September/October 2023 Archives - Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/magazine-issue/september-october-2023/ America's Leading Woodworking Authority Mon, 11 Nov 2024 21:26:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 PROJECT: Tall Dresser https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/project-tall-dresser/ Wed, 04 Oct 2023 15:00:22 +0000 https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/?p=68257 This unique dresser could be ideal for a narrow wall space, and its knife hinges will hone your hardware installation skills.

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Every now and then, it’s fun to turn convention on its ear! And that’s exactly what Senior Art Director Jeff Jacobson has done with this tall, wall-mounted dresser’s design. It includes top and bottom storage compartments behind doors and three drawers that ride on undermount slides.

Miter cutting large lumber to make cabinet panels
Rip and crosscut a sheet of 3/4″ walnut plywood to create panels for the top, bottom, sides and divider panels of the dresser’s carcass. Use finetoothed saw blades to minimize tearing out the fragile face veneer.

The dresser is only about 15″ wide, so it might be perfect for a narrow wall space or small bedroom. But notice that its three unconventional legs are centered underneath, so the dresser must be mounted securely to a wall stud. It’s not one you can move around a room, but it’s surely bound to be a conversation piece!

Building the Carcass

Cutting panel parts using a shop-made sled
The author fashioned a scrap-plywood sled, fastened to a fence on his backward-facing miter gauge, to help support the wide and long carcass panels when miter-cutting their ends and to allow for these long saw cuts.

Get this dresser project off to a fast start by breaking down a sheet of walnut-veneered plywood into two carcass side panels, a top and bottom and four dividers, according to the sizes specified in the Material List. I used a track saw and my sliding compound miter saw with fine tooth blades for that job to help minimize tearing out the fragile face veneer.

Test fitting wall cabinet parts
Dry-assemble the top, bottom and side panels of the carcass to inspect how the miter joints fit together. This is also a good way to double-check your back panel dimensions before cutting it to size.

Notice in the Exploded View Drawing, that the top, bottom and side panels have mitered corners to help extend the illusion that this dresser’s carcass is solid wood. So very carefully trim the corners of those parts at your table saw with the blade tilted exactly to 45 degrees.

Cutting grooves to fit cabinet back panel
Mill a 1/4″ x 1/4″ rabbet around the ends and edges of the back panel. Plow 1/4″ deep continuous grooves around the inside faces of the top, bottom and side panels of the carcass, 1/4″ from their back edges.

Then I dry-assembled the mitered parts to check their fit and so I could measure for a 1/2″-thick plywood back panel. Cut the panel to size now, too.

Close up on panel installation grooves
These grooves will house the rabbet tongues to lock the back panel in place.

In the Drawings, you’ll see that the top, bottom and sides require a 1/4″ x 1/4″ groove cut 1/4″ in from the back edges of the parts. This groove around the carcass fits a 1/4″ x 1/4″ rabbet, milled into the edges and ends of the back panel, to both lock it securely in place and enable the back panel to be installed flush with the back edges of the dresser.

Cutting grooves for installing cabinet dividers
Clamp both carcass side panels together so their ends are flush before plowing four 3/4″-wide dadoes across both simultaneously. These housings will capture the divider panels.

Remember, it’s the wall attachment point for the project. So, head to your table saw or router table to mill the grooves and rabbets with a 1/4″ dado blade or straight bit. Carry out a full dry-fit again to make sure the back panel fits into the carcass easily and the mitered corners close well.

Shop-made jig for routing door recess in cabinet
The author used a handheld router, mounted to a long scrap base, to remove the door recesses from the carcass side panels with a straight bit.

At this point, we can cut four 1/4″-deep x 3/4″-wide dadoes across each side panel to house the four dividers. I clamped them together, side by side, and milled the dadoes across both side panels in long passes with my router and a straightedge to ensure that the dadoes would line up evenly.

Cutting door installation points in cabinet panels with router
He skimmed off the fragile veneer first to prevent tearout, then removed the remaining waste with more routing passes.

The plywood top and bottom divider panels are narrower than the middle dividers so their front edges can be covered by a 3/4″ x 3/4″ solid-wood trim piece. Go ahead and make up those trim pieces from walnut, and glue and clamp them to the front edges of the two dividers.

Preparing for Doors

Using panel clamps to glue-up door parts
Glue up a blank of solid walnut for the two door panels. Compose the panel to blend the grain as best you can if you create the panel from multiple narrow pieces like this.

The dresser’s two doors recess flush to the front edges of the top, bottom and dividers, so we need to cut 13/16″-deep notches that extend from the carcass top down to the top divider and up from the carcass bottom to the bottom divider (see Drawings) on both side panels.

Marking out curved door top
A pair of clamps with a thin dowel flexed between them formed a simple batten for tracing a gentle “fingerpull” arc on the face of each door.

As you can see, I took care of that job with my handheld router mounted to a scrap plywood base and a 1/2″ straight bit. I carefully removed the face veneer in these notched areas first to prevent tearout, then hogged out the rest of the inner plies to leave clean openings. Alternately, you could use a jigsaw if you like.

Shaping curve in top of cabinet door
Form a cove cut along the flat edge of the door.

You’re ready to glue up a 3/4″-thick blank of solid walnut to create the two doors. I chose walnut stock for my doors with a pleasing grain pattern and no sapwood, so each door’s appearance would really complement the face of the dresser. Sand your door panel smooth when it comes out of the clamps, and rip and crosscut it to create two doors at final size. Then take a close look at the Drawings again and at the photo series above to get a clearer understanding of how the fingerpull edge on each door works.

Cove cutting router bit in router table
Shape to door top with a 1-7/8″-diameter piloted cove bit.

The sculpted lip on the door edge is created partially with a 1-7/8″-diameter cove bit in the router table, set to 9/16″ high and projecting 3/4″ out from the router table’s fence. The flat, fingerpull edge of the door receives this profile cut first, then a portion of the coved area is removed by cutting the routed edge of the door into a gentle, broad arc. The outer edges of the coved recess disappear, with the full cove shape remaining only in the apex area of the arc. Pretty cool, huh?!

Setting router cut with set-up block
To achieve the correct projection out from the router table fence, the author used a 3/4″ brass setup bar.

I used a thin dowel, flexed between a couple of clamps on the door, to draw the arc shape, then headed to my router table to make the cove cuts. Again, even though routing these coves will have you looking down at a curve drawn on each door, what you’re making is a simple cove cut along a flat door edge.

Trimming waste from door top with band saw
After the coves are routed, the rest of the fingerpull shape is formed by sawing along the arc layout line. This will effectively remove the cove recess from the outer ends of the fingerpull shape while leaving the full cove profile at the apex of the arc.

Once the coves are routed, take both doors over to your band saw to finish up the fingerpulls by sawing along the arcs. Complete these door details with some hand-sanding to remove any burn marks left by the router bit and to smooth the sawn edges.

Preliminary Hinge Installation

Stop block to help guide hinge router cut
Use a 3/8″-dia. straight bit in the router table to plow hinge-leaf mortises into the top and bottom ends of each door. Make sure these mortises are centered on the door thickness. A clamped stop prevents routing too far.

Brass knife hinges are about as sleek as hinges get, and instead of seeing long hinge knuckles along the edges of the dresser, as you would with butt hinges, or chunks of hinge hardware inside when you open the doors, as with Euro-style cup hinges, knife hinges are much more refined and subtle. There’s just a thin bar of brass for each hinge leaf, recessed into the top and bottom edges of these doors and the adjacent faces of the dresser’s top and bottom panels and dividers. The downside to knife hinges, though, is that installing them is more exacting than other hinge options. They offer no adjustability once installed. So, working patiently and precisely is the name of the game for getting these hinges hung on the project correctly.

Using veneer to help mark hinge installation locations
Pieces of the same veneer edge tape you’ll use for covering the edges of the carcass later make effective shims for positioning the doors in their recesses to transfer hinge-leaf locations from the doors to the carcass.

The first step of the installation process is to lay out the hinge-leaf sizes and locations on the top and bottom edges of the doors. I used a cutting gauge, a small square and a knife to incise the hinge-leaf mortises on the doors to make sure they would fit the hardware like a glove when I was done. It’s also important that the pivot points of the hinges are located completely outside the faces of the dresser, so keep that in mind when setting the mortise lengths on the doors. Removing the waste from the hinge-leaf mortises is quick and easy if you run the doors on-edge against your router table’s fence and use a 3/8″-dia. straight or spiral bit to zip away most of the waste. I clamped a scrap piece of walnut to the outfeed side of the fence to act as a stop block, preventing me from accidentally routing too far (it’s easy to make this mistake, believe me!). I then squared up the mortises with a chisel.

Cutting hinge mortises using stop block guide on router table
Similar router table setups can be used again to plow hinge-leaf mortises into the solid-wood edges of the top and bottom dividers.

That takes care of the door-side preparation. Now the hinge locations need to be marked and the other hinge leaves cut accurately on top and bottom divider panels and the carcass sides. That’s easy to do on the divider panels with a similar router table setup that you used for the door-leaf hinges. But marking the hinge-leaf locations on the carcass side panels is trickier. That’s because the front edges of the carcass need to be covered with walnut veneer edge tape to hide the center plies, and it takes up a thickness.

Cleaning hinge mortise groove with chisel
Widen the hinge-leaf mortises as needed, and square up their ends with a sharp chisel. You’ll need to extend the hinge’s pivot point beyond the edges of the carcass side panels, too.

The door also needs to end up flush with the front edges of the dresser when closed. My solution was to use strips of walnut veneer as spacers to shim up the door where it would need to be in the carcass recesses. Once each door was accurately placed, I could mark their locations onto the side panels with a sharp pencil, then extend those lines as needed where the hinges would cross over the side panels to account for their pivot points.

Cutting hinge pivot in cabinet panel with hand saw
Once those were marked, the author made a pair of shallow saw cuts, then chiseled away the waste in between them

A narrow, flush-cutting backsaw was just the ticket to saw shallow pairs of layout lines for the hinge mortises on the edges of the carcass side panels, and I removed the waste in between the saw kerfs with a sharp chisel.

Assembling the Carcass

Test fitting wall cabinet panels and dividers
Dry-fit the carcass components one more time to make\ sure everything fits correctly. Then glue and clamp it together.

With the hinge prep work behind you, give all the plywood parts a final sanding, then go ahead and assemble the carcass top, bottom sides and dividers with glue and clamps.

Using strap clamps to hold wall cabinet parts together during glue-up
The author used strap clamps, long pipe clamps and even a spreader clamp to carry out this operation and to be sure the miter joints closed properly.

Make sure the assembly is square and that the four miter joints at the corners are as close to airtight as you can get them.

Making and Installing Drawers

Installing drawer slides in wall cabinet carcass
Follow the instructions that come with the slide hardware to establish the correct slide setback before fastening the hardware to the carcass sides. Here a scrap piece helps align the front edges of the slides.

Because this dresser is pretty narrow, the drawers don’t have to be heavy-duty. Some good quality 1/2″ plywood is all you need to build the drawer boxes. Cut panels for the fronts, backs, sides and bottoms to size, according to the Material List. The corner joints are 1/4″ x 1/4″ rabbet-and-dado style. You can see how to machine the joints in his article. Locate the drawer bottom grooves 1/2″ up from the bottom edges of these drawers, however, because you’ll need that clear space underneath for installing the undermount drawer slides used here. Finish-sand the drawer box components, and assemble the three drawer boxes with glue and clamps.

Parts for wall cabinet drawer construction
The dresser’s 1/2″ plywood drawers are assembled with simple but sturdy rabbet-and-dado joints.

Rockler’s Soft-Close Undermount Drawer Slides require a 1/2″ x 1-3/8″ notch cut into the bottom back corners of the drawer backs so they’ll fit over the slide hardware. I cut those notches at the table saw with a wide dado blade. The instructions that come with the slides will also inform you that a hole needs to be drilled above these drawer notches to accommodate a sharp prong on the slides that helps to lock the drawers and slides together. Bore those holes now, too.

Cutting drawer slide groove in wall cabinet drawer
Once they’re glued together, the slide hardware requires that a notch and prong hole be added to each back bottom corner of the drawer.

The main steel component of the slides fastens to the inside walls of the carcass, and a second component fastens to the inside front bottom corners of the drawers, underneath the bottom panels. Follow the hinge instructions that come with the hinges carefully to create the proper setback for the slides inside the carcass, and install them with screws. Then attach the “drawer” components of the slides to the drawers with more screws. Check that the setup works.

I painted the faces of these drawers, made from 3/4″ MDF, and used a V-groove bit in the router table set to 1/8″ high, to plow a series of decorative grooves into the faces one inch apart. You could space them differently if you’d like. Once you’ve painted the drawer faces, attach them with short panhead screws. Select your drawer pulls — I like the look of oil-rubbed bronze with dark woods like this — and install them.

Finishing Up

Tools for adding veneer strips to cabinet
A variety of tools can prove useful for installing adhesive-backed veneer edge tape, including an electric veneer iron, small square, marking knife, scissors, pencil and scrap block.

With all the hardware in place, you can go ahead and apply adhesive-backed walnut veneer edge tape to every exposed plywood edge to cover them up. I also added edge tape to the front edges of the walnut trim on the top and bottom dividers to bring those edges flush with the other carcass edges.

Decorating drawer fronts with shallow router cuts
A V-groove bit can create attractive shadow lines in the faces of these three drawers. The author made these decorative grooves 1/8″ deep and spaced them 1″ apart. Their number and spacing is entirely up to you.

You still have a center leg and two outer legs to complete. I made mine from three pieces of walnut plywood, cutting their front and back curves at the band saw and hiding those edges with veneer tape. I centered the legs on the bottom of the dresser and spaced them 2″ apart. A few countersunk 2″-long screws, driven down through the dresser’s bottom and into the tops of the legs, is all it takes to fasten them in place. Again, remember that this unit must be attached to the wall with screws. Its design will not allow it to be freestanding.

Securing wall cabinet with screws
It’s crucial that this wall-mounted dresser be securely fastened to a wall stud with plenty of heavy-duty screws. Drive them into countersunk pilot holes in the back panel to secure it in place.

Your choice of finish for the plywood components of this new dresser is entirely up to you. I suggest shellac, lacquer or oilbased varnish to really bring that walnut grain and color to life!

The only step left is to position it where you want it to be and fasten the dresser to a wall stud through the back panel with four to six #10 x 3″ screws, and it’s ready for use.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

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PROJECT: Crokinole Gameboard https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/project-crokinole-gameboard/ Fri, 29 Sep 2023 21:35:18 +0000 https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/?p=68204 Do you love table games? Here's a Canadian favorite you can make with a circle-cutting jig and a router. It's a quality gameboard that’s both easy to build and lots of fun to play!

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As close as we are to Canada here in Minnesota, you would think that I would have heard a thing or two about the game of Crokinole. I had not. So when our coworker Dan Cary brought it to our attention, I was a bit skeptical. If the game is so great, why do none of us know about it? And to be honest, I can’t answer that question, because I have learned two things about Crokinole: first, that it’s fun, and second, making a Crokinole gameboard is also fun — and pretty easy.

A quick Internet search will reveal that there are many Crokinole boards for sale (some for nearly $400!) and a variety of accessories. But one reason I think that this game is gaining in popularity is that with a basic board and your game pieces (we found ours on Amazon), you will be set up for hours of fun.

The game can be played with two or four people. There are variations of play, too — each player for themselves or as teams. You play seated at a table, and one of the more interesting rules is that once you sit down, you may not move your chair from side to side. While the game is a bit complicated to explain in a sentence or two, you basically try to score by flicking your pieces into a specific spot or reduce your opponent’s score by bonking their pieces out of scoring position … or by doing both at the same time. Yep, it’s fun!

Crokinole: Finger-flicking Fun

Crokinole is unmistakably a Canadian creation, and its origin likely came about in Ontario in the 1860s. The game evidently blends components of English, French, German and even East Indian games (most likely pub games). There are regional variants to the game, and it became very popular in the 1950s with league competition common in both large and small towns. You can download rules to the game here.

Making the Base

Laying out walnut panels for game board base
The author chose walnut segments to create the octagon that will become the base of the gameboard. A band clamp is a great way to apply clamping pressure evenly around the geometric shape.

Our board has a hardwood base or frame onto which we glue the actual plywood gameboard. I started out by making an octagon from walnut segments. This effort is a bit of addition by subtraction, as I eventually routed away most of the walnut material. And that’s the reason I did not use biscuits or dowels to help reinforce the octagon frame: they would be exposed by the subsequent machining. Glue the pieces together and use a band clamp to apply sufficient pressure as the glue cures. As you are basically gluing end grain to end grain, allow the glue to cure fully, and do not treat the subassembly roughly. You don’t want to break those glue joints.

Marking center point of the game board
Use MDF or a similar sheet stock to create blocking that fits tightly against the interior of the octagon for the next machining step. Secure the blocking to a work surface and find the exact center of the assembly.

To facilitate shaping the frame, use MDF or something similar to make blocking that holds the frame securely as you remove material with your router. Screw the blocking to a work surface or sacrificial board.

Routing circular shape of game board
Using a circle-cutting jig and a router outfitted with a 1/4″-diameter straight bit, begin by forming a circle at the outer edge of the octagon. Trim all the way down through the waste in a series of deepening passes.

I chose to use a cordless DEWALT router mounted to Rockler’s circle-cutting jig to cut the walnut octagon round. The jig’s adjustability is key to making this project. You can quickly change the diameter with the twist of a knob. Because you will be not only cutting the frame round but also nibbling out a trough into the hardwood, that quick adjustability makes this task much more fun.

Cutting rim around edge of game board for storing pieces
Once the perimeter is established, shift the router in and begin routing out the trough that will later be used to store your game pieces.

Find the exact center of the octagon/blocking setup and mount the circle jig right there. With a 1/4″-diameter straight bit chucked into the router, start out by cutting the frame round. Make a series of shallow cuts to keep the process manageable.

Smoothed rim of game board storage space
Nibble away, removing waste in small, easily cut steps.

Switch to a 1/2″ straight bit to form the trough by removing more material in a series of cuts. See the Drawings for details. While my cordless router is not super powerful, by taking my time with shallow repeated cuts, it worked really well.

Building the Board

Routing outer circle of game board
The gameboard is made of 1/2″ birch plywood. Find the exact center and then plow the 1/8″-wide by 1/8″-deep grooves that will become the lines on the board.

Next up is the gameboard. Made from 1/2″ birch plywood, it’s a round disc that has a bit of colored inlay and eight pegs mounted into the surface.

Marking peg installation locations
Download and print out the peg board installation template from our More on the Web for this issue.

Start out with a 24″ x 24″ piece of plywood. Find its exact center and then go ahead and grab — you guessed it — your circle-cutting jig again Chuck a 1/8″-diameter straight bit into the router and set it to make a 1/8″-deep cut. You’ll be plowing circular grooves into the surface of the wood. Set the diameter of each circle according to the Drawings. Rout the grooves and then remove the circle-cutting jig for now.

Measuring distance between peg holes
Use the center point of the board and a straightedge to extend the lines on the template to lay out the next set of grooves.

We have a free downloadable PDF template that you can print out for the next step. Use it to lay out the locations of the peg holes as well as the straight grooves that connect the two outer circles. Those straight lines will form the playing quadrants when they get the dark wood filler put in them.

Using drill guide to cut even holes for peg holes
Each of the 3/8″-diameter peg holes should be drilled squarely into the gameboard. A drill guide like this one from Rockler is a great way to get that done accurately.

Use an awl to punch divots in the center of each peg hole; they will help you start the drill bit accurately. I used Rockler’s portable drill guide and a 3/8″ brad-point drill bit to bore the eight peg holes. Gently engage the brad-point bit onto the surface of the plywood to limit tearout.

Using board to guid outer router cuts for gameboard
Use a straightedge, clamped securely in place, to guide the router when plowing the short, straight connecting grooves into the gameboard.

With that taken care of, clamp a straightedge to the gameboard, as shown in the photo above. Use it to guide the router as it cuts the straight connecting grooves. Be careful not to rout past the circle grooves, which would look unsightly. With all those tasks in the rearview mirror, it’s time to make use of the circle-cutting jig one more time.

Cutting indentation in center of game board
Using a Forstner bit, bore a shallow 1-3/8″-diameter hole in the center of the gameboard.

Reattach it to the center of the gameboard, and as you did with the octagon frame, rout the circle free from the square plywood sheet. Take several deepening passes to form the circle. Finally, use a 1-3/8”-diameter Forstner bit to bore the shallow center hole.

Making it Slippery Smooth

Coloring lines on game board
After applying a clear finish to the gameboard, the author used Wunderfill Wood Filler, dyed black, to fill the grooves. It will take up to three applications to fill the grooves. Sand off the excess and apply more filler.

Central to the game of Crokinole is flicking the playing pieces across the board to various scoring positions. So it makes perfect sense that the more slippery the surface is, the better the game pieces will slide. Here’s how I went about getting a super-smooth finish on the piece.

First, I gently sanded the gameboard, starting with 150-grit and working up to 220-grit abrasives. Then I applied two coats of lacquer sanding sealer from an aerosol can. When that cured, I sanded it gently with 320- and then 400-grit sandpaper. At that point, I sprayed on another coat of sanding sealer. With the surface well-sealed and smooth, I loaded the grooves with Wunderfil Wood Filler tinted with black dye. After the first application, I sanded the waste away. The filler had shrunk enough that I leveled the grooves off with more filler. Then I sanded the surface with 320-grit paper to remove any excess. One more coat of sanding sealer and then two coats of high-gloss lacquer, again from a rattle can, completed the gameboard’s finish coat.

Spreading glue on game board frame
Glue the gameboard to the walnut frame.

Now to glue the frame onto the gameboard. As you can see in the image at bottom right, I got creative regarding how to apply pressure to this broad glue joint. When that’s done, carefully apply sanding sealer and lacquer to the walnut trough to finish it.

Weighing game board during glue-up
You may need to get creative in order to apply sufficient “clamping” pressure to the glue-up.

Cut a 3/8″-diameter walnut dowel into eight pegs. I stuck them into a piece of cardboard to hold them while I applied a spray finish. Glue them in place on the gameboard. After a couple of days, I applied a coat of paste wax to make the gameboard surface even more slippery, and I was done. You can find the rules to Crokinole online, and I recommend you watch some YouTube videos demonstrating how the game is played. Enjoy!

Click Here to Download the Template.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

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PROJECT: Modern Nesting Tables https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/project-modern-nesting-tables/ Wed, 20 Sep 2023 21:31:44 +0000 https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/?p=68121 This table trio proves that hickory is more than just for hammer handles!

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Over the 20+ years that I’ve been a staff er on this magazine, I’ve never had the occasion to use hickory for project lumber. So when the decision was made to make these minimalist nesting tables from one of America’s sturdiest lumbers, I was excited by the prospects of using it. Turns out, hickory is no more diffi cult to saw, plane, rout, glue or finish than any other native hardwood. If you’ve worked with ash or hard maple before, you’ll be right at home with hickory. Notice that the smallest table includes a drawer, which could be handy for storing TV remotes or other little stuff . You can include the drawer if you like or build the small table without it.

Preparing Rough Parts

Organizing nesting table parts
The author removed most of the waste from the leg, rail and back brace workpieces at the band saw before reducing them to final dimensions at his planer.

Get these tables underway by jointing and planing enough 4/4 stock for the three tabletops, and glue up three slightly oversized panels. Hickory is a variably-colored hardwood, with a mixture of both creamy colored and darker brown areas. I decided to compose the panels to take full advantage of this beautiful color variation. When the panels come out of the clamps, trim them to final size, according to the Material List. Set them aside for later.

Each table has a pair of leg frames that consist of front and back legs connected by top and bottom rails. There’s also a back brace to help prevent the tables from racking side to side. The legs, rails and back braces are all made of 1-1/4″ thick x 2″-wide stock. I crosscut some 8/4 hickory into overly long blanks for each of the three tables’ leg, rail and back brace sizes, then ripped the legs to 2-1/4″ wide at the band saw to allow for minor distortion. (A band saw will cut this thick, super-hard hardwood more easily and with less burning than a table saw will.)

Next, I flattened one face of each leg, rail and back brace at the jointer, then jointed an adjacent edge square. I used these reference surfaces to rip all 27 workpieces to 1-3/8″ thick at the band saw. It saved time and effort over what I would have spent at the planer to reduce the part thicknesses that way, and it also cut down on the wear and tear to my planer and jointer knives. Once the band-sawing was behind me, I hauled the parts to the planer and surfaced them down to their final 1-1/4″ thickness. After that, I stood everything on-edge with the last band-sawn edge pointing up, and I ran the parts through the planer again, reducing the workpieces to 2″ wide.

Making miter cut in nesting table leg with table saw
Miter-cut the ends of the legs and rails to 45 degrees, which also sets their length. Tilt your saw blade carefully to this angle so the corner joints of the leg frames will close properly.

Notice in the Drawings that the ends of the legs and rails are mitered at 45 degrees to hide their end grain. Cutting those miters is your next task, and you can tackle it either at the miter saw or on the table saw. I opted for the table saw, using my Rockler Precision Miter Gauge with a built-in flip-stop system to set the part lengths accurately. Whichever saw you use, be sure to dial in the miter angles very carefully so the joints will come together at exactly 90 degrees and the leg frames will close properly. These cuts also bring the legs and top and bottom rails to final length.

Swivel your saw blade back to square again so you can trim the three back braces to length. Those should match the widths of the three tabletops. Then finish-sand the inside leg faces and all four faces and edges of the back braces.

Building the Leg Frames

Measuring diagonal of nesting table leg frame
A combination of a strap clamp, four Rockler Clamp-It Assembly Squares and a few smaller F-clamps held the leg frames together while the glue in the miter joints dried. Check the diagonal measurements, which should match.

Miter joints assembled with glue alone aren’t very strong, because the end grain surfaces of the mitered faces absorb extra glue, which weakens the connection. So I decided to add dovetail splines, made from pieces of darker hickory, to strengthen the leg joints while also adding some decorative detail to the corners of the leg frames. Even if glued miter joints are lacking in strength, the first step of the leg frame assembly process still involves gluing those mitered corners together. For that job, I used a combination of strap clamps, Rockler Clamp-It Assembly Squares and smaller F-style clamps. A strap clamp is a great way to pull mitered joints together, because it applies clamping force evenly to all four joints simultaneously while capturing the parts inside a closed loop. After applying glue to the mating parts of each leg frame and setting the legs and rails into position, I placed an Assembly Square against the outside faces of four corner joints, then installed my strap clamp over the top of the Assembly Squares and tightened it. The net effect enabled the squares to tweak the corner joints as needed while also pressing the mitered corners of the parts tightly together. A few small clamps ensured that the Assembly Squares remained centered on the widths of the legs and rails while the glue dried.

With even four Assembly Squares, a few little clamps and one strap clamp, you’re all set for this operation. You’ll just need to assemble the leg frames one frame at a time. I had more clamps and Assembly Squares to use, so the process went pretty quickly for me.

When the glue joints of all six leg frames are thoroughly dry, it’s time to add those dovetailed corner splines. Cutting the openings across the miter joints for the splines involves propping the frames up on each of their four corner joints and passing them straight across a 5/8″-diameter dovetail bit.

Spline cutting jig and router bit
Rockler’s Router Table Spline Jig and a 5/8″-diameter, 14-degree dovetail bit produced the dovetail-shaped spline slots in the corners of the leg frames.

Rockler’s Router Table Spline Jig makes an awkward task like this easier because an adjustable plastic sled stands the leg frames up at the correct angle while also sandwiching them securely inside the sled’s adjustable locking fences.

Running leg frame through router to cut splines
The splines both reinforce these joints and add a decorative element to the tables.

To prepare the jig, I first installed a couple of scrap plywood supports inside the sled to provide more stability for the tall leg frames. Then I set up the spline jig on my router table so the bit would cut the slot across the middle of each joint. I chucked the dovetail bit in my router table, set its cutting height to 7/16″ and slid the jig’s sled slowly but steadily over the bit to cut the dovetail spline slots in a single pass. It didn’t take long to run all 24 miter joints through the bit.

Using featherboard combo and router to cut splines
Form the splines along the edges of a wide piece of 3/4″ stock using the same dovetail bit buried partially in a router table fence.

Cutting the dovetail splines involves using the same dovetail router bit as before but running the spline stock along the router table’s fence to create the dovetail shape instead of using the spline jig. Rockler’s instructions detail how this process works. Suffice to say, you’ll need to start with scrap stock and make fine adjustments to your router table fence’s position until the spline stock you make slides into the slots of the miter joints snugly but easily.

Using hand saw to cut decorative splines
Then rip the spline strips free, cut them into short sections and glue them into their slots. Trim them flush after the glue dries.

I decided to use sections of darker hickory to make my spline stock so they really stand out on the lighter-colored leg frames. Once they were machined to shape, I ripped the splines free from the larger workpieces and crosscut 24 lengths to 1-3/8″ long. Glue the splines into their slots, and trim off the excess with a flush-cut saw when the glue dries.

Assembling the Tables

Drilling screws for subtop for nesting tables
Install a narrow subtop 1/4″ in from the front and back edges of each tabletop. Countersink and drive one screw in the center, then drive more screws into slotted holes to account for wood movement.

While these three tabletops aren’t particularly wide, the front and back edges don’t benefit from cross rails or the usual aprons underneath, which would help stiffen them and counteract cupping. So, we’ll install a 1″-wide subtop beneath the tabletops, both in front and back, to serve the purpose. The subtops also add some visual “heft” to the thickness of the tabletops, without actually adding much weight to the tables. Rip and crosscut 3/4″ stock to the Material List dimensions for the three lengths of subtops required for the tables.

Now is a good time to finish-sand all the table components you’ve made up to this point to 180 grit before proceeding further with assembly.

Attaching the subtops beneath the tabletops creates a crossgrain problem that must be accounted for, but it’s easy to solve. Attach each subtop with a countersunk 8 x 1-1/4″ screw driven up through it, centered on the width of the tabletop and the subtop’s length. Then create pairs of slotted holes near the ends of the subtop in order to drive a couple more screws up through the subtop to secure it. Make the slotted holes about 3/8″ to 1/2″ long, and orient them to run with the grain of the subtop (lengthwise). That way, when the tabletops expand or contract across their width, the slotted holes enable the top panels to move while still allowing the subtops to remain securely installed. Locate the subtops 1/4″ in from the ends of the tabletops. Don’t use any glue for their installation.

Cutting domino holes in nesting table tabletop
Loose-tenon joinery, such as Festool Dominoes or Rockler Beadlock tenons, are good options for the leg frame-to-tabletop joints. Dowel joints would also work. The author chose Festool 8×50 Dominoes for his tables.

At this point, assembling these three tables is simplicity itself, especially if you don’t plan to add the optional drawer and aprons to the small table. A loose-tenon system, such as Festool Dominoes or Rockler’s Beadlock tenons, is ideal. But dowel joints also could work. Effectively, the leg frames just attach flush against the long-grain edges of the top panels, and the back braces install between the back legs. I used the 8×50 sized Dominoes, spaced evenly along the joint lengths. I installed five along the joints for the large table and four for the medium and small tables.

Gluing up tabletop with hide glue
Spread glue into the mortises and onto the loose tenons or dowels, and assemble the joints with clamps. Hide glue (shown here) makes any squeeze-out easy to clean away with water, before or after the glue dries.

While you’re cutting mortises for your loose tenons (or drilling dowel holes), be sure to mark each back leg for the back braces and add mortises or dowel holes there, too. Lay out those brace locations so their bottom edges are 12″ up from the bottoms of the leg frames. Glue and clamp the leg frames, back braces and tops together with the loose tenons or dowels in place.

Adding an Optional Drawer

Cutting nesting table drawer side dado
A table saw equipped with a 1/4″-wide dado blade will cut the drawer’s 1/4″ x 1/4″ rabbet-and-dado joints quickly and accurately. Use the same blade to cut a drawer bottom groove as well.

Installing the little drawer between the legs of the small table provides some discreet storage for your entertainment system remotes, decks of cards, a bottle opener or any other odds and ends you might need in the room where these tables will go. I built the drawer box using 1/2″-thick hickory for the front, back and sides. The part sizes in the Material List account for the fact that I assembled the drawer box with simple but sturdy rabbet-and-dado joints. The ends of the drawer’s front and back pieces receive a 1/4″ x 1/4″ rabbet. The drawer sides require a 1/4″-wide, 1/4″-deep dado, located 1/4″ in from the part ends, to fit the tongues of the rabbets. I formed the rabbets and dadoes at the table saw with a 1/4″-wide dado blade, but you could also mill them on a router table with a 1/4″ straight or spiral bit.

Close-up of rabbet and dado joint in nesting table drawer
Rabbet-and-dado joints employ rabbets on the ends of the drawer’s front and back panels that fit into dadoes in the drawer sides.

Plow a 1/4″-wide x 1/4″-deep groove along the inside faces of the drawer front, back and sides, 1/4″ up from the bottom edges, for the drawer’s bottom panel. Then cut one to size from 1/4″-thick MDF, hardboard or plywood. Dry-fit the drawer box together to make sure the corner joints close. Also, check that the assembled drawer fits easily between the legs of the small table. If everything checks out, finish-sand the parts and glue the drawer box together. Check its diagonal measurements for a match to be certain the drawer box is square.

Test fitting nesting table drawer construction
Dry-fit the part first to be sure the joints close tightly, then glue the drawer together.

While those glue joints dry, rip and crosscut a pair of aprons from 3/4″ stock. Set their length so they fit snugly between the small table’s front and back legs.

Simple aluminum bars for seating drawer
Strips of 1/8″ x 3/4″ aluminum bar stock make simple runners for this small, lightweight drawer. Plow a 1/2″-deep groove along the inside face of each apron to accommodate the runners. Epoxy them in place.

I decided to hang the drawer for my table on the aprons using two lengths of 1/8″ x 3/4″ aluminum bar stock as runners. You can find aluminum bar stock at most home centers or hardware stores in the same bin with various sizes and options of steel. It offers a simple drawer “slide” solution for lightweight drawers like this. Cut two runners to 13-1/2″ long.

Take the aprons over to your table saw so you can plow a 1/8″-wide x 1/2″-deep groove along the inside face of each workpiece. Position these grooves 2-1/2″ down from the tops of the aprons. Test-fit the runners in them, and adjust the width of the grooves, if needed, so the runners are easy to push into place.

Screwing pocket hole screws into nesting table apron
Bore several pocket-screw holes into the inside faces of each apron, at its ends and top edge. Install the aprons on the small table so they’re flush with the inside faces of leg frames using 1-1/4″ pocket screws.

Pocket screws will be an easy means of mounting the aprons between the table legs. So take a few minutes to bore several pocket-screw holes into each end of the aprons on their inside faces and along the top edge. Then sand the aprons up to 180 grit.

Clean the aluminum drawer runners with lacquer thinner or denatured alcohol to remove any manufacturing residue before installing them in their apron grooves with 5-minute epoxy. Once the epoxy cures, file the front corners of the runners into small radii so the drawer is easier to fit into place, and attach the aprons between the legs with pocket screws. Position their inside faces flush with the inside edges of the leg frames.

Adding grooves for drawer runners
Cut a 3/16″-deep groove into each side of the drawer for the runners. Locate these grooves 2-3/16″ down from the top of the drawer. Each groove extends the full length of the drawer side.

With that done, it’s time to hang the drawer. So head back to your table saw to cut a 1/8″-wide x 3/16″-deep groove into the sides of the drawer to receive the drawer runners. Locate these grooves 2-3/16″ down from the top edges of the drawer. Then slide the drawer into place between the aprons to check its action. Widen the drawer grooves slightly, if needed, so it slides in and out smoothly.

Adding hickory drawer front accent
The author chose a piece of hickory stock for the drawer face that matched the same color and grain pattern as the aprons for a continuous-grain effect around the table. He simply glued and clamped the drawer face to the drawer front, aligning it carefully in the drawer opening. No other hardware is needed.

Now rip and crosscut a 1/2″-thick drawer face to size. I simply glued it onto the drawer front, positioning it carefully for an even spacing in the drawer opening and clamping it in place.

Your last step is to apply a durable topcoat to complete these tables. I settled on several coats of a wipe-on polyurethane finish, which is easy to apply and lets the hickory’s natural color tones really shine!

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VIDEO: Five Tips for Raising Panels https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/video-five-tips-for-raising-panels/ Wed, 13 Sep 2023 22:32:34 +0000 https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/?p=68052 If you're having trouble cutting raised panels or just need a quick refresher course, Chris Marshall has five essential tips to help you build the perfect project.

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Chris Marshall shares five tips to help make raising panels on a router table safer and easier.

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Crokinole Gameboard Template https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/crokinole-gameboard-template/ Wed, 13 Sep 2023 22:22:41 +0000 https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/?p=68048 A classic game from the Great White North, use our downloadable template to create your own Crokinole board and place the pegs properly.

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This game from Canada is simple to learn but hard to master. Use our downloadable template to build your own.

Click Here to Download the PDF.

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VIDEO: Routing Dovetail Spline Slots https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/video-routing-dovetail-spline-slots/ Wed, 13 Sep 2023 22:12:36 +0000 https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/?p=68045 Add a simple, attractive accent to the corner of your next project with a second species of wood and a spline jig.

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Chris Marshall uses Rockler’s Router Table Spline Slot Jig to make dovetail spline slots on a set of hickory nested tables.

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VIDEO: Understanding Files and Rasps https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/video-understanding-files-and-rasps/ Wed, 13 Sep 2023 22:01:54 +0000 https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/?p=68042 Ernie Conover takes an in-depth look at files and rasps and how they are used in woodworking shops, along with exploring the different types of these tools.

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Ernie Conover overviews common rasps and files for woodworking and other shop tasks.

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Basic Wall Cabinet https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/basic-wall-cabinet/ Wed, 13 Sep 2023 21:52:18 +0000 https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/?p=68038 This is the "Graduation Project" of our "Learn to Woodwork" series. It uses all the previously learned skills and adds a couple more — most importantly, hanging a door.

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Complete your Woodworking Basics coursework with this plan for building a Wall Cabinet, including learning how to add hardware for hanging a door.

Click Here to Download the PDF.

Watch the video here.

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VIDEO: Building a Wall Cabinet https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/video-building-a-wall-cabinet/ Wed, 13 Sep 2023 21:27:15 +0000 https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/?p=68035 In the culmination of our series on building basic woodworking skills, Rob Johnstone demonstrates how to craft a useful wall cabinet.

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Put your woodworking skills to the test and follow along with Rob Johnstone as he builds this wall cabinet perfect for woodworkers of any skill level.

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September/October 2023 What’s in Store https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/september-october-2023-whats-in-store/ Wed, 06 Sep 2023 22:17:46 +0000 https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/?p=68006 Get more information on the tools featured in our September/October 2023 issue, including tools from Rockler and Wagner.

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Rockler Deluxe Panel Clamps

Rockler Deluxe Panel Clamp Storage Rack

Hanging panel clamps on workshop wall

Wagner SprayTech FLEXiO 3550 18V Cordless Sprayer

Rockler Perfect Fit Stair Tread and Shelf Gauge

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