IItIItI

THE ART OF WOODWORKING

HOMEWORI$HOP

WORKSHOP GUIDE

SAFETY TIPS

. Wear appropriate safety gearwhen operating a woodworkingmachine: safety glasses, a faceshield for extra protection, andhearing protectors or earplugs. lfthere is no dust collection system,wear a dust mask. For exotic woods,such as ebony, use a respirator;the sawdust may cause anallergic reaction.

. Make sure that workshop lightingand ventilation are adequate andthat work surfaces are largeand sturdy.

. Read your owner's manuat care-fully before operating any machine.

. Tie back long hair, roll up longsleeves and avoid looseJitt ingc lo th ing . Remove r i ngs andother jewelry that can catch inmovtng pans.

. Keep children, onlookers andpets away from the work area.

. Unplug a machine beforeperforming setup or installationoperattons.

. Concentrate on the job; do notrush or take shortcuts. Never workwhen you are tired, stressed or havebeen d r i nk ing a l coho l o r us ingmedicat ions that inducedrowsiness.

. Whenever possible, clamp downthe workpiece, leaving both handsfree to perform an operation.

. Find a comfortable stance; avoidover-reaching.

. Turn the machine off if i t producesan unfami l iar v ibrat ion or noise;have the machine serviced beforeresuming operations.

. Keep your work area clean andtidy; clutter can lead to accidents.

ANATOMY OF A BOARD

5HO?.MADE?U?H 'TICK'Tush elicke for feeding eilock inlo eaw blades or jointer kniveeare commercia l ly avai lable,butyou can easi ly makeyour ownueing 3/+-inch

Vlywood and a band eaw or saber eaw. No oreohape ie ideal; deeiqn a Vueh sLick that ie comforlable No ueeand su iLab le f o r t he mach ine and j ob a t hand . A 4b " ang lebeLween the handle and, the baee ie beetfor mo6t cuLe on atable eaw, whi le a emal ler angle, wi |h the handle c loser to NheNable, ie beNler for feedinq slock acroee a radial arm saw Lable.The lonq baee of a ohoe-ohaped puoh etick (bottom, left) allowoyou No apply heavy downward ?reooure on a workpiece. Fora familiar grip, uee a favoriNe handeaw hand,le as alemplatre (bottom, riqht). Whailever Nhe deoiqn,make lhe noNch in the baee large enough tohold lhe sLock, and yet ehallow enouqhNo ouVporL it without, touchinq thetable of lhe machine.Keep pueh elicke closeat hand, ready to feedslock at lhe st arLor finieh of a cul.

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rITIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIItIIttIIIIIII

Hole forhanging

THE ART OF WOODWORKING

WOODWORKINGWHINES

TIME-LIFE BOOKSALEXANDRIA. VIRGINIA

ST. REMY PRESSMONTREAL. NEW YORK

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THE ART OF WOODWORKING was produced byST. REMY MUITIMEDIA INC.

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Senior Editors

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C o nt r ib ut in g I llustr at o r s

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Pierre L€veil16

Pierre Home-DouglasFrancine LemieuxMarc Cassini (Text)Heather Mills (Research)Normand Boudreault, Solange LabergeLuc GermainJim McRaeChristopher JacksonRonald Durepos, Christiane fltalien,Robert Paquet, Studio La Perlubte inc.Natalie WatanabeMichelle TurbideJean-Luc RoyRobert Chartier

THECONSUNANTS

Mark Duginske, a cabinetmaker who livesin Wausau, Wisconsin, is a contr ibutingeditor to Fine Woo dworking magazineand the author ofseveral books on woodwork-ing power tools.

Leonard Lee is the president ofVeritas Toolsand Lee Valley Tools, manufacturers and retail-ers of fine woodworking hand tools. He is alsothe publisher and executive editor of Woodcuts,amagazine that focuses on the history andtechniques of woodworking.

Giles Miller-Mead has taught advanced cabi-netmaking at Montreal technical schools formore than ten years. A native of New Zealand,he previously worked as a restorer of antiquefurniture.

)oseph Truini is Senior Editor of HomeMechanixmagazine. A former Shop and ToolsEditor of Popular Mechanics, he has worked asa cabinetmaker, home improvement contractorand carpenter.

Woodworking machines.p. cm.-(The Art of Woodworking)

Includes index.ISBN 0-8094-9900-2.ISBN 0-8094-9e01-0 (lib. bdg).1. Woodworking tools. 2. Woodworking

machinery. 3. Saws.I. Time- Life Books. II SeriesTT186.W658 1992684' .083-dc20

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

@ 1992 Time-Life Books Inc.All rights reserved.No part of this book may be reproduced inany form or by any electronic or mechanicalmeans, including information storage andretrieval devices or systems, without priorwritten permission from the publisher, exceptthat briefpassages may be quoted for reviews.First printing. Printed in U.S.A.Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Time-Life Books is a division of Time Life Inc.

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TIME LIFE INC.PKESIDENT and CEO: George Artandi

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PUBLISHER/MANAGING EDITOR: Neil Kaean

DEDICATION

The editors of Time-Life Booksand St. Remy Multimedia Inc. dedicate

Woodworking Machines to thememory of Giles Miller-Mead (page 6-7).

Mr. Giles Miller-Mead, the overall consultantfor THE ART OF WOODWORKING,

was a superb practitioner and popular teacherof this craft, as well as a mentor to

many talented cabinetmakers.

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CONTENTS

RADIALARM SAWAnatomy of a radial arm sawSetting upRadial arm saw blades

48505258

6 INTRODUCTION

12 TABLESAW14 Anatomv of a table saw16 Setting rip18 Safetv20 Table saw blades24 Ripping30 Crosscutting35 Angle cuts36 Dado cuts40 Moldings44 Thble saw joinery

and accessories60 Safew62 Crosicutting63 Angle cuts66 Ripping69 Dado cuts75 Moldings76 Radial arm saw joinery

78 BAND SAW80 Anatomv of a band saw82 Setting dp85 Safetv86 Band saw blades89 Cutting curves94 Straight cuts98 Angle and taper cuts

100 Cutting duplicate pieces101 Band saw joinery

rO4 DRItt PRESS106 Anatomy of a drill press108 Setting up and safety110 Bits and accessoriesII2 Straight and angled holesI 18 Dowels, plugs and tenonsI 19 Mortising techniques122 The drill press as sander

r24 IOTNTER126 Anatomy of a jointerI28 Setting up and safety130 Jointer knivesI32 |ointing135 Salvaging warped stock136 Rabbets, chamfers and tapers139 Planer

I4O GLOSSARY

I42 INDEX

I44 ACKNO\,VLEDGMENTS

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INTRODUCTION

Giles Miller-Mead talks about

TABLE SAMS

he first table saw I ever encountered belonged to my friend's dad, a Danish boatbuilder. He'd built it himself out of an assortment of parts of indeterminate age

and origin and it proudly occupied a corner of his worlshop. It always amazed mehow Sven could turn out any number of identical, precisely cut pieces and then, afterchanging his set-up, make lengths ofbeautiful custom moldings. All these operationswere done with seemingly effortless efficiency.

I was always pestering him to let me try using it and, when he finally did, the firstproject we made together was a set of floorboards for my vintage cat a 1938 RoverSports Sedan. Even now, nearly 25 years later, I still look back at Sven and the floor-board project as the first stirrings of my desire to make a living from woodworking.

My present table saw, bought second-hand more than 10 years ago, is a l2-inchcommercial model with a 3-horsepower motor. I couldrlt imagine my woodworkingshop without it. I rely on my table saw at many stages throughout my projects, whethercutting workpieces to size, making different joints, building drawers and doors, orcreating a variety of molding patterns. I also make a lot of chairs in myworlahop andI find my table saw particularly usefirl for cutting the angled tenons on the seat rails.When I built my house, I started by building the worlshop; once that was up, the tablesaw came through for me once again, cutting sheets of plywood to size and makingall the trim for the entire house, as well as cutting other assorted pieces.

I think I like the table saw so much for two main reasons. First of all, it's such a ver-satile machine; second, since most of the motor and blade are beneath the table, youcan see at a glance what's going on. There's nothing to obscure your view of the worksurface. Still, I have a great deal of respect for its ability to cause bodily injury-a lesonthat's been drummed into me on a couple of occasions. But I consider it a safemachine, as long as the proper precautions are observed and the operator isnt overtiredor in too much of a hurry. All in all, the table saw is a magnificent machine and Icouldnt do without it.

A native of New Zealnnd, Giles Miller-Mead is seenhere inhis workshop/with one of his prized tools-avintage table saw acquired in the early 1980s.

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INTRODUCTION

Frank Klausz discusses

RADIALARM SAMS

ntil he was about 14 years old, myson was content to spend his sum-

mers in my shop doing sanding jobs.Then he decided to make somethinghimself. I suggested he design a jewelrybox, which I helped him construct. Thenext summer, he wanted to build some-thing without my help-which meantworking on mybig machines.

Being safety-conscious, I got a bit ner-vous. Still, I took him to the radial armsaw and explained the basics. Then Ipainted two red lines on the saw table,each a few inches away from the blade,and filled in the space in between. "Safety

with this machine is simple," I told him."Keep your hands away from the redzone." In no time at all, he was workingat the saw without supervision. He cut/rinch rabbets into the edges of his jew-elry box top and added a black ebonyinlay. I would have used a router, but hedid fine with the saw.

Because you pull the blade into a sta-tionaryworkpiece, the radial arm sawisa very safe machin*provided you set upproperly, use only sharp blades, followthe manufacturer's safety instructionsand, ifyou wish, add your own red zone.

I use the radial arm saw for a varietyof tasks: crosscutting rough lumber,cutting miters and dadoes, and ripping.If you rip, remember to feed evenlyand from the correct side of the table toavoid kickback.

Frank Kausz owns a worleshop inPluckemin, New Jersey, that specializesin making and restoring fine furniture.

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INTRODUCTION

Dave Sawyer talks about

BA)\TDSAMS

J have been a Windsor chairmaker forI l0 years. The machines in my shopare a lathe and a band saw. The lathe isessential; the bandsaw is a wonderfulconvenience. It cuts out seats, trimsrough wood, cuts turnings and spindlesto lengh, saws wedge slots, and is justplain handy. All these jobs could be donewith hand saws, but the band saw doesthem quicker and more accurately.

I was exposed to band saws at an earlyage in my father's display and exhibitshop. later I worked in a boatyard wherethe band saw made many wonderfulshapes. That must have been where Irealized it is my favorite woodworkingmachine. For a small shop limited to onestationary power tool, most folks wouldwant a table saw but a band saw wouldbe my choice.

Obviously, band saws are great forcutting curves, down to tiny radii with%e-inch blades. Angle cuts, straight orcurved, are easy. With a little fore-thought, you can make "release cuts"and get into reallytight places. Band sawsalso do a reasonable job of ripping withalz-inch or %-inch blade and a fence.My l4-inch Delta model will resawboards 6 inches wide-any thicknessfrom veneer on uD. Wth a 6-inch riserblock in its frame ii could resaw 12 inch-es. That would take a monster industrial30-inch table saw to make the samecut-or two passes with a 16-inch saw.

Dave Sawyer builds Windsorchairs at his workshop in

S outh Wo o db ury, Ver m ont.

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INTRODUCTION

Iudith Ames on

DRILL PRESSES

f all the tools in my shop, the drillpress may not see as many hours

of use as some others, but for certaintasks it is indispensable. The machine Iuse is a Sears Craftsman, manufacturedin the mid-1950s.It came into our shopabout four years ago. What I like aboutthis drill press is its old-tool charm. theweight ofit. It's solid. It was built to last.

Prior to getting into furniture-mak-ing, I experimented with carpentry andcabinetmaking. I studied woodworkingin Colorado, taking classes with suchhighly respected furniture makers as ArtCarpenter. Fumiture-making is what I'vebeen doing for the last seven years. I findit very satisfiing. I'm constantly learningnew techniques and trying new designs.

I produce a line of furniture as well ascustom design pieces. I make a rockingchair for children with a design thatincludes bear paws on the arms anddowels set into a curved frame that pro-vides back support. I depend on the drillpress to bore precise holes for the dowels.

On a rocking chair I make for adults,the legs are square at the middle wherethey meet the seat, and have tenonsat either end that fit into the rockersat the bottom and the arms at the top.To make the transition between the leg'ssquare middle and round tenons,l sculptthe legs with a router and a spokeshave.The drill press reams the holes in therockers and the arms for the tenons.

Iudith Ames is a furniture-maker in Seattle, Washington.

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INTRODUCTION

Mark Duginske talks about

IOINTE,RShe first jointer I used was alreadyold when my father bought it. The

machine required constant care, whichwas good, because it taught me to con-centrate and pay attention to every boardI worked with. When I was 15 years old,we built a new house and used locallygrown oak for the trim and cabinets. Itwas my job to do all of the jointing.

A rule I learned then-and one thatI still follow today-is that the success ofany cabinetmaking project hinges onworkingwith wood thathas straight andsquare edges. The power tools that domost of the cutting in my shop nowa-days-the table saw and the radial armsaw-will cut accurately only if the stockI feed into them is square and true. If oneedge of a board is not straight, I won't beable to crosscut it squarely.

Getting offto a good start is where thejointer comes in. I use it to make thatcritically important first step, forming asquare corner where the edge and theend of a board meet. The jointer also hasa more creative application when I use itto make legs for furniture or even deco-rative moldings.

The jointer is not difficult to use ormaintain, but it requires skill to adjustthe machine and change the knives. Butlike all tools, mastering the jointer takespractice and concentration.

Mark Duginske is the author ofseveral boolcs on woodworking toolsand techniques. He woiles as a cabi-

netmaker in Wausau, Wisconsin.

1 1

hether you are working withmilled boards from a lumber-

yard, old barn siding or sheets of4-by-8plywood, the table saw is an excellent all-around tool for cutting wood to width(ripping) and length (crosscutting). If thetable saw were used for nothing but tiresetwo cuts, it would still be a valuable tool.But the saw also accepts a wide variety ofblades and accessories, from roller standsthat assist with unwieldy panels (page 26)to molding heads capable of producingelaborate decorative trim (page 40). lndwith help from the simple, inexpensiveshop-made jigs featured in this chapter,the table saw is also unsurpassed forrepeat cuts and also valuable for makingsuch fundamental woodworking jointsas the lap, box and open mortise-and-tenon joints (page 44).

TABLE,SAM

Screwed to the miter gauge, this woodextension facilitates the cutting ofboxjoints for drawers and casework. Suchshop-made jigs extend the versatility

of the basic table saw.

l0-inch blade. Properly tuned and main-tained, it can mill 3-inch stock repeated-ly without overheating.

If most of your work is with 3/E- or l-inch-thick stock typically used for cab-inetmaking, the open-base contractor'ssaw is a less expensive alternative. Its 1.5-horsepower motor turns an 8- or 10-inch blade, and the unit can be mountedon a mobile base, providing extra flex-ibility. In any case, the basic require-ment for a table saw-whether forcabinetmaking or general workshopuse-is that it must be capable of cuttinga2-by-4at both 90 and45".

For occasional use on light stock orwhere space is at a premium, the 8/+-inch bench top saw can easilybe hauledaround the workshop or the iob site byone person. When^ choosing a saw,

The precision and power of a table saw permit a woodworkerto make many different cuts with small risk of error. Sawingsquare and straight with hand tools requires considerable skilland time; but a woodworker who follows the procedures for thetable saw outlined in this chapter can produce clean, accuratecuts-consistently, and with relatively little effort.

Table saws are designated according to the blade diameterused. Models are commonlyavailable in 8-,9-, 10- and l2-indlsizes. The 8- and l0-inch models, however, are clearlythe mostpopular home worlshop saws. When choosing a table saw, firstconsider the type of woodworking you will be doing with it. Thefully enclosed stationary saw, like the one pictured on pagesl4-15, tipically uses a 1.5- to 3-horsepower motor to drive a

beware of exaggerated horsepower ratings. Check the motorplate:An honest l.5-horsepower motor should draw roughly14 amps at 115 volts; a 3-horsepower motor should draw 14 or15 amos at 230 volts.

Notq [n someillustrations inthis c.hapter, thetable sawis shown in operation withouttheblade guardin caseswhere it shoul( in fact,

be used. firis is done only for the sake ofclarity of the illustration. Use your blade

guard whenever possible.

With a workpiece clamped firmly to a tenoningjig a woodworker cuts the tenon part of an openmortise-and-tenon joint. The jig is guided by arail that slides in the saw table's miter gauge slot.

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Roller atand)upporto lon7 work-pieceo during cuttin1operationa

Auxiliary table ineerteKeep wood piecee fromfalti'n4 into'table; wideralota for dado or mold-inq heado

T arge or small, the table saw is basical-I-r lv a motor and arbor assemblvattached to a base cabinet or stand. Thiarbor may be mounted directly to themotor shaft, or connected to the motorby a belt and pulley. In general, bettersaws have more than one belt.

Precise blade adiustments are madeby means of two crank-type handwheelsunderneath the saw table. One wheel

Miter gaugeGuides workpiece acroea table for croos-cutting; wooden erteneion can be acrewedto 0au0e to oupport wide piecea

Rlp fenceGuidea workpieceacross tablefor rippinq

VacuumattachmentFor duat col-lection eystem

Mobile baeeFaailitatea movin4 theaaw aaide in amallahopa; wheela can belocked in poaition

5tandardtable ineertKeepa woodPtece6 Tromfallinq into table

ANATOMY OF A TABLE SAW

Blade guardClear ahield thatprotectg operatorfrom blade: boltedto splitter andanti-kiakback device

Blade angleadtuatmentannk

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connols theblade's height abovethe sawtable-from 0 to 3ys inches on a l0-inchsaw. The otherwheeladjusts the angle oftheblade-from 90oto 451

The rip fence, which on mostmodelsslides alongthe front andrear guidebarsto control rip cuts, can be locked any-where along its track at the desired dis-tance from the blade. Some fencesfeature measuring tapes attached to the

TABLE SAW

front guide bar or even, in some cases,electronic readouts, although experi-enced woodworkers usually rely on ahandheld measuring tape and a samplecut to check the width of a cut.

Shallowslots, milled into the sawableon each side of the blade, accept anadjustable miter gauge for guiding cros-cuts. Quality saws have tables that arecast and then machined for flatness.

Optional rip fenc'eLonqer Tence re?Eceqatandard fence whonertenoion table uaed

The portable 8%-inch bench top saw canperform most of thefunctions of alargersaw. Aually plnced on aworlcbench oron sswhorses, it ako can be built into abmch its top levelwith thebench top,providing a lnrge work surface.

Fs<teneion tableInareaaea work eurtaceto facilitate cuttin7 largeboarda and panela

Rlp fence gulde barHolda optional rip fencato extenaion table; fea-tures rula for meaaudnawidth of cut

Fence loakHolda rip fencein fixed'poaition

Hold-down deviaeHolda workpiece firmlyaqainat both table andrip fence for aafa rip cuta

Auxlliary fenceBoard clampedor acrewed to ripfence ertendahei1ht of fence

15

SETTING UP

hether your table saw sits poisedto make its first cut, or is a sea-

soned machine with a home full of ftrr-niture to its credit, it cannot cut withprecision unless its adjustable parts arein proper alignment. A table saw withmisaligned parts can result in any one ofseveral frustrating problems, includingexcessive vibration, increased risk ofkickback, blade damage, burn marks onworkoieces as well as inaccurate cuts.Even irrors as little as r,/o+ inch can con-promise the quality and strength of apiece of furniture.

The components of your table sawrequiring the most attention are those

that contact and guide the workpieceduring cutting operations: the sarv table,the blade, the miter gauge and the ripfence. Before putting a table saw throughits paces on the cutting techniquesdescribed in this chapter, first set up themachine properly by checking and, ifnecessary, adjusting the alignment of itsparts. For best results, unplug the sawadjust the table insert setscrews to makethe insert oerfectlv flush with the sawtable, and irank the blade to its highestsetting. Then follow the steps shownbelow in the sequence that they appear.There is little point in aligning the mitergauge with the saw blade, for example, if

the blade itself has not been scuared withthe table.

To confirm that your table saw isproperly tuned, make a few test cuts. Agood way to ensure that your saw is cut-ting in precise, straight lines is to cut asquared board in two and flip one of thepieces over. Butt the two cut ends togeth-er. They should fit together without anygaps as perfectly as they did before theboard was flipped.

Because the normalvibration fromcutting can upset proper alignment, tuneyour table saw periodically; many wood-workers take the time to adjust their sawsbefore starting each project.

ALIGNING THE TABLE AND SAW BLADE

' l Checking table a l ignmentJ- Posi t ion the mi ter gauge at the f ront of the saw blade. Hold or c lamp aperfect ly squared wood b lock against the mi ter gauge and but t the end of theblock against a saw blade toolh (above). Then s l ide the mi ter gauge and theblock together toward the back of the table whi le rotat ing the b lade by hand.The b lock should remain but ted against the tooth as the b lade rotates f romfront to back. l f a gap opens between the b lock and the tooth, or the b lockb inds aga ins t t he b lade as i t i s r o ta ted , a l i gn t he tab le f o l l ow ing the owner ' smanua l i ns t ruc t i ons .

Checking blade angleRemove the table insert , then butt

a combinat ion square against the sawblade between two teeth as shown. Theblade of the square should f i t f lushagainst the saw blade. l f there is a gapbetween the two, rotate the blade angleadjustment crank unt i l the saw bladerests f lush against the square's blade.

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TABLE SAW

SOUARING THE MITER GAUGE

1 Aligning the miter gauge with the saw tableI With the miter gauge out of the table slot , use a combina-t ion square to conf irm that the head of the gauge is squarewith the edge of the gauge bar. l f i t is not, use the adjustmenthandle on the gauge to square the two. Then butt the squareagainst the gauge (above), The blade of the square should f i tf lush against the gauge. l f there is a gap between the two,have the gauge machined square at a metalworking shop.

ADJUSTING THE RIP FENCE

Aligning the rip fenceSet the r ip fence alongside the mitergauge slot. lf there is any gap betweenthe two, al ign the fence fol lowing theowner's manual instruct ions. On themodel shown, turn the adjustment bolt atthe front of the table with a hex wrench.

r) Aligning the miter gauge with the saw bladeL gutt a carpenter 's square against the miter gauge and thesaw blade between two teeth. The square should fit flush againstthe gauge. lf there is a gap between the two, loosen the adjust-ment handle on the gauge (above)and swivel the miter head tobring i t f lush against the square. Tighten the adjustment han-d l o n n f h p o a r r o o

llll lllr illl llll l]tl l]ll illr llfl llll llll llll llll fitl llll lllt llll lll lll?HO? Tt?Fixing a looee miter 6au4eTo el iminaLeexcessive side-to'eide Vlay of themiNer qauqe in its sloL,remove Nhe qauqe fromLhe Nable and Vlace thebar edqe-uV on a board,Uoe a bal l -peenhammer and aVrick punch NoeLrike Nhe edge ofLhe bar in a oNagqered pat-Lern every inch along i t .Thiewill raise bumpo on lhe edqe of the barand resulf , in a t iqhter f i | in Nhe sloL, l fLhe fit io too Liqht, fi le lhe bumpe downa9 nece56ary.

Miter qau4e olot

I 7

SAFETY

Q afety is as much a matter of attituder.J and common sense as correct tech-nique. The table saw is a powerfulmachine; all the safety devices in theworld will not make up for a cavalier atti-tude or rloppy work practices. On theother hand, a woodworker should notapproach a table saw with trepidation; atimid operator, someone reluctant tohold a workpiece firmly whiie cutting it,

faces as many risks as a careless worker.Caution mixed with confidence stem-ming from an understanding of themachine and the task at hand should bethe woodworker's guide.

Read the owner's manual suppliedwith your saw. Before starting a job,make sure you know how to use the safe-ty accessories that are designed to protectyou from specific injuries while operat-

ing the machine. Use devices like pushsticks and featherboards, as shownthroughout this chapter, to protect yourfingers from the blade. A hold-downdevice, such as the one illustrated onpage25,is also a worthwhile investment.And remember that not only your fin-gers and hands are at risk A safe work-shop also includes hearing protectors,safety glasses and dust masks.

Respecting the danger zoneTo avoid injury from the saw blade,constantly be alert to a "danger zone"that exists within obout 3 inches of theblade-both above and to either sideof it (left). Keep your hands out ofthis zone whenever the saw is beingused-even if the blade guard is inplace. To feed a workpiece past theblade within the zone, use a pushstick, a push block or a jig.

. Use a safety guard whenever possible.Before making a bevel cut, confirm thatthe guard wil l be clear of the blade.

o Do not leave the saw running when rtis unattended.

. lf you are interrupted, complete theoperation under way before turning offthe saw and looking up.

. Follow the manufacturer's instructionsto change accessories; unplug the sawfirst. Make sure that saw blades and cut-ters are sharp, clean and undamaged.

. Before cutting a workpiece, removeany loose knots from it using a hammer.Inspect salvaged wood for nails andscrews before cutting.

TABTE SAW SAFETY TIPS

o Do not start a cut unti l the blade isrunning at fu l l speed.

. Before using the saw each time,inspect its safety features. Make surethere is no binding or misalignment ofmoving parts. Do not use the saw untilsuch problems are corrected.

. Always feed wood into the saw bladeagainst the direction of blade rotation.

. Make sure the rip fence is lockedin position before ripping.

. Do not use the miter gauge in combi-nation with the rio fence to make acut-except when the blade does not cutcompletely through the workpiece, suchas for a dado or a groove.

. Use the rip fence or the miter gaugefor all cutting operations; never attemptto cut freehand.

. Before ripping a board, ensure that theedge in contact with the rip fence is smoothand completely straight and that the sur-face against the table is flat.

r Stand to one side of any workpieceduring any cutting operation in case ofk ickback.

. lf you have to reach past the blade,keep your hands at least 3 inches awayfrom it.

. Use a wooden stick, rather than yourfingers, to clear wood scraps from thesaw table.

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TABLE SAW

HOW THE BLADE GUARD ASSEMBLY WORKSProtecting fingers and preventing kickbackThe standard table saw blade guard assemblyincludes a pivot ing, c lear-plast ic blade guard,which def lects f ly ing wood chips and reducesthe chance that f ingers wi l l s l ip accidental ly intothe blade. The guard is connected to a thin pieceof meta l known as the sp l i t te r o r r i v ing kn i fe .Attached direct ly in l ine with the blade, the spl i t -ter keeps the saw cut-or kerf-open. Withoutsuch a device, the kerf may close during a cut,binding the blade and throwing the workpieceback toward the operator with great force.Kickback can also result i f a workpiece jamsbetween the blade and the r ip fence. Furtherprotection from kickback is provided by a metalf inger (or f ingers) cal led an ant i-k ickback pawl,which normal ly r ides on the surface of the work-piece. In the event of k ickback, the f inger digsin, prevent ing the workpiece from f ly ing back.

Optional guards like the one shown at left provide extra

flexibility. HeId in place by a cantileuered ann bolted tothe side of the saw table, it features a plasfic shield raisedand lowered by a crank. Resting lightly on the workpiece.the shield serves as a hold-down and provides wide cover-age of the cutting area, allowing the woodworker to per-

form operations such as cove cutting and rabbeting, whichcannot be done with conventional guards in position. Theblade guard shown above has two arnts. For nlost cuts,both arms ride on top of the workpiece, but when the bladeis close to the rip fence one of the arms can be raised out ofthe way. The guard can also be trsed without the retrnct-able splitter when cutting dadoes and grooves-irnpossiblewith the standard guard because the splitter is an integralpart of the framework that holds it in place.

l 9

TABLE SAW BLADES

ANATOMY ()F A BLADE T()()TH

AnL|kbkback

I table saw is ortly as good as the saw,f"L blade i t tunrs. A dul l or chippedblade can transform even the best oftable saws into a poor or even dangeroustool. To protect blades from damage,ar,oid stacking them directly atop eachother. Hang them individually on hooksor nlace cardboard between them.Renlace a blade that is dull or cracked orhal chipped teeth; more accidents arecaused by dull blades than sharp ones.

Keeo vour saw blades clean. Wood resinscun gu- r'rp a blade and hamper its abilityto make a smooth cut. To clean stickywoodresin andpitch offablade, soakit inturpen-tine, then scrub itwith steelwool. Spray-onoven cleaner can be used to dissolve stub-born deoosits.

Proolr blade performance is as mucha matter of using the right blade for thejob as keeping it clean and in good con-dition. \\4rereas in the past there wererelatively felv saw blades to choose from,today's woodworker faces a wide array ofoptions. As illustrated below, there areblades designed specifically for crosscut-ting or ripping, others to minimize kick-back or produce thin kerfs, and blades

Brazed to n shoulder on the snw blode,the corlride tip does the utttittg, whilethe gullet retnoves the sawdust. The

expansiott sllt prevents the blade frotrtwarping when it heats trp. The anti-kickback feature reduces the risk thatthe blade will jam, and send a work-

piece flying bnck toward the user.

for cutting specific types of wood.Regardless of qpe, allblades are installedon the saw and adjusted for cuttingheight and angle in the same rvay(pages 22-23).

The most imoortant advance inrecent years has bein the introduction ofcarbide-tipped blades. These haveeclipsed traditional high-speed steel asthe blade of choice. The advantase ofcarbide-tipped blade, lies in their a6ilityto keep a sharp edge far longer than theirsteel counterparts. Composed of grainsof hard tungsten-carbon particles one-hundredth the thickness of a humanhair, the carbide chunks are bondedwith cobalt and brazed onto the bladewith copper or silver. Carbide is extreme-ly hardl the highest rating-C4-has ahardness value of94 on a scale that ratesdiamond as 100.

\Ahile carbide-tipped blades can staysharp for a hundred hours or more of,se, ihey are more difficult-and there-fore more expensive-to sharpen thanhigh-speed steelblades. Sti1l, most wood-workers believe the price is worth payingfor the advantages they offer.

I Combination EladeI A 4eneral-purpoee bladeI fnr r inninr t nr . rn64alL-| ' " ' ' ' r r " ' r

I tinq; doeo not make aaI amnnt .h a r : t t aa , a , i0

I or croeecut blade, buL

I m,akee frequent bladeI cnanaeq unneceooary.III

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Rip Blade(Standard)Far cuta alonq the 7ratnHaa deep qulieta uia ,"iu-tively few, larqe teeth. Thechi eel - like c utt tn 4 ed1 eoof the Leeth make a fatrlyrou4h cut and producelar4e partlclee of sawdueLand wood chipo.

Croaaaut Blade(Standard)For cuta acrosa theqrain. Hae more teeththan rtp blade. The teethmake a amooLh cut andproduce fine aawduaL.

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Croaaaut Alade(Anti-Kiakback)A variation ofthe atan'dard croaacut btade. TheprojecLion beLween theLeeth limite the eize ofLhe chipe made with eachbite: leee aq4reeeive biteaprevent ktckback,

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Flat Top GrindGTG)FIat-top cutttngteeLh: for rippin7

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GUIDE TO CARBIDE-TIPPED BLADE DESIGNS

Carbide-t ipped saw blades feature four basic tooth designs.Each has i ts own part icular advantages and appl icat ions.Al l blades have teeth that shear through the wood and gul-lets that c lear away sawdust and wood chips from the kerf .Some blades also have rakers that cut out any mater ial lef tin the kerf by the teeth. 0n some blades, the teeth arealternately beveled-that is, they shear stock al ternatelyfrom one side, and then the other side of the cut.

alternate withflat-top rakerteelh; for rip'pinq or croae-cuttin4 abrasivemateriala

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n [-n-l rfl L__l L_J LlIJ IIE UHHa)I I \--,/fill AlternateTop

Bevel (ATB) '

Hi4hly aharpenedalternately beveledcuttinq teeth: forcroeecuttin0

finIEIU

Ahernate Top Eevelwith a Raker (NB/R)Four alternatelybeveled cuttin7 teeLhalternate wtth a flat'top raker tooth: for

Hollow GroundPlaner Blade (High-?peed ?teel)ror very amooTn cro66-cu|o, rip cuLa or anglecut a, The body of theblade ta t:hinner thanthe hub and teeLh, whtchare not aet, enaudnqthaL the body doee notbind in the saw kerf.

Melamine tsladeHaa many emall teethdeoigned to cutthrouqhthe abraatve qlue foundin parttcleboard andother manufacLuredpanelo, reeulLing in achip-free cut.

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Croeaaut Blade(Thin Rim)A variation ofthe atan-dard croeEcut blade forfine finieh cuLa. lte thin-ner nm produceo a nar-rower kerf, putttnq leeostratn on the gaw moror,

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Plywood Elade(High-?peed ?teel)Hao many emall teel;hLhat make a emooth,apltnter-free cut in ply-wood and waod veneera,The Leeth are leea effi'ctenL in hi7hly abraotvemanufacLured paneleeuch ae particleboard.

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TABLE SAW

CHANGING A SAW BLADE

1 Removins the old bladel -

I Working at the front of the table, wedge a piece of scrapwood under a blade tooth to prevent the blade from turning. Usethe wrench supplied with the saw to loosen the arbor nuI (abovd.(Table saw arbors usually have reverse threads; the nut is loos-ened in a clockwise direct ion-not counterclockwise.) Finishloosening the nut by hand, making sure that i t does not fal l intothe machine. Careful ly l i f t the blade and washer off the arbor.

t Installing the new bladeZ- St iOe the blade on the arbor with i ts teeth point ing in thedirection of blade rotation (toward the front of the table). Insertthe washer and nut and start t ightening by hand. To f in ish t ight-ening, gr ip the saw blade with a rag and use the wrench sup-plied with the saw (above), Do not use a piece of wood as awedge as this could result in overt ightening the nut.

rlll illr rll illr lllt fill filt lllt llll filt llll lll1 lll1 llll llt fiIl t]ll lltl5HO? TI?Custom-madetable insertsTo prevenL ocrap woodfrom jammin4 a7ainoL Nheeaw blade, make your own NableineerVe thaL minimize the aaobebween the blade and Nhe table inserlopening. Uee Nhe inoert ouVVlied wiLh theeaw ae a Lemplate lo cuN a blank from a pieceof ocrap wood of the same lhickneee. Drive abrass eetecrew into its front edge until 1/s inch of Nhe ecrew pro-Lrudes from iI. (The ocrew will serve ae an anchor pin for Nhe inserL.)Crank the saw blade No ils lowest oetbin4 and set the new ineerl inplace. Tooilion Nhe rip fence Lo etraddle the insert, making eure lhaliNis not direcl ly abovelheblade.Turn onthe saw and crankNheblade up olowly to iNe higheol oettinq, cuLlinq a slot, in Nhe ineefL,

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I

22

TABLE SAW

SETTING THE BLADE ANGTESetting the proper cutting angleTo make an angle cut, remove the tableinsert and crank the blade to its highestsetting. Use a protractor to set the desiredcutt ing angle on a sl id ing bevel and buttthe bevel against the blade between twoteeth. Rotate the angle adjustment crankon the saw until the blade rests flushagainst the bevel (/eff).

SETTING THE BLADE HEIGHT

Cranking the blade to the proper heightA blade that is too high poses a safetyr isk; one that is too low wi l l not cutproperly. For most cutting operations,rotate the blade height adjustmentcrank until aboulrh inch of the bladeis visible above the workpiece tight).To set the blade at a specif ic height,use a tape measure or a commercial lymade gauge, which features a series of"steps" of 7+-inch increments; a similargauge can be shop-built from scrapsof 7+-inch plywood. The blade is at thecorrect height when it rubs the gaugeat the desired height as you rotate theblade bv hand Inseil.

23

RIPPING

p ipping has tradi t ional ly beenI\ defined as "cutting with the grain."But considering that some woodstoday-plywood and particleboard, forexample-have no overall grain pattern,the definition needs some amendine. Amore appropriate description focuseJonthe table saw accessory used to make arip cut. Whereas crosscutting is doneusing the miter gauge, ripping involves

the rip fence. (Except for certain cuts thatdo not pass completely through theworkpiece, such as a dado cut, the ripfence and miter gauge should never beused at the same time, or jamming andkickback can occur.)

Before ripping a workpiece, set theheight of the saw blade (page 23), thenlock the rip fence in position for thewidth of cut. The most crucial safety

concern when ripping is keeping yourhands out ofthe bladet path. For protec-tion, use accessories such as push sticks,featherboards and hold-down devices,

To use a hold-down device, it mayfirst be necessary to screw a wood aux-iliary fence to the rip fence. Auxiliaryfences are ideal surfaces for clamping;many woodworkers make them a per-manent fixture on their saws.

RIPPING A BOARD

1 Starting the cutI Measure the distance to the edge of a tooth nearest thefence (inseil. Position the fence and set one end of the work-piece on the saw table close to the blade. Use your lef t handto press the wood down on the table and f lush with the fence;

use your rrght hand to feed the wood into the blade (above)Continue feeding the board into the blade at a steady rateunt i l the t ra i l ing end o f the board approaches the tab le .(Caution: Blade guard removed for clarity.)

24

TABLE SAW

r) Approaching the bladeL tlooi,the thumb of vour left hand overthe edge of the table ani rest your palm onthe table, keeping the wood pressed downfrrmly on the table and up against the fence(/eff). Continue feeding the board with yourr ight hand unt i l the trai l ing end of the boardapproaches the blade.

Passing the blade

Finishing the cutKeep pushing the board until the

blade cuts through it completely. Whenthe workpiece is clear of the blade, useyour left hand to shift the waste pieceto the left side of the table (/efr). Withyour right hand, carefully lift the goodpiece and place i t to the r ight of therip fence before turning off the saw.Do not allow pieces of wood to pileuo on the saw table,

Straddle the fence with your right hand(left), making sure that neither hand is inl ine with the blade. l f any f inger comeswithin 3 inches of the blade, complete thecut using a push stick, a jig, or a hold-downdeuice (abovel mounted on the rip fence.The rubber wheels of the hold-down devicekeep the workpiece firmly against the table;to prevent kickback, they also lock whenpushed against the direct ion of the cut,keeping the board from shooting backward.lf you are using a hold-down device, beginfeeding the workpiece from the front of thetable, then move to the back to pul l thewood through. Otherwise, f in ish the cutfrom the front of the table (step 4).

25

TABLE SAW

RIPPING A LARGE PANEL

' l Cutting into the panelI Posit ion the r io fence for the width of cut. Ask some-one to stand at the back of the table to receive the cutsect ions; otherwise, set up two rol ler stands. Posrt ionthem so tha t , depend ing on the th ickness o f the pane l ,they are close enough to support the cut pieces. Lay thepane l on the saw tab le a few inches f rom the b lade,butting its edge against the fence. To begin the cut, slowlyfeed the panel into the blade, sl ight ly raisrng the panel 'sback end to keep i ts front end f lat ; apply enough sidepressure with your lef t hand to keep the panel buttedsquarely against the fence (abovd. Cont inue feeding thepanel into the blade at a steady rate unt i l i ts back endreaches the edge of the table. (Caut ion: Blade guardremoved for clarity.)

r) Finishing the cutZ- Standing to the lef t of the saw blade, posi t ionyour pa lms on the back end o f the pane l so tha tneither hand is in l ine with the blade. Press downon the panel with your palms (above,) and pushthe t ra i l ins end o f the oane l toward the b ladeunt i l the cu t i s comole ted .

L O

TABLE SAW

RIPPING A NARROW STRIP

Using a featherboard and push stickPosit ion the r ip fence for the width ofcut. Then butt the workpiece against thefence. To keep your hands away fromthe b iade as i i cu ts the worko iece . usetwo accessories-a featherboard and aoush st ick. Clamo a featherboard to thesaw table-the model shown is instal ledin the miter s lot-so that i ts f ingers holdthe workp iece snug ly aga ins t the fence.r r ^ ^ ̂ ^ . , ^ L ̂ + i ^ r . ^ ^ ̂ r r w n t o f e e du 5 c d p u > i l ) L t L n d J J i l L

the workp iece in to the b lade. Cont inuecut t ing s tead i l y un t i l the b lade nearsthe end o f the cu t . Suppor t the wastep iece w i th your le f t hand; to p reventyour hand f rom be ing pu l led back in tothe b lade in case o f k ickback , cur l yourfingers around the edge of the table (/eff)(Caution: Blade guard removed for clarity.)

A JIG F()R MAKING REPEAT NARROW CUTSTo r ip several narrow str ips to the same width, use theshopmade jig shown at left. For the jig, cut a board witha l ip at one end. Screw a hold-down block to the j ig, thenbutt the j ig f lush against the r ip fence. Mark a cutt ing l ineon the workpiece, then seat it against the jig, flush with thel ip. Posit ion the r ip fence so that the cutt ing l ine on theworkpiece is aligned with the saw blade.

To make each cut, s lrde the j ig and the workpiece as aunit across the table, feeding the workpiece into the blade(|efl. $he first cut will trim the lip to the width of the cut.)Use your left hand to keep the workpiece flush against thej ig. Remove the cut str ip, reposit ion the workpiece in thej ig, and repeat for ident ical str ips. (Caut ion: Blade guardremoved for clarity.)

27

TABLE SAW

Featherboard Auxiliarywood fence

tslade cuttinq ewath

RESAWING THICK ST()CK

r) Completing the first passL Wttn the saw st i l l running, move to the back of the table.Use one hand to p ress the workp iece f lush aga ins t the r ipfence (above) and the other hand to pul l i t past the blade.Fl ip the workpiece over and repeat the cutt ing proceduresin steps I and 2.

1 Setting up and starting the cutI To resaw a board, posi t ion the r ipfence fo r t he w id th o f cu t and a t t acha h igh aux i l i a r y wood fence . C rank theblade below the table and p lace the work-p iece over the table inser t . To secure theworkp iece , c l amp one fea the rboa rd t othe fence above the b lade, and a secondfeatherboard hal fway between the b ladeand the f ron t o f t he t ab le . Res t t he sec -ond featherboard on a wood scrap so thati t supports the middle of the workpiece:c lamp ano the r boa rd a t a 90 " ang le t othe featherboard for ext ra pressure, asshown . Remove the workp iece and se tt h e h l a d e h e i p h t t o a m a x i m u m o f 1 7inches fo r so f twood o r 1 i nch fo r ha rd -wood. To start the cut, feed the workpieceinto the blade (left). Continue cutting ata steady rate unt i l your f ingers are about3 i nches f rom the b lade .

Finishing the cutRaise the blade height and make another pass along each

edge of the workpiece (above). Make as many passes as neces-sary, rais ing the blade height af ter each pass, unt i l the bladecuts through the workpiece completely.

28

TABLE SAW

TAPER CUTS

Using a commercial taper jigTo cut a workpiece so that one end isnarrower than the other, make a taper cut.Hold the j ig f lush against the r ip fenceand pivot the hinged arm with the workstop unt i l the taper scale indicates thecutt ing angle- in degrees or inches perfoot. Mark a cutting line on the workpiece,then seat i t against the work stop andhinged arm. Position the fence so that thecutt ing l ine on the workpiece is al ignedwith the saw blade. With the j ig and work-piece clear of the blade, turn on the saw.Use your left hand to hold the workpieceagainst the jig and your right hand to slidethe jig and workpiece as a unit acrossthe table, feeding the workpiece into theblade (left); ensure that neither hand is inl ine with the blade. Cont inue cutt ing at asteady rate until the blade cuts throughthe workpiece. (Caution: Saw blade guardremoved for clarity.)

Using a shop-made jigBui ld a j ig exact ly l ike the one shown onpage 68 but without the handle. To posi-t ion the workpiece for the taper cut, raisethe saw blade to its highest setting. Buttone side of the j ig base against the bladeand posit ion the r ip fence f lush againstthe other side of the base. Mark a cuttingl ine on the workp iece , then p lace i t onthe base, al igning the l ine with the edgeof the taper jig's base nearest the blade.Holding the workpiece securely, posi t ionthe gu ide bar aga ins t i t , w i th the l ipsnugly against the end of the workpiece.Screw the gu ide bar to the base andpress the toggle clamps down to securethe workpiece to the j ig base. Set theblade height. With the j ig and workpiececlear of the blade, turn on the saw. Withyour Ief t hand pressing the workpiecetoward the r ip fence, s l ide the j ig andworkpiece steadily across the table, mak-ing sure that nei ther hand is in l ine wrththe blade tight). (Caulion: Blade guardremoved for clarity.)

29

CROSSCUTTING

s cutting with the grain is synony-mous with the use of the rip fence,

so crosscutting is defined by the deviceused to make the cut: the miter gauge.The general technique for making acrosscut, as shown below, begins withcorrect hand placement to keep theworkoiece both flush on the table andfirmly against the miter gauge. Theworkpiece is fed into the blade at a steadyrate. As with ripping, make sure thatscrap pieces do not pile up on the table,and keep both hands out of line with theblade. Also, keep the rip fence well backfrom the blade to prevent any cut-off

SOUARING THE W(lRKPIECE

part of the workpiece from becomingtrapped between the blade and fence andkicking back.

To reduce the amount of sandingyouwill need to do later, remember that theslower the feed, the smoother the cut,especiallywhen the blade breaks throughthe workpiece at the end of the cut.Althougha combination blade can beused for crosscutting, a crosscut bladewill produce a finer cut.

When a longer workpiece is being cut,it is a good idea to attach an extension tothe miter gauge to provide a more securebase. Miter gauges commonly have

two screw holes for just such an addi-tion-normally, a piece of hardwood3 to 4 inches wide and about 2 feet long.Use the miter gauge extension in con-junction with a stop block to makerepeat cuts (page 32).

For wide panels or long boards, ashop-made crosscutting jig (page 33) isparticularly helpful, and will ensure veryaccurate cuts. Thejig can also be used forsmaller pieces and provides a safe, con-venient way to perform most crosscuts.Many experienced woodworkers consid-er it the single most indispensable acces-sory for crosscutting.

Checking for squareUse a combinat ion square to con-

f i rm that the cut end of the workoieceforms a 90" angle with the edge. Withthe workpiece and square held up to thel igh t , there shou ld be no gap v is ib le .Mark an X on the cut end to help youremember which end has been squared.1 Making a crosscut

I Before measuring or marking a workpiece for a crosscut, cut one end of it square.To avoid jamming the blade, al ign the workpiece with the blade so that i t wi l l t r imr/zinch or so. With the thumbs of both hands hooked over the miter gauge, hold theworkpiece frrmly against the gauge hbove) and push them together to feed the work-piece into the blade. (Caution: Blade guard removed for clarity.)

30

TABLE SAW

REPEAT CUTS: USING THE RIP FENCE AS A GUIDE

O Positioning the rip fenceL noningthe workpiece firmly against the miter gauge, pullboth back from the blade and butt the stop block against theworkpiece (abovd. Lock the rip fence in position. Check to seethat the workpiece does not contact the stop block when theworkpiece reaches the blade.

1 Setting up the cutI Clamp a board to the r ip fence asa stop block. To prevent jamming the work-piece between the stop and the blade-which could lead to kickback-posit ionthe stop far enough toward the front of thetable so that the workpiece wi l l c lear thestop before reaching the blade. To line upthe cut, hold the workpiece against themiter gauge and push the gauge and work-piece forward until the workpiece touchesthe saw blade. Sl ide the workpiece alongthe miter gauge unt i l the cutt ing mark isaligned with the blade (left).

Q Making the cutr-t Set the end of the workpiece flush against the stop block.With the thumbs of both hands hooked over the miter gauge,hold the workpiece f i rmly against the gauge and push themtogether to feed the workpiece into the blade (above). (Gaution:Blade guard removed for clariU.)

3 1

TABLE SAW

REPEAT CUTS: USING THE MITER GAUGE

lllr lllr l]ll lllJ illr illl llll)HO? TI?Hands-free "Off" switchTo lurn off the eaw when your handoare buey on Ihe lable, uee a ehoV-madeknee or looN lever. CuI a board equalin widlh t.o the swttch box. The boardehould be lon4 enouqh No reach with afooL or a knee when aLlached lo t 'hebox (rrqht). 7crew a hinqe No one end oftrhe board and Vooition Lhe hinge on topof the box, Vark Lhe epol where ihe ONbutr.on r ,ouchee the board. Cul a holeNhrouqh Lhe board althis mark, AtNachthe h in4e t ro Ihe box us inq q lue , o rremove lhe cover and drive in screws.

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' l Positioning the stop blockI Screw a board to the miter gauge asan ex tens ion , ensur ing tha t one end o fi t extends beyond the saw blade. Pushthe miter gauge to cut of f the end of theextension. Turn off the saw, then sl idethe miter gauge to the front of the table.Measure and mark the length of cut onthe extension (left). Align a wood blockwith the mark and clamp i t in place as astop block.

r; Making the cutL fo, each cut, butt the end of theworkpiece against the stop block. Withthe thumbs of both hands hooked overthe mi te r gauge, ho ld the workp iecef i rm ly aga ins t the gauge and pushthem together, feeding the workpieceinto the blade (above). (Caution: Bladeguard removed for clarity,)

J Z

TABLE SAW

CROSSCUT JIG

Extengton1 " x 3 " x 3 6 "

)Lop block2 " x 4 " x 4 "

Clear plaetic quard

Ouide2 " x 3 " x 3 6 "

Jig Eaee1 /2 "x25 "x36"

Keinforcinq block2 " x 3 " x B "

For easy and accurate crosscuts-especially with long, wide or heavyworkpieces-use a shop-built cross-cut jig, custom-made for your tablesaw bbovd. Refer to the illustrationfor suggested dimensions.

Cut two 25-inch-long hardwoodrunners the same width as yourmiter gauge slots. Bore clearanceholes for screws into the undersidesof the runners, 3 inches from eachend. Place the runners in the slots,ihen slide them out to overhang theback end of the table by about 8

inches. Position the jig base square-ly on the runners, its edge flush withtheir overhanging ends, then screwthe runners to the base, countersink-ing the screws. Sl ide the runnersand the base off the front end of thetable and dr ive in the other twoscrews. Attach a support frame alongthe back edge of the jig. Glue a rein-forcing block to the frame, centeredbetween the runners. Then, with therunners in the miter gauge slots,make a cut through the supportframe and three-quarters of the way

across the base, Turn off the sawand lower the blade, Screw a guideto the front edge of the jig, ensuringthat it is square with the saw kerf .Glue a safety block to the outsideof the guide, centered on the kerf;also glue a reinforcing block on theguide, ident ical to the one on thesupport frame. Raise the saw bladeand finish the cut, sawing complete-ly through the guide but only slightlyinto the safety block.

For making repeat cuts to thesame length, screw an extension tothe gu ide and c lamp a s top b lockto i t . Use a clear plast ic sheet thatspans the saw kerf as a blade guard,fastening it to the reinforcing blockswith wing nuts,

To use the crosscut jig, fit the run-ners into the miter gauge slots. Slidethe jig toward the back of the tableuntil the blade enters the kerf. Holdthe workpiece against the guide, slidethe stop bloclcto the desired positionand clamp i t in place, bui t ing theend of the workpiece against the stopblock. With the workpiece held firmlyagainst the guide, slide the jig steadi-ly across the table (/eft), feeding theworkpiece into the blade.

33

TABLE SAW

CROSSCUTTING A WIDE PANEL

1 Reversing the miter gaugeI to start the cutlf a workoiece is wider than the distancebetween the front edge of the table andthe saw blade, the miter gauge cannotbe used to begin a crosscut in its usualposit ion- in front of the blade. Instead,remove the gauge and insert i t in themiter slot from the back of the table; forextra stability, screw a wooden extensionto the gauge. To begin the cut, hold theextension with one hand whi le pressingthe workpiece against i t wi th the otherhand. Feed the workpiece steadi ly intothe b lade un t i l the t ra i l ing end o f theworkoiece reaches the front of the table.(Caution: Blade guard removed for clari$.)

r) Finishing the cutL Turn off the saw when the blade isfar enough through the workpiece to allowthe miter gauge to return to its usual posi-tion, using a hands-free swilch (page 32),i f possible, so that both hands remainon the workpiece. Insert the miter gaugeinto its slot from the front of the tableand complete the cut, holding the work-piece against the extension (rghf).

34

ANGLE CUTS

A n. of the reasons the table saw is so\-/ versatile is that both the mitergauge and the blade can be angled, pro-ducing not only straight cuts but miter,bevel and compound cuts as well. Mitersof between 30%nd 90o are cut by anglingthe miter gauge. Saw blades can be tiltedfrom 45o to 90' (page 2j),producingbevel cuts. Andbyanglingboth the mitergauge and the saw blade, a woodworkercan make a compound cut.

Whether crosscutting or ripping, thetechniques used for angle cuts are similarto those used when the blade and gaugeare at 90o. The difference is the result:With the blade at 90o, the woodworkerends up with a straight cut; with the

blade angled, a bevel cut. The sameapplies to crosscutting, although withboth activities extra care must be takento keep hands away from the blade,which now cuts a wider swath above thetable. When the blade is tilted, positionthe miter gauge or rip flence soihat the

blade angles away from it. This way theworkpiece is pushed away from the bladerather than pulled toward it, reducingthe chance that hands will stray into theblade. Gluing sandpaper to a miter gaugeextension will also reduce the chance ofa workpiece slipping during a cut.

\Compound cut

TW() JIGS FOR MAKING MULTIPLE ANGLED CUTS

A simple setup for fast repeat cutsScrew a wooden extension to the miter gauge, then use a slid-ing bevel to set the desired cutting angle of the gauge (above).l f you are making a compound cut, use the sl id ing bevel to setthe blade angle (page 23). Push the miter gauge to cut off theend of the extension. Place the workpiece against the exten-sion and l ine up the cutt ing mark with the blade. Clamp a stopto the extension at the opposite end of the workpiece. To makeeach cut, hold the workpiece f i rmly against the extension and,keeping both hands out of l ine with the saw blade, push theworkpiece steadi ly into the blade.

Cutting miter jointsBuild a crosscut jig (page 33) without an extension or a safetyblock. Then, cut two 12-inch-long 1-by-4s and place them at90" to each other in the middle of the j ig, centered on i ts kerf .Turn the j ig over and screw the 1-by-4s to the j ig. To make aseries of cuts, butt the workpiece against the lef t arm of thej ig, al ign the cutt ing l ine on the workpiece with the saw bladeand clamp a stop block to the arm at the end of the work-piece. Cut through the workpiece, holding i t f i rmly against thearm and stop block (above). Cut the mating piece of the jointthe same way on the r ight arm of the j ig, Use the stop blocksas guides for addit ional cuts to the same length.

35

DADO CUTS

Q everal woodworking joints call forrJ channels to be cut into workpieces,allowing boards and panels to fittogether tightly and solidly, but incon-spicuously. Four of the most commontypes of channels are shown below(top).They are distinguished from eachother by their relationship to the woodgrain and their location on a workpiece.

Each of these cuts can be made on atable sawwith a standard blade by mak-ing repeated passes along the workpieceuntil the entire width of the channel iscut out. However, a table saw equippedwith a dado head can cut a dado, grooveor rabbet much more efficiently. Thereare several types ofdado heads. The twomost common are the adjustable wobble

dado and the stacking dado shownbelow (bottom).

The wobble dado is a single blademounted on a hub that can be adjustedto provide varying widths of cut.Installed on the saw arbor much like astandard blade, the wobble dado literallywobbles as it spins. The greater thetilt-set by a dial on the blade-thewider the channel cut by the blade .

The stacking dado comprises a pair ofoutside blades that sandwich up to fiveinside chippers. The width of cutdepends on how many chippers aremounted on the saw arbor alongwith the blades. Installing only theblades oroduces a W-inch cut. In-side chippers increase cutting widthinVta- , r /s - o r rA- inch inc rementsup to'%o inch-and up to I inch formodels that include metal shims. Paoerwashers can be added to orovide evenfiner width adjustment. Foi wider chan-nels, adjust the dado head for the widestpossible cut and make several passes.

Although adjustable wobble bladesgenerally are less expensive and simplerto install than stacking models, moststacking dadoes provide better results:channels with more precise widths, flat-ter bottoms and cleaner edges with aminimum of tearout.

From cuning grooves for shelves in abookcase to making a rabbet to jointuvo panels together, dado heads are

an indispensable and versatileaccessory for the table saw.

Rabbet end-to-end aut atedqe; either alon4 or aqainat

Groove: end-to'endcut alonq the qrain

Dado: end-to-end cutacroag the 6rain

5topped groove: cut along thearain that atopa short of oneor both enda

36

TABLE SAW

WINSTALLING A DADO HEAD

Installing blades and chippersRemove the blade from the saw (page 22)and install a dado head following the man-ufacturer's instructions. For the carbide-t ipped stacking dado shown, f i t a bladeon the arbor with the teeth point ing inthe direction of blade rotation. To installa chipper, f i t i t on the arbor against theblade, with i ts teeth also point ing in thedirection of blade rotation, and centeredin gul lets between two blade teeth. Fi taddit ional chipoers on the arbor the sameway, offsetting their teeth from those ofthe chippers already in place. Then, fit thesecond blade on the arbor (iefil, ensuringits teeth do not touch the teeth of the oth-er blade or any chipper rest ing against i t(inseil. Install the washer and tighten thenut on the arbor, keeping the blades andchippers in position, again making sure thatthe teeth of the chippers are not touchingany blade teeth. lf you cannot tighten thearbor nut al l the way, remove the washer.F ina l l y , ins ta l l a dado tab le inser t onthe saw table.

MAKING DADOES AND GROOVES

Cutting a dadoMark cutt ing l ines for the width of the dadoon the leading edge of the workpiece. Butt thecuttrng lines against the front of the dado hmd,then posit ion the r ip fence f lush against theworkpiece. Slide the workpiece to the front ofthe table and set it against the miter gauge-preferably with an extension screwed to it toprovide extra stabi l i ty. To make the cut, s l idethe miter gauge and the workpiece as a unitinto the dado head (right), keeping the work-piece firmly against the fence. (Since the dadohead does not cut completely through the work-piece this is one except ion to the general rulethat the miter gauge and r ip fence should nev-er be used at the same t ime.) Cont inue feed-ing the workpiece at a steady rate until thecut is completed. (Caut ion: Blade guardremoved for clarity.)

37

TABLE SAW

Cutting a grooveMark cut t ing l ines for the width ofthe groove on the leading edge of theworkpiece. But t the cut t ing l ines upagainst the dado head, then posi t ionthe r ip fence f lush against the work-piece. For narrow stock, use a feath-erboard and a push stick to keep yourhands away f rom the dado head .Posi t ion your le f t hand at the f rontedge of the table to keep the t ra i l ingend of the workpiece f lush againstthe fence. Feed the workpiece in tothe head (right) aI a steady rateunt i l the cut is completed. (Caut ion:

Blade guard removed for clarity.)

Cutting a rabbetInstal l a dado head sl ight ly wider thanthe rabbet desired, then crank i t belowthe table. Screw a board to the r ip fenceas an auxi l iary fence and mark the depthof the rabbet on i t . Posit ion the auxi l iaryfence direct ly over the dado head, ensur-ing that the metal fence is clear of theblade. Turn on the saw and slowly crankup the dado head un t i l i t cu ts to themarked l ine, producing a rel ief cut in theaux i l ia ry fence. Turn o f f the saw, thenmark a cutt ing l ine for the inside edgeof the rabbet on the workpiece. Butt thecutt ing l ine against the dado head, thenpos i t ion the r ip fence f lush aga ins t theworkpiece. Clamo two featherboards asshown to ho ld the workp iece secure lyagainst the fence and saw blade; a wood-en support arm provides extra stabi l i ty.Turn on the saw, then feed the workpieceinto the dado head (left) aI a steady rateunt i l the cu t i s comple ted ; use a pushstick, if necessary. (Caution: Blade guardremoved for clarity.)

,-< - -"/\\ ,-..- \

Kelief cut gupporD arm

3B

TABLE SAW

MAKING A STOPPED GRO()VE

r) Cutting into the workpieceL furn on the saw and hold the work-piece just above the dado head, al ign-ing the front cutt ing l ine on the work-piece with the dado head cutt ing markon the table insert farthest f rom you.Ho ld ing the workp iece t igh t ly agatns tthe fence, slowly lower it onto the head(righil, keeping both hands clear of thehead. When the workpiece si ts squarelyon the table, feed it forward while press-ing i t against the fence.

'l Setting up the cutI To help you determine the posit ion ofthe dado head when i t i s h idden by theworkpiece during this cut, crank the dadohead to the depth of the groove and use achina marker and a straigntedge to markthe points where the head starts and stopscutting (lefil. f hen, mark two sets of cut-t ing l ines on the workpiece: one on i ts lead-ing end for the width of the groove; one onits face for the length of the groove. Buttthe cutt ing l ines on the leading end of theworkpiece against the front of the dadohead, then pos i t ion the r ip fence f lushagainst the workpiece.

Finishing the cutWhen your lef t hand comes to within 3 inches of the

head, s l ide your hand a long the top edge of the workpieceto the back of the table, hooking your f ingers around thetab le ' s edge . Con t i nue cu t t i ng a t a s teady ra te un t i l t heback cu t t i ng l i ne on the workp iece a l i gns w i th t he dadohead cut t ing mark c losest to you. To complete the cut ,l i f t the workpiece of f the dado head wi th your r ight hand( lef i l , s l i l l s teadying i t against the fence wi th your le f thand hooked around the edge of the table.

39

MOLDINGS

i\ table saw is more than just a machineA to cut wood. With the proper setup,a saw blade can serve as a milling deviceto cut cove moldings (page a3). And byreplacing the saw blade with a moldinghead and different sets ofcutters, a plainboard can become an elaborate molding.Pieces ofwood can be shaped separatelyand then glued together to form animpressive array of designs. The resultsrange from crown moldings for a cabinetto decorative door and frame mold-ings-made at a fraction of the cost oftheir store-bought counterparts.

Molding cutters are sold in sets ofthree, which are installed in a moldinghead and then fastened onto the arbor.By passing the wood over the cuttersrepeatedly and raising the molding headslightly each time, a pattern is cut intothe wood. The more passes, the deeperthe inscriotion.

Like a dado head, a molding headrequires its own table insert with a wideopening to accommodate the width ofthe cutters. A woodworker can make aninsert for each set ofcutters by placing ablank oiece of wood in the table insert

slot and slowly cranking up the moldinghead-much like making special insertsfor saw blades (page 22).

Molding heads have a reputation forbeing dangerous and while there arealways hazards involved when using atable saw there is little risk when mold-ing heads are used with proper care. Afew points to keep in mind: Do not cutmoldings on short lengths of wood; apiece should be at least 12 inches long.Also, do not cut moldings on narrowstrips; cut the moldings on pieces at least4 inches wide and then rio to width.

Millingbaseboard withmolding cuttersThree sets of cutters were used incombination to transform a pieceof walnut into an elaborate base-board molding at little cost (left).More than 30 blade profiles areavailable; by using dffirent cut-ters-also known as knives-onthe same board, an innovativewoodworker can miII an almostlimitless range of designs.

COMMOI{ CUTTER PR()FITES

Eead

--

ffiOqeeCUTVE

-^J

rylG - T

tseadand cove

ffiTonaue

Flute

kCrownmold

nwOlaasstop

t"w?anelotrip

frGroove450

EevelCove

40

TABLE SAW

INSTALLING A MOLDING HEAD

Mounting a molding head and cuttersFit each of the three cutters partway into its slot in the mold-ing head, ensuring that the cutter's beveled edge faces awayfrom the setscrew hole. Install the setscrews into their holes,then use a hex wrench to tighten each screw until the cuttersare seated f i rmly in their s lots ( insef). Instal l the molding headon the saw with the f lat s ide of each cutter facing the direc-t ion of blade rotat ion. Grip the molding head with a raglo

CUTTING A M()LDING

protect your hand and t ighten the arbor nut counterclockwiseusing a wrench (above). A washer is not necessary; the mold-ing head is r igid enough without reinforcement. After themold ing head is secured, ins ta l l a mo ld ing-head tab le inser ton the saw table. Rotate the molding head by hand to makesure that the cutters are true and that the unit does not rubeoz inc i i hp i nsp r t

1 Setting up and making the first passesI Before cutt ing a molding, screw a board to the r ip fence asan auxi l iary fence. Posit ion the auxi l iary fence direct ly over themolding head, ensuring that the metal fence is clear of the cut-ters. Turn on the saw and crank up the molding head gradual lyto cut a notch in the auxi l iary fence to al low for c learance ofthe cutters. Turn off the saw, then l ine up the cutt ing l ine on theend of the workpiece with the cutters and butt the r ip fenceagainst the workpiece. Crank the molding head to i ts lowestsett ing. To secure the workpiece, clamp one featherboard tothe fence above the saw blade, and a second featherboardto the saw table. Clamp a support board at a 90" angle to thesecond featherboard, as shown. Remove the workpiece andcrank the cutters to X inch above the table; do not make a ful l -depth cut in one pass. Turn on the saw and use your r ight handto slowly feed the workpiece toward the molding head; use yourlef t hand to keep the workpiece against the r ip fence. Finish thecut with a push st ick. For a deeper cut, make as many passesas necessary (left), raising the molding head /e inch at a time.

4 l

TABLE SAW

r) Making the final passL ltter successive passes nave pro-duced the depth of cut desired, crankthe molding head up very sl ight ly andpass the workpiece through a f inal t imeat half the speed of previous passes(lefil. By feeding the workpiece slowly,the f inal cut produces a smooth f in ishtha t requ i res min ima l sand ing .

Q Separating the molding from the boardr.,l After the proper profile has been cut,separate the molding from the workpieceRemove the molding head from the arborand instal l a r ip or combinat ion blade.Feed the board through the blade, usinga push st ick to keep the workpiece f i rmlyon the table tight); use your left hand ora featherboard to press it flush againstthe r io fence.

42

TABLE SAW

CUTTING A COVE MOLDING

1 Setting the widthI gu i to a cove cu t t ing gu ide in the shape o f a para l le lo -gram by fastening two 18-inch-long 1-by-2s to two 9- inch-long 1-by-2s with wing nuts, forming two sets of paral lelarms. Adjust the guide so that the distance between theinside edges of the two long arms is the same as the desiredwidth of the cove molding. Then crank up the blade to themaximum depth of the cove. Lay the guide diagonally acrossthe b lade inser t and ro ta te i t un t i l the b lade, tu rned byhand, just touches both long arms of the guide Gbove).

r) Marking the guidelines

L , l t tnga penci l or ch ina marker , t race guidel ines on thetable inser t and saw table a long the ins ide edges of the long

arms of the guide (above). Then out l ine the desi red prof i le

of the cove on the leading end of the workpiece. Removethe guide, crank the b lade to i ts lowest set t ing and p lace theworkpiece on the saw table, a l ign ing the marked out l ine on

the workpiece wi th the guidel ines on the saw table.

Q Cutting the coverJ But t a guide board against each edge of the workpiece:

use boards long enough to c lamp on opposi te s ides of the

tab le . C rank the b lade % inch above the tab le . To make the

f i rs t pass, feed the workpiece steadi ly toward the b lade wi thyour le f t hand, whi le hold ing the workpiece against the tablew i th you r r i gh t hand . F in i sh t he cu t us ing a push b lock . Makeas many passes as necessary (left), raising the blade % inch ata time. For a deep cove, tack a backup board to the top of theworkpiece to prevent i t f rom spl i t t ing. For a smooth f in ish thatrequi res l i t t le sanding, ra ise the b lade very s l ight ly for a lastpass and feed the workpiece slowly into it.

CovecutLin44uide

\ 1 _-.,' -

i ' l

43

-|1 h. speed and precision ofa table sawI make it an obvious choice for cut-

ting joints, particularly repeat cuts. Oncea saw is adjusted to cut one box joint oropen mortise-and-tenon joint, for exam-ple, five or ten more can be cut in shortorder. The most time-consuming part isthe setup; and much depends upon thecare taken at this point. A few extra min-utes spent at the beginning will result ina strong, Iong-lasting joint. As always,measure twicd and cut once.

Every joint has its own specific qual-ities and applications. Lap joints are fre-quently used to make picture frames.

TABLE SAW OINERY

Made from two pieces ofwood that havehalf their thickness cut away, a lap jointis simple to make. When glued andclamped, it creates a strong joint thatdoes not require reinforcement.

A box joint, also known as a fingerjoint, is ideal for carcase work-for mak-ing drawers or boxes. It consists of inter-locking pins and notches, which are

O pen m orLi ee - a nd -Leno n joint

generally one-half or one-quarter thestock's thickness. Once used for mass-produced products such as packing box-es, the box joint creates a strong joint byvirtue ofthe size ofthe large glue areacreated by the pins and notches.

The mortise-and-tenon joint is oftenfound in chairs and desks. Sometimescalled a bridle joint, it consists of a pro-jection---or tenon-from one board thatslides into a slot-or open mortise-inanother board. Like the box joint, itrequires a jig, which can be shop-built.The following section describes how tomake each of these useful joints.

MAKING A tAP J(IINT

Cutting laps with a dado headMark cutting lines for the width of each lapon the leading edge of the workpiece. Buttone cutting line against the outside blade atthe front of the dado head, then position therip fence flush against the workpiece. Slidethe workpiece to the front of the table andpress i t f i rmly against the fence and themiter gauge. To make the cut, s l ide thegauge and the workpiece as a unit intothe dado head, keeping the workpiece flushagainst the fence. (This is another exceptionto the general rule that the miter gauge andrip fence should not be used at the sametime.) Continue feeding the workpiece at asteady rate until the cut is made. Make suc-cessive passes (/eff), cutting away the wasteuntil the lap is completed. (Caution: Bladeguard removed for clarity.)

44

TABLE SAW

MAKING A B()X JOINT

1 Setting up the jigI Cut the notches for a box joint one at a t tme using a dadohead and j ig. Clamp a board to the miter gauge as an exten-sion. Crank the dado head to the desired height of the notchesand feed the extension into the dado head to create a notch.Posit ion the extension on the miter gauge so that the gapbetween the notch and the dado head is equal to the notchwidth, then screw the extension to the gauge, Feed the exten-sion into the dado blade to cut a second nolch (above), check-ing that the gap between the notches equals the notch width.Fit and glue a hardwood key into the notch so that the keyprojects about an inch from the extension.

Q Gutting the notches in the mating boardJ Fi t the last notch vou cut in the f i rstboard over the key, then butt one edgeof the mating board against the f i rstboard , ho ld ing bo th f lush aga ins t themiter gauge extension. To cut the f i rstnotch in the mating board, s l ide the twoboards across the table (right), then con-t inue cutt ing notches in the mating boardfol lowing the same procedure you usedfor the f i rst board.

r) Cutting the notches in the first boardL gutt one edge of the workpiece against the key, holdingit f lush against the miter gauge extension. To cut the notch,hook your thumbs around the gauge and sl ide the workpieceinto the dado head bbove). Return the workpiece to the frontof the table, fit the notch over the key and repeat the proce-dure. Cont inue cutt ing notches one after another unt i l youreach the opposite edge of the workptece.

45

TABLE SAW

MAKING AN ()PEN MORTISE-AND-TENON JOINT

r') Sawing the tenon shouldersL Screw a board to the miter gaugeas an extension. Then crank the blade toa height equal to the depth of the tenonagainst the extension, align one of thetenon shoulder cutt ing l ines against theblade, then butt a stop block againstthe workpiece and clamp i t in posi t ion.Slide the workoiece to the front of thetable and turn on the saw. Hook yourthumbs around the mi te r gauge tofeed the workoiece into the blade andmake the cut. Use a oush st ick to clearthe waste piece off the table. Flip overthe workpiece and butt i t against thestop block, then cut the second shoul-der (righil. (Caution: Blade guardremoved for clarity.)

1 Cutting the tenon cheeksI Create a tenon by cutting the cheeksf irst , and then the shoulders. Instal l acommercial tenoning j ig on the table fol-lowing the manufacturer's instructions; themodel shown slides in the miter slot. Markcutt ing l ines on the workpiece to out l inethe tenon, then clamp the workpiece to thej ig, Crank the blade to the height of thetenon and posit ion the j ig so that one ofthe tenon cheek cutting lines is buttedagainst the blade. Use the j ig handle iosl ide the j ig along the miter gauge slot;loosen the clamp handle to move i t s ide-ways. Slide the jig to the front of the tableand turn on the saw, then use your righthand to push the jig forward, feeding theworkpiece into the blade (left). Continuecutt ing at a steady rate unt i l the cut iscompleted. Pull the jig back to the frontof the table and turn off the saw. Turn theworkpiece around so that the remainingcutting line for the thickness of the tenonis butted against the blade. Cut along i tthe same way as you made the first cut.

I\

46

TABLE SAW

Cutting the mortiseReinstal l the tenoning j ig on the table. Mark cut-

ting lines on the workpiece to outline the mortise, thenclamp the workpiece to the j ig. Crank the blade to thedepth of the mortise and position the jig so that one ofthe cutt ing l ines is butted against the blade. SI ide thejig to the front of the table, then turn on the saw andfeed the workpiece into the blade. Pul l the j ig backand turn off the saw. Turn the workpiece over so thatthe remaining cutt ing l ine is butted against the bladeand cut along it (left). llake as many passes as neces-sary to remove waste between the two cuts, Test-f itthe joint and deepen or widen the mortise, if necessary.

A TENONING JIGBuild a fence-straddling tenoning jig using 3/q-inch

plywood cut to the suggested dimensions shown atleft. In one corner of the jig body, cut a hole largeenough for your fingers to fit through, Screw a guideboard to the body directly behind the hole. The boardwill hold the workpiece in position for the cut. Makesure that the board is perfectly vertical. To hold thejig body flush against the fence, screw a brace to thebody with a spacer in between (inset).

To use the jig, placeit astride the fence asshown. Butt the work-piece against the guideand c lamp i t in p lace .Reoosition the fence toalign the cutting mark onthe workpiece with theblade, then slide the jigalong the fence until thecut is comoleted.

47

RADIALARMSAM

rough crosscuts and ott- - - -

reasons rbr rhrs perceprron. \Jne rs -,il* | rl ,.ey aovarriage oi iiie raaia'that more woodworkerrI r l rg - tu l rc ' lg l l c la r t u l l tau lc Jaws - r v rJ rurL 4J lL Lu l r -c uvvr r !v rq r ! ! / v .

t h a n o n r a d i a I a r m s a w s . T a b l e s a w s c - * | A n o t h e r b e n e f i t i s t h a t m o S t c u t Salso have fewer moving parts and EffiM_ ) can be made without having to shiftare easrer Io ser uD- ,,nnss4r-lgn1]v Etn-t,R,"-* ,a

-ute *,rr..oicce. u-rsr€au. u-rc ii-rachir-r€

i m p r e s s i o n s a s a r e s u l t o f w o r k i n g o n t h e c o l u m n a n d t h e m o t o ronlll-adjusted machines. Augmentedby araised auxiliary table, swiveling and rotating on its yoke.

There is no denying that the table the radial arm saw-its blade turned horizon- This allows the blade to be pulledsaw is an excellent choice for the often tally-cuts the notches for a finger joinr. through a workpiece at almost anyrepetitive chores of furniture making. angle. It also makes simple work ofNevertheless, it is not the ideal stationary cutting tool for every- setting up the machine for custom work. But to take fi.rll advan-one. For repeat cuts, table saws usually require a jig to feed stock tage of the saw's capacity for cutting accurately, you must takeinto the blade with uniform results. And some jigs are time-con- the time to adjust the machine and keep it finely tuned.suming to build or costly to buy. Thble saws also need a fair On a poorly adjusted machine, the radial arm saw's flexi-amount of room to allow unhindered operation. Such space is bility can be its Achilles' heel. All of its sliding and pivotingat a premium in many home worlchops. movements must be highly controlled, and its movable parts

With the exception of crosscutting very wide boards, radial must remain fixed when locked in position. Otherwise, thearm saws can duplicate just about any job a table saw can per- saw is condemned to a life of imprecise cuts. This holds trueform. Even the crosscutting limitations are not severely restric- for any size machine. Radial arm saws typically range fromtive. Most radial arm saws can rip up to a width of 25 inches, 1 to 7 horsepower; the average home workshop model is ratedallowing you to cut a 4-foot-wide panel in half lengthwise. at 1.5 horsepower. Blade size typically ranges from 8 to 24Moreover, the radial arm saw requires relatively little worlahop inches; the standard home model has a lO-inch blade.

This jigwill allow you to make miter cuts on theradial arm saw with the blade in the standard cross-cuttingposition-9}o to the table. The jig ensuresthat matingboards will form a perfectly square joint.

49

ANATOMY OF A RADIAL ARM SAW

he radial arm saw is essentiallva circular saw suspended above a

work table. For most operations, theblade cuts through the workpiece andruns along a kerfin a piece ofhardboardor plywood ttrat is glued to the saw table.

The machine's many pivoting andsliding pars enable it to carry the blade

into a workpiece from a variety of dif-ferent angles and directions. Sliding theyoke along the arm pulls the blade acrossthe table for a crosscut. Swiveling thearm onthecolumn allon's formiter cuts;the maximum range ofthe model illus-frated below is nearly 90o to the right and50o to the left. Tilting the motor and

blade makes a bevel cut possible, whilerotating the yoke to bring the blade par-allel to the fence sets up the machine fora rip cut.

Depending on the width of the stockyou need to cut two types ofrip cuts arefeasible: an in-rip, with the blade turnedclosest to the column, and an out-rip,

Eevel alamp handleLocke motor in fixedpooitlon on yoke; releaaedto aet, bevel anqle or tomove blade to horizon-tal pooition. Locka auto-matically at preoetan6lea, includin7 O" and45", and 9Oo to theri6ht and Ieft

Elade guardclamp earcwHolda auard infixed plooition;looaened tomove quara

9plltterKeepa wood kerf from bindin7durinq a cut; anti-kickback fin-qere on each aide of aplitterprevent workpiece from liftinq

Elevatlng cmnkKaiaea and lowera arm oncolumn to oet depth of cut

---

Arm9upportayoke, motorand blade

Yoke alamp handleLocko yoke in fixedposition on arm:releaeed to rotateyoke for-rippinq

Mlter alamp handleLocka arm in fixed positionon column: released to awiv-el arm and aet miter anqle.Locka automatioally at pre-aet anqlea, including O" and45"to the ri4ht and laft

Onloff awlt'chRemovable toq1lepreventz acciden-tal atart-up

YokeHolda motor andblade; attached tothe arm b5t a car-ria1e unit with rollerbearinqo that 6lidealonq a track under-neath the arm

Yoke handleUaed to alideyoke alon6 armfor croaecuttina

tslade guardFroteata operatorfrom uppei part of blade;nose t'ilts to cover lead-inq edqe of blade for rip-pin7. Lower blade 1uaiduaed for croaacuttina

Supporta arm; fouraetacrewa on front of col-umn baae and four boltaon rear of baae tiqhtenedto prevent rotation

Column

?tand1upporba aaw;garewg on feet areadjuotable to levelaaw table

50

with the blade swiveled farthest awayfrom the column.

Although the blade is kept vertical tothe table for most operations, it can alsobe tilted to operate horizontally. Sucha position is particularly useful fortasks such as cutting grooves, fingerjoints and moldings.

Duat spoutFor duat collecLtonayatem; adjuatablenozzle directa dustaway from work area

Light and compact enough to movearound the shop or travel to construc-tion sites, this portable 8%-inch radialarm saw can usurp the marry roles of atable saw. Fitted with a special bit andequippedwith an accessory motor shaftthat turns at 18,500 rpm, this modelwill double as an overhead router.

Arm aoverKeepe duot fromenterinq rearpart of arm

Rip alamp handleLocka yoke in pooition on armfor rippin4 and for eome cutawith blade in hortzontal poai-tion; releaaed for croaacuttin4

MotorOne end holda blade; oppo'gite end gervea ao acce?'aory ehaft for attachin4 avariety of acceaaories

FenceTreventa workpiece frommovinq durinq croea-cuttinq; quidee work'piece acroee table forri p pi n g, Own e r' i n at a ll ed.Uaually set betweenfront and rear tableaaa shown; poeitionedbehind rear table whencutting wide stock

Auxiliary tableKeplaceable hardboardor plywood panel qluedto front aaw table; bladerune in kerfa cut in aux'iliary table

Table epacerKemovable to allowinstallation of awider fence

51--i),r"r,"

Miter alampadjuetment acrewTurned to adjuat ten-aion on miter clamp;nole tn arm cover pro'vides acceaa

Column adjuet-ment bolteFour bolta controlamount of playbetween columnand column baae

Table clamp?regaea rear gawtable and apacerflueh aqainetfence and frontaaw table

Columnbaee aover

SETTING UP

tl- h. setup procedures described onI these pages may seem long and

involved, but do not neglect them.Without careful maintenance, yourmachine will not cut with orecision.A problem with many radialarm sawsis that adjustments are left too loose,allowing excessive play in moving partsand resulting in sloppy cuts. Ideally,clamps should lock tight and slidingmechanisms should be neither too loosenor too snug.

Adjust the table (right), the clamps(below) and the sliding mechanisms(page 54)before every new project. Eachtime you use the saq clear the sawdustflom the gap between the table and thefence, and clear the track underneath thearm. Periodically, touch up the movingparts with a silicone-based lubricant. It isalso important to square theblade (page55) and check for heeling (page 56).

Before using your saw for the firsttime, you will need to install a fenceand an auxiliary table (page5Z). To testyour adjustments, crosscut a l2-inch-wide board and a 1-by-3 standing onedge, then check the cut ends with acarpenter's square.

ADJUSTING THE CLAMPS

ADJUSTING THE TABTE

Leveling the table with the armTil t the motor unt i l the arbor points down, i ts end sl ight ly above table level.Then swivel the arm to posit ion the arbor overthe rai l nuts on both sidesof the table; in each position measure the gap between the arbor and the table.lf the measurements are not equal, raise the low end of the table by turning therail nut in a clockwise direction, using the head of an adjustable wrench to leverup the table surface hbove). Then make the same adjustment on the other sideof the table. Repeat the measurements to ensure that the table is level.

' l Adjusting the miter clampI Swivel the arm to the right to aoosition between 0'and 45o. Lockthe clamp and try to push the endof the arm toward the 0' posi t ion(left). lf there is any play in the arm,adjust the clamp that holds it in place.For the model shown, you will needto use a hex wrench to tighten themi te r c lamp ad jus tment sc rew,located inside an access hole in thearm cover.

52

RADIAL ARM SAW

r) Fine{uning the yoke clampI Rotut" the yoke to a position between the ones usedfor c rosscut t ing and r ipp ing . Lock the c lamp, then useboth hands to try to push the motor to the crosscutting posl-tion (righil. The motor should not budge; if it does, adjustthe clamp that locks it in position. For the model shown, un-screw the knob from the yoke clamp handle and removethe wrench-l ike lower part of this device. Use the wrenchto tighten the adjustment nut located under the arm by hold-ing the upper part of the handle and pul l ing the wrenchtoward it (insef) until the two are aligned. Lock the clampand check again for play. lf necessary, tighten the nut fur-ther; otherwise, screw the knob back tn place. This adlust-ment may vary on some models; check your owner 's manual.

Q Adjusting the bevel clampJ Tllt the motor to a position between0" and 45". Lock the bevel c lamp, thenuse bo th hands to t ry to move themotor (left), lf there is any looseness,adlust the clamp, For the model shown,use a socket wrench to tighten the motorsupport nut, then release the clamp andtry tilting the motor to each of the presetangles; i f you cannot move the motor,loosen the support nut s l ight ly. Other-wise, lock the clamp again and checkonce more for play in the motor.

53

RADIAL ARM SAW

t,'l;

)ii-i

,)i ,,

cii

Checking the rip clampLock the r ip clamp, then use

both hands to try to slide the yokealong the arm (left). The yoke shouldnot move; i f i t does, adjust the r ipclamp. For the model shown, releasethe clamp, then use a wrench to tight-en the nut at the end of the r ip clampbolt . Try sl id ing the yoke along thearm; i f i t b inds, loosen the lock nutslightly. Otherwise, recheck the clampand tighten the nut further if needed.

CARING F(|R THE SLIDING MECHANISMS

1 Adjusting the caniage roller bearingsI Use a silicone-based lubricant to cleanthe t rack under the arm and the ro l le rbearings to the front and rear of the car-r iage unit that at taches the yoke to thearm. To check the bearings, press yourthumb aga ins t each one in tu rn wh i lesl iding the carr iage away from your hand.The bearings should turn as the carr iageslides along the arm. lf your thumb keepsone of them from turning, you will need tot ighten the bearing; i f the carr iage bindson the arm, a bearing will need to be loos-ened. ln ei ther case, loosen the bearingnut whi le holding the bolt stat ionary witha second wrench (right).Ttghten or loosenthe bolt, as necessary, then retighten the nut.Adjust the other bolt by the same amount,then check the bearings once again.

54

RADIAL ARM SAW

Adiusting c0lumn-t0-base tensionWioe the column clean, then loosen the four setscrews on

the front of the column base using a hex wrench' To checkcolumn-to-base tension, use both hands to try to lift the endof the arm (above, /eff); there should be little or no give tothe column. Turn the elevat ing crank in both direct ions; thearm should slide smoothly up and down. lf there is excessivemovement at the column-to-base joint or i f the arm jumps or

SOUARING THE BLADE

vibrates as it rises and lowers, adjust the four bolts locatedin the access holes on the cover of the base. Repeat thetests and, if necessary, make additional adjustments. Thentry pushing the arm sideways (above, righ); if there is anyrotation of the column, tighten the setscrews just enoughto prevent movement. Run through the tests a final time,f i ne-tuni ng the adjustments.

1 Squaring the blade with the tableI Set the yoke in the crosscutt ing posi-tion and install a blade @age 59). Releasethe bevel c lamp and t i l t the motor counter-clockwise as far as it will go in the 0" posi-t ion. Then relock the clamp. To check theblade posit ion, butt a carpenter 's squarebetween two teeth (lefl.The square shouldf i t f lush aga ins t the s ide o f the b lade. l fany gap shows between them, release thebevel c lamp. Then, loosen the bevel c lampsetscrews and t i l t the motor to br ing theblade f lush against the square. Holding themotor in this posi t ion, have a helper lockthe bevel clamp and tighten the setscrews.lllt the motor to the 45' bevel position, thenreturn i t to the 0' posi t ion and check theblade once again.

55

RADIAL ARM SAW

r) Setting the arm perpendicular to the fenceZ. Release the miter c lamp and swivel thearm to the r ight as far as i t wi l l go in the 0"posit ion, then relock the clamp. Release therip clamp and butt the two sides of a carpen-ter's square against the fence and the bladetooth nearest to the table. Holding the bladesteady, slide the yoke along Ihe arm (left);pull slowly to avoid dulling the tooth. The bladeshould make a constant rubbing sound as i tmoves along the edge of the square. lf a gapopens up between the blade and the square,or if the blade binds against the square as itmoves, loosen the setscrews on the column base.To close a gap between the blade and thesquare, tighten the top right screw; to elimi-nate binding, tighten the top left screw. Oncethe arm is square to the fence, tighten the low-er screws, alternating from left to right.

CORRECTING BLADE HEEL

1 Fine-tuning horizontal rotati0nI lnstall a blade (page 59) and set themotor in its horizontal position; tilt the motorcounterclockwise as far as it will go, thenlock the bevel c lamp. To test for heel-ing-blade rotation that is not parallel tothe table-bui ld an L-shaped soundingj ig and bore two holes in i t . Sharpen theends of two dowels and f i t them intothe jig as shown. Then position the jig toal ign a blade tooth near the back of thetable direct ly over the vert ical dowel.Lower the blade unt i l the tooth restsl igh t ly on the dowel ; c lamp the j ig inplace. Wearing a work glove, spin theblade backward and listen (right). Next,sl ide the yoke along the arm to al ign atooth near the front of the table over thedowel and repeat the test. The soundshou ld be the same in bo th oos i t ions .l f i t is not, release the bevel c lamp andloosen the two screws on ei ther side ofthe motor support nut. Repeat the testsuntil the sound stays the same, then lockthe bevel clamp and tighten the screws.

56

RADIAL ARM SAW

Eliminat ing vert ical heel ingl l l t the motor counterc lockwise as far as i t wi l l go in the

ver t ica l posi t ion, then lock the bevel c lamp. To test for ver t ica lheel ing, posi t ion the sounding j ig so that the t ip of the hor izon-ta l dowel a l igns wi th a b lade tooth near the back of the table.Lower the b lade and send i t sp inning backward so you can sam-ple the sound as in step I (above, /efi l. Slide the yoke along the

arm and repeat the process, once again l is tening for changes in

INSTALLING A FENCE AND AUXILIARY TABLE

tone. lf there is a discrepancy, release the yoke clamp and loosenthe four screws under the yoke using a hex wrench (above,right). RoIate the motor as necessary and retest until each testproduces a similar tone. Then, lock the yoke clamp and tighten thescrews. To check your adlustments, crosscut a l2- inch-wideL ^ ^ - r ^ - ! + L ^ ^ ̂ t h . , 3 s t a n d i n p o n e d s e . c h e c k t h e c u tu u d l u d l l u L l l t r l l o l - u y - J J L q r r u i l r S w r r u u 6 L . v ' r L u

ends using a carpenter 's square.

Cutting a kerf in the fence and auxil iary tableInstall a fence of 7a-inch{hick, knot-free woodbetween the table spacer and the front table;make the fence s l ight ly h igher than the thtck-ness of the workpiece. For an auxi l iary table,cut a p iece of %- inch hardboard or p lywood

the same s ize as the f ront table and use con-tact cement to g lue i t down, leaving a s l tghtgap between it and the fence to prevent saw-dust from jamming between the two. Beforecrosscutting or making miter cuts, slice throughthe fence and %o to 7s inch deep into the aux-i l i a r y t ab le i n t he 90 ' and 45 " pa ths o f t heblade. Then, rotate the motor to the in-r ipposi t ion (page 66) and pul l the yoke a longthe arm to furrow out a shal low r ip t rough inthe auxiliary table (left).

Auxilrary table

9Oo kerfFence

57

RADIAL ARM SAW BLADES AND ACCE,SSORIES

:' ike its shop cousilr the table saq thel,-... radial arm saw is only as good as theblade on its arbor. To get the best perfor-mauce from your machine, keep itsblades clean and in good repair. Inspectthe arbor washers and blade collars, andreplace any damaged parts. Use a rag torvipe sirwdust or loose dirt from a blade;remove resin or pitch lvith steelr'voolandturpentine. Spray-on oren cleaner is alsouseful for dissolving stubborn deposits.To protect blades from damage, hangthern individually on hooks or, if youstack then, place cardboard betweenthem. Replace blades rvhenever theybecone crtrcked or chipped; sharpennon-carbide tipped blades regularly. Adull or damaged blade is rnore likely tocontr ibr"r te to accidents than a sharpbl i rde in good corrdi t ion.

In general, the radial arm saw uses thesanre types ofblades as a table saw (pnge20). Combination blades are suitable for90 percent of the jobs ,vou will be doing.Blades for specific jobs, such as cross-cutting or ripping, are also available. In

Fornterl lty tlrc intersection of oneline drnwrt f'ottt the tip of a tootlt

to the certer of the arltor hole and orrcdratvrr parallel to the tooth's lhce ,

b l t r t le lnok nr rq lc t lc tcr t t t i r tcslnw rrruch bite q blade wil l ha,e.

any case, it is important to consider thehook angle of a blade (left). The largerthe angle, the bigger the bite-and thegreater the r isk oia blade nrnnirrg acrossa workpiece when crosscutting or liftingstock when ripping. In both cases, feedthe blade through the rvorkpiece slowlyand firmly. While a hook angle of 30owould be suitable for a table saw, thesame blade on the radial arm saw couldprove unsafe. The ideal hook angle for aradial arm saw is I 5o or less.

Carbide-tipped blades are the choiceof most woodworkers today. Althoughthey cost more than the traditional high-speed steel blades and are more expen-sive to have sharpened, they hold theiredge considerably longer and are capableof more precise cuts.

In addition to sarv blades, the radialarm saw also accepts vanorls accessories,which are attached to either the arbor oran accessory shaft at the opposite end ofthe motor. On some models, the shaftcan spin at more than 20,000 rprn, mak-irrg i t ideal for porvering roLrter bi ts.

9anding drumAttached to the aaw'a acceoeoryahaft; can be uaed tn vertical, hor-izontal, or bevel pooitiona. ln verLi-cat applicaLrona, drum ie loweredinto a cutout tn an auxtltary table.

Drilling chuckAttached ta acceeeoryehaft; can be uaed inhorizonta[ or verttcalpoaittone wtth an auxil'tary f,able that elevateEthe workpiece or with aji4 that. holds the stockin poaition.

Sanding diecCommonly ueed inverLical poettion withan auxiliary table Loelevate the workpiece.

Molding headUeed in horizonLalpoeition with a moldinqhead quard and anauxiliary table that.elevaLes the workpiece.Wide variety of cutLeraava tl able for diffe rentmoldinq atylea.

Rotary aurface planerUaed in horizontalpooition; can be angledto form raioed panela.Featurea three knivearemouable for aha rpeninq.

58

RADIAL ARM SAW

CHANGING A SAW BLADERemoving and installing bladesUnp lug the saw, lock the c lamps andremove the blade guard. Then, fit one ofthe wrenches suppl ied with the sawon the arbor between the blade and themotor. Holding the arbor steady with thistool, use the other wrench to loosen thearbor nut. (Radial arm saw arbors usuallyhave reverse threads; the nut is loosenedin a clockwise direction.) Remove the nutand the outer blade col lar, then sl ide theblade from the arbor. To instal l a blade,place it on the arbor with its teeth point-ing in the direct ion of blade rotat ion.Install the collar and start the nut by hand.With one wrench on the arbor proppedagainst the table, f in ish t ightening thenut ( lef t) , but avoid overt ightening.Ins ta l l the b lade guard .

SETTING THE BLADE HEIGHT

Preparing to make a cutFor a standard vert ical cut, lower the bladeinto one of the precut kerfs in the auxiliary table(page 57). For a cut partway through a work-piece, such as a dado cut, mark a l ine on theworkpiece for the depth of cut, then set thestock on the auxi l iary table and lower theblade to the line. For most saws, one turn ofthe elevating crank raises or lowers the bladetb or rAo inch. To gauge the crank on your saw,lower the blade to within % inch of the auxi l -iary table, then crank in the opposite direc-t ion unt i l the blade begins to move up. Holda piece of scrap wood that is at least I inchthick against the fence and cut into i t at oneend. Turn off the saw and raise the blade byexact ly one turn of the elevat ing crank. Sl idethe workpiece about % inch to one side andmake another cuI (right). The difference indepth between the two cuts wi l l show theamount the blade raises or lowers with oneturn of the crank.

59

SAFETY

I lthough the many moving parts ofA a radial arm saw make it one of themost flexible machines in the worlshop,they also make it one of the most dan-gerous. Crosscutting-the most basic useof the saw-requires you to pull theblade toward your body. And dependingon the setting of the arm, yoke andmotor, the blade can make its approachfrom several directions and angles. Wthevery cut, you have to anticipate exactlywhere the blade will end up.

When you rip boards on a radial armsaw, you feed the workpiece into the

RIPPING SAFELY

blade, and this demands even greatercare and concentration. The chances ofkickback are high enough that the safetydevices illustrated below and at rieht areabsolutely essential.

Armed with a thorough knowledge ofthe machine's operation, you can ap-proach it with a healthy mixture of cau-tion and confidence-as you would withany other power tool in your workshop.Make certain that all the clamps forholding the arm, yoke, carriage andmotor in position are locked wheneveryou turn on the saw Also be sure to

familiarize yourself with the owner'smanual for your machine, and take thetime to set up the many safety accessoriesand blade guards that are available.Remember, however, that no accessoryorguard can compensate for a lack of care-ful attention and common sense.

For any cut, keep your fingers at least6 inches away from the blade; use pushsticla or featherboards where possible tofeed or hold the workpiece. Wear safetyglasses at all times, and a mask or respi-rator and hearing protection for extendeduse of the saw.

Sefting up for the cutUnplug the saw, then set the workpiece on the table so that you wi l l befeeding against the drrection of the blade's rotation. (Most blade guardshave an arrow indicat ing which way the blade spins.) Fol low the owner'smanua l ins t ruc t ions fo r se t t ing the he igh t o f the an t i -k ickback dev iceand for positroning the nose of the blade guard so that it just clears theworkpiece. For added protection against kickback, install a wheeled hold-down device (pages 61 and 60 or spring-type hold-down fingers (page61). Feed the workpiece steadily (above), making sure that neither handis in l ine w i th the b lade.

RADIAT ARM SAW SAFETY TIPS

. Never insta l l b lades or otherdevices on both the arbor and theaccessory shaft at the same time.Keep a safety screw cap or guardover the accessory shaft when it rsnot in use to prevent it from snag-ging hai r or c loth ing.

o Never ooerate the saw without ablade guard. Use specialty guardsfor crosscuts and for molding or dadocuts with the motor and blade in thehorizontal position. When making arip cut, adjust the height of the anti-kickback device for the workpiece,

o Before starting a cut make sure thatthe motor is at full operating speed.

o Do not r ip a workpiece that isshorter than 12 inches. When makinga crosscut on stock shorter than7 inches, use a hold-down device,rather than a hand, to secure theworkpiece to the table or the fence.

r When ripping, ensure that the edgeof the workoiece in contact with thefence is smooth and straight; feedfrom the side of the table oppositethe splitter and anti-kickback device.

. To avoid kickback, always hold theworkpiece securely against the tableand fence when crosscutting.

o After making a crosscut, lock the ripclamo as soon as the blade is backbehind the fence.

60

RADIAL ARM SAW

ANTI-KICKBACK DEVICES AND SPEGIALTY GUARD

Another safety accessory for use in ripping andmolding operations is the set of metal hold-down fingers shown at right. Clamped to

L-shaped rods that extend over the fence oneither side of the blade, the fingers push the

workpiece down on the table. The rods canbe adjusted to accommodate various sizes

of stock.With the motor tilted to its horizontalposition, a special guard covers the portion

of the blade facing the front of the table. Touse the guard, you must frrst make a cutoutin the fence to allow the device's shield to belowered onto the workpiece. Before turning

on the saw, spin the blade by hand to ensurethat the guard does not obstruct it.

The hold-down device shown at left fen-tures rubber wheels that ride alongthetop of the workpiece, pressing it downagainst the table. The mechanism isinstalled at a slight angle so that thewheels also push the workpiece againstthe fence. The wheels and collar canbe adjusted to accommodate work-pieca ofvirntalf any thickness. To helpprevent kickback, the wheels aredesigned to rotate in one direnion only.Whm the yoke is rotated to the out-ripposition (page 67) and the workpieceis fed from the other side of the table, thewheek are swung around to turn in theopposite direction.

6 l

CROSSCUTTING

-[t h. radial arm saw is best known forI its convenience in crosscutting. The

technique is straightforward: Hold theworkpiece firmly against the fence andpull the yoke and the blade through thestock. Since the thrust of the blade isdownward and toward the back of thetable, the cutting action helps to keep theworkpiece pressed against the table andthe fence. However, several factors cancause the blade to climb uo on the work-piece and jump toward you. Theseinclude a dull blade or one with teeth toolarge for the job at hand, poor qualitywood, or loose roller bearings. But evenwith equipment in proper repair, it is stillessential to remain in control of the bladeat all times.

As a rule of thumb, hold the work-piece against the fence with your lefthand, keeping it at least 6 inches fromthe blade; use a clamp to secure shortstock (page 64). Wth your right hand,pull the yoke, gripping it firmly to con-trol the rate of cut. The slower the feed,the smoother will be the results. To cutseveral workpieces to the same length orto saw a thick workpiece in more thanone pass, clamp a stop block to the fence,as shown below.

MAKING REPEAT CUTS

MAKING A CROSSCUT

Grosscutting a boardButt the workpiece against the fence with the 90" kerf in the fence lined upwith the waste side of the cutting mark. Support long stock with roller standsor a table. Holding the workpiece snugly against the fence, turn on the saw,release the rip clamp and pull the yoke steadily through the cut (above)wiIh-out forcing the blade. Once the blade cuts through the workpiece, push theyoke back, returning it to its place behind the fence. Lock the rip clamp.

Using a stop blockCut a small notch from one corner of the stop block, asshown, to prevent sawdust from accumulating betweenit and the workpiece. Measure along the fence to theleft of the kerf the length of the piece you need to cut;clamp the block at that point. Butt the workpiece againstthe block and the fence, then make the cut (/eff). To cuta thick workpiece in two passes, clamp the stop block tothe fence and cut hal fway through the stock, then f l ipthe workoiece over and f inish the cut.

62

ANGLE CUTS

iter, bevel and compound anglecuts can be made with the radial

arm saw by tilting or angling its blade.The machine's arm swivels to the risht orthe left for miter cuts; the motoi tiltsclockwise and counterclockwise for bevelcuts. Comoound cuts involve bothswiveling the arm and tilting the motor.As discussed on page 65, you can alsomake a miter cut with a jig that hoidsthe workpiece at an angle.

Both the arm and the motor have pre-set stops at 45o angles. To eliminate anyplay in these index settings, push the armor motor as far as it will go in the stoppositions and hold it there while you lockthe clamo. To set the arm and motor atother angles, use a sliding bevel or thesaw's miter and bevel scales for precise

MAKING ANGLE CUTS

results. Always make a test cut first in apiece of scrap wood and measure the cutend with a protractor; then make anyfinal adjustments.

Whenever possible, make miter cutswith the arm swiveled to the right, ratherthan to the left. Working on the left sideof the table, you run the risk of pullingthe blade beyond the table's edge. You

often can make the same cut on the rishtside by turning the workprece over.

Regardless of the type of angle cut,you first need to cut a kerfin the fenceand the auxiliary table to provide a pathfor the blade. Make the kerf uo to % inchdeep ior miter cuts, or deep inough iorthe blade teeth to be below the table sur-face for bevel or comoound cuts.

\

Making a right-hand miter cutSwivel the arm to the angle you need, then but t the work-p iece against the fence wi th the waste s ide of the cut t ingmark a l igned wi th the mi ter angle ker f . For repeat cuts and tokeep the workpiece f rom s l id ing to the le f t , but t a s top b lockagainst the stock and c lamp i t to the fence. Then, hold ingthe workp iece snug l y aga ins t t he f ence , t u rn on the saw,re lease the r i p c l amp and pu l l t he yoke s tead i l y t h roughthe cut (above).

Making a left-hand miter cutSwivel the arm to the desi red angle and but t the workpieceagainst the fence as for a r ight-hand mi ter cut . Wi thout turn-i ng on the saw, pu l l t he yoke ac ross t he wo rkp iece . l f t heblade slides beyond the table's left-hand edge, move the fencebeh rnd the rea r t ab le as shown . Then g lue an aux i l i a r y t ab le(page 57) to the rear surface and table spacer, and install ahandscrew on the arm to stop the yoke from traveling beyondthe end of the cut. Hold the workpiece snugly against the fenceand pul l the yoke through the cut (above).

63

RADIAL ARM SAW

Making a bevel cutTi l t the motor to the angle you need,raising the arm high enough to keep theblade f rom str ik ing the table as i t turns.Butt the workpiece against the fencewith the waste side of the cutting marka l igned w i th the beve l ang le ker f inthe fence; i f there is no such ker f onyour mach ine , you w i l l need to makeone. Then, holding the workpiece snuglyagainst the fence, pul l the yoke steadi lythrough the cut (efl.fo make a bevelcut along the length of a workpiece, t i l tthe motor to the desired angle, thenro ta te the yoke to the in - r ip pos i t ionand make the cut (page 66).

lllJ lllt llll llll fi[ i]ll lrl ll|l rll lnl l]l] ]lll l]l] r]ll lllj llll illl l]l])HO? TI?C ult,in g a eh o rt, w o rkpie c eTo cut aworkpieceNhat,ieNoo ehorlbo hold oafely by hand, eecureiN No |,he table wiLh a Ioqqle clamV. 1crew lhe clamp lo an auxiliaryfence,Ihen ineLall Nhe fence bef,ween Lhe front Lable and Nhe tableo?acer, makin4 cerLain IhaN the clamp will nol be in the way of Iheblade.When you NiqhNen Nhe clamp, ?rotecL the workpiece wilh awood block.To avoidlifNinqlhefence oulof its olot, do noLoverLiqhten,

64

RADIAL ARM SAW

MITER JIGTo make 45" miter cuts withouthaving to swivel the arm on the saw,use the shop-built j ig shown at right.The j ig holds the workpiece at anangle, so that the blade can remainin the 90" crosscutt ing posit ion.Refer to the i l lustrat ion for sug-ges ted d imens ions .

Before building the jig, make 45"miter cuts in the ends of two oiecesof 7a-plywood that will serve asguides. Then cut the base and thefence and screw the two boardstogether, leaving enough of thefence protruding below the base tofit into the slot between the frontaux i l ia ry tab le and the spacer ,Remove the s tandard fence andset the base on the tab le , sand-wiching the j ig 's fence between

the front surface and table sDacer.With the blade in the 90" crosscut-t ing posit ion, s l ice through the j igfence and % inch deep into the base,pulling the yoke forward as far asit will go, Turn off the saw.

Screw one of the guides to thebase so that i ts mitered end is

f lush against the fence with i tspoint touching the kerf in thebase. Position the mitered end ofthe second guide f lush with thefront of the table as shown. Use acarpenter's square to set the sec-ond gu ide a t a 90" ang le to thef i rst one. Then, screw the secondpiece to the base, leaving enoughspace between the two guidesfor the stock you wi l l be cutt ingto fit between them, Turn on thesaw and pul l the yoke acrossthe kerf to trim off the corner of thesecond guide.

To use the jig, hold the workpieceflush against the right-hand guide,butting the end of the stock againstthe fence, and pul l the yokethrough the cut (/eftl. Next, hold theedge o f the mat ing p iece f lushagainst the left-hand guide, with itsend bu t ted aga ins t the o therguide. Pul l the yoke through thecut. The resulting 45o ends shouldform a perfectly square joint.

Fence Jiq baee3/+" x 3" x 40" 3/+" x 18" x 40"3 /+ "x3 "x40 "

65

RIPPING

hether you are cutting with thegrain ofa piece ofhardwood or

softwood, or sawing along the length ofa plywood panel with no defined grainpattern, ripping on a radial arm sawbears little resemblance to crosscutting.Rather than pulling the blade across astationary piece of stock, you will belocking the yoke in a position that holdsthe cutting edge parallel to the fenceand feeding the workpiece into the cut.

Depending on the width of the stockto be cut, the yoke can be rotated in twodirections. For a narrow cut, typicallyup to 14 inches, the yoke is rotated to

position the blade close to the fence.This is called the in-rip position. Forwider stock, the yoke is rotated in theopposite direction, leaving the blade far-ther from the fence in the out-rip posi-tion. For the maximum width of cut,relocate the fence behind the rear tableand use the out-rip configuration.

Because ofthe risk ofkickback andthe fact that you will be feeding theworkpiece with your hands, rippingdemands great care. Tiy to stand to oneside of the stock as you feed it to theblade and keep your hands at least 6inches from the cutting edge. Use a

push stick to feed narrow stock or tocomplete a cut on a wide workpiece.Where possible, use featherboards tohold stock firmly against the fence.

As illustrated below, a good hold-down device will provide an additionalmeasure of safety. Plan your cuts safely(page 60), always feeding the workpieceagainst the direction ofblade rotation:from the right-hand side of the table foran in-rip and from the left-hand sidefor an out-rip. Use the blade guardwhen ripping, and it is a good idea toinstall a new fence to keep the work-piece from catching in old kerfs.

RIPPING A BOARD (IN.RIP)

1 Installing a hold-down deviceI Unplug the saw, release the yoke clamp and rotate theyoke to the in-rip position; lock the yoke clamp. To positionthe blade for the width of cut you need, release the ripclamp, slide the yoke to the appropriate distance from thefence, and relock the clamp.

To install a wheeled hold-down device, replace the standardfence with an auxiliary fence about 1 inch thick and slightly

higher than the thickness of the workpiece. Use the templatesupplied with the device to bore three sets of holes along the topedge of the fence; one set should be directly in line with theblade and the others to either side of the first. Fit the pins onthe bottom ofthe hold-down device into one set of holes andt ighten the thumbscrew using a wood block to distr ibute thepressure evenly along the fence.

66

RADIAL ARM SAW

r) Making the cutL Setthe workpiece up against ther ight-hand side of the table. Standing toone side of the stock, slip its leading edgeunder the wheels of the hold-down deviceand feed i t into the blade, applying pres-sure between the fence and the cuttingedge. Make sure that neither of your handsis in l rne with the blade. When your f in-gers come within 6 inches of the blade,continue feeding with a push stick (right).lf you are using a hold-down device, moveto the outfeed side of the table and pull theworkpiece through; otherwise, f in ishthe cut f rom the infeed side of the table.Retract the push stick carefully to preventi t f rom gett ing caught in the blade.

USING THE OUT.RIP CONFIGURATION

Gutting a panel to widthUnplug the saw, release the clamp androtate the yoke to the out-rip position, withthe blade away from the fence, as shown.Lock the yoke clamp. Position the blade forthe width of cut as in step 1, opposite.Move the fence behind the rear table, i fnecessary. Instal l a hold-down device, fol-lowing the manufacturer 's instruct ions toreverse the whee l - lock ing mechan ism.Set up roller stands or a table to supportthe workpiece as it comes off the table.

To make the cut, lay the panel on theleft-hand side of the table to al low you tofeed against the direction of blade rotation.Butting the edge of the stock against thefence, slowly feed i t into the blade. Applyenough lateral pressure to keep the panelflush against the fence (/eff).

67

RADIAL ARM SAW

TAPER JIGFor accurate taper cuts, build thejig shown at right (top)from3/rinchplywood. Refer to the illustration forsuggested dimensions.

To prepare for a taper cut, installa hold-down device on the saw@age 66), then rotate the yoke tothe in+ip position and set the widthof cut for the width of the jig base.Draw a cutting line for the taper onthe workpiece, then set it on the jig,al igning the mark with the edge ofthe base. Holding the workpiece inplace, butt the guide bar against it,with the lip seated against the endof the stock, Screw the guide bar tothe base, then attach the toggleclamps to the guide bar. Push thejig past the blade to make sure thatthe clamps do not interfere with theblade or guard. Then use screws toaf ix a handle to the base at least6 inches away from the side that willpass by the blade.

To use the jig, lower the blade sothat the ful l length of one tooth isbelow the top of the base hbove).Press the toggle clamps down tosecure the workpiece to the jig andturn on the saw. Use the j ig handleto sl ide the j ig and workpiece as aunit across the table tight, bottom).Continue cutting at a steady rate untilthe blade clears the workoiece.

Ouide bar2" x 18"

68

DADO CUTS

t|a h. same range of dado cuts that canI be made on the table saw (page36)-the cross-grain dado, the groove,the stopped groove and the rabbet-arealso possible on a radial arm saw As youwill discover in the pages that follow, theability of the radial arm saw to functionin either vertical or horizontal planesmeans that there is often more than oneway to make the same cut. Generally,most woodworkers find it easiest to keepthe blade in the 90o crosscutting positionwhen making cross-grain dadoes, rabbetsalong the ends ofstock and grooves in

INSTALLING A DADO HEAD

wide boards. Moving the blade to thehorizontal position work best for a rab-bet along the edge ofa workpiece or fora groove in a narrow board.

There is a way of cutting grooveswithout a dado head. With a standardsaw blade you can make cuts on bothedges ofthe groove and then saw out thewaste between them in as many passes asis necessarv. But the iob can be donemore quickly and preiisely with a dadohead mounted on the arbor. The radialarm saw accepts either the adjustablewobble dado head or the stacking dado

(page j6). Although the stacking dadohead is generally more expensive andtakes longer to install, it produces cutswith flatter bottoms and smoother edges.

The wider swath cut bv the dado chip-pers and blades, compared to the relative-ly narrow width of a standard saw blade,means that you will have to feed the stockmore slowly. For safety's sake, keep trackof the dado head during a cut, noting itslocation on the table when the workpiecehides it from view. Install a standardguard or a dado head blade guard whenthe blades are turned horizontally.

Adding blades and chippersRemove the blade from the arbor (page59 and install a dado head followingthe manufacturer's instructions. For thes tack ing dado shown, f i t a b lade onthe arbor with the teeth point ing in thedirect ion of blade rotat ion. Then instal la chipper with i ts teeth centered in thegul lets between two blade teeth. Fi t onadditional chippers, off-setting their teethfrom those already in place. Put the sec-ond blade on the arbor ( lef t) , makingsure that its teeth do not touch thoseof the chipper resting against it (inset).Instal l the blade col lar and nut, keepingthe blades and chippers carefully arrangedas you do so. lf you cannot tighten thenut al l the way down, remove the col lar.Instal l a standard guard or a dadohead guard.

69

RADIAL ARM SAW

CUTTING DADOES WITH THE BLADES POSITIONED VERTICALTY

Making the cutWith the dado head in the 90o cross-cutting position, cut a kerf through thefence as deep as the dado you are plan-ning to make. Mark two sets of cutt inglines on the workpiece: one on its face toshow the width of the dado, and one onits leading edge to show the depth. Buttthe marks on the edge of the stockagainst the dado head and lower theblades and chippers to the appropriatedepth. Sl ide the yoke behind the fence.A l ign the cu t t ing l ines on the faceof the workpiece with the kerf in thefence. Then, ho ld ing the workp iecesnugly against the fence, pull the yokesteadily through the cut hbove).

gHO? TI?Cuttinq repeat dadoeeTo cut a serieo of equally opaced dadoes, uee the eimple oetupohown below. Make a kefr in the fence and cut ihe tirst, dado,then elide the workpiece alon6 the fence, meaeurin7 to pooitionlhe eecond dado Nhe deeired distance from the fireL.'Deforemakinq the cutr, drive a ecrcw into lhe fence, witrh the head of

Nhe screw butted aqaineLihelefted6e ofthefirst, dado.Then cut,theeecond dado and slide lhe work-piece alonq until the lefl edqe ofihe eecond dado buNts aqaino|lhe screw head. Conlinue in thismanner uni";il alllhe dadoes are cul.

70

RADIAL ARM SAW

Cutting a grooveWith the dado head in the in-r ip posi t ion,

install a hold-down devtce @age 60 androtate the nose of the blade guard so that itjust c lears the workpiece. Then, mark twosets of cutting l ines on the workpiece: oneto show the w id th o f t he g roove andone to show i ts depth. But t the depthl ine against the dado head and lower theb lades and ch ippe rs t o t he app rop r i a teheight. Slide the yoke fonvard or backwardto a l ign the dado head wi th the cut t inglines on the face of the workpiece. Then,standing to the right side of the table, usea oush st ick l ined uo between the fenceand the dado head to feed the workpiecesteadily into the blades and chippers (/efi l.

Cutting an edge rabbetIns ta l l a dado head tha t i s s l igh t ly w iderthan the rabbet you wish to cut. Witht h e d a d o h e a d i n t h e i n - r i p p o s i t i o n ,rotate the blade guard unt i l i ts nose justclears the workpiece. Mark the depth ofthe rabbet on the fence, then position thedado head so that about one-third of i tswidth is over the fence. Turn on the sawand lower the dado head unt i l i t cuts tothe marked l ine, producing a rel ief cutin the fence to al low for c learance of theblades and chippers. Turn off the saw,then mark a cu t t ing l ine fo r the ins ideedge of the rabbet on the workpiece.Move the yoke to al ign the dado headwith the mark. Clamo a featherboard anda suooort board to the table as shown tokeep the workp iece f lush aga ins t thefence. Then, standing on the r ight s ideof the table, use a push st ick to feedthe workpiece steadi ly into the bladesznd chinnor< (riohf)

7 l

RADIAL ARM SAW

*^

AUXILIARY FENCE AND TABTE FORHORIZONTAL DADO ()R M(ILDING CUTSTo cut dadoes or moldings (page 75)with the motor in its horizontal posi-t ion , use the shop-bu i l t aux i l ia ryfence shown a t r igh t . S ince thearbor prevents the blades from beinglowered to table level, you may alsohave to build an auxiliary table, suchas the one shown below For both jigs,refer to the illustrations for suggesteddimensions.

Cut %-inch plywood for the fence,using a piece that is s l ight ly widerthan the height of the workpiece;use f-inch-thick stock for the fenceif you you are planning to instal l ahold-down device (page 66). For lhefence cutout, saw an opening that islarge enough to accommodate thedado or molding head and guard,leaving a lip of at least Vt inch althe bottom of the cutout protrudingabove the table when the fence is in

posit ion. Without this l ip, the work-piece will not be supported properlyas it rides along the fence during acut-and i t may be drawn into theblade. Instal l the fence betweenthe front table and the spacer as youwould a standard fence.

For the auxi l iary table and fence,cut two pieces of 3/q-inch plywood tothe same dimensions as the frontsaw table, then screw the piecestogether, making sure that the screwswi l l be we l l c lear o f the b lade.

Offset the top piece slightly to cre-ate a gap along the fence that wi l lprevent sawdust from accumulatingbetween the base of the auxi l iarytable and the fence when the tableis in position. Screw the auxiliary tableto a fence I inch wider than the auxil-iary fence shown above.

To install the auxiliary table, slip itsfence between the front table of thesaw and the table spacer, then tight-en the table clamps (page 51) losecure the j ig table in posit ion.

Cu|ouL

Fence4" x 40"

LiPr/+" above table

72

RADIAL ARM SAW

CUTTING A GROOVE WITH HORIZONTAL BLADES AND CHIPPERS

r) Cutting the grooveL gutt the workpiece against the fence,then clamp a featherboard to the tableto hold the stock in al ignment; c lamp asupport board at a 90' angle to the feath-erboard for extra pressure. Then, slide thew o r k p i e c e b a c k u n t i l y o u c a n l o w e rthe dado head to al ign i ts blades and chip-pers with the width marks on the end ofthe stock. Turn on the saw and use thethumbs of both hands to feed the work-piece steadily into the blades (right);straddle the fence with the fingers of yourr igh t hand to he lp main ta in cont ro l . Tokeep your hands from gett tng too closeto the dado head, use a push st ick ton n m n l o t o t h o e r i

'l Setting up the cutI With the dado head in the horizontalpos i t ion , s l ide the yoke to the back o fthe tab le as fa r as i t w i l l go ; lock a l l thec lamps on the saw. Ins ta l l an aux i l ia ryfence or Iable (page 72), Ihen mark cut-t ing l ines on the workpiece to show thewid th and depth o f the cu t . Ho ld ingthe workpiece against the fence, slide theyoke to align the dado head with the depthmark on the face of the stock (left), Tohelo keep track of the dado head's loca-t ion when i t is hidden by the workpiece,m a r k t w o l i n e s o n t h e t a b l e t o d e l t n -ea te the cu t t ing swath . Ins ta l l a dadohead guard, lowering i ts shield onto theworkpiece. Spin the dado head by handto make sure that it rotates freely. Slidethe yoke beh ind the fence.

73

RADIAL ARM SAW

MAKING A STOPPED GRO()VE

1 Setting up and starting the cutl -

I Set up the cut as on the precedingpage, but add one more set of cutting l ineson the face of the workpiece to show thebeginning and end of the groove. Standingon the r ight-hand s ide of the table, p ivotthe leading end of the workpiece awayfrom the fence. Turn on the saw and alignt h p c r r t t i n o l i n e f n r i h p h p o ' i n n i n o n f f h c

groove with the blade mark on the tablesurface (right). Keeping both hands wellc l ea r o f t he dado head , ho ld t he t ra i l i ngend o f t he wo rkp iece aga ins t t he f encew h i l e p i v o t i n g t h e o t h e r e n d i n t o t h eb l a d e s a n d c h i p p e r s u n t i l t h e w h o l eedge i s f l ush w i th t he f ence .

1 Finishins the cut<'

r . , l S l ide your le f t hand care-fu l ly a long the workpiece towardi t s l ead ing edge , p ress ing theworkpiece against the fence.Keeping both hands clear of thedado head, use your r ight handto p i vo t t he t r a i l i ng end o f t hestock away from the fence (right)

r) Cutting the grooveL Wt tn you r r i gh t hand g r i pp ing the t ra i l i ngend of the workpiece, push the stock steadr lyforward. Use your le f t hand to keep the work-p iece f l ush aga ins t t he f ence . Mak ing su retha t bo th hands s tay we l l c l ea r o f t he dadohead , con t i nue feed ing un t i l t he cu t t i ng l i nefor the end of the groove is a l igned wi th theblade mark nearest you.

Dlade cuLLing marka

CuLttnq ltneo

/ +

MOLDINGS

f utting moldings is another of the\-r wood-shaping chores that fallswithin the repertoire of the radial armsaw. The same wide range of cuttersavailable for the table saw (page 40) canalso be used on the radial arm saw totransform boards into pieces of trim.Multiple boards can be shaped indiv-idually and then glued together to forman impressive array of designs. Theresults can range from cornice moldingfor a cabinet to decorative door andframe treatments.

CUTTING A MOLDING

Setting up and making the cutFit the cutters into their slots in the mold-ing head, then use a hex wrench totighten the setscrews (inset). lnstall themolding head on the saw with the f latside of the cutters facing the direction ofblade roiat ion. Mark a l ine for the widthof cut on the leading end of the work-piece, then posit ion the stock f lushagainst the fence. To secure the work-piece, clamp one featherboard to thefence to the lef t of the moldtng headand a second featherboard to the table.Brace the second featherboard with asupport board. Holding the workpieceagainst the fence, slide the yoke to alignthe molding head with the cutt ing l ine,setting up for a 7e-inch-deep cut. Removethe workpiece and turn on the saw. Useyour right hand to feed the stock slowlyinto the molding head (right); use yourleft hand to press the workpiece flushagainst the fence. To keep your handsfrom gett ing too close to the cutters,f in ish the pass with a push st ick. Fordeeper cuts, make as many Passes asnecessary, moving the molding head 7einch farther into the workpiece at a time.After successive Dasses have reduced thestock to the desired depth, make a f inal ,very shallow pass, feeding more slowlyto help produce a smooth f in ish.

Start by fitting a set ofthree identicalcutters into a molding head, which isthen attached to the saw's arbor in thesame way as a blade. Although the illus-tration below shows the molding head inthe horizontal position, the radial armsaw can turn this device at any anglebetween 0o and 90o, significantly extend-ing the range of designs you can pro-duce. Regardless of the molding headangle you decide to use, the workpieceshould always be fed repeatedly acrossthe spinning knives, with each shallow

pass cutting a little deeper until thedesired profile is milled.

Wittrthe molding head in the hori-zontal position, install an auxiliary table(page72) to raise the stock to the level ofthe knives. Install a molding head guardto protect your fingers from the cutters,positioning its shield just above theworkpiece. Do not cut moldings fromstock shorter than 12 inches long. Andrather than working with narrow stock,use wider boards and then make a riPcut to trim them to their final width.

75

RADIAL ARM SAW

I shop-bui l t j ig can rransform theA radial arm saw into an efficientjoint-making tool. Using the jig shownbelow and a standard saw blade, you canproduce finger joints that are well-suitedfor drawer or carcase construction.

The setup shown in this section lendsitself to production work. Once your sawhas been set up to cut one finger joint,producing several such joints is no more

RADIALARM SAWIOINERYcomplicated---or time<onsuming-thanmaking a series of crosscuts. Al"thoughthe blade is set in its horizontal position,the workpiece is not fed into it, as is thecase with most other horizontal-bladeoperations. Instead, the two mating

A variation of the box joint, the finger jointderives its strength from the large gluing areaprovided by its interwoven fingers andnotches. It is an attractive and solid ioint.

CUTTING A FINGER J()INT

boards are secured together on the jigand the blade is pulled through them.Since the boards are offset by the thick-ness of the saw kerf, the fingers andnotches are cut at the same tirie, guar-anteeing a perfect joint.

1 Making a finger joint jigr Build the table and fence for the finger-joint jig from vz-inch plywood; use solidwood for the legs. Refer to the illustration for suggested dimensions. Screw the legs tothe underside of the table. Cut a 3- inch-by-25-inch corner sect ion from one end of thefence; the cutout wi l l provide clearance for the motor and blade guard. To instal l the j ig,slip the fence into the slot between the auxiliary table and the table spacer, then positionthe left edge of the jig table against the right edge of the fence's cutout. Screw the twopieces of plywood together.

76

RADIAL ARM SAW

r) Making the first cutL Rotut" the voke handle to the lef ts ide of the arm, then t i l t the motor to thehor izon ta l pos i t ion . A l ign the ends o fthe workpieces and place them against thefence. To se t the depth o f cu t , ex tendthe workpieces over the edge of the bladeby the thickness of one piece of stock. Sl ipa shim the same thickness as the bladeunder one of the workpieces, then clampboth pieces of stock to the fence. Next,adjust the blade guard to cover as muchof the f ron t o f the b lade as poss ib le andsl ide the yoke back toward the column tocheck for obstructions. Install a handscrew onthe arm to stop yoke travel as soon as theblade completes each pass. With the yokebehind the fence, raise the blade to the sameleve l as the sh im, then tu rn on the sawand pul l the yoke steadi ly through the cut(right). Return the yoke to its place behindthe fence and turn off the motor.

Q Cutting the remaining notchesr-,1 and fingersFor each of the remaining cuts, raisethe blade (page 59) by an amountequal to twice the thickness of theshrm, Pul l the yoke handle with yourle f t hand, leav ing your r igh t handon the e leva t ing c rank to ra ise thearm after each cut; be sure to sl idethe yoke beh ind the fence be forer a i s i n g t h e a r m . C o n t i n u e i n t h i smanner unt i l a l l the notches and f in-sers have been cut (/eft).

Handacrew

77

,,,..;i;1'ffi'1{,i: qii

, ' . j . , I

,"1".* -;

I : , "ff1"

or ease of operation and wide-ranging utility the band saw is

hard to beat. It is the only wood-working machine capable of makingboth straight and contour cuts. Inaddition to crosscutting and ripping,it is well suited for cutting curves andcircles, enabling the woodworker toproduce anything from a dovetailjoint to a cabriole leg.

Both rough and detcate work fallwithin its domain. Fitted with a7z-inch blade-the widest size avail-able for most consumer-grademachines-a band saw can resaw6-inch-thick lumber into two thin-ner pieces in a single pass. And with

BATDSAM

This quarter-circle-cuning jig is an idealtime-saver for rounding corners for tabletops.The jig pivots around a fixed point, taking the

guesswork out of cutting perfect arcs.

toward the operator, kickback can-not occur. For this reason, the bandsaw is the tool of choice for rippingshort or narrow stock.

Band saws are classified accord-ingto their throatwidth-that is, thedistance between the blade and thevertical column, which supportsthe machine's upper wheel. Bandsaws for home workshoos fall in the10- to l4-inch range. Siws are alsocategorized according to their depth-of-cut capaciry which correspondsto the maximum gap between thetable and the upper guide assembly(overleaf). Although a 4- to 6-inchdepth of cut is typical for con-

a %o-inch blade, a band saw can zigzagitsway through a boardat virtually any angle, even making 90o turns during a cut.

But do not let this tool's versatility intimidate you;the bandsaw is surprisingly easy to use. Many cuts can be made free-hand by simply pivoting the workpiece around the blade.With the cutting techniques and shop-made jigs presented inthis chapter, you will be able to turn out intricate curves)cut perfect circles and produce uniformly square-edged ripcuts and crosscuts.

One other advantase ofthe band saw over other wood-working machines is itsielative safeness. Compared to the radialarm saw or table saw, the band saw is a quiet machine, so noise-related fatigue is rarely a problem. Moreover, very little of theblade-usuallv onlv 7e inch-is ever exposed while it is run-nirrg. And since the cutting action of the blade bears downon the workpiece, pushing it against the table instead of back

sumer-grade saws, the band saw shown on pages B0-Bl offersa height attachment that extends the vertical column toprovide a l2-inch depth of cut-handy for resawing particularlythick stock. But even with a standard machine, you can takeadvantage ofthe band saw's unsurpassed depth-of-cut capacityby cutting identical patterns into several pieces of woodstacked one on top of another. Imagine that you wanted tomake the same curved cut on 12 pieces of Vz-inch plywood.With a band saw you would simply stack the pieces, raise theguide assembly so that 6 inches of the blade is exposed andcut them in a single pass.

In choosing a band saw, look for one with a sturdy table thatcan tilt 45o in one direction and at least 10" in the other. In addi-tion, consider spending a little more for a 3/+-horsepower motor.For certain jobs, such as resawing a thick piece of stock, you willbe slad to have the extra power.

A %-inch band saw blade weaves its way alonga curved cuttingline, paring away a block ofmahogany to form a graceful cabriole leg.

79

Wheel coverFrotects operatorfrom wheel and blade;may be removable orhin4ed to provideaccega to whael

WheelRimmed by arubber tire thatcuahions theblade and keepait from alippinq

Throat aolumn9upporta bladebeiween wheelsand protecta oper'ator from blade

Table lock knobAllowa table to betilted for bevel orcompound cuta:a oecond knob ialocated onaite aide of

Tenaion handleKaisea and lowera upper wheelto adjuat blade tenaion

Elade guardFrotecta operator from blade: movedup and down with quide aooembly

Upper guide aaaemblyKaised and lowered dependin4 onthickneaa of workpiece; includea blade6uard, thruot bearinq and 7uide bloaks.)atacrewa releaae 7uide blocko forI ateral a djuotm ent; th u m bacrewarelease bearin7 and blocka forfront-to-back adjuatment b5r meano of adjuat-inq knoba. (A fixed quide aaeembly withthruat bearing and 6uide blocks locat-ed under table inaert.)

Miter gaugeGuides workpieceacro66 table forcro69cut9 0rmiter cut6

Table leveling pinAdjuatable to keep mifnrqauqe olot prvperly aliqned

Table lneertFrevents wood oieces fromfattin7 into table and oupporteworkpiece when cloae to blade;uauAlly made of aluminum

Duet epoutFor duat collection ayatem

OnlOff ewltohCan be padlocked in Offpoaition for oafety

Rip fenceOuides workpieceacro66 table for ripcuto, croaacuto

ANATOMYOFABAND SAW

I s the name suggests, a band sawA blade is a continuous steel band.Varying in length from roughly 72 inchesto 104 inches depending on the size ofthe machine, the blade runs around rub-ber-rimmed wheels and passes throughan opening in the saw table. One of thewheels-typically the lower one-is thedrive wheel, which is turned by a motor.The blade is not fastened to the wheelsbut is held in place bytension and turnsthrough its elliptical path at roughly3,000 feet per minute-the average cut-ting speed for a l4-inch saw.

The blade is kept taut by means ofa tension handle. which raises and lowersthe upper wheel. A tilt knob that cantsthe upper wheel is used to keep the bladecentered on the wheels. The blade is keptsteady on its path by thrust bearingslocated behind the blade above andbelow the table, and by guide blocks,which prevent lateral movement.Although some cuts can be made free-hand, a rip fence and miter gauge areavailable with many models to guideworkpieces across the table.

The three-wheel band saw's wide throatcapacity - typically 20 inches, rather thanthe 10 to 14 inches available on most two-wheel models-makes it more convenient forworking with particularly large workpieces.

8 1

SETTING UP

he band saw has a reputationamong some woodworkers as a rel-

atively imprecise cutting tool. And yetband saws are routinely used in industryto cut very hard materials such as metalto very close tolerances. The factremains, however, that the tool can onlybe made to cut straight edges and pre-cise curves if it is kept finely tuned.

The ideal is for the blade to cutsquarely into the workpiece, producinga smooth, accurate result. But the pecu-liarities of band saw geometry can makethis ideal difficult to achieve. After bend-ing around the machine's wheels at 35

ALIGNING THE WHEELS

miles per hour, a section of the blademust straighten out by the time it reach-es the saw table a split second later.

For this to happen, the adjustableparts of the saw must be kept in properalignment so that the blade runssmoothly and square to the table.Particular attention should be paid to thewheels, the guide assembly and the sawtable itself.

To tune your band saw, unplug it,install and tension the blade you plan touse (page 87)then follow the set-up stepsdetailed on the following pages. lake thetime to do it right. Adjusting the band

saw may be more tlme-consummg thanlearning how to operate the tool. But theadvantages of a well-tuned machine willbe noticeable not only in the quality ofthe results but in the longevity of yourblades and of the band saw itself.Misaligned wheels or poorly adjustedguide blocls can lead to premature bladewear or breakage.

Installing nonmetallic guide blocls ona band saw can reduce wear and tearappreciably (page B3), but there is nosubstitute for getting around the need tocheck thrust bearings, guide blocks andwheels for proper alignment.

1 Checking wheel alignmentI To make certain that the wheels are oaral lelto each other and in the same vertical plane, loosenthe table lock knobs and tilt the table out of the way.Open both wheel covers and hold a long straightedgeagainst the wheel r ims as shown. The straightedgeshould rest f lush against the top and bottom ofeach wheel. l f the wheels are out of al ignment, t ryto br ing the top wheel to a vert ical posi t ion bymeans of the t i l t knob. l f the straightedge st i l l wi l lnot rest f lush, you wi l l have to adjust the posit ionof the upper wheel (step 2).

r) Shifting the upper wheel1 Movethe upper wheel in or out on itsax le fo l low ing the ins t ruc t ions in yourowner's manual. On the model shown, youmust first remove the blade (page 87)and the wheel. Then shif t the wheel byeither adding or removing one or morewashers (/efD. Reinstall the wheel andt ighten the axle nut. Instal l the bladeand recheck wheel al ignment.

82

BAND SAW

ADJUSTING THE GUIDE ASSEMBTIES

1 Sefting the thrust bearingsI Set the upper guide assembly @age 85), then check byeye that the upper thrust bearing is square to the blade. lfnot, loosen ihe guide assembly setscrew, adjust the assemblyso that the bearing is square to the blade, and tighten thesetscrew. Then, loosen the bearing thumbscrew and turn theadjustment knob until the bearing just touches the blade.Back the bearing off slightly (above) and tighten the thumb-screw. (The lower thrust bearing, which is located directlyunder the table insert , is adjusted the same way.)To checkthe setting, spin the upper wheel by hand. lf the blade makeseither bearing spin, back the bearing off slightly and recheck.

r) Setting the guide blocksL fo set the upper guide blocks, loosen the guide blocksetscrews and pinch the blocks together using your thumb andindex finger until they almost touch the blade. Alternatively,use a slip of paperto set the space between the blocks andthe blade. Iighten the setscrews. Next, loosen the thumbscrewand turn the adjustment knob until the front edges of the guideblocks are just behind the blade gullets (abovd. Tighten thethumbscrew. Set the lower guide blocks the same way.

Heat-re sistant guide blo clesDesigned to replace the metal guide blocks suppliedwith most saws, nonmetallicblocks are made froma graphite-impregnated resin that contains a drylubricant. Because they build up less heat than con'ventional guide blocks, the nonmetallic variety lastlonger; they can also be set doser to the blade, pro-moting more accurate and controlled cuts. In addi-tion, contact between the blade and nonmetallicblocks does not dull theblade, as is common withmetalblocks. To install, unscrew the guide blocksetscrews, remove the old bloclcs and replace withthe new blocks; tighten the setscrews.

83

BAND SAW

SOUARING THE TABLE AND BLADE

r) Ghecking the table angleL Wttn the table in the horizontal posi t ion, remove thetab le inser t , then bu t t a combina t ion square aga ins t thesaw b lade as shown. The square shou ld f i t f lush aga ins tthe saw blade. l f there is a gap between the two, loosenthe two table lock knobs and make sure the table is seatedproperly on the table stop under the table. Tighten the lockknobs. lf the gap remains, adjust the table stop (step 3).

'l Aligning the tableI To ensure that the miter gauge slotis properly al igned on both sides of thetable slot , set the miter gauge in i ts s lotand slide the gauge back and forth acrossthe table. The gauge should sl ide freelywith only moderate pressure. lf the gaugebinds, use locking pl iers to remove thelevel ing pin. Then, insert the pin into i tshole and use a bal l -peen hammer to tapthe pin deeper (left) unlil the mitero a r r o p c l i d c c f r o o l v

Adjusting the table stopTilt the table out of the wav, then use two wrenches as

shown to adjust the table stop. Use the lower wrench to holdthe nut stat ionary and the upper wrench to turn the tablestop: clockwise to lower i t ; counterclockwise to raise i t .Recheck the table angle.

84

SAFETY

CUTTING SAFELY WITH THE BAND SAW

f ompared to the table saw or radialU arm saw the band saw seems Iike arelatively safe machine. There is noaggressive whine of a IVz- or 3-horse-power motor turning a lO-inch sawblade; instead, the band saw produces acuiet hum that some woodworkers likentb the sound of a sewing machine. Andwith its blade guard properly set, nomore than % inch of the blade is exposedabove the table.

Still, it is impossible to be too carefulwith anywoodworking machine and theband saw is no exception. Band sawblades occasionally break, and when

they do they tend to fly to the right ofwhere the operator normally stands'Therefore, it is wise to stand slightly tothe throat column side of the bladewhenever possible. If a blade snaps, turnoffthe saw and do not open the wheelcovers to install a new blade until thewheels have stopped completely.

Although the blade guard adequatelycovers the blade above the table, thereis no guard at the level of the tableor underneath it. As a result, you needto keep your hands out ofthe hole cov-ered by the table insert and refrainfrom reaching under the table to clear

debris from the blade before the bladehas come to a stop.

Most of the accidents that occur withthe band saw are a result ofexcessive feedpressure and poor hand position. Feed aworkpiece steadily into the blade, butwith a minimal amount of pressure' oth-erwise the blade may jam and break. Formost cuts, feed the workpiece with onehand, using the other hand to guide it.Keep your fingers out of line with theblade. Hook the fingers of the feed handaround an edge ofthe workpiece to pre-vent them from slipping into the bladeas your hand nears the cutting area.

BAI{D SAW SAFETY TIPS

o Except when changing a blade,always keep the wheel covers closed.

r Make sure that saw blades are sharp,clean and undamaged. Disconnectthe saw before changing a blade,

o Stand slightly to the left of theblade when cutting at the front of theband saw table. Do not stand, or allowanyone else to stand, to the right ofthe blade. This is the direction inwhich the blade wil l f ly if i t breaks.

o Do not cut unti l the blade is turningat full speed.

. Keep your hands away from theblade when the saw is on. Use a Pushstick or a jig to cut small or nanowoieces.

r Avoid making turns that are too tightfor the blade you are using. This canbreak the blade.

. Cut with the blade guard no morethan % inch above the workPiece.

r Before backing out of a cut, turnoff the saw.

Setting the upper guide assembly and blade guardBefore turning on the saw to begin a cut, set the upper guide assembly 7a inchabove the workpiece. Use one hand to hold the guide assembly in posit ion andthe other hand to tighten the guide assembly lock knob bbove). Alternatively,use the workpiece to lever the guide assembly up slightly, then tighten the lockknob. Setting the guide assembly as close to the workpiece as possible not onlyprotectsyou from the blade when the saw is running; i t a lso supportsthe bladeas i t cuts, minimizing excessive blade def lect ion.

85

BAND SAWBLADES

T umber mill band saws regularly useI-r blades as wide as l2 inches to cutlogs into boards. Blades for consumer-grade saws are much smaller-generallyranging fromrAe toVzinchwide. Buteven within this relatively narrow spec-trum, choosing the best blade for the jobis not always straightforward. There is nosingle all-purpose combination blade inband sawing, nor any blade specificallydesigned for ripping or crosscutting.However, a woodworker should keepthree basic variables in mind: toothdesign, blade width and blade set.

As illustrated at right, band sawbladesfor cutting wood are available in threebasic tooth designs; each design doessomething better than the others. Thechart below shows the importance ofselecting a blade of appropriate width forcutting curves. In general, narrowbladesare used for cuts with intricate curves,while wide blades are ideal for resawinqthick stock.

Blade set refers to how much theblade teeth are angled to the side, makinga saw cut-or kerf-that is wider thanthe blade. This reduces the chance of thebladebinding in a cut. Abladewith min-imal set, called a light set blade, producesa smooth cut and a narrow kerf, but isalso more prone to binding, which limitsits ability to cut a tight curve. A heavy set

blade-one with greater set-cuts fasterthan a light set blade, and is less likely tobind due to its wider kerf. However, aheavy set blade leaves more visible cor-rugated marla in the cut edge of a work-piece, an effect called "washboarding."

There are enough stresses on a bandsaw blade under the best of circum-stances without adding to them byimproper operation of the machine.Some of the many avoidable causes ofblade breakage include forcing a bladearound a curve that is too tight for itswidth, improper adjustment of the bladeguides, excessive feed speed or pressure,dull blade teeth, excessive blade tension,insufficient tooth set and running theblade for extended periods without cut-ting. Tension and track a blade (page 88)immediately after you install it. Incorrecttension can shorten the life ofa blade.

The typical band saw blade has a looplength of several feet. To reduce theamount of storage space, fold the bladeinto three loops as shown on page 87.Clean a band sawblade regularlyto keepit from gumming up with resins andpitch. Use a wire or stiff-bristled brushdipped in solvent such as turpentine,oven cleaner or an ammonia-basedcleaner. Before storing a blade or forremoving rust, wipe the blade with anoily rag. For rust, use steel wool.

When choosing a band saw blade for acontour cut, consider the tightest curvethat the blade will turn. (Jse the chartat left as a rough guide. In general, thenarrower the blade, the tighter the curve,given the same blade set. But becausewider blades resist unwanted deflection,a narrow blade is not always the bestchoice for a curved cut. A good rule ofthumb is to use the widestblade for thetightest curve required. The limitationson a blade's turning capacity cannot beignored. Forcing a blade around a cornerthat is too tight will cause it to bind inthe kerf, twist and, ultimately, snap.

BTADE WPES

?tandard EladeFor atrai6ht cuts acroas theqrain or dia1onal to the qrain.ldeal for intricate curveo orcute when the oriantation ofthe blade to the qrain chan4eodurina the cut,

5kip-tooth tslade9o called because every othertooth ia miaeing. For lon7,qentle curvea with the qrain.Cuts fasten but more roulhly,than a standard blade. A1/+-inch ekip-toobh blade with 4to 6 teeth per inch ie a gooaall-purpoae blade.

Hook-tooth EladeFor atraight cuta and curveawith the grain; the best bladefor rippinq or reaawing.

1/a" blade(1/a" radiuo)

86

BAND SAW

CHANGING A SAW BLADE

1 Removing the old bladeI Raise the upper guide assembly to itshighest setting and lock itin place (page

85). Back the thrust bearings and guideblocks away from the blade (page 83).Remove the table insert and use locktngpl iers to remove the table level ing pin.Turn the tension handle counterclockwiseto release the blade tension, then openthe wheel covers. Wearing safety goggles,careful ly s l ide the blade out of the guideassemblies (lefil,lhen slip it off the wheelsand guide i t through the table slot .

Installing the new bladelf the blade is coi led, uncoi l i t care-

ful ly. Band saw blades store a consider-able amount of spr ing. Wearing safetygoggles and gloves, hold the blade atarm's length in one hand and turn yourface away as the blade uncoils. Guide theblade through the table slot as shown,holding i t with the teeth factng you andpoint ing down. Sl ip the blade betweenthe guide blocks and in the throat columnslot, then center i t on the wheels. Instal lthe Ievel ing pin and table insert . Tensionand track the blade (page 88).

FOTDING A BTAOE FOR STORAGE

Wearing safety goggles and gloves, grasp theblade with the teeth facing away from you;point your lef t thumb up and your r ightthumb down ( l ) . Then, p ress ing Yourr igh t thumb f r rmly aga ins t the b lade,twist the blade by pivoting your right handupward. The blade will begin to form twoloops Q). Without pausing or releasing theblade, keep rotating it in the same directionwhile pivoting your left hand in the oppositedirection. The blade will coil again, forming athird loop (3). Secure the blade using string,pipe cleaners or plastic twist ties.

87

BAND SAW

TENSIONING AND TRACKING A BLADE

r) Tracking a btadeI Lower the upper guide assem-bly, then spin the upper wheel byhand to check whether the blade istracking in the center of the wheel.lf it is not, loosen the tilt knob lockscrew. Then, spin the wheel withone hand wh i le tu rn ing the t i l tknob with the other hand (above)toangle the wheel unt i l the bladetracks in the center. To check thetracking, c lose the wheel coversand turn on the saw, then turn i tof f ; adjust the tracking, i f neces-sary. Set the thrust bearrngs andguide blocks (page 83).

1 Tensioning a bladeI Turn the tension handle clockwisewith one hand to raise the top wheel andincrease tension on the blade; deflect theblade from side to side with the other handto gauge the tension. Spin the upper wheelby hand and gauge the tension at severalpoints along the blade. Increase the ten-sion (lefil untilthe blade deflects about% inch to ei ther side of the vert ical posi-t ion. Avoid overtensioning a blade; thiscan lead to premature blade wear andbreakage. Undertensioning a blade wi l la l low i t to wander back and forth andside to side as i t cuts.

tlf "fit-lfllltf llt-fli'5HO? TI?Rounding abladeTo help prevent, a new band sawblade from bindina in Lhe kefi ofa curved cul, uee a silicon-carbide elone without oil Noround ile back edqe. Glue theslone ontn a ohop-madehan-dle. Ieneion and t rack theblade, Ihen turn on the saw.Wearing eafety 6oqqlee, holdthe etnne aaainsLNhe back of 'the etnne againoLNhe back of lheblade and elowly pivotthe otontpivol the otone. Turn off theeaw afAer a few minutee,ln addition lo rouna-in6 the blade, the etone will gmooth any bumVewhere Lhe blade ends are welded toaether,

88

l\ f uch of the curved wood thatlVl sru..r well-made frrrniture is cuton theiand saw, which can produce vir-tuallv anv contour. As shown in thepagei that follow, you cut curves in avariety of ways: by sawing freehand alonga cutting line, by making use of a pattern(page 90) or by relying on shop-built jigs.

Whatever the shape of the curve, thebiggest challenge in contour-cutting isavoiding dead ends, where the workpiecehits the throat column before the end ofa cut. When this occurs, you have to veeroffthe cutting line and saw to the edgeof the workpiece, or turn offthe saw andback the blade out of the cut. In eithercase, you must choose a new startingpoint for the cut. The key to avoidingsuch pitfalls is to visualize the cut before

CUTTING CURVES

vou make it so you can select the bestitarting point. If a dead end seemsunavoidable, mark cutting lines on bothsides of the workpiece. Occasionally,starting a cut on one side of a workpieceand finishing it on the other is the onlyway to make a cut.

On many contour cuts, making aseries of straight "release" cuts throughwaste areas as illustrated below will greatly facilitate the procedure. Ifbacktrackingout ofa cut is unavoidable, try to startwith shorter cuts and back out of these,rather than beginning with the longercuts. For particularly tight curves, drill ahole at the tightest curves and then cutto the hole along the marked cutting line.

One of the peculiarities of the bandsaw is that its blade will readily follow a

Using aband saw and ashop - m a d e cir cle - cuttingjiglike the one shown onpage 93, a woodworkercut the top of thisShaker-styletable. The table'slegs were also producedon theband saw.

marked line when cutting across thegrain, but will tend to veer offwhen fol-lowing the grain.

For greater control and accuracy,start a curve with a cut that runs acrossthe grain rather than with it. Whenentering a curve from a straight cut,remember to reduce feed speed slightlyto help ensure precision.

CUTTING A CURVE FREEHAND

1 Making release cuts and starting the curved cutI To keep the blade from binding in the kerf of a curvedcut, make a ser ies of straight release cuts from the edge ofthe workpiece to the cutt ing l ine. The exact locat ion of thecuts is arbitrary, but try to make them to the tightest parts ofthe curve, as shown. To start the curved cut, align the bladejust to the waste side of the cutting line. Feed the workpiecesteadi ly into the blade using your r ight hand, whi le guiding i twith your lef t hand (above). Make sure that nei ther hand isin l ine with the blade.

r) Finishing the cutL fo cutthe tightest parts of the curve, pivot the workpieceon the table, shifting your hand position as necessary. For thecut shown, saw to the end of the curved portion of the cuttingl ine, feeding with your lef t hand. Pivot the workpiece with yourr ight hand to avoid twist ing the blade; veer off the cutt ing l ineand saw to a release cut, if necessary. Keep two fingers of yourr ight hand braced against the table to maintain control of thecut (abovd. Turn the workpiece around and cut along thestraight port ion of the cutt ing l ine.

89

BAND SAW

MAKING MULTIPLE CURVED CUTS

1 Setting up the fence and starting the cutI To produce mult iple curved pieces with the same width from a single work-piece, cut the first curve freehand (page 89).Ihen, make a T-shaped single-pointfence with a rounded nose at the base of the T. Cut a notch in the base so that theguide assembly can be lowered to the workpiece. (Note: In this il lustration, the guideassembly is raised for c lar i ty.) Instal l the r ip fence and screw the single-point fenceto i t with the t ip of the base paral lel to the blade. Posit ion the r ip fence for the widthof cut. To start each cut, butt the workpiece against the tip of the single-point fenceand feed it into the blade using both hands (above). Keep the workpiece square tothe tip of the single-point fence and ensure that neither hand is in line with the blade.

PATTERN SAWING

r) Finishing the cutL estnetrailing end of the workpiecenears the tip of the single-point fence,sh i f t your le f t hand to the back o fthe tab le to suppor t the cu t p iece .Brace your lef t arm on the fence andhook two f ingers over the edge of thetable to keep your arm clear of the bladehbove). Cont inue feeding with yourr igh t hand un t i l the cu t i s comple ted .

1 Setting up a double-point fenceI To cut the same curved pattern fromdifferent workpieces, cut the first piecefreehand (page 89); then, use it as a tem-plate to cut the other pieces. Prepare adouble-point fence with a shal low notchat the end fo r the b lade and a deeoernotch below for the workpiece to sl ideunder it. Screw the fence to an L-shaoedsupport board that hugs the side of thetab le , then c lamp the suppor t boardto the table, making sure the blade f i tsinto the end notch of the fence. Use stripsof double-sided tape as shown to fasteneach workpiece to the template, ensuringthat the straight edges of the boards areal igned. Tr im the workpiece i f necessaryto prevent it from hitting the fence whenyou make ihe cut.

90

BAND SAW

r) Lining up and starting the cutL Nign the template and workpiece sothat the edge of the template is parallel tothe blade (righil. To begin the cut, useyour left hand to feed the workpiece intothe blade. Once the blade begins cutt ing,apply slight pressure with your right handto press the template squarely against theend of the double-point fence. Keep thetemplate in contact with both points ofthe fence throughout the cut.

Q Completing the cutr-J Continue feeding with your Ieft handwhi le using your r ight hand to keep thetemplate f lush against both points ofthe fence (left); Ihe template shouldr ide along the fence as the blade cutsthrough the workpiece. Once you havef in ished the cu t , p ry the workp ieceand template apart .

9 l

BAND SAW

ROUNDING CORNERS

1 Setting up a quarter-circle-cutting jigI Cut a sheet of %-inch plywood sl ight-ly larger than the saw table, then feed i tinto the blade to cut a kerf f rom the mid-d le o f one s ide to the center . C lamo thesheet in pos i t ion as an aux i l ia ry tab le .Al ign a carpenter 's square with the backof the blade gullets and mark a line on theaux i l ia ry tab le tha t i s perpend icu la r tothe kerf . Then, mark a pivot point on thetable the same distance from the bladeas the radius of the rounded corners youplan to cut (right). Cut another plywoodsheet as a j ig base and mark a square atone corner, with sides the same length asthe radius of the rounded corners. Bore ahole for a screw at the marked corner (thespot marked "pivot point" on the inseti l lustrat ion). Screw guides to adjacentedges of the j ig base, then screw the j igbase to the auxi l iary table, center ing thescrew hole over the pivot point. Leavethe screw loose enough to pivot the j igon the table. Round the marked corner ofthe jig by pivoting it into the blade (insef).

r-) Rounding a cornerL fo round the corner of a workpiece,turn off the saw and seat the workpieceagainst the guides of the j ig. Turn onthe saw, then use your r ight hand topivot the j ig, feeding the workpieceinto the blade; your lef t hand shouldhold the workpiece snugly against theguides. Round each corner of a work-piece the same way (lefil.

92

BAND SAW

CIRCLE.CUTTIT{G IIGFor cutting perfect circles, use a shop-built circle-cutting jig custom-made foryour band saw. Refer to the illustrationat right for suggested dimensions.

Rout a 7a- inch-deeo doveta i lchanne l in the midd le o f the j igbase, then use a table saw to r ipa thin board with a bevel along twoedges to produce a bar that slidessmoothly in the channel. (Set thesaw blade bevel angle by measuringthe angle of the channel edges.) Cutout the notch on the band saw, thenscrew the support arms to the under-side of the j ig base, spacing themfar enough apart to hug the sides ofthe band saw table when the j ig isplaced on it. Bore two screw holesthrough the bottom of the dovetailchannel in the j ig base 1 inch and'3inches from the unnotched end; alsobore two holes into the bar as shown.

To prepare a workpiece for circle-cutting, mark the circumference andcenter of the circle you plan to cuton its underside (far right).Then,use the band saw to cut off the four

corners of the workpiece to keep itfrom hitting the clamps that securethe jig to the table as the workpiecepivots. Make a release cut from theedge of the workpiece to the markedcircumference, then veer off to theedge, Turn the workpiece over andmark the contact point where theblade touched the circumference.

Screw the narrow side of thebar to the center of the workpiece

Contact

Corner cuta

through one of the bar's holes. Donot tighten the screw; leave it looseenough to pivot the workpiece. Then,sl ide the bar into the channel andpivot the workpiece until the markedcontact point is butted againstthe blade. Screw through one of theholes in the j ig base to securethe pivot bar to the base.

To use the jig, pivot the workpieceinto the blade (left), feeding with yourright hand and guiding with your lefthand until the cut is comoleted.

NoLch3/+" x 7"

Jiq baee3/+"x20"x24"

Dovetail channel3/a" x3/+" x24"

/

\

93

STRAIGHT CUTS

w:'kf.T*?iil:#,ffi:*: llfi llll-ffi lll llll'llll ll|l llll llll1ll llll llll llll llll llll llll llll llllmachines, the band saw is the ideal shoptool for resawing. Whereas a 10-inchtable saw would take two Dasses to resawa 6-inch-wide board, a standard l4-inchband saw can make the same cut in asingle pass.

Because the band sawblade is relativelythin, it produces a narrower kerf-and leswaste-than is possible with a table orradial arm saw Resawing can be done free-hand, but for more precision, use a pivotblock and a featherboard (page 96).Theband saw is also an excellent choice for rio-ping narrow or round stock (page 95).

Because the thin, flexible band sawblade has a natural tendency to pulseback and forth and sway from side toside imperceptibly as it cuts, you willneed to keep your machine carefullytuned to get smooth and accurate cuts.Without such fastidious maintenance,crosscutting and ripping will be imprecise.

Band saw blades also have a tendencyto "lead," or veer away from a straightline during a cut. This effect can be min-imized by reducing feed speed and usingsharp blades that are properly tensionedand tracked (page BB).

Although more pronounced withnarrower blades, some blade lead is gen-erally unavoidable. However, the lead ofa particular blade is usually constant andpredictable, so you can usually angleyour rip fence to compensate for it.

Crosscutting is a safe procedure onthe band saw. But remember, one of theshortcomings of this machine is thatcrosscutting is limited by the width of thethroat: typically 10 to 14 inches on a two-wheel consumer-grade tool.

RIPPING

Ripping a boardPosition the rip fence for the width of cut, adjusting its angle to compensate forblade lead. Butt the workpiece against the fence and feed i t steadi ly into the bladewith the thumbs of both hands (above). To maintain proper control of the cut, strad-dle the fence with the fingers of your left hand and keep three fingers of your righthand braced on the table. Make sure that nei ther hand is in l ine with the blade.

9HO7 Tt?Compenoalingfor blade leadTo set lhe anqle ofIhe r iofence and enaure I

a c c ur af,e, obr ai qhl culowhen uoinq Lhe rip fence aea 7uide, adjueL Nhe pooitionof lhe fence on |he eaw tablefor each blade in lhe shoo. Marka cuttinq line on a board that isparallel Io ite edqe. Then, cut haltwayalonq the l ine freehand. You mayhave Io angle the board eliqhLly tokeep Ihe blade on Ihe line; Lhis is lheresull of blade lead. Mark a line on Ihe Lable alonqthe edqe of the board. Align Ihe riV fence parallelwiLhthie l ine whenever ueinqNhe eame blade.

94

BAND SAW

2 " x 2 " x 1 4 "

A SHOP-MADE RIP FENCELike a commercial fence, the rip fenceshown at left can be adjusted to com-pensate for blade lead. First, fasten awooden fence to a support board witha bolt and wing nut. The board shouldrest flush against the front edge of thesaw table. Ensure that the fence willpivot when the wing nut is loosened.

To use the fence, first mark a lineon the table for the blade lead (page94). Hold the suppod board in posi-tion, then loosen the wing nut to pivotthe fence and align its edge with themarked line. Tighten the wing nut,then clamp the fence in place. Feedshort or narrow stock, as shown, usinga push stick.

Ripping a cylinderRip a cyl inder using a shop-made V-blockjig. First, make the V section of the jigby bevel cutting (page 98) a 2-by-2 diago-nally. Then, screw the two cut pieces side-by-side to a base of solid wood or 3/q-inchplywood to form a V. To provide clearancefor the blade when using the j ig, makea cut halfway across the center of the Vand the base.

To make the rip cut, slip the blade throughthe c learance cu t , then c lamp the j igto the table. Feed the cyl inder into theblade using the thumbs of both hands(left). Keep your fingers away from theblade. For a cylinder that is too narrow tobe cut through from the front of the tablewithout endangering your thumbs, stopfeeding midway through the cut. Then,move to the back of the table to oull thecyl inder past the blade.

95

BAND SAW

RESAWING' l Using a pivot block and featherboardI To resaw a board, make a pivot blockfrom two pieces of wood loined perpen-dicular ly, with the shorter piece tr immedto fo rm a rounded nose. lns ta l l the r iofence and screw the oivot block to i t sotha t the rounded t ip i s a l igned w i th theblade ( inset). Posit ion the r ip fence forthe width of cut and adjust i ts angle tocompensate for blade lead (page 94).To start the cut, feed the workpiece intothe blade using the thumbs of both hands;use your f ingers to keep the workpiecef lush against the t ip of the pivot block.A few inches into the cut, stop feedingand turn off the saw. Clamp a feather-board to the table, propping i t on a woodscrap to support the middle of the work-piece. Turn on the saw and continue thecuI 1ef i l unt i l your f ingers reach thefeatherboard.

r) Gompleting the cutZ- Wt tn the saw s t i l l runn ing , moveto the back o f the tab le to f in ish thecut . Use one hand to keep the work-p iece square aga ins t the p ivo t b lockwhi le pu l l ing i t pas t the b lade w i th theother hand (right),

96

BAND SAW

CROSSCUTTING

Using the miter gauge as a guideUse a caroenter's souare to ensure that themiter gauge is perpendicular to the blade.Mark a cutt ing l ine on the leading edge ofthe workpiece. Holding the workpiece flushagainst the gauge, al ign the cutt ing l ine withthe blade. With the thumb of your r ight handhooked over the miter gauge, hold the work-piece f i rmly against the gauge and the sawtable; use your left hand to push them togeth-er to feed the workpiece into the blade tighil.(Note: Do not try to compensate for blade leadwhen using the miter gauge for crosscutting.)

Using the rip fence as a guidePosit ion the r ip fence for the length ofcut, adjust ing i ts angle to compensatefor blade lead (page 94). ButI the edgeof the workpiece against the fence andfeed i t into the blade with the thumbsof both hands (left). To maintain con-trol of the cut, straddle the fence withthe f ingers of your lef t hand whi le keep-ing the fingers of your right hand bracedon the face of the workoiece. Be surethat nei ther hand is in l ine with the blade.

Crosscutting a cylinderTo crosscut a cyl inder, make a V-block as described on page95 but omit t ing the clearance cut. Butt the V-block againstthe blade and mark the center of the miter s lot on the baseof the V-block. Screw a narrow strio of wood to the bottom ofthe V-block to serve as a miter bar, aligning the screws with thecenter mark; countersink the screws to keep them from scratch-ing the saw tab le when us ing the V-b lock . G lue a sandpaperstrip to the inside edges of the V-block to keep the workpiecefrom sl ipping during the cut. Insert the miter bar into the miterslot and seat the workpiece in the V-block so that it overhangsthe edge of the V-block by an amount equal to the width of cut.Us ing your r igh t hand to ho ld the workp iece f i rm ly in theV-block, push it into the blade (lefil.

Miter bar5 la" x3/+" x12"

97

ANGLEAND TAPERCUTS'f) y setting the band saw's miter gaugel)at an angle or tilting the saw tableyou can make precise angle cuts, such asmiters, bevels and tapers. For a miter cut,use a sliding bevel to set the miter gaugeto the desired angle-the gauge canbe turned uo to 90"-and then make thecut as you would a standard crosscut(page 97). For best results, make a testcut, check the angle of the cut edge

with a square and adjust the miter gaugesetting, ifnecessary.

For a bevel cut, tilt the table to thedesired angle-band saw tables tilt up to45o to the right and 10o to the left-and,for a cut along the grain, install the ripfence on the righrhand side of the blade.This will position the workpiece on the"downhill" side of the blade, keepingthe workpiece-and your hands-from

slipping toward the blade for a safer cut.For more accurate cuts, adjust the angleof the rip fence to compensate for bladeIead (page 94} Then, cut the bevel as youwould a standard rip cut. The simplesetuDs shown below can be useful formaking multiple miter and bevel cuts.

Thper cuts can be made freehand, butfor several identical pieces, using a jig(page 99) guarantees uniform results.

MAKING REPEAT ANGLE CUTS

Mitering both ends of a boardLoosen the handle of the miter gauge and set the gauge to thedesired angle. Then, screw a board to the gauge as an exten-sion and cut of f the end to the lef t of the saw blade. Glue asandpaper str ip to the extension to minimize the chance ofthe workpiece's sl ipping during a cut. Use the extension as aguide to cut the f i rst miter, then make the miter cut on oneend of a stop block. To cut the second miter, mark a cutt ingl ine on the leading edge of the workpiece. Holding the work-piece flush against the miter gauge, align the cutting line withthe blade and butt the stop block against the end of the work-piece. Clamp the stop block and workpiece to the extension,then hook the thumb of your r ight hand over the mi ier gaugeto hold the workpiece f i rmly against the gauge and the table.Use your left hand to feed the workpiece into the blade (abovd.

Cutting bevelsLoosen the table lock knobs and set the saw table to thedesired angle. Screw a board to the miter gauge as an exten-sion and cut of f the end of i t . Use the extension as a guideto cut the first bevel. To cut the second bevel, mark a cuttingl ine on the leading edge of the workpiece. Then, holding theworkpiece f lush against the miter gauge, al ign the cutt ingl ine with the blade and butt a stop block against the end ofthe workpiece. Clamp the stop block to the extension, thenhook the thumb of your r ight hand over the miter gauge tohold the workpiece f i rmly against the gauge and the table.Use your left hand to push the miter gauge and workpiecetogether through the cut (above).

98

BAND SAW

MAKING TAPER CUTSUsing a commercial taper jigInstal l the r ip fence to the r ight of theb lade, then ho ld the taper j ig f lushagainst the fence. Pivot the hinged armof the j ig unt i l the taper scale indicatesthe cutt ing angle- in degrees or inchesper foot. Mark a cuttrng l ine on the lead-ing edge of the workprece, then seat i tagainst the work stop and hinged arm.Position the fence so that the cutting lineon the workpiece is aligned with the sawblade, then adjust the angle of the fenceto compensate for blade lead (page 94).To make the cut, use the thumbs of bothhands to sl ide the workpiece and thej ig as a un i t ac ross the tab le , feed ingthe workpiece into the blade (left). Use thefingers of your left hand to hold the work-piece against the j ig, ensuring that nei-ther hand is in l ine w i th the b lade.

TAPER JIGMark a line with the desired taper on the workpiece, thenplace the workpiece on a board with a perfectly squareedge, al igning the marked l ine with the board's edge.Trace along the long edge of ihe workpiece to mark anangled cutting line on the board. Saw along the cuttingline freehand, stopping 2 inches from the end of the cutat the bottom of the board. Turn the board 90" to cut outthe l ip. To use the board as a j ig, set up the r ip fenceto the right of the blade, then hold the jig flush against thefence. Al ign the edge of the j ig 's l ip with the saw bladeand lock the fence in posit ion, adjust ing i ts angle tocompensate for blade lead @age 94. Seat the workpieceagainst the jig. Use the thumbs of both hands to slide theworkpiece and the jig as a unit across the table, feedingthe workpiece into the blade. Use the fingers of your lefthand to hold the workpiece against the jig, ensuring thatneither hand is in l ine with the blade.

99

CUTTING DUPLICATE PIECES

I n effective method for producingA multiple copies of the same shape isto fasten layers ofstock together and cutthe pieces in one operation with a tech-nique known as stack sawing. Not onlyis it faster than cutting all the pieces sep-arately; it also ensures that each piece isa precise copy ofthe original pattern. Themethod is possible because of the band

TWO SETUPS FOR DUPLICATE PIECES

saw's unique capacity to cut through verythick wood. With a 6-inch deoth of cut aband saw can cut *rou$ as many as ei$tpieces of %-inch plywood in a single pass.

To bond the layers of wood togetherin preparation for the cut, some wood-workers drive nails through the wastearea; others use clamps. Both methods,however, can be hazardous ifthe blade

accidentally strikes a nail or a clamp. Asafer way is to use double-sided tape tohold the pieces together temporarily.

A stop block on the saw table will alsosave time when you are crosscuttingrepeatedly to turn out duplicate pieces.With the setup shown below, you canspeed the job of cutting a cylinder intoidentical slices.

Stack sawingFasten the pieces together in a stack, then mark a cutt ingl ine on the top piece. Before turning on the saw, make surethat the blade is perfect ly square with the saw table (page84); any error wi l l be compounded from the top to the bot-tom of the stack. To cut the stack, first make any necessaryrelease culs (page 89. For the curve shown, align the bladejust to the waste side of the cutt ing l ine, then use the thumbsof bo th hands to feed the s tack s tead i l y a long the markedpalh (above). Keep your fingers on the edges of the stack andbraced on the table to keep them safely away from the blade.

Using a stop blockMake a V-block with a miter bar as you would to crosscuta cyl inder (page 97). To produce several ident ical pieces,insert the V-block miter bar into the miter s lot and clamo astop block to the table so that the distance between the stopb lock and the b lade equa ls the des i red cu t -o f f leng th . Foreach cut, seat the workpiece in the V-block and butt i t againstthe stop block. Using your r ight to hold the workpiece f i rmlyin the V-block, push them together to feed the workpieceinto the blade hbove).

r00

BAND SAW

I hallmark of fine craftsmanship, theA dovetail joint is commonly used bycabinetmakers to join together corners ofbetter-quality drawers and casework. Thedovetail's interlocking pins and tails pro-vide a joint that is not only strong anddurable but visually pleasing as well.

Cutting dovetail joints on the bandsaw offers advantages over using eitherhand tools or other power tools. For allthe artistry and uniqueness ofhand-crafted dovetails, the hand-tool approachis a laborious process. And while a routerwill make quick work of the job, it often

BAND SAWTOINERY

Dovetail joint

produces pins and tails that are uniformin size and spacing. The result is a strongjoint but one lacking in character.

Cutting dovetails on the band sawoffers power-tool-qpe speed and preci-sion. And as the following pages show itis possible to tailor a dovetail joint on theband saw with the same flexibility youmight bring to a handmade joint.

The sequence ofoperations is straight-forward: First, outline the pattern of pinson one end ofa pin board. Then, use asimple setup to cut all the pins on bothends ofeach oin board one after another.Once the *aite is chiseled out, you canuse the finished piece as a template foroutlinins the tails on the tail boards.

MAKING A D()VETAIL JOINT

Shoulder line

1 Marking the pinsI Out l ine the p ins fo r the 1o in t , fo l low ing thesequence shown in the diagram at lef t . First , markthe ou ts ide face o f each workp iece w i th a b ig X .Then, set a cutting gauge to the thickness of the stockand scr ibe a l ine a l l a round the ends o f the work-pieces to mark the shoulder l ines of the pins. Next,use a dovetai l square to out l ine the pins on an end ofone workpiece, start ing with half-pins at each edge;you want the narrow sides of the pins to be on theoutside face of the workpiece. Out l ine the remainingpins (above), marking the waste sections with an X asyou go along. There are no rigid guidelines for spacingthe pins of a dovetail joint, but spacing them fairly even-ly, as shown, makes for a strong and attractive joint.

1 0 1

BAND SAW

r2) Setting up the table andL nakingthe first cutCut one edge of each pin with the sawtable tilted downward to the right. To setup the table, loosen the lock knobs andset the table angle to match the edge ofthe dovetail square (lnsefl, then tighten thelock knobs . Set up the r ip fence andscrew a wooden L-shaped auxiliary fenceto it. Then, with the workpiece on the sawtable outside-face up, al ign the markedline for the right-hand edge of the firstha l f -o in w i th the saw b lade. But t theauxiliary fence against the workpiece. Tomake the cut, feed the workpiece intothe b lade us ing the thumbs o f bo thhands (left); press the workpiece flushagainst the auxi l iary fence with your lef thand and straddle the fence with yourright hand. Stop the cut and turn off thesaw when the blade reaches the shoulderline on the face of the workoiece.

Q Using a stop block for repeat cuts\,, With the blade butted against theshoulder l ine, hold a stop block againstthe workoiece and screw i t to the auxi l -iary fence (ilgh). fo cut the right-handedge of the first half-pin at the other endof the workpiece, rotate the workpiece180 'and ho ld i t f lush aga ins t the aux i l -iary fence. Then, make the cut the sameway you cut the f i rst hal f-pin, stoppingwhen the workpiece touches the stopblock. Rotate the workpiece 180' again,al ign the blade with the marked l ine forthe r igh t -hand edge o f the nex t p in ,butt the auxiliary fence against the work-piece and cut to the stop block. Continue,shifting the position of the rip fence as nec-essary and cutting the right-hand edge ofeach pin on both ends of the workpiece.

r02

f, outlining the tailsr.,l Set the tail board outside-face down on a work surface.Then, holding the pin board end-down on the tail board withi ts outside face away from the tai l board, al ign the pinswith the end of the tail board. Use a pencilto mark the out-line of the tails on the ends of each tail board (above),lhenmark the waste pieces.

,{ Cutting the pins' left-hand edges't Cut the left-hand edge of each pinwith the table tilted downward to the left.Use the dovetail square to set the tableangle; remove the table stop, i f neces-sary. Install the rip fence to the left of theblade and screw the auxiliary fence to it.Then, cut the left-hand edges of the ptnsthe same way you cut the r ight-handedges. Next, use a chisel to remove thewaste between the pins. With the work-piece outside-face up on a work surface,strike the chisel with a wooden mallet tocut through the wood just to the wasteside of the shoulder l ine. Then, hold thechisel square to the end of the workpieceto spl i t of f each waste sect ion in thinlayers. Remove about one-half of eachsect ion, then turn the workpiece over toremove the other half . Final ly, pare theedges of the pins with the chisel .

1i cutting the tailsL.l Return the table to the horizontal position to cut out thewaste between the tails. Cut the waste beside the halttailsat the edges of the workpiece with two intersecting cuts. Forwaste between tails, nibble at the waste with the blade, piv-ot ing the workpiece as necessary to avoid cutt ing into thetails (above). Test{it the joint and make any necessaryadiustments with a chisel .

BAND SAW

103

DruLLPRESS

woodworking shops, r,r

i i ' t a i i r l | ' . s s a ] s o d . - , e s d u t ' ' a s . a . . @ , S o m e m a c h i n e s t 9 1 1 u ' . . i { o l*na.i*d.ortiserandyetJespite IItSvervll*rrr'-tlt1i.\c5xPLrl[\'als\t I L 7-

E-I L- fE - E

it J rpu.. und budget. Although the drill press is used primarily to bore and two.belts,.providing a range of

One feature that"distinguishes the holes, it can ako perform other woohuorking 12 speeds in all.drill fres from other wo|dworking tasl<s, such ai sanding curved surfaces. Drill.presses are rated according

.*[in.t is its speed variabiliti o the distance from the center of

Wh.r.6 po*., toolr such as table saws are preset at the factory the chuck to the column, a factor that determines the widest

to op.tuti at a single speed, the drill press ian be adjusted for workpiece a machine is capable of handling. A l5-inch drill

ifr"pU at hand. t[. rang. for a typiial Yz-horsepower motor press, for example, can cut a hole through the center of a work-

extends from 400 to 4500ipindle revolutions per minute (rpm). piece that is 15 inches in diameter. The distance from the chuck

Aauing the ability to vary the speed allows,you to bore with io the column is one half that diametet or TVzinches.eqoal Jfficiency through Joftwo6a and hardwood, ranging in Yqrt drill presses for the home workslop are in the 11- to

thickness froma fractiin of an inch to 3 or 4 inches thick. end 16-inch range and are poweredby V+- to 3/+-horsepower motors.

rerativervinexpeneive*#il"'#"'$: ''il ffi'|f*I?tl.#fflJl;f,l.;:consider this machine a

sitionforthewoodworkerwithlirn- -

it J rpu.. und budget. Although the drill press is used primarily to bore and two.belts,.providing a range ol

as you see later on page l 15, even this outer limit of drillin g Laygr.machines-20-inch models, for example-are more

J.fth .un U. clcumueited by means of a single shop-made jig. suitable for production shops and professional woodworkers.

Equipped with the appropriate jigs and accessories, the drillpress can bore a variety of holes with a precision unmatchedby hand tools. Here, a shop-made jig allows a woodworkerto drill a series of angled holes in a rail. The holes will houseand conceal the scraus that connect the rail to a tabletop.

105

ANATOMY OF A DRILL PRESS

T-\ till presses come in various modelsLJ andsizes, but the basic design is thesame: A steel column 3 or so inches indiameter serves as a backbone to supporta table and a motor that drives a spindle.The spindle is attached to a geared chuckwhose jaws grip the shank of a drill bit orone of a variety of other accessories.

On some models, spindles are inter-changeable. The standard spindle is mat-ed to a chuck with aVz-inch capacity,which means that its jaws can acceptshanks ofdrill bits and accessories up toVzinchin diameter. Other spindles allowttre drill press to accept router bits, mold-ing cutters and mortising attachments.

The column is held upright by aheavy base, usually made of cast iron.For extra support and stability, the basecan be bolted to the shop floor, but the

weight of the drill press is normally ade-quate to keep it stationary.

The two most common tfpes of drillpresses are the floor model and thebench variety. The distinguishing featureis the length of the column: Floor modelshave columns from 66 to 72 inches high,whereas bench models ranqe from 36to 44 inches.

Since the table of a drill press can bepositioned anywhere along the length ofthe column, floor models can handlelonger workpieces. However, you can-tosome extent-overcome the limitationsof a bench-model drill press simply byswinging around the head of themachine. With the spindle extendedbeyond the edge ofthe workbench, theeffective column length is the distancefrom the chuck to the shop floor.

While most drill presses have tables that tilt, the radial arm drillpress features a head that rotates more than 9tr right and left.Such tools can perform jobs impossible on conventional drill presses,including drilling through the center of a j2-inch-diameter circle.

DRItt PRESS BELTS AND PULTEYS

Jaakahaft pulleylntermediate pulley connect-ed to epindle pulley eo ae toincreaae the ranqe of apeede;

EeltTranafera power frommotor pulley to jackahaftpulley; (other belt trana-

Motor pulleyDriven by motor: connected bybelt. to drive jackahaft pulley.Features different otepe to

driven by motor pulley fere power from jackahaftto epind.le pulley)

provide a ranqe of epeede

106

Belt guardProte cts o p e rato r's fi n -

6ero from turninq belto

DRILL PRESS

BelttenElon lever)lideo motor alon7track to alacken ortenaion belta

Belt tenaion loak knobLocks motor in poaitiononce belt tenaion i6 6et

Onloff awitahKemovable toq-qle preventoaccidental

QuillMovable aleeveattached to apindleand chuck; quill traveldetermines maximumd rilli n q d e pth--'ty pi'cally,4 incheo

9pindleHol d s ch u ck; i nt e rch an 6 e a bl eto accept varioua accesaorieaauch as router bita

Chuak

6tarD-up

Holda drill bita and aacee'soriea for drillin4: ti1ht'ened with a qeared key

Table

Depth-etop loak handleFor aettinj drillinT depth; whenlocked, preventz quill fromdeacendin7 past a oet Point

Feed leverLowere quill; adjuotable coila p ri n q a uto m ati c a IIy retu r n elever to original poaition

Table lookHolda table in fixedposition on column

Table heightadJuatmenthandle

Raiaad and lowered to accom-modate workpiece and drillinqdepth; mosttablea can betilted up to 45" laft and ri1htfor borinq an1led holea

Table rotationIoak handleAllowstableto betumed on its axiato position work-piece undar opindle

ColumnSupporte table andhead of drill preaa

to7

SETTING UPAND SAFETY

T ike any stationary power tool, theI-l drill press has to be kept in adjust-ment to perform well. Before switchinga machine on, check it carefully. Makesure all nuts and lock knobs are tight-ened. Even if you bought your machinenew, there is no guarantee that it is per-fectly ready to run. Check regularly thatthe table is square to the spindle.

SETTING THE DRILLING SPEED

SOUARING THE TABTEAligning the tableInstal l an 8- inch-long steel rod in thechuck as you would a drill bit (page 111),then raise the table unt i l i t a lmost touch-es the rod. Butt a try square against therod as shown; the blade should rest flushagainst the rod (right). lt there is a gap,remove the alignment pin under the tableusing a wrench (inset). Loosen the tablelocking bolt . Swivel the table to br ing therod flush against the square, then tightenthe locking bolt . (Since the holes for thealignment pin will now be offset, do notreinstal l the pin. The locking bolt is suff i -c ient to hold the table securely in place.)

There are also adjustments that have tobe made depending on the particular jobat hand, beginning with setting the &illingspeed. The speed is changed either byturning a knob or by shifting the positionof the belt-or belts-that connect themotor pulley to the spindle pulley.

The drill press has a reputation as a"safe" machine, and there is no denying

that machines such as the table saw andjointer account for a greater number ofserious accidents. Nevertheless, it is pos-sible for even seasoned woodworkers tohave accidents on the drill press. Unlikethe table saw, a drill press will not kickback, but it can grip a small workpieceand send it spinning out of control if thestock is not clamped properly.

Changing belt position and sefting belt tensionLoosen the belt tension lock knob and turn the belt tensionlever counterclockwise to shift the motor toward the spindle pul-ley and slacken the belts. To set the desired rpm, position eachbelt on the correct steps of the pulleys, taking care not to pinchyour fingers. (lf your drill press has a drill ing speed chart on theinside of the belt guard, refer to it in selecting the correct speedfor the drill bit diameter you will be using and for the type andthickness of stock.) To set the belt tension, turn the tensionlever clockwise while pressing the belt connected to the motorpulley until it flexes about 1 inch out of line (left). Tighten thebelt tension lock knob. Do not overtension the belt ; this canreduce belt and pul ley l i fe. Undertensioned belts may sl ip.

Delt tenaion

r08

DRILL PRESS

Make sure you are familiar with yourmachine before attempting any work.Run through the drill ing procedurebefore you turn on the machine, andnever ignore the inner voice that warnsyou something may be amiss. Stop,check the setup again and continue theoperation onlywhen you are certain thatwhat you are doing is safe.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CTAMPING

lli llll lll l]ll llll lllt llll lllt llll llll llll llll l]ll llll llll llll llll llll1HO? Tt?Ch eakin g table ali gn m entTo checkwheNher the table ieaauare to Nhe epindle, make a 9Oobdnd at each eid of a \2-inch lenqNhof wire coaN hanqer.lnserL one end of lhewire in lhe chuck andadjuet Lhe Nablehe iqh t 'un t i l theot'her end of thewire juol NoucheeNhe table, Rotat'e lhe wire;iN ehould barely ecra?e the table atal l ooinbe durina trhe rotaLion. l f nor,,"^or" the al iqi ,ment ' pin under lhet able, loosen Nhe Lable locking boltand ewivel Lhe table No oquare it'.Tiqhten Lhe lockinq bolL.

Ghoosing-or making-the right clampTo prevent the dr i l l brt f rom grabbingthe workpiece and spinning i t uncon-trol lably, always clamp smal l or i r regu-lar ly shaped stock securely to the tablebefore boring into i t . When a conven-t ional c lamping setup does not work-as for the cyl inder shown-improvise.Cut opposing V-shaped wedges out of ahandscrew and c lamp the cy l inder inthe handscrew, then use C clamPs tosecure the handscrew to the table (/eff).

109

BITS AND ACCESSORIES

-f h. range of accessories for the drillI press is a testament to its versatility.

In addition to a variety of sandingattachments, there are also bits for&illittg t/az-inch holes, fly cutters for cut-ting 8-inch circles and plug cutters formaking plugs and dowels.

Most drilling is done with twist orbrad-point bits. Both consist of a cylindri-cal shanh which is held in the jaws of thechuc( and spiral-shaped grooves, knownas flutes. The grooves allow waste chipsand sawdust to escape from the hole, pre-venting overheating. The actual cutting isdone by either sharp spurs or a cutting lip.

As with any cutting tool, drill bitsmust be sharp to work well. And like asaw blade, a drill bit is actually more dan-gerous when it is dull. A blunt bit hastrouble digging into a workpiece andtends to heat up quickly, scorching thewood and the bit. Overheating can alsoresult if drill bits are dirty or gummed up.Clean them with fine steel wool.

For any accessory you install in thedrill press, be sure to remove the chuckkey after tightening the jaws; otherwise,you risk launching a dangerous projec-tile onceyou turn on the machine. Somekeys have a spring at the end of thegeared segment. Pressure is requiredwhen inserting the key; once you let go,the key ejects automatically.

COLUMN-M()UNTED ACCESS()RY RACKHole for 1%" No. B ecrew

Diameter of drillpreoo column

Jiq aupport

To save time searching for chuck keysand drill bits, use a shop-made stor-age rack. Cut two identical keyhole-shaped pieces of 3/q-inch plywood tothe dimensions shown above. Use asaber saw or coping saw to cut a cir-cle out of each piece the same diam-

eter as your drill press column. Thensaw one piece in half lengthwise toserve as the jig support. The otherpiece will be the jig top; saw it acrossthe circular cutout. Bore six screwholes for jo ining the top to i ts sup-ports. Then, bore holes into the work-

A RANGE OF BITS AI{D ACCESSORIES

MuMapur bitAlao known ae sawDootLtbit; borea clean, amooth,nearly flat-bottomedholes. Rim does notheat up ae quicklyaa Foretner bit.

Twiat bltThe leaat expeneiveof oommonly uaeddrill bita; frequentlysold in aata with aran6e of aizea,

AIao known aa a circle cutter, Cutsholea from 11A to B incheo in diam-eter. Cutter blade ie adiuoted fordiffe rent dia m etera by ioooen i nq

FIy cutter

a oetacrew and elidinq thecutter blade in or out.

Foretner bitBoreo perfeotlyflat-bottomedholes. Razor rimguidaa bit.whilechippero cut.

tsmd-point bitFroduces cleaner holeethan twiat bit; doee not" akate" offJine. Featureea aharpened centerpointand two cuttinq epur6.

DRILL PRESS

ing surface of the jig to hold your bitsand accessories shank-end down(above, nghf). Some woodworkersfind it useful to have a small recepta-cle for odds and ends on the j ig; aForstner bit will make quick work ofcutt ing such a hole.

You wi l l need a helper to hold thefour pieces of the j ig in place whi leyou screw them together. Beforedoing that, however, make sure thatthe jig is turned so that it does notobstruct the rotat ion of the dr i l lpress's quill lever.

CHANGING A DRILL BIT

Removing and instal l ing a bi tTo remove a bit, use the chuck keY toloosen the chuck jaws whi le holding thebit with your other hand. Sl ip the bi t outof the chuck. To instal l a bi t , open thejaws as wide as necessary, then insertthe shank in the chuck . S teady ing thebit to center i t in the 1aws, t ighten thechuck by hand. F in ish t igh ten ing us ingthe chuck key @bove), f itting it in turninto each hole in the chuck. Removethe chuck key.

Pluq cutterFor makin7 omalldowela and baperedpluqe to.conc.eaIcounterbored gcrewa.

Hole sawFor borin4 larqeh ol e a-ty p i c a I Iy, I a rq e rthan 1% inchea. Availablein modela with fixed dtame-ter or with adjuetabtebladea, Fitot bit centeracuttinq edqea,

Dowel cutterFor cuttinq dowelsup to 3 inchea longinto end 4rain. Aecutter bores intowaod, dowel ridea

Spade bitFor boring holeo up to 1 % inch-ea. tharp centerpoint 7uideopenetration, while flat blade'elices

into workpiece andremoveo waote,

Planer headFor ourfacin7 wood and formin4rabb eta. Th e 3%- i n ch - di a m ete rhead holda three hiqh-epeedeteel cuttera that can trimup to'/ao inch with eaah paee,

4I

up cutter barrel.

STRAIGHT AND ANGLED HOLES

f, quipped with its tiltable table, the drillL press can bore holes at virtuallv anvangle. The steeper the angle, however, themore difficult it is for a brad-point or twistbit to dig into the stockwithout skating.Choose a Forstner or multispur bitwhendrilling holes at a very steep angle; both ofthese cutting accessories feature guidingrims that provide cleaner penetration.

TECHNIOUES F(|R BASIC DRILLING

Before drilling, make sure that thedrillbit is lined up over the hole in thetable: Otherwise, you risk damaging notonly the bit but also the table itself. Forfurther protection, some woodworkersalso clamp a piece of wood to the drillpress table.

For good results you will need to findthe right combination of drilling speed

(page 108)and feed pressure-the rate atwhich you lower the bit into the stock.Too much speed or feed pressure cancause burn marks on the workpiece andbiq too little will dull the bit's cuttingedge. With the proper combination, youshould be able to cut steadily withouthaving to put undue pressure on theouill feed lever.

Setting up and drill ingTo avoid spl interi ng-particu larly withplywood or particleboard-clamp a sup-port board to the table and set the work-piece on top of i t . Mark a start ing pointon the workpiece and al ign the bi t overit. Rotate the feed lever steadily to feedthe bit into the workpiece; use only enoughpressure to keep the bit cutting (/effl.Retract the bi t occasional ly to clear thehole of wood chips, and i f the machinelabors or the wood stafts to smoke, reducethe feed oressure or cut back on thedrilling speed (page 108).

Ji4 baoe7" x 20"

To bore a row of uniformly spaced holes,make a shop-made jig to systematize thetask, following the dimensions providedat left. Screw the fence to the jig base,flush with one edge, then attach a woodblock at the center of the fence to serveas a dowel holder.

To use the jig, set it on the table ofyour drill press, then mark starting pointson the workpiece for the first two holesin the series. Seat the workpiece againstthe fence of the jig and position the jig toalign the bit-preferably a Forstner-overthe first drill ing mark, Butt a guide blockagainst the back of the jig and clamp it to

tt2

DRILL PRESS

BORING STOPPED HOTESSetting the drill ing depthFor a stopped or blind hole-one thatdoes not pass completely through aworkpiece-mark a l ine at the desireddepth of the hole on the edge of thestock. Then, lower the qui l l unt i l the t ipof the dr i l l b i t reaches the marked l ine.Ho ld the qu i l l s teady w i th one handand, for the model shown, unscrew thedenth-stoo lock handle with the otherhand and turn it counterclockwise as faras it will go (left). Tighten the handle.This wi l l keep the dr i l l press from dri l l ingany deeper than the depth mark.

the table. lf you are boring stopped holes,set the drill ing depth (above). Bore thef i rst hole, then sl ide the j ig along theguide block and bore a hole through thedowel holder. Fi t a dowel through thehole in the holder and into the hole in theworkpiece. Sl ide the j ig along the guideblock until the second mark on the work-piece is aligned under the bit. Clamp thej ig to the table and bore the hole.

To bore each of the remaining holes,retract the dowel and sl ide the work-p iece a long the j ig 's fence un t i l thedowel drops into the last hole you made(right), then bore another hole.

1 1 3

DRILL PRESS

BORING ANGLED HOLES

Setting the table angleInstal l a straight 8- inch-long steel rod in thechuck as you would a dr i l l b i t , then use a pro-tractor to set the dr i l l ing angle you need on asl iding bevel. Loosen the table as you wouldto square iI (page 108. fhen butt the bevelagainst the steel rod and swivel the table untilthe table rests flush against the handle of thebeuel (lefl. Remove the rod from the chuckand t ighten the locking bolt . After instal l ingthe drill bit, set the drill ing depth (page 113)to prevent the bit from reaching the table.For added protection, clamp a piece of woodto the table.

)teel rod

)lidin7 bevel

TILTING TABLE JIG

To bore angled holes without tiltingthe table, use a t i l t ing j ig, shop-built from 7+-inch plywood. Refer tothe illustration above for suggesteddimensions. Connect the jig top tothe base using two sturdy butthinges. Cut a %-inch-wide slot in

the support brackets, then screweach one to the top; secure thebrackets to the base with wing nutsand hanger bolts.

To use the jig, center it under thespindle. Clamp the base to the table.Loosen the wing nuts and set the

angle of the jig as you would thetable (sfep above), but withoutremoving the alignment pin orloosening the table locking bolt.Tighten the wing nuts, clamp theworkpiece to the jig and bore thehole (above, right).

tt4

DRILL PRESS

BORING DEEP HOLES

Exceeding the quill strokeThe maximum length that the qui l lcan be extended-known as the quillstroke-l imits most dr i l l presses tobor ing no more than 4 inches deepat a t ime. To dr i l l a deeper hole, usean extension bi t or, i f the hole is lessihan twice the qui l l stroke, performthe operation in two stages, as shownabove. First , c lamp a scrap board tothe dr i l l press table and bore a guidehole into i t . Then, clamp the workpieceto the board and bore into it as deeplyas ihe qui l l stroke wi l l a l low. Removethe workoiece and f i t a dowel into theguide hole in the scrap board. Fi t thehole in the workpiece over the doweland bore into the workpiece from theother side. The dowel wi l l ensure thatthe two holes in the workpiece aren o r f o n f l v a l i o n p d

lhe center finder, eea|lhe

fill llll llll llll lll] ilIl llll lll] llll fil llll llll llll ill llj] llll llll llll1HO? TI?A eimple center finderCul a 90"wedqe out ofa7-by-12-inch piece of3/o-inch olvw o o d. 3 crewa 12-inchl lonq l-by-Zto Ihe piece oo lhatone lonq ed4e of the1-W-2bieecls thewedge aI 45".To uee

workpiece in the wedqe and uee lhe 1-by-2 ae a guide Iodraw a line acroee lhe diameber of t'he workViece. Kolat'eNhe workpiece 90" and draw a eecond line across it. TheNwo linee will intersect aNt'he cenler of the workpiece.

I 1 5

DRILL PRESS

BORING INTO CYTINDRICAT STOCK

Using a V blockThe safest way to bore into a cylinderis to secure i t in a shoo-made V-blockj ig. Make the V sect ion of the j ig bybevel cutting a 2-by-2lengthwise usinga table saw (page 23) or band saw(page 98). Then, screw the two cutoieces to the base to form a V. Positionthe j ig on the table so that the dr i l l b i ttouches the center of the V when theoui l l is extended. Clamo the base tothe table, seat the workpiece in the j igand bore the hole hbovd.

ill llll illl lll illt llll llltllllllll lllt llll lttl lll] illt lllt llll lllllll1HO? Tt?D rilling aompound angleoTo help line up enNrance andexit holee wh,en you are drill inqat an an6le, use Nhie eimple j ig.Olue a 4-inchlong cylinder toa5-by-1O-inch piece of Vlywood.Clamp lhe b ase tn Nhe drill VreeeLable so that lhe cylinder iecenlered underNhe epindle andbore a hole inlo il.1haroen oneend of a2-inchlonq dowel,NhenfiL the dowel inio Nhe cylinder.Mark both lhe enNrance andexiL holes on the workpiece andelrike each markwith a punch.Tosition the exit ounch markon lhe dowel, hold the work-Viece firmly and bore into lheentrance ounch mark.(Cautionz Do noI uoethio jiqwiNh eNockNoo shorlto holdeecurely.)

V eection1 1/2" x 1'/2" x B"

% " x 6 " x 8 "

1 1 6

DRILL PRESS

POCKET H(IIE JIGPocket holes are commonly used withscrews to attach rails to a tabletop,They are drilled at an angle and solvethe problem of having to screw straightthrough a 3- or 4-inch-wide rail. Apocket hole jig (left, fop), shop-builtfrom %-inch plywood, makes simplework of such openings. For the jig,screw the two sides of the cradletogether to form an L. Then cut a 90'wedge from each support bracket sothat the wide side of the cradle willsit at an angle about 15'from the verti-cal. Screw the brackets to the jig baseand glue the cradle to the brackets.

To use the jig, seat the workPiecein the cradle with the side that willbe drilled facing out. Bore the holesin two steps with two different bits:Use a Forstner bit twice the widthof the screw heads for the entranceholes and a brad-point bit slightlywider than the width of the screwshanks for the exit holes. (The widerbrad-point bit allows for wood expan-sion and contraction.)

To begin the process, install thebrad-point bit and, with the machineoff, lower the bit with the feed lever,then butt the end of the workpieceagainst the bit. Position the jig toalign the bit with the center of thebottom edge of the workpiece (inset).Clamp the jig to the table and replacethe brad-ooint bit with the Forstner bit,

Holding the workpiece firmly inthe jig, feed the bit slowly to bore theholes just deep enough to recess thescrew heads. Then, install the brad-point bit and bore through the work-piece to complete the pocket holes(left, bottom).

Cradle6" x 15"

2" x 15"Ji7 baae7" x 18"

9upport brackeLx 1 % " x 4 % "

T17

DOWELS, PLUGS AND TENONS

f-\ owels are 2- to 4-inch-long woodI-r' cylinders used to reinforce simpleconstructions such as butt joints inwhich two pieces of wood are buttedtogether and held in place with glue. Bydrilling perfectly aligned holes in bothpieces of such a joint and inserting dow-els, you greatly strengthen the joinery.Another variation is the integral tenon,which looks and functions like a dowelbut remains part of one of the woodpieces being joined.

The plug-a shorter cousin of thedowel-serves to conceal counterboredscrews. Dowels and plugs can be cutfrom either softwood or hardwood. Thedifference between them-other thantheir length-is that dowels are cut fromend grain to give them cross-sectionalstrength. Plugs, on the other hand, are

not subiect to any radial stress and can becut either with or against the grain. Theycan either be concealed or used as a dec-oration depending on whether they arecut from the same stock as the workpiece.

Dowels of various diameters and in3- or 4-foot lengths are widely availablewherever wood is sold, but you can make

your own if you outfit your drill presswith a dowel cutter. The best way tomake plugs is to cut down a dowel or touse a plug cutter. Wth the latter acces-sory you can either cut through stockthe same thickness as the plug or bore astopped hole through thicker stock andpry the plugs out with a chisel.

'l

An integral tenon makes 0 strongjoint and is relatively easy to cut. Thetenon is produced with a dowel cutterat the end of a square piece of stock.

MAKING DOWELS AND INTEGRAT TENONS

Using a dowel cutterTo cut dowels, clamp a block of woodto the table and bore into its end grainto the required depth with a dowel cutter(far left). Free the dowels by cuttingthrough the block with a table saw or aband saw. lf you will be using the dowelsfor joinery, crimp their ends with the ser-rated jaws of plrers; this will provide theglue with an escape route and ensureproper glue coverage.

To cut an integral tenon on a longworkpiece, t i l t the table 90' and clampthe workpiece to the table, using pads toprotect the wood. Also clamp a supportboard to the workpiece and to the table.Use a dowel cutter to bore to the requireddepth (near /eft), then saw away thewaste to expose the tenon.

1 1 8

DRILL PRESS

MORTISING TECHNIQUESQ ince the time of ancient EgYPt,r.) woodworkers have relied on themortise-and-tenon joint to connectpieces ofwood. Today, the joint is com-monly used to join rails to legs on desls,tables and chairs. Like most joints, themortise-and-tenon can be cut by hand.But for ease and efficiency in carving outmortises, the drill press equippedwith amortising attachment has become thetool of choice. The attachment consistsofa bit that rotates inside a square-edged

A typicat mortising attachment consists of a chiselholder (l), which is secured to the drillpres quill

by machinebolts at the top of theholder' The fence(2) and the hold-down bracket (3) on the table are

held in place with scrans, washers and wing nuts.The vertical bar (4) supports the hold-down arm

(5), which, alongwith thehold-downrods (6),

hetps hold the worlepiece frrmly against the fence.

chisel. The bit cuts a round hole; thechisel then punches the corners square.The matching tenon can be cut easiiy onatable saw (page46).

Chisels come in different sizes to cutmortises in a variety of widths. Thedepth is set with the drill press depth-stop; 7a-inch is typical. As shown onpage I20, it is important to make surethit the attachment is adjusted to keepthe workpiece square to the chisel. Ifyou are cutting the mortise in round

1 Setting the gap between the chisel and bitI Insert the chisel into its holder and tightenthe lockscrew. Push the bit up through the chiselinto the chuck. Hold the tip of the bit level withthe bottom of the chisel with a scrap of wood, thenlower the bit by %z inch. This will ensure properclearance between the tip of the bit and the pointsof the chisel. Tighten the chuck jaws (/effl.

stock, use a V block to hold the work-piece securely in place.

The drilling speed (Page 108) formortising depends on both the tYPeof stock and the size of the chisel. Thelarger the chisel, the slower the speed,especially when you are drilling intohardwood. For a /r-inch-wide mortisein hardwood, for example, set uP for aspeedof 1200 rpm; for softwood, set up to1500 rpm-or even higher ifyou are cut-ting against the grain.

INSTALTING AND SOUARING THE CHISET AND BIT

1 1 9

SOUARING THE CHISET

DRILL PRESS

r) Adjusting the chisel1 me chisel must be square to the mor-t is ing attachment fence or the mort isesyou cut wi l l angle off-center, producingi l l - f i t t ing joints. To make sure that thechisel is properly al igned, butt a try squareagainst the fence and chisel . The squareshould rest f lush against both. l f i t doesnot, loosen the chisel holder lockscrewjust enough to allow you to rotate the chiseland bring it flush against the square. Do notraise or lower the chisel whi le making theadjustment. Tighten the lockscrew (/eff).

CUTTING A MORTISE'l Setting upI 0ut l ine the mort ise on the work-piece, centering the marks between theedges of the stock. To check whetherthe mort ise chisel wi l l be centered on theworkpiece, butt a scrap board the samewid th and th ickness as the workp ieceagainst the mort is ing attachment fenceand secure i t with the hold-down rods.Bore a shal low cut into the board. Then,f l ip the board around and make a sec-ond cut next to the f i rst . The cuts shouldbe al igned. l f not, shi f t the fence by one-half the amount that the cuts were mis-aligned and make two more cuts (right)to repeat the test. (Note: Hold-down armraised for c lar i tv.)

Hold-down arm

Mioaliqned cute

r20

r) Boring the ends of the mortiseZ. ROjust the hold-down arm and rods to securethe workpiece whi le al lowing i t to sl ide freely along thefence. l f you are boring a stopped mort ise-one thatdoes not pass completely through the workpiece-setthe drill ing deplh (page 113). l4ake a cut at each endof the planned mortise (above), feeding the chisel andbit with enough pressure to al low them to dig into thewood without laboring. Retract the chisel often to clearaway waste chips and prevent overheat ing.

Completing the mortiseMake a series of staggered cuts to

complete the mort ise. Fol low the sequenceshown in the inset, making a single rowof cuts i f you are using a chisel equal inwidth to the mort ise, or two paral lel rowsi f the mor t i se i s too w ide to be cu t in asingle pass. In the lat ter case, use a chis-el s l ight ly wider than one-half the widthof the mort ise.

DRILL PRESS

r2r

THE DRILL PRESS AS SANDER

f-\ rill presses make excellent sanders.L) The machine's table provides goodsupport for the workpiece, holding it at90o to the sanding drum to producesanded edges that are square to adjacentsurfaces. Andwith help from some sim-ple jigs, the drill press can sand not onlystraight surfaces but curved ones as well.

Sanding drums come in diametersranging ftomYzto 3 inches. The shaft ofa drum is inserted into the jaws of thechuck and secured in the same way thatdrill bits are installed. Sanding sleeves tocover the drum are available in a varietyof grits-from a coarse 40 grit to a fine

220 grit. In most cases, sleeves arechanged by loosening a nut at either thetop or the bottom of the drum, whichreduces the pressure and releases thesandpaper. Remove the old sleeve andslip on the new Tightening the nut willcause the drum to expand and grip thesleeve securely.

As with standard drilling operations,sanding requires a variety of speedsdepending on the job. The higher therpm, the smoother the finish, but highspeeds will also wear out your sleevesmore quickly. Most sanding is donebetween 1200 and 1500 rpm. Sanding

produces fine dust so remember to weara dust mask.

In addition to sanding, the drill presscan double as a router, although its rel-atively slow spindle speed keeps it fromperforming as well as its portable coun-terpart. While a drill press generatesroughly 3500 to 4500 rpm, a router tumsat more than 20,000 rpm, producingmuch smoother results.

To use your drill press as a router,you will need to buy a special spindleto attach router bits to the machine.Feeding the stock slowly will help com-pensate for the machine's slower speed.

AUXITIARY SAI{DING TABTE ANDPATTERN SAITDII{G II{SERTSanding drums larger than7/e-inch in diameter are too wide tof i t through the hole in most dr i l lpress tables. To make full use ofthe sanding surface of wider drumsyou will need to make a sandingIable (near right, top).Use a coping saw or saber saw

to cut a hole in the plywood top,centering the opening 3 inchesfrom the back of the table.Assemble the L-shaped jig basefrom 1-by-4 and 2-by-2 stock,then glue it to the table.

To use the jig, clamp the baseto the drill press table with the cir-cular hole directly underneath thedrum. Adjust the table height tobr ing the bottom of the drumlevel with the jig.

Holding the workpiece f irmly,feed it at a uniform speed in adirection opposite the rotation ofthe sanding drum (near right, bot-tom).To avoid burning or gouging

AUXITIARYSANDINGTABTE

Hole foroanding drum31 /o "

Table% " x 1 1 " x 1 5 "

Jig baee1 1 , / 2 " x 1 1 / 2 " x 1 1 "7 / + " x 3 1 , / 2 " x 1 1 "

t22

DRILL PRESS

'llll.'fl1.'fi1"ffi""1[l"'lll llll 'Illl'llll"llll lll'"1l|l lIl ll|l llll'"ffi lll fll1HO? TI?Shop-made eanding drumelf yoi need a opecial off'oize eandinqdrum,you can makeyour ownfrom a dowel.Find the riqht, oize of dowel, then cul aelrip of eandpaper as wide ae Lhe dowel'ecircumference. Apply a thin coat of whiteqlue No the dowel and fasten Nhe paperto iI (top). For a flexible sander NhaI canoanA ir ieqular ly ehaped workVieceo orenlarye holao, cut' a slot in a dowel, Lhen fiNa etrip of abraeive paper inilo it (bottom).

the workpiece, feed the stock with onesmooth, continuous motion. As seg-ments of the sanding sleeve wear out,raise the drill press table to bring freshsurfaces to bear.

Used in conjunct ion with the auxi l -iary sanding table, a shop-made pat-tern sanding lig (right, fopl will allowyou to sand parallel curves. To make thejig, cut a U-shaped wedge out of theplywood table the same size as the holein the sanding table j ig. Then, use a %-inch Forstner bit to bore a hole the samedistance from the bottom of the U as thewidth of the stock that will be sanded.lnsert a dowel into the hole to serve asa guide post.

To use the j ig, c lamp i t to the auxi l -iary sanding table so that opposite edgesof the workpiece rest against the dow-el and the sanding drum. Remove theworkpiece, then switch on the dr i l lpress. Feed the workpiece slowly butcont inuously against the direct ion ofsanding drum rotation with your lefthand whi le guiding i t with your r ighthand (right, bottom).

PATTERN SANDING INSERT3 ' /o "

Guide poaf,' 1 " x 1%" -

aowet

r23

/

&. 1 j

,l **l *

" t :

he jointer may seem arather pedestrian machine

compared to the table sawor band saw, but any wood-worker dedicated to precisionand craftsmanship will attestthat using this surfacing toolproperly is the first step inturning rough boards intowell-built pieces of furniture.The machine's main purposeis to shave small amounts ofwood from the edges and facesof boards, yielding smooth,

IONTER

With aV-block jigclampedto thejointer infeed table, you can cut beveled edges

into a workpiece accurately and safely.

Although the jointer's prin-cipal role is in surfacing oper-ations, using it for nothingmore than thatwouldbe eouiv-alent to restricting the tiblesaw to simole cut-off work.The jointer is also useful in sal-vaging warped stock (pageI35) as well as in shaping rab-bets, bevels and tapered legs(pages 1j6-38).

Jointers are categorizedaccording to the length of theircutterhead knives. In practical

straight and even surfaces from which all subsequent measure-ments and cuts are made. The jointer gets its name from thefact that two edges run across its planing blades should fittogether perfectly, forming a seamless joint.

Enors at the jointing stage of a project will have a ripple effectin all later procedures. Without a perfectly square edge to setagainst a table saw rip fence, for example, trimming a board tosize will produce a flaw that will be further compounded whenyou try to cut a precise-fitting joint.

Traditionally, the task of creating smooth, square edges wasperformed with hand planes, a painstaking proces that depend-ed on skill and experience. Nowadays, woodworkers rely on thejointer to do the job more quickly, effortlessly and accurately.Nevertheless, it is useful to consider the workings of a handplane when visualizing how a jointer is intended to work. Themachine functions much like an inverted hand plane withsomewhat larger blades driven by a motor, addressing the work-piece from below rather than above.

terms, this length determines the width of the jointert table and,more importantly, the maximumwidth of cutthatthe machinecan make. Sizes for consumer models range from 4 to 8 inches;6- and 8-inch jointers are the most popular. Depth of cut, whichranges from Vatoyzinch, is another distinguishing feature. Butunless you plan to make frequent use of the jointer's rabbetingcapabiliry a shallow depth of cut is adequate: The typical bitefor a surfacing pass seldom exceeds t/a inch.

When choosing a jointer, look for a machine on which thetables on both sides of the cutterhead are adjustable. And makesure the machine has a rigid, lockable fence that can be tiltedfor angle cuts.

The jointer is often confused with the planer (page 139),butthe two machines are not interchangeable. One important func-tion of the planer that cannot be effectively performed by a join-ter is planing a surface to make it parallel to the opposite surface.Planers can also handle wider stock, important when construct-ing panels such as tabletops.

In addition to smoothing stock or producingsquare edges, a jointer can be used to cuttapers in a workpiece, such as a table leg.

t25

f he jointer consiss of infeed and out-I feed tables separated by a cylindrical

cutterhead. Cutterheads typically holdthree knives and rotate at several thou-sand revolutions per minute. For a jointerto workproperly, the outfeed table mustbe level with the knives at the highest

ATATOMY OF A JOINTER

point of ttreir rotation. The model illus-trated below has an outfeed table that isadjustable to keep it at the same height asthe knives. For models on which the out-feed table is fixed, the knives must beraised or lowered to bring them to theproper height.

Depth of cut is determined by theamount that the infeed table is set belowthe oudeed table. The fence used to guidestock over the cutterhead is normally setat a 90o angle. But on most models thefence will tilt forward or backward forcutting bevels and chamfers.

Outfeed table)upporte workpieceat end of cut

Rabbetlng notch)upporta theuncut ,urTaceof a workpiecedurinq rabbetin4operationo

Outfeed tableadjuetment handleRaiaea and lowaraoutfeed table toheiqht of knive7

FenceGuidea the work-piece alon4 tablaa

Guard)prinq-activated plate that cov-ara cutterhead; protecta opera-tor from knivea. Fivoted awayfrom cutterhead by workpiece,than aprin7a back into poaition

Infeed table)upporta workpieceat the atart of thecut; heiqht adjuatableto aet depth of cut

Depth acalelndicatesdepth of cut

FRONT VIEW

Although the guard should alwaysbe left in place for standard operations,on most models it has to be removedfor specialized work, such as rabbeting.On some machines, the guard can beinstalled behind the fence to provide pro-tection during rabbeting work.

with a jointer on the right anda planer on theleft, this machine

combines two functions in a singleappliance. The model shown can

joint stockup to 6 incheswide andplane boards as wide as 12 inches.

Fence control handleAllowa fence to be anqled45" in either direction ormoved acroas the tableeand cutterhead; lockafence in fixed pooitiono

JOINTER

Fence atopSetacrew and metal etophold the fence verEical orin ita moat frequentlyueed an1led eettinqo

Oib ecrewAdluotable to keep tableeparallel to each other and in'aame

horizontal plane; modelahown haa three such gcrewson each eide of pulley cover

Friction knobTi4htened to

\eep t1lte.ffom etrPPtn4from aelectedhei4ht eetting

Tilt eaalelndicateean1le of thefence

lnfeed tableadjuatment handleKaieee and lowerainfeed table to setdepth of cut

REAR VIEW

SETTING UP AND SAFETY

I ccurate jointing depends on preciseA alignment of the two tables and thefence-the parts of the machine thatguide a workpiece into and over theknives. Begur by ensuring that the out-feed table is at the same height as the cut-ting edges of the knives at their highestpoinr Then check that the tables arc per-fectly square to the fence and alignedproperly with each other.

Before starting, make sure that thejointer is unplugged and install a clamp

onthe rabbetingledge to holdthe guardtemporarily out ofyour way.

Onceyou have the machine properlytuned, pause and consider safety. Theknives of a spinning cutterhead lookseductively benign. It is easy to forgetthat this harrnles-lookingblur can causeas muchdamageto fingers andhands ascan a table saw blade. Resist the tempta-tion to operate the jointer without theguard in place.When the guard mustberemoved from its normal position in

front of the fence for rabbeting opera-tions, install it behind the fence if yourjointer is set up for such a switch.

Even with the guard in place, alwayskeep your hands away from the knives.When jointing the edge of aboard, yourhands should ride along the workpiece,rather than on the tables. When face-jointing, always use push blocls to feeda workpiece across the knives. Whateverthe cut, remember to pres the worlgiecefirmly against the tables and fence.

SETTING OUTFEED TABTE HEIGHT

r) Adjusting the outleed tirble heightI Keepingthe hardwood board over thecutterhead, turn the outfeed table adjust-ment handle (right), raising or loweringthe table until the edge of a knife justbrushes against the board. Then check thetable height in relation to the other knives.

1 Checkingtable heightI Use a small wooden wedge to rotatethe cutterhead until the edge of one ofthe knives is at its highest point, Thenhold a straight hardwood board on theoutfeed table so that it extends over thecutterhead without contacting the infeedtable (left). The knife should just brushagainst the board. Perform the test alongthe length of the knife, moving the boardfrom the fence to the rabbeting ledge.Repeat the test for the other knives. lfone knife fails the test, adjust its heightas you would when installing a blade(page 131). lf none of the knives touchesthe board, adjust the height of the out-feed table (step 2).

t28

IOINTER

ALIGNING THE TABLES AND FENCE

JOINTER SAFETY TIPS

. Check regularly to make surethat the knives are sharp and secure-ly fastened to the cutterhead.

. Unplug the jo inter whi leinsta l l ing knives or per formingany setup operation.

. Wear appropriate safety glassesand hearing protection when oper-ating the jointer.

. Do not joint stock with looseknots or the workpiece may catchin the cut terhead.

. Never joint stock that is lessl h a n 1 2 i n n h o c l n n o

. Do not face-joint stock that isless than % inch th ick.

. Do not joint the end grain ofa workpiece that is less than 6inches wide.

. When the machine is running,keep your hands out of the area4 inches above and to either sideof the jointer's cutterhead.

. Never reach up into the dustchute unless the jointer is unplugged

1 Aligning the tablesI Remove the fence, then use the adjust-ment handle for the infeed table to br ingit to the same height as the outfeed table.Use a straightedge to confirm that the twotables are absolutely level. lf the alignmentis not perfect, adjust one or more of thegib screws at the back of the jointer untilthe straightedge rests flush on both tables;remove the pulley cover, if necessary, toaccess the screws. To adjust a screw, firstloosen its locknut, then make the adjust-ment using with a hex wrench (left). Trghtenthe locknut. At this point, the depth scale(page 126) should read "0." lf not, moveihp nnintpr tn thp "O" mark. ReCheCk thetable height @age 128)if you moved theout feed table.

r) Squaring the fence with the tablesL Wttn the fence set in its vertical position, hold a try square on the outfeedtable near the cutterhead and butt the square's blade against the fence. Thesquare should f i t f lush against the fence. l f there is any gap between the two,slacken the fence control handle and br ing the fence f lush with the squarebbove). l f necessary, pivot the metal stop out of the way when making thisadlustment. Then t ighten the handle. The setscrew of the fence stop shouldbe butted against the metal stop. lf it is not, hold the setscrew locknut station-ary with a wrench whi le turning the setscrew with a hex wrench ( inset) unl i li t touches the metal stoo. Move the t i l t scale indicator to "0."

t29

JOINTE,RKNIVES

T T nl ike the blades of other wood-L-/ working machines, whose heightand angle are adjustable, jointer knivesare designed to function at just one set-ting: parallel to and at the same heightas the machine's outfeed table. As such,the height of all the knives must beidentical; a difference of as little as afraction of an inch can comoromise thejo in te r ' s -ab i l i t y to p roduce smooth ,square eoges.

Like all blades, jointer knives workwell only when they are sharp. However,because removing a jointer knife forsharpening and then reinstalling it prop-erly can be a time-consuming operation,many woodworkers go to great lengthsto avoid changing these blades. It is pos-

sible to use an oilstone to hone the cut-ting edges of slightly dull knives whilethey are in the cutterhead. But you riskremoving more metal from the cuttingedges than is absolutely necessary andthis can throw the knives out of align-ment with the outfeed table.

There are tricks you can use to pro-long the usefi.rl life of a set of knives (pagel3l), but once your rnachine begins pro-ducing uneven limp shavings or bur-nishing lhe wood, i t is t ime to removethe knives and have them reground. Besure to give the person doing the sharp-ening explicit instructions regarding thesame amount of steel to be removedfrom each knife. Otherwise, the cutter-head may become imbalanced, causing

machine vibration and also possiblemotor failure.

When changing your jointer knives,remove and reinstall them one at a time.Taking the blades all offat once and theninstalling them one after another can putstress on the cutterhead,

Ifyou are considering replacing theknives, you can choose between highspeed steel or tungsten carbide. The car-bide variety offers superior performancein cutting abrasive materials such as ply-wood; they cost more, however. Alwaysreplace the entire set ofblades, ratherthan individual knives. In the meantime,keep your knives clean by rubbing themoccasionally with a cloth dampened inturpentine or lacquer thinner.

CHANGING JOINTER KNIVES

1 Removins an old knifel -

I Remove the fence, then install a clamp on the rabbetingledge to hold the guard temporari ly out of the way. Use asmal l wood scrao to rotate the cutterhead unt i l the lockscrews securrng the kni fe are accessible between the tables.Cover the edge of the knife with a rag to protect your hands,then use a wrench to loosen each screw in Iurn (abovd.Careful ly l i f t the kni fe out of the cutterhead. Remove theretaining wedge and wipe i t c lean.

Installing a new knifeInsert the retaining wedge in the cutterhead, centering

i t in the s lot wi th i ts grooved edge fac ing up; make surethat the heads of the lock screws are butted against theback edge of the s lot as shown. With the beveled edgeof the knife facing the outfeed table (above), place itbetween the retaining wedge and the front edge of the slot,leaving the beveled par t prot ruding f rom the cut terhead.

r30

IOINTER

Q Setting the knife heightr-J Cover the edge of the kni fe with a rag and part ial ly t ighten each lock screwin turn; then t ighten them ful ly, beginning with the ones in the center and work-ing out to the edges. Check the outfeed table height (page 128) in relation tothe kni fe just instal led. l f the kni fe is set too low, loosen the lock screws sl ight ly,then pry up the kni fe using a screwdriver (above) whi le holding the cutterheadstationary with a wedge; if it is too high, tap it down using a wood block. Tightenthe lock screws and remove the clamp from the rabbet ing ledge.

illl tltl ru r]ll r]ll lll lllt llll llll llll llll llll illl ll| lllJ illl llll llll1HO? TI?Shiftingkniveefor lonqer lifeTo prolong xhe lif e ,/of a eeI of jointer knives

USING A KNIFE-SETTING JIG

setting the knife heightRemove an o ld kni fe and insta l l a newone (page 130). Use a small wedge torotate the cut terhead unt i l the edge oft he new kn i f e i s a t i t s h ighes t po in t .Then mark a l ine on the fence d i rect lyabove the cut t ing edge using a squareand a penc i l . Pos i t i on a commerc ia lkn i fe-set t ing j ig on the out feed table,aligning the reference line on the j ig armwith the marked l ine on the fence, asshown. Mark another l ine on the fencedirectly above the second reference lineon the j ig arm. Remove the j ig and extendth is l ine across the out feed table. (The

l i ne w i l l he lp you qu i ck l y pos i t i on t hej i g t he nex t t ime you i ns ta l l a kn i f e . )Reposi t ion the j ig on the table, a l ign ingits reference lines with the marked lineson the fence ; t he j i g ' s magne t i c a rmswi l l ho ld the kni fe at the correct heightwhi le you r rse a wrench to t rghten thelockscrews. Remove the clamp from ther : h h c f i n o l p d s pthat have been nicked,

looeen lhe lock ecrewoeecurinq one knifeand sl ide the kni feabouL'/ ,o inchin eiNher direcf'ion.li4hten the lock ocrewo and carefullyrolale the culterhead by hand to enoureLhat the knife turne freely. thifXinq a knife loone eide move6 iLo damaqed oeqmenl ouN ofal i4nment wi lhthe damaqe onlhe oNher knivee,en ablin g the seL t'o co ntinu e cuLLin g omo othly.

1 3 1

IOINTING

A n. of the f i rst rules of jo int ing is\,/ that a workpiece should always befed across the cutterhead so that theknives are cutting with the grain, In thisway you will get the smoothest cut whilereducing the risk of splintering or kick-back. Ifthe grain changes direction in aworkpiece, feed the stock so that most ofthe cut is following the grain.

The sequence for jointing operationsshould depend on the wood you are

J()INTING AN EDGE

using. For rough lumber, joint the facesfirst (page 134), then do the edges(below). For wood on which both faceshave already been surfaced, jointing theedges is usually sufficient.

In general, set a cutting depth of 7sinch for softwoods or '/re inch for hard-woods. You can usually joint the edges byhand, but always use a push block toface-joint. Whatever the depth you select,check the setting before making the first

pass. Unplug the jointer and use a scrap ofwood to rotate the cutterhead so that all theknives are beiow the level ofthe tables.Then, place a board flush on the outfeedtable;the gap between the board's edge andthe infeed table will equal the depth of cut.

If most of your jointing involves work-ing with board edges, avoid dulling thesame narrow segment of your knives byroutinely moving the fence over slightlyto evenly distribute the wear.

1 Feedins a workpiece into the cutt -

I Lav the workoiece on the infeed table a few inchesfrom the knives, butt ing i ts face against the fence. Slowlyfeed the workpiece into the cutterhead knives (/eff), press-ing i t aga ins t the fence w i th your le f t hand wh i le mov ingit steadi ly forward with your r ight hand. As the workpiececrosses to the outfeed table, gradual ly shi f t your weightfrom your back foot to your front foot. Cont inue feeding thestock unt i l your r ight hand approaches the outfeed table.

r) Finishing the passI Wnenyour right hand reaches the outfeed table, reverse theposition of your hands while continuing to feed the workpiece.Gradually slide your left hand toward the back of the workpiece(right), mainlaining pressure against the fence. Then shift yourright hand further back on the stock to maintain downwardpressure just to the outfeed side of the knives. Continue thesehand-over-hand movements until the pass is completed.

132

JOINTER

JOINTING END GRAIN

1 Making a partial passI Place the workpiece end-down on the infeed table a fewinches from the knives with i ts face f lat against the fence'Straddle the fence wrth your right hand and wrap your thumbaround the workpiece to feed i t s lowly into the cutterhead'Stop feeding about I inch into the pass and immediately tiltthe workpiece back away from the knives as shown.

r) Reversing the wolkpiece and completing the passL furnthe workpiece 180" and slowly feed the stock acrossthe knives (above), straddling the fence with your right handwhi le maintaining pressure with your lef t hand. The part ialpass made in step 1 should prevent spl inter ing at the endof this oass.

OUTFEED TABTE ATIGNMENT

Poor results wrth a jointer can often be attributed to mis-al ignment of the outfeed table in relat ion to the cutter-head. Perfect jo int ing depends on the table's being atprecisely the same height as the knives @age 128).Thediagrams above illustrate what can go wrong if the out-feed table is too high or too low-and what should hap-

pen when it is at the correct height. lf the outfeed tableis set higher than the knives, jo int ing wi l l produce a taper(lefil; if the table is too low, the blades will leave a con-cave cut, cal led a snipe, at the end of the workpiece(center). When the table is properly adjusted the resultwill be a smooth, even cut tight).

Workpiece

/ ,//lN--)

Outfeed 0utfeedtable

0utfeedtable

lnfeedtabletable table

r------1I laPer It l____l

table

[l- -_l

I enrPe IL II

Even aut I

r33

JOINTER

JOINTING A FACE

Using push blocksMove the fence toward the rabbetingledge, if necessary, so that no portion ofthe knives will be exposed as the work-piece passes over the cutterhead. Lay theworkpiece face-down on the infeed tablea few inches from the knives, butting itsedge against the fence. Then put twopush blocks squarely on top of the stock,centered between its edges. (Use pushblocks with angled handles to keep yourhands from hitting the fence.) Slowlyfeed the workpiece across the knives(left) applying downward pressure on theoutfeed side of the knives to keeo the stockflat on the tables and lateral pressure tokeep it flush against the fence. For a longworkpiece, bring your left hand to the backof the workpiece when your right handreaches the outfeed table.

A PUSH BTOCKInstead of buying push blocks suchas the ones shovrrn above, some wood-workers prefer to make their own.Refer to the illustration at right forsuggested dimensions, although youcan tailor your design to the work-piece at hand.

Glue the lip to the underside ofthe base, flush with one end, Thenposition the handle on the top of thebase so that its back end is flushwith the end of the base. Screw thehandle to the base, driving the screwsfrom the underside of the base.Countersink the screws to avoidscratching the workpiece when youuse the push block. Bore a holenear the front end of the base so

you can hang the push block on thewall when it is not in use.

Use the push block as describedabove, but position it on the workpiece

so that the lip hugs the trailing end ofthe stock. Position your left hand onthe workpiece near its front end, brac-ing your thumb on the push block.

134

SALVAGINGWARPED STOCK

I lthough the jointer's principal valueA rests in its ability to smooth andsquare rough wood surfaces, it can alsostraighten out stock with other defects.The jointer is also useful for evening outboards that have concave (inward-bow-ing) or convex (outward-bowing) faces.The diagrams below show how to correctboth types of irregularities.

In each operation, the high spots onthe wood surface are passed repeatedlyacross the cutterhead until they areremoved. For a convex e dge (below,left),pass the high spot at the middle of theboard repeatedly across the cutterhead asmany times as necessary (cuts 1 and 2).Try not to 'hose-dive" or to allow the lead-ing edge to ride up while you are cutting.

When the surface is roughly even, makea final pass along the entire edge (cut 3).

For a concave edge, pass the high spotat one end ofthe board across the knives(below, right) as many times as necessary(cuts I and 2), then turn the boardaround to repeat the process at the otherend (cuts 3 and 4).When the surface isroughly even, make a final pass (cut 5).

CONVEX AND CONCAVE EDGES

1 :

3 5

JOINTING A CURVED EDGETrimming concave and convex edgesTo straighten an edge with a concavecurve, hold the leading end of the work-piece an inch or so above table level infront of the cutterhead guard. Feed theworkpiece with your right hand; use yourleft hand to maintain pressure againstthe fence. When the deepest part of theconcave edge is over the cutterhead (/eft),lower the leading end of the workpieceonto the outfeed table and complete thepass. Cont inue feeding the workpiecepast the cutterhead until the trailing endis straight. Then turn the workptece 180"and repeat the procedure for the otherend of the board. Make a final pass alongthe entire edge. For a convex curve, makea pass over the blades as you would fora standard jointing operation (page 132),keeping the workpiece as parallel as pos-sible to the jointer tables. Keep makingshal low passes through the jointer unt i lthe edge is true.

1 3 5

JOINTER

guard must be removed for edge rabbetson stock thicker than 3/sinchand for anyrabbet along the face of a board, extracaution is essential.

Angled cuts along the corners of aworkpiece, known as chamfers, are madeon the jointer by tilting the fence to therequired angle or with the aid of a shop-made jig. Tapers are also straightforward.With a stop block clamped to each table,you can cut stopped tapers that leavesquare ends for joining to a tabletop orseat, or for carving into a decorative foot.

RABBETS, CHAMFERS AND TAPERSith a little resourcefi;lness, you cando more than produce square

boards on a jointer. Bytaking full advan-tage of the machine's capabilities, youcan shape wood with tapers and cham-fers, or even cut rabbets for ioinery. In[act, many woodworkers considei thejointer the best tool for cutting rab-bets-at least when you are workingwith the grain of a workpiece.

As long as your jointer has a rabbetingledge, it can cut rabbets along either theedge or the face of a board, Since the

RABBETING ON THE JOINTER

Cutting rabbetsMark cu t t ing l ines fo r the w id th and depth o f the rabbet onthe leading end of the workpiece. Align the width mark with theends of the knives, then posit ion the fence f lush against theworkpiece. Set the cutting depth no deeper Ihan r/,t inch.For a rabbet along a board edge (above, lefil, feed the work-piece from above with your r ight hand whi le your lef t handmaintains pressure against the fence. Increase the cutt ing

A leg tapered on the jointer providesgraceful support for this table.

depth by increments no deeper than I /q inch and make addi-tional passes if necessary.

For a rabbet along a board face (above, right), guide theworkpiece near i ts f ront end with your lef t hand, whi le usrnga push block to apply downward pressure and keep the work-piece f lat on the tables. Slowly feed the workpiece across theknives, then deepen the rabbet, i f necessarV.

136

IOTNTER

A V-BI()CK JIGTo cut a series of chamfers on the jointer, use this simpleshop-made jig. Refer to the illustration shown at left forsuggested dimensions.

Begin the V section of the jig by bevel cutttng 2-by-2s.Position the two cut pieces so that they extend beyondone end of the base by about 6 inches, and have a t/z'

inch gap between them. Attach the two pieces throughthe base with countersunk screws to avoid scratching thejointer table when the j ig is c lamped in place.

To use the j ig, c lamp i t in place with one end of thebase aligned with the cutterhead-end of the infeed table.Lower the infeed table to the maximum depth of cut,typically Yz inch. Seat the workpiece in the gap of thejig, then feed it across the knives with your right hand,whi le holding i t f i rmly in the V with your lef t hand. i

ttII

*--*J

MAKING A SIMPLE TAPER

1 Setting up and starting the cutI Use a marking gauge to out l ine thetaper on the workpiece (lnset); then markl ines on the four faces of the stock toindicate where the taper wi l l begin. Instal la clamp on the rabbet ing ledge to holdthe guard out of the way. Set a 7s- inchdepth of cut and, holding the workpieceagainst the fence, al ign the taper startl ine with the front of the outfeed table.Butt a stop block against the other endof the workp iece and c lamp i t to theinfeed table. To start each pass, carefullylower the workoiece onto the knives whileho ld ing the workp iece f i rm ly aga ins t thefence and making sure that your handsare on the infeed side of the knives (/efil.Straddle the fence with your r ight hand,using your thumb to keep the workpiecef lush against the stop block.

1.37

Cutting the taperUse a push stick to feed the workpiece

across the cutterhead. With your right hand,apply downward pressure on the trailingend of the workpiece; use your left hand tokeep the workpiece flush against the fence(right). Make as many passes across theknives as necessary to complete the taperon the first face of the workoiece. To cut theremaining faces, rotate the workpiece clock-wise 90o and make repeated passes over thecutterhead until you have trimmed the stockdown to the taper marks.

IOINTING A STOPPED TAPER

Gutting with twin stop blocksMark lines on all faces of the workoiece to indicate where theiapering wi l l begin and end. Instal l a clamp on the rabbet ingledge to hold the guard out of the way. Set a %-inch depth ofcut, then butt the workpiece against the fence with the taperstart line 3/qinch behind the front of the outfeed table. (Theextra3/q inch will compensate for the fact that, when the infeedtable is lowered later, i t wi l l a lso sl ide back sl ight ly.) Butt astop block against the end of the workpiece and clamp it to theinfeed table. Next align the taper end line with the back endof the infeed table. Butt a second stop block against the other

end of the workpiece and clamp in place. To make the f i rstpass, lower the workpiece onto the knives, keeping i t f lushagainst the fence and the stop block on the infeed table. Feedthe workpiece using the thumb of your right hand bbove), fin-gers straddling the fence; use your left hand to press the work-piece against the fence and down on the knives. Keep bothhands well above the cutterhead. Make one pass on each face,then lower the infeed tabler/a inch and reoeat the Drocess onal l four sides. Cont inue, increasing the cutt ing depth unt i l thetaper is completed.

JOINTER

138

PLANER

N or smoothing rough stock, planing aI 'g lued-up panel or reducing thethickness of a board uniforrnly, the plan-er is the ideal woodworking machine. Itsmain function is to plane wood from aboard, producing a smooth surface thatis parallel with the opposite face.

Planers are easy to use, but keep thefollowing points in mind to get the bestresults. Always feed stock into the knivesfollowing the direction of grain. Al-though the maximum depth of cut formost planers is 7e inch,limit each pass to%o inch and make multiple passes.

Some of the tasks you perform onthe jointer cannot be duplicated onthe planer. You cannot, for example,straighten out a warped board. Since theplaner produces parallel surfaces, waqpedstock will emerge thinner from themachine, but just as warped.

?Fii#i#,",tr

H(lW A PLANERW()RKS

lnfeed roller

Table roller

piece and table

ChipbreakerFreaaea workpteceagainot table beforeit reachea knivee

Preasure barTresaeo workpiece downafter it ie ehaved, keep-inq it flat

Helpe reduce fric'Lion between work-

Table roller

-)

PLANING A BOARD

Using the planerTo set the cutting depth, lay the workpieceon the table and al ign i ts end with thedepth guide. For a typical Xo-inch depthof cut, turn the table adjustment handleuntil the top of the board just clears thebottom of the guide Inset). To make apass through the planer, stand to one sideof the workpiece and use both hands tofeed it slowly into the infeed roller, keep-ing its edges parallel to the table edges.Once the infeed roller grips the workpieceand begins pulling it past the cutterhead,support the trai l ing end of the stock tokeep it flat on the table (left). As the trail-ing end of the workpiece reaches the plan-er's table, move to the outfeed side of themachine. Support the workpiece with bothhands until it clears the outfeed roller. Toprevent stock from warping, plane fromboth sides of a workpiece rather thanremoving thickness from one side only.

r39

GLOSSARY

A-BArbor: A round shaft projecting fromthe saw motor to turn revolving sawblades or other cutting implements.

Bead: A rounded, convex shape cutin wood.

Bevel cut: Sawing at an angle fromface to face through the thickness oralong the length of a workpiece.

Blade lead: The tendency ofa bandsaw blade to drift offthe'intendedline of a cut.

Blade set: The amount that saw teethare offset alternately to the left andto the right, allowing a blade to cut akerf slightly wider than its own thick-ness to help prevent binding.

Box joine Identical interlocking fin-gers that mesh together to form acorner joint.

CCarbide-tipped blade: A saw's cut-ting edge on which the teeth are madeof a compound of carbon and steel;such blade edges are stronger andstay sharper longer than convention-al high-speed steel.

Carcase: The box-like frame of apiece of furniture, such as a chestor bookcase.

Chamfer: A decorative bevel cutalong the edge of a workpiece.

Cheek The face of the projectingtenon in a mortise-and-tenon joint.

Chippers: Auxiliary cutters thatclean out the waste wood betweenthe cuts made by the two saw bladesofa stacking dado head.

Chuck Adjustable jaws on a drill forholding bits.or other cutting or sand-lng accessorles.

Compound cut Sawing through aboard with the blade presented atangles other than 90o relative to theface and edge ofthe stock.

Concave: A rounded inward shape,like the inside of a bowl.

Contour cut Sawing along a curvedline; usually with a band saw.

Convex A rounded outward shape,like the outside of a bowl.

Countersink: To drill a hole that per-mits the head of a screw or bolt to lieflush or slightly below a wood surface.

Cove A hollow concave form cutinto wood.

Crosscufi Sawing across the grain ofa workpiece.

D-EDado: A. rectangular channel cut intoa worKplece.

Dado head: A blade-or combina-tion of blades and cutters-usedto shape dadoes in wood. The twomain types are wobblers, one or tlvoblades that wobble back and forthon adjustable hubs, and stackingdado heads, which are pairs of bladessandwiched around one to five inte-rior chippers.

Dovetail joint A method of joiningwood at corners by means of inter-locking pins and tails; the namederives from the distinctive shape cutinto the ends of the joining boards.

Dowe} Wood pins used to reinforcecertain types of joints.

Edges: The narrower surfaces ofapiece of wood.

Edge jointing: Using a jointer to cutthin shavings from the edge of aworkpiece until it is flat and squareto the face.

FFaces: The wider surfaces of a pieceofwood.

Face jointing: Using a jointer to cutthin shavings from the face of aworkpiece until it is flat and squareto the edge.

Featherboard: A piece ofwood cutwith fingers or "feathers" at one end;used in conjunction with clamps toholll workpieces against a saw tableor tence.

Feed pressure: Rate at which a work-piece is pushed into the blade or cut-ters of a woodworking machine.

Fence: An adjustable guide to keepthe edge of a workpiece a set distancefrom the cutting edge of a tool.

Finger joint: Similar to a box jointbut with narrower intermeshing fin-gers, typically less than /a inch wide.

Flute: A rounded concave groove cutwith a molding head.

Fly cutter: A drill press accessorywith a shaft and a sliding cutter bladethat can be adiusted to make holes ofvarious diameters.

Freehand: To cut a workpiece on aband saw without using either themiter gauge or the fence; freehandcutting should never be attemptedon the table saw and radial arm saw

G-H-IGrain: The arrangement and direc-tion of the fibers that make up wood;grain will look different in differenttrees and as a result of the sawingtechnioue used to harvest lumberfrom tlie log.

Gullet: The gap between teeth on asaw blade.

Hardwood: Wood cut from decidu-ous (leaf-shedding) trees; some typesmay actually be soft and easy to cut.

140

Hook angle: Angle of the face of asaw blade's tooth in relation to a linefrom the tip of the tooth to the cen-ter of the b-lade.

Infeed: The part of a machine's tablethat is in front of the blade or cutterduring a cutting operation.

In-rip: The position a radial armsaw blade must be in to rip a narrowboard; the motor is rotated to situatethe blade near the fence.

I-K-Lfig: Device for guiding a tool orholding a workpiece in position.

Kerf: A cut made in wood by thewidth of a saw blade.

Kickback The tendency of a work-piece to be thrown back in thedirection of the operator of a wood-working machine.

M-NMiter cut A cut that angles acrossthe face of a workpiece.

Miter gauge: A device that slides in aslot on the saw table, providing sup-port for the stock as it moves past theblade for crosscuts; can be adjustedto different angles for miter cuts.

Moldinghead: A solid metal wheelthat attaches to the arbor and holdssets of identical knives for carvingmoldings; used on table saws andradial arm saws.

Mortise: A rectangular hole cut intoa piece of wood.

Mortise-and-tenon joint A joinerytechnique in which a projectingtenon on one board is made to fitinto a mortise on another; in anopen mortise-and-tenon joint, themortise is not stopped, but passescompletely through the workpiece.

o-POgee: A decorative molding with anS-shaped profile.

Outfeed: The part of a machine'stable that is behind the blade duringa cutting operation.

Out-rip: The position a radial armsaw blade must be in to rip a wideboard; the motor is rotated to posi-tion it between the blade and fence.

Pawls: Pivoting levers with sharpends designed to grip a workpieceand prevent it from being kickedback toward the operator.

Push stick A device used to push aworkpiece into a blade or cutter soas to protect the operator's fingers.

Q-RQuill A sleeve surrounding the spin-dle of a drill press; the amount thatthe quill can be raised and lowereddetermines the depth of hole a drillpress can Dore.

Rabbet A step-like cut in the edge orend of a board; usually forms part ofa joint.

Raker: A tooth in a saw blade thatclears away sawdust and wood chipsfrom the kerf.

Release cut A preliminary incisionfrom the edge of a workpiece to aline about to be cut; such prepara-tions enable a band saw to cut alongtighter turns by facilitating theremoval of waste wood.

Relief cut Sawing into an auxiliaryfence to provide clearance for a tablesaw or radial arm saw blade or cutter.

Resaw: To reduce the thickness of aboard by cutting it into two or morethinner pieces.

Reverse thread: Machine threads cutso that a nut turns counterclockwiseto tighten; commonly found on sawarbors to prevent blade fastenersfrom working loose.

Rip cut A cut that follows the grainof a workpiece-usually made alongits length.

S.T-UShoulder: In a mortise-and-tenonjoint, the part of the tenon perpen-dicular to the cheek.

Softwood: Wood cut from logs ofcone-bearing (coniferous) trees.

Spindle: The vertical rotating shaftof a drill press; holds the chuck thatgrips the bit.

Stopped grooYe: A groove that doesnot run the full length or width ofa workpiece.

Stopped hole: A hole that does notpass all the way through a workpiece;also known as a blind hole.

Thper cut: An angled cut along thelength of a workpiece that reducesits width at one end.

Tearout: The tendency of a blade orcutter to tear the fibers of the woodit is cutting, leaving ragged edges onthe workpiece; a problem especiallywhen crosscutting.

Tenon: A protrusion from the end ofa board that fits into a mortise.

V-W-X.Y-ZVeneer: A thin layer of decorativewood laid into or over a more com-mon wood.

r4l

INDEX

Page references in iralics indicatean illustration of subject matter.Page references in bold indicatea Build It Yourself project.

AAmes, Judith, l0Angle cuts, back endpaper

Band saws, 98fointers, 136-138,137Radial arm saws,63-64

miter cuts, 48-49, 63,65Table saws, 35

Angled holes:Drill presses, 104, lI2, 1 14, Ll4, ll7

compound angles (Shop Tip), 116j i gs ,114 ,117

BBand saws, 9, 78-79, 80-81

Alignment,82-84Angle cuts, 98Blade guards, 8Q 85Blades, 79, 81, 85, 86- 88

blade lead (Shop Tip), 94, 97installation, 87rounding ofback edge (Shop Tip), 88

Crosscutting, 94, 97Curved cuts, 7 8-7 9, 89- 92

blades, 86circle-cutting jigs, 93quarter-circle -cutting jigs, 79, 92rounding corners,92

Dovetail joints, 101 - 103Guide assemblies, 84 81, 83, 85Guide blocks, 82, 83Multiple duplicate pieces,90, 100Pattern sawing,90-91Pivot blocks, 96Rip fences, 80, 94, 95, 97Ripping, 94,95,96Safety precautions, 79, 85Shop Tips, 88, 94Stop blocks, 100,102Taper cuts, 98,99,99Three-wheel band saws, 8I

Bench top table saws, 13, .15Bevel clamps, 5Q 53Bevel cuts, 64, 98

see also Angle cutsBits:

Drill presses, 110-111Blade guards, 50,60,61

Band saws, 80Radial arm saws, 50,60,61

Blades. See Band saws; Radial arm saws;Table saws

Boxjoints,44,45Finger joints, 49,7G77ligs, 13,76

Build It Yourself:Band saws

circle-cutting jigs, 93rip fences,95

taper jigs, 99Drill presses

aciessory rack, 110-111jigs for equally spaced holes, ll2-ll3pocket hole jigs, l17sanding table and pattern sanding

insert, L22-123tilting table jigs, 1 14

Iointerspushblocks,134V-block j igs,137

Radial arm sawsfence and table for dado and

molding cuts,72miter jigs, 65taper jigs, 68

Table sawscrosscut jigs, 33jigs for repeat narrow cuts, 27tenoning jigs, 47

CCarbide-tipped blades:

Radial arm saws, 58Table saws. 20-21

Chamfers, 136,137Circles:

Center finders (Shop Tip), lI5Circle-cutting jigs, 93Quarter-circle -cutting jigs, 79, 92

Clamping:Drill presses, 109

Contractor's saws, 13Cove cutting, 43Crosscutting:

Bandsaws,94,97Radial arm saws, 60, 62Table saws, 30-33

blades,20,21jigs, 30, 33wide panels, 34

Curved cuts. SeeBand saws: Curved cutsCutterheads, 126, 1 30- 1 31, 1 33

DDado cuts. SeeDadoes; Grooves; RabbetsDadoes:

Radial arm saws,69-70repeat cuts (Shop Tip), 70

Table saws, 36-37Dado heads, 36- 37, 69-70Dovetail joints, 101- 103Dowels, 111, 118Drilling, 112-118

Angled holes, 104-105, ll2, 114,tL4. tt7compound angles (Shop Tip), 116j igs, 114,117

Center finders (Shop Tip), 115Equally spaced holes, ll2-ll3

Drill presses, 10, 104-105, 106-107Accessories. 1 10- 1 1 1

dowel cutters, 111, 118mortising attachments, 1 19- 1 21

plug cutters, .111, 118racks, l l0- l l lsanding drums, 105, 122-123sanding drums, off-size (Shop

Tip), 123Alignment, 108-109

checking (Shop Tip), i09Bi ts . l I0- l l IClamping, 109Integral tenons, I .18Radial arm drill press, 106Safety precautions, 108, 109Sanding table and pattern sanding

rnsert,122-123Shop Tips, 109,115,116, 123Speeds, 108,122See also Drilling

Duginske, Mark, ll

F-G-HFeatherboards, back endp ap erFinger joints, 49, 76-77Grooves:

Radial arm saws, 71, 72,73-74Table saws, 36,38,39

Hold-down devices:Radial arm saws, 60, 6I, 66Table saws, 15, 18, 24, 25

Holes. See Drilling

I-JIntegral tenons, 118figs:

Band sawscircle-cutting jigs, 93quarter-circle -attting jigs, 79, 92V-block jigs, 95, 97

Drill oressesjigs for equally spaced holes,

lt2-tt3pocket hole jigs, 104, ll7t i l t ingtable j igs, l l4V-blockj igs,116

Jointersknife-setting jigs, l3lV-blockjigs,137

Radial arm sawsauxiliary fence and table,72fingerjointjigs, 26miter jigs, 48-49,65taper jigs, 68

Table sawsbox joints, 13, 45crosscuts, 30, 33multiple angled cuts, 35repeat narrow cuts,27taper cuts,29tenoning jigs, 12-13, 46, 47

foinery, back endpaperBand saws, 101-103Dril l presses, 118-121Radial arm saws, 49, 76-77Table saws, 12-13, 13, 44-47

Jointers, 1 1, 124- 125, 126- 127

t42

Alignment, 128- 129, 133Guards, 126, 127, 128, 136Knives, 126,130-131

prolonging use (Shop Tip), 131Push blocks. 134

|ointing, 132-134Chamfers, 136, 137Rabbets, 136

taper cuts, 124-125, 136, 137-138Warped boards, 135See also fointers

K-L.MKlausz, Frank, 8Lap joints,44Melamine blades, 2.1Miller-Mead, Giles, 6- 7Miter clamps, 50,51, 52Miter cuts, 48-49, 63,65, 98

see also Angle cutsMiter gauges:

Band saws, 80, 81, 84, 97, 98Table saws, 73, 14,15, 17,30,32

fixing a loose (Shop Tip), 17rip fences with, 18, 24,30, 31wide panels, 34

Miter jigs, 48-49,65Moldings:

Radial arm saws,72,75Table saws, 40-43

Mortise-and-tenon joints:Drill presses, 119-121Table saws, 12-13, 44, 46-47

P-Q-RPanels:

Radial arm saws,67Table saws, 26, 34

Planers, 125,127,139Drill presses, lllRadial arm saws, 58

P lugs , l l l , 118Plywood blades, 2lPdcket hole jigs, 104, Ll7Push blocks, 134Push sticl,rs, /ront endpaperQuarter-circle -attting jigs, 79, 92Rabbets:

Jointers, 136Radial arm saws, 7lTable saws, 36, 38

Radial arm drill presses, 106Radial arm saws, 8, 48-49,50-51

Accessories, 5& 75hold-down devices, 60, 61, 66router bits, 5-lspecialized blade guards, 60, 61, 7 5

Adjustment, 49,52-57Angle cuts, 48-49, 63-64, 65Auxiliary tables, 51, 57,72

finger joints,49,76Blade guards, 50, 60, 61,75Blades, 49,58,59,62

alignment, 55-57

dadoheads,69-70installation, 59, 69molding cutters, 75

Crosscutting, 62Dado cuts,69-74

auxiliary fence and table,72repeat dadoes (Shop Tip), 70

Fences, 51,57,72|oinery, 49,7G77Moldings,72,75Panels,67Portable, 5lRepeat cuts,62,70ShopTips,64,70Short workpieces (Shop Tip),64See also subheading Radial arm

saws under figs; Ripping; Safetyprecautions

Resawing,28,96Rip clamps, 51,54Rip fences:

Band saws, 80,94,95, 97Table saws, 14,15, 17,18,24

crosscutting guide, 3lmiter gauges with, 18,24, 30, 31

Ripping:Band saws, 94,95,96

cylinders, 95Radial arm saws, 60- 61, 66-67

taper cuts, 68Table saws, 20,24-25

angle cuts, 35narrow strips, 27,27resawing,23taper cuts, 29wide panels, 26

Roller stands, 14 26Routers:

Drill presses, 122Radial arm saws, 5l

SSafety precautions, front endpaper

Band saws, 79, 85Drill presses, 1 08, 1 09fointers, 126, 127, 128, 129, 136

guards, 126, 127, 128, 136Radial arm saws, 58, 60,62, 67

blade guards, 50, 60, 61,75hold-down devices, 60, 61, 66kickback, 58,60, 61,66

Table saws, 13, l& 30blade guards, 13,14,18, 19hands-free "Off' switch (Shop

Tip),32hold-down devices, 1 5, 18, 24, 25kickback, 18, L9, 20, 24,25molding cutters,40table inserts (Shop Tip), 22

Sanding:Drill presses, 122-123

sanding table and pattern sandinginserL,122-123

Sanding drums:

Drill presses, 105, 122- 123off-size drums (Shop Tips), 123

Radial arm saws, 58Sawyer, Dave, 9Shop Tips:

Band saws, 88, 94Drill presses, 109, 115, 116, 123Jointers, l3lRadial arm saws,64,70Table saws, 17,22, 32

Stationarysaws,13, 14Stopped grooves, 36, 39, 74Stopped holes, 1 13Stopped tapers, 138

TTable saws, 6-7, 12, 13, 14- 15, 49

Accessories, l3hold-down devices, 1 5, 18, 24, 25molding cutters, 13, 40-41roller stands, .14 26specialized blade guards, 19

Nignment, 16-17Angle cuts, 35Blade guards, 13,14,18, 19Blades, 20-21,23

dado heads. 36-32installation,22, 37

Dado cuts, 36-39Hands-free "Off' switch (Shop

Tip),32Moldings, 40-43Portable, 13, 15Repeat cuts,27,32Shop Tips, 17,22, 32Table inserts (Shop Tip), 22See also subheading Table saws under

Crosscutting; |igs; Miter gauges;Rip fences; Ripping;Safety precautions

Taper cuts:Band saws, 98,99,99fointers, 124-125, 136, 1 37- 138Radial arm saws,68Table saws, 29

Taper jigs:Band saws,99Radial arm saws, 68Table saws.29

Tenoning jigs, 12-13, 46, 47Tenons:

Integral tenons, l18See also Mortise-and-tenon joints

Three-wheel band saws, 8lTilt ingtable j igs,l14

U-V.W-X-Y-ZV-block jigs, 95, 97, 1 16, 137Warped boards, 135, 139Yoke clamps, 5Q 53

143

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The editors wish to thank the following

TABLESAWDelta International Machinery, Guelph, Ont.; Freud WestmoreTools, Ltd., Mississauga, Ont.; Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; Leichtung Workshops, Cleveland, OH; Makita Canada

Ltd., Whitby, Ont.; HTC Products, Inc., Royal Oak, MI;Richards Engineering Co., Ltd., Vancouver, BC; Sears, Roebuck

and Co., Chicago, IL; Shopsmith, Inc., Montr6al, Que.;Vermont American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY

RADIALARMSAWAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; Fisher Hill Products, Inc.,

Fitzwilliam, NH; Freud Westmore Tools, Ltd., Mississauga,Ont.; G & W Tool, Inc., Tulsa, OK; Jon Eakes, Montrdal, Que.;Richards Engineering Co. Ltd., Vancouver, BC; Ryobi America

Corp., Anderson, SC; Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL;Shopsmith, Inc., Montr6al, Que.; Vermont American Corp.,

Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY

BANDSAWDelta International Machinery Guelph, Ont.; Garrett Wade

Co., Inc., New York, NY; Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.;Mohawk Finishing Products of Canada, Montr6al, Que.;

Shopsmith, Inc., Montr6al, Que.; Vermont American Corp.,Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY

DRILLPRESSAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; Delta InternationalMachinery, Guelph, Ont.; G & W Tool, Inc., Tulsa, OK;

Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.

JOINTER/PLANERAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; Hitachi Power Tools U.S.A.

Ltd., Norcross, GA; Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.;Communication Masters, Norcross, GA; Shopsmith, Inc.,

Montrdal, Que.; Uniquest Corp., Murriy, UT

The fotlowing persons also assisted in the preparationof this book:

Nyla Ahmad, Renaud Boisjoly, Maryse Doray, Lorraine Dor6,Naomi Fukuyama, Graphor Consultation, fos6e Laperrilre,G6rard Mariscalchi, Jennifer Meltzer, Nicolas Moumouris,

Maryo Proulx, Shirley Sylvain, James Therrien

PICTURE CREDITS

Cover Paul McCarthy/Au Puits de LumiEre6,7 Robert Chartier

8 Patrick Harbron/Outline9 Carl Valiquet Photographe

l0 Raymond Gendreau11 Glen Hartjes/Image Studios

144

WOOD CUTS

BEVEL CUT

CROSSCUT

M ITER CUT

C O M P O U N D C U T

DADO CUT

IIItItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIttI

I

I

I

I

I

tII

WORKSHOP GUIDE

MAKING YOUR OWN FEATHERBOARDgFealherboarde, also known ae fin7erboarde, are ueed' I 'o keep olock

Vreooed enuqly aqatnellhe fence or Lable of a eaw' Since they 7ermit'a workpiece Lo move only in one d i rect ion- foward the b lade-

featherboards alEo eerve ae anti-kickback dev'tcee.There is one baeic

deoiqn ehown at, righl: the lenqlh can be varied to euit ' Lhe laek aL

hand. Lonq feat'herboarde are clamped Lo the saw lable lo eecure a

workpiece againoL |,he fence: shorler onee are aLLached to lhe lence

lo hold ef,ock aqainet' Ihe Iable.

To make a fealherboard, cul a 3Oo Lo 45o mit'er at' one end of a 3/q

inch- lh ick board: choose Lhicker etock i f you wi l l be reeawinq or

cuf , f , ing thtck wood, Mark a para l le l l ine aboul 5 inches f rom Lhe

mif,ered end. Then uee a table aaw or a band aaw Lo cul' 1/e inch-wide

sloLe to | ,he marked l ine, creat ing a row of oNurdy buL p l iab le f inqere.

Sefore eecurin7 a feal,herboard Io a saw I'able, cul a nor'ch for a

eu??orL board. Clamped to a I'able af' a 90" anqle I'o the feat'herboard,

Ihe oupporl piece providee added el'abil i Iy.M Fingers

and slots

COMMON WOOD JOINTS

Nl ITER

:

DADO \L

m() affinTL-.r\,/ !,drrH

DOVETAIL - - ,^_#'"{lI ta.v Ll4 |

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