Woodshop 101For Kids

21 WoodworkingLessonsTeach the BasicsOf Woodworking

14 WoodworkingProjectsFor Parents and KidsTo Build Together!

A product of:

Craig StevensWith daughter, Katie

www.WoodworkersResource.com and sons, Nick & Jack

To prevent accidents, keep safety in mindwhile youwork. Don’t wear loose clothing

or jewelry when working with hand tools orpower tools. Tie back long hair to prevent it

from getting caught in equipment. Peoplewho are sensitive to certain chemicals

should check the chemical content of anyproduct before use. The author has tried to

make the contents as accurate and correct aspossible. Plans, illustrations, photographs

and text have been carefully checked. Allinstructions, plans and projects should be

carefully read, studied and understoodbefore beginning construction. Due to the

variability of local conditions, constructionmaterials, skill levels, etc., the author does

not assume any responsibility for any

accidents, injuries, damages or other lossesincurred resulting from the materialpresented in this book

WOODSHOP101

for KIDSby

Craig Stevens

WoodworkersResource.com

Woodshop 101 for Kids. 21

woodworking lessons with 14woodworking projects. Copyright ©

2006 by Craig Stevens. All rightsreserved. No part of this book may

be reproduced in any form or by anyelectronic or mechanical means,

including information storage andretrieval systems, without

permission in writing from theauthor, except by a reviewer, who

may quote brief passages in a

review. First edition. Revised July2006.

acknowledgementsMany thanks:

To Katie, Nick, and Jack. Without your help this bookwould never have happened. Thanks for your patience for all the

times that Daddy needed “one more picture,” that turned intofive or six. Your suggestions on cool projects to build and even

the colors to paint them were an immense help. Over the lastseveral months we’ve built a lot of things in the shop, but nothing

more important to me than all the memories shared between thesawdust and glue. I love you guys!

To Madison, thanks for helping us out with the planter box.

To Dr. Jeff Stevens, thanks for letting me use your catapult

design, what a great project!

To my Mom and Dad who have always been there tosupport me in whatever I’ve chosen to do. You both have given

me the tools to become the person I am today.

To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, without whom I coulddo nothing.

dedicationTo my wife:

Kelley, this book would have never entered my thoughtswithout your gentle nudging. Sitting around our kitchen table

one night talking about things we wanted to do in the comingyear, you planted the seed that has grown into this book.

Thank you for giving so much of yourself day after day

taking care of our family. The hours spent being a wife, a motherand teacher leaves little for you. The sacrifices you give do not go

unnoticed. The rewards for doing all you do can never be repaidby us in this life time, but the Father above is storing up treasures

beyond our imagination for people just like you.

I love you!

Contents:Introduction………………….1How to Use This Book………3

Lesson 1 Lesson 12Wood is Wood Right.............6 Baseball Rack……………….86

Lesson 2 Lesson 13Measuring…………………11 Pencil Holder………………93

Lesson 3 Lesson 14It’s Hammer Time………...16 Battleship………………….104

Lesson 4 Lesson 15Using Hand Saws…………23 Media Storage Rack……....115

Lesson 5 Lesson 16Drilling……………………..30 Step Stool………………….127

Lesson 6 Lesson 17Peg Game…………………..36 Two for one Birdfeeder…..140

Lesson 7 Lesson 18Using a Block Plane………42 Workbench………………..150

Lesson 8 Lesson 19Finishing…………………...48 Doll Cradle………………..158

Lesson 9 Lesson 20Crosscut Box………………58 Marshmallow Catapult….167

Lesson 10 Lesson 21Birdhouse………………….64 Planter Box………………..180

Lesson 11Toolbox/Art Caddy………76

IntroductionIs woodworking or any ‘trade’ worth teaching to our

children in today’s society?

I have always been interested in how things work and in making things

with my hands. There’s just something extremely satisfying aboutbuilding a tangible, useful item with your own two hands. I’ve seen thesame satisfaction in the eyes of my own children. They all three have

completely different personalities but they all enjoy making things. Why

is that? I believe it’s because God made each of us with the desire tocreate. God can place a desire in our hearts to create tangible things with

our hands or intangible things using our thoughts and ideas. Both areequally valuable or God would not have given them to us. But as a

society, we tend to place more value and prestige on working behind adesk on facts and figures as a CPA or as a doctor diagnosing a patient or

a lawyer arguing a case in front of a judge than a carpenter who builds ahouse or a potter who creates a beautiful vase or a plumber who can fix a

leaky faucet or a farmer who grows our food. So our children arenaturally “guided “by our schools and by their parents to study subjects

that will get them a “good job”. We tell ourselves that we only wantwhat’s best for our children, but do we really? Has God stopped

creating people with the desire to work with their hands or are we doingour children a great disservice by not letting them become who God

created them to be, whether that is a doctor or a furniture maker. Howmany adults do you know who are miserable in their jobs? Would they

be that way if they were using the gifts and talents that God intended forthem to use? My hope and desire is that we as parents take seriously the

responsibility of raising our children to discover who God wants them tobe and not what the world thinks they should be.

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Using my abilities in woodworking and carpentry to help others, and tonurture those that God has put the same desire in, are my greatest

passions. Almost all children love to make things out of wood. Somewill see it only as an activity like painting, coloring, or playingwith cars.

For some though, learning to work with wood will spark a lifelongpassion and maybe even a vocation.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when

he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 NASB

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How to Use This Book

A Message to Parents

Woodshop 101 for Kids is set up to use at your own pace. There are 21

lessons to take your kids through. These can be done once per week,which will take you through a semester, or if you find that your kids

can’t wait a whole week to get to the next project, like mine, do a lessonas often as you like.

One of the great things about teaching this class is that it doesn’t matter

which parent teaches it Mom, Dad or both. It can give a parent thatworks out of the home the opportunity to get more involved with the

education of their children. They can teach the lesson plans at night or onthe weekends to build fun and interesting projects with their kids and

build something even more important: A lifetime of memories.

However your family decides to teach this book there are some things toknow. The first lessons of the book are all about the fundamentals of

woodworking and hand tool use and will need to be covered before anyprojects can be built. It is important that children are able to use the tools

properly for their own safety and to avoid frustration down the road.Each lesson is built upon things learned in the previous lessons. Don’t

skip this part!

This book is geared towards children 7 and up, but age can sometimeshave little to do it. Some 5 and 6 year olds may grasp the lessons very

quickly and some 7 year olds may not have the patience yet. You as theparent must be the judge of that. However young or old your child is

though they still must be supervised through out the teaching of thisbook any time tools are to be used. I encourage you as the parent to read

the lessons with your kids so that you both have a clear understanding ofwhat’s expected in each lesson. If you are there to quickly get them back

4

on course when things do go wrong, this will help your kids frombecoming discouraged.

You can buy the tools that you don’t already have as you get to them in

the book or you can go ahead and buy them all at once. If you do decideto get the tools ahead of time, read through the lessons on tool usage

first. I give suggestions as to sizes and styles that can help children getthe most out of their use. The advantage in having all your tools ahead

of time is that it will save you from having to run around trying to findwhat you’ll need the day before you need to teach the lesson and finding

out that it’s sold out. Another advantage is you can often times find allthe tools you need online at one site. This can save you time and money.

Here is a list of tools you’ll need. Use this to compare what you already

have to what you’ll need to purchase. Again read the lessons on toolusage first before making purchases. You can buy each child their own

set (which would be nice since one of the first projects is a tool box) orthey can share tools. (But getting kids to do that is an entire book unto

itself.)

A. Measuring Tape (12’) they make measuring tapes that

have the fractions labeled on the tape to make it easierto read especially if your child is just learning about

fractions.B. Ruler (12”) wooden ones are easier to read than the

clear or colored plastic ones.C. Hammer (7 – 10oz for smaller children, 16oz for older

children with better hand eye coordination)D. Screwdrivers: flathead and Phillips

E. Nail setF. Handsaw (western or Japanese style)

G. Brace DrillH. Coping saw

I. Block plane

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J. RaspK. Sandpaper (100, 120, 150, 180 grits)

L. Glue (white or yellow) water proof for outdoor projectsM. Screws and nails (a box each of 1 ¼” and 1 5/8”

drywall screws and a box each of 3d, 4d, and 6d finishnails will get you through most projects in this book).

N. Clamps (See the lesson on building the step stool forinformation on clamps).

O. Safety glasses (it may take some extra effort, but find apair that fits your child. They will become frustrated

quickly if every time they start to swing a hammer theyhave to push their glasses back up on their noses.

Manufactures do make child size glasses it just mighttake some looking around to find them.)

P. Combination squareQ. Speed square

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Lesson 1

Wood is Wood Right?

We all know what trees are and what they are used for. Things like

provide shade, protect soil from eroding, produce oxygen, and of coursewood to heat with and to use as a raw material to make paper, furniture,

houses, etc.

But have you ever stopped and just looked at all the different kinds oftrees in your neighborhood or a park nearby? There are roughly 10,000

different species of trees around the world. There’s no question that Godhas given us a lot of different looking trees to enjoy and to use

responsibly, but deep down inside all trees are very similar.

Parts of a TreeFirst let’s look atthe different parts

of a tree, (fig. 1).Starting from top to

bottom is thecrown. The crown

gives the tree itsshape. It is made

up of the branches,which is how a tree

grows in height,and the leaves. The

leaves take incarbon dioxide

from the air, whichthe tree uses as

Fig. 1

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food and in return gives off oxygen that we breathe. Have you ever beenin a greenhouse where there are lots of plants and noticed how good the

air smells? It’s because of all the fresh oxygen the plants are producingand filtering out the harmful gases that our bodies don’t need, like

carbon dioxide.

Next, we have the trunk. This is what gives the tree its strength. Figure1 shows the different parts that make up the trunk.

The outer bark is what protects the tree from damage; it’s basically the

tree’s armor. The inner bark is where the sugar the leaves make is carriedto all other parts of the tree where it is changed into food.

The cambium is only one cell thick! This is where the tree trunk grows in

diameter. The interesting thing about these cells is that on one side theyproduce bark and on the other side they produce wood.

Xylem or Sapwood is the highway structure of the tree. All the nutrients

and water taken in by the roots are moved up through the sapwood andis then fed into the branches and up into leaves.

Heartwood is the backbone of the tree. This layer of wood is no longer

active. It’s made when the inner layers of the old sapwood stop carryingthe water and nutrients to the leaves. This wood is harder and much

stronger than the sapwood. Many times the heartwood is also a different

color than the sapwood, usually darker, but not always.

Finally, we get to the bottom of things. The roots of a tree anchor it inthe ground and also supply water and nutrients as stated earlier. Have

you ever watched a tree being blown back and forth in a strong wind?How do trees keep from being blown over? The answer is in the root

structure. Trees have a root that goes deep into the earth called thetaproot. The taproot grows deep in search of water and nutrients in

times of drought. When there is plenty of rain, however; the surfaceroots collect most of the water and nutrients and spread out far to further

anchor the tree.

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Densemeans thatthings are packedtightly together which

normally makes themhard and heavy.

Coniferous and Deciduous TreesConiferous, or cone bearing trees, mostly have thin needles for leaves

and are evergreens meaning they keep their leaves year round. Conifersare also called softwoods. Deciduous or broadleaf trees usually shed

their leaves during cold or dry weather. Deciduous trees are also calledhardwoods.

These are easy for us to tell apart but there are still many other

differences between softwoods and hardwoods that are not so easy tosee. For starters, the name “soft” wood and “hard” wood isn’t referring

to how dense the wood is itself. Most of the time coniferous trees do haveless dense wood than their deciduous cousins but not always. An

example of a coniferous tree having very hard wood is the Yew tree andan example of a deciduous tree being soft is the balsa tree. We can even

go a step further and point out that the Live Oak Tree, (a deciduous tree),doesn’t shed its leaves during the winter, hence the

name Live Oak. I know this can all be confusing butjust remember that “soft” wood and “hard” wood is a

term that isn’t necessarily descriptive just another wayof saying whether the tree is coniferous or deciduous.

Wood GrainOne last thing for us to look at before we leave the subject of trees. It’s

the most important to us as woodworkers because it effects how thewood will look in our projects and that’s wood grain. Wood can be sawn

Coniferous Deciduous

9

into boards in different ways and each will cause the wood grain to lookdifferent, sometimes dramatically different. Figure 3a and 3b shows

looking down onto a log cut two different ways and the affects it has onwood grain.

Fig. 3a Fig. 3b

Lines representsaw kerfs

The log in figure 3a is sawn straight across or plain sawn. You can seethat the grain pattern in this board is almost wavy looking. These are

actually the growth rings you’re looking at. Figure 3b show the same logsawn first into quarters and then the individual sections sawn up into

boards. The grain pattern, or growth rings, from quartersawn boards areusually straight. As you can see you can get completely different looks

from a board coming from the same tree merely by how it’s sawn up.

Now let’s go have so fun with what we’ve learned.

Wood grain of same tree cut two different ways

Plain sawn board Quarter sawn board

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Activities

1. Go out and gather leaves from your yard or a nearby park. Usingthe Internet or a book from the library on trees look up and

identify what kind of trees the leaves came from. Are they

coniferous or deciduous? Try these website for starters. Alsothere are several state specific sites on identifying trees. Just useyour favorite search engine.

http://www.oplin.org/tree/

http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/forsite/key/intro.htmhttp://oregonstate.edu/trees/

2. Plan a scavenger hunt to see how many things each child can find

in your home that’s made of wood. Have a discussion on howthings are made from wood and the different processes that wood

goes through before it ends up in your home, i.e., trees have to beharvested, then sawn up into useful pieces, then shaped into

objects, finished, and finally made available for purchase.

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Note to Parents

If your child is learning fractions this isa great way to teach a real worldapplication, however; if they are not

yet there and you will not be teachingfractions soon simply use the exercises

to show how to read the tapemeasurer in inches and feet. Havethem count the number of inches in

one foot to show that there are 12” inone foot.

Fraction – Todivide up intosmaller portions, a

quantity expressedin terms of a

numerator and adenominator.

Lesson 2

Measuring

Finally we get to start using some TOOLS! In this lesson we’re going tolook at some different tools that are used to measure and how each is

used. First, let’s look at a ruler.

Measuring and FractionsA ruler is a very simple measuring tool. It ‘s usedto measure short distances (most are only 1 foot

long) and can be used as a great straight edge fordrawing lines. Rulers are divided into parts. The

first part is called a foot. This name came aboutbecause it’s about the length of an adult’s foot.

The foot is divided into smaller sections calledinches. There are twelve inches in one foot. As

you’ve probably already seen, inches are divided into still smallersections called fractions. This is necessary because a lot of things we need

to measure don’t end up on a whole number, it ends up somewhere inbetween. Figure 1 represents an inch section of a ruler and how it’s

divided into smaller parts.

(Fig. 1) Not actual size of an inch. (You’re probably saying No Kidding!)

Items You’ll Need

12’ Measuring Tape

12” Ruler

Speed Square

Combination Square

Notebook

1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16

1/8 1/8 1/8 1/8

¼ ½ ¼

12

Abbreviation- Tomake shorter.

Note to Parents

Your children will probably catch on tothis quickly if they are already familiar

with fractions, however; the problemusually comes from adding all this

together such as something that’s 3’ 8¾” long. To avoid frustration early on

find objects around the house that areeven on the inch marks or the footmarks. After they are comfortable with

this start adding in items that are smallbut forces them to figure out the fractionmark like 3 ¼”.

Let’s take a closer look at the ruler in figure 1. You’ll notice that it’s

divided equally into parts. The ½ mark is in the middle or half thedistance between the start and ending of the inch. The next smaller

equally divided part we have is the ¼ mark. There are 4 of these marksthat make up an inch just like there are 4 quarters that make up a dollar.

If we add these together, ¼ + ¼ + ¼ + ¼ = 4/4 or 1 inch. The same istrue for the next smaller equally divided part 1/8. By counting every

other line, which is the portion that equals 1/8, you’ll count 8 lines.

Adding these lines together you get 8/8 or 1 inch. With the 1/16 markyou count all the lines because each line is 1/16 to the next line. Adding

these lines you get 16/16 or 1 inch.

One thing you need to know about writing measurements

out is that most of the time the words foot and inch are

abbreviated. The abbreviation for a foot is (‘) and theabbreviation for an inch is (“(. So if you just measured the

length of a board and it was 3 feet 10 inches you wouldwrite 3’ 10”.

My head hurts now, can we take a break?Ok, if this is still all a little fuzzy, try this. Go get a piece of notebookpaper. The piece of paper will represent an inch. Fold it in half long

ways and crease the paper, label this as ½”. Take the outside cornersand fold each to the middle or ½” mark, label these as ¼”. Fold the ends

this time to the ¼” line; mark this as 1/8”. Again fold the outside edgesthis time to the 1/8” line and label this 1/16”. You have just done the

same thing as in figure 1; divide a given amount, in this example an inch,

into equal parts.

Many times you will have to measure thingsthat are much longer and wider than 12”,

which is all a typical ruler will measure. That’swhy woodworkers carry a measuring tape. A

measuring tape is much like a ruler only it canbe used to measure much longer distances.

13

One thing to note with measuring tapes is that you’ll notice the end ofthe tape has a hook on the end for holding onto things. The hook will

move back and forth slightly. This is to compensate for the thickness ofthe hook. If the measuring tape didn’t have this feature you would get a

measurement slightly off when you hooked the tape to the edge of aboard or pushed it against the inside of a drawer.

Speed SquareThe speed square can be used to do many things, but the two things it’s

used for more than anything else is to make sure a corner is square or 90(degrees), and to mark lines that are square to an edge by hooking the

flanged side of the square to the edge of a board and drawing a line.

There are 360° in a circle and 180° in a straight line. If we intersect that line with

another line that’s perpendicular, where they meet cuts the 180° in half or 90°.Another way to say that a corner is 90° is to say its “square”.

14

Parallel- Extending in the

same direction and at thesame distance apart atevery point so as never to

meet.

Webster’s New World Dictionary

Combination SquareA combination square is a great tool for the woodworker. It can do

many of the same jobs as the speed square and then some. What’s really

different about the combination square is that the ruler on the square ismoveable. Loosening a knob on the square

allows the ruler to slide to the measurementyou need. You can use the combination squareto draw a line that is parallel to the edge of a

board. This can be very useful when you need

to cut a board down the length of it and youneed a straight line to follow.

15

Activity

1. Once you feel they have the hang of reading a measuring tape

write down five objects in your house and measure these items.Put an A beside the first item a B by the next and so on. Next,

write down the measurements on the other side of the itemslisted, but mix up the order. Put a blank line in front for a place to

put the correct letter. Make a race out of it to see how fast theycan figure out what letter goes with which item.

2. Another activity is to get your kids to make a growth chart

notebook. Using a measuring tape let them measure their feet,hands, arms, and legs and mark this in their growth chart

notebook. Next, with your help, measure how tall each child is,and mark this in their notebook. Put the date beside the

measurements and write in the next date you want to take anothermeasurement. You might want to space it out enough so that the

kids actually see results. (If your kids are like mine, you canprobably take measurements every other day and see that they

have grown!)

16

Items You’ll Need

Safety Glasses

Hammer (10-12oz for smaller

kids 16oz for bigger kids)

Nail set

Roofing Nails for younger kids

and first timers, finish nails forolder kids and seasoned veterans

Scrap Wood (2” x 4”)

Note to Parents

There’s something about a newhammer in a child’s hand thatbrings a grin from ear to ear. But

before we start swinging, somesafety tips are in order. Never usea hammer without safety glasses.

Chips of wood or a missed hit nailcan go flying faster than anyone

can react. Now is a good time toinstill in your child the importance

of safety in the woodshop.

Leverage- Theincreased forceresulting from the use

of a lever (or thehandle of the hammerin our case).

Momentum- Theforce of a movingobject.

Lesson 3

It’s Hammer Time!

A hammer is a simple tool. It’s used to strike things such as nails, nail

sets, and a chisel etc, and pulls those occasional misplaced or bent nailsback out again. But as with all tools there is a correct way to use a

hammer so you’ll get the most out of it. Before we get started keep inmind when using a hammer always put on your safety glasses first.

Using the hammerAt first, most people want to choke-up on the handle,

(move your hand closer to the head of the hammer),

to get more control. However, by doing this you giveup most of your momentum, which is the force that

drives the nail into the wood. Another way to look atit is that the arc that you swing the hammer in is

much smaller if you hold the hammer towards thehead, which takes away your power. If you hold the

hammer’s handle towards the end you increase your arc andthereby increase your momentum. By doing this you combine

the weight of the hammer, with the swinging of your arm andwrist to pound the nail home.

The second operation of your hammer is to pull nails out. At the

opposite end of the face of the hammer is the claw. The claw is forkedand tapers down, as it gets closer to the head. This is to wedge the nail

head in tight so it doesn’t slip out. When pulling a nail out place a blockof wood under the head of the hammer to gain leverage and to

keep from damaging your work surface. With the hammerupside down and the nail wedged between the claw pull

back on the handle towards your chest.

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ArcThe dashed line in the first

picture represents the arcthat the hammer is

traveling in. Notice howthe hand is choked-up on

the hammer’s handle.

The dashed line in thesecond picture also

represents the arc the hammer is traveling in. The first thing you noticeis that the arc in this picture is much larger. That’s because of the

placement of the hand on the handle. You can see in these two picturesjust how much more momentum or force that the larger arc is going to

generate.

Using leverage to pull out a nail

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NailsThere are dozens of different types of nails used for different jobs. And

within each type there are a wide variety of sizes. Look at fig.1 to see

how nails are measured and to learn some of the lingo so you’ll soundlike a pro when you go to the hardware store.

Different Nail Sizes:

This system originated in 15th century England, when the "penny" size determined

what one paid a blacksmith to forge a hundred nails of that size of nail (one paid three

pennies to get a hundred nails of the size called the "3-penny" nail). This price becameobsolete before 1500, but has continued to be so entrenched in convention, that its use

persists to this day. Now we use it primarily as a measure of length (approximate, at

least). We abbreviate the "penny" with the symbol "d", which came from the

"denarius", an early Roman coin.

Next, let’s look at different nails and what they’re used for.

Figure 1 Used by permission from http://www.sizes.com/tools/nails.htm

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The most common nails that you will be using in woodworking are: The

common nail, box nail, roofing nail, finishing nail, and brad nail. Each ofthese has a special purpose.

Head

Shank

Common nails are used more often in the construction of buildings thanin projects like are in this book. That’s because common nails have a

thicker shank and a bigger head and therefore are stronger than theother nails in this group. The extra strength is needed in constructing

things such as walls, floors, and roofs of houses.

Box nails are smaller than common nails both in shank size and head size

and are used in much thinner wood. Because thin pieces of wood caneasily split the tip of box nails have a blunt end which pushes it’s way

through the wood instead of causing cracks.

So can you guess where roofing nails are used? The large heads onroofing nails securely fasten roofing shingles down onto the roof. This is

needed because shingles tear and rip easily. If a nail with a smaller headwas used it would just slip right through the shingle in a strong wind.

Common nail

Box nail

Roofing nail

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Finishing nails are used when the head of the nail needs to be hidden.The nail head is just big enough for a nail set to be used to drive the nail

below the surface of the wood. Putty can be used then to cover up thehole making it nearly invisible. (See activities at end and lesson on

finishing for more on using a nail set.)

Brad nails are even smaller than finishing nails. Because of their small

size they aren’t very strong, but that’s ok because normally they’re usedjust to hold a piece of wood until the glue that has been used dries. You

can really think of brads as tiny clamps. Just like finish nails the head ispushed down beneath the surface of the wood with a nail set and filled

in with wood putty.

Finishing nail

Brad nail

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Activities

1. Now that we know how to hammer, let’s pound some nails. For

younger children use a roofing nail (see nail chart). It has a largehead that is much easier to hit. Grab a piece of 2x4 and using a 1

¼” long nail (a rule of thumb is that the nail should be about 2/3the depth of the piece or pieces of wood it’s going in). Holding

the hammer towards the end of the handle, pinch the nail betweenthe pointer finger and thumb. Tap the nail a couple of times to get

it started. Now here’s how most people new to using a hammerstart out: They just keep on tapping the nails with short swings

because they’re afraid of missing the nail, don’t be. Swing likeyou mean it! Remember what we talked about with swinging the

hammer through a wide arc to increase momentum. Wouldn’tyou rather hit a nail five times to sink it into the wood than

twenty-five times? Sure, in the beginning you may bend a few

nails while you’re getting the hang of it, but so what? You knowhow to pull them back out! One way to make sure that the

hammer face hits the nail head squarely is to have the nail andwood positioned at waist level. This is where the face of thehammer naturally squares up to the head of the nail. Keep

pounding nails until you have the hang of it and feel completely

comfortable using the hammer.

2. In some of the upcoming lessons where nails are used in a project,you may want to fill the nail holes with wood filler (see lesson on

finishing wood). This is so after the project is painted or stainedthe nail holes won’t be visible. In order for the wood filler (putty)

to cover the nail hole completely, you’ll probably have to use anail set to push the head of the nail below the surface of the wood.

Place the tip of the nail set on the head of the nail and strikefirmly. It may take two or three hits to set the nail head below the

surface of the wood. (Note: If you’ve been using roofing nails topractice switch to a regular box or finish nail to practice setting

22

nails. The large head on a roofing nail makes it hard to set belowthe surface of the wood.)

3. Now hammer a few nails in but this time stop short of putting it

all the way into the wood. Using the claw portion of the hammerpull the nails back out. If you need more leverage try putting a

block of wood under the hammer.

23

Items You’ll Need

Handsaw- See text fordeciding which kind to buy

Sturdy work surface

Coping saw

Clamps for holding work

piece securely (see lessonon Step Stool for more on

clamps)

Scrap wood

Safety glasses

Lesson 4

Using Handsaws

Saws have been around ever since man started making things from

wood. He needed a way to cut trees down and then to cut the wood intosmaller more usable pieces, which are the basic uses for handsaws.

Sawing involves two strokes, the push stroke and the

pull stroke. Saws will cut on either the pull or thepush stroke depending on what kind of handsaw it is.

Western saws, or American saws, cut on the pushstroke, Japanese saws cut on the pull stroke.

Western SawsWestern saws have a thicker blade and are less likelyto bend if they get stuck in the wood. Most also have

a traditional handle that the hand fits around likeyou’re shaking

hands with it.Western saws cut on the push stroke

so the sawdust that is generated is

pushed out the back and doesn’tcover up a line that you’re using to

guide the cut. Western saws overalldo take more energy to use than their

Japanese counterpart.

Japanese SawsJapanese saws have a very thin blade.

They cut on the pull stroke, whichstiffens the blade as its being pulled

24

Friction- Rubbing of one object

against another.

Webster’s New World Dictionary

through the wood. If these saws were to cut on the push stroke, theblade would bend. Handles on Japanese saws are barrel shaped and you

grip it like a pole. Since Japanese saws cut on the pull stroke, thesawdust is pulled toward you, which can cover up

a line being used to guide the cut. Japanesesaws overall do take less energy to use because

of their thin blade which causes less friction.

Crosscut and RipsawsTwo other distinctions that handsaws have arewhether they are a crosscut saw or a ripsaw. The differences in these are

the shape of the teeth. The crosscut saw is for cutting across a board(against the grain). Its teeth lean back slightly and are filed at an angle to

form a sharp edge. The ripsaw is for cutting down the length of a board(with the grain). Its teeth are large and filed square to the face of the

blade.

Crosscut Teeth Ripsaw Teeth

Looking at the teeth of the saw you’ll notice that each tooth angles out in

an alternating pattern, one tooth will angle slightly towards the left, andthe next tooth will angle slightly towards the right. This is called the

“set” of the teeth. This angle makes the saw kerf larger than the body ofthe saw preventing it from binding in the wood.

25

Kerf- The slot cut bythe saw blade

Another factor in how the saw cuts is how many teeth per inch or tpi thesaw has. Less teeth and a wider set will cut faster and leave a rougher

edge. More teeth with a narrower set will cut slower but will leave asmoother surface.

Decisions, DecisionsSo which one should I buy? A crosscut saw makes the most sense

because that is the operation that you’ll do the most of in this book.Crosscut saws tend to have a smaller tooth and a set wide enough not to

get stuck in the wood. This is probably the best of both worlds. Nowhow about a western or Japanese saw? In working with my own

children they have learned to use both but seem to naturally reach forthe Japanese saws first. They take some getting use to if you have

already learned to cut with a western saw, but most people catch onquickly. If you can, buy both and let your kids chose. The ryoba, which

is a combination saw with rip teeth along one edge and crosscut teeth onthe other is two saws in one but can be expensive. My kids use a dosuki

style saw that works just fine and is less expensive. One thing to be

Looking down on the set of the teeth of a typical handsaw

26

aware of with these saws is that the blade is difficult to re-sharpen. Mostblades can be replaced.

Now let’s make some sawdust. (Remember to use a soft wood such as

white pine to begin with.)

The first thing to do is to secure the work piece so it doesn’t move.Clamping the piece to a bench or a sawhorse can do this. If you have a

bench with a vise on it, all the better, and if you don’t hang on, we’llbuild you one later on. The main thing to keep in mind is the height of

the work piece. It should be about waist high to be able to get theshoulder and back muscles behind the saw. If the work piece is higher,

you end up using mostly your arm muscles to push and pull the sawthrough the wood, which will wear you out much faster.

If you are right handed, your left foot should be in front of your right

foot about shoulder width apart. The important thing is to be wellbalanced to offset the rocking motion of the push and pull strokes.

Start your kerf cut on the edge furthest away from you. If you’re using a

western saw place the saw teeth that are closest to the handle on theedge of the wood and pull the saw across. This will start a small kerf for

the blade to ride in. You may have to repeat this two or three timesbefore you can start pushing the saw blade through the wood. If you’re

using a Japanese saw you will want to set up the same way except youwill want to set the teeth of the saw on the end of the blade down on the

edge and push through the wood. Depending which type of Japanesesaw you’re using it may be too thin to push through without bending. If

that’s the case simply try pulling the blade through instead. The nicething about Japanese saws is that they usually have small teeth and a lot

of tpi so they’re easy to get started in the wood either way. Whicheverblade you’re using start out with short strokes pulling and pushing.

Once you have the blade moving through the wood without catchingstart using the whole length of the blade. By doing this you let the saw

teeth do most of the work. After you have cut about a quarter of the way

27

Perpendicular- At a rightangle to the surface

(square)

through the wood, start pushing the saw handle down to get more of theteeth cutting across the whole width of the board.

If all has gone well your first time, you’ve done

much better than most. Sawing sometimes takes awhile to catch onto, especially when muscles

become tired. The trick to using a saw well is tokeep the saw moving in a straight line and keeping

the body of the blade perpendicular to the piece you’re cutting. This willcome with practice, so, practice, practice, practice! One way to help keep

your mind on cutting in a straight line is to draw a line across the widthof the board you’re cutting. Start your kerf right on the line and try to

follow it all the way across. If the saw becomes hard to push or pull youknow you’re either not cutting in a straight line or you’re not keeping the

blade perpendicular, or both. Again, this takes practice. Take a break ifyou’re getting tired and come back to it when you feel better. Sawing is

a skill that all woodworkers must master. With time no piece of woodwill be safe in your house!

Coping SawHandsaws are great for cutting straight lines in wood, but what do you

do if you need to cut curves? First, you need a blade that’s narrow andthin so that it doesn’t bind when cutting a curve. Second, the saw would

need to have a way to reach deep into a piece of wood to cut out circlesand different shapes. A coping saw was designed to do all these things.

The teeth on a coping saw are very fine so it leaves a smooth surface,

often times needing no sanding. The blade is held taut by tension of themetal frame. The handle of the coping saw turns to increase or decrease

the tension. The two spigots need to be kept at the same angle. You canmove both spigots together to change the angle at which the blade cuts.

This comes in handy when you need to at an angle but the frame gets inthe way of the work piece. By turning the blade you can keep the coping

saw’s frame out of the way.

28

To change the blade of a coping saw you can loosen the tension byturning the handle and then removing the blade. Or you can place the

far side of the frame against your bench and with the other hand pushwith the handle. This will squeeze the frame releasing the pressure on

the blade. With your other hand slip the blade out from the spigots.You can hold a coping saw in many different angles to cut at the angle

you need. This is what makes the coping saw so versatile. Howeverthere are certain ways to use a coping saw to get the most out of it.

Because the blade is so small it can bend easily and heat up causing it to

weaken. To prevent this, take long strokes at an even pace, sawing toofast will cause the blade to heat up. Just like with the handsaw you need

to keep the blade perpendicular to the work surface. If the blade isdifficult to move through the wood, it’s because the blade is binding (not

cutting perpendicular).

Spigot

29

Activities

1. Using a combination square or a speed square draw a line across a

scrap piece of wood. This line is perpendicular to the edge. Usingyour handsaw try to cut just to the right or left of the line. By

leaving the line instead of cutting right on it you will be able tohave something to follow while you’re cutting. If you’re still

having some difficulty keeping the blade cutting in a straight linetry this trick. Place a board that has a straight edge across this line

and clamp it down. Use this as a reference for keeping the sawgoing in a straight line. It also helps keep the saw blade

perpendicular to the work surface. When you’re done, place thesquare back on the work surface to see how close you came to

staying on the line. Keep practicing until you can cut a straightline that’s perpendicular to the edge of the work piece.

2. Have some fun with your coping saw by drawing some squigglylines or circles and trying to stay on track as you saw. Hold the

saw as in the picture from the coping saw section, and you’llmaster it in no time.

30

Note to ParentsOn using a cordless or electric

drill

I don’t recommend children using a

power drill until they have masteredthe brace and bit drill and are mucholder, and then only under strict

parental supervision. Using asmaller diameter drill bit such as a

1/8” in a cordless drill is safer thanusing a larger diameter bits but

there is still a danger of the bitgrabbing. When a bit grabs (usingan electric drill) it can spin the piece

of wood right off the workbench. Ifthe bit stops turning completely the

drill itself will begin turning and jerkyour wrist which can be verypainful. The way to avoid both of

these situations is to make sure thework piece is clamped securely inplace and to have a firm grip on the

drill’s body with your left hand (ifyou’re right handed) and your right

hand on the trigger.

Lesson 5

Drilling

Drilling holes is something that you’ll do almost as often as using ahandsaw. Obviously there are two things you need to make holes in

wood, a drill and bits. Let’s look at the drill first.

There are many ways and many tools you can use todrill holes. Some are hand powered, some are

powered by electricity, and rechargeable batteriespower others. I highly recommend starting out using

a hand-powered drill such as a hand brace drill. Theyare far less dangerous than the power drills, and are

actually really fun to use.

Using a brace drill is very simple. After you have a

bit secured in the jaws place the tip of the bit on yourmark where you need a hole. Place your left hand onthe head of the drill and, while pushing, put your

right hand on the handle and turn clockwise to drill a

hole. It is much easier to use the brace and bit withthe work piece on the ground or at least below waist

level with a backer piece of wood underneath to keepfrom damaging the bit. By placing it on the ground

you can also place the top handle with your handover it against your chest as

you turn the handle. Thiswill exert more force against

the drill making it cut faster.An alternative way to use

the brace and bit drill is toclamp the work piece in a

Items You’ll Need

Brace (Hand Drill)

Bits

Scrap wood

Clamps

Safety glasses

31

Things to look for in a good brace drill and where to find one.

A good brace will have a universal chuck (will accept any bit with a

square tang), a ratchet mechanize, and a ball-bearing head. Bracedrills come in a range of sizes. The distance that the handle is offset

from the frame is called the swing. The diameter that the handletravels around (twice the swing) is called the sweep. Generally, the

sweep of different size brace drills is in increments of two inches.Most of the ones you’ll find are between 10” to 14”. The smaller sizes

will fit smaller hands much better.There are many places to find a brace drill but the best places will be

antique stores and online auctions. You can find new ones, butthey’ll probably cost more and be of far less quality. Be picky, there’s

a lot of junk out there and there’s not much difference in pricebetween the old rusted ones and the ones in good shape. Twenty

dollars should get you a nice brace drill.

vise that’s about chest high. By doing this you can lean your whole bodyagainst the top handle as you turn the handle. Either way will work fine.

Head

Bow

This distance is called the swingTwice this distance is called the sweep

Handle

Ratchet

Jaws

Fig. 1 Brace drillUsed by permission from the Florida Center for Instructional Technology

32

With power drills there are two basic kinds, electric and cordless.Cordless drills have become very popular over the past few years

because of the convenience of taking them places that a corded drill justcan’t reach. Figure 2 shows a typical cordless drill, an electric drill is

very similar.

Using a power drill is very similar in

some ways to using a brace drill. Oncethe bit is tightened securely in thechuck, place the tip of the drill bit on

your mark and square up the drill to

your work piece. One thing that makesthis easier with the power drills is that

most have a bubble level on top of thedrill. This level will square the bit front

to back, but you’ll still have to payattention to squaring the bit from side to

side. With a firm grip on the drill,slowly squeeze the trigger.

With most power drills the more yousqueeze the trigger the faster the chuck will spin. Fig. 2 A typical cordless drill

Start slowly until the tip of the bit is into the wood.

Some safety tips on using power drills.

1. Bits and chucks spin at a high rate of speed, make sure you’re holding

the drill tight before you squeeze the trigger.2. Role up sleeves and tie long hair back to prevent them from getting

caught in a turning bit.

3. Make sure before you take a bit out or put a new bit in the chuck that

you first unplug the drill.4. Clamp the work piece down to a solid surface to prevent it from

turning as the bit digs into the wood.Always read the instruction manual of your particular drill before it’s used.

33

Let’s look at the different kinds of bits that woodworkers typically use.

Fig. 3 Twist bit

Twist bits are the most common drill bits you’ll find. Most areinexpensive and can be used in either a hand drill or an electric drill.

They can be made out of two different kinds of steel. ‘High speed steel’,which can be used in wood, metal, and plastic, and ‘carbon steel’ which

is ground for drilling into wood. Because carbon steel is more brittlethan high-speed steel they shouldn’t be used for drilling metal and

plastic because of the risk of breaking.

Recently, some manufactures have started coating their bits withTitanium nitride. This gives the bits a distinctive gold color. This

coating increases the hardness of the bit, which is beneficial for drillinginto metal.

Fig. 4 Brad point bit

Brad point bits have a center point that makes it easy to center the bit on

your mark. They also have two spurs on their outer edges that help thebit to travel straight and cut a smooth hole. You may see a bit at your

local hardware store called a ‘bullet point’ bit. These are very similar tobrad points except they do a better job in metal and plastics. Either of

these bits can be used in a hand drill or electric drill.

Fig. 5 Forstner bit

Forstner bits are used when a large flat bottom hole is needed. These

should only be used with a power drill.

34

Fig. 6 Paddle bit or spade bit

Paddle bits are used to make a hole similar to the forstner bit, but theydon’t cut as cleanly.

Fig. 7 Masonry bit

Masonry bits are used for drilling into block, brick, stone, tile, or

concrete. Because of the hardness of the material that masonry bits areused in they are best suited for power drills.

Fig. 8 Auger bit

The auger bit is great for making medium to large size holes in wood.

With its chisel like cutting edges, the auger bit cuts a clean flat-bottomed

hole, much like the spade bit and forstner bit. The deep flutes on anauger bit pull the chips and dust up out of the hole it’s cutting, making it

ideal for cutting deep holes. Because of the pulling action of this bitwhen it contacts wood, it’s best to only use it in a hand drill.

Fig. 9 Hole saw

Hole saws are used for cutting large diameter holes in wood or plastic.These are best used in power drills at slow speeds.

35

Activities

1. First you need to practice drilling holes straight. This sounds

easy, and it will become that way, but only with practice. Whenusing the hand brace, you’re putting downward pressure on the

head. It can become easy to lean the drill forward or backward orside to side. To prevent this, and become accustomed to what it

feels like to have the bit going in perpendicular to the work

surface, have a friend stand behind you and look down the drill tolet you know when you’re getting off. Once you’ve done thisenough times you’ll be able to tell on your own when the bit is not

perpendicular. So chuck up a smaller size bit to begin with (1/4”

would be good) and start practicing on a scrape piece of wood.2. Here’s something fun to try. Print your name on a sign like

“Katie’s Room”, or “Nick’s Tools”, in big letters on a piece ofwood. Use your brace and bit to drill holes along the letters

leaving a space in-between the holes of about a ¼”. Be creativeand make up your own signs. A word of caution here, signs like

“No brothers Allowed”, or “Keep Out”, may not be appreciatedby your parents or your little brother/sister.

36

Peg Game

37

Items You’ll Need

¾”x 2 ½”x 5 ½” piece ofwood

Hand brace drill

3/16” twist bit

Handsaw

Clamps

Golf tees

Speed square

Measuring tape

Safety glasses

Lesson 6

The Peg Game

Here’s a fun and challenging game that’s small enough to take with you

just about anywhere. Make several to put around the house and in yourparent’s cars so when you find yourself bored a quick game is always at

hand.

Now let’s put some of those skills you’ve been working onlike measuring, using the speed square, the brace drill, and

sawing to good use. Find a piece of wood that’s ¾” thick 2½” wide and 5 ½” long or another way of writing the same

measurement is ¾”x 2 ½”x 5 ½”. If you need to cut it downto size mark your lines, put on your safety glasses, grab your

handsaw and get busy. Using your speed square draw aline down the center at 2 ¾”. Now draw a line from the top

of the centerline to the right bottom corner. Do the same forthe left side. Your piece of wood should look like figure 1.

Fig. 1 2 ¾”

2 ½”

5 ½”

38

Pick up your measuring tape and hook the end to the bottom of thetriangle shape near the centerline. At ¼” place a mark on the centerline

and at the ¾”, 1 ¼”, 1 ¾”, and 2 ¼”. With your speed square orcombination square draw lines across the length of the board at these

marks. It should look like figure 2.

Fig. 2

Turn the piece around and mark these distances across the length of the

triangle at ¾”, 1 ¼”, 1 ¾”, 2 ¼”, 3 ¼”, 3 ¾”, 4 ¼” and 4 ¾”. It should looklike figure 3.

Fig. 3

39

Now our piece is ready to mark for placement of the holes. Use thepicture below as a guide. Make sure the marks all line up as in figure 4

before you go to the next step.

Fig. 4

Ok, now get ready to drill your holes. From the lesson on drilling wetalked about the two easiest ways to drill holes with a hand brace; on the

floor with a scrap piece underneath or held in place by clamps or a benchvise about chest high as in figure 5. Pick which way is best for you and

get set up. Now we have to decide what diameter bit to use. If you’regoing to use golf tees, as

in the picture at the front

of the lesson, then a 3/16”twist bit should workperfectly. You want the

tees tight enough to not

fall out when the game ispicked up but not so

tight that they’re hard topull out. Use a scrap

piece of wood to test thefit with what ever you

decide to use as pegsfirst before drilling into

your game piece. Fig. 5 Using hand brace in vise

40

Were not ready quiet yet to drill the holes. There’s one more thing weneed to know that we’ve not talked about. Can you guess what it is? We

don’t know how deep to drill our holes! If we drill holes all the waythrough the pegs will fall out the bottom, but if we don’t drill deep

enough the pegs won’t hold and they’ll fall over. Well, we did someexperimenting with our peg games and found that we needed to drill

about a ½” deep hole into our ¾” board in order for the pegs to fitsnuggly. Here’s a trick to make sure all your holes turn out to be a ½”

deep. Lay your bit across the depth of the board and measure down ½”.Wrap a piece of tape around the bit where the bit hits the top of the

board. Stop drilling when the piece of tape reaches the top of the hole.Figure 6 shows how to set the depth.

Fig. 6 Setting depth of hole to drill

Drill your holes and check the fit with the pegs you’ve chosen. Are allthe tops of the pegs the same height? If not you may have to go back

and check to make sure all the holes are drilled to the correct depth.

41

Waste side

Cut line Cut line

Fig. 7

Next the corners of the triangle need to be cut off. The lines for this arealready drawn on your piece. Clamp the work piece to a sturdy bench or

table with the waste side out over the edge. (See figure 8)

Now, all that’s left to do

is to sand the piece andapply your favorite color

of paint. Read lesson 7on finishing to learn

some tricks of the tradeto make your projects

look the best they can.After all, you’ve spent a

lot of time and effortbuilding; you want it to

look its best when yougo to show it off to all

your friends.Fig. 8

42

Note to Parents

Block planes when, usedresponsibly, are safe tools,

but they can cause a painfulcut on a careless finger.

Children should never usetheir fingers to check to seeif the blade is sharp.

Instruct them to use a pieceof paper run along the

length of the blade. If theblade is sharp, it will haveno difficultly slicing the

paper.

Lesson 7

Using a Block Plane

There are many different kinds of hand planes that

woodworkers have available to help them work wood.Some of the larger ones are used to flatten wood, medium

size planes are usually all purpose hand planes and thesmaller ones are used for detail work like making wood

smooth and ready for finish. There are still many otherspecialized hand planes that can do some amazing things,

but one hand plane is used more than all the others bywoodworkers; and that’s the block plane.

Let’s get familiar with the block plane by looking at its

different parts. (See figure 1).

Cutter Lock Lever

Lever Cap Depth Adjustment NutMouth

Adjustment Knob

Mouth Lateral AdjustmentAdjustment Body Lever

Lever CutterMouth

Plate

Things You’ll Need

A block plane with a sharpblade

Several pieces of scrap woodabout ¾” x 12”

43

Where to Find a Block Plane

Block planes can be found in

many different tool catalogs andhome improvement warehouses.

They can range in price from $40to $150 or more. You do get

what you pay for, but for kids touse, the less expensive onesmake more sense. These planes

can work very well with someminor adjustments. There areseveral good books on tuning a

plane and sharpening blades. Irecommend you check one out at

the library or buy one from yourfavorite bookstore.

First let me say that the picture in figure 1 is a typical block plane. Everymanufacturer has its own design. The block plane you have may look

somewhat different than the one in figure 1 but the basic operation willbe the same.

Body:The body is usually made from cast iron because

it’s tough and adds weight to the block plane, whichhelps it cut smoother.

Cutter:

The cutter is made from steel, which is groundto a sharp bevel at the end to shave the wood

fibers as it’s pushed across the wood’s surface.This makes the long curly pieces of wood.

Lateral Adjustment Lever:

This lever is used to adjust the cutter side to side. Its purpose is tomake sure the sharp bevel that sticks out below the sole of the

plane (the bottom) is parallel to the mouth. (See figure 2)

Fig. 2

Cutter isn’t parallel to mouth Cutter is square and parallel to mouth

44

Depth Adjustment Nut:Turning this nut adjusts the depth of cut. For a fine cut, turn the

nut until the blade just drops below the surface of the sole. For adeeper cut, have more of the blade below the surface of the sole.

Don’t use your fingers to gauge this adjustment. Hold the planeupside down and at eye level to see how much of the blade is

below the sole of the plane. (See figure 3)

Fig. 3

Lever Cap:Sitting on top of the cutter, the lever cap holds the cutter in place

once you have made your adjustments. It is also shaped to fit intothe palm of your hand. We’ll talk more on this later.

Cutter Lock Lever:

This lever can be loosened to make small adjustments in the depth

of cut or in the lateral adjustment of the blade without taking thelever cap all the way off.

Mouth Adjustment Lever Knob:

The mouth of a plane is the opening in the sole that the bladecomes through. Some planes have an adjustable mouth plate that

can be adjusted with this knob to close the opening down whichwill cause the plane to take a very thin shaving, or to open the

45

mouth up to take a thicker shaving when a lot of wood needs tobe removed.

Mouth Adjustment Lever:

This is what moves the mouth plate in order to open or close themouth of the plane

Ok, we’ve looked at the parts of a block plane; now let’s look at how to

actually use one. First, we need to know how to hold the block plane.You can hold block planes in one hand, which is very helpful in cramped

spaces, or it can be used with both hands. Figure 4 shows three differentways to hold a block plane.

Fig. 4

When holding a block plane with one hand, the lever cap should fit into

the palm of your hand with your thumb on one side and your indexfinger on the other side. Work with this basic position until the plane

feels comfortable in your hand. Sometimes you need more control of theplane, when taking a deeper cut or planing across end grain of a board

for example. To do this, hold the lever cap in the palm of your dominanthand (the one you use the most) as before and with your other hand;

hold the mouth adjustment lever knob.

Are you ready to make some of those long curls of wood with your block

plane? Then read on!

46

Fig. 5 Tear out

Fig. 6 Using a backer board

Activities

1. The reason that a block plane is picked up most often is to

smooth out the end grain on a board. If you’ve ever looked ata tree stump with all the growth rings around it, you’re

looking at the tree’s end grain. It usually shows up on theends of boards and is very hard. Adjust your block plane to

take a thin cut with very little of the blade below the plane’ssole. Clamp a piece of wood with the end grain facing up onto

the side of your workbench or into a vise. One thing to takenote of before we start is that because we’re planing end grain

the wood fibers are sticking straight up, so planing across theend of the board will cause the wood to split away at the far

corner, (see figure 5). There are several solutions to thisproblem. One is to clamp a backer board at the same height of

your work piece to support the wood fibers. (See figure 6).You can also plane half way across

the board then turn the piece aroundand plane the other half. With the

plane being held with both hands,start with just the very front of the

plane on the end grain. Pushingdown with your hand on

the front knob begin pushing the

plane across the end grain. Pay closeattention to keeping the plane’s sole

flat on the edge of the board.

2. Woodworkers also use block planesto cut chamfers. Chamfers are a flat

surface made by cutting off the edgeor corner of a block of wood.

Chamfers are mostly used for looksand feel. If you rub your hand

across a piece of furniture that has a

47

sharp edge on it and then over one that has a slight chamferyou’ll notice a big difference. Making a chamfer along the

edge of a board is pretty simple. Tilt your plane at an angleand move it along the board in a straight line. Keep the plane

at the same angle down the entire length of the board for evenchamfers. (See fig. 7) Practice this on a scrap piece of wood at

least 12” long until you get consistent chamfers. This alsomakes some really long curls! Chamfering end grain is done a

little different. To get smoother results plane the chamfer upand down instead of across. (See fig. 8)

Fig. 7 Chamfering Fig. 8 Chamfering end grain

3. The next thing we’ll look at doing with our block plane is

shaping a curve. Woodworkers use curves in their work formany reasons. Sometimes it’s just to add a different look to a

piece of furniture. But sometimes its how a piece is puttogether such as in guitars or boats. Again find a piece of

scrap wood that’s at least 12” long and ¾” thick. On the endgrain draw a slight curve like the one in figure 9. Draw the

same curve on the other end as well. If you have a hard timedrawing the same curve on both ends cut

out a curve on a piece of constructionpaper. Trace the pattern on one end then

flip it over and trace the same pattern onthe other end. Using your block plane,

remove the wood up to your line. If thiswere for a project you would then use

sandpaper to remove the flat spots and

smooth it all together. Fig. 9

48

Note to Parents

Sanding wood can produce a lot of

dust. Sometimes you don’t evenrealize how much until you lookaround and everything is covered in a

film of dust. This dust is also beingbreathed in and can cause damage toyour lungs. Wearing a dust mask is a

simple thing to do to protect yourself.They can be found inexpensively at

most home improvement warehouses.Wearing a dust masks is especiallyimportant if your child has allergies

and/or asthma. Consult yourphysician if your child has any

breathing problems.

Things You’ll Need

Sandpaper in the followinggrits: 80, 100, 120, 150,and, 180.

Brushes: Natural and

synthetic

Pick a finish or two you

want to try

Dust mask

A project or two that you’ve

completed and want tofinish or just some scrapwood to practice on.

Lesson 8

Finishing

Finishing a project is just that, finishing it. But here we’re talking about

what you do to a project once all the building is complete to make it looknice and to protect the wood. You have many options to choose from

depending on what you want the final project to look like and what itwill be used for. Don’t worry we’ll help you choose the best one.

SandingNo matter which finishing process you choose, they allhave one thing in common, sanding. Actually, that last

statement isn’t entirely true. Furniture makers have notalways had sandpaper to prepare the wood’s surface

for finish. So what did they use? Hand planes did the

job for craftsmen for hundreds of years before theinvention of sandpaper. Hand planes, bigger than theblock plane we looked at earlier, create a very smooth

surface and if done skillfully, can leave a better looking

surface than sandpaper can. So why doesn’t everyonestill use hand planes? Because using hand planes well

takes practice. It’s not that they’re hard to learn but itdoes take time. Sandpaper is much easier to learn to use. Hopefully in a

future book we’ll look at using hand planes because it’s a skill that’sworth learning.

Sanding can be done by hand or with machines

like orbital sanders. Orbital sanders can remove alot a wood quickly but they can blow a lot of dust

into the air too. We’ll just be looking at handsanding in this lesson because it’s the best place to

start. Almost all projects require some hand

49

Orbital sander

sanding so you need to know how to do it correctly, besides orbitalsanders really are best used on flat surfaces only and they’re a lot more

expensive than a sheet of sandpaper.

So why do we need to sandthe wood, especially if we’re

not going to put anything elseon the piece like paint, wax,

etc…? The problem is that alltools used in cutting or

shaping wood leave theirmarks. You may not even

notice it at first until you pickit up and feel unevenness in

places or the light hits it injust the right way and you see

saw marks. If all that doesn’tconvince you get two pieces you’ve built, sand one and leave the other

untouched. You be the judge of which one looks better! And the toolmarks will be even more obvious if you use a finish, which will highlight

once unseen flaws.

Types of SandpaperSandpaper is made up of abrasive grits that are glued to a piece of paper.These grits are designated with a number. Lower numbers mean a

coarser (rougher) grit; higher numbers use smaller or finer grit. Thereare three types of grit that you’re likely to see in stores: garnet,

aluminum oxide, and silicon carbide.

Garnet is a natural mineral and is the less expensive but the quickestwearing of the three. Garnet comes in grits ranging from 80 to 220.

Aluminum oxide is a man-made abrasive. It is more expensive but lasts

longer so the extra expense may be worth it. Aluminum oxide comes in

grits ranging from 80 to 1200.

50

Silicon carbide is usually used to sand a hard finish that has beenapplied to a piece to level it out. An example of a hard finish would be

polyurethane, which we’ll talk about later. Silicon carbide is easy todistinguish from other sandpaper because of its black color. The glue

used to apply the silicon carbide to the paper is waterproof. This meansthat it can be used to sand a finish that is still wet. Usually Silicon

carbide is used just in the finer grits.

With grits from 60 to 1200 and up it would take all day to sand a smallproject if we used every one available. Good news! You usually only

needs to use a few to get the results you’re after.

Which Grits to UseDeciding on the first grit to start with is hard. The first grit needs to becoarse enough to scratch out the worst marks on the wood but not too

coarse that it ends up causing more damage to the wood than the marksyou’re trying to remove. Usually 80 to 100 grit is a good place to start.

The only way to know for sure is to start out with one and if it doesn’tseem to be removing the marks on the wood without a lot of effort step

down to the next grit. Now, the next grit doesn’t have to work as hard asthe first. All the next grit has to do is remove the scratches left behind by

the last grit used and so on. Grits to normally use are: 80 or 100 then120, 150, 180. In most circumstances, grits over 180 are used to polish or

level an existing hard finish.

How to SandWhen sanding a flat surfaceyou need something flat for

the sandpaper to be placedon. The simplest thing to

use is a block of wood. Apiece of wood that is about

1”thick 2 ½” deep and 3 ½”long will work great.

Chamfer the edges withyour block plane so the Sanding block

51

sharp edges don’t cut through the sandpaper. Figure 1 shows how totear a sheet of sandpaper into sections that will fit your sanding block.

First fold the sandpaper into thirds as shown.

After you’ve torn the sandpaper into thirds, take one piece and fold it

down the center crease where the side with the grit is exposed (see figure2). Now just fold the edges up around the side of your block.

Fig. 2 Folding sandpaper

Fig. 1 Tearing sandpaper

52

Sometimes it’s best just to use your fingers

Now how about areas of a project that aren’t flat? Sometimes using your

fingers work best. You can feel the shape of the wood under thesandpaper and this helps control how much pressure to apply.Something else that does a great job on curves or round parts or other

irregular shapes is a sanding

sponge (see figure 3). Thesecan be found at home

improvement warehouses andare nothing more than sponges

with abrasives glued to theoutside.

After the wood’s surface has

been sanded and all the dusthas been removed it’s ready for

Fig. 3 Using a sanding sponge

53

Note to Parents

Most all products used to finishwood have an odor to them. Someare even flammable. Read the label

of all products to understand theprecautions that the manufacturer

recommends. It’s always best towait for a pretty day to finish your

projects outdoors. Also, paint andother finishes put on with a brushcan easily splatter into unprotected

eyes; always wear safety glasseswhen there’s a chance thatsomething can accidentally get into

eyes.

some protection. This protection can come in many different forms.Here are the ones that we’ll be looking at: Paint, oil, stain, wax, and

finish.

PaintPaint is used when you want to add some color toyour projects. The only limit with the color

combinations that you can use is your

imagination. Paint come in two basic types:Water base and oil base. Water base is best

because it doesn’t have a strong smell and you canclean up spills and brushes with water. Look for

paint that says latex on the label. This means itswater based. For a tougher finish use latex

enamel.

Latex comes in three different sheens. A high-gloss, which will makeyour project shinny, semi-gloss, can be used if you want just a little bit of

shine and flat paint for no shine. Also, if you’re painting an outsideproject chose an exterior latex paint, it will hold up much longer.

BrushesBefore we go further, let’s take a moment to talk about brushes. Brushes

come in many different shapes and sizes. Use the correct size brush foryour project. A large brush on a small project means you’re going to

have a mess on your hands, literally, and using a small brush on a bigproject will take much longer than it should.

Bristle brushes come in natural and synthetic. Natural bristle brushes

are actually hair from an animal usually a pig or badger. Natural bristlebrushes are used with oil and solvent -based paints and finishes.

54

Synthetic brushes, usually nylon, are used with water-based productsbecause water won’t cause the bristles to lose their shape, unlike natural

bristle brushes.

Foam brushes, although technicallynot a brush, have become popular

lately. They are basically a spongewith a handle. Typically foam

brushes are used with water-basedfinishes. Oil or solvent-based finishes

will cause the glue used to hold thesponge to the handle to dissolve.

Foam brushes are cheap and meant tobe disposed of after one or two uses.

StainsStains are used when you want to add some color to the wood without

covering up the wood’s grain. Stains come in many different colors. Thesame color stain can color one kind of wood a light color and a different

kind of wood a dark color. This is because the way stains color wood isby getting into the pores of the wood. The bigger and more numerous

the pores the darker the stain is able to color the wood. The smaller thepores, the less the stain is able to penetrate the wood, so the lighter it

stains.

Stains are oil-based products so they can’t be cleaned up with water.Have you heard the saying: Oil and water don’t mix? We’ll its true!

Stains that have been put on with brushes need to be cleaned up withsolvents like mineral spirits or turpentine. Buy the low odor kind; it’s

worth the extra money. To clean brushes, pour enough mineral spiritsinto a metal can or glass jar to cover the top of the bristles on your brush.

Let it soak a while to get all the stain out between the bristles. Next,shake the excess solvent out onto some old newspapers or rags. Take the

brushes to a sink and wash it well with soap and water. Stand the brush

on end to allow the excess water to drip out. Stains only color wood;

55

they don’t offer any protection. Any time you use a stain you shouldfollow up with a finish.

Stains come in two different thicknesses. Most stains are very thin,

almost like water. These are fine for many projects especially if you havea lot of flat horizontal surfaces. But if you have a lot of vertical surfaces

then you could use a gel stain. A gel stain is just that, stain that is verythick, just like a gel. The advantage to this is it won’t run down a vertical

surface like regular stain will so it’s less messy. Gel stains typically stainmore evenly (no light and dark spots) than liquid stains but less dark

because they aren’t soaked up into the wood pores.

FinishFinish is used to protect wood from wear and tear and moisture. Thereare hundreds of products on the market sold as finishes so we’ll just look

at the most common.

OilsOils are used to bring a “warm” look to the wood. There are two

common types of oils: Linseed oil and tung oil. Linseed oil is derivedfrom the flax plant. Look for boiled linseed oil; it dries much faster than

raw linseed oil. Apply linseed oil with a rag and allow for it to sit for 30minutes to an hour. Go back and wipe off any excess oil remaining. The

label will tell when the piece should be dry enough for use.

Read the label carefully. If rags are used to apply linseed oil (which isthe easiest way) they should be laid out to dry and not wadded up and

left to dry. As linseed oil dries, it produces heat. If rags are wadded upand the heat builds they can catch on fire. Just make sure the rags are

spread all the way out on a concrete floor away from open flames oroutside in the grass until completely dry.

Tung oil is derived from the nut of the tung tree, which grows in Asia

and South America. Tung oil and linseed oil are similar in how they willmake wood look. Tung oil is a little better in protecting against moisture

56

than linseed oil. But that’s not saying much, neither oil has waterproofqualities like our next finish: Varnish

VarnishesClear varnishes are an excellent choice when a project is going to have tostand up to a lot a wear and tear or come into contact with moisture.

Varnishes dry into a hard finish that protects wood very well. Varnishesfor outside use are called marine varnishes, spar varnishes or exterior

varnishes. The most common interior varnish is called polyurethane.Polyurethane varnish comes in an oil-based and water-based finish. The

water based is the way to go. It’s easier to clean up, (simple soap andwater), and doesn’t have the strong odor that you get with oil-based

varnish. You can apply polyurethane with a synthetic bristle brush or afoam brush. Some manufactures have come out with a “wipe on poly”.

It’s basically just a thinned down version of the brush on kind. The drawback to using wipe on poly is it only puts on a very thin coat so it could

take several coats to equal one brushed on coat of polyurethane varnish.

Another type finish that is very popular is “Danish oil”. Danish oil is amixture of oil and varnish. It’s more protective than oil alone but not as

protective as varnish alone.

WaxesWaxes are used when you’re looking for something to add a little shinebut keep the wood close to its natural color. However, waxes provide

little protection so they should be reserved for decorative objects that arejust to look at. Waxes come in different colors as well. Use the cream-

colored waxes for light woods like pine, maple and poplar and darkerwaxes for darker woods like oak and walnut.

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Activities

This one is easy. Find a project that you’ve been working on and need to

finish. Figure out what the project is going to be used for. Is it going tobe played with a lot or sit on a shelf to be admired? Do you want it to be

colorful or just add some protection? Will it be exposed to the weather?

All these things need to be considered in order to figure out the best wayto protect your prized project. Once you’ve decided on what type of

finish you will use, go back and reread that section of this lesson. Also, if

you have any questions about the best way to apply your finish, glanceback over the section on brushes.

Make sure if you go with a solvent or oil-based finish that you have

some mineral spirits on hand for cleaning up.

Now go dress up that project!

58

Crosscut Box

59

Things You’ll Need

Measuring tape

Handsaw

Hammer

1” x 6” x 12” Pine

1” x 4” x 2’ Pine

Speed square

Combination square

Clamps

4d finish nails

Glue

Lesson 9

Cross-Cut Box

Here’s a jig that you’ll find yourself using on just about every project in

this book. No, I’m not talking about dancing a jig. A jig inwoodworking is anything that helps you hold a piece of wood so you

can cut it more safely and/or more efficiently.

The cross-cut box you are about to build will helpyou cut to length boards at a perfect right angle

every time up to 5 ½” wide or a typical 1”x 6”. Nomore having out-of-square boards or having to

place a guide block next to your cut line!

Step 1Take your 1x6 and measure off 12” for the base.Then draw a right angle line with your speed

square or combination square to guide your sawcut.

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Remember!

Rip means to cutdown the length

of a board,Crosscut means

to cut across thewidth of a board.

Step 2Next you need to cut the two sidepieces to size. We

made ours 3 ½” wide. You can either buy a 1x4 pieceof pine for this or, like we did, rip part of a 1x6 down

to the 3 ½” size with your handsaw. Crosscut them tothe same length that you cut the base.

Step 3Now we need a way to mark both sidepieces in the exact same place nearthe middle. Why? So when we put our jig together we will already have

a mark that will show us a perpendicular line (or square) to the base.This line will mark where our saw kerf will be for future cuts. This is

how we’ll get square cuts every time using this jig.

The easiest way to do this is by drawing a line down both sidepieces atthe same time. Line up your sides so that the ends are even with each

61

other. Using your combination squaredraw a line down the width, don’t worry

about measuring to get the exact centerfor your mark, just eyeball it.

Step 4Spread some glue along the edge of the

base piece and make sure that the endsare all even. Using 4d (1 ½”) finish nails,

four per side, put the jig together.

WARNING: Getting the giggles while hammering can be hazardous to nails!

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Step 5Now that the jig is

together the kerf needs

to be cut. In order tostart square it’s best to

bring our line that’s onthe sides up on theedges. With your speed

square continue the line

up to the edges.

This next step is important! Using your handsaw cut the kerf on bothsides at the same time as shown in the picture. Stay right on the line, if

you get off your kerf won’t be square to your base so the boards you cutusing the jig won’t be square either. Stop cutting when you get to the

base, you don’t want to cut your jig in two pieces!

If after you’ve cut the kerf you look down and see that you didn’t stay onyour line, don’t panic, you don’t have to scrap all this hard work and

start over. Draw another line and start over. Make sure that the linesdown the sides are square and try again. Just make sure that you move

the line over at leastan inch or two away

from your originalcut. Remember it

doesn’t matter thatthe line isn’t right in

the middle.

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Step 6Now let’s see how well you did. Find a scrap piece of wood and using

your speed square mark a cut line across the width. Next, align your

mark with the saw kerf in the jig. Clamp the scrap and the jig at thesame time to your workstation.

Cut the scrap piece in two. Now, here’s the true test. Take the scrappieces and with your combination square check to see if they are square.

If so, your jig is done. You can be confident that anytime you use it

you’ll have perfectlysquare edges.

64

Birdhouse

65

Things You’ll Need

(1) 1” x 6” x 4’ pine. Most

places won’t have lumber in 4’lengths, if not buy the 1x6x6’length. Save the waste to use

on another project.

Crosscut box

Handsaw

Brace drill

1 ¼” auger or paddle bit

3/8” twist bit

3/8” dowel

Combination square

Speed square

Measuring tape

Lesson 10

Birdhouse

I don’t think it’s possible to be a woodworker and not build a birdhouseat some point. I still remember my first birdhouse that I built when I

was a kid. I think the reasons that birdhouses are so popular is there areso many different kinds you can build, it’s really cool to see wild life up

close, and they’re really fun to build!

The one thing you need to keep in mind whenbuilding a birdhouse is who is going to use it? This

seems obvious doesn’t it? But many birdhouses thatyou see in stores, especially the really fancy ones, are

made to decorate your home more than they are ahome for birds. That’s because no consideration has

been made for the bird’s needs in a house. Differentbirds require different birdhouses. Some like four

walls for a house, some just a ledge to build a nest on.Some like the entrance hole to be high above the

floor, some close to it. Most birds like the entrancehole large enough to get into, but small enough to

keep predators and larger birds out.

So, some planning is in order. If you have a

particular kind of bird you would like to nest in yourbirdhouse you have to make the birdhouse for that

species of bird. Below you’ll find a list of birds andthe dimensions that they prefer in a birdhouse.

66

Birdhouse Dimensions for Nesting Birds

Bird

Species

Interior

SizeDepth

Entrance

Size

Entrance

Above

Floor

Height

Above

Ground

Habit Bird Prefers

EasternBluebird

5" x 5" 8" 1 1/2" 6" 5-10 ft.

Brushy borders near openareas

like pastures - no tallundergrowth.

WesternBluebird

5" x 5" 8" 1 1/2" 6" 5-10 ft.Open forests, favorsponderosa pine.

Black-cappedChickadee

4" x 4" 8-10" 1 1/8" 6-8" 5-15 ft.Brushy borders and

forests.

CarolinaChickadee

4" x 4" 8-10" 1 1/8" 6-8" 5-15 ft.Brushy borders andsoutheastern forests.

HouseFinch

6" x 6" 6" 2" 4" 8-12 ft.Bottom lands, canyons,suburbs, and ranches.

Song

Sparrow6" x 6" 6"

All Sides

Open--- 1-3 ft.

Brushy borders and

wood margins.

BarnSwallow

6" x 6" 6"One ormore

sides open--- 8-12 ft. Areas near farms.

PurpleMartin

6" x 6" 6" 2 1/2" 1"15-20ft.

Open areas and cut overforests

where nest sites are

available.

AmericanRobin

6" x 8" 8"Threesides

open

--- 6-15 ft.Open areas with scattered

trees and shrubs.

WhiteBreasted

Nuthatch

4" x 4" 8-10" 1 1/4" 6-8" 5-20 ft. Deciduous woodlands.

Red BreastedNuthatch

4" x 4" 8-10" 1 1/4" 6-8" 5-20 ft. Coniferous forests.

TuftedTitmouse

4" x 4" 8-10" 1 1/4" 6-8" 6-15 ft.Eastern deciduouswoodlands.

DownyWoodpecker

4" x 4" 8-10" 1 1/4" 6-8" 6-20 ft.Open woodland, orchards,farmlands, and urban

areas.

67

Common

Flicker7" x 7"

16-

18"2 1/2" 14-16" 6-20 ft.

Around large trees in openwoodlands,

fields, and meadows.

HairyWoodpecker

6" x 6"12-15"

1 1/2" 9-12"12-20ft.

Nests in live trees in openwoodlands and forests.

RedheadedWoodpecker

6" x 6"12-15"

2" 9-12"12-20ft.

Open areas--farmyards,field edges,

dead snags with lushgroundcover.

PileatedWoodpecker

8" x 8"12-30"

3-4" 10-12"12-20ft.

Mature forest areas.

Red-belliedWoodpecker

6" x 6"12-14"

2 1/2" 10-12"12-20ft.

Common in southeasternforests.

Bewick'sWren

4" x 4" 6-8" 1" 1-6" 6-10 ft.Farmyards, brush lands,

fencerows,and suburbs.

CarolinaWren

4" x 4" 6-8" 1 1/8" 1-6" 6-10 ft.Forests with thickunderbrush.

HouseWren

4" x 4" 6-8" 1" 1-6" 6-10 ft.Brushy borders and edge

habitat.

*Wood

Duck

10 1/2" x 10

1/2"24" 3" ellip. 20"

10-25

ft.

Bottomland hardwoodforests

near water.

*Common

Merganser11" x 11" 34" 4 3/4" 20"

10-15

ft.

Cool, clear waters ofnorthern

or western forests.

*Add wood shavings or sawdust at a 2" or 3" depth inside the box on the floor.

Reprinted by permission from http://my.pclink.com/%7Erlovgren/house.htm

Use the table above as a guide. These dimensions don’t have to be exact.Just because you build a birdhouse the correct size for a particular bird

and place it in an ideal environment doesn’t mean that a different species

of bird may not take a fancy to such a fine home and set up housekeeping.

The birdhouse below has an interior space of 4 x 6 inches and an

entrance hole size of 1 ¼”, which is a good size for many of the smaller

68

birds listed above. Feel free to change any of the dimensions below tobetter suit the species of bird you’re trying to attract.

You can build this birdhouse from one 1”x 6”x 6’ piece of pine.

Remember the symbols for inches (“) and feet (‘). Also, the truedimensions or nominal size of our 1” x 6” is ¾”x 5 ½”. So any time you

see the width listed as 5 ½” you won’t have to cut down the width tosize, only the length.

(2) Sides- ¾”x 5 ½”x 6”

(2) Ends- ¾”x 5 ½” x 8 ¼”(1) Bottom- ¾”x 4”x 6”

(1) Right side roof- ¾”x 5 ½”x 9”(1) Left side roof- ¾”x 4 ¾” x 9”

Step 1Lay out the 1 x 6 by marking the dimensions with your measuring tape,

speed square, and pencil. Use chalk to mark (on the board) what eachpiece will be used for before you cut it free. It will be much easier to put

the birdhouse together without having to measure a piece again to seewhat part it is or even worse, getting the pieces mixed up and putting

the birdhouse together wrong.

69

The only piece that has to be cut down to a smaller width is the left sideof the roof. The left side of the roof has to be narrower because the right

side of the roof will overlap it. We need to take ¾” off the width of theleft roof piece. This will give us a finished width of 4 ¾”. A good way to

mark this off is with the combination square. Set the length at 4 ¾” andwith the square riding along the edge of the piece and a pencil marking

the line on the end of the ruler, slidethe combination square and the pencil

together down the length of the leftroof piece, (See picture above). You

now have marked a line to showwhere you need to saw. Clamp the

cross cutting box to your work surfaceand cut all the parts to length.

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Important!

Double check your measurements

before you cut each piece from the1x6. If your cuts get off the mark at

all that will mean that the next piecewill be too short or too long.

Here’s a saying that woodworkershave used for years to remindthemselves to be sure of a

measurement before cutting:

Measure twice, cut once

Step 2Next, the front and back angles for the roof need to

be cut. Cut the back piece first before you doanything to the front piece, I’ll show you why later.

Find the center point on the width of the boardwhich is 2 ¾” and place a mark. Now measuredown 2 ¾” on each side and place a mark. Draw a

line from the center point to each point on the sides.

(See picture below). Clamp a guide piece on theline and cut the corners off.

71

Lay the back piece you just cut on top of the front piece and trace theangles to the front piece. The reason that we didn’t cut both pieces at

once is that if while cutting the back piece you got off the mark just alittle it won’t matter. As long as both front and back have the same

angles the roof will sit flat. Cut the front piece the same way you did forthe back.

72

Step 3The entrance hole needs to be cut out next. Find the center of the front

piece and using a ruler mark the center point for your birdhouse. Our

entrance hole is 6” up from the bottom and is 1 ¼” in diameter. Go backand look at the chart at the beginning of the lesson and adjust yours to

whatever size you need.

Drill the hole for the entranceusing a bench vise to hold the

piece or clamp it to yourworkbench with a scrap

backer piece underneath.

73

Friction- The rubbing ofone object or surfaceagainst another.

Step 4Without using any

glue simply put the

pieces together tomake sure everything

fits. This is called dryfitting. It’s better tofind any problems

now than after you

have the project halfbuilt! After you’re

comfortable with howeverything fits

together glue and nailthe front and back to

the right side.When putting the left side on use no glue, and

only nail it to the top of the front and backpieces. This is so we can have a way to get into

the birdhouse to clean it out after the birds arethrough with it for the year. Drill a hole with a

1/8” twist bit at the bottom of the front and backparts and into the side part about a ¼”. Now

using a 1 ¼” screw secure the pieces together.

(Hint: Dip the threads of thescrews into some wax before

you use them. The wax willreduce the fiction making it

much easier turn)

74

With no glue and the screws removed, the nails in the top act like a hingeallowing the left side to be raised up to clean out the birdhouse for the

following year’s nesting season.

Step 5Nail the bottom to the front and back pieces. Remember not to nailthrough the left side to attach the bottom or you won’t be able to raise it.

Step 6The roof of the birdhouse is next. Attach the left side first which is thepiece you had to rip down to 4 ¾” wide. Lay the piece up on the left side

making sure that the amount of overhang is even off both end pieces.Just do this by eye. Also, the left side of the roof must be even with the

peak of the end pieces since the right side will overlap the left side, (seethe picture below). Spread a bead of glue on top of the end pieces and

nail the left side on with 4d nails.

75

Step 7With your brace drill and a 3/8” twist bit, drill a hole about 3/8” deep 1”

below the bottom of the entrance hole. Cut off about 2” of a 3/8” dowel,

spread some glue on the end, and with your hammer lightly tap it intothe hole.

Step 8Since we built our birdhouse out of pine, which will not hold up outsidevery long, we need to protect it with some finish. You can paint yours or

use a clear finish like a marine varnish. Either one will work fine.

Toolbox/Art Caddy

77

Things You’ll Need

Crosscut jig

Measuring tape

Handsaw

Brace drill

1/8” twist bit

1” auger bit

Screwdriver

Coping saw

(1) 1” x 6” x 8’ pine

1” hardwood dowel (24”)

Clamps

Glue

4d finish nails

1 5/8” drywall screw

Sandpaper 100,120, 150,180 grits

Lesson 11

ToolboxArt Caddy

Finally a project to help organize all the cool tools you’re starting tocollect, or as my daughter decided, all those art supplies that are piling

up. This toolbox/art caddy can be made from one single 1”x6”x8’ pieceof pine. All the pieces are 5 ½” in width which means there is no

ripping; only cutting to the appropriate length.

Here are the dimensions we used for the toolbox and the art caddy. Both

projects are the same except for the shape of the side pieces:

(2) Ends- ¾”x 5 ½”x 11”(2) Sides- ¾”x 5 ½”x 21”

(1) Bottom- ¾”x 5 ½”x 19 ½”

Step 1Using your crosscut box, cut the pieces to length.

Again, after you cut a piece off, measure the nextpiece again to make sure that your length will be

correct.

Step 2After all your pieces are cut to length make sure

you label them with chalk to avoid any mix-upslater.

78

Step 3Next we need to mark where the holes for the handle will be. You need

to mark the center point of the two end pieces which is at 2 ¾”. Draw aline about 3” down from your center point. Measuring down from the

center point again place a mark at 1 ½”. This will be the center of thehole.

79

Step 4First we’ll look at how we made the design for Katie’s art caddy then

Nick’s toolbox. If you’re making the toolbox skip to step 7.

The end pieces of the art caddy are shaped curves that resemble petals of

a flower. Katie came up with this design herself, and you should feelfree to experiment with your own design as well. We just startedlooking for a curved shaped that fit the space we wanted to fill. We

found a small pint size paint can worked well for the top curve. Placing

it in the top center of an end piece we traced the curve about threequarters of the way around the can. This can be trial and error until you

come up with a shape you like.

80

Symmetrical-Beingsimilar in shape and sizewith each other

For the curves on each side thatconnects to the top curve we

used a slightly larger quart sizecan. Again play with this until

you find a design you like.

To make sure that both sidecurves are even, use your

combination square and draw aline across from your first end

point to the other side. This willlet you see where to end the

curve on theother side,

which willmake both

sidessymmetrical.

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The finished drawing of Katie’s artcaddy looked like the picture to the

right. If yours doesn’t look exactly likethis one, don’t worry. As long as you

like the way it looks, that’s all thatmatters.

Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the other end

piece.

Step 5Using clamps to hold the pieces tight toyour workbench cut the design out with

a coping saw on the front and backpieces.

Hint: When cutting curves with the coping sawthat go into a sharp corner, make a relief cut first.

A relief cut is a cut that’s used so you don’t have topull the saw blade back out through the kerf youjust cut. For our piece the relief cut would be cut

across the side and stopping where the two curvescome together. The dashed line on the picture to

the right represents this. So, it doesn’t matterwhere you start your cut; whenever you get to theintersection of the two curves, the piece you just

cut will fall away.

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Step 6After cutting out the shapes on the front and back pieces you may need

to smooth the curves out with a rasp. Next, use sandpaper or a sandingsponge 100 through 180 grits to further smooth out the curves. If you’re

not building the toolbox you can skip down to step 9.

Step 7If you want something to carry all those tools you now have, like my sonNick, you’ll want something that looks more like a toolbox. Here’s how

we made our design. This design is not something we came up with onour own. This is a traditional design that carpenters have used for well

over a hundred years. First, follow steps 1, 2, and 3. Next, using a endpiece, measure over ¾” on both sides of the center point and place a

mark. Now from the top edges of the piece measure down 3 ¼” on eachside. With a straight edge connect the marks so that it looks like the

picture on the following page. Do the same steps for the other end piece.

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1 ½” (¾”each side of center point)

3 ¼”

Center point

Center pointfor handlehole

Step 8Set up to cut the angles off the end pieces using your guide block andyour favorite handsaw. Clamp everything down and cut the angles on

both pieces.

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Step 9Clamp an end piece in a bench vise

or clamp it to your workbenchwith a scrap piece of woodunderneath and using a 1” auger

bit drill for the handle holes in

both end pieces.

Step 10Finally, we get to start putting our project together! The first part to put

together is the bottom piece to an end piece. Since the bottom piece islong it can be awkward to work with. A solution is to clamp it to the

edge of your workbench so that the end barely sticks up above thesurface. With this method your hands

are free to hold the end piece flat on the

workbench and nail it. If this doesn’twork with the bench you’re using, that’sok. Have your Mom or Dad to hold the

bottom piece on edge while you nail the

end piece to it. Whichever method youtry, spread a bead of glue on the edge of

the bottom piece before you nail it to theend piece. Put about four 4d nails in

each end piece.

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Step 11Lay the bottom and end pieces you just

put together on their side. Spread a

bead of glue on the edge of the bottompiece and up onto the edge of the end

pieces. Using 4d nails attach the sidepieces.

Step 12After the box is nailed together you can insert the 1” hardwood dowelinto the end pieces. Push the dowel through until it’s flush with the

other side. Now with the brace drill and a 1/8” twist bit drill a pilot holeon top of each end piece deep enough to go into the dowel about half-

way. Using two 1 5/8” drywall screws secure each end of the dowel.

Step 13Now that the dowel is secure cut theextra length off using your handsaw.

You may need to go back with a blockplane and shave off a little of the

dowel if you didn’t get it flush withthe end. Finish sanding your project

starting with 100grit and go through180 grit. Also, chamfer the edges with

your block plane and sandpaper.

Step 14You can finish your toolbox/art caddy inmany different ways. Paint would be a great

choice as well as Danish oil or polyurethane.The choice is up to you. Just remember,

whatever you decide use two coats forprotection. This is going to be a project that

will get a lot of use!

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Baseball Rack

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Things You’ll Need

Hammer

Handsaw

Screwdriver

Clamps

1 ¼” drywall screws

Coping saw

Brace

1” and 5/8” auger bits

Combination square

1” x 8” x 12” pine

1” x 3” x 12” pine

5/8” x 3” dowel

Safety glasses

Lesson 12

Baseball Rack

Has this ever happened to you? Some friends come by and ask if youwant to come out and play a game of baseball and you say, “Sure”. You

run off to try and find all your gear, but wait! Your bat isn’t where you

thought it would be, the glove that was suppose to be in the closet is nowhere to be found, and your baseball has become the dog’s new favoritetoy.

Well, if any of this sounds familiar, then this project is for you. Thebaseball rack will be a place to store your gear until the next big game.

Let’s get started.

We made our baseball rack from left over pieces of 1” x 8”, 1” x 3”, and5/8” dowel, hopefully you can too because that’s all the wood you need

for this project.

Here’s the cut list:

Back (1) ¾” x 7 ¼” x 12”

Shelf (1) ¾” x 2 ½” x 12”

Glove hook (1) 5/8” x 3” dowel

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Template- A patternfor forming an accurate

copy of an object orshape.

Step 1Cut your parts to length

by using your measuring

tape to mark the distanceand your combination

square to draw a line tofollow with yourhandsaw. To be sure of a

square cut use a scrap

piece of wood as a guidepiece just like we did in

building the birdhouse.

Step 2Next we need to mark the

area to be cut out for thehandle of the bat to slide into.

On our bat the handle

measured about 1 1/8”across at the very bottom.We looked for something that

was just a little larger to use

as a template to draw a circle

on the shelf. What turned out to work just rightwas a measuring cup that comes with liquid

medicine. The center of the cup should be about2” from the left side of the shelf and there should

be ¾” of wood left between the cup and the backof the shelf.

Use your combination square to mark lines down from the outside of the

circle to the front edge of the shelf. These will be your cut lines to followwith the blade of your coping saw. Clamp the shelf to the workbench to

help hold it while you saw.

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Step 3All that’s left on the shelf is to drill a hole for a baseball to rest in. Thecenter point for the hole is 2 ½” over from the right side of the shelf and

1 ¼” in from the front edge. Use your measuring tape and combinationsquare to lay out these lines. The place where the lines intersect is the

center point. Put a 1” auger bit in your brace and drill the hole at thiscenter point. If you clamp the shelf in a

vise remember to drill only until the tip ofthe bit sticks out the other end. At this

point flip the piece around and continuedrilling out the hole from this side. By

doing this the wood won’t tear out as thebit comes through the other side.

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Step 4The dowel to hold your glove is the next piece

to add. The center where the dowel will go islocated 2 ½” over from the right side of the

back piece and 1 ¼” up from the bottom. Layout the intersecting lines for this hole just likeyou did for the hole for the baseball. Use a

5/8” auger bit to drill the hole all the way

through.

Step 5It’s best to sand all the parts now before

everything is put together. Start out at 100 gritand work your way through to 180 grit. This

will give the parts a smooth feel and removeany noticeable scratches. If you don’t plan on

putting a stain on your baseball rack you can

stop sanding at 150 grit.

We removed the sharp edges all the way around the back piece and

around the shelf except where it meets the back. To do this, use your

block plane at an angle on the edges. If you need a refresher on usingyours, go back and look at the lesson on block planes.

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Step 6Attaching the shelf is next. With the back piece facing up measure 3” up

from the bottom on each side and place a small pencil mark. This is

where the bottom edge of the shelf will line up. Now, flip the back pieceover and measure up from the bottom edge again, but this time place a

mark at 3 3/8”. The extra 3/8” will place the holes you’re about to drilldirectly into the center of the shelf’s edge. Connect the marks you justmade on the back with a pencil and your combination square. This line

is where you’re going to drill the pilot holes for the screws. Using a 1/8”

twist bit in your brace drill pilot holes all the way through the back pieceabout every 3” spaced out evenly.

Step 7Line up the shelf on the back pieces as described above and place a

clamp on each end to hold everything in place. Next, use 1 ¼” drywallscrews through each pilot hole, (remember to dip the screws in paste

wax to make it easier to screw them in).

Now all that’s left in the construction of the baseball rack is to applysome glue to the base of the dowel and place it into the hole on the base.

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Step 8You can finish your baseball rack however you like. We chose to paintours using a latex enamel. You can go back to the lesson on finishing if

you have any questions on how to finish your project.

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Pencil Holder

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Things You’ll Need

Cross cut box

Combination square

1” x 6” x 24” (look through your

scrap pile or the scrap bin at yourlumberyard)

5/8” x 6 ½” dowel

Metal washer that has a hole large

enough for the 5/8” dowel to fitthrough

Clamps

5” piece of non-stretchable string

Hammer

Coping saw

Wood rasp

Screwdriver

Brace drill

3/8” bit

5/8” bit

Sandpaper

Glue

Safety Glasses

Lesson 13

Pencil Holder

Here’s a way to keep track of all those pencils you keep losing! Thispencil holder is not just any old pencil holder, this one comes with a

twist, or should I say, a spin! We designed this one so it spins on itsbase. This really comes in handy when you’ve got it loaded up with

colored pencils and you’re trying to find just theright color.

There are not a lot of parts to this project and it’s

fairly straight forward to build, but you need to besure you complete each step before moving on to

the next. Let’s get started!

Cut list for pencil holder(1) Base ¾”x 5 ½” x 5 ½”(1) Bottom ¾”x 5” x 5”

(1) Top ¾”x 5”x 5”(1) Dowel 5/8”x 6 ½” (½” size that will also work

fine).

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Step 1Using the measurements above, cut your pieces to size with the crosscut

box. As always, label each piece with chalk to avoid any confusion.

Step 2Next, we need to find the center point of the top, bottom, and basepieces. You can easily find this by drawing the diagonals. Using a

straight edge line up the corners and mark it with your pencil. Do thesame for the opposite corner. For the top and bottom pieces, draw the

line all the way from corner to corner. For the base piece you only haveto mark a small line near the center in each direction. Both ways form an

X in the center. Where the two lines cross, that’s your center point.

Top and Bottompieces

Diagonal

Center Point

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Radius- A straight line

that goes from thecenter to the outeredge of a circle.

Diameter- A straightline that passes

through the center of acircle from one side to

the other.

Step 3A circle needs to be drawn on our top and bottom pieces

to give us a guide to cut by. A compass can be used for

this job, but if you don’t have one, a nail and piece ofstring will also work. Tie one end of your string to a

finish nail and using the center point lightly tap it in, justso it stays upright. Next measure off 2 ½” on the string,which is the radius of our circle, and tie this to a pencil.

Keep the string tight and draw the circle with your pencil.

This will make a circle 5” in diameter.

We need another circle

that’s slightly smaller indiameter. This circle will

mark where to place theholes for the pencils to go

through. Shorten your

string or compass to 2” anddraw a circle.

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Step 4Nowwe need to draw

two more lines that will

divide up the circleseven more. Using your

combination square, setthe head against the flatpart of the top and

bottom pieces and draw

a line through the centerand out to the other side.

Do this on the remainingside that doesn’t have a

line.

The point where all the straight lines intersect with the smaller circle is

where we’ll drill the holes for the pencils to fit through. But first, weneed to saw the circles out.

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Step 5Using your coping saw cut out the circles on the top and bottom pieces.If you’re like me your circles may need a little more shaping with the

wood rasp to get them completely round.

Take the top and bottom pieces and using the hole that was made by thenail to draw the circle, insert a 1 ¼” drywall screw through both pieces.

Now with both pieces screwed together sand the edges smooth. If thetwo pieces don’t match up

exactly that’s ok, but ifthey are off a lot clamp

them down and use yourrasp to match them up.

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Next we need to get ready to drill out the holes for the pencils. With thetwo pieces screwed together we can drill the holes into both pieces at the

same time. By doing this we know that our holes will line up once we’redone. We need to place a line on the edge of both pieces so if while

we’re drilling the holes the two pieces happen to move we can easily linethem back up. We also decided to add some more holes in our project to

allow for more pencils. You don’t have to do that on yours if you don’twant to. We placed a small line in between the intersecting lines of the

smaller circle and determined the placement just by eye. This gives ussixteen holes for our pencils.

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Step 6With the two pieces markedwe’re ready to drill our holes.

We determined that a goodsize hole for our pencils to fitthrough would be 3/8”. This

leaves plenty of room for a

pencil but not for most inkpens. Think about what you’re

going to use yours for andmake the holes big enough for

that item. But first we need totake a piece of tape and mark

the depth because we don’twant to drill all the way

through the bottom piece. Wedecided to drill the hole in the

bottom piece about half waythrough. Since our pieces are

all ¾” thick, dividing that by 2we get 3/8”. Next we need to

add the thickness of the toppiece, again which is ¾”, so

3/8” + ¾ = 1 1/8”. Place tape onthe bit at this measurement to

remind yourself to stop anddrill all the holes. Next we

need to drill the holes for thecenter dowel. The top and bottom pieces get a hole drilled all the way

through, the base piece only has a hole 3/8” deep. Again, we use a 5/8”dowel but if you have a different size left over from another project use

it, there’s no reason to be wasteful. Remove the screw holding the top

and bottom pieces together and drill for the center dowel.

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Step 7With all the holes drilled, we need to sand all the parts of our pencil

holder. Use your sanding block for the flat parts and a sanding spongeon the edges of the circle parts (if they need further sanding), but don’t

sand off your alignment marks, you’ll need those later. Here’s a helpfultrick to help you sand all those holes you’ve drilled. Tear off a smallpiece of sandpaper that will just wrap around a pencil. While holding

the pencil and sandpaper together run the pencil up and down in the

holes to get all the little splinters out.

Step 8Let’s put it all together! Take the washer and place it over the hole on

the base piece. Next, with the center dowel just pushed in to the bottompiece, spread glue around the dowel. Push the dowel through the

washer and into the base piece. IMPORTANT! Make sure you don’t get

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any glue in the base hole or on the bottom part of the dowel that’s

sticking out of the bottom piece or your pencil holder won’t spin. Nowput a little glue in the center hole of the top piece and insert it onto the

dowel. Slide it down until there is about 5/8” sticking up through thetop circle. This part will give you something to hold onto when spinning

the pencil holder.

Before the glue has a chance to set up you need to make sure the top andbottom pieces are still lined up. If they’re not when you go to insert your

pencils they may not go into the holes. Use your combination square

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and with the marks you made earlier on the edges of the top and bottompiece line up the two parts.

Step 9Finish your pencil holder any way you like. Paint would be an excellentchoice as would stain and a top coat of polyurethane.

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Battleship

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Things you’ll need

Hammer

Screwdriver

Handsaw

Crosscut box

1 5/8” drywall screws

Flat metal washers that thehead of the screw can’t fit

through.

Glue

1/8”, 3/8”, 5/8” dowels

Clamps

Safety glasses

Lesson14

BattleshipALL HANDS ON DECK! BATTLE STATIONS!

This project is as fun to build, as it is fun to play with. You’ll need to be

more creative with this project than the other ones we’ve built. That’sbecause this project is made almost entirely from scrap materials that

we’ve accumulated in building the projects to this point. Your creativitycomes into play in figuring out how to best use those scrap pieces to

form your battleship.

Ok I said our battleship was made ALMOST entirelyfrom scrap. We did have to purchase some supplies.

The 1/8” and 3/16” dowels and the washers werepurchased at a local home improvement warehouse.

Also, we’ve not used a 2x6” piece of pine in any ofour projects so you may not have that item lying

around your shop. Here’s an idea on how to find a2”x 6” or other scrap pieces you may need to finish

this project. Most home improvement warehouses

have a scrap cart where all the cut-offs end up afterthey cut boards to length for customers. They don’twant to just throw these out but they know most

people can’t use such short pieces. That’s where youcome in. Look through this gold mine of scrap to find

your 2”x 6” or anything else you want. They mark

most of these items down to less than a dollar!

Before we begin let’s talk about some of the parts of our battleship sothere won’t be any confusion as to what were talking about. First, on a

ship you don’t say “front, rear, left side or right side” when talking about

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Hint: We went to the Internet

and looked up battleships on a

search engine and foundpictures of real battleships and

printed off some we liked. We

used these pictures as ourguide to construct the

battleship.

parts of a ship. Front is “bow”, rear is “stern”, left side is “port”, andright side is “starboard”. If you’re interested in how these nautical

names came about visit this website for more information:http://www.history.navy.mil/trivia/trivia03.htm.

I’ll give you some of the dimensions of the pieces we used on ourbattleship to use as a guide, but remember to be creative with the scrap

pieces you have and come up with your own unique design.

(1) 2 x 6 x 24” This is the hull of the battleship

(1) 1/8” dowel. This is for the smaller gun barrels, andthe top of the radar tower.

(1) 3/16” dowel. This is for the gun barrels on the

large turrets.

(1) 5/8” dowel. This is used on the posts in the stern section of theship.

A piece of 2x4” was used for the base of the bridge as well as 2x3”

and 2x2”.

The gun turrets were made from varies sizes of ¾” stock cut down tothe sizes we needed.

Some of the various pieces of scrap we used in building our battleship.

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Step 1We got the basic shape of the hull from the pictures we look up on the

Internet. Measure down 7 ¾” from the bow section and using yourcombination square or speed square draw a line across the width of the 2

x 6”. From the center point of the 2 x 6” measure over 1” to the left and1” to the right and place a mark. Next connect the lines to form the “V”shape of the bow section. The stern section just needs the edges trimmed

back a little. Measure up 5” and draw a square line across. From the end

measure over 1” from each edge and place a mark. As before, connectthe lines. Yours should look similar to the picture below.

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Clamp the 2” x 6” to the workbench and then clamp your guide block tohelp cut these tricky angles. A 2 x 6” can be difficult to cut through so

don’t be shy in asking for help to cut these angled pieces.

Step 2After you’ve cut theangles off that make

up the shape of thehull, sand it using

your four differentgrits of sandpaper.

Step 3Now for the fun part!Use your imagination

to arrange the scrappieces you’ve gathered

together. Again, yourship doesn’t have to

look like ours, makeup a design all your

own. Also mark thepieces that need to be

cut down to a smallersize to fit the space

available on your ship.

The completed shape of the hull.

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Step 4Now cut all the pieces

down to size using your

handsaw. The crosscutbox will come in handy

for this. Dowelsespecially can be hard to

hold or clamp down tocut to length, but the

crosscut box makes iteasy.

Step 5Now that all your pieces are cut tosize again arrange them back on the

ship to make sure you like the wayit looks. Once your satisfied with

the way everything looks you maywant to take a pencil and trace the

footprint of the pieces so you don’tforget where everything goes.

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Step 6Building the gun

turrets is easy. Weused different sizes

throughout ourbattleship but they

are all made thesame way. For the

three larger turretswe used the 3/8”

dowel for thebarrels and for the

smaller ones the

1/8” dowel. Usingthe correct size drill

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bit for the size dowel you’re using drillholes into the turrets. We didn’t measure

how deep to drill them. Instead we justinserted the dowels into the holes in the

turrets and then cut them all off the samelength so they would match. Also, we

angled the drill up just slightly on some ofthe holes so the gun barrels would be

pointing up instead of straight out.

Keep your brace drill out and change bitsto drill holes for any other dowels you’ll

be using on the deck of your battleship.

Step 7The radar tower on our battleship is madeup entirely of dowels. The pole is a piece

of 5/8” dowel sitting in a hole drilled intothe deck of the ship. The cross piece is a 3/8” dowel. The 3/8” dowel is

clamped down and 1/8” holes were drilled into it with our brace drill.Into these holes we put the 1/8’ dowels. We also drilled a small pilot

hole in the center of the 3/8” dowel so a nail could be driven through itand into the 5/8” dowel pole. Use a nail set and hammer to drive the

nail into the pole.

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Step 8Let’s start putting things together.

For the buildings, spread some glueon the bottom of the pieces and nail

them into place. Next we need todrill holes through the gun turrets

and into the deck of the ship or ifthey are sitting on a platform, drill

into that. Use a twist bit that’s a littlesmaller than the width of the thread

of the screw you’re using. Have ahelper hold the turret as you drill

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through it and into the deck. In order for the gun turrets to turn the holegoing through it needs to be larger than the screw you’re using so it just

slips through. Take the turret back off and with a larger bit drill a biggerhole. Place a flat washer underneath the gun turret and place another

washer onto the screw up to the head. Make sure that the washer’s holeis smaller than the head of the screw. With the screw and washer in

place slide them through the gun turret and through the washer on theother side and finally screw it into the deck of the ship. Tighten it down

just until its snug.

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Step 9All that’s left to do now is to finish your battleship with something. We

chose a gray paint to better resemble a real battleship. But don’t let that

stop you from using any colors you want. We stopped at painting but ifyou plan to see if this ship can really float you’ll need to protect yours

from moisture. The best product for things that will be in direct contactwith water is a spar or marine varnish. Follow the manufactures label onhow to apply to protect your ship.

Happy Sailing!

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Media Storage Rack

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Things You’ll Need

Handsaw

Coping saw

Cross cut box

(1) 1” x 8” x 5’

(1) 1” x 4” x 28”

(1) 1” x 3” x 34”

Brace drill

½” auger bit

1/8” twist bit

(3) ½” x 48” dowels

Dry wall screws (1 ¼”)

Glue

Gel stain (see text for details)

Safety glasses

Lesson 15

Media Storage Unit

Ok, I have a confession to make. I selfishly came up with the idea for away to organize my kids growing video game and DVD collection. They

get piled up on top of the game console or stacked up beside the DVDplayer and nobody can find anything when they want it. Does this

sound like your house? If so, then I know this project is going to be awelcomed addition to your home.

We choose clear white pine for this project

because we intended to use stain for our finish.We didn’t want any knots or defects in the wood.

You’ll pay more for this at the lumberyard but itsure is beautiful wood.

Here’s the cut list for the media storage unit.

(2) Sides ¾” x 7 ¼” x 27 ½ “

(2) Feet ¾” x 3 ½” x 13 ¼ “

(2) Braces ¾” x 2 ½” x 16 ½”

(3) Dowels ½ x 48” (Cut to 15 ¾” long)

Step 1The sides can be cut from one 1 x 8 x 5’. The feetand braces are small enough that you might have

enough scrap pieces left over from other projects that will work. Youmight also check the scrap bin at your local lumberyard. Using the cut

list above cut your parts to size.

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Step 2Lay out for the feet by measuring

over 4 ½” from the top edge on

both ends of each foot and placea mark. Then measure up from

the bottom on both ends of eachfoot ¾” and place amark. Using

your ruler, connect the marks oneach end. Cut the corners off

with your handsaw using thelines as a guide.

Step 3The front edge of the side pieces

are curved, and just like with theart caddy, we used a can to give

us the shape we wanted. Wewanted to have a small curve so

Here are the pieces cut to size.

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we used a pint sized can for our template. You just want to knock off thefront corners so line up the edges of the can with edges of the side pieces

and draw the curves.

Clamp the side pieces down to the workbench and with a coping saw cutout the curves. Afterwards, if you need to, use your rasp to smooth out

the curves.

Step 4Next we need to mark where the holeswill go for the dowels. On your

workbench lay the two side pieceswith the front edges facing away from

each other. This is what is called amirror image. If you were to hold one

side piece up to a mirror the reflectedimage would be the exact opposite, or

the mirror image of the piece you’reholding. The reason for laying out the

sides this way is so that the holes wedrill will all line up with both side

pieces insuring us of level shelves.

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Now with sides even, take your combination square and ½” up from thebottom draw a line across the width of both pieces.

Next, measuring from the bottom, draw a line across both pieces at 6”, 9

¼”, 14 ¾”, 18”, and 23 ½”. These lines mark the area where our holeswill go. Now we need to figure out where on each of these lines the

holes need to be. We used a DVD case to look at how far back from theedge the dowels needed to be and the distance apart to support the case

and where the support dowel in the back needed to be. With all theseconsiderations here is what we came up with. On the bottom line

measuring from the front edge of both side pieces place a mark at 2”and5”. Do this on every other line up both pieces. These are where the holes

for the shelf dowel will go. Now, for the other lines on the side piecesthat you skipped over before, measure from the BACK edge this time

and place a mark at 1”. These are where the holes for the supportdowels will go. The following pictures show the placement of the lines

on the side pieces.

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Step 5Using a ½” auger drill bit we need to mark the depth of cut with a pieceof tape. Our boards are ¾” thick and we want the holes for the dowels to

be as deep as possible to give support but not too deep to weaken theside piece. About half the distance or 3/8” is what we decided. Place

your tape 3/8” up from the bottom of the cutters. Don’t include thecenter point if your bit has one in your measurement, if you do your

holes will be too shallow. Carefully drill all the holes keeping the bracestraight up and down to insure the tightest fit possible for the dowels.

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Step 6With all the holes drilled, dry fit (no glue)

the dowels into one side piece laying flat

on your workbench. Next, flip the otherside piece up onto the dowels and line

them up with the holes. This operationgoes much smoother if you have all theextra hands you can find, even little

brothers could be of help here!

After all of the dowels are in place, carefully flip the storage unit upright

and check to make sure all the dowels are going into the holes all theway and the storage unit is sitting flat without any wobble.

While the unit is standing, go ahead anddry fit the feet onto the sides. There

should be three inches of overhang pastthe side on each end. Measure this off

and then place a line where the foottouches the side. This will quickly show

where to align the feet without

measuring again.

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Step 7Before we start putting things

together the parts need to be

sanded. Again, because we choseto stain this project, extra attention

needs to be paid to this step. Don’tskip grits when sanding and lookthe parts over very well to find any

dents or ruff spots. (IMPORTANT:

Don’t sand off the marks you puton the feet to line them up with the

sides, you’ll need these later.)Don’t be fooled by the smooth feel

of the dowels either, they still needto be sanded. Curl a piece of

sandpaper around the dowel andagain go through all your different

grits. The reason that sanding is soimportant when staining a project

is that the stain will magnify all thelittle defects on the wood. Stain

will get into dents and scratchesand will stain darker than the other

wood around it. The same is truefor areas that aren’t sanded as well

and remain rough, they will staindarker also.

Step 8With all the parts sanded, let’s glue the feet to the sides. Because we

didn’t want screws or nail holes showing on this piece we simply gluedthe feet to the sides. The glue is plenty strong enough by itself to hold

the feet in place. Spread some glue onto the feet being careful not to getglue onto areas that won’t be covered by the sides your alignment marks

should show where to apply the glue. Next, line up the marks that you

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already have on the feet with the sides and clamp them together. Let theglue dry (follow manufacturers label) before moving on.

Step 9With the feet glued to the sides let’s get ready to put on the stain.Sometimes a piece is finished after it is glued up especially if it’s small.

But for larger projects it’s usually much easier to apply the finish beforeassembly. By doing this you don’t have to work around parts and get

the finish pooled up in the corners. One thing you do have to watch out

for when finishing a project before assembly is not to get finish on anyparts that have to be glued. That’s why we went ahead and glued thefeet to the sides.

Clean off an area around your workbench and spread out somenewspaper to keep the stain from getting on everything and also to keep

the parts clean. Before the stain can be applied all the surfaces need to be

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dust free. Justwiping the wood

off with a ragwon’t remove all

the dust in thepores. Here are

some of the bestways to remove

dust from yourwood. You can

buy a tack clothwhich is a very

sticky cloth thatyou wipe over the wood to remove dust. These can be found just about

anywhere paint is sold. You can wipe the parts down with a rag that hasmineral spirits on it and then allow the parts to dry or you can use my

favorite, a vacuum cleaner. Using a brush on the end sweeps the dustout of the pores and the vacuum sucks the dust away. It’s quick and

does a great job.

Choosing the StainThe type stain that was used on this project was an “Early American” gelstain. We choose a gel stain because it’s less messy and gel stains

actually stain more evenly on pine than the “watery” stains do. By“evenly”, I mean the color

that it stains the wood is thesame all over. With regular

stain it gets deep into thepores and will give pine a

“blotchy” appearance wherethere are spots of darker

colors mixed in with lightercolors.

The first thing you will want

to do before you commit thepieces of your project to

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stain is test the color on a scrappiece of wood. The catch to this is

that it must be a piece of wood thathas been sanded just like you

sanded the parts of your project.The reason is if you just pick up a

scrap and apply stain to it and thepiece hasn’t been sanded it will

stain a much different color thanwhen you go and put the same

stain on your sanded project.Work in small areas at a time.

Cover the area with the gel stainand then start removing the extra

stain left on the surface withanother clean rag. This takes a

little practice to get the color youwant. But that’s another advantage

to gel stains. If you want a lighter color, wipe more off, if you’re after adarker color, add more stain and don’t wipe off as much this time. You

may want to practice on some scrap pieces until you get the hang of this.

Use a lint free cloth to applythe stain and be sure and

wear some disposable gloves.

Once stain is on your skin itdoesn’t easily come off. This

goes for clothes also!

Go over all the parts makingsure to even out the color and

to make sure that all theexcess stain is removed.

Allow the pieces to dryaccording to the

manufacture’s label.

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Step 10Just like when you did yourdry fit of the parts, insert thedowels into the sides only

this time put glue into the

dowel holes. Now turn theproject face down. We need

to make sure the project issquare, meaning one side is

not sitting higher than theother side. To do this

measure from one corner diagonally across to the opposite corner and dothe same for the other diagonal. If the two measurements are the same,

you’re all square. If not, slightly move one of the sides and measureagain until they are equal.

Once you have squared up the sides carefully measure down 6 ½” from

the top edge of the sides and place a mark. This is the where the topedge of the brace will go. Drill pilot holes with a 1/8” twist bit through

the brace (two on each side) and screw it to the back edge of the sides.Add the other brace 2” from the bottom and secure it just like the top

brace.

Now I have some good news and some bad news. The good news isyou’re done with another great project. The bad news is now you don’t

have any more excuses for games and movies being all over the house!

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Step Stool

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Things You’ll Need

Handsaw

Screwdriver

Coping saw

Measuring tape

(1) 1” x 8” x 8’

(1) 1” x 6” x 28”

Block plane

Glue

Clamps (bar clamps or pipeclamps, see text)

Sandpaper (all grits)

Brace drill

1/8” twist bit

5/16” twist bit

1 5/8” dry wall screws

Wood putty

Safety glasses

Lesson 16

Step Stool

Here’s a project that everybody can use. Don’t think that this is a projectjust for the vertically challenged. Anywhere there’s a shelf that’s out ofreach, or a light bulb that needs changing, or how about a plant up high

on a cabinet that needs watering? And yes, for those of us that God

seemed to pass over when He was handing out the height gene, a stool isvery handy.

The first thought in designing a step stool is safety. If the stool is wobbly

or you feel like it might tip over if you’re not standing in just the rightspot it’s not worth having. So we made sure that this stool would be

sturdy and look good too! But with any step stool, besure to use it carefully. Make sure that it is on level

ground and don’t reach out until you feel yourselfgetting off balance, it’s too late at that point. Move

the stool if you can’t reach something easily instead oftrying to stretch way out for it.

We bought southern yellow pine for this project

because it’s stronger than white pine and we feltadded strength was needed for this project, again to

make it as safe as possible. You may see this kind ofpine listed as SYP on the shelf at your building

supply store. Make sure that the lumber you buy isas free of knots as possible. Loose knots can weaken

a board. You can tell a loose knot from a solid knotusually by the color, loose knots are dark, almost

black and may have several cracks around them. Thebig problem with loose knots is that as the wood

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normally shrinks and expands the loose knot will eventually be pushedout leaving a hole.

Here’s the cut list for our step stool:

(2) Sides ¾” x 14 ½” x 10”

(1) Step ¾” x 13 ½” x 13”

(2) Risers ¾” x 5 ½” x 13 ½”

(1) Top ¾” x 7 ¼” x 16”

The first thing you may notice about the cut list is the size of the side

pieces and step, particularly the width, (remember the first number is thethickness, and second is the width and the last is the length). The widest

board you’re going to find at your building supply store is 12”. So howdo you think we can make a board wider? By using a board stretcher?

No, actually they haven’t invented one of those yet. So until they do(don’t hold your breath) if you need a wider board you have to glue two

boards together.

To get the width we need for the sides and step we have to glue two 1” x8” boards together. Remember that a 1 x 8” board is actually 7 ¼” wide.

So gluing two together will give us a board 14 ½” wide. This is exactly

the size we need for the sides with just a little to trim off the step.

Step 1Cut four 10” long pieces off your 8’

board. For the step cut two boards 13”long. If you’re lucky the edges of the

boards will come together without anygaps, but as you can see in the picture to

the right ours didn’t. To correct this

and get a good fit we used our blockplane. Clamp the boards one at a time

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Wood Joint: Anywhere two

or more pieces of wood areconnected together.

and take a very fine shaving offwith the block plane. After a

couple of passes off each checkthe fit to see if the gaps are gone,

if not take a couple more untilyou’re happy with the fit.

Step 2With the pieces fitting nicely together, it’s time to

glue them up. Spread a bead of glue on one edge,then with a couple of clamps, bring the joint

together. Be careful and don’t tighten the clampstoo much or you’ll squeeze most of the glue out.

How do you know how much is enough? First off we need tounderstand why we use clamps in the first place. Clamps are not used to

pull a joint together to get rid of gaps. That’s why we used the blockplane. So the clamps main purpose is to just add pressure to the joint so

the glue bonds to both pieces and so the pieces won’t come apart beforethe glue dries. So tighten the clamps until they’re snug and you start to

see a line of glue just squeezing out of the joint.

Glue squeeze out after clamping

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Types of Clamps and What YouNeed to Get Started

There are dozens of different style clamps on

the market today. Some are for general useand some are very specialized. Three of the

most widely available style clamps are bar

clamps, pipe clamps, and one-handed barclamps. I use all three in my shop often times

interchangeably. I prefer pipe clamps for

gluing panels up because the wood sits on top

of the pipe. If the wood is laying flat on the

pipes then your panel will be flat also. Youcan see in the picture to the left that in using

bar clamps to glue up panels the wood isn’t

laying on the bar itself. That’s because the

jaws are much deeper than the thickness ofthe panels. The deep jaws may be a

disadvantage here but when you need to

clamp something that is thick or sits backseveral inches from the edge the deep jaws

are the only clamps that will do. I use one-

handed bar clamps when I need to hold parts

down while I saw, shape, sand, etc…. They

don’t’ have the gripping power of pipe clampsbut what you lose in power you make up in

convenience.

Bar clamps are sold in varying lengths. Thelengths you will most commonly use are 12”,

24” and 36” If you can buy two each that

would be a great, but if you can only buy twoget the 24” length.

Pipe clamps are sold in two parts. You buy

the jaws separate from the pipe. This is

actually an advantage because you can buythe pipe in any length you want and if they

don’t have the size you need you can have the

pipe cut to the proper length. The black pipeis usually found in the plumbing section of

your favorite home improvement warehouse.

Lengths of 30” to 48” will be used the most.

One-handed bar clamps are most useful in thesmaller length. If they’re too long the

convenience of the one-handed operation gets

difficult. The most popular size seems to be

12”. A couple of these would be nice.

Pipe clamps and bar clamps

Pay close attention to the alignment ofthe boards as you clamp them up.

The boards are the same thickness sothe glue joint should come together

without any ridges from one piecebeing higher or lower than the other.

Also, since we have cut the boards totheir exact width, make sure the ends

line up.

One-handed bar clamps

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After the glue has set for about an hourit becomes tacky and can easily be

scraped off the glue joint. Use an oldchisel or putty knife to lift the glue up in

long pieces. If it’s still too wet let it sitfor another 20-30 minutes and try again.

It’s much less trouble to do this whilethe glue is just tacky and not dried hard.

Step 3While you’re waiting for the glue to dry on the step and side pieces start

work on the pattern for the side pieces. On the next pages you will finda full size drawing of the pattern to use for cutting out the sides. Take

the patterns and make copies of each page. The pattern was too big to fiton one page so we divided it up. The dashed line on the long edge of

each pattern needs to be lined up to connect the two patterns. Use sometape to hold the pattern parts together and then cut around on the solid

line with some scissors. Do not cut through the two solid lines goingthrough the center of each pattern, we’ll use those later. We actually

then took our paper pattern and traced it onto a ¼” piece of plywoodand cut out that pattern using the coping saw. We did this because we

planned on building three or more step stools for our house and wewanted a more permanent pattern to use. You don’t need to do this step

if you’re only building one, the paper pattern will hold up just fine.

Step 4With the glue dried, trace the patternout onto the two side pieces. Clamp

the pieces down and cut them outusing the coping saw. Sand the edges

smooth with your sanding block onthe flat surfaces, and a sanding sponge

or with sandpaper backed with yourfingers on the curved areas. Be sure at

this time to trim the step to the correctsize to be ready for assembly.

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134

135

Step 5Align your pattern back on top of the side pieces. Where the two center

lines on the pattern meet the edge of the sides, place a small mark. Take

the combination square and connect the marks you just made so thatnow your side pieces have the same two lines as your pattern. Next,

take the combinationsquare and extend the

lines down the edges andonto the other side of both

side pieces. These linesare for aligning the step

piece with the sides. Itwill also help us in the

placement of the screws tohold the step.

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Step 6It’s time to start

putting together ourstep stool. Place six to

seven small X marksspaced out evenly

inside the two lines onone of your side pieces.

For the other side pieceturn it around so that

it’s a mirror image ofthe piece you just place

the Xs on. In other words, the two side pieces are facing differentdirections. Place the Xs on the outside of the other side piece now.

Put a 1/8” twist bit in

your brace drill and

drill pilot holes at the Xmarks all the waythrough the side

pieces. Using 1 5/8”

drywall screws insertthem into the holes on

one side piece just farenough for the point to

stick through the otherside. Now position the

side piece onto the stepmaking sure to align it between the two lines. Press the step piece onto

the side so that the tips of the screws make an indention on the edge ofthe step. Remove the side and now with your brace and 1/8” bit drill

pilot holes into the step. This is to keep the step from splitting when thescrews are inserted.

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We plan to paint our step stool so we don’t want all these screw holesshowing. What we need to do is set the head of the screws below the

surface so we can fill this with wood putty. To do this we took a 5/8” bitand drilled holes just about 3/16” down on top of the pilot holes in the

sides. Test the head of the screws you’re using to see if 5/8” is thecorrect size.

Dip the screws into wax and again start

them all so that the tips just stick out fromthe other side. Align the tips of the screws

with the pilot holes on the step’s edge andput together the two side pieces to the step.

Make sure that the step’s edge is alignedbetween the lines on the sides. The reason

this is important is so your step stool willsit level on the ground.

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Step 7The risers are put on next.

These two pieces will

make the step stool muchmore rigid because they

will further tie the twoside pieces together. Ifeverything has gone well

to this point the risers

should fit in between thetwo sides. Set the top step

on the sides and measurethe width that the risers should be. If they measure less than 5 ½” you’ll

have to take some off the width of the riser. Test the fit of the risers andtrim the width and length if necessary.

Set the front riser back from the top edge of the sides 1 ½”. This will give

more room for feet on the bottom step. The back riser should be set back¼”. The risers need to be perpendicular to the step below. The best way

to determine this is with your speed square. After the risers are squaredup to the step, place a pencil

mark along the sides. Next, withthe combination square, place

marks down the sides to showwhere to place the screws (into

the sides.) Just as with thescrews for the side pieces, drill

pilot holes and then drill largerholes for the screw heads.

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Step 8The top is all that’s left in the

construction of our step stool.

Measure the distance between thesides and add an inch to the

measurement, it should equal 16”.Center the top and place Xs to showwhere you want to place screws in all

four corners. Clamp the top down to

secure it from moving while you drillpilot holes. Again, drill out a larger

hole for the screw heads.

Step 9Now is the time also to smooth over

all the outside edges of the step stooljust to make it feel better to the touch.

Next, using wood putty, fill in all the

screw holes. Allow the putty to dryand sand it flush. All that’s left isdeciding what color to paint your

step stool.

Two for One Birdfeeder

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Lesson 17

Two for One Birdfeeder

Early we built our feathered friends a home to kick back in after a hard

days work. But what about some food that’s easy to get to and close tohome? I think a birdfeeder is needed. But what do birds eat? Different

birds eat different things. Some eat seeds, insects, fruits, corn, nectar(from flowers) and suet (fat mixed with seeds, berries, and other

ingredients). So if you want to attract and feed the most birds you needa feeder that can offer a variety of food. Check out this website to find

out what different birds eat:http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/BirdFoods.

htm.

Our feeder is designed to use seed, and suet or fruit, etc… It’s easy tobuild and shouldn’t take more than a day to complete. Let’s take a closer

look at the design of our birdfeeder.

Top shades area belowand sheds rain and

snow

Removable dowel forinserting suet or fruit

Dowels enclose an area

for suet or fruit to go

Two pieces for thebottom of suet feedergives more depth for

the seed tray

Tray area for seed

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Things You’ll Need

Cut off box

Hammer

4d finish nails

(2) ½” x 36” dowels

(1) 1 x 12 x 4’ (see text fortype of wood)

(1) 1 x 6 x 14”

(1) 1 x 3 x 6’

½” eye bolt

Glue

Safety glasses

Wemade our birdfeeder out of pine. Not a very good choice for outdoorprojects. But, we had pine around the shop and I hate going out and

spending more money on wood when I already have some lying around.So, there are some choices for you to build your birdhouse out of. Like

us you can use pine if you already have it and plan on painting it orapplying two or three coat of an outdoor varnish like spar varnish.

Either one will protect the wood well. Or you can spend a little moremoney and build it out of a wood that will stand up to the elements

without anything being applied to it. Two types of wood come to mindthat are common at home improvement warehouse stores: Cedar and

pressure treated lumber. God made cedar to withstand the elements forlong periods of time without decaying, so it’s a natural fit for this type of

project. Pressure treated lumber is usually southern yellow pine that hasbeen treated with a preservative to protect it from the elements. Both

will do the job well, however; cedar is a more attractive wood in myopinion, it cuts easier, and to top it all off your shop will smell great as

you cut the cedar parts to size!

Here’s the cut list for the birdfeeder:

(2) ½” x 36” dowels (7) 1/2" x 6 3/4"

(1) 1/2" x 9"

(1) Top ¾” x 11 ¼” x 9 ¾”

(1) Bottom ¾’ x 11 ¼” x 9 ¾”

(2) Bottom of suet feeder ¾” x 5 ½” x 7”

(2) Ends for tray ¾” x 2 ½” x 9 ¾”

(2) Sides for tray ¾” x 2 ½” x 12 ¾”

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Step 1Get all your pieces together and using the cut list and your cross-cut box

cut all your pieces to size. The 1 x 12” obviously won’t fit in your cross-

cut box. Use a straight piece of wood clamped on your cut line to helpguide the saw so you get a square cut, just like we did building the

birdhouse.

Step 2Next we’re going to work on where to place the holes for the dowels togo into.

2” 1 ½” 1 ½” 2”

1 ¼”

2 ¾”

All the parts for the birdfeeder

1” 1”

Bottom three

holes havesame spacingas top holes

Fig. 1 Bottom of suet feeder

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Figure 1 shows the spacing of the holes for the bottom piece of the suetfeeder. The other bottom piece that’s the same size doesn’t need holes,

it’s only there to raise the height of the bottom.Measure the distances given in fig. 1 then draw

the intersecting lines with your combinationsquare. Where the lines intersect is where the

point of the drill bit will go.

Step 3We need to transfer these same lines we just drew onto the top piece.

First let’s center the bottom of the suet feeder onto the top. The exactplacement isn’t important but we need to be close. If you cut your pieces

to the sizes in the cut list there should be about 2 1/16” all the wayaround the bottom piece. Once you’ve gotten the bottom centered use

the combination square to square it up to the edge of the top piece.

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Use your pencil totrace the outline of

the bottom piece ontothe top and then

remove it. Now allyou have to do is use

the measurement infig. 1 and transfer

those to the top. Thearea we just

transferred to the toppiece should now

look like the lines wedrew onto the bottom

piece of the suetfeeder.

Step 4We’re now ready to drill the holes for

the dowels to fit into. Again, theintersection points of the lines are

where the holes go on the sides. Forthe holes on each end just place an X

to show where to drill. On the toppiece one of the end holes needs to be

drilled all the way through for thesliding dowel. All the rest of the holes

should be drilled 3/8” deep. Place a

piece of tape on your drill bit to showwhere to stop drilling like you did in

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building the peg game. Drill all theholes and set aside the pieces for now.

Step 5Before we start putting things together

give everything a good sanding. Thisis an outdoor project so you really

don’t need to sand past 120 or 150grits so this process shouldn’t take

long.

Step 6Next let’s put the sides and ends onthe bottom of the birdfeeder to form

the tray. We used 4d (1 ½”) finishnails to attach the tray pieces to the

bottom. If you’re using an outdoor wood like cedar or pressure treatedlumber and don’t plan on putting any protective finish on your

birdfeeder then use galvanized nails. These nails are dipped into a

liquid that coats the nails and dries to a protective covering. Withoutthis coating the finish nail will rust quickly if out in the elements. You

can also use stainless steel nails but they’re usually more expensive.Add a bead of glue along the edge of the bottom piece and line up a side

piece. Pay close attention to where you place the nail. Make sure thatyou line them up so that they will enter the edge of the bottom piece near

the center. If you don’t thenail may split the wood or

come out the bottom or top.If either of these things

happen (and from time totime they will happen) pull

the nail back out and move itover and start a new hole.

Attach the remaining traypieces to the bottom.

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Step 7Now let’s attach the two bottompieces of the suet feeder. Turn

the bottom piece that youdrilled the holes into face downon the workbench. Spread

some glue between the two

pieces then nail them togetherjust so we don’t’ have to wait

for them to dry.

Take the glued and nailed together

bottom and center it on the bottomtray. Just as before when we were

doing this for the top centeringdoesn’t have to be exact, but very

close. This is because the dowels mustline up with the holes drilled into the

top. The measurements will be thesame as before about 2 1/8” all

around. Again, spread some glue onthe bottom then nail it to the tray. 4d

nails won’t be long enough for thisyou need a 5d (2”) nail. If you don’t

have a couple, use your clamps andjust wait for it to dry.

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Step 8Put a little glue onto

one end of each dowel,

except the longer 9”dowel, and insert it

into a hole on thebottom tray section.(Remember not to get

any glue in the hole

that the 9” dowel willbe going into, we need

to be able to removethis dowel to insert the

suet.

Next, dab some glue on top the dowelssticking up out of the suet feeder part. Using

some much needed and appreciated help, lineup the holes drilled in the top with the dowels.

IMPORTANT! Make sure that the hole thatgoes all the way through the top lines up with

the empty hole on the suet feeder part.

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Step 9We’re almost done. After

all the dowels are in you

can now slide the 9”dowel into the end hole.

If you built yours out of aweather resistant wood

you’re done. However, if

you choose, like we did, tobuild yours out of pine

you need to put some type of protective finish on. Paint or an outdoorvarnish will protect the wood well. Paint will start to peel off after a

while if left out doors and varnish will need to be applied again after acouple of years. So which ever you choose, they both will need a little

maintenance. But if you will keep up with this your birdfeeder will lastfor years and years.

The only thing left is to figure out a way to hang your new birdfeeder.

We used a simple eye bolt screwed into the center of the top. With alittle string or metal chain the birds will all be talking to each other about

the new restaurant in town.

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Workbench

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Lesson 18

Workbench

Aworkbench is one of the most important tools in any woodworkers

shop. I can hear some of you saying, “Tool, I never thought of aworkbench as a tool,” but that’s exactly what it is. Webster’s definition

of a tool is “anything that serves in the manner of a tool”, and aworkbench sure does that!

Just look back on all the projects that we’ve built in this book up until

this point. Our workbench is used in every single one. I’ll bet you’resaying, “Then why didn’t we build this first?” That would have made

sense if we had the skills in the beginning to build a workbench. But weneeded to spend more time working with our tools and getting the hang

of using them before we tackled a project like this. But I know at thispoint in your woodworking that you have what it takes, so let’s get

started.

Workbenches come in all shapes andsizes. One of the advantages of

building our own is that we canmake it to suit our needs. One of the

most important things to considerwhen building a workbench is the

proper height of the work surface. Ifwhat you’re going to be doing with

your workbench is sawing,hammering, measuring, etc, like

we’ve been doing through out thisbook, then here is a good way to find

your ideal work surface height.Stand with your arm straight down

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Plywood

Plywood is made by gluing thin

pieces of wood together toform a sheet that is a giventhickness. Plywood can have a

top sheet made from any woodyou can imagine. Most ofwhat you’ll see at lumber

warehouses are, pine, maple,birch, and oak. Pine, being the

least expensive, is what wechose for our bench top.Plywood is graded by the

appearance of the face oneach side. A-Excellent, B-

Good, C-Average. Thebackside can sometimes be

listed as 1, 2, 3, instead of A,B, C but they mean the same.So our piece has a good side

and an average side. Makesure when you build yourworkbench that you put the B-

side up and the C side down.

Things You’ll Need

Hammer

Screwdriver

Handsaw

Brace drill

3/16” twist bit

12d nails

6d nails

(16) 3 ½” screws

6 ½” bench vise

(1) 2” x 4” x 8’ pine

(1) 2” x 4” x 6’ pine

(1) 4” x 4” x 8’ pine or fur (seetext to make sure this is long

enough for you)

(1) ¾” x 2’ x 4’ sanded pine

plywood

Safety glasses

at your side with your wrist bent so your hand isparallel to the floor. Now, with the help of a parent

or friend, measure from the ground up to whereyour wrist is bent. This measurement is a good

work surface height for you. What happens whenyou have two of more people using the bench and

they aren’t the same height? You compromise likewe had to do. That’s ok, a few inches one way or

the other won’t matter a whole lot.

The workbench we built is 24 ¾” from the ground tothe work surface. Keep this measurement in mind

when you go to build yours. If that’s way off yourideal height adjust the measurement of the legs for

your workbench accordingly. In the cut list belowyou can see that we used a 4” x 4” x 8’ for our legs.

This worked out for us because we wanted a worksurface height around 25 inches. By cutting our legs 2’ long each we got

4 out of our 8’ piece. Remember to add the thickness of the plywood top(3/4”) to your total height. Let’s look at our parts.

Workbench cut list:

Top (1) ¾” x 2’ x 4’ sanded BC plywood

Long aprons (2) 2” x 4” x 45’

Short aprons (1) 2” x 4”x 2’

Legs (4) 4” x 4” cut to the appropriate length

Parts to the workbench, total cost including vise was less than $40

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Step 1Let’s cut the legs to length first. Mark off the length of each leg that

you’ve determined to be a good working height for you. Use your speed

square to mark a square line to guide your saw. Use a piece of woodacross your line to help keep you on track if you need it. Since these are

the legs to our workbench it’s important that they be cut square so theysit evenly on the ground with no rocking back and forth. These boardsare heavy so be sure to have help in picking them up and holding them

while you’re cross cutting them to size. Cut off all four legs.

Step 2Cut the bench aprons to size according to the

cut list. The apron on any table is the part thatwraps around the legs and is just underneath

the tabletop. It’s what keeps the legs squareand sturdy. Take a short apron piece along

with the two long aprons and set them on thefloor. Using two 12d nails on each end nail the

end apron to the side aprons. Make sure that

Make sure you measure correctly; you never know who might be looking over your shoulder

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you nail as close into the center of the ends of the side aprons as possibleto prevent them from splitting. Nail the other end apron to the opposite

side. If the 2 x 4s are a little twisted (not unusual) then try using clampsto pull them together so everything lines up.

Step 3Now we’re ready for the top. Thetop not only gives us a nice work

surface, it also squares up the apron.

Place the top on the completedapron and square up one corner

making sure that the top is flush tothe apron. Place a nail in this corner.

Now go down to the next corner andsquare it up. Nail off this side and

continue on around the top placing anail about every 6”. You may need

to pull the apron flush with the topwith a clamp before nailing. That’s

ok, just be sure that the top andapron are flush all the way around.

By doing this you automaticallysquare the apron to the top.

Step 4Turn the top onto one of the long sides. With a

3/16” twist bit drill pilot holes that are spacedaccording to fig. 1. Drill the holes all the way

through the apron. It would also be helpful tothen mark where the holes will meet the legs

and drill a pilot hole in them. If you do thismake sure that you mark the legs with

something (like the letter A) and put thecorresponding mark on the apron so you match

them up when you’re ready to screw themtogether.

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4” 4”

1 ½”

1”

2 ½” 2 ½”

4”

Top1 ½”

1”

2 ½”

Have someone hold the top while you drillthe pilot holes in the end aprons. After all

the pilot holes have been drilled we’re readyto attach the legs.

Step 5You’ll need a couple of short clamps, yourlegs cut to size, and (16) 3 ½” screws and

some wax to dip the screw into. Turn the top

over facing the ground and clamp a leg

Top

x xEndapron

x Side apron x

x xSide

apron

x End apron x

Fig.1 drilling pattern for aprons

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securely into a corner of the top. Be sure not to block a pilot hole withone of the clamps, you’ll need to be able to get to them with a

screwdriver. If you have difficultly getting the screws all the way in, youmay need to remove it andwith the leg still clamped to the apron, drill a

deeper pilot hole for the screw to go into. The wood on these 4” x 4”scan be really hard so don’t be surprised if you have to do this on most

holes.

Attach the rest of thelegs in this same

manner. Use the speedsquare to check to see if

the legs are plum. Turnthe workbench over and

check to see if the legswoble and if the legs sit

flat on the groundwithout rocking. If the

legs are wobly, go backand check to see if all the

screws are securely

tightened. If the workbench is not sittting flat on the ground either thelegs aren’t all the same length, or the floor it’s sitting on is not flat. Inboth cases the easiest fix is to shim it. Measure how much the leg that’s

not touching the floor is off. Find a piece of wood or cardboard that’s the

same thickness and “shim” it under the leg. This should keep theworkbench from wobling and make it much more sturdy to work on.

Step 6Our workbench is now ready for the

bench vise. We chose a small 6 ½” benchvise. The 6 ½” refers to how wide the

bench jaws are. This vise has a totalopening of 4 ½” which is more than

adequate. The jaws on our vise come offby simply turning the handle counter

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clockwise until they separate. Take the piece that doesn’t have thehandle and place it against the long side of the apron. The exact

placement doesn’t matter we chose to center ours 12” from the edge.

Once you find where you want yourvise to be, place the lip underneath the

side apron. Then using a pencil draw acircle where the mounting holes are on

the side of the apron. Now you canremove the vise jaw and drill a small

1/8” pilot hole. At this time you maywant to add a couple of small strips of

wood to the face of your jaws to helpprotect pieces of wood clamped

between the metal faces. Mount thesestrips of wood through the provided holes on each jaw. Use 1 5/8”

drywall screws to mount the vise to the side apron. Take the other jawand line up the threaded rods with the holes on the mounted jaw and

slowly turn the handle clockwise until they catch.

Step 7Now for some finishing touches. Give the whole bench a good sanding

with 100 grit sandpaper. Round over any sharp edges and check forsplinters that may be sticking out just waiting for an unsuspecting

victim. Also, you can seal the top from stains with a couple of coats ofpolyurethane.

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Doll Cradle

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Lesson 19

Doll Cradle

Here’s a simple project with few parts, that’s fun to build, and willprovide hours of entertainment. Now I know there are more than a few

girls out there that will be excited about building this project for a specialdoll, but guys, before you turn your nose up at this project, here’s

something to think about. Do you have a sister, a cousin, or a friend thatwould like a doll cradle to play with? Talk about impressing them with

your woodworking skills. What a great gift idea!

Before we begin let’s look at how wedesigned our doll cradle. My daughter

collects a particular type of doll andthey’re all the same size. So we took one

of them and measured it to see how long

our cradle would need to be. The dollwas 18” tall so we decided to make the

inside of the cradle 21” long, (gives alittle room to grow). We also made our

cradle extra wide to even accommodatetwo sleeping dolls, if the need should

arise.

Here’s the cut list for the doll cradle:

Ends (2) ¾” x 9 ¼” x 20”

Bottom (1) ¾” x 9 ¼” x 21”

(8) 1” x 22 ½”Dowels

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Step 1Cut all your parts to size according to the cut list. Make sure you labelthe end pieces and bottom part to avoid confusion later on.

First we need to draw the halfcircles on the end pieces.

We’ll do that just like we

drew the circles for the pencilholder. Take a piece of string

that’s at least 12” long and tieone end to a small finish nail

and the other end to a pencilat exactly 9”. Remember that

the radius of a circle is astraight line that goes from

the center to the outer edge ofa circle. This will give us a

diameter of 18” or two times the radius.

Now place the finish nail with the string attached at the center (10”) of anend piece. Ok, were ready to draw our half circle, but there something to

keep in mind. You need to hold the pencil straight up and down whilekeeping the string tight. If you lean the pencil from square or don’t keep

the string tight your curve won’t be even. Just take your time and it willcome out fine. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just make sure that there are

no flat spots on the bottom portion of the curve so that the cradle willrock properly.

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Step 2With one end piece marked with the half circle use your coping saw tocut it out. Remember to stay to the outside of your line rather than

trying to cut right on the line. It’s easier to go back and sand extra woodback to the line than to accidentally cut inside the line and leave a dip inthe wood.

Once the end is cut out use your sanding block to shape the curve back

to the line and to smooth any rough edges out.

Now that you have one end piece completed use it as your pattern forthe other end piece. Just trace it onto the uncut end and shape it as you

did the first piece. Even though you’re not using your home madecompass to draw the curve on the second piece, you still need to find the

center and place a mark to show this.

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Step 3Set the end pieces aside for now and let’s work on the bottom. The first

thing we need to do is to find the center across the width of the bottompiece. Mark that with a small line on each end of the board.

Take the time now to chamfer the edges of the bottom with the block

plane. It’ll be much easier now than if you wait until after everything isalready glued up.

Step 4Now that the bottom piece is ready weneed to find and mark where it will connect

to the end pieces. The first step in this ismarking a center line all the way across

both end pieces with your combinationsquare. Use the nail hole on the first end

piece and the mark that you placed on theother end piece as a reference.

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Set your combination square to measure 6¾”. Place the head of the square against

the bottom of both end pieces and setyour pencil against the end of the ruler

and slide the head along the length of theedge, marking as you go. This line

represents the bottom edge of the bottompiece.

Step 5All that’s left to do to the end pieces is todrill the holes for the dowel to fit through.

We wanted the dowels to follow the samecurve as the end pieces. So we pulled our

home made compass back out and usedthe same center mark but this time we

shorten the string to 8”. This will be thecenter- line for the dowel holes. We need to mark the spacing of the

holes on this line. Using your measuring tape or combination squaremeasure down the right side from the flat

edge and place an X on the curve at: ¾”, 23/8”, 4 3/16”, 5 ¾”. Mark the same

measurements on the left side and theother end piece.

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Take your brace bit with a 1” auger bit

and drill all the holes. Here’s a hint tokeep the drill bit from tearing out the

wood as it breaks through the otherside. First, you can place a scrap piece

of wood underneath if you’re drillingon a flat surface (which you should do

anyway to protect the tip of the bit).The scrap piece underneath will help

support the wood fibers keeping themfrom tearing away. Second, if you’re

drilling your holes like Katie’s doing inthe picture with it clamped in a vise

you can drill just far enough so the tipof the bit just pokes through. Take the

bit out of the hole, turn the piecearound and finish drilling your hole from the other side. This also

prevents the wood fibers from being torn away.

Step 6To help us line up the nails so that theygo into the center of the bottom piece

we need to draw a line on the outside ofboth end pieces. The bottom piece, if

you’ll remember, was placed 6 ¾” fromthe top. To place the nails into the

center of the bottom we need to subtracthalf the thickness of the board or 3/8”

from the 6 ¾”. This gives us ameasurement of 6 3/8”. Use your

combination square set to thismeasurement and as before, slide it

along with your pencil to mark a line to

show where to nail.

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Step 7Spread a bead of glue on one edge of the bottom piece. With some help

line up the center point line on the bottom piece with the center point

line on the inside of one of the end pieces. Next make sure that the linewe drew 6 ¾” is underneath the bottom piece. Once everything is lined

up, nail through the end piece with 4d (1 ½”) finish nails.

Step 8Sand all the parts including the dowels at this point. Normally wewould have sanded our parts before we put them together, but if we had

done that all our alignment marks would have been erased. (Not a goodthing.)

Step 9We’re finally there, we’re ready to put the last pieces together. Slide thetop dowel in place on each corner and place a small amount of glue on

the dowel where it will come into contact with the hole.

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Before you put the rest of the dowels in,let’s check to make sure that the ends are

square to the bottom. Place your speed squareinto the corner where one side is against the

bottom and the other side is against the end. Ifboth pieces don’t meet the square you will

need to adjust the end piece in or out until it’ssquare. If this takes much effort you probably

will have to place a small brad nail or finishnail through the edge of the end piece into

both dowels on each corner.

After everthing has had time to dry, trim offthe excess dowel with your handsaw and flush

it to the ends with a block plane.

Step 10All that’s left is to decide on the finish for your doll cradle. You couldchoose paint, stain and polyurethane, or just poly. You really can’t go

wrong with any of these. Well, almost, Katie informed me that shewanted to paint her doll cradle purple with pink poka dots. How

would you like waking up to those colors? Now that’ just wrong.

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Catapult

168

Things You’ll Need

The usual suspects

4d finish nails

Brace drill

5/16” bit

Screwdriver and 1 ¼” drywallscrews

(2) 7/16” wrenches

(4) ¼” x 4 ½”” hex head bolts

(1) ¼” x 3” hex head bolt

(10) ¼” flat washers

(1) Door knob stopper

(1) Towel hook (with two hooks)

(2) Rubber bands 3 ½” x ½’

(4) ¼” lock nuts

(1) ¼” wing nut

Block plane

Safety glasses

Lesson 20

Marshmallow Catapult

Here’s a project that you can build and use to learn about engineering

terms such as force, trajectory, tension, and of course the theory that oncean object is in motion it tends to stay in motion. Oh who am I kidding,

here’s a cool project to build so you can launch marshmallows into theair like scud missiles!

Again, like some other projects in this book, there are not a lot of parts to

put together but things have to be done in order. Particularly, all theholes have to be drilled precisely where shown in the diagrams in order

for the catapult to work properly. Remember, measure twice cut once(and drill once).

Here’s the cut list for our project:

Handle: (1) ¾” x 1” x 7”

Side panels: (2) ¾” x 5 ½” x 6 ½”

Long boards: (2) ¾” x 1 ½” x 14 ½”

Catapult arm: (1) ¾” x 1” x 10 ½”

Tall spacer: (1) ¾” x 1 ½” x 5 ½”

Short spacer: (1) ¾” x ¾” x 4”

We pieced our catapult together with wood

scraps left over from other projects and you canprobably do the same. If you do need to buy

169

lumber, the side panels can be cut from a 1 x 6 x 14” board, and all therest can come from a 1 x 2 x 4’ board. Remember that a 1 x 2” is actually

¾” x 1 ½” so you won’t have to rip to width any pieces except thehandle, catapult arm, and short spacer.

Even if you have all the wood left over from other projects a trip, to the

hardware store is going to be necessary (don’t you just hate that). The listof things you may need is listed in the “Things You’ll Need” section at

the beginning of the lesson.Long boards

Side panels

Catapult arm

Tall spacer

Short spacer

Handle

Catapult parts cut to size

Hardware for catapult

170

Step 1Let’s work on the handle

first. If you haven’t cut it

to size from the cut list yetgo on and do that. Next

we need to cut a notch intothe bottom section of thehandle. This is so we can

use the handle to hold the

catapult arm in placebefore firing. Use your

combination square and set it to read at ½”. Then, use your pencil toslide along with the combination square to mark off 3 ¼” on the side that

measures 1” in width. We need to angle the top of the notch so that itbetter grips the catapult arm. So, instead of cutting straight across, drop

down about a ½” and cut at an angle back up to your cut line. (See thepicture of the catapult parts cut to size).

Step 2We need to glue the short spacer to the two long boards next. Thespacer’s job is to, you guessed it; keep a space between the two long

boards. If we didn’t have a spacer block

the two long pieces would pinch togethertrapping the catapult arm. Take one of the

long boards and measure over 1 1/8”. Atthis mark place the short spacer flush with

the bottom edge and trace an outline ontothe long board. Next spread some glue on

both sides of the spacer and line it back uponto the long board and place the other

long board on top. Use your speed squareto make sure that the ends of the long

boards are even. Using some help to makesure that the pieces don’t slide around put

a couple of 4d finish nails into each side tosecure the pieces until the glue dries.

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Step 3Next, let’s lay out the holes in the

side panels. First thing to do is toplace an arrow pointing along the

length of each side panel. The twopanels need to be mirror images ofeach other so one panel the arrow

points to the left, the other panel it

points to the right. These arrowswill point towards the small spacer and also the side with the arrows

will be the outside of the panel when everything is put together. Thiswill help avoid drilling the holes in the wrong spot and from connecting

the panels backwards. With the arrows facing up take both side panelsand lay out the lines and mark the placement of the holes with your

measuring tape and speed square according to fig 1. Pay close attentionto which way the arrow is pointing for each panel.

½” 1” 1” 1” 2 ¼” ¾”

¾”

¾”

2 5/8” 3 1/8” ¾”

Fig. 1 Lay out for right side panel, left side laid out just the opposite

The other side panel is a mirror image, so to lay it out flip all themeasurements around. The arrow will also be pointing in the opposite

direction. It’s easier to lay out the holes on one side panel and then place thepanels back to back (both arrows on the outside and facing the samedirection) and drill both pieces at the same time. This way the holes line up

and it avoids confusion (if you’re not already confused).

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Step 4The hex head bolts that we’re

using are ¼” size but to make

things a little easier whenputting things together use a

5/16” drill bit in your bracedrill. In some places you willbe putting the bolt through

three different holes before you

get to the other side and theextra room will help in locating

these holes. Drill the holes forboth side panels. You can even

drill both side panels at the same time by putting them back to back inthe vise. If you do this pay attention to the arrows, they should both be

on the outside and pointing in the same direction. Also, make sure youhold the drill level. If you don’t and you angle the bit a little the two

holes won’t line up and the bolt may not go through both holes. Have afriend watch the drill as you turn it to make sure things look straight.

Step 4After the holes have been

drilled in both side panels weneed to attach them to the

long boards. The arrows faceout and towards the short

spacer we installed earlier.Insert the tall spacer between

the two long boards just forsupport at this time. Now

with the side panel flush withthe bottom edge place a screw

in the end of the long boards about ¾” up and ¾” over from the bottomof the front edge (see picture). With both side panels attached with one

screw each let’s drill the holes through the tall spacer.

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Clamp the pieces down to the workbenchand with the same 5/16” bit in your drill

place the bit in the hole that’s at thebottom corner of the side panel. We need

to finish drilling the hole all the waythrough the long board, the tall spacer and

finally through the long board on theother side. Your bit may not be long

enough to go through all this and even if itis it’s best to only go halfway through

each side and then flip the piece over andcontinue the hole until they both meet.

This way, if you start to get off squarewith your bit as you drill, you won’t carry

the angle all the way through to the otherside and miss the hole that you’ve all

ready drilled.

Drill the top corner hole the rest of the way through the tall spacer just asyou did with the bottom hole. Take a bolt and test your fit with both

holes. If you have trouble getting the bolts to go all the way through the

holes they may need some friendly persuading with your hammer. Isaid friendly persuading. If you have to hit the bolt hard and it’s still notgoing through, remove it and see if you can tell where it’s getting stuck.

You may have to use sandpaper, or if things are way off, a bigger drill bit

to allow the bolt to go through.

Now, drill the hole that’s at thebottom towards the middle of the

side panel the rest of thewaythrough the long boards just as

we did for the other holes. Thisis the hole that the catapult arm

will pivot on, but we need to waitto drill the hole through the arm.

That step is coming up.

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Here is how to install the bolts: Take a bolt and slide a washer on, insertthe bolt through the holes, place another washer on the end and finally

the lock nuts are tightened. Follow this procedure and install the twobolts that go through the tall spacer.

Before you tighten the nuts, place

your speed square against the side ofthe panels to make sure they are

square. If you tighten the nuts toomuch you can pull the side panels

out of square. One of the reasons forusing lock nuts is you don’t have to

tighten them down in order to keepthem from loosening up, where ever

you stop turning them that’s wherethey’ll stay.

Step 5Grab the doorknob stopper, the towel hook, and the catapult arm and

head to the workbench. (Is it just me or does that just sound plainweird?) The door knob stopper (let’s shorten that to DKS) that we

bought had a sticky backing but we didn’t trust that to hold it to thecatapult arm so we screwed it to the arm with a 1 ¼” drywall screw on

the side that’s ¾” in width. Make sure you leave ½” space above theDKS for the handle to have something to grab onto. Just below the DKS

place the towel hook with the hooks pointing up towards the DKS. Wefound out after we installed our catapult arm that it rubbed the inside of

the long boards as it moved. To prevent this we used some sandpaper toremove some material so that it wouldn’t stick.

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On the opposite end we need to drill the hole for the catapult arm topivot on. Use fig. 2 for the placement of the hole.

¾”

½”1”

Catapult arm

To make sure that the corner of the

catapult arm doesn’t hit the surfaceit’s sitting on as it swings forward; we

chamfered the edge using our blockplane.

Before we secure the catapult arm with a bolt we need to drill one last

hole.

Fig. 2

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Step 6We need to drill a hole through the end of the long boards and through

the handle. Figure 3 shows the placement of the hole in the long boards

and the handle. Drill the hole for the handle separate from the holesthrough the long boards. Because the bottom of the handle is notched to

help catch the catapult arm there’s not much room for error in drillingthis hole, so pay careful attention to place the drill bit in the center of thewood.

½”

¾”

Long board

5/8”

¼”

Handle

Now we can assemble the handle and the catapult arm. Just as we did

before, slide a washer over the bolt, insert the bolt then place anotherwasher on the end of the bolt, and finally the lock nut. The catapult arm

uses a 4 ½” bolt and the handle uses the 3” bolt. The catapult arm needsto be able to move freely so just tighten the lock nut enough so that the

bolt doesn’t move.

Fig. 3

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Trajectory- Thecurved path of an

object as it moves fromone point to another.

Step 7There’s one more bolt that you should have

left. This bolt will go through one of the fourempty holes that are on the top of the side

panels. This bolt will stop the catapult armat different points along its arc depending

upon which one of the holes the bolt is in.Changing the stopping point will change the

trajectory of the marshmallow. The holeclosest to the handle will give a higher

trajectory, while the last hole furthest fromthe handle will give a lower, straighter

trajectory. Secure the bolt with awasher on each end but this time

instead of a lock nut use a wing

nut. The wing nut will makemoving the bolt into different

holes easier.

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Step 8There’s one last thing to do in the construction of the catapult. Using

your brace and a 1/8” diameter bit drill a small pilot hole 1 ½” deep that

goes through the catapult arm nearthe top close to where the handle is.

The exact placement of the holedoesn’t matter just make sure that itgoes through the long board and

into the catapult arm. Next, put a 4d

nail in the hole to act like a safetypin. With this pin installed, the

catapult arm will be unable to move.

Step 9Let’s get this thing ready to launch! First thing we need to do is to wrap

a rubber band around the bolt on each side of the tall spacer. Afterwrapping a rubber band around the bolt loop one end back through the

center and pull it tight. (Yeah, that last sentence would make much

sense to me either if I hadn’t written it; look at the picture for moredetail.) Do this for both rubber bands. Next bring the catapult arm upand slip the rubber bands around the hooks. Slowly pull the arm down

and put the safety pin in. Place the marshmallow into the cup then move

the handle over the catapult arm and pull out the safety pin.

Make sure that nothing and especially NOBODY is around or in front ofthe catapult.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, release the handle and fire away!

Safety pin

Caution! This catapult should not be used to throw anything except large size marshmallows.Keep hands clear of the catapult arm when being released. Make sure the area is clear before usingthe catapult of people, pets or breakable objects (we don’t want Mom and Dad mad at us, do we)? If,

after repeated use the catapult arm becomes badly dented from hitting the stopper bolt, discontinueuse. You can easily replace the dented catapult arm with a new one. Anytime the catapult arm ispulled down with rubber bands attached you should have the safety pin in. The only time it is safe to

remove the safety pin is after the handle is underneath the catapult arm and you are ready to fire.

Failure to follow these safety procedures may result in serious harm. The author assumes no liabilityfor harm resulting from the use of the catapult.

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(1) Wrap a rubber band around the bolt on each side of the tall spacer.

(2) Take one end of the rubber band and pull it back through the loop.

(3) Bring the arm up and loop the rubber bands around the hooks.

(4) Pull the arm down and insert the safety pin.

(5) Raise the handle until it catches the arm, pull the safety pin out andload the marshmallow into the cup.

(6) Pull back on the handle and FIRE!

5 6

1 2

3 4

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Planter Box

181

Lesson 21

Planter Box

Here’s a simple project to make that’s useful and attractive. It’s also the

perfect gift for Mom or Dad to say thank you for all the cool tools andwood that they’ve bought for you.

We’ve built other projects in this book that were meant for outside use

but the planter box is unique in one way. The birdhouse and birdfeederthat we made was finished with an outdoor spar varnish to protect the

pine. This is a good choice for projects that need protection fromoccasional rain and snow. But for something that’s going to be in almost

constant contact with moisture you’re better off going with a wood that’swater resistant. We chose western red cedar and pressure treated wood

for the planter box because both stand up to moisture for a long timewithout rotting. Western red cedar is plentiful in the south but where

you live it might be easier to find redwood or cypress. Also, building thewhole project out of pressure treated wood is fine, but you might have

trouble finding it tongue and grooved.

What’s tongue and grooved I hear you say? I’m glad you asked. Whentwo pieces of wood are “tongue and grooved”, it forms a joint allowing

two pieces of wood to be connected without the need for any glue.Here’s how it works. On one edge of a board a groove is cut into the

center down the entire length of the board. On the same board, but onthe opposite edge a “tongue” is cut that is the exact shape to fit into the

groove that was cut. Nowthe way this works is you

take one board with thegroove facing to the right and

take another board flippedaround with the tongue

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facing to the left and slide them together, (see picture). Also, as you cansee from the picture, a chamfer is cut into the edge of the tongue side and

the grooved side making an attractive “V” when the two pieces cometogether. This is a good joint to use to quickly connect pieces of wood

together and forms a tight joint that won’t allow water or dirt to seep outin-between the joints.

Here’s the cut list:

Panel pieces (14) ¾” x 5 ½” x 14 ½” T&G cedar

Long braces (2) ¾” x 1 ½” x 17” Cedar

Short braces (2) ¾” x 1 ½” x 12 ¼” Cedar

Bottom (4) 1 ½” x 3 ½” x 17 ½” PT

Feet (2) 1 ½” x 3 ½” x 11” PT

Frame (short) (2) ¾” x 3 ½” x 11” Cedar

Frame (long) (2) ¾” x 3 ½” x 21” Cedar

Things You’ll Need

The usual suspects

(2) 1” x 6” x 10’ Tongue and

grooved western red cedar

(1) 1” x 2” x 6’ cedar

(1) 2” x 4” x 10’ pressure treated

pine

(1) 1” x 4” x 6’ cedar

8d galvanized common nails

1 ¼” stainless steel screws

6d finish nails

Combination square

1/8” twist bit

Waterproof glue

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Step 1The planter has two

panels that are three

boards each and twopanels that are four

boards each. After youslide the boards togetherto form the panels you’ll

notice that on each end

of the panels you stillhave either a tongue or a

groove left. In order forus to connect the panels

together we need to rip off the tongue and grooves that are on the end ofour panels.

Here’s how we ripped off the unnecessary tongue or groove and cut thepanels to final width. To avoid confusion only work on one panel at a

time so you’re only working on two boards at a time. Take one of theend boards on a long panel (one that has four boards) and set your

combination square to the length from the edge to just remove thetongue or groove. With a pencil and your set combination square, slide

the two together down the length of the board to form a cut line tofollow. Clamp the board to you workbench and remove the tongue or

groove with your handsaw.

Now, take the piece you just cut and re-attach it to the long panel. Thefinal width of the long panels are 19”, so measure over from the board

you just cut to the other edge and place a mark at 19”. Again, set yourcombination square to this mark and with a pencil mark this length

down the entire edge. Cut these pieces to width just as before. The otherlong panel is done the exact same way.

For the short panels (one that has three boards) the only difference is the

final width is 14 ¼”. Cut all four sides to final width.

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Expand- To grow bigger,

to enlarge.

Contract- To shrink insize.

Step 2With all the panels cut to size and assembled you’ve probably noticed

that they are a little flimsy. The tongue and groove joint is not enough tohold the panels together. We need some type of backing to stiffen the

panels up. That’s where the braces come in. If you haven’t cut thebraces to size yet go on and do that. The longer braces are for the wider

panels and the short ones are for the narrower panels. The reason that

the braces don’t go all the way across is to keep them from getting in theway when the panels come together. Measure over 1” from both edges

and place a mark. The braces on the wide and narrow panels should fitin-between these marks. The braces need to be placed somewhere in the

middle of each panel so we measured down roughly 7” from the topedge of each panel and place the top of the brace at this mark.

Once you have the braces marked where they

should go clamp them in place and with yourbrace drill pilot holes using a 1/8” bit through the

brace and into the center of each board. Bydrilling into the center of each board you allow

the panel to expand and contract along the width.Remember wood is constantly moving. Wood moves in response to how

much moisture is in the air. If the air is dry wood will contract, if the airis damp, wood will soak up this moisture and expand. Most of wood’s

movement is across the width of the board, (very little movement is seen

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along the length). So, if we were to screw down the brace board all alongthe width of each panel, especially two into each board, it wouldn’t

allow the individual boards to expand and contract and wouldeventually split the panels into pieces.

Before you connect the brace to the panels, use your combination square

along the bottom of each panel to make sure that the boards are all even.Using only 1 ¼” screws, no glue, connect the braces to each panel.

Step 3Set the panels aside for now and let’s build thebottom. The bottom is made up of four 2 x 4 x

17 ½” pieces just butted together. The two feetare evenly spaced across the bottom pieces and

nailed with 8d-galvanized nails. Place a nailthrough the feet and into each of the bottom

boards. It helps to place a clamp across thebottom boards to hold everything together while

you’re hammering.

Step 4One of the worst things that can happen to apotted plant is for the roots to sit in water day

after day. Since we built our planter bottomwithout any gaps between the boards for water

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to drain, water will collect in the bottomwith nowhere to go. We need to find a

way for the water to drain out. Thesolution that we came up with is to drill

small drainage holes through the bottom.We drilled six ½” holes spaced evenly

over the bottom. Make sure that theholes don’t go through the feet because

they touch the ground and won’t allowthe water to drain out properly.

Step 5Now that the bottom is completed we can attach the panels around it.

Take a long and short panel and wrap them around the bottom section,(make sure you’ve flipped the bottom over so that the feet are against the

ground.) The long panels overlap the short panels. We also used scrappieces of cedar underneath the panels to raise them off the ground by ¾”

while we nailed them to the bottom. This extra space makes sure thatthe bottom edge of the panels won’t sit in water for long periods of time

helping the wood to last longer. Measure up from the bottom edge ofthe panels to the center of the bottom boards and use your combination

square to draw a line across. This line will mark where to place yournails to make sure they go into the bottom boards. Along the bottom

edge use the same 8d galvanized nails you used in building the bottom.

Here’s a girl that’s not afraid to swing a hammer!

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We found it helpful to have one person hold the bottom section with acouple of clamps holding the panels together while another nailed

everything together. In addition to nailing the panels to the bottom youneed to nail where the panels come together. The 8d nails are a little big

for this so we chose to use 6d finish nails along with some water- proofglue to hold the panels together. Connect the other two panels the same

way.

Step 6Our planter box is looking good at this point but it needs a littlesomething extra. How about a frame to go around the top edge of thebox? This is a small thing to add but makes a huge difference in the

appearance of the planter. The frame is made from 1 x 4” cedar, no

tongue & groove is needed here.

A simple butt joint is all that’s needed to connect the frame parts. Theframe parts are sized so that when it’s put together there should be

approximately a 1” overhang of the panels all the way around. It’s mucheasier to put the frame together first and then place the completed frame

on than to piece the frame together around the planter. Spread glue oneach joint (a waterproof glue should be used) and clamp the frame up as

shown in the picture. Measure from one corner to the opposite corner(diagonally) and note the distance. Measure the other diagonal and if

the distance is equal you know the frame is square. If it’s not, loosen theclamps a little and gently push the longer corner in and measure again

Butt Joint

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until the measurements are the same, retighten the clamps and set itaside to dry.

Step 7Now it’s time to attach the top. Earlier we said that when the frame sits

on the planter there should be approximately a 1” overhang all the wayaround. The 1” overhang is not critical, just measure the amount ofoverhang around the frame and make sure it’s close to the same all the

way around. Once this is set take your combination square to the

distance of overhang plus 3/8” and place small marks all the wayaround the frame about every 4”to 5”. These marks are where you need

to drive 6d finish nails through the frame and into the top edge of thepanels.

Step 8Your planter box needs no finish if you built it out of cedar, redwood,cypress or pressure treated-wood. All of these woods will weather to an

attractive silver gray after about a year outdoors.