Workbench Storage Solutions

8/10/2019 Workbench Storage Solutions

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Space SavingKitchenOrganizers

Bath Storageon a Budget

Clever Curesor Cramped

Closets

work en hM G Z I N E

FOR V RY ROOM IN YOUR HOM


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work en h M A G A Z I N E

t ra YU olutionsg FOR VERYROOM INYOUR OME

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If you're looking for morestorage in the kitchen ,don't overlook the spaceunderneath the cabinets .

page 4

Bathrooms havechanged . Once strictlyfunctional space snow have 'furnished ,'contemporary

appearances .page 22

Drop Down KitchenS torage Trays

4

Space SavingDrawer D ividers

13

Ki tchen Display Rail

17

21

ContemporaryBathroom Suite

Maxm storag and


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Built-in ook Nook

4

Floating DisplayShelves

I

5

Laundry RoomMakeover

58

2 ome Storage Contents

g

67

68

Stowaway StorageLoft

Thts c;tmple loft adds eastlyaccec;stble storage spac to yourgarage tn an area vou may have

overlooked rh ad

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Modular UtilityShelf

78

b

8

Space-Saving Murphy BedA btg bed can monopo ,ze even rye

most spaCious bedroom. Eltmmate theproblem wtth a htdeaway bed chat

folds down from t f ~ 'c

8

edroom Closet

OrganizerTake the hassle out o f closet

organization w th this s imple system.t uses readily avat abfe materials to

enhance a closet's existing space

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DROP DOWN

itc enstora e

f you're looking for more storage space in your k1tchen then don't

overlook the space underneath the cabmets. These unique trays pullout like drawers and then drop down at an angle to hold spiceskmves cookbooks and other items. Your supplies are always close athand and your counters stay clear while looking great.

hen it comes to the kit chen, you can never have too much storage.But after every available cabinet, drawer, and scrap of countertopspace s crammed with pots, pans, dishes, and utensils, one simp lequestion remains: Wher e do you find more space?

The solution s to find space in an area that most people overlook, butat the same time s remarkably easy to convert into useable storage. We re

speaking, of course, about the space underneath the cabinets.Drop-Down T r a y s n this kitchen we ve mounted four storage trays

in t hat under-cabinet space Photo, right). These trays pull open like regulardrawers, and then drop down at an angle and lock in place.

Custom S t o r a g e But there s a lot more to these trays than theirunique drop-down design. With the op t ions that begin on page 10, you canconfigure the trays into a sp ice rack, a cookbook holder, or even a place tostore knives. A ll of th s kee ps th e i tems yo u need the most tucked neatlya w a y - a n d your countertops clear .

4 Home Sto rage Kit hen


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Storage Tray shdes out. then drops

TraySupport

Cabmet down at an angle

6 om e Storage : tchen

TraySide

HARDWARE :

are used to custom ze traysfor spKes or knrves

(see page 1 )

(18) H6 x 1 Fh Woodscrews (6) 1 6 x Drywall Screws (6) Brads

Groovefonns a track for

shtlf SUpportS Ill traySides enabhng thetray to shde and tilt

down

AluminumTraySupports

create lip thatholds tray

TrayFront

False Frontcovers ends of

tray Sides

(3) 12 lengths o f 1V16 wide Piano Hinge (2) Low-Profile Shelf Supports (1#22286) Item ava1lable at RockleLcom: 800-279-4441


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ayde

Assembling the Storage TraysThe next step is to build the trays t hatfit in side th e rail assembly .

Tray S i z e The trays are .-16"narrowe r th an th e distan ce betweenthe rails. Thi s leaves clearance for t h etrays to slid e sm oothly in an d out.

Make the T r a y Eac h tray isa bo x m ade of 1-1 -thick hardwoodth at's assemb led with rabbet jointsand screws. After planing t h e stockto thickness, rip and crosscut the traysides (E), front (F), and back (G) to sizeon the table saw Tray Assembly) .

The front and ba ck fit into rabbetscut in both ends o f each side RabbetDetails) . It may seem like these rabbetsare deeper than usual rAI -dee p in 1-1

thi ck sto ck) , but the extra depth lets you

ome Storage : Kitchen

install screws to hold the tray to ge th er.In addition to the rabbets, you ll needto cu t a series of 11 dadoes in theinside faces of all four tray pieces. T hesedadoes will h old t he dividers that org anize the trays. Each dado only requires asingle pass ove r the table saw blade.

Once that 's done, the top rear cornero f each tra y side needs some at tention.Start by laying out and drilling a holefor a shelf su pport in each pie ce SideDetail). The next ste p is to cut a 45miter in that same corner. This miterallows the trays to tilt down and rest atthe proper angle .To end with identicalp ieces, it's a good idea to join themtogether with double-sided tape. Th en

miter the corne rs using a table saw ora miter saw. To finish up, sand a radiusto soften the sharp corners.

Tray A s s e m b l y - The tray ish eld together with glue and screws.As always, dry-assemble the pie ces to

#6 X,.FhWood screws

ETR Y SIDE

~ z

x r x 11'h l

TR Y FRONTr X 2 X 161V16 )

check the fit , and make sure the tray issquare when you glue it together.

The last step is adding a hardboard bottom (H) to the tray. Simplycut the bottom to fit, and then glueand nail it in pla ce with small brads.

False r o n t s Before installingthe trays, there's one last thing to do.That's to make a false front (I) for eac htray. The false front is wider than thefront of the tray. This way, it forms a lipunderneath for pulling the tray out .

As a decorative touch, you mightwant to rout a profile along the bottomedge to match your cabinets. ( I used a\4 beading bit .) Then trim the falsefron ts to length.

Mat ching the i n i s h One finalnote: You'll want to finish the falsefron ts and exposed tray sides to matchthe existing cabmets. I took a cabinetdoor to a local paint store and had themmix a finish to match.

TR Y SIDE

NOTE: Cut

NOTE: ttachfronts after trays

installed under ca


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Tray nstallationGiven the drop-down design of thetrays, there arc two things to keep inmind as you get ready to mount themunderneath the cabinets.

First, you need to clip a wing offeach she lf support Photo, r ~ ? l l t }to allowthe trays to tilt all the way down.

would prevent it.) So slide the trayinto the opening in the back of he railassembly first F


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Spice ackAdd a few extra parts, and you canconvert the tray into a handy spicerack . This keeps all your favoritespices close at hand and off the coun-te rtop. The separate dividers also give

you extra room to store other smallkitchen items that need to be quicklytucked away.

The rack can be divided intoanywhere from two to 12 compart-ments, depending on the size and

1 Home Storage : itchen

number of sp ice containers you wantto store. But th e first step is to work onthe tray divider.

Tray Div id e r The key compo-nent o f the spice rack is a tray divider

G) that separates the tray into two maincompartments Constmction View). Thisdivider has stub tenons cut on the endsto fit the dadoes that were cut in thetray sides earlier Stub Tenon Detail). Italso has two dadoes cut in eac h face to

SLAT

Ws hardboardX 11/s X 5 116 )

accept a pair of smaller dividers thatfurther compartmentalize th e tray.

Compartment Dividers Thesesmaller dividers (K) are hardwoodblocks th at separa te the tray into six

equa l-size compartments. Here again,they have stub tenons cut on the endsto fit the dadoes in the large dividerand those in the tray front and back.

H ar db oa r d Sl at s - Notice thatthese compartme nt dividers also havecentered dadoes cut in both faces

ivid r Detail). These dadoes acceptoptiona l hardboard slats (L) thatfurther divide the compartments. Ifyou want to use your spice rack tohold taller 4 spice containers, leavethe slats out To store the shorter 2spice conta in ers, add the slats, andthen each section will accommodatetwo rows of spice containers.


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Knife RackAn o ther option is to convert a trayin to a knife rack. This rack has twocompartments: One for sma ller steakknives and a second compartment forlarger kitchen knives.

Tray D i v i d e r T h e constr u ction o f this knife rack is simi lar to thatof the spice rack. A tray divider (M)separates the tray into two co mpartments. Jk re again, this divider hasstu b tenons cut on th e ends to fit thedadoes in the tray sid es. And as before,two dadoes are c ut in eac h face o f thedivider. Only this time, these dadoesaccept knife holders.

Add Knife H o l d e r s The knifeholders (N, 0 arc Y.l -thick blockswith slo ts cut in the top edges.

Notice the size and location o fthe slots on the knife holders varies

@

NOTE: Fip one small knifeholder in relation to theother to offset the slots

LARGE KNIFE HOLDERrl2 X 1Vs X 5% )

1fs x1fastub e n o n s .

centered on ends

@

NOTE : See Box at rightfor dimensions of slots

on ind ividual pieces

depending on the knives they willhold Knife Rack Parts .

SmaU Knife Bl o c In addit ionto the two small knife hold ers, a smallknife block (P) nestled between themlends extra s upport to steak knives.The knif e blo ck has six grooves w t inits face to hold the blades.

Knife Handle B l o c k s The lastparts of the rack are four knife b locks(Q) that support the knife handles.

Put I t To g e t h e r - Once all ofthe pieces are cut, ju st s lip them intothe tray (no glue needed). To makethe most efficient use of the space, thehandles and blades of the steak knivesalternate. To accomp lish this, simp ly

ip one of the sma ll knife holders in

relation to the other one, so the s lotsin each one arc offset.

j_w ~ II II II ?

~ ~ 1 ~ 1 f a ~ a

aiii n; nSmall Knife

Hold er1fs -wi d e s lo t s,

'l'a''deep

Y ~ II II II II ?t 'lw1H H ~ : ,ISfs r-

11fa' DCrlQ.OLarge Knife

Holder

5

3/tG wide s lots,'l's deep

~ l ~112'1112'1112 ll '1112'11Ja; Ihmall Knife IJa -wide grooves,

Block % deep

Workbench Specia ls.com 11


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Cookboov ~ o l d rAnother nifty way to acccssorize oneof these storage trays i ~ to add a foldout cookbook holder. With the trayopen, you can tilt the book holder upto hold a cookbook, magazine, or asingle loose-leaf recipe.

A Plexiglas cover prevents greasefrom sp lattering on your cookbook,and it also ho lds the book open to thecorrect page. In addition, when youneed to store the h o lder underneaththe cabinet, this cover nest les betweenth e book rest and t he back pa nel, an dfits snug ly i n the tray.

Ba ck P a n e l T he cookbook restsagainst a back pane l (R.). It's a solidwood panel that's made by edge-gluing

pieces of . "-thick hardwood. In orderto make it easier to lift the cookbookholder out of the tray, drill a 1 "-dia.finger hole ncar the top edge of theback panel. Then all you have to do isround the top corners of the panel.

Boo k Cov er

Suppor t for the P a n e l Thepanel support (S) props the back panelat an angle that makes your cookbookeasie r to read. The only step that'sneeded to accomplish this is to rip a40 bevel on the bottom edge o f thepanel support.

Book R e s t The next piece ofthis accessory is the book rest (T).It's a piece of . " hardwood with agroove cut in it to hold a Plexiglasbook cover (U) . H ere aga in, roundth e corners of th e book rest. This wi llcreate a nice, smoot h look.

Asscmbly M t e r the back panel,pane l support, and book rest have beenmade, you should be ready to assemble

the book holder and attach it to thetray. This is done with three 12"-longpiano hinges, which connect the piecesto one another (see Folditl.l Detail,below). Now all you need arc yourfavorite recipes . , . . . -

~ E ~ . II I I }NOT To store the book holder, place Plexiglas

cover between book rest and back panel,then fold down the holder

1 2 Home Storage Kitchens

BOOK COVER{ fa lexiglas x81fl X 141fl )


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WOOD KNOB

Drawer siz dictates leng th. **Numberof parts willvary based on your needs.

IVI ER ESIGN

To get a feel for how this divider willwork, take a look at the Photo on page13 and the Constructior1 iew above.

The divider has two side pieces A)that are Yl -thick. There's a rabbet inone end of each of the side pieces toho ld a partition (B), placed at the veryfront of the drawer. Both side piecesalso have dadoes spaced 3 on-centeralong their length. The dadoes are cutto match the thickness of the partitions, which are li.l thick.

one end only

The partitions B, C have notchescut in them at regular intervals, too.These notches allow you to lock thepartitions together into a grid. The

silverware partitions have an arc cut intothem, which makes it easier to get yourhand into the narrow compartments.

The divider isn't glued together.Instead, the entire assemb ly is heldtogether in the drawer with just sixwoodscrews. Because it's a dry assembly,you can rearrange the divider anytimethat you need to.

/

-0

Building the D i v i d e r - You canbegin by making test pieces to set upfor the side pieces. Work with woodthat is a little longer than the drawer

(you'll custom-fit it later). Then afterthe pieces are all cut to size, set up tocut the row of dadoes in each piece.First, make test cuts in scrap wood, andadjust the thickness of the blade untilthe partitions slide easily in the dadoes.

Now you can get going on theactual side pieces Fig. 1 . Degin bycutting the rabbets. Then set the table

v. not


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5-gal lon Bucket

3] The arc's radius doesn't have to be exact on the s ilverware pa rtitions.Anything with about a 6 -radius wil l work as a template.

saw up to make the first dado, anduse a stop block to establish that position. That way you can simp ly put thesecond s id e piece in place and make anidentical cut. Now reposition the stopblock to cut th e remaining dadoes.

You can use the same stop blocktechniq ue to cut the notches in thepartitions B) Fig. 2). You'll have toraise the table saw blade to cut ha lfwaythrough the partition. Notch a couple ofpieces, and th en test-fit them togethe r.The top edges of the partitions shouldbe flush with each other.

Par ti t ion s for Silverwa r e - Thesilverware partit ions (C) arc madefrom 4 -thi ck stock,just like the otherpartitions. But you'll have to cut th emto length before notching the ends.

After yo u've ftnished cutting theseparts, lay out a 6 arc on one of thesilverware partitions. You can do thisby tracing the bottom of a ftve-gallonbucket or a wastebasket Fig. J).Anotheroption is to make a cardboard patternfor the arc. ju st use a compass to draw a12 -diameter circle on the cardboard.

Rout e rM at

Ext ra-W id e- 1


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ign

Knife lockThe blade dividers on this knife blockspace the knives so they're easy tograsp .A sloping h andle rest (E) accommodates a variety of knife lengths andkeeps the knives from slid ing backand forth when the drawer is openedand closed. Since the block isn'tfastened to the drawer or the divider,it can easily be removed for cleaning.A simp le wood knob makes the blockeasy to lift out.

Begin making the knife block byripping and gluing together two Y. -thick pieces of wood for each bladedivider (F) Knife Block Elevntio11). Leavethese pieces a little long until the gluehas set, and then cut them to length.

Then chamfer t he ends and edges togive the block a finished lo ok and makeit easier to insert the blades F I. 1).

Now, simply glue up a blank for thehandle rest. Be sure to make the blanka little larger than necessa ry, so youcan cut match ing angles in two passesinstead of trying to make one perfectcut Fig. 2). Then glue and clamp thean g led pieces together Fig. 3).

Next, cut a plyvvood bottom (G)to size, and glue and clamp the

handle rest in place. At this point,you can also add the blade dividers.To do this, just spread glue on eachd ivider, and space them evenly acrossthe plywood bottom. Fina lly, fastenthe knob (H) onto the divider witha dowel (I) and glue to complete this

sharp storage so lu t ion . . , . . -

then separa te the pieces to rou t the edges .

6 Ho m e S rage : Kitchen

f - - 3 ~ 3

\ Handle Rest

] Tilt the ta b le sawb lade to 20, andcut the handle rest

lfa cham fers

DDOWEL lM dia. x f4 long)

-l--1_ _ _ _ _ _ H'a JI

II

IIII

H

BOTIOM~ / 4 X 53/4 X 17Sfa )

Blade Divider

-

in two passes to make matching pieces.

3] Glue and clamp the hand le resttogether. There may be a small ridgewhere the p ieces meet. Sand ing orp laning w ill remove the ridge.


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Although tt s functional, th s

outdated posHormed counter-top made or a bland kitchen.

di~ l

' = r ilI

f you've lost your taste for yourdull post-formed kitchencountertop, you're not alone.This rype o f countertop, whtch

features a built-in backsplash anddrip

edge, hasbeen

standard issuein new and remodeled kitchens foryears, and for good reason. They'reinexpensive, they have an ail-in-onedesign that makes them easy to install,and the plastic laminate surface isalmost indestructible. The drawbackis that they are typically quite bland.

But replacing a post-formed countertop isn't the only way to breathe new

life into your kitchen. Just c;mparc theifore and fter photos o f this kitchen,

and you 11 see how we resuscitated itwith a new coat of paint, a wood platerail, and a tile backsplash.

The combination plate rail/backsplash can easily fit in your kitchen.Simply use the same wood for the platerail that your cabinetS are made of, and becreative in selecting the backsplash material. r used one row of square, tumbledtiles with an accent row of rectangulartiles imprinted with leaf silhouettes.

Don't let the dramatic impact of theproject foo l you. You should be able tocomplete this kitchen counter update ina weekend and only have to order outfor a meal or two.

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The end of the w ide p late rai l willhave to be notched so it w ill clearthe adjo in ing backsplash.

Rather , you IJ have to cut a partial m iteron th e wide plate rail Photo, above).Thedimensions shown in the flhtstrat ion atright should get you close. Mter you vefinished, cut a no t ch in th e underside of

th e wide plate rail with a hand saw sothe end of his rail fits over the adjoiningpost-fo rm ed backsp lash.

At thi s point, yo u re ready to attac hthe rail by laying a bead of constr uctio nadhesive on the top of the backspla sh.Th en posicion th e wide rail on th ebackspla sh, fasten it with finish nails inpre-drilled ho les countersink th e nails ,and fill th e holes with wood fiiJer.

To install th e narrow rail , sim plymi ter it to length , and at tac h it withcons tru ct ion adhe sive a nd fini sh nails.

Add a B ac ksp las h - The backsplash des ign that I chose for my kit chenuses two different types oftile.The lowerco ur se is square tile, and above that i s anaccent row of rectangular tile. You canchoose a different tile design, or eve na different material altoget her, to trulymake thi s backsplash your own.

1] Align t he center of the first ti le withthe center of the wi ndow t rim. Mask ingtape makes the lines easier to see.

THIRD : Miterwide rail atmark and then test the fit

FOURTH : Notch wide railto fit over countertop

Notch to fitover backsp lashECON D : Mark location

of miter on wide rail2 \

FIRST : Cut 45 miter on n ___ -of narrow plate rail \ r - -

FIFTH : Cut both rails to final length

One important detail to consider isto look for a tile that yo u can in stallwithout a gr out lin e. By simp ly buttin gthe tiles together, you avoid messingwith spacers betwee n the tiles as youadhere them. Mo r e importantly , youcan avoid the mess that comes w ithgrouting altogether.

C en te r Yo ur s elf - A comp licatingfactor you can t avoid is th e w ind owprovided your kitchen has one. Isuggest you beg in by in stallling yourtiles underneath th e window first.

If yo u look at Figs . 1 through 3below, you ll see how I cut the tileto fit under th e window and to wraparound th e corner of the window trim.T he backsplash looks best if you makesure that th ese tiles are symme tri ca l.

A great way to start is in the ce nterof the window, and s impl y work your

2] To lay out the corner cut first mark at ile to match the space between thebottom of the window and the plate ra il.

way out. Beg in by measuring betweenthe pl ate rail and window trin1 to d etermine how taU to cut yo ur tile.Th en cutthe tile, and cente r it underneath thewindow Fig. 1). Continue to cut anddry -fit tile und erneath th e windowuntil you reach the cor ne r.

Now you can lay out the cornertile s F igs. 2 and 3). Us e the tile sawto cut out th e notch, and a pair ofnippers to sq uar e up the corne r of thecut. Co n tinue dry-fitting til e along theplate rail unti l yo u co m e to the cornerand /o r the end of the counter top,w here you ma y once aga in hav e tomeasure and cut a tile to fit.

If yo u plan on co ntinuin a the backsplash onto th e adjoining waiJs go aheadand dry-fit and cut th ese tiles now , aswe iJ. That l vay ai your tile w ill be readyto go before yo u apply adhesive.

3 ] Now mark the ti le to matc h theremaining space between the adjacentti le and the edge of the window trim.

Workbench Specials.com 19


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Secure the Tile Cap the RailsAt this point you've installed the platerail, dry-fit the tile, and cut any tile tosize that fits .uound the window or inthe corners. This means you're ready toinstall these p1eccs.

For the beginning part o f theprocess, you'll want to make sure youhave plenty of tile adhesive, painter'stape, and sealer before you get started.You' ll be using the tape first.

Apply A d h e s i v e - Go ahead a ndre ovc the dry-fit ti les, :md set themaside fo r now. Then if you haven'ta lready do ne so, yo u shou ld maskthe window tr im and plate rail wit hpainter's tape to avoid getting anytile adhesive on it. This will save youcleanup time later on.

] Use a notched tr owe l (1f4'' or 3fs

shoul d be fine to spr ead a n even bedof t ile ad hes ive a lo ng the walls.

2 0 Home Storage : K1tchen

Before you start spreading the adhesive, lay out a horizontal line on the wallthat represents the top of the ole row.This will show you how much area tocover with the adhes1ve.

When you begin applying the adhesive, place a doiJop of it on the \vall, .mdthen spread it evenly with a notchedtrowel. An importan t note here: Youshould leave the adhesive below thepencil line by about Yl (F(( . I . Bydoing this, it will prevent adhesivefrom squeezing o ut above the tile lineand causing prob lems when it's t ime toinsta ll the cap piece.

Mter you've finished applying adhesive ro one wall, place the bottom rowof riles first. Press each rile firmly into

2] After the ti le adhesive has dried,mi te r the cap pieces, and nail them inp lace over t he top of the tile.

the adhesive, giving it a slight twist toensure complete cove rage on the backo f the tile. Then go ahead .md followthe same press-and-twist procedure to.tdd the top course.

C ap Pi e ce - Mter allowing theadhesive to dry, you can attach thec.1p piece. This process is JUSt a simple

matter o f mitering the cap piece tolength. For the next step, you canatt.tch it by driving finish nai ls into thewall studs F ~ ? .2).

One thing l need to point our isthat r had co nail the cap piece ondifferently on each wall. Along the wallbehind the sink, I roe nailed the piecefrom the top. A long the other wa ll,though the way the cabinets wereconstructed made it difficult ro get ahammer in position above the cap rail.

So I had to take an a lternate route,and nail c h i ~piece through the edge. Inboth cases, though I was able to makethe nail holes disappear. I did chis by~ m p l yfilling and covering the h o l e ~with matching wood putty.

Se a l th e Tile s - The finishingtouch for the backsplash is to protect thetile om stains by applying a sealer. Thisrequires nothing more than brushing onone or two coats F ~ . 3 ) .The numberof coats, though, docs depend on howporous your tile is, as well as the amountthat the manufacturer recommends.

1cmembcr it's important to allowthe scaler to cure comp let e ly. Thenonce it's dry, yo u 're ready to getcreative and display those wine bottles,special d i s h e ~ .or any other items youcan find th.u make a statement aboutyour kitchen . . . . -

3] Porous tile and the wet conditions inthe kitchen mea n a c o uple coa t s o f tilesea le r a re in o rder.


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Home Storage t room

Bathrooms have changed. nce strictly functional spaces now have amore furnished and contemporary appearance.

This bathroom is the perfect examp le The focal point of the roomis a cherry vanity that looks more like a piece o f furniture than atypical cabinet. The vanity is inspired by Shaker design, a style thatblends well with different types of furniture.

Though it looks traditional, adding a basin-style sink and faucetgives the vanity a contemporary flair And it looks great with either aclassic solid-wood top above) or a more modern granite slab ~ e f t .


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Overall D1mens1ons44 w X 22 D X 35 H

Solid-Wood Top

is made by edge-gluing1 -thick boards

Wa ll Cleatfillsgap between van ity and

wall when securing it in place

Side Assem blycomprised of

solid-woodframeand panels,

assembled withstub-tenon-and

groove jointssee page 25)

NOTE Stileson sides and faceframe form front

legs of vanity

Front Side Stile

FaucetKohler ModelNo. K-12183)

Fac eFrameSt ile

Grooves

Face F ameis

held together withmortise and tenonjoinery see page 24)

in side assembly, backpanel, and face frameaccept bottom panel

Drawers areassembled

wit lockingrabbet jointssee pog 28

Drawer Front

Decorative Apronencloses sides

and back of vanity

Drawersare two differentsizes

to hold a varietyof items

.,.../ see page 28)

Doorsare solid-wood

panels surroundedby wood frames

see page 29)

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Face Frame & Side Assemblies

A mort1s1ng machme IS a great way tomake accurate mortises quickly.

To make the tenons, use a table sawequipped w ith a dado blade.

A

TOP RAIL

A hardwood face frame covers thefront of this vanity. It consists of threevertica l stiles and four horizontal railsthat form openings for the doors anddrawers (see Face Frame Assembly below).For stre ngth, these parts are put together

with sturdy mortise and tenon jointS.The end stiles also double as front legsto create the look of fine furniture.

Lay Out Morti ses - After youhave finished cutting the frame pieces(A, B, C, D) to length, lay out themortises. As you can see, the size o f hemortises varies depend ing on whichTame piece is tenoned to fit into it.

Make the Mortis e Now you'reready to cut the mortises. This can bedone with a mortising machine (Photo,

upper lift , or you can dr ill overlapp ingholes on a drill press , clean out the waste,and square up the ends with a chiseL

36'12''

(3/4 X 13/4" X381f2'') - - 1END STILE

(% X 2lf4 X 29 )

NOTE : All tenons are% thick, 1" long,

cente red on thicknessof rail or stile

cMIDDLE STILE

(3/4" X 11f4" X 231f2") DRAW ER RAIL(% x 1" x 11 )

C u t the T enon s - Next, cut thetenons to fit the mortises. To accomplish th is, use a dado blade mounted inthe table saw (Photo, lower lift .

Tapered e e t T he last step is touse a jig saw o r band saw to trim the

bottom of the end stiles to form thetapered feet (Parts VieU ). After sand ingthe edge smooth, glue and clamp theface frame together.

Side Assembl ie s - O nce the faceframe is complete, turn your attentionto the side assemblies, which consist of adivided wood frame that crea tes openings for a pair of solid-wood panels (SideAssembly, below right). The frame is madeup of two side sti les (E, F), a center stile( ),and two rai ls (G, H).

Stub Teno ns & G r o o v e s - Theframes are assembled with stub tenonand groove joints. There's nothing

7"

h.l 231f2'' 13 "

29

9%

j_

NOTE : A ltenons are

1 longwith 14

deepshoulders

% wide,centeredon edge

4 Hom e Storage: Bathroom


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%rabb et,

Y4deep

complicated about these. Before youget started, though, label each piece. It'salso a good idea to mark the.: outsideface of each piece and the n u se it as areference when machining t he joints.

C u t a p e r s After cutting thejoints, the next step is to trim thebottom of each side stile at an angle,once again forming a tapered foot.

Solid-Wood Side Panel s - Nowit's time to start your work on the solidwood side panels 0). These panels arec.:ach made from - t h i c khardwood.To determine the w idt h of the panels,dry-assemble the frames, measure theopenings, and then add . T h a t s\.1 "less than the combined depth o f thegrooves. Once the sides are assembled,

this allows the panels to expand andcontract with changes in humidity. Asfor the length of he panels, that simplymatches the l ength of the center st iles.

Tongue s fyou look at the SideAssembly llht stmtio aga in, yo u can see

EFRONT SIDE STILE

(3/4 X 21fa X 29 )

to ng ue- \

Sid ePa nel

@UPP ER SIDE RAIL

(3/4" x3 x 16 )

21fa

Q)SIDE PANEL

('h X 61's X 19112'')

4

ra bb et,% dee p

there's a tongue on all four edges ofthe side panel that fits into the groovesin the frame pic.:cc.:s. Each tongue isformed by cutting a wide rabbet al lthe way around the back of the sidepanel Panel Detail).

A ssembl e Side P ane l s - Nowthat you have finished with thetongues, you're ready to assemble theside panels. Begin by applying glue tothe mating frame pieces. Then centera dab of glue on the tongue o f thepanel at the top and bottom, just tokeep it centerc.:d in the frame. This way,the panels w ill float in the framesto allow for wood movement. Mterfitting it all together, be sure to clampit as illustrated in the Photo, right, to

ensure a fiat, square assembly.The final step in the process of

constructing the side assemblies is tOglue in a wedge-shaped filler strip (K).It covers the exposed groove in thetapered feet of the side panel.

FREAR SIDE

ISTILE

(3/4 X 21f2" X 29 )

Q)

DCENTER STILE

(3/4" X3 X191h )

% groove s,

lh'' deep, cen t e redorr n sid e edge

NOTE Cut % grooves,112 deep in both e ges

Center Sti le

Workbench Specials .com 2 5


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Case & Guide ConstructionAt th il pn i111, 1 t t 1wo ~ hh 1uhlha111\l t h~ llll'f ftolllll I I\ ' I IIIIIJih ' h ' ~d l l l nl ( .a plywum l h.lt kp o ~ ur l , hm mm, > ~ l id thvHJcr - u N t tlh t 111r ltu th Voll l iry.

r. J n lu ry ' I 1 r huw t ~l lthn r I 1 ~ ~ ~11 1~ r t liN, h t ~r 11 lnu li ottthr n u r ur m/lly hr luw Nut I r th litth r ltll r 1:1n 111hlin Ill 111111 1o1hhr t 1 111111 th l' end sul rt of th r l.11 h o ~ u wI hrh.at k ll .lll l' l (l ) f1u iuto 11 r.thhCt In t . ll huf th r t N t sidt' m it's

Itt uddh lun w th r r . ~ h tw u thtt ' K 'ov t lwll tr d n r . ~r thr huU11111

111 tlt r hu r It.auH. alllr ~ J n rm h i iC ' I ,am ih.11~ 1 .111r l I hr H ~ 1 \H V f ho lll th rplywu otl ho1111111 1 .111r l (M ) u th rt ohlu tt I innlly, tl.ulutl 11 th r h.H kllllll hn1t11111 JM I II I ~ 1 1 11' 111 II plyWIIHIdtvillr r llollt I (N)

All ur th C'Il' Jn ln u l Ill' IIHtd t by llH H IIH IIll( to ~ ' tl.u lu hl.adt ill l h t

~ g r o o v e

14 dt tp

rw. l l biMt ,~ dHp

\ldtlAt rnhly

2 Hom4l tor.ge : Bothroom

t h lr uw '' ' ' u U ul l lu ~th e> t ip ltuth r twr r u t uu . n, 1 111 th e> thul11c>1111lr ly, yu u ' ll lltN I tn rrw '' 'K tt 14lu h n o ~ HI tu thr l r ~ tu ~ N' lth r loU\t'tllh l lu lliUVIIll( IIIIUUthl ynvf r 1hr d tulu hht llr 1U yn u ~ u t ut r t '' ' r l ~ / 1 1) .

ut th l h h h eu I kr tlw mht rJo in ts, th t.thl wt 111hr d r ll t mh llt11ml f.t u frtlrtll' ' he> 1111 wllh th rd . ul ~ l bl,ul r 'I h i 1 u r, ltuwtw , y11111' ' I' lcm r wall ht1vt' t i l hv pu d th111r dt iKht ll t'X t th l' hl,.ult

' ll t ptl' VI'IIt th r hl.ul r lro111 t ullllll-(lu111 1hr ,,,hie uw'a rtll f m r, ht ' ' 'll l ltl l .u h I II I IU J t lh o ~ ty I m r Yu u lwu ld1uUm1 l h t' tUI Jt iiUJ y l e n ~ rn I t JIUI

k hu 1ur hl r u th t' hl.ulr I heu,

wuh th f o ~c '' It ' 11 tllr mtmhlyrttiiiiM ~ i t l1h1 htll t', 1 1 1 . 1 ~r 11 lnj


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GUI E SYSTEM

The next step is to add a system ofwood guides for the drawers Illustra-tion, below). N ylon bumpers installedin these gu ides, and also in t he divider,will ensure that the drawers slide

smoothly see the c ~ ~ i d eDetails below).On one side of he case, the drawers

ride on three L-shaped guides (0, P,Q), which are attached to spacers (R)that build out the guides flush withthe inside edge of the face frame. Onthe other side, the guides are singlestri ps o f wood (P, Q) attached directlyto the divider. Note that the lowerguides are thinner, so they'll be flushwith the bottom rail.

NOTE: Positionspacer flush withshoulder of rabbet

Back ofCabinet

DRAWER GUIDEMOUNT

(l/4 X211z X 8Yz )

Face

Mak e th e G uide s T o make theguides, size the pieces according to thedimensions shown below. Pre-drill allthe mounting holes, as well as the holesfor the nylon bumpers. Th e n glue upthe L-shaped drawer guides.

Before attaching these guides,you'll need to install the spacers (R) Imentioned earlier. These are just stripso f - t h i c khardwood that are gluedto the side assembly.

Install the G u i d e s At thispoint, it's time to install the guides.Remember, they must align from oneside to the other. This prevents thedrawers from bi nding when you slidethem in and out.

KICKER(l/4 X l/4 X 18Yz )

MIDDLE/UPPER

GUIDE(l/4 X1Yz X18Yz )

Nhen cuttmg the groove m the frame and s1de assemblies. a bo rd.crewed to the feet prov1des cont uJus surface that ndes agatnst the fence

To ensure alignment, clamp eachguide flush with its opening, and secureit with screws. Then press the ny lonbumpers into place. Finally, to preventthe top drawer from tipp ing, add a hard

wood kicker (S) on one side.Position itflush with the bottom edge of the faceframe rail, and glue it in place.

.......NOTE: Orllll/ holes, l a deep

for nylonbumpers

Face

NOTE: DrillliMholes, l a deep

for nylonbumpers

Yz

W o rk enc h Specials .com 2 7


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Building the Drawers & Doo rsOnce the guide system is completed,the three drawers can now be builtto fit the openings in the face frame.Actually, the drawers are sized slightlysmaller than the opening to create auniform gap all the way around them .

The drawers are also not as deep as thecabine t. A parr of stops get added toallow the drawers to close flush withthe face frame.

As you recall, the drawer s are twodifferent sizes (the low er drawer istaller than the upper drawers). Th e irconstr uction, however, i s identical.

NOTE : Dimensions shown are for lowerdrawer. See Materials list on page 3

lor dimensions of upper drawers.

The drawer fronts and backs (T, U )are each made o ~ t h i khardwood,while the sides (V,W) are made o ~ -thick stock see the Drawer AssemblyJllu stration below).

Lo c ki n g R a bbe t jo ints - For

strength and durability, I used at r ied-and-tru e lockjng rabbet jointto assemble the drawers . To help adrawer withstand co nstant tugging,th i s joint feat ur es a tongue on thefront and back that fits in t o a dad oin the side Top View).The three stepsbelow will h elp walk you through

( )DRAWER BACKC x9\l," x8fa")

XDRAWER BOTTOM

('/4 X17" X Slfa )

DRAWERSIDE( h x 9\1, X 17'h")

TABLE S W TECHNIQUE LOCKING RABBETS

NOT Placeldo inside face /

blade against fence

11 With the drawer front (or backstanding on end, use a 3/s dado bladeto cut a groove in the end.

28 Ho m e Stor a ge : Bathroom

Auxiliary

Fence

Aux .Fence

] Next, butt the end of the front (orback against an auxiliary fence, andtrim the tongue to length .

the pro cess of using a tab le saw tocut the joint.

Before you begin machining theparts , it's a goo d idea to label the insideface of each piece. Using this face as areference will ensure co nsistent resu l ts.

Also, u se a backer block for extrasuppo rt when you cut the groove inthe end of the drawer fronts and backsFig. 1). This will help to hold the

workpie ce s teady during th e cut.Now it s just a matter of cutting

a groove in eac h piece to hold a Y

plywood bottom. After you finishgluing up the drawers, install twonylon bumpers in the low er edge ofeach drawer ba ck to help each drawerslide smoothly on the guides.

Draw e r S to p s - All that' s left isto add the drawer stops (Y). Th e se arewood blo cks that stop the drawer flushwith the front of the face frame whenyou close it . To determine the size ofthe stops, in stall the drawe r, position itflush in front , and measure the distan cebetween the drawer back and the endo f he drawer guide. Then cut the sto psto that size and glue them to the guidesset ll/u stratio11, page 27).

3] Rep lace the dado b lade with astandard blade, and cut a dado in thesides to accept the tongue .


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Single-Cont rolLavatory Faucet

U FRJBK.UPPER) 4

Fin l I nst ll tionTypi cally when a furniture project iscomplete, you just se t it in a room andwait for the compliments. With thisbathroom vanity, how ever, there s a bitmore involved.

Also, if the vanity ge ts bumped,it could cause a pipe to get kno ckedloose from th e sink. So you ll want tosecure it to the wall to prevent thatfrom happening.

The biggest consideration is theplwnbin g for the sink. Depending onwhether the pipes come from the wall orthe floor, you ll need to cut an openingin either the back or bottom panel.

all C le a t An easy way to dothis is with a wall cleat see Illustra-tion at left . The wall cleat is a pi eceof wood that s thicknessed to fill thevoid between the back panel and thewall. Screw this cleat to the wall studs,set the vanity in place, and fasten itto the cleat with screws from insideth e cabinet.

Cherry

l pron Sidepron

~

:: f----- -- Top

Just a note here: The screws o nlyneed to be snugged eno ugh to keepthe vanity from shifting. In fact, if youover-tighten them and the wall isn t

plumb - it could raise the feet of th evanity off the floor.

BackPanel

H A RDWARE :

Now all that s left is to install thesink and faucet, and make the fin alplumbing connec tion s. . . .

15) #8 x 1Vl Rh Wood screws(5) 1% Screw-On Shaker Knobs (Cherry)*(5) #8 x 11/4 FhWoodscrews for knobs) (22) #8 x2 Fh Woodscrews (6) #8 x 1 2 Fh Wood screws (18) Nylon Stem Bumper Glides (2 pr.) 1'1/l Wrap-Around Hinges (2) MagneticCatches for Inset Doors*(6) W Fender Washers(1) LavatoryFaucet (Kohler K121 83)(1) vessel-Style Lavato& (Kohler K-2200)*Items ava ilable from Ro leLcom: 8002794441

W o rkbe nch Spec ials .com 3


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3 Home Storage Bathroom

Add big-time storage space to

your bathroom w1th th1s elegant

cobmer :hat doubles as a pnvocy

screen . A pantry-style drawer slides

out to provtde access co bathroom

essentials whtle the top case has

an open area that lets you display

decorattve ttems with style.

IIery b.uhn>om can u e m ore

stora(.w And 1f you happento h.wr .1 p t.de,u l ~ that\l >pt: tl.llly tru t.'. Tim pnvacy

partition ofrt: r\ .111 degam ~ ol u t io n toany bathroom\ \LOr.lgl 1 \ues. Wht. n

the compartm t. llt 1s closed, it h1debathroom clutter I um \It: \\ .md act' ,1,a priva cy scrctn between the sink andtoilet. Then. '"hen you need . m Item,the bottom co mp .trunent p u l l ~out toallow acce s w .1ll of )Our u p p ~ .

When t. Vt. l y tlung IS assembled.the partition wil l look like a singkca binet (sec Pltot


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8 X 1%Fh Wo od sc rew

SIDE

(3/4 X21'/4 X32 )

Bea dbo ard

Each side of the base has a dadothat holds the bottom in pla ce anda rabbet that accepts the top. Afteryou've cut these joint s, the top andbottom p ieces are glued and screwedinto th e rabbets and the dadoes.

Once the pieces are attached, cutth e mounting blocks to fit b etweenth e sides, and glue and screw them inplace, as well. T h e blocks add rigidityto th e base now. Then, when it 's tirneto install the partition in the roomlater on, they'll a lso make it mu cheasier to fasten it to the wal l.

Build out th e Ba se - The nextstep is to build out th e front of the'base cabinet. This is done with several

- t h ic k hardw ood pieces: two spacers

% d a do, % d ee p

Lf1fs

(0), a pair of stiles(E), a rail (F), and

Trim B lo ck

St ile

a trim block (G). Th ere are two specificreasons for these b uild-out s. First ofall, the space rs and the trim block makethe partition stick out a bit furth er atthe top and bottom. This allows thetrim and moldin g that you will applylater to be flush with the drawer front.

Second, the stiles serve as a stoppingpoint for the headboard. Th ey do thisby overhanging the sides of th e cabinetand giving the h eadboa rd a surfa ce tobutt against Stile D eta il . This helpscreate a finished look when th e partition is installed in the bathr oo m .

All of these pieces are attachedwith glue and nail s, sta rtin g at th e

Pa rt iti o nCa p

Na il

STILE S

bottom and then work ing your wayup. Fir st, attach the spacers. Then addthe stiles, and fit the rail betweenthem. Fina lly, add the trim block atthe top of the cabinet.

P ar titi o n Cap To p s I t O - Th efinal step in building this cabin et is toglue up a solid-wood panel for thepartition ca p (H). Aft er th e g lu e dries,cut the cap to size, and then roundover eve rythin g except the back edges.Next, position th e cap ' flush with theback of the cabinet, so it overhangs

the sides and th e front eq ually. Thenfini sh up by nailing the cap onto thecabi net top Cap Detail).

Workb e n c hSpecials.com 33


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Drawer ConstructionW1th the ca rcase co mplete, you cannow build the draw er that fit s inside.A i yo u ca n sec 111 the lllmtr.rti o below,th e draw er i a taU op e n-\ld cd unitwith three storage tra ys.

'I he top and bon o m tra}'\ ar c fixedin dado es cut in the pl ywood drawerfront /b ack. The ce nter tray is adjustab le and rests on sh elf pin s.To b eg in,c ut th e front / ba ck p1ecc'i (I) to ize, lld then c ut JJdoc'i 111 them for th efixed trays ( D t ~ do f tml , bdclll'). Ne xt ,lay out and drlll all the she lf pin hole son th e drawer from i and back'i.

A sse m b l ing th e r a y s Th elhre e s torag e trays arc each mad e frommelamine bottOm panel s Q,L) and hard

wood side s (K. M ). One thmg to noteabout working With mcl amm Jtc up easily, 0 you n eed to guardag.unst that .To prevent th1s, run a stripof m asking tape along th e cu dm cs.

N o u ce that th e bott o ms of he fixedtra ys a re 1), lon ge r than th e \ Jde'i to fitm the lltdoc.-.;, wh1le th e bottom\ .md

d e ~o n the adJustab le t r y ~an the samelength . Aft e r curting the p1cc e to u e,

c ut groove' m th e side to .1ccept thebott o ms (Cmo t l Drtail ) and lhcn glueand cl.unp the tray togethe r. Now. glueand c lamp t he fLxed trays to th e drawerfronc. /b a d..'i, and drive s e r e \ . ~throughthe fronh l b.lC.:ks an d int o the tra)' >.

In s tall th e S lid es N ext. yo u ca ninstall the drawe r in th e cab m ec. 1 hisJi accomph'ihed with a p;ur o f fullex ten on draw er slid es. Th e se ,1rc easyto po sition and im call s hown in the

li f D f tail below .

Buildin g th e Fa ce F ra m e - T hefinal t ep J i to dr e up th e dr.l\\ erfront w1th a face frame.T h1 IS doneby ;m ac hm g hardwood ra1ls


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:oJSPLAY CASE ASSEMBLY @CASE CAP

- (l/4 X113fa X235ft )

T E : Center stiles on divideredges V4 roundover

COVE MOLDING

CASE SIDE RAIL

(l/4 X 11/4 X 22l/4 )(1/z xlf2 X )

Miter end

of cove molding118x1Y2

Fh Woodsc rew(Brass)

45 mi t er

@CASEBOTIOM4 xav. x 2 ) Partition

Car c se

COVEMOLDING

118 xllh FhWoodscrew (Brass)

Display Case AnatomyThe base cab inet i s topped off by thi sopen display case {Ph oto, r(l{ht). e caseadds height to the f i ~ h e dpartition,but w hat's more, r has th r ee nooksthat yo u can pers o nalize with what

eve r it ems yo u like.Addmg decorativetouches to the top case he lps make thepartition seem less like a wall and morelike a piece of furnitur e.

Th e di splay case is a divid edplywood box that' s wrapped withhardwood fram es on three sid es. Butnouce here th at the frame co rn ersare beveled. That way, there won't beany edge grain sh owing. To finish,the e nrir e display c a ~ e~ cap ped witha so lid -wood panel.

C onstru c ti n g th e C a se - To buildthe case, begin by cuttin g the top andbottom (Q) and divid ers ( R ) to sizefrom % -thick plywood.Y ou ' ll also needto c ut dadoes in the top and botto m toaccept the dividers. Then to fims h ,simp lyglue and nail th e dividers betwee n thecase top and bottom.

Build the F ra m e s t th the caseco nstru cted, you're rea dy to mak e th ehardw oo d fram es. Th e re arc th r ee

frame s in all : two side frames thateach c o n s ~ t of two rails (S) and foursti les (T), and a front fr,uuc that h a ~

two ra tls (U) and two mle (T ).It's best to assemble each o f these

framesf i r ~ t

before at tachmg th em tothe case. So cut all the p.uts to size, andthen g lue and screw them to get h erw ith bra ss screws, as sh own above.

Yo u ' ll a lso notice that the sides o feach frame asse mbl y arc beve led tomeet at the fronr of th e case. The bestway to cut th1s bevel is to ult a tablesaw blade to 45, and pass each frameassemb ly over the blade, just trimming the co rn ers off each tile. Oncethat's done, yo u can g lu e and nail th eframe s to the case, as shown above.

All that's left is to add the case cap(W ), and th en trim thi s ca p with covemolding. The ca p is a glued-up so lidwood panel with a ro un d over on thet \VO long e d g e ~and the front. Use a~ roundover bit in the router table todo this. Aft er you've finished, gl ue andnail it to the top of the c,1se.

As for the cove m oldin g (X), yo ucan buy it pr e- mad e a t ;:1 home ce nter.

The case adds height and decoration tothe partition A ptece of tempered glassprotects the case cap from scratches

Ttju st ge ts mitered to length and g luedand n r ~ i le d in place und er the case c:tp.

To finish, you' ll want to fill a ll th enail and sc rew hole s with paintabl ewood filler. Sand it lightly, and pri m eand pamt It a co lo r o f your choice.Once this has been i nstalle d on thewa ll , you may want to finish up thecab in et by wrapping it in beadboard,base moldin g, and corner round 1sshow n in th e Ph oto o n pa ge 32. . . .

Work be nch $pe


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rabb et f or th e mi r ro r and b acker p anel.Th e bit will l eave round ed co rn ers,w hich yo u can squar e up with a chise l.

N ex't, use a h cove bi t to rout afin ge r pull o n th e bo tto m rail of th efram e. Th e length and pl ace m ent o fth e fin ge r pu ll isn l crit ical, so yo u canfree hand rout thi s de ta il.

Trim and Fini sh - N ow th atth e s tru c tural par t of th e doo r is built ,it s tim e to add th e decora tive pieces:th e fluted rail s (M ), ~ t le s (N) , and th eco rn er rose ttes (0) .

Insta ll th e rose ttes wi th glue andfini sh n ails Rosm r Detail, pa.l l'J9).Th en ,.tfte r you 've c ut th e flut ed rails a nd stilesto fit b e twee n th e rosettes, g lue a nd n ailth em o n. On ce th e mo ldin g is nailed t oth e fram e, you can fill th e nail h o les andprim e and p aint th e doo r.

Closing Details h ere a rc j usta few hardw are p ieces to put on befo reyo u can install th e ca bin et . S tart wi thth e hin ges. We a ttac hed n o- mo rti seh inges to th e do o r fram e. Pr e- drill th esc rew hol es with a se lf-ce nt erin g bit,and th en driv e th e hin ge sc rews byhand t o a vo id d ama g ing th e deli ca tebr ass sc rews.

N ow lin e th e d oo r up t o th e cab in e t ,and p re- drill th e cabm et fo r th e hi n gescrews. Again , sc rew th e h inges to th e

cab met fra m e by hand.N ex t , install m agnetic ca tchesinside the cabin e t , a nd m o unt th estr ike plate s on the ba ck o f t he door .Fin all y, fit t he mi rror a nd ba cke r panelin th e rabb eted fram e, a nd sec ure th emwith turn but t o ns .

Installing the Cabinet - Th t scabi ne t wo n 't fit in a stand ard 14 h stud space, so yo u ' ll nee d to c ut o ut astud t o c reat e an opem ng wh ere t hecabinet will b e im t a lled . On ce yo uhave c reated t his op ening, y o u 11 nee dto ad d an y brac ing as necessary. Alsofram e around th e ca bin et o penin gto prov ide a surface for n a ilin g th ecabi n e t frame in pl ace.

Afte r that , it 's JUSt a matte r of slidin gthe case int o pos mo n and secun n g 1t bydnvin g nails throu gh th e ca bin e t sidesand into th e framin g m em bers. A b eado f caulk will hid e any gaps be tw ee n th ecab ine t and th e wa ll. . . .

0CROW N MOLDIN G

LEFT RETURN

...__ -1fz rabb e t,

1/. - dee p

Drill w:. 1hol es

....-- --

CASE SIDErn 31fz X 301fz )

CROWN MOLDING

I FRONT

SSEM LV

Mag netic Ca tch

@~ C K E R

PANELr14 x1 ~ t x2'Piel

FLUTED

STILE

ROWN DET

Drywall

- -CROWN CAP{l/4 X 21/4 X 223ft")

FACE FRAME STILE

(1Sfw; X 1V4"X 32 )

14 rabb e t,1fz deep

3 d F in ishNa ils

-1 ra bbet ,t;,, d ee p::. @FACE FRAME RAIL(15/ 16 X llf4 X 22 )

DOOR FRAME

STILE(l/4 X23/4 X 311fa'' )

FrameRail

TurnButton

\ .

BackerPan el

Mirror

' Ro se

FluteStil

Workbench Specials com 3 7


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41/100

rosettes are set in from the edges ofthe frame with a reveal Ro setteDetail, be/ow .

Next cut the Auted stiles (G)and rails (H ) so that they fit snug lybetween the corner rosettes. Centerthese Auted pieces on t he widt h ofthe face frame.

Fill , Pr im e & Paint n ce alithe decorative molding is applied, fillthe nail holes with wood filler. Thenprime and paint the case.

In s tall the Towel Ra c k - Withthe opening already cut in the wa ll ,insta lli ng the cabinet is simple. Startby tipping it into place and m ak ing aqu ick check that it's leve l and p lu mb.Th en screw it to the wall studs. A nicetri ck for hiding the mounting sc rewsis to drive them through the shelf pin

hol es. Depending on how at thewall is, you may need to run a beadof latex ca ulk around the towel ra ckwhere the face frame meets the wallto conceal any gaps between the walland the rack.

114 groo ve , v deep ,1/4 from e dg e on

to p, bottom, & sid es

BackII

'

SIDEw x 4%X 56 )

% rabbet , deep

I

TO P

Workbench Specials.com 39


42/100

distance betweenthe mounting holesin th bracket must

match the spacingof the shelf pmholes

t

. = .. . .TOPVI W :

dot ' i ~ . -

Rosett e Fluted Rail

Swing-Out Towel ArmsThe swing-out arms arc one o f thehandiest features of this towel rackTowel rm Bracket Assembly, above).

Each arm J) fits between two bracketsK), whic h screw into shelf pin holes

in the towel rack. These ar ms swing in

and out on wood dowels that serve aspivot pins.M a ke the Bra c ke t s - 1 started

by making the brackets. Fo r the towe larm assemb ly to work properly, it'sabso lut ely critical that the brackets bemade as accurately as possible.

A nice vay to do this is to start w itha long piece of ~ - w i d cstock. Lateron you can crosscut both brackets towidth from this piece. But first, roundover bo t h o f he top edges of this pieceon the router tab le.

4 Ho m e Storage : athroom

Now head ove r to the drill press,and drill two holes near both ends o fthis longer workpiece. These holeswill serve as the pi lot holes that yousee above for screwing the brackets tothe case sides.

With the pilot h oles dr ill ed youcan crosscut the two ends of theworkpiece to form the brackets.Now drill one more ho le in eachbra cket (shown above) to ca ptur ethe dowel that wi ll be used as apivot pin for the towel arm. R epeatthis entire p rocess one mo re time coform four identical b rackets.

A dd . t h e Towel A rm Thenext step is to make two identicaltowel arms. These are pieces o f ~

thic k sto c k that get cut into a c ur ve d

shape. To end up with identicalpieces, it's best to cut two blanks tosize for the arms and then securethe blanks to one another face toface with double-sided tape. Thisway, you can cut them out on the

band saw at the same time using thepattern shown above.Once the arms arc cut to shape, go

back to the drill press, and drill twoho les in each arm for the d o w ~ sthatthe a rm s will pivot on.

Finally, separate the two arms fromone another, a nd round over all thelong edges of each ar m on the routertable. On the sho rt edges, sha pe theroundovers with sandpaper or a file.Then glue in the dowels, and installthe a rm s as shown above . . . . -


43/100

oo

4

5

5 8


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t ~ ~ : = : : _ : = : : :

42 o e Storage Sh Iev ng


45/100

0 0Open a new chapter in the story of your home with thisbwlt-in window seat and bookcase. t brings stylish seating,storage, and display space to any room. est of all, you canput it all together in a couple of weekends for about 500

lmo st every ho m e could benefit from additional storage, moreseating, and n influ x of extra sty le.This bui lt -i n book nook deliversall three. T he project starts with a broad bench seat that offers acomfortab le place to kick back and relax while you read under the

warm glow o f built-in puck lights overhead. Underneath the b enc h , you ll finda se riou s amount of stora ge space.

Two ta ll bookcases that flank the benc h are the perfect place for books, ofcourse. But they re a lso grea t for displaying your favorite collectibles.

The transformation this project br ings to the style and feel of a room isnothing less than s toni shi ng . And no less amaz in g is that the project is easy tobuild, a breeze to install, and rema rk ab ly affordab le. ,

All you need are st n dard woodwo rking tools, some plywood an d solidpoplar stock, a co uple weekends, and a few h undred do ll ars. O f course, yo u ll alsowant the so li d advice offered in th e upcomi ng pages that shows you how to planand build a book nook to fit your space.

ork ench Specials com 43


46/100

Plan For Your Space

Even this relatively bare room offeredplenty of nformationabout butldtng thebook nook The painted woodwork andbeaded pane ling offered styling cues thathelp the book nook design blend n Artelectncal outlet and cold at r return wereaccommodated in the project design

All projects require planning beforege tti ng underway. That s no secret. Butto get an integrated , seamless look witha built i n project, the planning processis espec ially important.

Build to i t Obviously, youneed to make sure the project will .fitthe room where it will be installed.Thatmeans you'll need to thorou ghly s urveythe lo cation and record all the criticalmeasurement s.

Build To S u i t Equally important with a built - in, thou gh , is makingthe project complement the room. To dothat, you need to pay close attentionto the stylistic e lements of the roomPhoto, left, and Jllustration below).

of book nook matches one of he open compartmentsthe room and the home well

44 ome Storage: She lving

In this room, th e woodwork ispainted, so we painted the project, aswell. We echoed the room's beadboardpanels by using the same material forth e backs of th e cases. Plus, we removedpaneling behind the book nook to m akesure it would look built in, not tacked on.

Results May a r y This meansyou 're likely to build yo ur book nookdifferently than o ur s.T he measurementswill almost certai nly be different (ourwall was 11-feet,3 w id e and the cei lin g,at 8-fee t, 2 , is higher than normal) .Youmay wan t to alter the style, as well . Inspite of the in evitable changes, however,this project will remain simple to buildConstruction View, right).


47/100

Crown Molding

Bookcase Sidesare builtextra-wide on visibleside, so they can be scribed to

fit tightlyagainst the wall

wraps bookcases andvalance to hide gaps at ceiling

and provide a finished look

Cleatsmade from 2x2s secure

valance to wallandto bookcases

Seat Panelsstart out oversized, then get

scribed a ong back edgeand end to match wall

contours for a seamless fit

Valanceconnects the tall cases to tie thebook nook together and provides

space for lightingand winng

ookcase sare made from plywood

with simple joinery,fixedshelves, and

solid-wood face frames

Face Frame

lighted Compartmentin top section ofeach bookcaseprovides added

display area

Puck Lights:?::> Y-1 are low-voltage

units for easyinstallation

Cove Molding

provides smooth,seamless transitionbetween bookcases,

seat pane ls andlower face frame

cover open ings in face frame toallowair flowto a cold-air return

located on wall behind book nook

is builteasily with butt jointsandpocket sc rews, then applied to

bench seat bases after installation

Bench Seat Baseis bUilt1n two units

to simplifyconstructionand installation

Drawersadd enclosed storage

under bookcases

Workbench Specials .com 5


48/100

ench Seat Starts It OffThe base for the book nook is the broadbench seat. With its ample seating andbuilt - in storage drawers, the bench seatwould make a great project on its own.

T he seat starts off with two plywoodbase units (built separately to simplifyinstallation) that are assembled with

6 Hom e Storage: helving

dado and rabbet joints. A face frameencloses the front, and a plywood seatpanel tops it off Base Assembly,below).

To determine the length of eachun it, measure the wall it will rest against,and then subtract an inch for clearance.Then divide this number in half.

SEAT PANEL

(3/4 ply. X 213/4 X675fa )

\

Once you'vedetermined howlong to makeeach base unit,cut the base tops(A), ends (B), anddividers C) to sizefrom plywood.Now, cut a notchin each divider.

Later on, thesenotches will beused to hold acleat Detail, below)that secures eachunit to the wall.

Dado for Se c ur e o i n t s It'stime to lay out a series of dadoes in thebase top and bottom, and a dado andrabbet in each base end. These featuresare shown in t he Base ssembly below.

You'll notice the dadoes that housethe dividers aren't spaced equally. Thisis because of the bookcases that will beadded later. As the Photo at left shows,those bookcases sit directly on top ofthe outermost compartments in thebench seat. So l wanted the width ofthese outer open ings in the seat to beidentical with the width of cl1e open-ings in the bookcases.

After laying out the position of thefirst divider dado, I located the dado

for the other divider m idway along therema ining length o f each base unit.

With all the dado locations laid out,you can c u t or rout the dadoes andrabbets. Then drill counterbored shank

8 X 2 Fh

Base

Back-

I

BaseDivid er

FRAME BOTTO M RAIL(3/4 X 4% X 131% )


49/100

holes for the screws that will ho ldeach base toget her.

N ext, yo u can assemb le the bases. Asyo u do th is, be su re to orient the p iecescorrectly - witl1 the wider compartments at the o ter ends, and the notchesin tl1e dividers facing toward the back.

At this point, rurn your attention tothe backs of the base units. Add basecleats (D) ftrst. Attach these by drivingscrews in from the base ends, as wellas through the cleats into the dividers.Finally, cu t back p an els (E) to fit fiom l-11

hardboard, and then secure eac h of thesepanels with 1 brads.

Seat Pa n e ls Top I t f f Thebase units are topped by a pair of

plywood seat panels (F) made from:Y.. plywood. They start out l o n g e rand 2\4 wider than the assembledbase unit that it sits on.

At the front, t hi s overhang allowsthe seat pa nel t o extend past the faceframe and molding that get addedwhen the bench seat is insta lled. Atthe back and outside edges, it gives anextra so you can scribe the ~ c a ttomatch the walls. For now, cut the seatpanels to these ove rsized dimensions,

and then you can set them aside.You can also make the scat edgingstrip (G) at this time. It s simply alengt h of \4 -t h ick so lid stock thatgets app lied later to co ncea l the edgeof the plywood seat panels. (I cutmy edging strip from a single pieceof 12-ft. long poplar. ) The Sidebar atright shows an easy way to make thisnarrow edging scrip safely.

r 20

Cut opening sas require d

Set the seat panel edging aside fornow, too. It doesn't get applied until thebo o k no o k is installed.

B est Face Fo rw a rd - The finale lement of the bench seat is a faceframe that covers the from o f bothbase units. This frame is made up oflong rails connected by stiles that alignwith the dividers in the base unitsFace Frame, below). When installed,

these stiles will co nceal the dividers.The face frame couldn't be simpler to

build. Bu tt joints and pocket screws holdit together Pocket Screw Detail. below).

Like the seat panels, the face frameis also built longer than the distancebetween the walls it s p a n s - ~ in

this case. The reaso n for oversizingremains the same here, too: You canscribe and trim the face frame tO ftttightly against the walls on both ends.

After calcu lating how long tomake your face frame, cut the to p rail(H ), bottom rai l (I), end stiles (]),andmiddle stiles (K) to size.

Now bore the pocket holes, alignthe pieces, and then glue and screwthe face frame together. Set it asideuntil it's rime for installation.

1% Pock e t

FrameEndSti le

16V4

MOLDING M DE E SY

The edg ng for the long bench seat 1sJUst a 1j4 strip that' s dressed up Withrounded edges . But rout1ng stock th1sthm can be tricky (and sometimesdangerous) because it places yourhands very c l o s ~to the spmnlngrouter bit. t 's best to use a srmpletechnrque to make it a httle easier .

Rather than trying to round overthe edges of a thrn strrp, you'll g tbetter results by roundrng the edgesof a wrde board first . Then you cannp the l ~ - t h i c kedging free It's athr(e-step process at the routertable and table saw, as shown m thePhotos below .

1] After ripprng one edge of a longboard stra1ght, rout a '4 roundoveralong the edge .

2) Fl p the board end-for-end, andround over the second edge usrngthe same router-table setup .

3) To complete the seat edgmg,move to the table saw, and rip therounded edge free of the board .

Wor kb e n ch Specials.com 4 7


50/10048 Hom e Stor a ge : Shelving

Bookcases ome NextThe bookcases are built almost likethe base units. Each has a plywoodcase made o f two sides connected byshelves tha t fit into dadoes.A face framecovers the front, and edging covers theshelves Case Assembly, below).

There is one notable distinctionabout the way the bookcases arc built.Each has one side th at's wider than theother, as shown in the Case Parts View,below right. You II see why if you lookat the Photo at left. One side o f eachca binet i s visible. That means it likelywill need to be scri b ed to fit tightlyagainst the back wall. To allow for this,

@CASE CLEAT

(% X 2 X 23% )

6d FinishNail

NARROW SIDE(l/4 ply. X 125fa X 81 )

N OTE : Left bookcaseshown. On right _ .

bookcase, locate the - --.-__.wide cabinet s1de _

caseon exposed side

6d FinishNails

the side is extra-wide and extendsbeyond the back o f the case Wide ideRabbet Detail). The other side o f thecab in et is hidden. That means it doesn'thave to be scribed o r built extra-wide.

As yo u might have guessed by now,we also accou nt ed for scribin g withthe face frames. Each is wider thanthe case it attaches to.The overhang sitstoward the outside o f each c ~ ewhereit abuts the side waJI o f the room.

Bu ildi n g the Book ca ses - Youcan now sta rt the case co nstru ctio n.Rather than cutting a ll th e sides at once,I started with two 26 X 8 1 blanks

--TOP(lf4 ply. X

~l l l l l l J J L j : : : : : : : : : : : : = 1 J125fa X 23%

CASE BACK

3f4 rabbet.lh(along ins

b ac k edof wi d

side onl

3f4 dado,1f4 d eep

N OTE: Shedging is

applied aftface frame

is mstalled

~IDE SID

(3/4 ply.131J4 X81

SHELF(l/a ply. X 24lf2 X 81 ) (lf4 ply. X 125Ja X 23% )


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made fiom % plywood. Each blank iswide enough to produce one narrowside (L) and one wide side (M).

The next step is to cut five dadoesand a rabbet across each blank (CaseParts View). These receive the shelves,and cutting them across a wide blankensures that, when assembled, theshelves in each case will align exactly.

To cut the dadoes and rabbet, youcan either use a table saw equipped witha dado blade, or a router and straight bitguided by a straightedge. That done, ripeach blank to make a narrow side (L)that's 12% wide, and a wider side (M)that measures 13\.4 .

CASE PARTS VIEW(Le ft Book case Sid es Sh ow n )

81

Ba ck Pa nel

% rabbet ,Yl d ee p

Ru n th e Rabb ets - Next, youneed to lay out a rabbet along theback edge of each of the wide casesides. This rabbet serves two purposes:First, it decreases the amount of material you' ll need to trim when scribing.Second, it provides a notch for theback panel to rest in (see the Wide SideRabbet Detail, below).

As you lay out the rabbets, keepin mind that on the left-hand bookcase, the wide side will go on theright. On the right-hand bookcase,the wide side goes on the left. Markeach side so that you don t accidentally rabbet the wrong edge.

Bring on the Shelves- Withthe case sides complete, cut the

shelves and tops (N) to size. In mybookcases, the upper compartmentis a lighted display area.Before assembly,I bored a ~ ho le centered in the twotops for the puck lights to fit into.

F R Ml/4 X 51f2 X 20 )

131f4

RAME MIDDLERAIL

(lf. X 2 X 20 )

RAME STILE(% ) 21f2 )( 81 )

1% Po ck etSc re w

' TFRAME BOTIOM RAIL

(314 ) 3 )( 20 )

Now the bookcases can be assembled. I attached the shelves using glueand 6d finish nails instead of screws, sothat I didn't have large holes to fill inthe visible sides before painting.

Next, you can cut two case cleats(0) for each case, and then nail themto the case sides. You'll drive screwsthrough these c l e t ~to secure thebookcases to the wall.

The case backs (P) are the nextparts that get installed. To echo thelook of the headboard paneling inthe room, I made the backs from~ t h i c kbeaded plywood. Then thebacks get tacked on with 1 brads.

Fit the Face F r a m e s A solidwood face frame comes next for each

case (Face Frame Assembly, left).To makeeach face frame, cut the stiles (Q) anda top, middle, and bottom rail (R, S,T)to size from solid stock.Then assemblethe frame with pocket screws.

Now glue and nail the face framesto the cases. Make sure that each faceframe s its flush with the wide sideof each case and overhangs the sidewhich will sit against the wall.

Add Shelf d g i n g What'sleft is to add edging (U) to the three

shelves that aren't covered by the faceframe. This edging features a beadedroundover profile (Edging Detail)made using the three-step techniquethat was used for the seat ~ e ledging(Sidebar, page 47 . Start with extra-longedging pieces, and then cu t each to fitthe shelves. Glue and nails hold theedging in place without clamps.

A Good Time to P a i n t Mostof the major construction is nowcomplete for this project. Before youmove on to the installation, though, Iadvise you to paint most of the parts.That way, you can take your timewithout making a mess where thebook nook will be installed. I primedand painted everything but the seatpanels. T hose were left bare becausefttting the bookcases means slidingthem in and out of place a few times,which could scratch up the paint.

Workbench Specia ls .com 49


52/100

Install the Bench Seat & Bookcases

units together,and make surethey're stra ightacross the front .Then level theassembly usingshims as needed .

FOURTH:Scribe ends

of face frameand then slideit into position

Before you begin installing th e booknook, you may need to do a littl epr ep work in the room. For examp le,I removed the baseboard behind andbeside th e benc h seat to ens ure that Icould tuck the back of the base u nitstightly against th e wall.

At th e same time, I str ipp ed off th eheadboard on th e back wal l where th eproject would go. To me, that made th ebook nook truly look built-in ratherthan tacked-on . Th i s, of course, led toa bi t of plaster repair.

Th en I decided to goahead and repaint the room.Th a t way, it wo uld fullymatch the book nook. Th ese

types of asks are w hat I like tocall might-as-we lls. Theytake t im e, but they reallydo give a built-in project anice finishing touch.

Brin g in th e B en c hSe a t - Sta rt installat ion bypositioning the seat basesBase & Frame I11stallation,

base units, and screwthem together

FIRST: Cut awaybaseboard% in

front ofbase unitsTHIRD : Sh im base assembly

level, and screw through- -, > :> . cleats into wall studs

~ : ~ ~ ~ l ~l...

,

50 Home Storage : She lving

Wa llStud

below). They should align w ith outproblem, but be sure to double-checkthat the tops are flush and th at the frontedge of th e assem bly is str aight Photo,left).With th at done, you ca n level thebase units Inset Photo, left).

After leve ling, sh im b etween th eback of the b ase units and wall ifnecessary, and then drive 10 x 31/1 screws th r o u gh th e base cleat and intowall s tu d s Mounting Detail). Screweac h base unit t at least two studs.

Get Fr am e d - Before at tachingthe face frame, scr ibe a nd tr im the endstiles to match the walls. Align the faceframe, and secu re it with 6d finish nailsFace Frame D etail) .

Ha ve a Se a t - Next up are the seatpanels Add Seat & Trim). Position onepanel so it overhangs the face frameconsistently . Now scribe and trim theback edge and outer end of the panel.Remember th at, once fitted, th e panelshould overhang th e face frame by 1 .Once thi s first pane l fits, clamp it inplace. Then fit the second panel the

w ith BaseBott o m

Fram e To pRai l

Frame BottomRail


53/100

same way Photo, below). When bothof your panels fit in place, nail t he se tpanels to the base units.

Slide In the B ookcas es - Fi tti ngthe bookcases comes next BookcasesTop It Off right). Be prepared to test-fit them a couple of times so that youcan get the best fi t.

Start by making sure eac h case sitssquare on the be n ch se t Photo, bottom).Then scribe the face frame where itbutts aganst the wall, remove the case,and trim it to fit. Refit the case, andthen scribe and tr im the case side . Nowinstall t he bookcase Case Cleat Detail).

Finally, glue and nail on the seatedging Seat Trim D etail) . A piece of

% cove mo lding M goes below.More cove molding wraps around thebookcases Case Molding Detail).

Once these parts are installe d , nowis a good time to paint them.

Each seat panel gets trimmed to fit thewall on the back and outside end. Thepanels should meet tightly at the center.

Use a framing square to make sureeach tall case is positioned properlybefore scribing and installing it.

SECOND:Scribe and fitsecon d seatpane l thennail both to

THIRD: Cut seatpaneledging and cove

molding to length andnail them in place

THIRD : Attach bookcasesto wall bydrivingscrews

through case cleatsand into studs

WallStud

FOURTH Mitercovemolding to fit and attach

to bookcases at base

FIRST: Scribe back edge andoutside end of first seat panel

to fit then clamp in place

6d

FinishNails

4d Finish Nails

FIRST : Mark rough positionofbookcase on paneling then

remove pane ling tha t would becovered by case

to match wall contours

Wide CaseSide

.,

Coveo l i n g

orkbench Specials.com 51


54/100

Add Drawers & A Valance

Deep drawers like these add a lot of en-

closed storage for blankets, games, orjust about anything you want t o storein them. Like the rest of this project.they're easy to build using straightforward joinery techniques.

f4 groo ve,W dee p,3fs frombottom

edge y

BOXBOTIOM(% ply.' '?BO X FRO NT / BACK

(lh x sw x 19 )

z

W ith th e bench seat and b ookcasesinstalled, I decided to add enclosedstorage to the pro ject with a pair ofdrawers Photo, lift) .Yo u co uld chooseto leave all the compartments o pen, orbuild even more drawers. It all dependson what su its your needs.

Eac h drawer is j ust a simple boxcovere d b y a false fro n t wi t h a d ecorative molding Drawer Assemb ly).

Start by cutting the drawer fronts,backs (W), and sides (X) to size from\-2 hardwoo d . T h en rabbet the fron tsand backs Drawer Joinery Detail), andcut grooves for the p lywood bottoms(Y) before assembli ng the boxes.

T h e false fron ts (Z) come next.

T h ey' re c ut to size fro m o 4 - thickpo p lar. T h en you can ad d the drawertr im (AA). It's ma de using t h e techniques on page 49, mitere d to length,an d secured wi th gl ue an d 1 brads.

18 Low -ProfileDrawer Slide FALSE FRO NT

(% X 85fs X19Ys ) cornerso f trim

FRONT TRIM(3fs X lfl X 90 )

52 Ho m e S torag e: She lving

Add Sp a c e r s - Before yo u caninstall the drawer slides, you' ll nee d to

b uild out the bench seat compartme n ts, so t he slides fit flush with theedges of the face-frame stiles. Spacers(BB) accomplis h this Drawer SlideDetaiQ. Plane or rip each spacer to thickness, and th en mo un t i t to the divider .

From there, y ou ca n ins tall th edrawe r slides, an d th en slip th e drawerboxes into positio n . Finally, align andmount the false fro nts.

Top It O ff w i th a Vala n ce - T hefinishing touch is a valance. It spansbetween th e boo kcases to tie the pro j ecttoge ther and provides a place to mo un tlights and ru n wir in g Valance Assembly).

Consisting of ust two pieces, it 's one ofthe easiest parts of his project to build.

Construction b egins by cuttingthe valance bot tom (CC) from o/.4plywood. I t starts o ut oversize . Next,bore holes for p uck light s i yo u wa ntto add lighting. T he extra-long vala n ceface (DD) comes next. It gets a f ullleng th groove to receive t h e valancebot tom and ro u ndovers on the loweredge Valance Mounting Detai l). M termaking the valance parts, pai nt th em,

but don't assem ble th e parts ju st ye t.


55/100

Cleats Hold the Va la n c e Apair of simple cleats (EE) secure thevalance. After cutting them to lengthfrom 2x2s, screw one to the wall andthe other to th e bookcases ValanceMouming Detail).

Ne}l.' t, check the fit of the valancebottom and face Photo, above rigllt) .Scribethem i needed, nail them together , andthen slip the assembly into place afterrouting all the wires into the case

The Crowning To u ch - To hideany gaps around the ce ilin g, wrap thevalance and the bookcases with crownmolding (FF). It just gets mitered tofit, and then nailed in place.

With the book nook complete , it stime to kick back and relax - with agood book, of course . . .

6d Finish -c ase

Na il Ya roundovers I

VALANCECLEAT

(1% X 11h X 86 )

Fh Woodscrew

@ Low -VoltageVALANCE BOTIOM Puck L i g h t _ ~ ~

(l/4 ply. X 111f2 X 86 )

Tr a n s f o r ~ e r

,~ ~ kl i r,. ,. .. ; ' ... t

'

t ~~ J.

> FF

HARDWARE : (64) #8 x 2 Fh Woodscrews (66) #8 x 1 Pocket Screws (2 lbs.) 6d Finish Nails (Yllb.) 4d Finish Nails (1 lb.) 1 W ire Brads

CROWN MOLDING{% X 31f2" X 20 )

*(2) Pr. 18" Slides (#34850) *(2) Puck Light Sets (#39748: 2-Light; '#39705: 3-Light)

Items avai lable from Bock leLcom: 800-279-4441

Workbench Spec ia ls .com 5


56/10054 Hom Storage helving

Take a look at the shelve\shown in the P 11> above,,mdyou'll immediately notice theclean line ) that make them

look great, without detracting &om theitems they displa): Look closer. and you Uappreciate how the wood gr,un showsthrough the satin-black fmish. Thi$ is asubtle detail that adds a lot of style.

It's what you don t see, though, th atmakes these shelves tru ly unique. Theshelves appear to just Aoat on thewall with no brackets or other visiblemeans of supp ort.

The Inside c o o p The secretto this illusion lies inside the shelves.As the onstruction View at right shows,the shelves aren't made from thickslabs. Instead, they're hollow. Thetop and bottom face are made from1~ plywood, and shop-made moldingwraps aroun d the faces, leaving a hollowcavity in between. This syst_em not on lycreates a clean look, but it also makesimtallation easy. Ju st mount a cleat tothe wall studs, slip a shelf over it Photo,r ~ f h l ) ,and drive screws in from the top.It 's si mpl e, but incredibly sturdy.


57/100


58/100

] With the blade butted against anau xiliary face on the rip fence cu t awide shallow rab bet in the blank.

3] With the blade tilted w y fromthe fence cut a bevel on the rabbetedface of the blank

56 ome Storage Shelving

Molding MitersThe great trung about building theseshelves is the minimal amount of toolsinvolved. For the next few steps, you'llonly need your table saw.

To build the shelves, you should startby preparing stock for the molding (A).Each piece starts out as a 1 2 x 2 2 rectangu lar blank that is 2-ft. lo gerthan the length of the shelf. That givesyou enough to wrap around the endsof the shelf, plus extra in case you haveto make several cu ts to get tight-fittingmiters. I also cut an additional shortlength of stock for my test cuts.

[ used flatsawn red oak (hardwood and plywood) for my shelves.

ven though I would be paintingthe boards later, I chose oak because

it has large, open pores that show upwell after the paint is applied.

Thi ck Stock rom h i n oprepare stock that's tru ck enough for themolding pieces, you have two choices:You can either use 1 2 -tlllck stock,or you can glue two Yl -thick piecesface- to - face like I did. Getting theedges perfectly aligned when gluinglong pieces like this is a hassle though.So I started with extra - wide pieces andtrimmed them to width fter gluing.

F our St ep s to Su cc es On c eyou have each molding blank trimmedto tluckness and widtl1 you can cut theprofiles. Though mere are several profues,

including a wide bevel, me process is easy.To ensure consistent, accurate profues, use

2] Reposition the fence blade andfeatherboard to guide the blank.Then cut a kerf in the blank.

4] Install a 1h dado blade andthen cut the rabbets. Cut them intwo passes to achieve full depth.


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featherboards to keep the blank pressedfirmly against the tab le saw fence.

The first cut to make is a widerabbet. This is done by raisin g the bladehi gh and making a singl e pass as shownin Step 1 on page 56. Don t worry ifth e saw blade leaves scoring marks onthe wo o d. Those will even tu ally gettrimm ed off.

Next, you need to cut a kerf in thebottom edge of the molding b lank asyou can see in Step 2 on page 56 .Thiskerf will later become a s ubtl e step atthe base of the shelf.

Now cut the wide bevel, as shownin Step 3 Set the bevel ang le of the

blade at 12,an d then raise the blade 2above the saw table. The blade shouldenter the wo rkpi ece alongside the kerfyou ju st cut in Step 2 and exit at thetop of th e rabbet cut in Step 1.

M ter cutting the bevel, be sur e tosand any saw blade marks smooth usinga flat sandin g block .

With th at done, yo u can co mpl etethe mo ld ing by cutting the two largerabb ets that the p lywood faces will fitinto. This is done with a dado blade,

as shown in Step 4. Wh en cutti ng, th eback face of the molding rides agains tthe saw table to keep th e piece fromrocki ng. It's a good idea to cut the rabbets in two passes. First, raise the bladet ,and make a pass along each edge of

FIRST: Rough cut firstpiece of molding extra-longthen miter end to fit corner

NOTE : Use maskingtape o temporarilyhold

moldings n place miterMolding

] Cu t the first moldi ng piece a fewinches longer than the s ide. The n, goahead and miter one end .

th e blank. T hen raise the blade toand comple te the rabbets.

F a c e s Now cut th e plywoodfaces (B) to size for each shelf. Theface dimensions for each shelf length

are noted in the Construction View.Tigh te r M i t er s All that's left

to do is to miter the molding piecesto leng th. Your goa l shou ld b e to getthe tig ht est-fit tin g mi ters possible. Thebes t way to do this is to start a t oneen d and work your way around, fittingone cor n er at a ti m e see fllustrationsbelow). Once both mitered corners fittightly, you can g lu e up the sh elves . Ifyou don t have enough clamps, sec ur ethe mold in g to the faces w ith a few

small finish nails. Fill the ho les withwood filler, and they'll never show af terthe shelf s pain ted.

O n to the F i n i s h This en ti reproject is pretty easy to bu ild , but thefinish is downright simple. Just spraythe shelves w ith a few light coats offlat black spray paint. Then yo u can rub

FOURTH: Markand cut next miter

SECOND : Ro ugh cutmolding for front edge and

then miter to fitagainstmolding on end

2] Now cut the fro nt mo lding piece toroug h length, and m iter the first end.Then mark a nd miter the other end.

A long miter-gauge extens1on fenceholds the moldmg as you miter eachp1ece to length. Pos1t10n the moldingwith 1ts top edge against the saw tablefor a stable cut.

them with a paper towel to expose thewood grain .This will give the shelv es th efinished look that you see on page 56 .

Set Yo u r Shelves f l o a t I norder to mount the shelves, star t by cutting th e clea ts (C) to length from 2x2s .Th en yo u can mount them to the wall,making sure all the clea ts are leve l.Youshou ld use two screws in the 2-ft. cleat,an d three or fo ur screws in th e lon gercleats. Yo u'll want to make su re at leas t

one mo

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