom (page 51)Attached to caee byled4er etdpe on raile,or seL into groove cu1,around ineide ed4eeof bottom ratla

Ledger etrip (page 51)Ueed to faef,en bottompanel to ca6e; one edqe ieacrewed Lo inatde facea ofbottom raila while the otheredqe ie screwed to bottom

3 1

Rabbet joint(pase 33)Ueed to join carcaaepanele toqether; endof one panel fita intorabbet cut in the mat-in4 panel. Kabbet iatypically routed in carcaae aidee to con-ceal end 7rarn of top and bottom panela

Stopped groove-a nd- epline(pase 57)Ueed to join etretchere and duaLpanele to carcaae aidee. )toppedqroovez are routed in both theedae of the atretcher or the duatframe rail and the ineideface of the carcaaeaide; a floatinqepline allowa .....-:for wood 1!.e*

CASEWORKIOINTS

Twin mottiee- and-tenonQase 5a)Ueed to join duat panele tocarcaee aides and drawer railato frame- a nd - pa nel etil ee

Stopped tonque-and-dado jointAn alternative to the etopped4roove-and-epline foratta chin7 atretchera tocarcaoe sidee; a atoppedtonque cut in edge ofstretcher fita intoatopped 7roove cut . . ̂ s\ qin carcage ./

'--\.,.

Eeveled plate joint(page 4O)Uaed to aasemblepiecea of baee mold-inq Loqethery biecuitaof compreaaed woodfit into alote cut inbeveled enda of mat-tnq aurtacee

Cope-and-atiak jointA decorative alternative to blind andhaunched mortiae- and-tenona forframe-and-panel conatruction. A aetof router bile cute matchingprofilea in raila and atilea;7roove for floatingpanel ie cut srmul-taneoualy

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

l r

I

movement

Made on connect-inq raile to joindeek pedeatalo

wood fit intoelotg cub inthe matinqboards.Slota aretypically cutinto endaof top andbottompanela

Blind mortiee-and-tenon(pase 36)Uaed to aeoem-ble duet frameeand connectdeek pedeotalatoqether; con-necte raila andatilea in frame'and-Panelaeoembliee

Haunahedmortiee-and-tenon (page 41)Uaed to join railaand etilee inframe-and-panelaesemblies: tenonhaunch in rail fillapanel 4rooveorouted tn atilea?late (biaautt) joint

Uaed to ioin carcaae panelato4ethei without havi'nq to ahapethe piecee: biacuita of compreeeed Through dovetaila

(pase 125)Tapered pina on top andbottom panele interlockwith an7led tailecut into the eidepanela: uoedwhere the join-ery ie an impor-tant elementof deoi4n

32

BUILDING A CARCASEI

I

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

rI

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I our panels joined to form a box: Thel- carcase is the sunplest and most basicbuildi ng block oi fu rniture construction.A carcase provides the rigid frameworkfor items as diverse as a bookcase and adrawer. Build two boxes and join themtogether and you have the heart of anattractive two-nedestal desk. The sec-tion that followi shows how to do this.

Carcase Danels can be constructedfrom plyruobd, but for fine furniture,the panels are most frequently madefrom narrow boards edge-glued intowider panels (page 93). The panels arethen planed, jointed on one edge, cut tosize, and sanded. To allow the panels tocontract and expand with changes inhumidiry the grain of all panels in a car-case is alisned in the same direction.

The twin mortise-and-tenon joint

offers more gluing surface and structur-al stability than a simple mortise-and-

tenon, and k often used to joinstretchers to carcase sides. Here o

twin tenon is being test-fitted into itsmating mortises in the side of a desk.

Carcases can be assembled with severaltypes ofjoints (page 32). The rabbet jointis a popular choice: The joint offers alarge gluing surface and is simple tomake. As illustrated below the rabbetsare best cut into the side oanels so thatthe end gra in o i the top and bo t tompanels willbe covered. The end grain ofthe sides is often concealed bv the too.

When planning a carcase, ii is wise totake into consideration the type ofshelv-ing or drawers (page 116) that will bebuilt into it. For example, the deskshown on page 2B f iatures dustframes(page 34) Ihat both support thedrawers and provide strengh to the car-case. The ioinerv needs of these framesmust be taken into account before thecarcase is glued up.

PREPARING THE SIDES: RABBET J()INTS

1 Cutting rabbets in the carcase sidesI The rabbet w id th shou ld equa l thethickness of the carcase top; mark a cut-t ing I ine fo r the rabbets on the lead ingedge of one side panel. Instal l a dado headsl ight ly wider than the rabbet on your tablesaw. Attach an auxiliary wood fence to ther ip fence and raise the dado head to cuta notch in the wood fence. Set the cut-t ing height at one-half the stock thicknessand adlust the fence for the width of cut.Clamp a featherboard to the fence directlyabove the blade to hold the panel securelyagainst the table, then make the cuI (left).Cut a rabbet at the opposite end of the pan-el and both ends of the other side panel.

DESK CASEWORK

r) Cutting grooves for the back panelL Once vou have rabbeted the carcasesides, you need to prepare the four panelsto accommodate the back, which can beset into a rabbet or a groove. For the rab-bet, repeat step 1, but make the cut alongthe back edge of each panel and adjustthe cut t ing depth to the th ickness of theback - t yp i ca l l y % inch . Fo r t he g roove ,adjust the dado head to a width of % inch,then posi t ion the fence so the groove wi l lbe % inch f rom the back edge of the panel(left). CUI the back from %-inch plywoodto f i t t he open ing i n t he ca rcase , add ingthe depth of the grooves to its dimensions.

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

MAKING DUST FRAMES

1 Cutting twin tenons in the front railsI The dust f rames that wi l l support thedrawers are joined to the desk pedestalswith twin mort ise-and-tenon joints (page36). Start by cutt ing the tenons in eachf ron t ra i l on your tab le saw; they w i l l f i ti n to match ing mor t i ses in the carcases ide pane ls (s tep 3) . Equ ip your tab lesaw with a dado head % inch wide, theni n s t a l l a t e n o n i n g j i g i n t h e m i t e r s l o t .Mark a twin tenon at each end of the rai l ,and set the cutt ing height at X inch. Clampthe rai l to the j ig end-up and shif t the j igsideways to al ign one of the tenon markswith the dado head. To make the cut, pushthe j ig forward, feeding the stock into theblades (right). Turn the rail around to cutthe other tenon shoulder. Repeat the cutsat the other end of the rai l and at bothends o f the remain ing ra i l s .

34

DESK CASEWORK

tI

tT

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

!

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

r) Clearing the waste between tenonsZ. S t r i t t the tenonrng j ig to l ine up thedado head with the waste between the twintenons ?ight). Make several passes untilvou have cleared awav the excess wood.

Q Chiseling the double mortises in the carcase sidesr - J Mark l i nes on the i ns ide face o f t he s i de pane l f o r t heloca t i on o f each dus t pane l . P lace the ra i l f ace down on thepane l , a l i gn ing the edges o f bo th and pos i t i on ing the end o ft he ra i l f l ush w i th t he t op l i ne . 0u t l i ne t he tw in t enons onthe panel (above, /e f f ) . Repeat for the other ra i ls . To chopou t t he mor t i ses , c l amp the pane l t o a wo rk su r face . Then ,s ta r t i ng a t an end o f one ou t l i ne , ho ld a mor t i s i ng ch i se lsqua re t o t he f ace o f t he pane l and s t r i ke t he hand le w i t h a

wooden ma l l e t . Use a ch i se l t he same w id th as t he mor t i sesand be sure that the beveled s ide is fac ing the waste. Cont inuemak ing cu ts a t i n te rva l s o f abou t % inch un t i l you reach theo t h e r e n d o f t h e o u t l i n e . U s e t h e c h i s e l t o l e v e r o u t t h ewas te t o t he requ i red dep th . Chop ou t t he ad jacen t mor t i se(above, r ight) and the other double mort ises the same way.Tes t - f i t t he j o i n t and w iden o r deepen the mor t i se w r th t hech i se l . as reou i red .

35

DESK CASEWORK

Making the dust framesPrepare a rear ra i l , a f loat ing %" p lywood

panel , and two st i les for each dust f rame asyou would for a non-ra ised f rame-and-panelassembly (page 48) , s iz ing the f rame to f i tthe in ter ior of the carcase. Instead of cut t ingrabbets, rout a %-inch-deep groove around theins ide edge o f t he f r ame to accommoda tethe panel ; the grooves wi l l a lso serve as mor-t i ses f o r t he s tub tenons tha t j o i n t he ra i l sand st i les together . Also rout a groove a longthe outs ide edge of each st i le to accept thesp l i ne t ha t w i l l f i t i n to a ma tch ing g roove i na carcase side panel (page 37).

f, Gluing up the dust framesr-,f Sand anv surfaces of the frame thatwr l l be d r f f r cu l t t o reach a f t e r g lue up .Spread adhesive on the tenons and thei rmat ing grooves. Do not apply g lue in thepanel groove; the panel must be f ree tomove . G lue one o f t he s t i l es t o one o fthe ra i ls , inser t the panel , then assemblethe other o ieces. Clamo the dust f rameacross the jo ints wi th bar c lamps, check-i ng f o r squa re and us ing wood pads toprotect the stock (below).

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

taI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

9tile

,r'

Kear rail

9trte

Ortfor

Groove for ,/floaLinq panel

Float;inq panel

.9Lub tenon

_l

l---t

Front dust frame ratl I

roove,r apltne

36

DESK CASEWORK

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

3

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

GLUING UP THE CARCASE

dr ill du 'tl llil iiil ,ill dt lll llil rlll iill llii ,ill llll Jll llil illi' l Grooving the carcase sidesI Each dust f rame is secured to thecarcase sides with stopped groove-and-

spl ine jo ints that wi l l enable the f rameto move wi th changes in humidi ty . Eachjo int consis ts of a hardwood spl ine thatwil l sit in matching stopped grooves rout-ed in the carcase s ide and the st i le ofthe dust frame. To cut the grooves in thecarcase, insta l l a %- inch st ra ight b i t inyour router and secure one of the s idepanels ins ide- face up to a work sur face.Clamp an edge guide to the panel so thebi t wi l l be centered on one of the doublemortises you cut for the drawer rails. Foreach dust frame, rout a stopped groove

star t ing about I inch f rom the mort ises(above) and stopping about 3 inchesfrom the opposi te edge. Repeat for theother carcase s ide.

)HO? Tt?5 c rewi n g d raw er's up p o rt'frames to a carcaself you are ineLal l tnq oupporlframea,wool ocrews offer a quickand eaoy way No f ix f 'hem Iolhe eid,es of a carcase, Uee twoocrew; L,o secure each frame sLilein place. Sore an elongat 'ed clear-ance hole (paqe 96) for eachecrew Nhrouqh the etile and inlolhe carcaEe side, makinq -. . 'sure Nhe lwo holesfor Ihe same el i leare V er- f ecLly a l iqned.

DESK CASEWORK

r) Installing the dust framesL Cuttwo hardwood or plywood splinesfor each f rame. The sp l ines shou ld be al i t t le shorter than the grooves you cut instep 1 to al low for wood movement; formaximum strength, the grain should runacross the splrne's width. Place one sideof the carcase inside-face up on a worksurface, apply glue to the twin mort isesand tenons , and se t the f rames in p lace ,mak ing sure tha t they f i t snug ly overthe splines (/eft).

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

Q Assembling the carcase\, , With al l the dust f rames in place andthe remaining spl ines set in their grooves,assemble the rest of the carcase. Firstapp ly g lue a long the rabbets in one s idepane l and s l ide the back and bo t tom inposition (right). Next, set the top in place.Spread some glue on the remaining twinmortise-and-tenons and carefully lower theother side panel on top of the assembly,guiding the spl ines into their grooves andthe twin tenons into their mort ises. Instal lbar clamps across the front of the carcase,al igned with each dust f rame, and acrossboth the top and bottom of the assembly.Use wood pads to protect the stock, Rein-force the rabbet joints and the back withcountersunk nai ls or screws which can lat-er be concealed with plugs.

38

DESK CASEWORK

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

INSTALLING A CONNECTING RAII

1 Cutting dovetailed half-lapsI in the front connecting railln a two-oedestal desk. the carcases arelo ined by connect ing ra i l s and a dus tframe that supports a central drawer. Thefront connect ing rai l is jo ined to the car-cases with dovetai led half- lap joints. Toprepare each rai l , cut i t to size and sawa dovetai led half- lao in each end with adovetail saw (right).

)pline qroovefor centraldust frame

Twin morEiaeefor centralduat frame

r') Cutting the matingZ dovetails in the carcasesUse one of the dovetailed half-laps you cutin step 1 to out l ine the mating dovetai lmort ise in each carcase. Then use a sawand chisel to cut the mort ise ( /ef t) . Next,make a dust frame (page 36) to fit betweenthe carcases and support the central draw-er. Rout grooves and mortises on the out-side of both carcases to accommodate thejoinery. Also cui a rail to span the carcasesat the back and hide the back of the drawer(page 53). Join this rail to the carcaseswith blind mortise-and-tenon joints. Assem-ble and clamp the desk together (page 53)

39

DESK CASEWORK

BASE MOLDING

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

t

' l Making the base moldingI The base mold ins for the carcase ismade f rom three p ieces of molded stockand a brace. To prepare the mold ing, routa decorative detail along one edge of eachboard, us ing your table saw f i t ted wi th amold ing cut ter head or a table-mountedrouter wi th a mold ing b i t . Then cut a rab-bet in each p iece a long the opposi te s ideo f t he same edge ; t h i s w i l l f o rm a l i p t osupport the carcase. Saw the boards toleng th , beve l i ng bo th ends o f t he f r on tp iece and only the f ront end of the s ides.Also saw a bracing p iece that wi l l f i t , face-up, between the s ides at the back of themold ing; bore a hole for a screw throughthe brace. The screw wi l l a t tach the braceto t he ca rcase . The mo ld ing i n t he i l l us -t rat ion is assembled wi th p late lo ints . Theboards wil l mate end-to-end, except at theback of the mold ing, where the brace is

lo ined to the ins ide faces of the s ides. Aplate joiner with an adlustable fence makesi t easier to a l ign the tool when cut t ing theslots in the beveled ends //effl.

r) Gluing up the base moldingL Workingquickly, apply glue to al l theslots, insert one biscuit for each joint , andassemble the base molding. Secure thebrace to the sides with a bar clamp, usingwood pads to protect the stock; install aweb clamp with corner brackets aroundthe mold ing a t the mi te r jo in ts . T igh tenthe web clamp, using the wrench provided(right), then tighten the bar clamp. Oncethe glue is dry, instal l the base by apply-ing glue only along the rabbet in the frontpiece and set the carcase in place. (Thiswi l l cause any wood movement in the sidepieces to take place towards the back ofthe molding, prevent ing the miters at thefront from separating.) Attach the brace tothe carcase by dr iv ing a screw through theho le you dr i l led in s tep l

40

BUILDING A FRAME-AND.PANEL DESKI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

rI

tIIIIIIIIItII

Tl rame-and panel construction offers-F on. solution to the perennialprob-Iem ofwood movement. The principle issimple: A panel "floats" in a groove cuton the inside edge of a frame. The pan-el can be flat, as in a dust frame (page4B), or "raised," with bevels cut along itsedge. The beveling allows the panel tofit into a groove in the frame and pre-sents a decorative face to the public. Aoanel can be raised on the router table(page 44)or the table saw (page 45).

To construct a frame-and-panel deskIike the one shown on page 31, you needto join four individual frame-and-pan-el assembliesi arear assembly (page 47),a front assemblywith drawer shdes (page49),four side rails, and two side panels.(The stiles in the front and rear assem-blies double as stiles for the side frames.) Traditionally, panek for frame-and-panel construction were "raised," or beveled,

with specialized hand planes-a time-consuming task. Modern power tools, likea table saw with a tilting arbor, have made this operation much simpler.

HAUNCHED MORTISE.AND.TEN()N JOINTS

1 Cufting tenons in the railsI to toin the rai ls and st i les of individual f rame-and-panelassemblies with haunched mort ise-and-tenons, instal l a dadohead sl ight ly wider than the length of the tenons on your tablesaw. Attach an auxiliary fence and raise the dado head to notchi t . Set the width of cut equal to the tenon length. To cut thetenon cheeks, butt the stock against the fence and the mitergauge, then feed it face down. Turn the rail over and repeat thecut on the other side. Next, cut tenon cheeks at the other end of

each rail (above, /efti. Position the fence to leave a haunch equalin width to the depth of the groove for the panel; set the heightof the dado head to cut about % inch into the tenon. With thestock on edge, use the fence and miter gauge to guide it into theblade (above, right). Repeat to cut the haunch on the other sideof the tenon. For the rai ls of the front assembly, which has nopanel, cut bl ind tenons (page 42), making the shoulders equalto the width of the notch vou cut into the haunched tenons.

4 1

DESK CASEWORK

A TENONING JIG FOR THE TABLE SAWYou can use the jig shown at right tocut bl ind tenons on the table saw.Adapt the dimensions suggested inthe i l lustrat ion to customize the j igfor your saw, if necessary.

Cut the j ig fence and back from%-inch plywood and saw a 45" bevelat one end of each board: the oiecesshould be wider than the height ofyour saw's r ip fence. Fasten twopieces together face to face to fash-ion the back, then use countersunkscrews to attach the fence and backin an L shape. Make sure the fasten-ers w i l l no t be in the b lade 's oa thwhen you use the j ig. Next, cut thebrace from solid stock, bevel its ends,and attach it flush with the top edgesof the fence and back, forming a tr i -angle. Make the clamp by face glu-ing two pieces of %-inch plywoodand cutt ing the assembly into theshape shown. Use a hanger bolt ,washer, and wing nut to attach theclamp to the j ig back, leaving a gapbetween the edge of the clamp andthe fence equal to the thickness ofthe stock you wi l l use. Offset thebolt so the clamp can pivot eccentri-cal ly, (You can dr i l l addit ional holesin the j ig back so you can shif t theclamp to accommodate di f ferentstock thicknesses.) Next, cut the run-ner from solid wood. When attachedto the jig fence, the runner will strad-dle the saw fence, el iminat ing anywobble. For some models, you wi l lhave to mill a groove down the lengthof the runner, as shown, to f i t ther i p f e n c e . F i n a l l y , c u t a p i e c e o fc lear p las t i c as a b lade guard andscrew i t to the j ig back f lush withits front face.

To t tse the i ip . set i t on the sawl l b ' v v ! | l \

table in front of the blade with therunner and fence s t radd l ing the r ipfence. Clamp the workpiece in the j igand position the rip fence to align thecutt ing mark on the workpiece with

the blade. Feed the j ig into the cut-t ing edge. (Your f i rst use of the j igwi l l produce a kerf in the back.) Fl ipthe workpiece around and repeat tocut the other cheek (below). Removethe j ig to cut the shoulders.

Kunner1 " x 2 " x 2 4 "

Fence' 1 " x 5 / , " x 2 4 "

Groove for rip fence

tI

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

rI

I

I

I

I

tII

I

I42

DESK CASEWORK

rI

I

tttI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tITtI

rttItIItII

r) 0utlining the mortises in the stilesL l t rarV, the aooroximate locat ions of the mort ises on eachst i le (See oase 52 for an overhead view.) Then use one of thera i l s you cu t in s tep 1 to ou t l ine the length and w id th o f themort ises. Start by holding the cheek of the tenon f lush againstthe face of one of the st i les; make sure that the edge of thera i l i s a l igned w i th the end o f the s t i le . Out l ine the length o f

the tenon (above, lef i l . f o mark the mort ise width, hold theedge of a tenon f lush against the marked face of the st i le andoutline the cheeks of the tenon (above, right). ExIend the linesalong the face (shown in the i l lustrat ion as dotted l ines). Oncea l l the mor t i ses are ou t l ined , ch ise l them out s l igh t ly deeperthan the tenon length, using a mortise chisel @age 35).

Cutting grooves for the panels0n the rai ls and st i les, mark locat ions

for the grooves tha t w i l l ho ld the pane l .You wi l l need to make a groove in twosides of each rear st i le, al igning the cutswith the mort ises you cut in step 2. Thenset up your table saw with a dado headthe same width as the groove, typically %inch. To cut the grooves in the rai ls, cen-ter the edge of a rail directly over the dadohead and posit ion the fence against thestock. Set the blade height to % inch. Usea featherboard, braced by a support board,to hold the workpiece against the fenceduring the cut. To cut the grooves in thest i les, do not move the fence, but adjustthe positron of the featherboard and sup-port board. Feed the stock with a pushstick (/eft).

43

DESK CASEWORK

MAKING A RAISED PANEL ON THE ROUTER TABLE

r) Making the cutL Lower the guard over the bit and turnon the router. To minimize tearout, cutthe ends first, beveling the top and bot-tom of the panel. Feed the stock into thebit outside-face down, keeping it buttedagainst the fence (right). Repeat for thetwo sides. Test-fit the panel in the groovesyou cut in the rails and stiles (page 43).l f the panel s i ts less than Yo inch deep,increase the cutt ing depth by %e inchand make another pass around the panel.

1 Setting the fenceI Start by cutt ing the panel to size.Test-fit the rails and stiles of the frame,then measure the opening between them.Add % inch to each of the dimensions toallow the beveled edges of the panel torest in the grooves routed in the frame;this wi l l leaue lq inch on each side toallow for wood movement. Then fit a routerwith a panel-raising bit and mount the toolin a table. To ensure that the cutting depthis uniform, position the fence in line withthe edge of the bi t pi lot . With the toolswitched off, place a scrap board along thefence. Adjust the fence until the bit pilotturns as the board touches it (/efil. Setthe router to make a shallow cut at first. tv-pical ly % inch.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

44

DESK CASEWORK

I

I

I

|rIIIIIIIIItIItIIIIIItIIIIIIII

MAKING A RAISED PANEL ON THE TABLE SAW

1 Beveling the ends of the panelI Cu t t he pane l t o s i ze , t hen se t t heblade angle to y ie ld the proper bevel . Theusual " reveal , " or beveled area of a3A- inch-th i ck pane l r s app rox ima le l y IY^ i nches .For a %-inch-wide groove, begin by markingalo-inch square at the bottom corner of thepanel . Then draw a l ine f rom the f ront faceof the panel through the ins ide corner ofthe square to a point on the bot tom edge% inch from the back face (inset). Install a6 - i nch -w ide aux i l i a r y wood fence , t henadlust the angle of the b lade and the posi -

t i on o f t he f ence un t i l t he cu t t i ng edgeal igns wi th the marked l ine. Next , ra ise theblade unti l one tooth protrudes beyond thefront face of the panel. Clamp a guide blockto the panel so i t wi l l r ide a long the top oft he fence . Make a cu t i n one end o f t hepanel ( r ight) , and test - f i t the cut in agroove. lf the panel rests less than % inchdeep, move the fence a l itt le closer to theblade and make another pass. Repeat thecut at the other end of the panel .

r) Beveling the sidesZ- Beve l ing the s ides a f te r you havebeve led the end gra tn he lps min imizetearout. Set the panel on edge and feedit into the blade, keeping the back f lushagainst the fence. Turn the panel overto cut the remaining edge (left).

Auxiliary fence

CutLin4 line

I

I

I

I

DESK CASEWORK

A PANEL.RAISING JIGFOR THE TABTE SAWTo raise a panel on the table sawwithout adjust ing the angle of theblade, use the shop-bui l t j ig shownat right. Refer to the illustration forsuggested dimensions.

Screw the l ip along the bottomedge of the angled fence; make sureyou position the screws where theywill not interfere with the blade. Propthe angled fence against the auxiliaryfence at the same angle as the cut-ting line marked on a panel (page45), using a sliding bevel to transferthe angle. Cut triangular supports tofit precisely between the two fences,then f ix them in place with screws.Countersink the fasteners so thepanel wi l l s l ide smoothly along theangled fence.

To use the j ig, posi t ion i t on thesaw table with the joint between thel ip and the ang led fence approx i -mately % inch from the blade. Buttthe table saw's rip fence against thej ig 's auxi l iary fence, and screw thetwo together. Turn on the saw andcrank up the blade slowly to cut akerf through the l ip. Next, seat thepanel in the j ig and adjust the heightof the blade until a single tooth pro-trudes beyond the front of the panel.Make a test cut in a scrap board thesame thickness as the oanel and thencheck its fit in the groove; adjust theposition of the fence or blade, if nec-essary. Then cut the panel, bevelingthe ends (right, bottoml before saw-i n o t h c q i d e q

Anqled fence12" x 30"

Auxrliary fenceI x 3 0 '

LiP1 % "

IIIIItIII

IIIII

IIIIItIIIIIIII

46

DESK CASEWORK

tI

ttIIItIIIItIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIII

ASSEMBLING THE BACK FRAME-AND.PANEL

1 Fitting the panel in the frameI Once you have raised the panel, youare now ready to glue up the frame-and-panel assemblies that provide the backsof the two cases needed for a two-pedestaldesk. Start by test-fitting the parls (right)and make any f ina l ad jus tments . l f anyof the joints are too t ight, use a chiselto pare away some wood. Once you aresat isf ied with the f i t , d isassemble theframe and sand any surfaces that will bedifficult to reach once the assembly hasbeen g lued up . You shou ld a lso dec idewhich method you wi l l use to instal l a top(page 96); some of these techniquesrequire boring pocket holes in the rails orrout ing grooves in the rai ls and st i les.

r") Gluing upL npply glue to the tenon cheeks. Do not insert any adhesivein the grooves; the panel must be free to move. Clamp the frameand panel using bar clamps across the rails (above), protecting

the stock with wood blocks the same width and thickness asthe ra i l s . T igh ten each c lamp tn tu rn un t i l a th in bead o f g luesqueezes out of the joints.

47

DESK CASEWORK

BUILDING A NON-RAISED FRAME AND PANEL

O Install ing the panel andL decoraliue moldingCut a panel f rom veneered p lywood to f i tthe rabbets. (A sol id-wood panel wouldsplit the frame, since the rabbets provideno room fo r wood movemen t . ) Sp readsome glue in the rabbet and set the pa-nel in p lace. For the decorat ive mold ing,shape the edge of a %- inch{hick boardlong enough to y ie ld mold ing for the ins ideedges of your frame; make sure the boardis wide enough to feed safe ly across thetable saw or router table you use to shapethe mo ld ing . R ip t he mo ld ing f rom theboa rd i n to Z - i nch -squa re p ieces . Thencut four p ieces to f i t the ins ide the f rame,m i te r i ng t he ends . G lue the top and bo t -tom str ips of mold ing to the f rame f i rs t ,p o s i t i o n i n g t h e m t o h o l d t h e p a n e l i np lace . To c lamp the mo ld ing , use th instrips slightly longer than the gap betweenthe molding pieces (right).

1 Routins a rabbet around the framet -

I Lrke dust frames (page 34), the panelso f f r ame-and -pane l desks can be madef l a t i ns tead o f r a i sed . To bu i l d t h i s t ypeof assembly, you can fo l low al l the stepsfor a raised panel frame-and-panel (page4 1 ) c v r e n l f n r h p r i p l i n o f h c p d o o c n f t h o

pane l . An a l t e rna t i ve t o p lac ing the f l a tpanel in a groove is to assemble the f ramewith b l ind mort ise-and-tenons, and rout arabbet around the frame to receive the pan-e l . To cu t t he rabbe t , g l ue up the ra i l sand st i les and secure the assembly to awork sur face. Insta l l a %- inch o i lo ted rab-beting bit in your router. Set the depth ofcu t a t l eas t % inch deeoe r t han the th i ck -ness of your panel to leave room for deco-ra t i ve mo ld inp (q ten 2 ) Rou t t he rabbe tb \ ! ' v Y 4 "

around the i ns ide edges o f t he f r ame ,keeping the b i t pr lo t pressed against thestock throughout the cut (far left), Ihensquare the corners with a chisel (near left).

ItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIt

,r/,

48

DESK CASEWORK

I

I

T

tIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItI

lnstalling moldingalong the panel s ides

Once the glue securing the top and bottommold ing s t r ips has cured , g lue the mold-ing along the sides of the panel (r ight) .Aga in , use c lamping s t r ips to ho ld themold ing in p lace .

BUILDING A FRAME-AND.PANEL CASE

1 Gluing up the front assemblyI To assemble a frame-and-panel pedestal for a desk, begiq'by gluing up the front f rame. For the desk shown on pag*37,this frame consists of top and bottom rails, twostiles, and aseries of drawer rai ls jo ined to the st i les with twin mort ise-and-tenons . (The bo t tom ra i l i s io ined w i th b l ind mor t i se-and-

tenons.) Apply glue to al l the contact ing surfaces of the jointsand assemble the frame. Instal l a bar clamp across each of therails, alternating between the top and bottom of the assemblywhere possible. To distribute clamping pressure and protect thestock, use two clamping str ips. Tlghten the clamps a l i t t le at aIime (above), continuing until glue squeezes out of the joints.

49

DESK CASEWORK

Assembling the pedestalTo complete the pedesta l , bui ld s ide

assemblies to fit between the front and rearassemblies (page 47). Each side assemblyneeds only a panel and two rai ls, s ince i tw i l l share s t i les w i th the f ron t and rearassemblies. For a double-pedestal desk,the top ra i l o f the assembly fac ing thesecond oedesta l shou ld be w ider thanthe height of the central drawer betweenthe two pedestals (page 31).Once youhave prepared al l the parts, test- f i t them,then sand their inside faces. Apply glue toall the joints-with the exception of thepanel grooves-and assemble the pedestal.Clamp the pedestal with bar clampsspanning the side rails (left); use woodpads to protect the stiles.

IIIIIIIIIItI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

tI

Q Checking lor squarer- ,1 Measure the d iagonals between oppo-s i te corners of the pedesta l immediate lyaf ter t ightening the c lamps ( r ight) . Ihey

shou ld be equa l ; i f no t , t he pedes ta l i sou t -o f - squa re . To co r rec t t he p rob lem,ins ta l l a ba r c l amp ac ross t he l onge r o ft he two d iagona l s . T igh ten th i s c l amp aIr t t le at a t rme, measur ing as you go unt i lthe two d iagonals are equal .

50

DESK CASEWORK

rtttI

I

I

I

I

tIItIItttIIIIIIIIIIIItI

INSTALLING THE BOTTOM

1 Insta l l ing ledger s t r ipsI To insta l l a bot tom using ledger s t r ips,cut four 1- inch-square wood st r ips to f i ta long the ra i ls at the bot tom of the case.The ends of the st r ips should but t againstthe st i les. Bore two sets of countersunkho les i n each s t r i p : one cen te red a longone edge, for screwing the st r ip to the ra i l ,and ano the r a long an ad jacen t edge fo ra t t ach ing the bo t tom pane l . S tagge r t heholes so the fasteners wil l not contact eacho the r . W i th t he pedes ta l ups ide -down ,posi t ion a ledger s t r ip on the ins ide sur faceof a bottom rail about 1 inch from its topedge. Mark the positions of the screw holesw i th an aw l and bo re p i l o t ho les . Us ingclamps to hold the st r ip in posi t ion, screwthe st r ip in p lace ( r ight) . Repeat for then f h p r l p d o p r c t r i n s

r) Installing the bottomL Cut a bo t tom pane l to f i t the case,notching i ts corners to f i t around the st i les.T n m n r r n i l h p n a n p l c p i t h o n o d p c i : l n n

i t s back . Ho ld ing the pane l f l ush aga ins tthe st r ips wi th one hand, mark the screwho les w i t h an aw l and bo re p i l o t ho les .Then screw the bottom in position (/eft).

DESK CASEWORK

JOINING DESK PEDESTALS

r) Attaching the connecting railsL and drawer supportTest-f i t the rear connect ing rai l and thedrawer support in the pedestals. For thefront connecting rail, cut a dovetailed half-lap at each end with a dovetail saw (page39). Use the half- laps to out l ine the mat-ing mortises at the top ends of the stiles,then cut and chisel them out. Test-fit therail in the mortises (right), paringthe half-laps if necessary to ensure a tight fit.

1 Planning the joineryI Once both desk pedestals are gluedup, you are ready to join them. The diagramat lef t shows the joinery involved. At theback of the desk, a rear connecting rail isattached to the stiles of the pedestals withblind mortise-and-tenons; this rail providesstructural support and hides the back ofthe central drawer. At the front, a con-nec t ing ra i l , wh ich prov ides suppor t fo rthe top, is jo ined to the st i les with dove-tai led half- lap joints. Direct ly below thisrai l is a support board (vis ible in the i l lus-tration below) for the central drawer. lt isconnected to the stiles with twin mortise-and-tenons.

tItIIIIIIIItIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIt

52

DESK CASEWORK

IIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIItIIItItI

jllj tlll ilil lll llll llll ll|| llll llll llll illJ lltl llll llll lll lllJ llll llll)HO? TI?Uoing pipe clamps in pairal f your 'Vi ipe clamVo are not, lonq enouqh lo glue up adeok, doubleup Iwo shorLer clampo to lunct ion ao a einqle uniN, To do thie,

Q Gluing up the deskr- ,1 Apply g lue to a l l the jo ints betweenthe connec t i ng ra i l s and d rawer suppo r tand the pedesta ls and assemble the desk.Clamp the uni t across the back wi th a longpipe c lamp (above), us ing wood pads toprotect the stock. Insta l l a second p ipe

c lamp a long the d rawer suppo r t a t t hef ron t o f t he desk . Check the open ingbetween the pedestals for square by mea-sur ing across the corners. Insta l l a th i rdc lamo. i f needed.

pooi l ion lhe two clampo alonq Nhe desk eo the lawe aLthe handle end qr ip lhe deek whi le t 'he Nai l etoVooverlaV. TiqhLen one of the clamVo unLi l t 'hetail eNoVo .make conLacl,,Ae you

:-:6-gc onNinu e t i ghbenin 4, th e deekwil l be pul led togebher lueLae il you were uoin7 asingle long clamV.

ItII

IItttIIIIIIItIIIItIIIIIII

of the piece before choosing anappropriate leg style.

The delicate cabriole leg (page63) has been a popular feature ofhigh-quality furniture for morethan two centuries. Simple to cuton the band saw, the cabriole isdesigned to suggest the leg ofa leap-ing animal. Tapered legs (page 60)can be cut on a jointer or table sawand are suitable for a wide range oftables and desks. They are a simpleralternative to turned legs (page 66).

A table is only as sturdy as thejoinery used for the leg-to-railassembly. Traditional joints, such asthe mortise-and-tenon (page 34) ordowel joint are reliable. If the piecewill be moved frequently, commer-

cial or shop-made hardware (page 84) thatallows the legs to beremoved may be your best option. In designing your table ordesk, take into account the method you will use to attach thetop to the rails. If, for example, you plan to use wood buttons(page 98),you will need to cut the grooves in the rails beforethey are fastened to the legs. A lower rail, or stretcher, can beadded to any table for extra strength or decorative effect; gate-leg tables may require these bottom rails to serve as anchoringpoints for any extra legs.

A tusk tenon joint connects the stretcher to the legs of atrestle table. The tenon will extend beyond the throughmortise in the leg so that a tusk-like wedge can be insert-ed to lock the joint while allowing it to be disassembled.

II

LEGSA}{DRAILS

egs and rails are the structuralheart of most tables and desls.

The furniture legs provide verticalsupport, and the rails connect andbrace the legs while also support-ing the top and framing the draw-er assembly.

Strength and beauty must be inharmony here: The shape and pro-portion of the legs and rails mustcomplement other elements of thepiece of furniture, balancing theweight of the top and the size ofthe drawers, for example.

The following chapter demon-strates the techniques for makingmany of the most common typesof table and desk legs, includingtapered, cabriole, turned, pedestal,and octagonal pieces. This is followed by detailed instructionsfor joining legs to rails.

Making the legs is usually the first step in constructinga table or desk. Since most legs require thicker stock than iscommonly available, you usually must face-glue thinner stockinto a blank of appropriate size (see front endpaper). Make surethe lengh of the blank is proportional to the intended heightof the table or desk, and that it will be strong enough withoutappearing too bullcy. Also consider the design and planned use

Smoothing a turned leg is simply a matterof leaving it rotating on the lathe and allowing

the sandpaper to do its work. The processtypically begins with 8}-grit paper and worles

its way up to 180 grit or finer.

55

LEG STYLESAND HARDWAREIIttIII

I

I

tItTIIIIIIIIIItttIIItII

Cabriole Ieg(pase 63)Ite 9-ehaped curveimiLatea,the aweepor an antmal le4

Tapered leg(paqe 60)

Tripod/pedeatal Ieg(pase 68)Typtcally aawn in aehallow curve; Lop endie joined Lo a centralcolumn with oltdin4doveLarl jotnt Turned leg

(pase 66)FeaLures decorativebeadE and filleLe;ohaped on a lathe

A equare leq with two adjorntn7 faceeor all four facea tapered; vtrbually aeatronq ae untapered leq

Octagonal leg(pase 69)A etratqhL le4wr1;h etqht etdee

COMMERCIAL tEG HARDWARE

Leg braaeeHinqed atrute thatallow leqa to foldunder t.ableLop

Corner braceAllowa lega Lo beremoved; aLtachedto leq with hanqerbolt and to railawith ocrewo

CasteraAllow leqa to roll; wheeleavailable in braae, wood,porcel ai n, nylo n, pla otic,or leather mounted tn braaa, wood.or caet-iron brackeLa. Clockwiae from too lefL:equare cup, plate, atem, and claw foot caetere

Adjustable levelersFlastic feeL screwed intobottom of leqe f,o level fur-niLure on uneven floore;mounted with T-nut and bolt

Table glideand leveler9prtn4-loadednylon feet auto-maLically level furntture on unevenfloora: mounted with T-nuL and bolt

56

tI

I

I

IIIIIrttIIIIttIIIIIIIIIttIII

LEG-TO-RAIL IOINTS

Elind moraise-and-tenon joint(pase 76)An invieible jointwith excellentotrenqth. Tenon inrail fita into mat-inq mortioe in leg

;

, . - ' - H " " - - - - ' , '- - - . ' - _ ,

- _ - . ) < : -

- : ; 1 - - -

, . - " " - . -

thop-made "'.-.::

11.1-',"corner brace -\,

? ./'(paqe O6)

'\, ,/'

Allowa leqo to be removed.Wooden corner block te faa'tened to le7 and raile; 4rooveaand aplinea reinforce connec-tton between block and raile

Dowel joint(pase 74)A retnforced cornerbutt joint; doweleextend into leq

Commeraialhardware(page 84)Allowa leaa to be removed. Cornerbrace ia bolted to le7 and ecrewedto raila; to accommodate brace, Ieqie notched and raila are arooved

Tuak tenon joint (page 72)Commonly uoed to join f,he leqe and etretcher of a treatletable. Tenon extende beyond the throuqh morDise; tuak, orwedqe, ia inaerf,ed to lock joint and removed to dieaeeemble iL

57

TRIPOD TABLE

The simple appearance of a tripod toble belies the " ..precise joinery needed to build it. The three legs are

fastened to the central column with liding dovefails, ctrtwith angled shoulders to sit tight against the turned column. Thelegs must be exactly 120o apart and the column centered under the top. To givethe legs added strength, a metal plate can be mounted under the legs and cohrmn.The top end of the column is joined to the rail with a round mortise-and-tenon.

IIttIII

I

I

I

tIIItIItIItItI

tI

I

ttI

I

I

ANATOMY OF A TRIPOD TABIE

Metal

Dovetatlaocket

IIttIIIIIIIIIItIItttIIIItIIIItII

PEDESTAL TABLE

As on the tripod table, the legs of a pedestal table areattached to a centrql column with sliding dovetails, usu-ally reinforced with a metal plate. The rails are secured to the column witha type of interlocking bridle joint consisting of crossing edge halflaps andmortises. The large table shown at right is supported by two sets of legsand columns. Because of the table's considerable weight, casters have beenaneched to the legs to make the piece easier to move.

ANATOMY OF A PEDESTAL TABLE

Mortiae forinterlockingbridle joint

Column

Dovetailsocket

Detail ofdovetaile

Leq

Dovetail

TAPERED LEGS

CUTTING A FOUR.SIDED TAPER

Taper atarL line

Thpered and stop-tapered legs like thoseshown above are frequently used on

drop-front and rolltop desks and a wideassortment of tables. They lighten apiece's appearance without seriously

diminishing its strength.

IIItItIItIItIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIItt

1 Setting up and starting the cutI You can taper legs quickly and accurately on a jointer. Start by outlining the dimen-sions of the taper on the bottom of the leg blank with a cutting gauge (above, top).fhenmark lines on the four faces of the stock to indicate where the taper will begin. Installa clamp to hold the guard out of the way during the operation. Set the depth of cut forx inch and, holding the blank against the fence, align the taper start line with the frontof the outfeed table. Butt a stop block against the bottom of the leg and clamp it to theinfeed table. To start each pass, carefully lower the blank onto the cutterhead whileholding it firmly against the fence and the stop block (above, bottom). Make sure bothhands are over the infeed side of the table.

60

LEGS AND RAILS

I

t

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

tI

I

I

tI

I

I

tI

I

tI

I

rI

I

I

tI

I

r) Jointing the taperL feed the leg across the cutterheadwith a push st ick, pushing down on thetrai l ing end of the stock whi le pressing i tflush against the fence (left). Keep your lefthand away from the cutterhead. Make asmany passes as necessary until you havet r immed the s tock to the taper ou t l ine ,then repeat the process to shape theremaining faces. Make the same numberof oasses on each side.

J()INTING A STOPPED TAPER

Using twin stop blocksMark l ines on al l faces of the leg blank to indicate where thetaper ing w i l l beg in and end. Ins ta l l a c lamp on your jo in te r ' sinfeed table to hold the guard out of the way. Set a %-inch depthof cut, then butt the blank against the fence with the taper lineabout % inch in front of the edge of the outfeed table. (The extra% inch will compensate for the fact that, as the infeed table islowered later, i t wi l l a lso sl ide back.) Butt a stop block againstthe foot of the blank and clamp it to the infeed table. Next alignthe taper end line with the back end of the infeed table. Butt a

second stop block against the top end of the blank and clampit to the outfeed table. To make the first pass, lower the work-piece onto the knives, keeping it flush against the fence and stopblock on the infeed table. Feed the workpiece using a pushstick (above); use your left hand to press the blank against thefence. Keeo both hands well clear of the cutterhead. Make onepass on each face, then lower the infeed table% inch and repeatthe process on all four sides. Continue, increasing the cuttingdepth with each pass until the taper is completed.

6 1

I

I

I

I

LEGS AND RAILS

A JIG FOR TWO.SIDED TAPERSTapering legs on a table saw can bedone eas i l y w i th the r igh t j ig . Theone shown be low is made f rom%-inch plywood, some solid wood,and two toggle clamps. lt is sturdierthan many commercial models; theclamps ensure that the stock is heldf i rmly in place whi le the cut is beingmade. Refer to the i l lustrat ion forsuggested dimensions.

To assemble the jig, set the sawblade to its maximum cutting height,butt one side of the jig base againstthe blade, and posit ion the r ip fenceagainst the other side of the base.Lower the blade and mark a cuttingline for the taper on one side of yourleg blank, then set i t on the base,al igning the mark with one edge ofthe jig. Hold the workpiece securelyand butt the plywood guide bar

against it. Press the lip snugly againstthe end of the blank. Screw the guidebar to the base and the sol id woodshim to the bar, making certain thattheir edges are al igned. Attach thetogg le c lamps to the sh im. C lampdown to secure the blank to the j igwi ih the taper mark al igned with theedge of the base. Screw the handle tothe base at least 6 inches away fromthe side that wi l l pass by the blade.

To cu t the f i r s t taper , c lamp afeatherboard and support board tothe saw table, making sure they wi l lnot interfere with the blade. (Thefeatherboard should press only on thejig base, not on the workpiece.) Setthe blade height and sl ide the j ig andleg blank across the table, makingsure that nei ther hand is in l ine withthe blade beloil. To cut the secondtaper on an ad jacent s ide o f theblank, repeat the pass with the twountapered sides of the blank againstthe jig base and guide bar. (Caution:Blade guard removed for clarity.)

tI

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

t

T

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

T

I

I

I62

CABRIOLE LEGS

MAKING A CABRI(ITELEG

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

tI

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

1 Designing the legI For a template, cut a piece of stiff cardboard or hardboard to the same lengthand width as your leg blanks. The design shown above at top wi l l y ield a stable andwell-proportioned leg, but you can alter the design to suit your project. Begin drawingthe leg by outlining the post block. Make its length equal to the width of the rail thatwill be attached to it; the post block should be wide enough to accept the rail tenons.Next, sketch the toe and the front of the leg from the toe to the ankle using a Frenchcurve (above, bottom); at its narrowest point, the ankle should measure about two-fifths of the stock width. Move on to the knee, sketching a gentle curve from the postblock to the front edge of the template about 3 to 4 inches below the block. Thenjoin the knee to the ankle with a relat ively straight l ine. Complete the out l ine at theback of the leg, connect ing the bottom of the leg with the back of the ankle, thensketching a curve from the ankle to the bottom of the post block. You may need toredraw the curves several times until you are satisfied with the design.

Despite its delicate appearance,a cabriole leg provides excellentstrength. A well-balanced leg

should be able to stand by itself.

63

LEGS AND RAILS

Cutting out the legSet the les b lank on the band saw table wi th one of the out-

l ines fac ing up and the toe of the leg point ing away f rom you.Al igning the saw blade just to the waste s ide of the marked l inefor the hack nf the lep feed the stock in to the cut t inp edpe Trr rnof f the saw about hal fway through the cut and remove the b lank.Then cut a long the same l ine f rom the opposi te end. To avoiddetaching the waste p iece f rom the b lank and losrng the marked

r') Transferring the designa ^L UUI OUt your lempta le 0n a Dano saw,

then sand the edges to the marked ou t -

l ine. To t race the out l ine on the leg b lank,o lace the temolate f la t on one of the ins idefaces o f t he b lank , mak ing su re t ha t t heends o f t he t emp la te and the b lank a realigned and that the back of the post blocki s f l ush w i th t he i ns ide edge o f t he b lank .f r z c p a l a n s i h p p d o p c , n f i h p i p m n l : t o

Turn the b lank over and reoeat the oroce-dure on the other inside face (/efi l. At thispoint, some woodworkers prefer to cut mor-tises or dri l l holes for the leg-to-rail joinery.( l t i s eas ie r t o c l amp and cu t j o i n t s on arec tangu la r l eg b lank than on a l eg w i t hDronounced curves.) 0ther woodworkerscu t t he l eg f i r s t and then do the j o i ne ry .

out l ine on the adjacent face, s top the cut about Z inch f rom thefirst kerf, leaving a short bridge between the two cuts (above,/e f f ) . Re t rac t t he wo rkp iece , t hen cu t a long the l i ne f o r t hefront of the leg, again leaving br idges. Turn the b lank and sawalong the marked lines on the adjacent side (above, i lghil.fhist ime, complete the cut , le t t ing the waste fa l l away.

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

t

T

I

I

I

T

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

T

I

I

I

Io+

LEGS AND RAILS

I

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

T

I

tI

tI

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

tt

f, Shaping and smoothing the legr-, f To f in ish shaping the cabriole leg andremove blemishes lef t by the band sawblade, smooth its surfaces with a spoke-shave, fol lowed by a rasp and sandpaper.Begin by f ix ing a bar clamp in your benchv ise , then secure the leg in the c lamp.Holding a spokeshave with both hands atthe top of a curved edge of the leg, pul lthe tool slowly toward you, cutting with thegrain (right). Repeat until the surface issmooth. Turn the leg in the bar clamp toclean up the other edges. Use a rasp tosmooth an area that the sookeshave cannotreach. This tool works best when pusheddiagonal ly across the grain. Finish the jobwith sandpaper, using progressively f inergr i ts unt i l the surface is smooth.

Cutting the bridgesTurn off the saw and rotate the blank

so that the first side you cut faces up. Slidethe blank forward to feed the blade inio thekerf at the front of the leg. Turn on themach ine and cu t th rough the br idge torelease the waste piece. Then cut throughthe bridge between the kerfs at the backof the leg (/eff,).

65

Most turned legs fortables, like the oneshown at right, fea-ture a squtre section,or pommel, at the top.This enables the legto be joined to theteble rails withoutcutting or attachinghardware to theturned segments.

r) Turning the cylinder1 tlse a roughing-out gouge to roundthe corners of the blank below the oommel.With the t ip of the gouge t i l ted up againstthe ro ta t ing b lank , g radua l ly ra ise thehand le un t i l the beve l under the t ip i srubbing against the stock and the cutt ingedge is sl ic ing into the wood. Work frombelow the pommel toward the bottom of theleg (right). Keep the tool at a right angleto the blank throughout the cut. Cont inueunt i l the blank is cyl indr ical and smooth.

TURNED LEGS

TURNING A LEG

1 Defining the pommelI To turn a leg on a lathe, start by separat ing the pommel from the cyl indr icalsect ion. The cyl indr ical sect ion is then turned (step 2) and, f inal ly, the beads andhol lows are added (step 3). Begin by marking the pommel on the leg blank, thenmount the blank on the lathe and move the tool rest as close to the workpiece aspossible without touching i t ; the pommel should be long enough to accommodatethe legto-rail joinery method you will use. Next, use a skew chisel to cut a V-shapednotch at the marked pommel l ine. Bracing the blade against the tool rest, beginwith the cutt ing edge angled sl ight ly to one side so the long point of the t ip cutsinto the blank. This wi l l def ine one side of the V. Now, angle the blade to the otherside to def ine the other side of the V nolch (above). Cont inue angl ing the bladefrom side to side unt i lyou reach the desired depth. As much as possible, keep thebevel of the blade rubbing against the stock at al l t imes.

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

T

I66

LEGS AND RAILS

I

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

Adding beads and hol lowsTo form beads, work wi th a skew chis-

e l and l he same techn in r re used to de f i net h e n o m m e l S l a r l i n s e a c h c u t w i t h t h et o o l a l m o s t h o r i z o n t a l , r a r s e t h e h a n d l eunt i l the b lade s l ices in to the stock. Cut oneside of the bead at a t ime by t i l t ing the cut-t inp edpe' i rs t 1o one s ide and then the oth-er (above). For the hol lows, use a spindleo n r r o p S i : r i p : e h e r r i : l n n o p d o p o { t h p

ho l l ow w i th t he b lade on edge so tha t r t s. n n . 2 \ / p c i d p i c f : e i n o t h p n n n n c . i i o p d o o n f

t h e h o l l o w . R a i s e t h e h a n d l e s o t h e t i pbeg rns s l i c rng i n to t he s tock . Then , sweepthe tool toward the hol low's opposi te edge,r o l l i n p t h e h l a d e s o t h a l , a t t h e c e n t e r o ft he ho l l ow , t he concave s ide o f t he b ladeis fac ing up ( le f t ) . Remove the gouge andr o n o : l l h p e r r l f r n m t h p n n n n c i t p p d o p n f

the hol low, wi th the concave s ide of theb lade fac ing toward the ho l l ow . Con t i nuesween inp and rn l l i np t he b lade f rom s ideto s i de , a lways work ing downh i l l , un t i l t heho l l ow i s symmet r i ca l and smoo th .

PEDESTAL LEGS

The pedestal, or tripod, leg is best cut on the bandsaw. The legs have a flat section at the bottom and adovetail at the top that fits into the central column.Because dovetails are tnore dfficult to cut in a con-toured workpiece, it is best to prepare the leg blank

for joinery (pages79 and 82) before shapingit.

the leg, the top and bottom ends must be perpendicular to eachother, and the spread of the legs must be less than the diameterof the tabletop. Once you are sat isf ied with the design, cut thefirst leg on the band saw (above) and use it as a template forthe others. Keep a copy of the template for future projects.

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

ttI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I'l

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

CUTTING A PEDESTAL LEG

Sawing the leg on the band sawCut a dovetai l on the top end of your leg blank, using ei ther thetable saw (page 79) or a router table (page 82).Then, outlrnethe leg on your blank; use a penci l and a French curve as youwould for a cabriole leg (page 63).fhere are three absolute rulesfor designing a pedestal leg: The grain should follow the slope of

68

OCTAGONAL LEGSI

tIaI

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

t

SHAPING AN (ICTAGONAL LEG

Cutting the leg on the table sawTo set up this operat ion, unplug the saw,crank the blade to i ts highest sett ing, andad jus t the cu t t ing ang le to 45" . The r ipfence should be posit ioned so that theblade is tilted away from it. Lay one faceof the leg blank on the blade with a cor-ner resting on the saw table, then butt thefence against the stock (above) and lockit in place. To make the f irst cut, butt thestock face-down against the r ip fence afew inches in front of the blade. Adjustthe cutting height until one tooth just pro-trudes beyond the face of the workpiece.Feed the blank into the blade, straddl ingthe fence with your hand. Rotate the leg90' c lockwise and repeat the cut on thead jacent face . Cont inue in th is manner(right) unlil the sides are cut.

The attractive octag-onal leg is simple tocut on the table saw.

69

Commercial mar-quetry banding addsa decorative touch toa tapered leg.

LEGS AND RAILS

CUTTING GR(|(IVES FOR INLAY

Using a table sawTo cut a straight groove for inlay, use a table saw with a dado head the same widthas the inlay. lf you are working with thick shop-made inlay, set the cutting height tosl ight ly lessthan the thickness of the inlay; for commercial in lay, set the cutt ingheight to its exact thickness. Make a cut in a scrap board, test the fit, and adjustthe width and cutting height of the blades, if necessary. Next, mark a line for thegroove on the leading end of the leg and al ign i t with the dado head. Butt the r ipfence against the stock, then feed it across the blades (above).

Using a routerTo make a groove that requires more thanone straight cut at di f ferent angles, usea router with a commercial edge guide.Secure the leg to a work surface, then fitthe router with a straight bi t the samewidth as the inlay and set the cutt ingdepth. Remember, the groove should besl ight ly shal low for shop-made inlay, butful l -depth for commercial in lay. Out l inethe groove on the leg, al ign the bi t overone of the l ines that run along the grain,and butt the edge guide's fence againstthe stock. Gripping the router f irmly, cutthe groove; remember to move the toolagainst the direction of bit rotation. Repeatto cut the other grooves (left). For the shortcuts against the grain, c lamp a woodenedge guide across the leg. Finally, squarethe corners with a chisel .

I

I

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I70

LEGS AND RAILS

ItttII

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

t

tI

I

I

C

I

tI

I

I

I

t

GLUING DOWN THE INLAY

Setting the inlay in the grooveCut the inlay to length to f i t the groove. l fyou are using shop-made inlay, use a tablesaw or a backsaw in a miter box; for com-mercial in lay, use a wood chisel . To instal linlay in the four-sided groove shown, makemiter cuts at the ends of the inlay pieces.I t is easiest to cut and dryJi t one piece ata t ime, mak ing sure you a l ign the mi te rcuts with the corners of the grooves. Withcommercial in lay marquetry, t ry to matchthe pattern at the corners to form one con-t inuous des ign . Once a l l the p ieces arecut to size, spread a thin layer of glue inthe groove and on the mitered ends of thein lay . Inser t one s t r ip a t a t ime. Whi lethe glue dr ies, secure the inlay with str ipsof masking tape.

DETAILING A LEG

Routing edge detailSecure the leg to a work sur face. Markl ines on the leg for the beginning and endo f t he cu t , t hen i ns ta l l a deco ra t i ve b i tin your router . A p i lo ted quarter- round b i ti s shown ; t h i s b l t w i l l r ou t a ra i sed beadalong the f ront corners of the leg. Set acu t t i ng dep th app rop r i a te t o t he p ro f i l eyou want to make, then a l ign the b i t wi ththe star t l ine. Hold ing the tool wi th bothhands , gu ide the b i t a l ong the co rne r o fthe leg against the d i rect ion of b i t rota-t ion. Keep the base p late f la t on the topsurface of the leg and the bit pilot pressed

against the stock throughout the operation( /ef f . Stop when you reach the end l ine,reposition the leg on the work surface, andmake a second pass, riding the base plate

on the ad jacen t f ace o f t he l eg . Th i s i susua l l y done on l y on the l eg ' s ou ts idecorner , but the other corners can a lso berouted depending on the leg design.

LEG-TO-RArL IOTNERY

TUSK TENON JOINTS

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

rI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

aI

I

I

I

I

I

I

A nrk tenon ioins the stretcher to the pedestal leg of thetable shown altove. Although the tusk joint is assembledwithout glue so that the table can be disassembled, it isas strong as a glued blind nrortise-and-tenon.

1 Marking the location of the wedgeI Cut a four-shouldered tenon (page 76)long enough to extend beyond the leg bya t leas t 2 inches ; th is w i l l p rov ide su f f i -c ien t s tock to res is t be ing sp l i t by thewedge. Cut a through mort jse to accom-modate the tenon and assemble the joint .Then, ho ld ing the p ieces together on awork surface, mark a l ine on the top of thecheek where the tenon emerses from themorlise (lefD.

r) Drill ing the hole for the wedgeZ. Disassemble the joint and make a dr i l l ing markYta tnch on theshou lder s ide o f the scr ibed l ine ; th is w i l l ensure a t igh t f i t whenthe wedge is driven into place. Set a mortise gauge to one-third thethickness of the tenon and use the gauge to out l ine the hole in themiddle third of the top cheek, bordering on your mark. Using a bi ts l ight ly smal ler in diameter than the out l ine, bore the hole throughthe tenon on the drill press (above),

LEGS AND RAILS

I

tI

tII

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

l

I

I

rI

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

t

Inserting the tuskCut an angled hardwood wedge,

cal led a tusk, that is tapered to f i t thes lo t you chopped in s tep 3 ; i t s leng thcan be uo to twice the tenon width. Toassemble the jo in t , s l ide the tenon in tothe mort ise and str ike the wedge f i rmlywith a mallet until the joint is Iight (right).Do not use glue, as this joint is designedto be disassembled.

Q Angling the wedge holer.J Using a mort ise chisel , enlarge andsquare the hole you dr i l led to accommo-date the wedge. Holding the chisel at a10" angle away from the tenon shoulders,cut a tapered slot, as indicated by thedotted lines in the illustration (/eff). Thenchop ou t the waste , ho ld ing the ch ise lwith the bevel facing the waste.

73

LEGS AND RAILS

D()WET JOINTS

r) Pinpointing mating dowel hotesC- lnserl dowel centers in the holes. Thenal ign the top of the rai l wi th the top of theleg (right), and swing the rail up so that itsoutside face is % to % inch inside the edgeof the leg . A penc i l mark l i ke the ones h o w n w i l l h e l p a l i g n t h e r a i l . T a p t h eother end of the rai l wi th a wooden mal-le t . The po in ted ends o f the dowel cen-te rs w i l l punch impress ions on the leg ,prov id ing s ta r t ing po in ts fo r bor ing themating dowel holes. Repeat for the otherrai ls and less.

1 Locating and boringI dowel holes in the railsStart by marking the locat ion of the dowelholes. Holding one of the rai ls end-up, seta cutt ing gauge to one-half the thicknessof the stock and scribe a line across the endof the board. With the gauge at a sl ight lywider setting, scribe two lines that intersectw i th the f i r s t l i ne on the end o f the ra i l( lef \ . f o avoid spl i t t ing the stock, usegrooved dowels no more than one-ha l fthe thickness of the rails. Fit a drill press oran electr ic dr i l l wi th a bi t the same diame-ter as the dowels and bore a hole at eachlocat ion point; the depth should be sl ight lymore than one-half the length of the dow-e ls . Use the same techn ique to bore thedowel holes at the opposite end of the rarland in the other rai ls.

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

f

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

LEGS AND RAILS

ttI

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

tIIItIIt

Assembling the legs and railsSpread a l i t t le g lue on the sur faces of the legs and ra i ls that

wil l contact each other, then dab a smal l amount of adhesive inthe bottom of the dowel holes with a smal lwood scrap. Avoidspread ing g lue d i rec t l y on the dowels ; they absorb mois tu req u i c k l y a n d w i l l s w e l l , m a k i n g t h e m d i f f i c u l t t o f i t i n t o t h eho les . Inser t the dowels in to the legs , then tap the ra i l l i gh t l y

with a mal let to seat the shoulder . (Be carefu l about us ing toomuch force, which can cause a leg to spl i t . ) F i t each end of therail onto a leg (above, left) and hold the joint together with a barclamp, protecting the legs with wood pads. Align the bar of theclamp with the rail, then tighten iI (above, righil unli l a bead ofg lue squeezes out of the jo int .

Boring the mating dowel holesBore the holes in the legs to the same

depth as those in the rai ls-sl ight ly morethan one-half the length of the dowels. l fyou are dr i l l ing into a tapered leg on a dr i l lpress, be sure to keep the square part of theleg f lat on the machine's table.

75

LEGS AND RAILS

HAND.CUT BTIND MORTISE.AND.TEN(lNS

r) Cutting the tenon shouldersL f o remove the waste from the tenon cheeks, clamp the railface-up on a work surface, protect ing the stock with a woodpad. Cut a long the shou lder l ine on the face o f the ra i l ; tu rnover the stock and repeat the operat ion on the other side(above, left).To cut away the waste on the edges of the tenon,

1 Cutting the tenon cheeksI Out l ine the tenons on the rai ls, mark-ing a shoulder l ine al l around the ends sothat the length of the tenons wi l l be nomore than three-quarters the thicknessof the leg. Secure one of the rails end-upin a vise. Cut along the l ines on the endof the rai l wi th a backsaw; t i l t the sawforward and cut to the shoulder l ine ofthe tenon (lefil. f hen complete the cutwith the saw level.

secure the rai l end-up in a vise and saw to the shoulder l ine onboth edges of the rai l . Final ly, c lamp the rai l edge-up and cutthrough the shoulder l ines on both edges of the rai l (above,right). Repeat steps 1 and 2 to cut the tenon on the other endof the rai l and at both ends of the remainins rai ls.

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I76

LEGS AND RAILS

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tIIIIIIIIIII

Q Outlining the moftisesr-,1 Mark the mortise outline on each legin two steps, using one of the rail tenonsas a guide. First , hold the cheek of thetenon flush against the leg, with the topof the rail aligned with the end of the leg.Draw a pencil along the edges of the tenonto outline the length of the mortise, thenuse a try square to extend the lines acrossthe leg. To mark the width of the mortise,hold the edge of the tenon centered flushagainst the leg and mark along each cheek(right).With a try square, extend the marksalong the leg until the two outlines inter-sect. Repeat the process on the adjacentface of the leg.

Chiseling the mortisesFor each mortise, clamp the leg to a

work surface, protecting the stock with awood pad. Then, starting at one end of theoutline, hold a mortise chisel square tothe face of the leg and str ike i t with awooden mal le t . Use a ch ise l the samewidth as the tenon and be sure that thebeveled side of the blade is facing thewaste. Make another cut % inch from thefirst. Continue until you reach the otherend of the outline, levering out the wasteto a depth that slightly exceeds the lengthof the tenon. Test-fit the tenon and widenor deepen the mortise as required. Repeatto cut the remaining mortises. Then spreadg lue l igh t ly in the mor t i ses and on thecheeks of the tenons. Fit the legs and railstogether, then close up the joints with thesame clamping setup used for the doweljoint (page 75).

77

LEGS AND RAILS

TRIP0D TABLE: ASSEMBTING THE LEGS, C0LUMN, AND

1 Turning the tenon on the columnI Start by turning the rai l tenon at the top of the column, asshown at right. Then rout the dovetail sockets for the legs at thecolumn's bottom (step 2). Next, cut the dovetails in the legs(steps 3 and 4)and assemble the pieces (step i l . Mount thecolumn blank on your lathe and turn it into a cylinder (page 66),leaving a l ip and enough stock near the bottom for the legsockets. To turn the tenon, use a parting Iool (right), movingthe blade from side to side. The length of the tenon should beabout one-half the thickness of the mating rai l . l ts diametershould be at least % inch and match that of the bi t vou wi l l useto dr i l l the mort ise in the rai l .

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

RAIL

r) Routing the dovetail sockets(- tJnplugyour lathe and turn the column end-for-end to cutthe sockets, using a router and a shop-made j ig consist ing of a%-inch plywood box clamped to the lathe bed. Make the box aswide as the router base plate. Attach the two runners so therouter bit will cut the sockets with its base plate sitting on them.Next, mark the location of the three sockets on the column; theyshould be I20" aparL Also mark the upper ends of the sockets,about 3 inches from the bottom of the column. To help al ignthe cuts, transfer the socket marks from the column to the lathefaceplate. Now, rotate the column bv hand until one of the marks

on the faceplate is vert ical and clamp the dr ive shaft with ahandscrew (inset). Cut each socket in two passes, first using astraight bit, then a dovetail bit. Adjust the router's cutting depth,align the bit with the socket end mark, butt a stop block againstthe router base plate, and screw the block to the j ig. Holdingthe router in both hands, plunge the bit into the column, startingat the bottom, and guide the tool along the runners unt i l thebase plate contacts the stop block. Repeat with the dovetail bit(above). To cut the second and third sockets, rotate the columnso the socket mark for each cut is vertical.

Faceplata

78

LEGS AND RAILS

ItItttIIIIIIIII

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tIII

Q Cutting the dovetailsr-,1 The dovetails in the legs are cut in two steps: The first cutis made on the table saw, and the second by hand. l t is easiestto cut the dovetails on leg blanks before shaping the legs (page68). Adjust your table saw's blade angle to match that of thesockets you cut in step 2. Set the cutting height to slightly lessthan the depth of the sockets. Outline the dovetails on the edgeof one leg blank and, holding the blank on end on the saw table,al ign a cutt ing mark with the blade. Butt the r ip fence againstthe stock and lock i t in place. Clamo a shimmed featherboard

to the table to support the blanks. Also clamp a guide block tothe blank; the block wi l l r ide along the top of the fence, help-ing to guide the workpiece. To form the dovetail, make a passto cut one cheek (above), then rotate the workpiece and feedthe opposite face along the fence to saw the other. Once bothcheeks of the f i rst dovetai l have been cut, check them againsta socket in the column. l f necessary, adjust the blade angle orheight or the cutt ing width and make another set of passes.Repeat for the other dovetails.

Cufting the angled shouldersThe shoulders of the leg dovetails

must be cut at an angle so they l ie f lushagainst the column. Once the dovetai lcheeks are al l cut, c lamp a blank to awork surface with the cheek cuts extend-ing off the table. Then use a backsaw tocut the shoulders to roughly match the cur-vature of the column (/eff). Test-f it thedovetail in its socket and trim the shoul-ders, if necessary, until you get a suitablef i t . Repeat for the remaining dovetai ls.

79

LEGS AND RAILS

f, Fastening the legs to the columnr., / Once al l the dovetai ls f i t in their sockets, t r im off the top% inch o f each doveta i l . Th is w i l l h ide the tops o f the doveta i l sfrom view when they are pushed al l the way into their sockets.Now you are ready to cut out the legs (page 68) and attach themto the co lumn. Spread g lue even ly on the doveta i l s and in thesockets . Then, ho ld ing the co lumn ups ide-down on the f loor ,sl ide the legs into place and tap them into f inal posi t ion with awooden mallet hbove). To strengthen the assembly, add a three-armed plate cut from sheet metal (page 58), Next, cut the railtha t w i l l connect the co lumn to the tab le too . Bore a mor t i se inthe center of the rail to accept the tenon at the top of the column.Use a router f i t ted with a rounding-over or chamfering bi t toshape the bottom edge of the rail all the way around. Finally, standthe table upright, spread glue on the tenon and in the mort ise, f i tthe rail over the tenon, and screw the rail in place (righil.

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

T

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tII

80

LEGS AND RAILS

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

tI

rI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

PEDESTAL TABLE: GTUING UP THE LEG ASSEMBTY

1 Preparing the column for the legsI Mark a l ine across the column nearthe bottom to define the square sectionthat wi l l be joined to the legs; the areashou ld be as long as the w id th o f thelegs. Instal l a dado head on your tablesaw and set the cutting height at roughly % inch. Using the miter gauge, makeseveral Dasses across the column toremove the waste from all four sides ofthe column (above).

r) Cutting the dovetail socketsL plo* a dovetai l socket on each side of the column on the router table. lnstal l astraight bi t in your router and mount the tool in a table. Mark a l ine for the socketsdown the center of each side, align a socket mark with the bit, butt guide boards againstthe stock, and clamp the boards to the table. Feed the column across the table to cutthe f i rst socket, stopping the cut when the bi t reaches the end of the square sect ion.Leave the column in place, turn off the tool , and clamp a handscrew as a stop blockagainst the end of the column. Repeat the cut on the other sides of the column, stop-ping when the stock contacts the handscrew. Complete the task with a second passon each side using a dovetail bit (above).

Preparing the top of the column0nce the doveta i ls are cut , turn the column on a la the, leav-

ing a square section at the top to accommodate the rails and alip just above the bottom square section to conceal the tops ofthe legs . (The l ip i s v is ib le on page 82 . )The ra i l s w i l l f i t in totwo intersect ing mort ises cut in the column's square sect ion.Mark cutting lines for the mortises down the center of each sideof the column; the mort ise width should be one-half the thick-ness of the rai ls. Set the saw blade height to the width of therails less the edge recess shown in step 7 (page 83), To feed thecolumn safely, make a j ig to hold i t upr ight. Take a large pushst ick and screw a piece of wood to the side, forming an L. Withthe leg rest ing snugly in the L, al ign the cutt ing mark with theblade and lock the r ip fence against the face of the push st ick.Lay a spacer on top of the fence ( i t must be the same thicknessas the fence) and screw it to the push stick; screw a guide boardto the spacer so the j ig forms a channel over the fence. Checkthe al ignment, c lamp the leg in place, and make a sequence ofcuts unt i l the mort ise is wide enough ( lef t) . Repeat al l cuts oneach face to ensure that the mortises are oerfectlv centered.

Fueh atick

8 1

LEGS AND RAILS

Cutting the dovetails on the legsInstall a dovetail bit in vour rouier and

mount the tool in a table. Set the cutt ingdepth to make the dovetails slightly shorterthan the depth of the dovetail sockets youcut in step 1. Posit ion the fence so thatabout one-half of the cutter projects beyondits face. With a featherboard clamoed to thetable to support the workpiece, feed a legblank (page 68) on end across the table,pressing it against the fence (\efl. f urn theblank end-for-end and repeat to completethe dovetai l . Test- f i t the joint and adlustthe fence and make add i t iona l cu ts , i fnecessary. Repeat for the other leg blanks.

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

ttIIIIIIIIIIIItI

I

f, Joining the legs to the columnr-,f Cut out the legs on a band saw (page68), then notch the top end of the dove-tai ls so that they stop short of the socketend. This wi l l conceal the joints betweenthe legs and column. Spread glue on thedovetai ls and in the sockets and sl ide thedovetai ls into place, tapping them with amallet if necessary. For additional strength,y0u can make a four-armed bracket outof sheet metal to f i t under the column andlegs, and screw i t in place, as shown onpage 58.

82

LEGS AND RAILS

IIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

I Jo in ing the ra i ls to the column/ To conceal the mort ises once the ra i ls are in p lace, cuta / -inch-deep recess in to the bot tom edge of each ra i l , a long thelength of the recess in the face. Next , notch the middle of theedges . Th i s can be done w i th t he dado head ; the w id th shou ldequal the th ickness of the lapped sect ion of the ra i ls . Adjust theblade height to cut hal fway through the ra i l , then saw an edgehal f - lap in the bot tom edge of one ra i l and the top edge of the

Preparing the rai lsTo al low the ra i ls to f i t the erooves in

the column, cut recesses in the middie ofboth faces of the rai ls. lnstal l a dado headon your table saw and set the cutting depthto about one-ouar te r the ra i l th ickness .Screw an ex tens ion to the mi te r gauge.Make test cuts in a piece of scrap to besure that the rai ls wi l l f i t snugly in the mor-t ises. Mark the shoulders of the recesseson one rai l so they are as long as the widthof the square sect ion at the top of the col-u m n . A l i g n a m a r k w i t h t h e d a d o h e a dand c lamp a s top b lock to the ex tens ion ,f lush against the rai l , Feed the rai l wi th themiter gauge, pressing the stock againstthe s top b lock . F l ip the p iece to cu t ashou lder on the o ther face , then ro ta tethe p iece and cu t the shou lders a t theother ends of the recesses. Repeat on theother rai l , then remove the stop block andremove the remaining waste.

other, making sure the notches are centered between the shoul-ders bbove, /eff). Adlust the blade height for the second rail toaccount for the edge recess. Once both edge half-laps are cut, roundthe ends of the rai ls on the band saw, spread some glue on thecontacting surfaces of the column and rails, set the column bottom-end up on the f loor, and f i t the rai ls in place (above, r ight) .

9top block

Edge half-lap

83

LEGS AND RAILS

COMMERCIAL LEG HARDWARE

r') Notching the leg for the mounting plateI Anotch must be cut at the top of eachleg to accommodate the mounting plate.Stand the leg up and hold the rai l -and-plate assembly on top of it, aligning theends of the rails with adjacent sides of theleg. Mark a 45' diagonal l ine across thetop of the leg along the mounting plate.Next, al ign the top of the plate with thetop of the leg and mark a l ine along thebottom edge of the plate across the insidecorner of the leg, adding Xe inch for clear-ance. To cut the notch, set the leg on aband saw and tilt the table to 45" to alignthe blade with the diagonal l ine. Butt aboard against the leg and clamp it to thetable as a rip fence. Feed the leg into theblade, then clamp a stop block in place tohelp with repeat cuts (right). Completethe notch using a handsaw.

1 Preparing the railsI Commercial hardware that connectslegs and rails should be installed followingthe manufacturer's instructions. To use thehardware shown on the facing page, test-assemble the leg, rai ls, and mountingplate, then mark the location of the plateflanges on the rails. To cut the slots for thef langes, al ign each mark with the blade,then butt the r ip fence against the rai l .Set the blade height to the length of theflange, adding %u inch for clearance. Feedthe rail into the blade with the miter gauge(left). (Caution: Blade guard removed forclari$.) Repeat for the other rail. Slip theflanges into the slots and mark the screwholes on the stock. Bore pi lot holes andscrew the mounting plate to the rails.

tttItIIItI

tIIIIIIIItIIIIIItIIIII

84

LEGS AND RAILS

IIttIIIIIIIItI

I

I

tIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Q Preparing the leg for the hanger boltr J Tes t -assemb le t he l eg and ra i l - and -p la te assemb ly aga in and mark t he ho leon the stock for the hanger bolt provided

wi th the hardware k i t . F i t your dr i l l presswi th a brad-point b i t and bore a p i lo t holefor the bol t us ing a shop-made V-block j ig(right). Repeat for the other legs.

uAt tx 6" x7"

Fastening the leg to the railslnsert the screw-thread end of the

hanger bolt into the pr lot hole rn the leg.Unl ike other fasteners, a hanger bolt hastwo types of threads: screw threads at oneend and machine threads at the other; i talso has no head. Screw two nuts onto themach ine- th read end and t igh ten themaga ins t each o ther w i th two wrenches,fo rming a temporary head on the bo l t ,Tighten the bolt with one of the wrenchesto drive the screw threads into the leg, thenunscrew the nuts from the bolt . Sl ip therai l -and-plate assembly over the bolt andscrew a nut on i t . Keeping the top of thera i l s f lush w i th the top o f the leg , t igh t -en the nut (/eff).

85

I

I

I

I

LEGS AND RAILS

ItIIIIItIItIIIIIIIIIIII

FIII

SH()P.MADE LEG HARDWAREYou can attach a leg to rai ls using awooden corner block, a hanger bolt ,and four screws. Begin by making thecorner block. Cut a oiece of wood thinenough to drive a hanger bolt throughit into the leg. Then make a 45' mitercut at each end. Next, saw grooves forsp l ines , wh ich w i l l he lp jo in the b lockto the ra i l s . Ins ta l l a dado head onyour table saw with a width and cut-ting height equal to one-third the thick-ness of the rails. Screw a board to themiter gauge as an extension, then alignthe midpoint of one end of the blockwith the blade. Clamp the block to theextension. Butt a waste piece fromthe miter cuts against the workpieceto serve as a stop block and clampit to the extension. Feed the stockinto the blades, then turn i t over andcut a groove in the other end (above).

B6

LEGS AND RAILS

IIIt

IIIIIIItIIItrIIttIIIIIII

Next, mark two holes on each side ofthe clearance hole and dr i l l counter-sinking holes (facing page, bottom),then instal l a smal ler bi t to dr i l l c lear-ance holes for the screw shanks.

To join the leg and rails, first fastenthe corner block to the rails. Spreadsome glue in the grooves in the blockand the rai ls, and insert the spl inesinto the grooves in the block. Thenhold the block against the rai ls andscrew it in place (left). Prepare the legas you would for commercial hardware(page 84), cutting a notch out of thetop for the corner block and boring apilot hole for a hanger bolt. Fasten theleg to the rails with the bolt, slipping awasher between the nut and the cornerblock. Tighten the nut (below) unlilthe leg and rails fit snugly together.

Test-f i t the block against the rai ls,then mark and cut the grooves in thera i l s . Now cu t the sp l ines , mak ingthem %. inch shorter than the com-bined depth of the two grooves. Planethe spl ines careful ly to make surethat they f it precisely in the matchinggrooves. For maximum strength, makesure that the grain of the splines runsacross their width, rather than alongtheir length.

Now bore countersinking and clear-ance holes for the hanger bolt andscrews that wi l l secure the brace tothe leg and rai ls. Instal l a brad-pointbrt in your dr i l l press and mark thecenter of the long edge of the blockfor a hanger bolt. Secure the work-piece rn a handscrew and clamp it tothe drill press table, with the centeraligned with the bit. Then bore the hole.

IIr

87

'r-,

II

tIIIIIIIIIIIttItIIIIIIIIII

II

TOPS

or deskt being. The stru

1 1 c e : n u s t ! e I l 1 I 1 n a s | ! l 4 r ! r e I l ! | - l w l l d . J g 2 \ L t l l J t t , l l L d u l t J . I l l L I l L

design ofthe table or d,

made of glued-up piec

*nhffftrH*ffii;:ffH: ffii#1"*TJl.b';ffH-*1111fully to create the illusion that the An adjustable top males a table more flexible; variety of tops for tables.and desls,surface is made from a single wide by mounting sliding table extenders under a fromgl-uing up the-top (p.age 93) toboard. To do this, you will-need to table with a divided top, you can expand the attaching it to a base (page 96).experiment until you succ€ed. Thke table to make room for additional leava. While you qan make a tabletop byyour time Four or five planks, for veneering.sheet products such asixample, can be flippedind turned end-for-end to create lit- plywood, solid wood remains the building material of choice;erally scores of possible combinations. sheet materials require edge banding and are often not as

During the Middle Ages, when dining took place in great appealing visually as solid.w-ood.communil halls, huge trestle tables were ihe norm: Dozens of The type of top you build depends on the function ofyourpeople could be fed and the tables could be knocked down for table. If your goal-is to maximize seating while-reducing stor-itorage after dinner. As separate rooms for public and private age space, adjustable top s !7gSe 10I) for drop-leaf, gateleg, ordinin! came into vogue in the l5ttr Gntury, smaller, adjustable extension tables are a good idea. If you want t9 addan- unusu-tableiwith hinged flaps evolved. These so-called drop-leaf al touch, the section on decorative elements (page 112) showstables were used in coffeehouses and taverns. Other modifi- you how to combine wood with such contrasting elements ascations included tables that could split in two to make room for glass, leather, slate, and felt.

The edge of a tabletop is just as important to itsappearance as the wood's grain and color. At left,a router fitted with a rounding-over bit is used tosoften the square edges of a mahogany tabletop.

89

INVENTORY OF TOP DESIGNSIt

IIIII

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItII

Tabletops do not have to be rec-tangular and wooden-or pre-dictable. The "Folia Table"shown at left, built by RhodeIsland cqbinetmaker KamGhaffari, features a curlymaple tabletop dyedblack andgreen, and cut into a stylisticrepresentation of a leaf. Theblack half of the leaf is lowerthan the green half; it is cov-ered by a pane of cut glass thatrests on stainless steel "veins."

METHODS (lF ATTACHING A T(|P

TabletopraSf,enera

DeektopTA6Lene16

TOP SHAPES

E [ ] EKectanqular

t l

Kounded endaand curved eidea

Kounded enda Curved aidee

\ /

Round Oval

5ix-legged gateleg table(pase1o5)Drop-leaf type table featuring two1ate le4a in addition to four etationaryleqa; receaeea in raila may be requiredto allow ewin7ing le4e to be tucked outof the way when not in uae

Four4egged awing4eg table(pase106)Drop-leaf type tablewith two of four le4e thatewin4 out to eupport leavee:ewin7inq le1a are hinqed toraila of table baee

II

I

t

I

I

tI

I

ttIIIIttIttItIIIIIIII

TOPS

EXTENSION TABTES

Non-dividingextension table(pase lOO)Only tabletop and decorative aprondivide: leq-and-rail aaeembly ioacrewed to gtationarv center gea-ment of table extendera. (Decorativeapron removed for clarity.)

Dividingertension table(paqe 1O7)Entire table dividee in two: movinq ee4-menLa of table extendera are acrewedto both halvea of tabletop fromunderneath; le7e move whentabte ie opened

Non- dividing treatle table(page 11O)Breadboard ende pullaway Trom cenf,er ontreatle table alidea

HARDWARE AND ACCESSORIESIIttttI

I

I

I

I

rItI

I

I

I

I

tIIII

ITIttI

Table lockeMounted under extenaton tablea to lockhalvee in place: lonq arma alloweaoy acceoe. 9pring-loadedand lever modelsavailable

Table leaf latcheaMounted under exteneion tablea to[ock leaves in place; available in brassand steeL Model shown below (lefI)featurea eccentric alot thaL drawathe leavee anugly toqether when cloaed

Drop-leaf aupport

leaf tablee to ali4n leaveaor halves ae they are cloaed

/A\a-

t=l )

Steelfastenera Q/- z/n',.Ueed Lo aL.tach Lope.to ./ Vteq-ana-rail a'aem2teo. \ fDeektop, or fiqure-eight, Vfaetener ie tnetalled flueh wtLh topOf ratlE and gcrewed intc +t4b +a^. 7-

eh aped Labl eLop f^ *tr ti' i " u"[tr1ato top and maLee with 0roove6 rout-ed along inaide of table raila

Table fork cloaureU-ohaped handle mountedunder extenaton tablee totock tabletop halvea in place

Cranked hingeUaed to tnstall theadjuatable leqe of four-legqed ewinq-leq tablea:when cloaed, hinqe holdele1 flueh with table rail

Rule joint hingeaUeed to connect leaf andtop of drop-leaf table withrule ioint: lonaer htnaerule joint; lonqer htnqeleaf brid4eo the ./-coved half ofthe joint

Treatle table slideHardwood olidea withd ou ble- alidi n g dovetailjointe mounted in paireunderneath breadboardendo of a LreaLle f,able;typically exLenda from26 to 40 inches ,-/

Elind pivot, hinae ,z\ueedin ptaca o7\ )a dowelin a ,Q1 ypivot rail or \)D/butLerfly Lable

Table leaf alignment pinaUeed to alian tabletopa andleavea fluai on extenLion f,abtee;braaa, hardwood, and plaaticmodela available Itnuuote avauauro

NNZ ) -,.1W -,')6)r- N/,Nr/\)). \)r)" s)t

Mounted underneath drop-leaf tabletop to suppor, leavea.Metal bracket mounta to undersideof top; movable wood alide eupporto leaf

Table extenderaMounted in paira under both dividing and non-dividin7extenaion tablea. Outer eeaments, acrewed to eiLherhalf oftabletop, are puahed away from eachother by rack-and-pinion mechaniam; centereeqmenL rematne etationary. Typicallenqtha are 26 and 3B inchee

I

tT

PREPARINGATOP

The edges of a rectangular desktop ortabletop are often shaped to soften itscontours. Here a router is used with acommercial jig to round the cornersof a tabletop. For a gallery of topshapes, see page 90.

MAKING A TOP

ost tops for tables and desks aremade by edge-gluing boards

together. Few boards are available thatare wide enough and most of thosewould be unsuitable, because of the ten-dency of wide planks to twist and cup.However, by selecting boards carefullyand matching them for color and graindirection, you can create the illusion ofa single piece of wood. Assess the colorand grain of lumber by planing the sur-face lightly to reveal what lies under-neath a plank's rough exterior.

A sturdy, flat top starts with properpreparation of stock. Make sure you usekiln-dried wood or wood that has beenstored long enough in the shop to havea moisture content between 8 and 12percent. A low moisture content meansthat the wood will be relatively stable.Also steer clear of bowed or twistedboards. Since many tops have a finishedthickness of % inch,4/4 rough-sawnstock is an ideal choice as it allows you toplane and sand offup to % inch ofwood.

Wide tops are seldom glued up all atonce because it is much easier to thick-

ness plane several smaller panels thanone large one. The glue up sequence youfollow for your projects will depend onthe finished width of your top, and thesize of your planer. For example, if youown a l2-inch planer and want a 30-inch-wide tabletop, it is best to glue upthree 8- to l2-inch-wide panels and planethem individually, before gluing theminto a single top. To he$ keep the boardsaligned during glue-up, some wood-workers use dowels or biscuits spacedevery 6 to 8 inches, although this is notessential. Unlike standard tables. thegrain for tops for extension tables shouldbe perpendicular to the table's length.Ideally, use quartersawn stock for thesetops, as well as for the leaves.

After the glue has dried and the pan-el has been planed, the edges ofthe topcan be shaped (page 95).With dropJeafand gateleg tables, this shaping is donebefore the joinery. One exception is theround drop-leaftable; its leaves shouldbe installed (page 101) before the circleis cut to ensure that the table will be per-fectly round.

I

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

t

1 Jointing the boardsI Prepare each board by first jointing aface and an edge, then plane the otherface. Next, roughly crosscut the boards,leaving them about 1 inch longer than thetop's final length. Rip the stock so that thecombined width of all the boards is rough-ly 1 inch wider than the finished top, thenjoint all the cut edges (/eff). Next, arrangethe boards for appearance, taking into con-siderat ion any leaves i f you are makingan extension, drop-leaf, or gateleg table.(Leaves are typically glued up separatelyfrom the tabletop.) To minimize warping,arrange the planks so the end grain of adja-cent boards runs in opposite directions.When you are satisfied with the arrange-ment, use a pencil or chalk to mark a refer-ence triangle on top of the boards. This willhelp you correctly realign them for glue-up.

93

TOPS

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

T

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

T

T

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

Applying the glueTo hold your bar clamps upright dur-

ing g lue-up, cut notched wood b locks andset the c lamps in the b locks. Space theclamps at least every 24 to 36 inches. Toavo id mar r i ng t he edges o f t he pane lwhen you t i gh ten the c lamps , cu t twowood pads as l ong and as t h i ck as t heboards being g lued. Apply a narrow beado f g lue to one edge o f each j o i n t anduse a smal l , s t i f f -br is t led brush to spreadthe adhesive evenly on the board edges(above). Move quick ly to s tep 3 beforei h p o l r r c h p o i n c t n c p t

Q Tightening the clampsr.,l Lay the boards face-down on the barc lamps and a l i gn t he i r ends , mak ing su rethe s ides of the reference t r iangle are l inedup. T ighten the c lamps under the boardsjust enough to but t them together . To bal -ance the c lamping pressure and keep thepanel f la t , p lace bar c lamps across the topof the panel between the ones underneath.F i n i s h t i g h t e n i n g a l l t h e c l a m p s i n t u r n(right) unti l there are no gaps betweenthe boa rds and a t h i n , even bead o f g l uesqueezes out of the joints. Remove excessglue wi th a scraper or a damp c loth.

94

TOPS

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

tI

I

tI

I

SIZING A TOP

Cutting a rectangular topOnce the top has been glued up, rip it towidth and trim it to final length. lf the topis too large to cut on your table saw, use arouter fitted with a straight bit. First, securethe too on a broad work surface and cut itroughly using a circular saw, leaving about% inch to trim on all sides. Clamp an edgeguide to the tabletop near one side so thatthe router wi l l remove about one-half thewaste with the first pass; reset the depthof cut to trim the rest of the waste tighil.Repeat for the other edges.

Making a round topScr ibe a c i rc le on the g lued-up top and make the cu t w i th arouter. For small-diameter tops, you can use a commercial com-pass jig; to cut larger tops, use the shop-built compass jig shownin the inset. Make the device from %-inch hardboard, sizing it tosuit your router. Cut the router end of the jig to the size and shapeof your tool's base plate, and make the arm at least 2 inches wideand longer than the radius of the circle you will be cutting. Bore aclearance hole for the bit in the center of the router end. and fix

the tool to the jig. Draw a line down the center of the jig arm andmark the radius of the tabletop on it, measuring from the edge ofthe bi t . Dri l l a hole at this center mark and screw the j ig to thecenter of the workoiece. Secure the stock to a work surface withcleats and a scrap board underneath. Plunge the bi t into thestock and rout the circle in a clockwise direction (above). Makethe cut in two or more passes, increasing the depth of cutbetween each pass.

95

ATTACHINGATOP

1\ ttaching a top to a table or desk is af 1" straightiorward task-so long as youconsider wood movement. Screwing a topin place without providing for the swellingand shrinking that occurs with humiditychanges will result ur split or cracked wood.Because wood expands along the grainmuch less than it does across it, most toDsare rnade with the planks running length-wise. One exceotion to this rule is exlensiontables, wherelhe grain must be alignedacross the width of the table so that thetwo halves do not expand in width at dif-ferent rates, causing the slides to bind.

Several popular methods for securingtoDS to tables and desks are shown in thissection, including screwing the rails to therop (see below) and using wood buttons(page 98), ledger strips (pnge 97), screwsin pocket holes (page 9B), and steel desktopfasteners (pnge 100). For each of thesemethods, the rails of the leg-and-railassembly need to be prepared for the topbefore the legs and rails can be glued up.

SCREWING THE RAIL T() THE TOP

1 Dr i l l ing the holesI To at tach a tabletop or desktop to ales -and - ra i l assemh lv bo re a se r i es o fcoun te rsunk ho les i n each ra i l f o r t hescrews, before the legs are jo ined to thera i l . D r i l l t he ho les on a d r i l l p ress i n twosteps. F i rs t , bore holes at 6- inch in tervalsabou t ha l fway th rough the th i ckness o ft h e r a i l . C l a m p a n e d g e g u i d e t o t h e d r i l lo ress t ab le t o keeo the ho les i n l i ne . Toaccommodate the movement of the top,the holes should be larger than the d iam-eter of the screw heads you wi l l be usrng.In the second step, bore c learance holess l i gh t l y l a rge r t han the sc rew shank a l lthe way through the rails (right).

Trestle tnbles ore often desigred to be disasserrrbled. Itr theexantple shown above, tlrc screws nttaclrirrg tlte ltose o.l'thc ttble lothe top can easily be rerrroved. The cottntersurtk screw holesare elongated to allow for wood rrtoverrretlt across the groirr.

I

I

I

I

I

T

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

T

I

I

I

T

I

I

I

I

TOPS

tlll lllt llll lll'lltl lII lil lfll'llll'fil fiI'llll''fi1'"1ll1]ll llll ffi III1HO? Tt?Addingledger otripolf you have a Labletop or deekLopwilh thin raile LhaI would be weak'ened by enlar4ed ocrew holee, youcan ocrew ledqer olripo Io Iheineide faces of the rails. Cut, fourolripo lo fiI alonq Nhe ineideof Lhe rails, and bore Iwooelo of oversized holee in

r) Attaching the rails to the topZ- Set the too face-down on a worK sur-face, and center the leg-and-rail assem-bly on it. Screw one side rail to the topfisl (above), using washers to allow thewood to move. Square thetop (page 100),then screw the opposite side rail in place.Lastly, screw the two end rails to the top.

adiacenl edqee of each .*d.=eNrip (paqe 96).)crew ,,..-nlIhe ledaer strips to allfour ratrs,lhen' atlach 4Ihe oIriVo No the IoV.

TOPS

P()CKET H()LES

W()OD BUTT()NS

1 Making the buftonsI To at tach a top us ing wood but tons,you wil l need to place a wood button every6 inches a long the ra i ls . Begin by cut t inga g roove on the i ns ide face o f each ra i laboul 7 inch f rom the top. You can cutseve ra l l " - by I 1 l " bu t t ons f r om a s ing leboa rd ; make the th i ckness o f t he s tockequal to the gap between the bottom of thegroove and the top of the ra i ls , less Xe inch.Cut a rabbet to frt the groove at each endof the board, then r ip the board in to 1- inchstr ips on a band saw and cut of f the but-tons about 1% inches from the ends l inset).To make ho les i n t he bu t tons fo r i ns ta l -l a t i on , use an L -shaped co rne r 1 ig f ash -ioned f rom a scrap of l - inch p lywood andtwo p ieces of wood. Clamp the j ig to yourd r i l l p ress t ab le and s teady the bu t tonswrth a hold-down fashioned f rom scrapwood . Bo re t h rough the cen te rs on theunrabbeted portions of the buttons (rrghf).

Dr i l l ing the holesYou can use an e lect r ic dr i l l and a commer-cial j ig to dri l l pocket holes for attaching thetop to a leg-and-ra i l assembly. Fol low themanufacturer's instructions to adjust the l igto the desi red depth of cut and c lamp i t toa work surface with a backup board againstt he s tock . P lunge the b i t i n to t he wood ,making the pocket cut ( le f t ) . Then, f i t ad r i l l w i t h t he b i t supp l i ed w i th t he j i g andbore a clearance hole connecting the pock-et hole to the top of the ra i l , us ing the k i t 'sg u i d e b u s h i n g t o d i r e c t t h e o p e r a t i o n/lnsef). Space pocket holes every 6 inches.Screw the top in place as shown on page 97.

I

I

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

\Tocket cut

9B

TOPS

T

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

ill llr irl, lJl illl fiIl llr 1lll ljll lllr fiIl llll ll[ llil llli llt llli liJ5HO7 Tt?Ueing eteel tabletop faetenereCommercial steel NableLop f ae-Leners work like wood buLNonstThey are screwed Lo Nhe Iabletopfrom underneath and qr ip a grooverouf,ed or cuL in the ineide faceof the rai ls. Secauee commercialfaetenere are Lhinner Nhan l iwoodbuL lono , l he q roova - '

,does not haveLo be cutwiLh a d,ado blade: iN canbe made wiLh a strandardeaw blade, or with a Nhree-winq eloi t ing cul ler ina t ,able- mounled roul,er.

r) Installing the buttonsL Center the g lued-up leg-and- ra i lassembly on the tabletop and screw i t tothe top using the wood buttons you cutin step 1. Fi t the rabbeted ends of thebuttons into the groove in one of the siderails, spacing them every 6 inches. Screwthe buttons in place (above), leavinga X-inch gap between the l ipped ends of thebuttons and the bottom of the groove toallow for wood movement. Square the top(page 100) and instal l the buttons atthe opposite side. Last ly, instal l the but-tons along the end rai ls.

To ensure ?roper Lengion, makethe groove a little farLher from lhe toplhan',,tou would with the wood buLlons,

8,ffi;Pfq"*

TOPS

DESKTOP FASTENERS

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

Installing the fastenersDesktop fasteners are a popular choice forattaching tops. lnstal led in shal low notch-es so they l ie f lush with the top of the rai l ,they are then screwed into the Iop (inset).The fasteners can pivot s l ight ly back andfor th as the top swe l ls and shr inks . Toins ta l l the fas teners , rou t o r ch ise l ou trecesses for them in the top of each rai l ,spacing the notches every 6 inches. Screwthe hardware to the rails (/efl), then cen-ter the leg-and-rai l assembly on the topand screw it in place through the fasteners.

SSUARING THE T()P

Checking for squareBe fo re sc rew ing a t op to a l eg -and - ra i lassembly, make sure that the sur face iscen te red and squa re . A ba r c l amp andwood pads wil l do this. Place the top good-s ide down on a work sur face, set the leg-and-ra i l assembly on top, and at tach ones ide ra i l t o t he t op . Bu t t one j aw o f a ba rc lamp against the edge of the top at oneend, and the other jaw against a leg at theopposi te end. Use wood pads to preventmarr ing the stock. Measure the d is tancebetween the edge of the top and the endra i l s a t seve ra l po in t s a t bo th ends . A l ly o u r m e a s u r e m e n t s s h o u l d b e e q u a l . l fno t , squa re t he assemb ly by t i gh ten ingthe c lamp (r ight) . Check the measure-ments, then screw the opposi te s ide ra i l tothe top. Remove the bar c lamp and screwthe end ra i l s i n o lace .

100

ADIUSTABLE TOPSI

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

rIIIIIItIItI

r

\J ot everyone has the space for a largel\ dining table, although the extrasurface area is often needed. One solu-tion is a table with an expandable top.There are several choices open to you.

Drop-leaf tables typically have longleaves parallel with the grain that hangout of the way when not in use. Smallleaves may be supported by a pull-outbar. Large leaves that more than doublethe surface area require swing legs orgate legs to be added.

Swing legs are part of a four-leggedleg-and-rail assembly (page 106); gatelegs are an additional set of legs usedspecifically for support (page 105).Ifyoawant to increase a table's length, exten-

Extension tables feature dividing topsthat open in the middle to make room

for spacer leavel The mahogany diningtable shown above slides open usingcommercial table ext ender s installed

under both halves of the top. Steeltabletop eveners lock together when thetop is closed, ensuring a flush surface.

sion tables feature tops that split openon sliders to accept additional spacerleaves. Extension tables can be built sothat the entire table opens (page 107),or just the top (page 108).

Adjusable tops are made in muchthesame way as solid wood tops (page 93),with a few important exceptions. Dropleaves are best glued up from quarter-sawn wood, where the growth rings areat right angles to the face. This willreduce the tendency of the wood to cup.Since it shrinks and swells less thanplain-sawn stock, quartersawn wood isalso ideal for the tops of extension tables,where the grain runs across the widthof the table.

MAKING A RULE IOINT F(|R A DROP-LEAF TABLE

1 Routing the cove in the leavesI The easiest wav to make a rule ioint isby using a matchei set of piloted cove andround-over router bi ts. First , instal l theround-over bit in your router and shape abead around the tabletop and the threeoutside edges of the leaves. Make the cutin several passes, leaving a %-inch l iparound the edge. Then install the pilotedcove bit and mount the router in a table.Al ign the fence with the bi t pi lot so thewidth of cut eouals one-half the cutterdiameter. Set the depth of cut shallow atfirst; make several passes to reach yourf inal depth gradual ly. Feed the tableleaf into the bit, pressing the edge of theworkpiece firmly against the fence (/eff).After each pass, test-fit the pieces untilthe tabletoo and the leaf mesh with avery slight gap between the two.

101

TOPS

r) Installing the rule joint hingeZ. Posit ion the shorter hinge leaf against the underside of thetabletop and the longer hinge leaf against the table leaf; thehinge pin should be al igned with the start of the round-over cuton the tabletop (inset). Offset the hinge pin Yzz inch toward the

edge of the tabletop for c learance. 0ut l ine the hinge on boththe tab le top and the lea f and rou t ou t the waste . Ch ise l ou tthe mort ises to accept the hinge pins (above), then screw theh inges in p lace .

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

ttI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

SUPPORTING A DROP LEAFUsing a commercial drop-leaf supportCut a notch in the middle of the rai l adja-cent to the table leaf to accommodate thesupport. (For drop leaves more than 3 feetlong, use two supports, located about6 inches from each end.) With the leavesinstal led and the tabletoo attached. setthe table upside-down on a work surface.Sl ide the support in the notch, posi t ioningi t so tha t i t f u l l y suppor ts the lea f , andscrew it in place (right).

r02

I

I

rtI

I

I

I

I

t

tI

tI

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

TOPS

ir;

DROP.IEAF SUPPORTSlf commercial drop-leaf supports aretoo bulky for your table, you can easilymake supports that will complementyour design. Before attaching the leg-and-rail assembly to the tabletop, cuttwo notches in the top edge of eachside rai l adjoining a drop leaf . Thenotches should be about 6 inchesfrom the ends of the rail and sized tofr t the supports you wi l l make. Foreach leaf, cut two supports from thesame stock you used to bui ld yourtable. The supports should be suff i -cient to hold the drop leaf; the onein the i l lustrat ions at r ight is cut 2inches wide and 14 inches long from%-inch-thick stock.

To prepare the supports, you needto rout two grooves down the middleof each one to accommodate screwsand washers. Cut one groove halfwaythrough the support slightly wider thanthe washers you will use (inset); cen-ter the second groove in the first one,making it slightly wider than the screwshanks and cutt ing r ight through thesupport. Both grooves should stop 2inches from each end of the support.

Attach a knob to one end of thesupport to make it easy to slide in therai l notch. Set the f ul ly assembledtable upside down on a work surface,slide the support into the notch, andposition it so that it supports the leaf.lnstall a screw and washer into the topat the inside end of the groove, drivingthe screw unt i l i t meets the washer(right, top). This screw will be the sup-port 's outward stop. To mount theinward stop, retract the slide so theknob-end is f lush with the rai l , andinstall a second screw and washer thesame way as the first (right, bottom).

Outward etop

SupporttL "x2"x14"

103

TOPS

PIVOTING DR()P.LEAF SUPP()RTS

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

illl llll lllr ilIl ljlt llll llll lllt t]l] illj tjll llll t]il iltl llll ilij tllj lll9HO7 Tt?Leveling drop leaveeOroV leaveo thal droopcan be leveled eaeilywith a ehal lowwedge. Gluelhe piece ofwood to theunderside ofLhe leaf in l ine withlhe droVleaf euVVort.The wedqe wi l l jackthe leaf up when theoupporl ie el idinLo pooit ion.

Making and installing the pivot railAn alternate method of buttressing dropleaves is with pivoting supports. Housedin a notched sect ion of the table rai l , thesupport pivots on a dowel to hold thedrop lea f when the lea f i s ex tended(above, left), then aligns with the railwhen the leaf is not needed. Begin bycutting the supports from the same stockused for the table: Make one for a dropleaf that adjoins an end rai l , and two fora lea f ad jacent to a s ide ra i l . The sup-ports should be as thick as the rails, one-half their width, and twice as long as thedistance between the rail and the middleof the drop leaf when the table is assem-bled. Angle the ends of the support andnotch the top edge of the rail to match.This will allow the support to close almostf lush w i th the ra i l . Bore a ho le in thecenters of the support and the notch fora dowel o r a b l ind p ivo t h inge; eachhole should be sl ight ly deeper than one-half the dowel or hinge length. Glue thedowel or instal l the hinge in the hole inthe rail (inset), place the support on thedowel, and assemble the table.

t04

TOPS

tI

tT

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

tI

aI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

GATE LEGS F()R A SIX-LEGGED TABTE

1 lnstalling the gate legsI 0n six-legged gateleg tables, the table leaves are supportedby two swinging gate legs hinged to the table rails and stretch-ers. The table shown at right has a standard four-legged leg-and-rail assembly, an additional set of rails, called stretchers, installednear the bottom of the legs, and two gate legs. The tabletop isconnected to two leaves with rule joints (pages 101-102). fhecentral portion of the top can be narrower than on a drop-leaftable, but the width of the Ieaves should not exceed the heightof the table, or the leaves wi l l touch the f loor when they are notin use. The gate legs are attached after the base is joined to thetabletop (pages 96-99). Cut four gateleg rails: two to join thegate legs to the table rails, and two more to connect the legs tothe stretchers. The rai ls should be long enough to hold the gatelegs near the center of the leaves. Join the gate rai ls to the legswith mortise-and-tenon joints (page 76); use hinges to fastenthe rails near the middle of the stretchers and table rails tight),making sure the gate legs wi l l rest between the f ixed legswhen the leaves are down.

O Installing gateleg stopsL ,lse wooden stops to hold the gatelegs in place when the leaves are in use.Set the table upside down on a work sur-face and swrng open the gate legs unt i lthey are centered on the leaves. Butt asmall wood block against the outside ofeach gate leg and screw it to the under-side of the leaf (left).

105

TOPS

Swing legs were traditionally attachedto table rails with wooden hinges. Some-

times called knuckle joints, these weremade by cutting interlocking fingers intothe hinge rail and the swing-Ieg rail. Thetwo rails were then connected by a wood-

en or metal pin. These joints qre stillused on reproductions of antique swing-

leg tables. On most modern tables, ametal crankedhinge is now used.

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

SWING LEGS FOR A FOUR.LEGGED TABLE

9win4leq

Using a cranked hingeIn a four-legged swing-leg table, there are two fixed legs andtwo swing legs that pivot out to support the leaves (abovd.foassemble this table, first prepare a top with a rule joinl (pages101-102), then make four legs and rails, making any necessarypreparations for the method you will use later to attach the top(page 96-99). Join only two legs to the rails at opposite corners;use mortise-and-tenon joinls (page 76). Set the two other legsaside as swing legs, and join the rai ls at the two remainingcorners with dovetai l or box joints. Next, cut the hinge andswing-leg rai ls, one for each swing leg. Cut recesses in thetab le ra i l s , the swing- leg ra i l s , and the h inge ra i l s fo r thecranked hinge; this wi l l a l low the swing-leg rai ls to si t f lushagainst the table rai ls. Also cut a notch rn the legs so they wi l lwrap around the table rai ls when the leaves are down. Screwthe hinge rai ls to the table rai ls and join the swing-leg rai ls tothe swing legs with mortise-and-tenon joints. Fasten the swinglegs in place with cranked hinges, screwing one leaf of thehinge to the table rail and the otherto the swing-legrait (teft).Now place the tabletop top-side down, position the swing-legassembly in place, and screw the two together.

Hinae rail n" \ U

106

TOPS

I

ttI

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

tI

I

DIVIDING EXTENSI()N TABTES

1 Positioning the table extendersI To make a dividins extension tablewith legs and rails that-move when the topis expanded, bui ld a leg-and-rai l assem-bly and a top. But rather than attachingthem, cut both in half on your table saw.(To ensure that the tabletop halves do notexpand at di f ferent rates as a result ofhumidi ty changes, al ign the grain of thetop across its width.) Attach the leg-and-rai l assemblies to the top halves, makingsure the cut edges of the rai ls and topsa l ign per f ec t l y . The commerc ia l tab leextenders shown on this page are screwedto the underside of the tabletop halves.To determine the position of the extenders,set the table halves upside down on a worksurface and mark l ines on the undersideof the toos 4 to 6 inches from the siderai ls. To ensure the l ines are perpendicu-lar to the joint between the top halves,use a carpente(s square (right).

r-) Installing the table extendersL ltiarV,the center of each segment of thetable extenders with a penci l . Then posi-tion the extenders face down on the under-side of the tabletop, al igning the centermarks with the joint between table halvesand the ins ide segments w i th the l inesyou marked in step 1. Before screwingthe extenders down, open them sl ight ly;th is ensures tha t there w i l l be no gapbetween the top halves when the table isclosed. With the tabletop halves buttedtogether and ends f lush, screw the out-side segments of the extenders to thetop, driving screws through the predrilledholes (/eff). Cut a leaf to f it the openingbetween the top halves.

r07

TOPS

NON.DIVIDING EXTENSION TABTES

1 Making the decorative apronI 0n a non-div id ing extension table-wi th tabletop halves thatopen while the leg-and-rail assembly remains stationary-the tophalves are attached to the outside movable segments of the exten-ders and the ra i ls are fastened to crosspieces that are screwedto the middle f ixed extender segments (above, /e f t ) . Star t bycut t ing the top in hal f . Now bui ld a decorat ive apron-and-post

assembly for each tabletop half and screw each in place (above,right), The aprons and posts are loined (page 76) and attached tothe top (page 96)in the same fashion as a leg-and-rail assembly.Fasten the table extenders to the top halves as you would for adividing extension Iable (page 107). At this point, the assemblyis l ike an ordinary dividingtable, with corner posts in place of legs.

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

tI

I

t

I

I

rI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

T

tI

r) Preparing the leg-and-rail assemblyL to support the table. you must nowbui ld a leg-and-ra i l assembly that wi l l f i ti ns ide the deco ra t i ve ao ron . To a t t achthe c rossp ieces tha t j o i n t he assemb lyto the table extenders, cut four notchesin t he top edge o f t he s i de ra i l s us ing achisel and a wooden mallet (right). Makesu re t he no tches i n oooos i t e ra i l s a reperfect ly a l igned. Screw the crosspiecesto t he ra i l s .

tIII

, t azteDop natri - t ' i - ' lI

! ; lo u

I r n ^ a n t 2 a z

Tahlel- nn

halfI

!t

r0B

TOPS

I

I

ttI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

ttI

IIIIItIIIIIII

1 Attachins the les-and-rail<.

r-,1 assembly to the table extendersComp le te t he tab le w i t h t he t op ups idedown on a work surface. Center the leg-and-ra i l assembly ins ide the decorat ive apron.The crosspieces wi l l rest on the f ixed seg-ments of the table extenders. Screw themin place (right). CUI a leaf to f it the open-i ns i n t he t ab le .

PEDESTAL EXTENSION TABLESAttaching the base to the topTo make an extension table with a pedestalbase, start with a top and an apron-and-post assembly l ike that of a non-dividingextension table (page l0B). Attach theouts ide s l id ing segments o f two tab leextenders to the too halves. You are nowready to attach the base to the fixed por-t ion of the extenders. Make sure the rai lsof the pedestal base extend beyond thef ixed segments, and bore holes for coun-tersinking screws through the rai ls. Al ignthe holes over the middle f ixed segmentsof the extenders and screw them toeether.

Apron-and-rarlaeaembly

Pedeatal baee ratl

r09

TOPS

INSTALLING LEAVES ON A TRESTLE TABTE

O Installing the spacer leavesL Cut and shape spacer leaves to f i tbetween the too and the breadboard ends.Make the leaves slightly narrower than thetable opening so they can be inserted andremoved easily. To hold each leaf in align-ment when instal led, use dowels at i tsbreadboard-end edge and tabletop eveners(page 92) at the other edge. For the dow-els, bore holes in the edge of the bread-board end and the leaf (page 74), Ihenglue the dowels in the leaf . Screw threeoairs of eveners to the underside of theleaf at the other edge and the tabletop.To use the spacer leaves, extend eachbreadboard end fully, set the leaf in place(r ight) , and push the table closed unt i lthe dowels f i t into their holes and al l thepieces butt together.

1 Installing trestle table slidesI To instal l spacer leaves on a trest letable, f i rst cut and rout two "breadboard"

ends using the same bit you used to shapethe res t o f the tab le too . Then se t thetab le ups ide down on a work sur face ,al ign the breadboard ends with the end ofthe top, and position two commercial tres-t le tab le s l ides face-down on the too 'sunderside. The ends of the sl ides' insidesegments should be f lush with the jointbetween the table and the breadboardends; the s l ides shou ld a lso be para l le lto the tabletop edges. Screw the insidesegments of the sl ides to the tabletop(left). Before screwing the outside seg-ments to the breadboard ends , openthe s l ides s l igh t ly to ensure tha t therewi l l be no gaps in the top when the tableis closed.

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tIIIIII

1 1 0

TOPS

I

I

ttIItI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

rI

I

I

t

TABLE.TOCKING HARDWARE

punch impreeeione on Nheedqe of Nhe Nop, provid-ing eLarl inq poinf,e . , / - ."a 'lo r bor inq Ihematinq holee.

ilIl illt lrll t]ll llll tlll llll llll llll llrl lll illl illl llll ilil lll llll ljll)HO? TI?Aligning table leaveo with dowel centeroTo keep Nable leavee Vroperly aliqned withlable'LoVe, maLinq holee for dowele or aliqnmentr VinsmueL l ine up precioely, Oowel cenler l areideal for Nhie Naek. For lhe Nable ohownhere, bore holee in one edqe of Nhe leafand ineerL dowel cenNers.Then alian /-'the leaf with Nhe NoV and butt them f::the leaf with Lhe t oV and butt them rZffi

Zi\%if ;;11':';ilni^:;'oZnouffi -i*"r----::-::

Installing a table lockTo orevent an extension table from sl id-ing open when i t is moved, instal l table-lock ing hardware on the unders ide o fthe top. The table lock shown normal lykeeps the top halves together. By sim-ply reaching under the end of the tableand pu l l ing on the w i re , the la tch isopened. To install the table lock, centerand screw the latch on the table joint .Then extend the wire to one end andf i x i t in p lace us ing the screw and c l ipprovided (above).

of r,he dowel cenNere will ^-- -=.*NRlnil* -- -

DECORATIVE ELEMENTS

A glass top can lighten theIook of a large table. The topcan either consist of a singlepane of glass, or incorporate

glass as a design element,as in the framed-glass top of

the mahogany coffee tableshown at right.

INSTATTING A FRAMED.GTASS TOP

1 Preparing the frameI Prepare the four frame pieces by shaping their outside edgesand rabbeting the inside edges to hold the glass. Use siock thatis at least % inch thick and 2% inches wide. For the shapingcuts, instal l a decorat ive molding bi t in your router and mountthe tool in a table. Use three featherboards to suooort the work-piece: two clamped to the fence on ei ther side of the bi t andone secured to the table. Feed the stock face-down (above.

bfil.fo cut the rabbets, attach an auxiliary wooden fence toyour table saw and instal l a dado head, adjust ing i ts width tothe rabbet width-about % inch. Set the cutting height to theglass thickness. Using three featherboards to support the work-piece, position the fence for the width of cut and saw the rab-bets hbove, right). (ln both illustrations, the featherboard onthe outfeed side of the fence has been removed for claritv.)

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

tI

LT2

TOPS

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tIIIIIIIIIrI

I

I

I

Gluing up the frame andinstalling the glass

Once you have shaped and rabbeted theframe pieces, cut them to length with 45"miters at their ends. For added strength,join the corners with biscuit jo ints. Clampthe oieces to a work surface and use ap la te jo iner to cu t mat ing s lo ts in themitered ends (above). Insert glue and onebiscuit at each corner (left) and clamp theframe together. Next, attach the frame tothe leg-and- ra i l assembly o f your tab le(page 96). Measure the opening in theframe and have a sheet of tempered glassat least %-inch thick cut to f i t . To instal lthe glass, glue str ips of fel t into the rab-bets to act as a cushion (inseil, then setthe slass in the frame.

1 1 3

TOPS

INSTALLING A LEATHER TOP

1 Gluing leather to a base panelI Tops for tables and desks can incorpo-rate leather in their design. This examplefeatures a leather-covered panel surround-ed by a wood frame. To start, cut a pieceof leather to cover the face and edges of abase panel, typical ly %-inch plywood;using leather that weighs at least 4 ouncesper square foot (about Xe inch thick) willprevent the surface of the panel from show-ing through the leather. Use contact cementto attach the mater ial to the face of thepanel and smooth it down (right).To en-able the leather to bond cleanly aroundthe edges, cut out small squares at eachcorner (inset). Then glue it to the edges.

O Installing the panel in a frameL tttat<e and glue up a tabletop framefor the leathered panel as you would for aglass-framed top (page 112). Fit the panelin the frame and set the assembly upsidedown on a work surface. Fasten the oanelto the frame, spacing screws at 6- to 8-inch intervals (/eff,).

I

I

I

tIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItII

tr4

TOPS

ItttlIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIt

INSTALLING A TILE TOP

llt'II1 ffi-.llf1th{r-llf"tll -{Il .lflr{r "llr"ll}1ll"1ll-llll llll llll5HO7 Tt?A felr-iopped writing deokDecauee felt is nol ae sLift as leaLher,makin7 a felN-covered deekto? canbe a tricky taek. 1larL byculNinq a ehallow receooin the top for Lhe fab-ric, ueinq a rouher fil. 'ted with a etraiqht bft.Cut a piece of heavyfelttc; fitthe recess,iron out any wrinkleo,and qlue the maler ialin olace. Do noI useliquid qlue, a6 iN maybleed throu1h Lhe fabric:instead, uee a opray adhe-eive lormulated Io bond fab'ric t o wood. Smooth ouI lhefabric wilh a veneer roller.

Ceramic, marble, or slate tiles can alsobe incorporated into tops for tables ordeslcs. Making a tile top is much likemaking a leather one (page ll4). Thetiles are glued to a substrate of 'h-inch

plywood, which is then screwed to atabletop frame. As the tiles are beingglued down, rubber spacers are in-stalled to maintain the proper spacing.Once the adhesive dries, the spacersare removed and the gaps betweenthe tiles are grouted.

.i,]:, ",\--

-''\

1 1 5

I

I

I

I

I

I

\

tIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIII

II

irtually all desks and manytables need drawers. And no

matter what their use, all drawersmust meet essentially the samerequirements. Whether you aremaking three or four sturdy draw-ers for a desk pedestal, like the oneshown in the photo on page 116, ora single unit for an end table, eachdrawer must fit precisely and with-stand considerable stress, while alsocomplementing the design of thefurniture that holds it.

The first step in building a draw-er is to consider its use. What willthe drawer contain? How much usewill it receive? These matters willdetermine the type of wood andjoineryyou choose.

Start with the drawer front. It isnot only the most visible piece, italso undergoes the most stress. Asolid, durable joint is required to

DWRS

Rather than measuring a drawer openingwith a tape or a rule, use the drawer parts them-

selves. Here, a drawer side is inserted into itsopening and a cuttingline is marked on the

stock in line with the front edge of the opening.A shim at thebackwill ensure that the drawer

is slightly shorter than the opening and willnot close against the back of the carcase.

durable wood that is resistant towarping.Ash, oak, maple, and cher-ry are all strong enough to with-stand heavy use. Softer species likepine and poplar are usable, but onlyfor smaller drawers. Some cabinet-makers choose contrasting woodslike walnut and ash for the front andsides to highlight the joinery whenthe drawer is opened.

Beyond appearance and strength,a drawer must fit perfectly. A draw-er that jams or chatters when it isopened and closed will wear morequickly than one that whispers qui-etly. There are several ways tomount drawers, as shown begin-ning on page 133. Each method isdesigned to support the drawer, pre-vent it from tipping as it is pulledout, and stop it as it slides home.Preparing dust frames for bottom-run drawers is shown in the

keep it firmly attached to the sides. foinery methods are shownbeginning on page 120. The front should also blend attrac'tively with the grain of the wood surrounding it. For struc-tural reasons, the grain of the front should run horizontally.Vertical grain will not produce solid joints; it will also be proneto greater movement with moisture changes.

The stock you use for the drawer sides and back does nothave to be the same as for the front-provided you choose a

Casework chapter (page 28). The section on drawer stops (pageJ38) presents several effective ways to stop drawers from beingpulled out or pushed in too far.

Hardware adds the final touch to a drawer. The selectionshown on page 119 offers some suggestions. Locks are appliedto drawers both for securing valuables and to copy tradition-al pieces. Steps for installing a half-mortise lock are shownstarting on page 131.

Combining strength with appearance, half-blind dovetails area popular choice for joining drawer fronts to sides. Here, a dove-tailed drawer is slid into one side of a double-pedestal desk.

ANMOMYOFADRAWERIII

A drawer is essentially an open box,A consist ing of a front, a back, twosides, and a bottom. The front is mostoften made from thicker stock than thesides and back; the bottom is typicallymade from Z-inch plywood. Beyondthese general similarities, drawers varyin style, methods of joinery, and tech-niques of mounting. Many drawer-mak-

ing options are illustrated below and onthe following page.

Three popular drawer front styles areshown directlybelow. Installing a draw-er can be a tricky operation, especiallyif the drawer is poorly made. An out-of-square drawerian sometimes be con-ceiled with a false front, but if it is badlytwisted, it will be almost impossible to

install so that it opens smoothly. Severaljoints for assembling drawers are alsoshown below; each possesses differentqualities of strength and durability,

Installing hardware is the final, andusually the simplest, step in building adrawer. The selection of drawer hard-ware shown on page 119 will provideyou with many options.

l l *

t% 1

Falsefront: A separate front isattached to the stntctural f'onr;

conceals end grnin of drawer sides

Flush front: Allows the drawerto fit entirely within the carcase;also known as an inset drawer

Lipped front: A rabbeted frontcreates a lip that is useful for con-cealing commercial runners whenthe drawer is closed. Lip performs

double duty as drawer stop

IIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIII

t'"*.t;:

tt," 4iq;*.'1 ,:rtrn .,. I

'i" .r,' 5i1;,:,,,u,_o

:

DRAWER J()INTS

i'' ' l ' iRabbet

For back-to-aidejointe; aloo etronq

enouqh for joininq thefrontto Lhe eideatf reinforced wrthecrewo or natle.

9uiLable for aalidwood or plywood

Through dovetail)Lronq, decorative

joint for any drawercorner; end qrain ofdrawer aides can beconcealed with falaefront. Appropriatefor aalid wood buL

not plywood

Half-blind dovetailThe traditional jointfor connecting f,hefronf, to the eidea;

conceale end 4rain ofeidee. 9uitable only

for Eolid wood

DadoCommonly Lo jointhe back to Lheaidee: for aolid

wood or plywood

Double dadoFor any corner of

a arawer; conceal1end 7rarn of eidea,)uitable only for

aolid wood

IITlrIIIIIIIIIIIIIttIIIIIIIItI

DRAWER HARDWARE

drawer Eides ;.

DRAWER-MOUNTING METH(lDS

Commeraial elide runners ....Metal elidee screwedto drawer eidee mate '1fi"'

with runnera acrewed iii,i. i i i lLO Carjage ,t:

"'i l"'t' 'iiji "--;":t', , ,1 ' ' \' :iiil

DRAWERS

Kunner

Bottom-runDrawer alidea on rail-and-runneraeeembly wtth or wtthout duetpanel. Twin Lenona aL enda of ratleare qlued into double mortieea cuLinLo carcaae panelo: one edqe ofrunnere can be rabbeted to fit intogroove cut into carcase aidee orgrooved for a apline joint (paqe 37)Duet frame ia aesembled withm orLi e e- a n d -Le n on j o I nt7side-mounted iiii \'\

Wooden elidea ,, \ecrewed to carcaoe :;; L

'

eide panela run,in ti\i ..r. \qroovea routed in ! - l}

I

I

Commeraial elide runnersUaed to mount drawera incarcageo; bottom runner(top) and aide runner (riqht).Farticularly ouitable for draw-ere that will carry heavy loada

= o l a

i -*Ttr- d. Drawer handlea

*ttf one or more are mounreaG,

' o, arawer irontr; avatape

il\' **- in stvlee as varied aeffi- Esautaheonar',-fi ?rotect wood eur-

roundin4 keyhole; plater. eacutcheon(letr,tup)1 I and decorative braaa

threaded eacutcheon(lefE, botbom)

Half-moft,ise loakMounted in half-mortiae cutinto back face of drawerfront; bolt extends into mor'tiee cut in rail of carcase

Chippendale and thaker to

W

9lide

1 1 9

DRAWERIOINERY

hen you have settled on the sizeof a drawer, it is time to choose

the right joinery. Since the corners ofadrawer undergo different stresses, chooseyour joints accordingly. The front-to-side connections endure the most stressand require the strongest joinery. Theconnections between the back and sidesare less affected by everyday use andtherefore do not have to be as solid.

The following pages present severaljoinery options. Three of them-thehalf-blind (below) and through dovetail(page 125), and the double dado (page1271--<an only be used with solid wood.Each of these joints is strong enough toconnect the front to the sides, althoughthe double dado should be reserved forsmall, light-duty drawers. For pllwooddrawers, use a rabbetjoint for any oftheconnections, or a standard dado joint toattach the back oiece to the sides.

Dffirent joints for dffirent needs:A dado-and-rabbet joint works well for

attaching the back to the sides of adrawer. The front demands a strongerjoint that will conceal the end grain ofthe sides-in this case, a double dado.

The joinery options you choose willalso affect the appearance ofthe drawer.Unless you are installing a false front,choose a joint like the half-blind dovetailor double dado to conceal the end grainof the sides.

Drawer bottoms fit into a groove cutin the sides and front. The groove canbe cut with a saw before the ioinerv cutsare made (page 123)or once the diaweris assembled, using a table-mountedrouter and a three-wing slotting cutter.

Before gluing up, make sure you havedecided on a mounting method. A side-hung drawer, for example, needs to havea groove cut in its side before the draw-er is assembled (page 133).

Before you begin cutting, select themost attractive face of each part andmark it with an X to designate it as theoutside of the drawer. Reserve the mostvisually appealing piece for the front.

IIIIIttIIIItIIIIIIttIItIIIIIIIII

HALF-BLIND DOVETAIT J()INTS

' l Marking the pin boaroI Mark the ou ts ide faces o f a l l the boards w i th an X. Thenset a cutt ing gauge to about two{hirds the thickness of the pinboard-the drawer front-and mark a line across the end, closerto the outside than the inside face (above, /eff). Adjust the cut-t ing gauge to the thickness of the drawer sides and scr ibe al ine on the inside face of the front to mark the shoulder l ine ofthe tai ls. Next, use a dovetai l square to out l ine the pins on anend o f the f ron t ; the w ide par t o f the p ins shou ld be on the

inside face of the stock so the front does not pul l away fromthe sides. There are no str ict guidel ines for spacing dovetai lpins, but for most drawers, a half-pin at each edge and twoevenly spaced pins in between makes a strong and attract ivejoint. To complete the marking, secure the front in a vise anduse a try square and a penci l to extend the l ines on the boardend to the shoulder line on its inside face (above, right). Markthe waste sections with Xs as you go.

t20

DRAWERS

IIItIItIIIrItItI

rIIIItIIIIIIIIII

r) Gutting the pinsL S"rrr" the drawer front in a vise withthe inside face of the stock toward you,then cut along the edges of the pins witha dovetail saw (left), working your wayfrom one board edge to the other, (Somewoodworkers prefer to cut all the left-handedges of the pins, then move on to theright-hand edges.) Hold the board steadyand al ign the saw blade just to the wastes ide o f the cu t t ing l ine ; ang le the sawtoward the waste to avoid cutting into thep ins . Use smooth , even s t rokes , a l low-ing the saw to cut on the push stroke. Con-t inue the cu t to the shou lder l ine , thenrepeat to saw the pins at the other end ofthe board.

Q Chiseling out the waster.J Lay the drawer front inside-face up ona work sur face and c lamp a guide b lock toi t , a l ign ing r ts edge wi th the waste s ide ofthe shoulder l ine. Star t ing at one edge oft he s tock , ho ld t he f l a t s i de o f a ch i se lagainst the guide b lock; the b lade shouldbe no wider than the narrowest portion ofthe waste sect ion. Wi th the chisel perpen-

dicular to the board face, s t r ike the handlew i th a wooden ma l l e t , mak ing a %- inch -deep cut into the wasle (right). Then holdthe ch i se l beve l -up abou t % tnch be lowthe board face and peel away a thin layero f was te . Con t i nue un t i l you reach thesc r i bed l i ne on the end o f t he boa rd .Repea t t he p rocess w i th t he rema in ingwaste sections, then pare away any excesswaste (step 4).

t2l

DRAWERS

Final par ingWorking on one ta i l socket at a t ime,

remove the remaining waste from betweenthe pins. First press the f lat s ide of thechisel against the bottom of the socketwith the thumb of your lef t hand; with yourr igh t hand, push the ch ise l toward theshoulder l ine, shaving away the last s l iversof waste (lefil. f hen pare away any wastefrom the sides of the pins (inset).

IIItIIItI

I

I

tIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIItI

I

f, Laying out the tailsr- , f Set one drawer side outside-facedown on the work surface. Hold the draw-er f ron t end-down w i th i t s ins ide facea l igned w i th the shou lder l ine o f the ta i lboard, making certain the edges of theboards are f lush . Out l ine the ta i l s w l tha pencil (right), Ihen use a try square toextend the l ines on the end of the board.Mark al l the waste sect ions with Xs.

DRAWERS

IIIIlIIttIITIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Cutting the tailsUse a dove ta i l saw to cu t t he t a i l s

the same way you cut the pins Gtep 2).Angling the board (right), ralher than thesaw, makes for easier cutt ing. Secure theboard so that the right-hand edges of thetai ls are vert ical . Saw smoothly and even-ly along the edges of the tai ls, stopping atthe shoulder l ine. Reoosit ion the board inthe vise to cut the lef t-hand edges. Onceal l the saw cuts have been made, removethe waste with a chisel as in steps 3 and 4.To avoid spl i t t ing the tai ls, remove abouthalf the waste, then flip the workpiece overto chisel out the remainins waste.

J Preparingthe drawer for a bottom panelf Dryl i t the drawer and mark any spots where ihe joints bind;use a chisel to pare smal l amounts of wood to achieve a goodfit. Loose joints can be tightened (page 124). Next, use yourtable saw to cut a groove in the drawer front and sides to accom-modate the bottom. Instal l a dado head, adlust ing i ts width tothe thickness of the stock you plan to use for the bottom (typi-cal ly % inch). Mark the groove on the drawer front and sides; thegroove should be located just above the half-pin at the bottomedge of the front. Al ign the groove mark with the dado head andposit ion the r ip fence against the edge of the stock. Adjust theblade height for the depth of the groove (no more than one-halfthe stock thickness). Feed the drawer front across the tableusing a push stick (left). (Caution: Blade guard removed for clarity.)Repeat the cut on the drawer sides. Then instal l a combinat ionblade and tr im the bottom of the back f lush with the top of thegrooves in the s ides and f ron t . Th is w i l l a l low the bo t tom tosl ide into oosit ion when the drawer is assembled.

Drawer aide

r23

DRAWERS

Gluing up the drawerBefore assembling the drawer, cut a

bottom panel from %-inch plywood or sol-id stock to fit the drawer opening, addingthe depth of the grooves (less %e inch) toi ts width and the depth of one grooveand the thickness of the back panel to itslengh. To glue up dovetai l jo ints, c lamp-ing pressure should be applied to the tailboards. (On the drawer shown above, theback is joined to the sides with throughdovetai ls.) To distr ibute clamping pres-sure properly, make a specially notchedclamping block for each joint . Each blockshou ld be as long as the w id th o f thestock and notched so it only touches thetails and does not exert pressure on thepins. Spread glue evenly on al l the con-tacting surfaces of the boards and assem-b le the jo in ts . Ins ta l l a bar c lamp a longeach pin board, then t ighten the clampsa little at a Iime hbovd. Check the draw-er for square (page 128) and adjust theclamping pressure, if necessary.

fifi lll ilt llll llt firl rlll illt llll l]It llll illl tlll fill lll ilIl illl lI]1HO? TI?Fixing dovetaileEven exo erienced woodwork-ers cul ,Nhe occasionat aove-Lail thaX fits a liLIle looeely.ln mosl caoeo, emal l gapecan be fil led Io improve thef iL and al learance of thejoinL, CuN smallwooden wedqeofrom the same wood as Nhedrawer, t aperin4 them eo Nheywi l l e l ide in t o Lhe open inqe.1pread qlue on lhe wedqeeand use a wooden mal let , NoNaV them in p lace ,7and anyoroLrue ione f lueh w i th Ihesurface of the drawer,

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIItI

t24

DRAWERS

I

I

I

I

tIttI

ttIIIIIIIItIttIIItIIIII

THROUGH D()VETAILS' l Marking the pin boardI the through dovetai l is s imi lar to the half-bl ind joint , excepttha t the ta i l s ex tend fu l l y th rough the p in board . To beg inmark ing the jo in ts , make an X on the ou ts ide faces o f a l l theboards. Then set a cutting gauge to the thickness of the stockand scr ibe a l ine a long bo th ends o f the boards to mark theshou lder o f the p ins and ta i l s . Nex t secure the drawer f ron tend-up in a vise and use a dovetai l square to out l ine the pinson the end of the board; the wide part of the pins should be onthe ins ide face o f the s tock . As w i th the ha l f -b l ind doveta i l(page 120), the spacing is a matter of personal choice, but fora typical drawer, a half-pin at each edge and two evenly spacedpins between provide a good combinat ion of strength andappearance (right). Mark the waste sections with an X as yougo. Final ly, use a combinat ion square to extend al l the dovetai lmarks down both faces of the board to the shoulder l ines.

Cutting the pinsLeave the drawer front in the vise with its outside face toward

you. Use a dovetail saw to cut along the edges of the pins, align-ing the saw blade just to the waste side of the cutt ing l ine. Cutall the right-hand edges fkst (left), then complete the left-handedges. Use smooth, even strokes, taking care to keep the bladelevel as you cut to the shoulder lines. 0nce the pins are cut, leavethe board in the vise and use a coping saw to remove as much ofthe waste as possible between the pins. At the side of each pin,sl ide a coping saw blade into the kerf and rotate the frame with-out str ik ing the end of the board. Keep the blade about %o inchabove the shoulder line as you cut to the kerf on the edge of theadjacent pin (above). Pare away any remaining waste with a chis-el as you would for half-blind dovetails (page 122). Repeat theorocess at the other end of the drawer front and for the back ofthe drawer, then mark and cut out the tai ls on the drawer sides.

t25

DRAWERS

DOVETAIL IIGS

Hand-cutt ing dovetai l jo ints for a largenumber of drawers takes considerable timeand pract ice. Your router, paired with acommercial dovetail j ig like one of thoseshown on this page, provides an efficiental ternat ive. Al though router-and-j ig cutdovetails may lack the hand-crafted lookof sawn and chiseled joints, they are justas strong, fit together as well and, mostimportantly, can be produced in a fractionof the t ime. But remember to factor insetup time for the jigs. lf you are makingonly a couple of drawers, hand tools maywell be a faster alternative.

Three popular dovetai l j igs are shownbelow. The model on the lef t featuresinterchangeable templates. Dependingon which template is used, the jig enablesa router to cut the pins and tails for half-blind, through dovetails, or box joints witha single setup. The j ig in the center con-sists of two f ixed templates for cutt ingthrough dovetails. The templates are fas-tened to backup boards that support theworkpiece. One template is used for cut-ting the pins, the other for the tails. Thejig on the right can be used for routingboth half-blind and through dovetail joints.Its single adjustable template allows youto vary the size and spacing of the pins

and ta i l s , g iv ing the jo in ts more o f ahand-crafted look.

Al l three j igs work on essent ial ly thesame pr inciple. A router is f i t ted with adovetai l bi t and a guide bushing-bothusually provided with the jig. By feedingthe tool along the template, the bi t isguided in and out of the slots to cut away

the waste. The fixed-template jig is shownin action above. Once the temolates havebeen attached to backup boards, the pinand tail boards are secured in olace. Forseveral identical joints, a stop block canbe clamped to the backup boards forrepeat cuts. The j ig is shown producingthe tai ls of a ioint .

ttIIIIItIIIIIIIIttIIItIIItIttIII

t26

DRAWERS

ttI

I

tI

tI

I

I

I

I

I

T

tI

I

I

ttI

I

I

tIIIIIIIt

DOUBTE DADO JOINTS

1 Cuttins dadoes in a drawer frontt -

I Ma rk one end o f t he boa rd , d i v i d i ngi t s t h i ckness i n to t h i r ds . Then , i ns ta l l adado head on you r t ab le saw , ad jus t i ngthe w id th t o one - th i rd t he t h i ckness o ft he d rawer f r on t . Se t t he cu t t i ng he igh tequal io the th ickness of the drawer s ides.Next , insta l l a commercia l tenoning l ig ; themodel shown s l ides in the mi ter s lot . Pro-tect ing the stock wi th a wood pad, c lampthe d rawer f r on t t o t he j i g . Move the j i g

s ideways to a l i gn t he marks so tha t t heb lades cu t t he dado i n t he m idd le t h i r do f t he boa rd . S l i de t he j i g a long to f eedthe stock. Turn the drawer f ront over andclamp i t to the j ig to cut the dado at theother end (right).

! Trimming the dado tongues4- Instal l a wooden auxi l iary fence on ther ip fence, then mark a cutt ing l ine on theedge of the drawer front that div ides oneof the tongues on i t s ins ide face in ha l f .Wi th the s tock f lush aga ins t the mi te rgauge, inside face down, al ign your markwith the dado head. Butt the fence againstthe s tock and ra ise the b lades to cu t arel ief notch in the fence. Set the cutt inghe igh t to t r im the ha l f - tongue. Ho ld ingthe drawer front firmly against the gauge,feed it into the dado head. Turn the boardaround and reoeat the orocedure at theother end //eft).

r27

DRAWERS

Q Cutting matching dadoesr-.f in the drawer sidesTo jo in the drawer s ides to the f ront . cuta dado near the f ront end of each s ide.The dado must mate with the half-tongueon the f ron t . Se t t he cu t t i ng he igh t t othe length of the hal f - tongue and screwa wooden ex tens ion boa rd t o t he m i te rgauge. To set the width of cut , but t thedrawer s ide against the f ront and use apenc i l t o ou t l i ne t he ha l f - t ongue on thed rawer s i de . Ho ld t he s ide aga ins t t heextension and a l ign the marks wi th thed a d o h e a d . C l a m p a s t o p b l o c k f l u s hagainst the end of the stock and feed theboard to cut the dado hbove). Repeatthe cut on the other s ide

ilii fill llil ,iit iltJ Jb t:ll lllt ijli llii ,i[ l:ll ilt llll lll ,llJ dd J'9HO7 Tt?Cheaking drawers for equareTo keep drawers oquare durinqqlue up, measure Lhe diaqonalebeNween oVpooif,e cornero imme'd i aLe ly a lLer t i7hLen ing theclampo. Use Lwo eNicke as ameaourinq j ig. bevel one end ofeach stick eo thaL iL can exlendinlo an inside corner of the draw-er. To use the jtq, hold Nhe ebickeface Lo face, eeal the beveledends in oppoeiLe corners, andmark a l ine acroes their edqee.Kepeatr wiLh Lhe Lwo oNher cor-ners . The lwo marke ehou ldal iqn exacl ly, l f noN,the drawerio out- of- square, CorrecL theproblem by looeeninq the clamVo,o l id inq one jaw o f each c lamVaway trom Lhe joinl al oppooitec o rn er s, an d r eLi qhlenin q.

I

tI

I

I

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

t

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

t ( (

\ 28

DRAWERS

GLUING UP A DRAWER WITH DADOES ()R RABBETS

t

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

LIPPED RABBET J()INTS

Cutting a lipped rabbet in a drawer frontTo cut lipped rabbets around the edges of a drawerfront, mark l ines on i ts inside face to al low for anoverhang of at least 3/a inch (inset). Also mark therabbet depth on its edges-up to one-half the thick-ness of the drawer front. Cut the rabbets on thetable saw in two steps, first notching the inside faceof the front with the blade height set to the dept iof the rabbets. These cuts are made with the stocf^face down on the saw table. Then feed the stochinto the blade on end and on edge. Set the bladeheight to the width of the rabbets, al ign the bladewith the marks for the rabbet depth, and butt thefence against the stock. Keeping the drawer frontflush against the fence, feed it on end into the bladeto complete one rabbet. Turn the board over andrepeat to cut the rabbet at the other end (right).Then feed the stock into the blade on edge to cutthe rabbets on the top and bottom edges.

Using bar clampsBefore gluing up a drawer, decide how youwill install it (page 133), since side-mount-ing may require you to prepare the drawersides before final assembly. Apply glue onall the contacting surfaces of the joints andassemble the drawer . Ar range two barclamps on a work surface and lay the draw-er on them, al igning the bars of the clampswith the drawer front and back. Install twomore clamps along the top of the drawer.lf you used rabbet joints to assemble thedrawer, instal l another two clamps alongthe drawer sides. Protect surfaces by plac-ing wood pads between the stock andthe c lamp laws. T igh ten the c lamps lus tenough to close the joints fully (left), Ihencheck the drawer for square (page 128).Finish t ightening the clamps unt i l a beadof glue squeezes out of the joints, check-ing as you go that the corners are square.Once the adhesive has dried, scrape awayany dr ied glue. Sl ide the bottom panel intop lace and secure i t w i th f in ish ing na i l sdriven up into the drawer back.

r29

DRAWERS

INSTALLING A BOTTOM WITH DRAWER SLIPS

r) Mounting the slips on the drawerZ. t" totcfr the sl ips so that they clear the back, then set theglued-up drawer upside down on a work surface, spread someglue on the contac t ing sur faces o f the s l ips , and c lamp them

1 Making the sl ipsI For drawer sides made from stock that istoo thin to be grooved for a bottom panel,instal l drawer sl ips. Sl ips also provide greaterbear ing sur face fo r bo t tom-run drawers .Before the drawer is assembled, prepare yourslip stock from a strip of wood-1-by-1 stockis appropriate for most drawers at least aslong as the combined length of the drawersides. Round over one corner of the board,then set up your table saw to cut a groove ini t . Instal l a dado head, adjust ing i ts width tothe thickness of the bottom you wi l l use, andset the cutting height to about % inch. Positionthe slip stock flush against the bottom edgeof the drawer front and mark the location ofthe groove on the board. Al ign the mark withthe dado head and pos i t ion the r ip fenceaga ins t the s tock . C lamp on two fea ther -boards, as shown, to support the workpiece.Saw the groove, then crosscut i t into twolengths equal to the drawer sides measuredfrom the drawer front.

I

T

I

I

tI

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

tI

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

against the sides and drawer fronttha t the grooves in the s l ips andaligned (above, right).

( a bove, l eft ). f,Aake certa i ndrawer f ront are per fect ly

,/ ./l)'./' ,y' ./

,//,t'

,,//'

1 3 0

DRAWERHARDWAREI

I

I

I

I

tI

t

I

t

t

I

I

I

T

I

T

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

T

tI

I

T

I

I

The faceplnte being attachedto the drawer"f"ont shown at

right forms part of a half-mortise Iock. The lock bolt

exlettds into a nrorlise cut inthe rail or casework directly

above the drawer.

INSTALLING A HALF-M()RTISE LOCK' l Centering the lockI Set the drawer on a work surface andmark the midpoint between the s ides onthe top edge of the front. Then use a com-binat ion square to extend the mark ontothe ins ide face of the f ront ( /e f f ) . Next ,hold the lock faceplate (see photo above)against the inside of the drawer front, align-ing the keyhole wi th the center mark andkeeping the faceplate l ip f lush wi th the topedge of the drawer f ront . Use a penci l toou t l i ne t he facep la te on the i ns ide faceand top edge o f t he f r on t .

1 3 1

DRAWERS

Cutting the lock mortiseYou need to cut three mortises for the lock: one for the face-

plate, another for the lock housing, and a th i rd for the faceplatel ip . This is one of the rare cases when the router is used f ree-hand . I ns ta l l a s t ra igh t b i t i n t he t oo l , se t t he cu t t i ng dep th t othe thickness of the faceplate, and cut a mortise inside the markedout l ine for the faceplate. Star t by guid ing the tool in a c lockwisedi rect ion to cut the outs ide edges of the mort ise; c lear out theremain ing waste by feeding the tool against the d i rect ion of b i trotat ion. Use a chisel to souare the corners and oare to the l ine.For the lock housing, measure the d is tance between the edgesof the faceplate and housing and t ransfer the measurement tothe first mortise. Adjust the router's cutting depth to the thicknessof the housing and cut i ts mort ise. Next , use the chisel to cutthe recess in the top edge of the drawer f ront for the faceplatelip (above). Test the fit of the lock in the cavity and use thechisel to deepen or widen any of the mortises, if necessary (/eff).

I

I

I

I

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

tI

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

T

I

I

Q Cutting the keyholer-J Set the lock in the mort ise and markthe locat ion of the keyhole. You need todr i l l two holes for the key: one for the shaf tand a smal ler hole for the key b i t below i t .Bore the wider hole f i rs t wi th a b i t s l ight lylarger than the key shaf t . Then use a b i ts l ight ly larger than the th ickness of the keybi t to bore the second hole. Use a copingsaw to join the two holes (rrght). To finishins ta l l i ng t he l ock , moun t an escu tcheonon the outside face of the drawer to protectthe wood surrounding the keyhole.

Keceas forfaceplaLe Iip

132

I

I

IMOUNTING DRAWE,RS

Evert coreful nteosurettlent does notalwnys gttorantce o per.fbct .fit. If ar l rowcr is /oo srr r rq i r r i ts opt ' t t i r t t , yot t

cot t p lot rc dowrt t l re s ides ur t t i l thctrrt it operrs orrd closes vrtoothly.

r- pr here are several ways to install draw-$. ers in a desk or table. The method

you choose should suit the design ofyour piece and the loads you expect thedrawers to bear.

The simolest wav to moul-lt a draweris with side runneri. Shown below andon the next pages, this method involvesrouting grooves in the drawer sidesbefore assembly. These mate withsiides mounted on the inside of thecasework. Side-mountine is ideal i r tfrarne-and-panel casework t pnge I 35 )and for small- to rnedium-sized draw-ers that willbear moderate loads.

Commercial slide runners are anoth-er method of side-mounting drawers ir-ta carcase. Although purists may decrytheir use, commercial runners are strolt-ger than wood runners, and so are asood choice for drawers that willbearhear,ry loads. Commercial runners are

available in different sizes. Buy the hard-ware and read the manufacturer'sinstructions before you br-rild yourdrawers, since runners require specificclearances between the drawer sidesand the carcase.

The strongest method of securingdrawers is bottom-mounting. Here, thedrawers r ide on runners mounted ingrooves milled in the sides of the case-work. The runners are joined at the fiontand the rear with stretchers, which pro-vide both a bearing surface for thedrawers and strengthen the casework.Dust panels (pnge 3a) can be added tothe frame formed by the runners andstretchers by setting them in a grooverouted in their inside edges. Some wood-workers prefer to rout a groove in thecarcase sides and install a shelf, whichserves double-duty as drawer supportand dust panel.

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

ttI

I

I

SIDE-MOUNTING A DRAWER IN A CARCASE

1 Cuttins srooves in the drawer sides| - -I Cut a sroove in the outs ide face ofeach drawir s ide before f ina l assembly.There are no r ig id guidel ines for the groove

width, but i t should accommodate s l idesthat are hef ty enough to support thedrawer. On your table saw, insta l l a dadohead the same width as the groove. Drawcut t ing l ines for the groove wtdth tn them idd le o f t he l ead ing end o f one d rawers ide. Set the cut t ing hetght at no morethan one-hal f the stock th ickness. But tthe l ines for the groove width against thedado head , pos i t i on t he r i p f ence f l ushagainst the stock, and make the cut (/eff).

l f the groove width exceeds the width oft he dado head , t u rn t he boa rd end fo rend and make ano the r pass . Repea t t ocut the sroove in the other drawer s ide.

t33

DRAWERS

r) Making and installing theZ- drawer slidesOn your table saw, r ip the drawer sl idesfrom a board that is slightly shorter thanthe depth of the carcase. Posit ion the r ipfence to a cutting width slightly narrowerthan the grooves in the drawer sides (sfepl) . Cut two sl ides for each drawer, usinga push stick (above). (Caution: Blade guardremoved for clarity.) To mount the slides,insert the drawer in the carcase and holdi t in p lace wh i le us ing a penc i l to markthe locat ion of the grooves on the fronte d s e s o f t h e s i d e n a n e l s . T h e n u s e acarpenter 's square to extend the marksacross the ins ide faces o f the pane ls .Bore three countersunk clearance holesthrough the sl ides; make the clearanceholes slightly wider than the screw shanksto a l low fo r wood movement . Ho ld ingthe sl ides recessed from the front edgeof the carcase between the marked lineson the s ide pane ls , d r i l l p i lo t ho les andscrew the sl ides in place ( inset), Test-f i t t h e d r a w e r . U s e s h i m s u n d e r t h esl ides to t ighten rt or deepen the groovesto ease the f i t .

lll1 rlll lllt lllJ ljlt llll illJ tllJ lltJ illl lltJ illJ lll1 rlll tllj l]li tllt tlll?HO? Tt??ooilioning drawer slidesTo ensure drawer slides onoppooitre oidee of your car-caee are aN precieely theeame heiqhl, uee a woodgpacer cul from a oiece ofecraV. Make ite widLh equalto the neceooarv e0acebelween lhe eliiee.' HotaNhe edae ol the ezacera q a i n o i t h e t o ? A n d t h eface againel one eide pan-el, butl the elide aqainsllhe sVacer, and screw if,in place, Kepea|Nheprocedure for theremaininq sl idee.

I

I

I

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

Ir34

DRAWERS

SIDE-MOUNTING A DRAWER IN A FRAME.AND.PANEL CASE

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

DRAWERS IN FRAME-AND-PANEI CASEWORKInstalling drawers in frame-and-panel casework is alittle more complicated than with carcases. Runners

connot be used because drawer supports cannot be fas-tened directly to the floating panels. As shown at rightand on page 136, the supports ore instead anached tocorner strips screwed to the stiles of the casework. The

drawer supports are fixed in the dedoes. During instal-lation, hold the corner strips in position with hand-screws and test-fit the drawers to make sure the

supports hold them straight and level. The strips canrun the full height of the casework to support several

drawers, or be shortened to mount a single drawer in apiece of furniture like the night table shown at right.

1 Making the corner stripsI Rio a board to a width of 4 inches andcrosscut i t to reach from top to bottominside the case. The dadoes for the drawersupports are easy to cut on a radtal armsaw. Ins ta l l a dado head, ad jus t ing i t swidth to accommodate the thickness ofthe supports you will use in step 3. Startingat the end that will be at the bottom of thecabinet, cut a dado for the lowest drawer.Sl ide the board along the fence to cut thesecond dado at the next drawer position. lfthe distance between the suoports will beequal, drive a screw into the fence to serveas an indexing pin; locate the head of thefastener against the left edge of the firstdado. Now cut the second dado and reoo-si t ion the board so the lef t edge of thisdado rests against the screw head. Cut theremain ing dadoes in th is fash ion ( le f t ) ,then r ip the board into four equal str ips.

r35

DRAWERS

Q lnsefting the drawer supportsr-,1 Measure the distance between thefront and back st i les on both sides of thecase. Cut drawer supports to f i t the gapsbetween matching pairs of dadoes. Makesure that the supports are wide enoughto buttress the drawers adequately, andthat they f it snugly in the dadoes (rghfl.

r) Installing the corner stripsL Bore a clearance hole for a No. 8screw near the end of each corner strip,then with a larger bit, drill deep enoughto recess the screw head. Now oositioneach strip in the case, making certain thatthe dadoed edges are flush with the edgeof the st i les. Temporari ly hold the str ipsin place with handscrews, make andinsert your drawer supports (sfep 3), andtest the drawers in the case. Adjust theheight of the corner str ips, i f necessary,to level the drawers. Then remove thedrawers and drawer supports, mark thescrew holes near the too and bottom ofthe st i les using an awl, and bore pi lotholes for a No. 8 screw. Screw the striosto the case (/eff).

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

Ir36

DRAWERS

I

I

I

tI

J

I

I

tI

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

FINE.TUNING A DRAWER T() FIT

Planing drawer sidesl f a drawer binds in a piece of f urni ture,you can use a hand plane to improve thef i t . l f the sides bind, remove the drawerand f ind and mark any sh iny areas onthe sides-these are high spots that canbe shaved w i th the p lane. Secure thedrawer on a work sur face so the b ind ingside is facing up. Gripping the plane withboth hands, shave off the marked spotswith smooth, even strokes (right).fesI-f i t the drawer in i ts opening and cont inuep lan ing un t i l i t f i t s per fec t l y .

Planing the top of a drawerl f the top or bottom of the drawer rubsagainst part of the casework, plane thetop. To hold the drawer in place, secureone side between bench dogs, using woodpads to protect the stock. Plane the edgeto be trimmed with a light, even pass (/eft).Test{it and continue planing, as necessary.

t 37

DRAWER STOPS

{- .i rawer stops control how far a draw-

L r ' er can sl ide in or out. Inward stoosare almost always needed. They preventa drawer from being pushed in too far.

Outward stops, to prevent a draw-er f rom pu l l ing ou t o fa carcase, a realways needed when a drawer carries aheavy load, and may be desirable atother times as well. The following pagesshow a few methods for installins bothtypes ofstops.

Tlrc inward stop shown ot lef't wil lnllow the frortt of the drawer to restexactly llush with tlrc cnrcase front. It isinstalled on the dust ptutel xtpportingthe drnwer, oJfset fr"ont the Jiont edge bytlrc thickness oJ'the drntver Jront. Tomake this metlrcd work, t lrc drawer

li'ont rrrtrst overhang the bottorrt so theinside lace of the frortt c()ntacts tlrc stopwhert the drawer is closed.

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

INWARD ST()PSAttaching an eccentric stopThis is an easy- to- insta l l ad justable stop.Before insta l l ing the back panel of yourcarcase, use a band saw or saber saw tocu t a 1 - t o 1%- inch -d iame te r d i sk f r om apiece of scrap wood the same thrcknessas the drawer s ides. Bore an of f -centerhole through the stop, then screw the d iskto the s ide panel near the back. Set thecase on i t s s i de and c lose the d rawer .Loosen the screw s l ight ly and rotate thestop unt i l i t just touches the drawer, thentighten the screw (right).

L3B

DRAWERS

0UTWARD ST0PS: CARCASE

Installing an outward dlawer stopCut a stop from a piece of scrap wood. Before gluing up thedrawer, cut a notch for the stop in the drawer back. Make thenotch deeper than the stop's thickness and wider than i ts nar-row d imens ion to a l low the s top to f i t th rough the open ingwhen you install the drawer. For the desk pedestal shown above,the s top is f i xed to the unders ide o f the she l f o r dus t pane l .To mount the s too . ins ta l l the drawer and mark the loca t ion

of the notch on the frame above the drawer. Bore a pi lot holethrough the stop, then screw it in position (above, /eff). Do nott ighten the screw al l the way. With the long edge of the stopparallel to the sides of the case, slip the drawer in place (above,right). Once the stop passes completely through the notch,rotate it 90" so that its long edge is parallelto the drawer backand tighten the screw.

OUTWARD STOPS: FRAME.AND.PANEL

Installing a stop on the front railThis method works for the too drawer of aframe-and-oanel desk or one with drawerrails between each drawer. Cut a drawerstop from scrap. To mount the stop, borea pilot hole near one end. Screw the stopto the middle of the rai l , leaving the fas-tener just loose enough so that you canrotate the stop out of the way. Install thedrawer. Once the drawer back clears thefront rail, rotate the stop 90" (/eff).

r39

GLOSSARY

A.B-CBase molding: A decorative framemade from molded stock that sup-ports the bottom ofa desk.

Bound water: Moisture held withinthe cell walls of wood; see free water.

Breadboard end: A narrow strip ofwood installed across the end grainofa tabletop to conceal that grain.

Cabrioleleg: A type of furniture legcharacterized by rounded contoursdesigned to imitate the graceful legof a leaping animal.

Carcase: A piece of furniture with aboxlike construction; made fromsolid panels.

Caseworlc The framework of a pieceof furniture constructed either fiomsolid panels or from frame-and-panel assemblies.

Cope-and-stickjoint A method ofjoining stiles and rails in frame-and-panel construction; the joint featuresmating tongues and grooves and adecorative molding.

Crosscut A saw cut made across thegrain of a workpiece.

D-E-F-G-H-IDado: A rectangular channel cut intoa workpiece.

Desktop fastener: Metal hardwarethat fastens the leg-and-rail assemblyof a table or desk to the top; installedin shallow recesses cut into the mat-ing pieces.

Dividing extension table: An exten-sion table with a tabletop and leg-and-rail assembly that slide apartto accommodate additional leaves;see non-dividing extension table.

Double dado joint: A corner joint thatfeatures a tongue in each piece thatinterlocks with a groove in the other.

Dovetailedhalf-lap joint Used forjoining the connecting rail of a deskto the carcase; the half-lap at the endof the rail is cut in a dovetail shape tolock the joint in tension.

Dowel joint Any joint relying on dow-els for alignment or reinforcement.

Drawer slide: A type of drawer sup-port; usually a wood strip fastened tothe side panel of a carcase that mateswith a groove in the drawer side, or acommercial metal slide fastened to thedrawer side that meshes with a runnerscrewed to the carcase.

Drawer slip: A grooved wood stripfastened along the bottom edge ofadrawer side to support the bottom.

Drawer stop: A wooden block or diskattached to desk or table casework toprevent a drawer from being pulledout or pushed in too far.

Drop-leaf table: A table with a nar-row top and hinged leaves that folddown when not in use.

Dust frame: A flat frame-and-panelassembly used to support desk draw-ers and prevent dust from enteringthe drawers.

Escutcheon: A metal plate installedaround a keyhole for decoration andprotection of the surrounding wood.

Extension table A table with a topthat opens on table extenders toaccommodate additional spacerleaves. See dividing and non- dividingextension tables.

False front A piece of wood installedover a drawer front, usually to concealthe end grain ofthe sides or to createa lipped front.

Fiber saturation point (FSP): A con-dition in which wood cell cavities arefree of all water, while the cell wallsremain fully saturated.

Flush front A drawer front that sitsflush with the front edges of the car-case when the drawer is installed; alsoknown as an inset drawer.

Frame-and-panel assembly: Amethod of casework construction inwhich a wood panel sits in grooves ina frame made of horizontal rails andvertical stiles.

Free water: Moisture contained with-in wood cell cavities; see bound water.

Gatelegtable: A six-legged table withtwo legs that swing out from the tablerails to support drop leaves.

Grain: The arrangement and direc-tion of the fibers that make up wood;grain appearance varies with the woodspecies and the sawing technique.

Half-blind dovetail joint Similarto a through dovetail joint, exceptthat the pins are not cut through theentire thickness of the workpiece,thereby concealing the end grainof the tail boards; ideal for joiningdrawer fronts to sides.

Haunched mortise-and-tenon joint:Similar to a standard mortise-and-tenon joint, except that one edge ofthe tenon has a haunch that fills thegroove cut for a panel.

Inlay: A decorative strip of metal,wood, or marquetry that is glued intoa groove cut into a workpiece.

I-K-r-M-N-O-P-QLap jointA joint in which one orboth of the mating boards are dadoedso that the surfaces ofthe pieces restflush with one another when the iointis assembled.

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I140

I

tII

I

I

I

I

I

tIIIIIIIIIIrIItIIIIIIII

Ledger strip: A short, narrow pieceof wood used to support the top orbottom of a table or desk.

Lipped front A rabbeted drawerfront that overhangs the sides, con-cealing drawer- mounting hardwarewhen the drawer is closed: also servesas a drawer stop.

Marquetry: Decorative inlay donewith veneers, metal, or other materials.

Mortise-and-tenon joint A joinerytechnique in which a projecting tenoncut in one board fits into a matchinghole, or mortise, in another.

Nominal size The dimensions towhich lumber is sawn before olan-ing; wood is sold according to nomi-nal size.

Non-dividing extension table: Anextension table with top slides thatopen on table extenders while the leg-and-rail assembly remains fixed; seedividing extension table.

Outward stop: A wood block thatstops a dropJeafsupport in the openposition; also, a block screwed to theinside of a carcase to prevent a drawerfrom being pulled out too far.

Pedestaltable: A table with a topthat is supported by a central columnusually mounted on three or fourshort legs.

Plain-sawn lumber: Lumber that hasbeen sawn so that the wide surfaces areroughly parallel to the annual growthrings. Also known as flat-sawn lum-ber when referring to softwood; seequartersawn lumber.

Pocket hole: An angled hole boredinto the face of a workpiece andexiting from its top edge; typicallyused to attach a top to the rails ofatable or desk.

Pommet The souare section left on aturned furniture leg; allows room formortises needed to receive rails.

Quartersawn lumber: Wood sawn sothe wide surfaces intersect the growthrings at angles between 45" to 90o.Also known as vertical-grained lum-ber when referring to softwood; seeplain-sawn lumber.

R-SRabbet A step-like cut in the edgeor end of a board; usually forms partof a joint.

Rabbet joint A method ofjoiningwood in which the end or edge ofone workpiece fits into a channelcut along the edge or end ofanotherworkpiece; typically used to joincarcases at the corners.

Raift A board running along the bot-tom edge of a tabletop to which thelegs can be attached; also, the hori-zontal member of a frame-and-panelassembly. See stile.

Raised panet In frame-and-panelconstruction, a carcase panel with abevel cut around its edges, a decora-tive effect that "raises" the center andallows the panel to fit into the groovecut in the frame.

Relative humidity: The ratio of thewater vapor present in the air to theamount the air would hold at its satu-ration point, usually expressed as apercentage figure.

Rip cut A saw cut that follows thegrain of a workpiece.

Rule joint A pivoting joint commonlyused in dropJeaf tables; features mat-ing concave and convex profiles cutinto edges of the table leaf and tabletop.

Seasoning: The process or techniqueof removing moisture from greenwood to improve its workability.

Stile: The vertical member of a frame-and-panel assembly. See rail.

Substrate: A piece of plywood or solidwood used as the foundation forveneer, leather, felt, or tile that coversthe surface of a table or desk top.

Swing-leg table: A four-legged tablewith two legs that swing out from therails to support drop leaves.

T-U-V-W-X-Y-ZThbletop evener: Hardware installedon the underside of adiustable tablesto align the table halves or leaves asthey are closed.

Tirngential plane: A viewing plane inwood identification cut along the graintangential to the growth rings; plain-sawn lumber is sawn tangentially.

Template A pattern cut from ply-wood, hardwood, or particleboard toreproduce multiple copies of a part.

Through dovetail joint A method ofjoining wood at the corners by meansof interlocking pins and tails, both cutto the thickness of the workpiece.

Trestletable: A knockdown tablewith a large top supported by trestlesat each end that are connected to railswith removable wedged or tusktenon joints.

Thipod table A pedestal table with acentral column supported by threeshorter legs.

Tusktenon joint A type of throughmortise-and-tenon joint in which thetenon extends through the mortisepiece and is fixed, not by glue, but bya tusk-like wedge.

Wood movement: The shrinkingor swelling of wood in reaction tochanges in relative humidity.

I4I

INDEX

Page references in iralics indicate an illus-tration ofsubject matter. Page references inbold indicate a Build It Yourself proiect.

A.B-C-DAdhesives:

loinery, front endpaperBlind mortise-and-tenon joints, 57, 76- 77Boardfeet,16-17Build It Yourself:

Frame-and-panel constructionpanel-raising jigs for table saws, 45tenoning jigs for table saws, 42

Legsjigs for two-sided tapers, 62shop-made hardware, 85-87

Topsdrop-leaf supports, 103

Butler's tabIes,22Butterfly tables, 22Cabriole legs, 56, 63-65Carcases,29,30

Assembly,3T-38Drawer mounting

positioning drawer slides(Shop Tip), l3a

Drawers, 132- 133, 138-39foinery

dovetail joints, 32, 39groove-and-spline joints, 32mortise-and-tenon joints, 33, 34- 36plate joints, 32rabbet joints, 32, 33-34tongue-and-dado joints, 32

Panels,33Card tables. 22Circle cuts:

Round table tops, 95Clamos:

Using pipe clamps in pairs(Shop Tip), 53

Coffee tables, 22Console tables. 23Cope-and-stick joints, 32Crosscutting,20Cutting lists, 17Dado joints, 32, 118, 120, 127-128, 129Davenport desks,27Decorative technioues:

Inlays,70-71Desks:

Assemblychecking for square, .100

Design, 6-7,10-l l ,2lstyles,26-27

Repairiratching compounds, back endpaper

Standard dimensions, 2l

Tops,89-90, 93-95adding ledger strips (Shop Tip),97felt-topped writing desks

(Shop Tip), l15glass,112-113gluing up, 94hardware, 92,99, 100leather, 114methods of attachment, 90,96-100tiles, l.l5using steel tabletop fasteners

(Shop Tip), eeSee also Pedestal desks

Desktop fasteners, 100Dining tables,25Double-pedestal desks. See Pedestal desksDovetail joints:

Fiing loose dovetails (Shop Tip), 124Half-blind dovetails, 116, 118HalfJap dovetails, 32, 39figs and templates, 126Sliding dovetails, 5& 59, 78-80,81-82Through dovetailjoints, 32, 118, 125-126

Dowel joints, 57, 74-75Drawers, 116,117-118

Adjustment, 133, 137Assembly, 129

checking for square (Shop Tip), 128Bottoms, I30Fronts, IJ8Hardware,.l19

half-mortise lo ck. I 3 1- 1 32foinery, 118,120-124

Half-blind dovetails, 116, 118rabbetjoints, 118,129

Measuring, 1-17Mounting, 119, 133-136

positioning drawer slides(Shop Tip), 134

Stops, 138-I39DropJeaftables, 23

Tops, 101- 102, IO3, 104leveling drop leaves (Shop Tip), 104

Dust frames, 3436screwing dust frames to a carcase

(Shop Tip), 37

E-F-GExtension tables, 23

Tops, 89, l0laligning table leaves with dowel

centers (Shop Tip), I I Idividing, 91,107non-dividing, 91, 108- 109pedestal extension tables, 109tableJocking hardware, I 1 I

Fall-front desks,26,27Felt:

Desktops (Shop Tip), ll5

Frame-and-panel construction, 29, 31, 4lAssembly,4TDrawer, 135-136,139Joinery

cope-and-stick joints, 32haunched mortise-and-tenon loints,

32.41-43Panels

non-raised, 48-49raised, 41, 44-45, 46

Pedestal desks, 49-5.1Gate-leg tables,23,90

Assembln 105Ghaffari, Kam, 8-9Glass:

Desk/tabletops , 1 12- 1 1 3Gluing:

Carcases, 29,37-38Desldtabletops, 94Drawers, 129Leg blanks, /ront endpaperSee a/so Adhesives

Groove-and-spline joints, 32

H-I-IHalf-blind dovetails, 116, 118Handkerchief t ables, 2 3Hardware:

Desks,92, 99,100Drawers, l-19Legs,56,84-85

shop-made,86-87Tables,92,99, 100, 102, 106, 111

Harvest tables,24Haunched mortise-and-tenon ioints,

32,41-43Inlays:

Legs,70-71figs:

Dovetail joints, 126Table saws

jigs for two-sided tapers,62panel-raising jigs, 46tenoning jigs, 42

foinery:Adhesives, /ror t endpaperCope-and-stick joints, 32Dado joints, 118, 120, 127-128, 129Dowel joints, 57, 74-75Drawers, 118,120-124Groove-and-spline joints, 32Leg-to-rail joints, 57, 72-87Plate joints, 32Rulejoints, 101-102Tongue-and-dado joints, 32Tusk tenon joints, 54, 57, 72-73Wood grain, 15See also D ovetail ioints; Mortise-and-

tenon joints; Rabbetlomts

fointing, .19

tIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

t42

I

I

tIItI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tIIItI

tI

I

tIIIIIIII

K-L-MKeyholes, 132Lap desks,26Leather:

Desk/tabletops, .l l4Leaves (table extension):

Aligning table leaves with dowelcenters (Shop Tip), lll

Legs, 55Gate-leg tables, 105Gluing up legblanks, front endpaperHardware,56foinery, 54-55, 57

blind mortise-and-tenon joints,57,7G77

commercial har dw ar e, 8 4- 8 5dowel lornts, 57,74-75shop-made hardware, 86-87sliding dovetail joints,

s8, s9,78-80,81-82tusk tenon joints, 54,57,72-73

Pedestal tables, 59, 81-83Styles,56

cabriole, 56,63-65octagonal,56,69pedestal, 56,58,59,68tapered, 56,60-62,70Turned, 55,56,66-67

SwingJeg tables, 106Tripod tables, 5& 68,78-80

Locks. 131-132Lumber:

Cutting lists, 17Defects, 18Measurement, 16-17Selection, 13,16-17See akoWood

Martinez, Ramon, l0-11Measuring and marking tools,

back endpaperMoldings:

Base moldings, 40Mortise-and-tenon joints, 32, 33, 34-36

Blind mortise-and-tenon joints,57.76-77

Frame-and-panel construction, 41-43Legs, 57,7G77Legs-to-rail joints, 57

N-O-P-QNested tables, 24Night tables,25Occasional tables,24Octagonal legs, 56,69

Panels:Frame-and-panel construction,

41,44-45,46non-raised pan els, 48- 49

Patching compowds, back endpaperPedestal desks, 12, 26,27,29

Assembly,52-53using pipe clamps in pairs

(Shop Tip), 53Base moldings, 40Carcases, 33

gtuingup,37-j8Connecting rails, 39Dust frames, 34-36

screwing dust frames to a carcase(Shop Tip), 37

Frame-and-panel pedestals, 49-51Pedestal tables,24

Extension tables, ]09Legs, 59,68,72,81-83

Pembroke tables, 25Planing,. l9Plate joints, 32Pocket holes, 98Power tools:

Safety precautions, front endpaper

R.SRabbet joints:

Carcases, 32,33-i4Drawers, 118, 129

Rails, 55, 57Ripping,20Roll-top desks,27Round table tops, 95Routers:

Raised panels, 44Rulejoints, 101-102Safety precautions:

Tools, front endpaperSearer, Tony, J0-llSecretary desks, 26Shop Tips:

Desk assembly, 37, 53Drawers, 124,128,134Tops, J5, 97, 99, I I I

Sliding dovetail joints, 58, 59, 78-80, 81-82Square:

Checking for squaredrawerc, 128tables. 100

Standing desks,27Stands (tables),25Swing-leg tables, 90

Assembly,]06

T-U-VTables:

Assemblychecking for square, i00

Des ign ,8-9 ,2 lstyles, 22-27,90

Reoairpatching compounds, back endpaper

Standard dimensions, 21Tops, 88-90,9j-95

adding ledger strips (Shop Tip),97glass,112-113gluing up, 94hardware, 92,99, 100, 102, 106, 111leather, 114methods of attachment, 90, 96- 100round, 95t i les ,115using steel tabletop fasteners

(Shop Tip), 99Table saws:

figs for two-sided tapers, 62Raised panels, 45-46Tenoning jigs,42

Tabletop fasteners, 99Tapered legs, 56, 60-62, 70Tavern tables.25Through dovetail joints, 32, I 18, 125- 126Tiles:

Desk/tabletops, .l l5Tilt-top tables, 25Tongue-and-dado joints, 32Tools:

Measuring and marking tools,back endpaper

Safety precautions, front endpaperTrestle tables, 22, 24

Legs,54Tops,91,96

leaves, -l l0Tripod tables:

Assembly, 78-80Legs, 58, 68,78-80

Turned legs, 55, 56,66-67Tusk tenon joints, 54, 57,72-73Two-pedestal desks. See Pedestal desks

W-X-Y-ZWatts, Simon, 6-7Wood:

Grades, back endpaper, 13, 17Grain, 15Moisture content, 14- 1 5Recycled, 7Shrinking and swelling, 14- 15,96See alsoLrtmber

Wood buttons, 98-99Writing tables, 26

t43

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe editors wish to thank the following

TABLE AND DESK BASICSJudith Ames, Seattle, WA; Delta International Machinery/Porter-Cable, Guelph, Ont.;

Hitachi Power Tools U.S.A. Ltd., Norcross, GA; Hank Holtzer, Seattle, WA;Thomas Moser Cabinetmakers, Auburn, ME; Shopsmith, Inc., Montreal, Que.

DESKCASEWORKAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; Black & Decker/Elu Power Tools, Towson, MD; Delta International

Machinery/Porter-Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Freud Westmore Tools, Ltd., Mississauga, Ont.;Great Neck Saw Mfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros. Division), Millbury, MA; Griset Industries, Inc., Santa Ana, CA;

Frank Klausz, Frank's Cabinet Shop, Pluckemin, NJ; Sandvik Saws and Tools Co., Scranton, PA;Stanley Tools, Division of the Stanley Works, New Britain, CT; Steiner-Lamello A.G. Switzerlandi Colonial

Saw Co., Kingston, MA; Vermont American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY;The Woodworker's Store, Rogers, MN

LEGSANDRAILSAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; American Tool Cos., Lincoln, NE; Black & Decker/Elu Power Tools,Towson, MD; Delta International Machinery/Porter-Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Allan Flegg, Montreal, Que.;

Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.; Robert Sorby Ltd., Sheffield, U.K./Busy Bee Machine Tools,Concord, Ont.; Sandvik Saws and Tools Co., Scranton, PA; Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL;Vermont American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY; Wainbee Ltd., Pointe Claire, Que.i

De-Sta-Co, Troy, MI; The Woodworker's Store, Rogers, MN

American Tool Cos., Lincoln, NE; Black & D..kl?El: Power Tools, Towson, MD; Cabot Safety Corp.,Southbridge, MA; Delta International Machinery/Porter-Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Allan Flegg, Montreal, Que.;

Freud Westmore Tools, Ltd., Mississauga, Ont.; Great Neck Saw Mfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros. Division),Millbury, MA; Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.; Edna and William Mills, Montreal, Que.;

Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL; Stanley Tools, Division of the Stanley Works, New Britain, CT;Steiner-Lamello A.G. Switzerland/Colonial Saw Co., Kingston, MA; 3M Canada Inc., London, Ont.;

Vermont American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY; The Woodworker's Store, Rogers, MN

DRAWERSAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; American Tool Cos., Lincoln, NE; Delta International

Machinery/Porter-Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Freud Westmore Tools, Ltd., Mississauga, Ont.; Great Neck SawMfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros. Division), Millbury, MA; Frank Klausz, Frank's Cabinet Shop, Pluckemin, NI;

Robert Larson Company, Inc., San Francisco, CA; Leigh Industries Inc., Port Coquitlam, B.C.;Record Tools Inc., Pickering, Ont.; Sandvik Saws and Tools Co., Scranton, PA;

Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL; Stanley Tools, Division of the Stanley Works, New Britain, CT;Vermont American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY; The Woodworker's Store, Rogers, MN

The following persons also assisted in the preparation ofthis book:

Eric Cordeau (Les Bois D'Ecor, Montreal, Que.), Lorraine Dor€,Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ettinger, Graphor Consultation, Genevidve Monette, David Simon

PICTURE CREDITS

Cover Robert Chartier6,7 Robert Holmes

8,9 Ian Gittler10, ll Michael Tincher

13 Philip C. Jackson22 Courtesy Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers

25 Hank Holtzer27 Judith Ames

90 Dean Powell/Kam Ghaffari Design

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIt

t44

IttIIIItIIIItIIIIItIIIII3IIIItII

HARDWOOD TUMBER GRADES

GRADE

Al lowable lengthof board

Al lowable widthof board

M in imum % o fe lear face nr r f i i nqs

Min imum s i ze o fclear cutti ngs

Maximum numberof clear cuttingsperm itted

SELECT

6 - 1 6

4" or wider

83IA%

3 " x 7 '4 " x 5 '

4

N0. 1C(]MMON

4 ' , - 1 6

3" or wider

66'A%

3 " x 3 '4 " x 2 '

5

N0. 2A & 28C()MMON

4', - 16'

3" or wider

50%

3 " x 2 '

usEsFil l ing large holes, gouges,cracks and dents

F i l l i ng smal l ho les ,scratches and cracks

F i l l i ng scra tches , dentsand gouges

F i l l i ng nar row cracks ,^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ l ^ - ^ i l L ^ t ^ -

B d p ) , d i l u ) i l r o i l i l u r t r J

Un l im i ted

NO. 38COMM()N

4' - 16'

3" or wider

25%

Not less than1 % " w i d e

conta in ing 36square Incnes

Un l im i ted

COMPATIBILITIES

Compat ib le w i th most f in ishes ;apply before or after stain

May be incompat ib le w i thlacquer ; app ly a f te r f in ish ing

May be incompat ib le w i th a lcoho l -or lacquer-based f inishes; applybefore or after f inishing

Compat ib le w i th most f in ishes

N(). 3ACOMM()N

4' - 16'

3" or wider

33'A%

3 " x 2 '

TYPE

Wood f i l l e r

Wax st ick

She l lac s t i ck

Shop-madef i l l e r

CHARACTERISTICS

Solveni- or water-based, depending 0n type.Can be t inted with stain or purchased pre-t inted

Wax- and resin-based; avai lable in a varietyof colors. Sets quickly

She l lac - and res in -based; ava i lab lein a variety of colors. Sets quicklyto form a hard surface

Sawdust mixed w i th b inder , such as h ideg lue or she l lac ; can be t in ted w i th s ta in

WORKSHOP GUIDE

FAS

8 ' - 1 6 ' ,

6" or wider

83tA%

3 " x 7 '4 " x 5 '

4

Chart courtagv of NaLional Hardwood Lumber Aagociation

USEFUT MEASURING AND MARKING TOOTS

WOOD PATCHING COMP()UNDS