Woodshop 101 for Kids - Woodworkers Resource

Woodshop 101
For Kids
21 Woodworking
Lessons
Teach the Basics
Of Woodworking
14 Woodworking
Projects
For Parents and Kids
To Build Together!
A product of:
Craig Stevens
www.WoodworkersResource.com
With daughter, Katie
and sons, Nick & Jack
WOODSHOP
101
for KIDS
by
Craig Stevens
WoodworkersResource.com
Woodshop 101 for Kids. 21
woodworking lessons with 14
woodworking projects. Copyright ©
2006 by Craig Stevens. All rights
reserved. No part of this book may
be reproduced in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means,
including information storage and
retrieval systems, without
permission in writing from the
author, except by a reviewer, who
may quote brief passages in a
review. First edition. Revised July
2006.
To prevent accidents, keep safety in mind
while you work. Don’t wear loose clothing
or jewelry when working with hand tools or
power tools. Tie back long hair to prevent it
from getting caught in equipment. People
who are sensitive to certain chemicals
should check the chemical content of any
product before use. The author has tried to
make the contents as accurate and correct as
possible. Plans, illustrations, photographs
and text have been carefully checked. All
instructions, plans and projects should be
carefully read, studied and understood
before beginning construction. Due to the
variability of local conditions, construction
materials, skill levels, etc., the author does
not assume any responsibility for any
accidents, injuries, damages or other losses
incurred resulting from the material
presented in this book
acknowledgements
Many thanks:
To Katie, Nick, and Jack. Without your help this book
would never have happened. Thanks for your patience for all the
times that Daddy needed “one more picture,” that turned into
five or six. Your suggestions on cool projects to build and even
the colors to paint them were an immense help. Over the last
several months we’ve built a lot of things in the shop, but nothing
more important to me than all the memories shared between the
sawdust and glue. I love you guys!
To Madison, thanks for helping us out with the planter box.
To Dr. Jeff Stevens, thanks for letting me use your catapult
design, what a great project!
To my Mom and Dad who have always been there to
support me in whatever I’ve chosen to do. You both have given
me the tools to become the person I am today.
To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, without whom I could
do nothing.
dedication
To my wife:
Kelley, this book would have never entered my thoughts
without your gentle nudging. Sitting around our kitchen table
one night talking about things we wanted to do in the coming
year, you planted the seed that has grown into this book.
Thank you for giving so much of yourself day after day
taking care of our family. The hours spent being a wife, a mother
and teacher leaves little for you. The sacrifices you give do not go
unnoticed. The rewards for doing all you do can never be repaid
by us in this life time, but the Father above is storing up treasures
beyond our imagination for people just like you.
I love you!
Contents:
Introduction………………….1
How to Use This Book………3
Lesson 1
Wood is Wood Right.............6
Lesson 2
Measuring…………………11
Lesson 3
It’s Hammer Time………...16
Lesson 4
Using Hand Saws…………23
Lesson 5
Drilling……………………..30
Lesson 6
Peg Game…………………..36
Lesson 7
Using a Block Plane………42
Lesson 8
Finishing…………………...48
Lesson 9
Crosscut Box………………58
Lesson 10
Birdhouse………………….64
Lesson 11
Toolbox/Art Caddy………76
Lesson 12
Baseball Rack……………….86
Lesson 13
Pencil Holder………………93
Lesson 14
Battleship………………….104
Lesson 15
Media Storage Rack……....115
Lesson 16
Step Stool………………….127
Lesson 17
Two for one Birdfeeder…..140
Lesson 18
Workbench………………..150
Lesson 19
Doll Cradle………………..158
Lesson 20
Marshmallow Catapult….167
Lesson 21
Planter Box………………..180
Introduction
Is woodworking or any ‘trade’ worth teaching to our
children in today’s society?
I have always been interested in how things work and in making things
with my hands. There’s just something extremely satisfying about
building a tangible, useful item with your own two hands. I’ve seen the
same satisfaction in the eyes of my own children. They all three have
completely different personalities but they all enjoy making things. Why
is that? I believe it’s because God made each of us with the desire to
create. God can place a desire in our hearts to create tangible things with
our hands or intangible things using our thoughts and ideas. Both are
equally valuable or God would not have given them to us. But as a
society, we tend to place more value and prestige on working behind a
desk on facts and figures as a CPA or as a doctor diagnosing a patient or
a lawyer arguing a case in front of a judge than a carpenter who builds a
house or a potter who creates a beautiful vase or a plumber who can fix a
leaky faucet or a farmer who grows our food. So our children are
naturally “guided “by our schools and by their parents to study subjects
that will get them a “good job”. We tell ourselves that we only want
what’s best for our children, but do we really? Has God stopped
creating people with the desire to work with their hands or are we doing
our children a great disservice by not letting them become who God
created them to be, whether that is a doctor or a furniture maker. How
many adults do you know who are miserable in their jobs? Would they
be that way if they were using the gifts and talents that God intended for
them to use? My hope and desire is that we as parents take seriously the
responsibility of raising our children to discover who God wants them to
be and not what the world thinks they should be.
Using my abilities in woodworking and carpentry to help others, and to
nurture those that God has put the same desire in, are my greatest
passions. Almost all children love to make things out of wood. Some
will see it only as an activity like painting, coloring, or playing with cars.
For some though, learning to work with wood will spark a lifelong
passion and maybe even a vocation.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when
he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 NASB
2
How to Use This Book
A Message to Parents
Woodshop 101 for Kids is set up to use at your own pace. There are 21
lessons to take your kids through. These can be done once per week,
which will take you through a semester, or if you find that your kids
can’t wait a whole week to get to the next project, like mine, do a lesson
as often as you like.
One of the great things about teaching this class is that it doesn’t matter
which parent teaches it Mom, Dad or both. It can give a parent that
works out of the home the opportunity to get more involved with the
education of their children. They can teach the lesson plans at night or on
the weekends to build fun and interesting projects with their kids and
build something even more important: A lifetime of memories.
However your family decides to teach this book there are some things to
know. The first lessons of the book are all about the fundamentals of
woodworking and hand tool use and will need to be covered before any
projects can be built. It is important that children are able to use the tools
properly for their own safety and to avoid frustration down the road.
Each lesson is built upon things learned in the previous lessons. Don’t
skip this part!
This book is geared towards children 7 and up, but age can sometimes
have little to do it. Some 5 and 6 year olds may grasp the lessons very
quickly and some 7 year olds may not have the patience yet. You as the
parent must be the judge of that. However young or old your child is
though they still must be supervised through out the teaching of this
book any time tools are to be used. I encourage you as the parent to read
the lessons with your kids so that you both have a clear understanding of
what’s expected in each lesson. If you are there to quickly get them back
3
on course when things do go wrong, this will help your kids from
becoming discouraged.
You can buy the tools that you don’t already have as you get to them in
the book or you can go ahead and buy them all at once. If you do decide
to get the tools ahead of time, read through the lessons on tool usage
first. I give suggestions as to sizes and styles that can help children get
the most out of their use. The advantage in having all your tools ahead
of time is that it will save you from having to run around trying to find
what you’ll need the day before you need to teach the lesson and finding
out that it’s sold out. Another advantage is you can often times find all
the tools you need online at one site. This can save you time and money.
Here is a list of tools you’ll need. Use this to compare what you already
have to what you’ll need to purchase. Again read the lessons on tool
usage first before making purchases. You can buy each child their own
set (which would be nice since one of the first projects is a tool box) or
they can share tools. (But getting kids to do that is an entire book unto
itself.)
A. Measuring Tape (12’) they make measuring tapes that
have the fractions labeled on the tape to make it easier
to read especially if your child is just learning about
fractions.
B. Ruler (12”) wooden ones are easier to read than the
clear or colored plastic ones.
C. Hammer (7 – 10oz for smaller children, 16oz for older
children with better hand eye coordination)
D. Screwdrivers: flathead and Phillips
E. Nail set
F. Handsaw (western or Japanese style)
G. Brace Drill
H. Coping saw
I. Block plane
4
J.
K.
L.
M.
N.
O.
P.
Q.
Rasp
Sandpaper (100, 120, 150, 180 grits)
Glue (white or yellow) water proof for outdoor projects
Screws and nails (a box each of 1 ¼” and 1 5/8”
drywall screws and a box each of 3d, 4d, and 6d finish
nails will get you through most projects in this book).
Clamps (See the lesson on building the step stool for
information on clamps).
Safety glasses (it may take some extra effort, but find a
pair that fits your child. They will become frustrated
quickly if every time they start to swing a hammer they
have to push their glasses back up on their noses.
Manufactures do make child size glasses it just might
take some looking around to find them.)
Combination square
Speed square
5
Lesson 1
Wood is Wood Right?
We all know what trees are and what they are used for. Things like
provide shade, protect soil from eroding, produce oxygen, and of course
wood to heat with and to use as a raw material to make paper, furniture,
houses, etc.
But have you ever stopped and just looked at all the different kinds of
trees in your neighborhood or a park nearby? There are roughly 10,000
different species of trees around the world. There’s no question that God
has given us a lot of different looking trees to enjoy and to use
responsibly, but deep down inside all trees are very similar.
Parts of a Tree
First let’s look at
the different parts
of a tree, (fig. 1).
Starting from top to
bottom is the
crown. The crown
gives the tree its
shape. It is made
up of the branches,
which is how a tree
grows in height,
and the leaves. The
leaves take in
carbon dioxide
from the air, which
the tree uses as
Fig. 1
6
food and in return gives off oxygen that we breathe. Have you ever been
in a greenhouse where there are lots of plants and noticed how good the
air smells? It’s because of all the fresh oxygen the plants are producing
and filtering out the harmful gases that our bodies don’t need, like
carbon dioxide.
Next, we have the trunk. This is what gives the tree its strength. Figure
1 shows the different parts that make up the trunk.
The outer bark is what protects the tree from damage; it’s basically the
tree’s armor. The inner bark is where the sugar the leaves make is carried
to all other parts of the tree where it is changed into food.
The cambium is only one cell thick! This is where the tree trunk grows in
diameter. The interesting thing about these cells is that on one side they
produce bark and on the other side they produce wood.
Xylem or Sapwood is the highway structure of the tree. All the nutrients
and water taken in by the roots are moved up through the sapwood and
is then fed into the branches and up into leaves.
Heartwood is the backbone of the tree. This layer of wood is no longer
active. It’s made when the inner layers of the old sapwood stop carrying
the water and nutrients to the leaves. This wood is harder and much
stronger than the sapwood. Many times the heartwood is also a different
color than the sapwood, usually darker, but not always.
Finally, we get to the bottom of things. The roots of a tree anchor it in
the ground and also supply water and nutrients as stated earlier. Have
you ever watched a tree being blown back and forth in a strong wind?
How do trees keep from being blown over? The answer is in the root
structure. Trees have a root that goes deep into the earth called the
taproot. The taproot grows deep in search of water and nutrients in
times of drought. When there is plenty of rain, however; the surface
roots collect most of the water and nutrients and spread out far to further
anchor the tree.
7
Coniferous
Deciduous
Coniferous and Deciduous Trees
Coniferous, or cone bearing trees, mostly have thin needles for leaves
and are evergreens meaning they keep their leaves year round. Conifers
are also called softwoods. Deciduous or broadleaf trees usually shed
their leaves during cold or dry weather. Deciduous trees are also called
hardwoods.
These are easy for us to tell apart but there are still many other
differences between softwoods and hardwoods that are not so easy to
see. For starters, the name “soft” wood and “hard” wood isn’t referring
to how dense the wood is itself. Most of the time coniferous trees do have
less dense wood than their deciduous cousins but not always. An
example of a coniferous tree having very hard wood is the Yew tree and
an example of a deciduous tree being soft is the balsa tree. We can even
go a step further and point out that the Live Oak Tree, (a deciduous tree),
doesn’t shed its leaves during the winter, hence the
Dense means that
name Live Oak. I know this can all be confusing but
things are packed
just remember that “soft” wood and “hard” wood is a
tightly together which
normally makes them
term that isn’t necessarily descriptive just another way
hard and heavy.
of saying whether the tree is coniferous or deciduous.
Wood Grain
One last thing for us to look at before we leave the subject of trees. It’s
the most important to us as woodworkers because it effects how the
wood will look in our projects and that’s wood grain. Wood can be sawn
8
into boards in different ways and each will cause the wood grain to look
different, sometimes dramatically different. Figure 3a and 3b shows
looking down onto a log cut two different ways and the affects it has on
wood grain.
Fig. 3a
Fig. 3b
Lines represent
saw kerfs
Plain sawn board
Quarter sawn board
Wood grain of same tree cut two different ways
The log in figure 3a is sawn straight across or plain sawn. You can see
that the grain pattern in this board is almost wavy looking. These are
actually the growth rings you’re looking at. Figure 3b show the same log
sawn first into quarters and then the individual sections sawn up into
boards. The grain pattern, or growth rings, from quartersawn boards are
usually straight. As you can see you can get completely different looks
from a board coming from the same tree merely by how it’s sawn up.
Now let’s go have so fun with what we’ve learned.
9
Activities
1. Go out and gather leaves from your yard or a nearby park. Using
the Internet or a book from the library on trees look up and
identify what kind of trees the leaves came from. Are they
coniferous or deciduous? Try these website for starters. Also
there are several state specific sites on identifying trees. Just use
your favorite search engine.
http://www.oplin.org/tree/
http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/forsite/key/intro.htm
http://oregonstate.edu/trees/
2. Plan a scavenger hunt to see how many things each child can find
in your home that’s made of wood. Have a discussion on how
things are made from wood and the different processes that wood
goes through before it ends up in your home, i.e., trees have to be
harvested, then sawn up into useful pieces, then shaped into
objects, finished, and finally made available for purchase.
10
Items You’ll Need
12’ Measuring Tape
12” Ruler
Lesson 2
Speed Square
Combination Square
Notebook
Measuring
Finally we get to start using some TOOLS! In this lesson we’re going to
look at some different tools that are used to measure and how each is
used. First, let’s look at a ruler.
Measuring and Fractions
Note to Parents
A ruler is a very simple measuring tool. It ‘s used
If your child is learning fractions this is
a great way to teach a real world
to measure short distances (most are only 1 foot
application, however; if they are not
long) and can be used as a great straight edge for
yet there and you will not be teaching
fractions soon simply use the exercises
drawing lines. Rulers are divided into parts. The
to show how to read the tape
measurer in inches and feet. Have
first part is called a foot. This name came about
them count the number of inches in
because it’s about the length of an adult’s foot.
one foot to show that there are 12” in
one foot.
The foot is divided into smaller sections called
inches. There are twelve inches in one foot. As
you’ve probably already seen, inches are divided into still smaller
sections called fractions. This is necessary because a lot of things we need
to measure don’t end up on a whole number, it ends up somewhere in
between. Figure 1 represents an inch section of a ruler and how it’s
divided into smaller parts.
1/16
1/16
1/16
1/8
1/16
1/16
1/8
¼
1/16
1/16
1/8
½
1/16
1/8
¼
(Fig. 1) Not actual size of an inch. (You’re probably saying No Kidding!)
Fraction – To
divide up into
smaller portions, a
quantity expressed
in terms of a
numerator and a
denominator.
11
Let’s take a closer look at the ruler in figure 1. You’ll notice that it’s
divided equally into parts. The ½ mark is in the middle or half the
distance between the start and ending of the inch. The next smaller
equally divided part we have is the ¼ mark. There are 4 of these marks
that make up an inch just like there are 4 quarters that make up a dollar.
If we add these together, ¼ + ¼ + ¼ + ¼ = 4/4 or 1 inch. The same is
true for the next smaller equally divided part 1/8. By counting every
other line, which is the portion that equals 1/8, you’ll count 8 lines.
Adding these lines together you get 8/8 or 1 inch. With the 1/16 mark
you count all the lines because each line is 1/16 to the next line. Adding
these lines you get 16/16 or 1 inch.
One thing you need to know about writing measurements
out is that most of the time the words foot and inch are
abbreviated. The abbreviation for a foot is (‘) and the
abbreviation for an inch is (“(. So if you just measured the
length of a board and it was 3 feet 10 inches you would
write 3’ 10”.
Abbreviation- To
make shorter.
My head hurts now, can we take a break?
Ok, if this is still all a little fuzzy, try this. Go get a piece of notebook
paper. The piece of paper will represent an inch. Fold it in half long
ways and crease the paper, label this as ½”. Take the outside corners
and fold each to the middle or ½” mark, label these as ¼”. Fold the ends
this time to the ¼” line; mark this as 1/8”. Again fold the outside edges
this time to the 1/8” line and label this 1/16”. You have just done the
same thing as in figure 1; divide a given amount, in this example an inch,
into equal parts.
Note to Parents
Your children will probably catch on to
this quickly if they are already familiar
with fractions, however; the problem
usually comes from adding all this
together such as something that’s 3’ 8
¾” long. To avoid frustration early on
find objects around the house that are
even on the inch marks or the foot
marks. After they are comfortable with
this start adding in items that are small
but forces them to figure out the fraction
mark like 3 ¼”.
12
Many times you will have to measure things
that are much longer and wider than 12”,
which is all a typical ruler will measure. That’s
why woodworkers carry a measuring tape. A
measuring tape is much like a ruler only it can
be used to measure much longer distances.
One thing to note with measuring tapes is that you’ll notice the end of
the tape has a hook on the end for holding onto things. The hook will
move back and forth slightly. This is to compensate for the thickness of
the hook. If the measuring tape didn’t have this feature you would get a
measurement slightly off when you hooked the tape to the edge of a
board or pushed it against the inside of a drawer.
Speed Square
The speed square can be used to do many things, but the two things it’s
used for more than anything else is to make sure a corner is square or 90q
(degrees), and to mark lines that are square to an edge by hooking the
flanged side of the square to the edge of a board and drawing a line.
There are 360° in a circle and 180° in a straight line. If we intersect that line with
another line that’s perpendicular, where they meet cuts the 180° in half or 90°.
Another way to say that a corner is 90° is to say its “square”.
13
Combination Square
A combination square is a great tool for the woodworker. It can do
many of the same jobs as the speed square and then some. What’s really
different about the combination square is that the ruler on the square is
moveable. Loosening a knob on the square
allows the ruler to slide to the measurement
Parallel- Extending in the
you need. You can use the combination square
same direction and at the
to draw a line that is parallel to the edge of a
same distance apart at
every point so as never to
board. This can be very useful when you need
meet.
to cut a board down the length of it and you
Webster’s New World Dictionary
need a straight line to follow.
14
Activity
1. Once you feel they have the hang of reading a measuring tape
write down five objects in your house and measure these items.
Put an A beside the first item a B by the next and so on. Next,
write down the measurements on the other side of the items
listed, but mix up the order. Put a blank line in front for a place to
put the correct letter. Make a race out of it to see how fast they
can figure out what letter goes with which item.
2. Another activity is to get your kids to make a growth chart
notebook. Using a measuring tape let them measure their feet,
hands, arms, and legs and mark this in their growth chart
notebook. Next, with your help, measure how tall each child is,
and mark this in their notebook. Put the date beside the
measurements and write in the next date you want to take another
measurement. You might want to space it out enough so that the
kids actually see results. (If your kids are like mine, you can
probably take measurements every other day and see that they
have grown!)
15
Items You’ll Need
Safety Glasses
Hammer (10-12oz for smaller
kids 16oz for bigger kids)
Lesson 3
Nail set
Roofing Nails for younger kids
and first timers, finish nails for
older kids and seasoned veterans
Scrap Wood (2” x 4”)
It’s Hammer Time!
A hammer is a simple tool. It’s used to strike things such as nails, nail
sets, and a chisel etc, and pulls those occasional misplaced or bent nails
back out again. But as with all tools there is a correct way to use a
hammer so you’ll get the most out of it. Before we get started keep in
mind when using a hammer always put on your safety glasses first.
Using the hammer
Note to Parents
There’s something about a new
hammer in a child’s hand that
At first, most people want to choke-up on the handle,
brings a grin from ear to ear. But
(move your hand closer to the head of the hammer),
before we start swinging, some
safety tips are in order. Never use
to get more control. However, by doing this you give
a hammer without safety glasses.
up most of your momentum, which is the force that
Chips of wood or a missed hit nail
can go flying faster than anyone
drives the nail into the wood. Another way to look at
can react. Now is a good time to
it is that the arc that you swing the hammer in is
instill in your child the importance
of safety in the woodshop.
much smaller if you hold the hammer towards the
head, which takes away your power. If you hold the
hammer’s handle towards the end you increase your arc and
Momentum- The
thereby increase your momentum. By doing this you combine
force of a moving
object.
the weight of the hammer, with the swinging of your arm and
wrist to pound the nail home.
The second operation of your hammer is to pull nails out. At the
opposite end of the face of the hammer is the claw. The claw is forked
and tapers down, as it gets closer to the head. This is to wedge the nail
head in tight so it doesn’t slip out. When pulling a nail out place a block
of wood under the head of the hammer to gain leverage and to
keep from damaging your work surface. With the hammer
Leverage- The
upside down and the nail wedged between the claw pull
increased force
resulting from the use
back on the handle towards your chest.
of a lever (or the
handle of the hammer
in our case).
16
Arc
The dashed line in the first
picture represents the arc
that the hammer is
traveling in. Notice how
the hand is choked-up on
the hammer’s handle.
The dashed line in the
second picture also
represents the arc the hammer is traveling in. The first thing you notice
is that the arc in this picture is much larger. That’s because of the
placement of the hand on the handle. You can see in these two pictures
just how much more momentum or force that the larger arc is going to
generate.
Using leverage to pull out a nail
17
Nails
There are dozens of different types of nails used for different jobs. And
within each type there are a wide variety of sizes. Look at fig.1 to see
how nails are measured and to learn some of the lingo so you’ll sound
like a pro when you go to the hardware store.
Different Nail Sizes:
This system originated in 15th century England, when the "penny" size determined
what one paid a blacksmith to forge a hundred nails of that size of nail (one paid three
pennies to get a hundred nails of the size called the "3-penny" nail). This price became
obsolete before 1500, but has continued to be so entrenched in convention, that its use
persists to this day. Now we use it primarily as a measure of length (approximate, at
least). We abbreviate the "penny" with the symbol "d", which came from the
"denarius", an early Roman coin.
Figure 1 Used by permission from http://www.sizes.com/tools/nails.htm
Next, let’s look at different nails and what they’re used for.
18
The most common nails that you will be using in woodworking are: The
common nail, box nail, roofing nail, finishing nail, and brad nail. Each of
these has a special purpose.
Head
Shank
Common nail
Common nails are used more often in the construction of buildings than
in projects like are in this book. That’s because common nails have a
thicker shank and a bigger head and therefore are stronger than the
other nails in this group. The extra strength is needed in constructing
things such as walls, floors, and roofs of houses.
Box nail
Box nails are smaller than common nails both in shank size and head size
and are used in much thinner wood. Because thin pieces of wood can
easily split the tip of box nails have a blunt end which pushes it’s way
through the wood instead of causing cracks.
Roofing nail
So can you guess where roofing nails are used? The large heads on
roofing nails securely fasten roofing shingles down onto the roof. This is
needed because shingles tear and rip easily. If a nail with a smaller head
was used it would just slip right through the shingle in a strong wind.
19
Finishing nail
Finishing nails are used when the head of the nail needs to be hidden.
The nail head is just big enough for a nail set to be used to drive the nail
below the surface of the wood. Putty can be used then to cover up the
hole making it nearly invisible. (See activities at end and lesson on
finishing for more on using a nail set.)
Brad nail
Brad nails are even smaller than finishing nails. Because of their small
size they aren’t very strong, but that’s ok because normally they’re used
just to hold a piece of wood until the glue that has been used dries. You
can really think of brads as tiny clamps. Just like finish nails the head is
pushed down beneath the surface of the wood with a nail set and filled
in with wood putty.
20
Activities
1. Now that we know how to hammer, let’s pound some nails. For
younger children use a roofing nail (see nail chart). It has a large
head that is much easier to hit. Grab a piece of 2x4 and using a 1
¼” long nail (a rule of thumb is that the nail should be about 2/3
the depth of the piece or pieces of wood it’s going in). Holding
the hammer towards the end of the handle, pinch the nail between
the pointer finger and thumb. Tap the nail a couple of times to get
it started. Now here’s how most people new to using a hammer
start out: They just keep on tapping the nails with short swings
because they’re afraid of missing the nail, don’t be. Swing like
you mean it! Remember what we talked about with swinging the
hammer through a wide arc to increase momentum. Wouldn’t
you rather hit a nail five times to sink it into the wood than
twenty-five times? Sure, in the beginning you may bend a few
nails while you’re getting the hang of it, but so what? You know
how to pull them back out! One way to make sure that the
hammer face hits the nail head squarely is to have the nail and
wood positioned at waist level. This is where the face of the
hammer naturally squares up to the head of the nail. Keep
pounding nails until you have the hang of it and feel completely
comfortable using the hammer.
2. In some of the upcoming lessons where nails are used in a project,
you may want to fill the nail holes with wood filler (see lesson on
finishing wood). This is so after the project is painted or stained
the nail holes won’t be visible. In order for the wood filler (putty)
to cover the nail hole completely, you’ll probably have to use a
nail set to push the head of the nail below the surface of the wood.
Place the tip of the nail set on the head of the nail and strike
firmly. It may take two or three hits to set the nail head below the
surface of the wood. (Note: If you’ve been using roofing nails to
practice switch to a regular box or finish nail to practice setting
21
nails. The large head on a roofing nail makes it hard to set below
the surface of the wood.)
3. Now hammer a few nails in but this time stop short of putting it
all the way into the wood. Using the claw portion of the hammer
pull the nails back out. If you need more leverage try putting a
block of wood under the hammer.
22
Lesson 4
Using Handsaws
Saws have been around ever since man started making things from
wood. He needed a way to cut trees down and then to cut the wood into
smaller more usable pieces, which are the basic uses for handsaws.
Sawing involves two strokes, the push stroke and the
pull stroke. Saws will cut on either the pull or the
push stroke depending on what kind of handsaw it is.
Western saws, or American saws, cut on the push
stroke, Japanese saws cut on the pull stroke.
Western Saws
Items You’ll Need
Handsaw- See text for
deciding which kind to buy
Sturdy work surface
Coping saw
Clamps for holding work
piece securely (see lesson
on Step Stool for more on
clamps)
Western saws have a thicker blade and are less likely
to bend if they get stuck in the wood. Most also have
Scrap wood
a traditional handle that the hand fits around like
Safety glasses
you’re shaking
hands with it.
Western saws cut on the push stroke
so the sawdust that is generated is
pushed out the back and doesn’t
cover up a line that you’re using to
guide the cut. Western saws overall
do take more energy to use than their
Japanese counterpart.
Japanese Saws
Japanese saws have a very thin blade.
They cut on the pull stroke, which
stiffens the blade as its being pulled
23
through the wood. If these saws were to cut on the push stroke, the
blade would bend. Handles on Japanese saws are barrel shaped and you
grip it like a pole. Since Japanese saws cut on the pull stroke, the
sawdust is pulled toward you, which can cover up
a line being used to guide the cut. Japanese
Friction- Rubbing of one object
saws overall do take less energy to use because
against another.
of their thin blade which causes less friction.
Webster’s New World Dictionary
Crosscut and Ripsaws
Two other distinctions that handsaws have are
whether they are a crosscut saw or a ripsaw. The differences in these are
the shape of the teeth. The crosscut saw is for cutting across a board
(against the grain). Its teeth lean back slightly and are filed at an angle to
form a sharp edge. The ripsaw is for cutting down the length of a board
(with the grain). Its teeth are large and filed square to the face of the
blade.
Crosscut Teeth
Ripsaw Teeth
Looking at the teeth of the saw you’ll notice that each tooth angles out in
an alternating pattern, one tooth will angle slightly towards the left, and
the next tooth will angle slightly towards the right. This is called the
“set” of the teeth. This angle makes the saw kerf larger than the body of
the saw preventing it from binding in the wood.
24
Kerf- The slot cut by
the saw blade
Looking down on the set of the teeth of a typical handsaw
Another factor in how the saw cuts is how many teeth per inch or tpi the
saw has. Less teeth and a wider set will cut faster and leave a rougher
edge. More teeth with a narrower set will cut slower but will leave a
smoother surface.
Decisions, Decisions
So which one should I buy? A crosscut saw makes the most sense
because that is the operation that you’ll do the most of in this book.
Crosscut saws tend to have a smaller tooth and a set wide enough not to
get stuck in the wood. This is probably the best of both worlds. Now
how about a western or Japanese saw? In working with my own
children they have learned to use both but seem to naturally reach for
the Japanese saws first. They take some getting use to if you have
already learned to cut with a western saw, but most people catch on
quickly. If you can, buy both and let your kids chose. The ryoba, which
is a combination saw with rip teeth along one edge and crosscut teeth on
the other is two saws in one but can be expensive. My kids use a dosuki
style saw that works just fine and is less expensive. One thing to be
25
aware of with these saws is that the blade is difficult to re-sharpen. Most
blades can be replaced.
Now let’s make some sawdust. (Remember to use a soft wood such as
white pine to begin with.)
The first thing to do is to secure the work piece so it doesn’t move.
Clamping the piece to a bench or a sawhorse can do this. If you have a
bench with a vise on it, all the better, and if you don’t hang on, we’ll
build you one later on. The main thing to keep in mind is the height of
the work piece. It should be about waist high to be able to get the
shoulder and back muscles behind the saw. If the work piece is higher,
you end up using mostly your arm muscles to push and pull the saw
through the wood, which will wear you out much faster.
If you are right handed, your left foot should be in front of your right
foot about shoulder width apart. The important thing is to be well
balanced to offset the rocking motion of the push and pull strokes.
Start your kerf cut on the edge furthest away from you. If you’re using a
western saw place the saw teeth that are closest to the handle on the
edge of the wood and pull the saw across. This will start a small kerf for
the blade to ride in. You may have to repeat this two or three times
before you can start pushing the saw blade through the wood. If you’re
using a Japanese saw you will want to set up the same way except you
will want to set the teeth of the saw on the end of the blade down on the
edge and push through the wood. Depending which type of Japanese
saw you’re using it may be too thin to push through without bending. If
that’s the case simply try pulling the blade through instead. The nice
thing about Japanese saws is that they usually have small teeth and a lot
of tpi so they’re easy to get started in the wood either way. Whichever
blade you’re using start out with short strokes pulling and pushing.
Once you have the blade moving through the wood without catching
start using the whole length of the blade. By doing this you let the saw
teeth do most of the work. After you have cut about a quarter of the way
26
through the wood, start pushing the saw handle down to get more of the
teeth cutting across the whole width of the board.
If all has gone well your first time, you’ve done
Perpendicular- At a right
much better than most. Sawing sometimes takes a
angle to the surface
while to catch onto, especially when muscles
(square)
become tired. The trick to using a saw well is to
keep the saw moving in a straight line and keeping
the body of the blade perpendicular to the piece you’re cutting. This will
come with practice, so, practice, practice, practice! One way to help keep
your mind on cutting in a straight line is to draw a line across the width
of the board you’re cutting. Start your kerf right on the line and try to
follow it all the way across. If the saw becomes hard to push or pull you
know you’re either not cutting in a straight line or you’re not keeping the
blade perpendicular, or both. Again, this takes practice. Take a break if
you’re getting tired and come back to it when you feel better. Sawing is
a skill that all woodworkers must master. With time no piece of wood
will be safe in your house!
Coping Saw
Handsaws are great for cutting straight lines in wood, but what do you
do if you need to cut curves? First, you need a blade that’s narrow and
thin so that it doesn’t bind when cutting a curve. Second, the saw would
need to have a way to reach deep into a piece of wood to cut out circles
and different shapes. A coping saw was designed to do all these things.
The teeth on a coping saw are very fine so it leaves a smooth surface,
often times needing no sanding. The blade is held taut by tension of the
metal frame. The handle of the coping saw turns to increase or decrease
the tension. The two spigots need to be kept at the same angle. You can
move both spigots together to change the angle at which the blade cuts.
This comes in handy when you need to at an angle but the frame gets in
the way of the work piece. By turning the blade you can keep the coping
saw’s frame out of the way.
27
To change the blade of a coping saw you can loosen the tension by
turning the handle and then removing the blade. Or you can place the
far side of the frame against your bench and with the other hand push
with the handle. This will squeeze the frame releasing the pressure on
the blade. With your other hand slip the blade out from the spigots.
You can hold a coping saw in many different angles to cut at the angle
you need. This is what makes the coping saw so versatile. However
there are certain ways to use a coping saw to get the most out of it.
Because the blade is so small it can bend easily and heat up causing it to
weaken. To prevent this, take long strokes at an even pace, sawing too
fast will cause the blade to heat up. Just like with the handsaw you need
to keep the blade perpendicular to the work surface. If the blade is
difficult to move through the wood, it’s because the blade is binding (not
cutting perpendicular).
Spigot
28
Activities
1. Using a combination square or a speed square draw a line across a
scrap piece of wood. This line is perpendicular to the edge. Using
your handsaw try to cut just to the right or left of the line. By
leaving the line instead of cutting right on it you will be able to
have something to follow while you’re cutting. If you’re still
having some difficulty keeping the blade cutting in a straight line
try this trick. Place a board that has a straight edge across this line
and clamp it down. Use this as a reference for keeping the saw
going in a straight line. It also helps keep the saw blade
perpendicular to the work surface. When you’re done, place the
square back on the work surface to see how close you came to
staying on the line. Keep practicing until you can cut a straight
line that’s perpendicular to the edge of the work piece.
2. Have some fun with your coping saw by drawing some squiggly
lines or circles and trying to stay on track as you saw. Hold the
saw as in the picture from the coping saw section, and you’ll
master it in no time.
29
Items You’ll Need
Brace (Hand Drill)
Bits
Lesson 5
Scrap wood
Clamps
Safety glasses
Drilling
Drilling holes is something that you’ll do almost as often as using a
handsaw. Obviously there are two things you need to make holes in
wood, a drill and bits. Let’s look at the drill first.
There are many ways and many tools you can use to
drill holes. Some are hand powered, some are
powered by electricity, and rechargeable batteries
power others. I highly recommend starting out using
a hand-powered drill such as a hand brace drill. They
are far less dangerous than the power drills, and are
actually really fun to use.
Note to Parents
On using a cordless or electric
drill
I don’t recommend children using a
power drill until they have mastered
the brace and bit drill and are much
older, and then only under strict
parental supervision. Using a
smaller diameter drill bit such as a
1/8” in a cordless drill is safer than
using a larger diameter bits but
there is still a danger of the bit
grabbing. When a bit grabs (using
an electric drill) it can spin the piece
of wood right off the workbench. If
the bit stops turning completely the
drill itself will begin turning and jerk
your wrist which can be very
painful. The way to avoid both of
these situations is to make sure the
work piece is clamped securely in
place and to have a firm grip on the
drill’s body with your left hand (if
you’re right handed) and your right
hand on the trigger.
Using a brace drill is very simple. After you have a
bit secured in the jaws place the tip of the bit on your
mark where you need a hole. Place your left hand on
the head of the drill and, while pushing, put your
right hand on the handle and turn clockwise to drill a
hole. It is much easier to use the brace and bit with
the work piece on the ground or at least below waist
level with a backer piece of wood underneath to keep
from damaging the bit. By placing it on the ground
you can also place the top handle with your hand
over it against your chest as
you turn the handle. This
will exert more force against
the drill making it cut faster.
An alternative way to use
the brace and bit drill is to
clamp the work piece in a
30
vise that’s about chest high. By doing this you can lean your whole body
against the top handle as you turn the handle. Either way will work fine.
Head
Bow
This distance is called the swing
Twice this distance is called the sweep
Handle
Ratchet
Jaws
Fig. 1 Brace drill
Used by permission from the Florida Center for Instructional Technology
Things to look for in a good brace drill and where to find one.
A good brace will have a universal chuck (will accept any bit with a
square tang), a ratchet mechanize, and a ball-bearing head. Brace
drills come in a range of sizes. The distance that the handle is offset
from the frame is called the swing. The diameter that the handle
travels around (twice the swing) is called the sweep. Generally, the
sweep of different size brace drills is in increments of two inches.
Most of the ones you’ll find are between 10” to 14”. The smaller sizes
will fit smaller hands much better.
There are many places to find a brace drill but the best places will be
antique stores and online auctions. You can find new ones, but
they’ll probably cost more and be of far less quality. Be picky, there’s
a lot of junk out there and there’s not much difference in price
between the old rusted ones and the ones in good shape. Twenty
dollars should get you a nice brace drill.
31
With power drills there are two basic kinds, electric and cordless.
Cordless drills have become very popular over the past few years
because of the convenience of taking them places that a corded drill just
can’t reach. Figure 2 shows a typical cordless drill, an electric drill is
very similar.
Some safety tips on using power drills.
1. Bits and chucks spin at a high rate of speed, make sure you’re holding
the drill tight before you squeeze the trigger.
2. Role up sleeves and tie long hair back to prevent them from getting
caught in a turning bit.
3. Make sure before you take a bit out or put a new bit in the chuck that
you first unplug the drill.
4. Clamp the work piece down to a solid surface to prevent it from
turning as the bit digs into the wood.
Always read the instruction manual of your particular drill before it’s used.
Using a power drill is very similar in
some ways to using a brace drill. Once
the bit is tightened securely in the
chuck, place the tip of the drill bit on
your mark and square up the drill to
your work piece. One thing that makes
this easier with the power drills is that
most have a bubble level on top of the
drill. This level will square the bit front
to back, but you’ll still have to pay
attention to squaring the bit from side to
side. With a firm grip on the drill,
slowly squeeze the trigger.
With most power drills the more you
squeeze the trigger the faster the chuck will spin.
Start slowly until the tip of the bit is into the wood.
32
Fig. 2 A typical cordless drill
Let’s look at the different kinds of bits that woodworkers typically use.
Fig. 3 Twist bit
Twist bits are the most common drill bits you’ll find. Most are
inexpensive and can be used in either a hand drill or an electric drill.
They can be made out of two different kinds of steel. ‘High speed steel’,
which can be used in wood, metal, and plastic, and ‘carbon steel’ which
is ground for drilling into wood. Because carbon steel is more brittle
than high-speed steel they shouldn’t be used for drilling metal and
plastic because of the risk of breaking.
Recently, some manufactures have started coating their bits with
Titanium nitride. This gives the bits a distinctive gold color. This
coating increases the hardness of the bit, which is beneficial for drilling
into metal.
Fig. 4 Brad point bit
Brad point bits have a center point that makes it easy to center the bit on
your mark. They also have two spurs on their outer edges that help the
bit to travel straight and cut a smooth hole. You may see a bit at your
local hardware store called a ‘bullet point’ bit. These are very similar to
brad points except they do a better job in metal and plastics. Either of
these bits can be used in a hand drill or electric drill.
Fig. 5 Forstner bit
Forstner bits are used when a large flat bottom hole is needed. These
should only be used with a power drill.
33
Fig. 6 Paddle bit or spade bit
Paddle bits are used to make a hole similar to the forstner bit, but they
don’t cut as cleanly.
Fig. 7 Masonry bit
Masonry bits are used for drilling into block, brick, stone, tile, or
concrete. Because of the hardness of the material that masonry bits are
used in they are best suited for power drills.
Fig. 8 Auger bit
The auger bit is great for making medium to large size holes in wood.
With its chisel like cutting edges, the auger bit cuts a clean flat-bottomed
hole, much like the spade bit and forstner bit. The deep flutes on an
auger bit pull the chips and dust up out of the hole it’s cutting, making it
ideal for cutting deep holes. Because of the pulling action of this bit
when it contacts wood, it’s best to only use it in a hand drill.
Fig. 9 Hole saw
Hole saws are used for cutting large diameter holes in wood or plastic.
These are best used in power drills at slow speeds.
34
Activities
1. First you need to practice drilling holes straight. This sounds
easy, and it will become that way, but only with practice. When
using the hand brace, you’re putting downward pressure on the
head. It can become easy to lean the drill forward or backward or
side to side. To prevent this, and become accustomed to what it
feels like to have the bit going in perpendicular to the work
surface, have a friend stand behind you and look down the drill to
let you know when you’re getting off. Once you’ve done this
enough times you’ll be able to tell on your own when the bit is not
perpendicular. So chuck up a smaller size bit to begin with (1/4”
would be good) and start practicing on a scrape piece of wood.
2. Here’s something fun to try. Print your name on a sign like
“Katie’s Room”, or “Nick’s Tools”, in big letters on a piece of
wood. Use your brace and bit to drill holes along the letters
leaving a space in-between the holes of about a ¼”. Be creative
and make up your own signs. A word of caution here, signs like
“No brothers Allowed”, or “Keep Out”, may not be appreciated
by your parents or your little brother/sister.
35
Peg Game
36
Lesson 6
The Peg Game
Here’s a fun and challenging game that’s small enough to take with you
just about anywhere. Make several to put around the house and in your
parent’s cars so when you find yourself bored a quick game is always at
hand.
Items You’ll Need
Now let’s put some of those skills you’ve been working on
like measuring, using the speed square, the brace drill, and
sawing to good use. Find a piece of wood that’s ¾” thick 2
½” wide and 5 ½” long or another way of writing the same
measurement is ¾”x 2 ½”x 5 ½”. If you need to cut it down
to size mark your lines, put on your safety glasses, grab your
handsaw and get busy. Using your speed square draw a
line down the center at 2 ¾”. Now draw a line from the top
of the centerline to the right bottom corner. Do the same for
the left side. Your piece of wood should look like figure 1.
¾”x 2 ½”x 5 ½” piece of
wood
Hand brace drill
3/16” twist bit
Handsaw
Clamps
Golf tees
Speed square
Measuring tape
Fig. 1
2 ¾”
Safety glasses
2 ½”
5 ½”
37
Pick up your measuring tape and hook the end to the bottom of the
triangle shape near the centerline. At ¼” place a mark on the centerline
and at the ¾”, 1 ¼”, 1 ¾”, and 2 ¼”. With your speed square or
combination square draw lines across the length of the board at these
marks. It should look like figure 2.
Fig. 2
Turn the piece around and mark these distances across the length of the
triangle at ¾”, 1 ¼”, 1 ¾”, 2 ¼”, 3 ¼”, 3 ¾”, 4 ¼” and 4 ¾”. It should look
like figure 3.
Fig. 3
38
Now our piece is ready to mark for placement of the holes. Use the
picture below as a guide. Make sure the marks all line up as in figure 4
before you go to the next step.
Fig. 4
Ok, now get ready to drill your holes. From the lesson on drilling we
talked about the two easiest ways to drill holes with a hand brace; on the
floor with a scrap piece underneath or held in place by clamps or a bench
vise about chest high as in figure 5. Pick which way is best for you and
get set up. Now we have to decide what diameter bit to use. If you’re
going to use golf tees, as
in the picture at the front
of the lesson, then a 3/16”
twist bit should work
perfectly. You want the
tees tight enough to not
fall out when the game is
picked up but not so
tight that they’re hard to
pull out. Use a scrap
piece of wood to test the
fit with what ever you
decide to use as pegs
first before drilling into
Fig. 5 Using hand brace in vise
your game piece.
39
Were not ready quiet yet to drill the holes. There’s one more thing we
need to know that we’ve not talked about. Can you guess what it is? We
don’t know how deep to drill our holes! If we drill holes all the way
through the pegs will fall out the bottom, but if we don’t drill deep
enough the pegs won’t hold and they’ll fall over. Well, we did some
experimenting with our peg games and found that we needed to drill
about a ½” deep hole into our ¾” board in order for the pegs to fit
snuggly. Here’s a trick to make sure all your holes turn out to be a ½”
deep. Lay your bit across the depth of the board and measure down ½”.
Wrap a piece of tape around the bit where the bit hits the top of the
board. Stop drilling when the piece of tape reaches the top of the hole.
Figure 6 shows how to set the depth.
Fig. 6 Setting depth of hole to drill
Drill your holes and check the fit with the pegs you’ve chosen. Are all
the tops of the pegs the same height? If not you may have to go back
and check to make sure all the holes are drilled to the correct depth.
40
Waste side
Cut line
Cut line
Fig. 7
Next the corners of the triangle need to be cut off. The lines for this are
already drawn on your piece. Clamp the work piece to a sturdy bench or
table with the waste side out over the edge. (See figure 8)
Now, all that’s left to do
is to sand the piece and
apply your favorite color
of paint. Read lesson 7
on finishing to learn
some tricks of the trade
to make your projects
look the best they can.
After all, you’ve spent a
lot of time and effort
building; you want it to
look its best when you
go to show it off to all
your friends.
Fig. 8
41
Things You’ll Need
A block plane with a sharp
blade
Several pieces of scrap wood
about ¾” x 12”
Lesson 7
Using a Block Plane
There are many different kinds of hand planes that
woodworkers have available to help them work wood.
Some of the larger ones are used to flatten wood, medium
size planes are usually all purpose hand planes and the
smaller ones are used for detail work like making wood
smooth and ready for finish. There are still many other
specialized hand planes that can do some amazing things,
but one hand plane is used more than all the others by
woodworkers; and that’s the block plane.
Note to Parents
Block planes when, used
responsibly, are safe tools,
but they can cause a painful
cut on a careless finger.
Children should never use
their fingers to check to see
if the blade is sharp.
Instruct them to use a piece
of paper run along the
length of the blade. If the
blade is sharp, it will have
no difficultly slicing the
paper.
Let’s get familiar with the block plane by looking at its
different parts. (See figure 1).
Cutter Lock
Lever
Lever
Cap
Depth Adjustment Nut
Mouth
Adjustment Knob
Lateral Adjustment
Mouth
Adjustment
Lever
Body
Mouth
Plate
42
Lever
Cutter
First let me say that the picture in figure 1 is a typical block plane. Every
manufacturer has its own design. The block plane you have may look
somewhat different than the one in figure 1 but the basic operation will
be the same.
Where to Find a Block Plane
Body:
The body is usually made from cast iron because
it’s tough and adds weight to the block plane, which
helps it cut smoother.
Cutter:
The cutter is made from steel, which is ground
to a sharp bevel at the end to shave the wood
fibers as it’s pushed across the wood’s surface.
This makes the long curly pieces of wood.
Block planes can be found in
many different tool catalogs and
home improvement warehouses.
They can range in price from $40
to $150 or more. You do get
what you pay for, but for kids to
use, the less expensive ones
make more sense. These planes
can work very well with some
minor adjustments. There are
several good books on tuning a
plane and sharpening blades. I
recommend you check one out at
the library or buy one from your
favorite bookstore.
Lateral Adjustment Lever:
This lever is used to adjust the cutter side to side. Its purpose is to
make sure the sharp bevel that sticks out below the sole of the
plane (the bottom) is parallel to the mouth. (See figure 2)
Fig. 2
Cutter isn’t parallel to mouth
Cutter is square and parallel to mouth
43
Depth Adjustment Nut:
Turning this nut adjusts the depth of cut. For a fine cut, turn the
nut until the blade just drops below the surface of the sole. For a
deeper cut, have more of the blade below the surface of the sole.
Don’t use your fingers to gauge this adjustment. Hold the plane
upside down and at eye level to see how much of the blade is
below the sole of the plane. (See figure 3)
Fig. 3
Lever Cap:
Sitting on top of the cutter, the lever cap holds the cutter in place
once you have made your adjustments. It is also shaped to fit into
the palm of your hand. We’ll talk more on this later.
Cutter Lock Lever:
This lever can be loosened to make small adjustments in the depth
of cut or in the lateral adjustment of the blade without taking the
lever cap all the way off.
Mouth Adjustment Lever Knob:
The mouth of a plane is the opening in the sole that the blade
comes through. Some planes have an adjustable mouth plate that
can be adjusted with this knob to close the opening down which
will cause the plane to take a very thin shaving, or to open the
44
mouth up to take a thicker shaving when a lot of wood needs to
be removed.
Mouth Adjustment Lever:
This is what moves the mouth plate in order to open or close the
mouth of the plane
Ok, we’ve looked at the parts of a block plane; now let’s look at how to
actually use one. First, we need to know how to hold the block plane.
You can hold block planes in one hand, which is very helpful in cramped
spaces, or it can be used with both hands. Figure 4 shows three different
ways to hold a block plane.
Fig. 4
When holding a block plane with one hand, the lever cap should fit into
the palm of your hand with your thumb on one side and your index
finger on the other side. Work with this basic position until the plane
feels comfortable in your hand. Sometimes you need more control of the
plane, when taking a deeper cut or planing across end grain of a board
for example. To do this, hold the lever cap in the palm of your dominant
hand (the one you use the most) as before and with your other hand;
hold the mouth adjustment lever knob.
Are you ready to make some of those long curls of wood with your block
plane? Then read on!
45
Activities
46
1.
The reason that a block plane is picked up most often is to
smooth out the end grain on a board. If you’ve ever looked at
a tree stump with all the growth rings around it, you’re
looking at the tree’s end grain. It usually shows up on the
ends of boards and is very hard. Adjust your block plane to
take a thin cut with very little of the blade below the plane’s
sole. Clamp a piece of wood with the end grain facing up onto
the side of your workbench or into a vise. One thing to take
note of before we start is that because we’re planing end grain
the wood fibers are sticking straight up, so planing across the
end of the board will cause the wood to split away at the far
corner, (see figure 5). There are several solutions to this
problem. One is to clamp a backer board at the same height of
your work piece to support the wood fibers. (See figure 6).
You can also plane half way across
the board then turn the piece around
and plane the other half. With the
plane being held with both hands,
start with just the very front of the
plane on the end grain. Pushing
down with your hand on
the front knob begin pushing the
plane across the end grain. Pay close
Fig. 5 Tear out
attention to keeping the plane’s sole
flat on the edge of the board.
2.
Woodworkers also use block planes
to cut chamfers. Chamfers are a flat
surface made by cutting off the edge
or corner of a block of wood.
Chamfers are mostly used for looks
and feel. If you rub your hand
across a piece of furniture that has a
Fig. 6 Using a backer board
sharp edge on it and then over one that has a slight chamfer
you’ll notice a big difference. Making a chamfer along the
edge of a board is pretty simple. Tilt your plane at an angle
and move it along the board in a straight line. Keep the plane
at the same angle down the entire length of the board for even
chamfers. (See fig. 7) Practice this on a scrap piece of wood at
least 12” long until you get consistent chamfers. This also
makes some really long curls! Chamfering end grain is done a
little different. To get smoother results plane the chamfer up
and down instead of across. (See fig. 8)
Fig. 7 Chamfering
3.
Fig. 8 Chamfering end grain
The next thing we’ll look at doing with our block plane is
shaping a curve. Woodworkers use curves in their work for
many reasons. Sometimes it’s just to add a different look to a
piece of furniture. But sometimes its how a piece is put
together such as in guitars or boats. Again find a piece of
scrap wood that’s at least 12” long and ¾” thick. On the end
grain draw a slight curve like the one in figure 9. Draw the
same curve on the other end as well. If you have a hard time
drawing the same curve on both ends cut
out a curve on a piece of construction
paper. Trace the pattern on one end then
flip it over and trace the same pattern on
the other end. Using your block plane,
remove the wood up to your line. If this
were for a project you would then use
sandpaper to remove the flat spots and
smooth it all together.
Fig. 9
47
Lesson 8
Finishing
Finishing a project is just that, finishing it. But here we’re talking about
what you do to a project once all the building is complete to make it look
nice and to protect the wood. You have many options to choose from
depending on what you want the final project to look like and what it
will be used for. Don’t worry we’ll help you choose the best one.
Sanding
Things You’ll Need
No matter which finishing process you choose, they all
Sandpaper in the following
grits: 80, 100, 120, 150,
have one thing in common, sanding. Actually, that last
and, 180.
statement isn’t entirely true. Furniture makers have not
Brushes: Natural and
always had sandpaper to prepare the wood’s surface
synthetic
for finish. So what did they use? Hand planes did the
Pick a finish or two you
job for craftsmen for hundreds of years before the
want to try
invention of sandpaper. Hand planes, bigger than the
Dust mask
block plane we looked at earlier, create a very smooth
A project or two that you’ve
surface and if done skillfully, can leave a better looking
completed and want to
surface than sandpaper can. So why doesn’t everyone
finish or just some scrap
wood to practice on.
still use hand planes? Because using hand planes well
takes practice. It’s not that they’re hard to learn but it
does take time. Sandpaper is much easier to learn to use. Hopefully in a
future book we’ll look at using hand planes because it’s a skill that’s
worth learning.
Note to Parents
Sanding wood can produce a lot of
dust. Sometimes you don’t even
realize how much until you look
around and everything is covered in a
film of dust. This dust is also being
breathed in and can cause damage to
your lungs. Wearing a dust mask is a
simple thing to do to protect yourself.
They can be found inexpensively at
most home improvement warehouses.
Wearing a dust masks is especially
important if your child has allergies
and/or asthma. Consult your
physician if your child has any
breathing problems.
48
Sanding can be done by hand or with machines
like orbital sanders. Orbital sanders can remove a
lot a wood quickly but they can blow a lot of dust
into the air too. We’ll just be looking at hand
sanding in this lesson because it’s the best place to
start. Almost all projects require some hand
sanding so you need to know how to do it correctly, besides orbital
sanders really are best used on flat surfaces only and they’re a lot more
expensive than a sheet of sandpaper.
So why do we need to sand
the wood, especially if we’re
not going to put anything else
on the piece like paint, wax,
etc…? The problem is that all
tools used in cutting or
shaping wood leave their
marks. You may not even
notice it at first until you pick
it up and feel unevenness in
places or the light hits it in
just the right way and you see
Orbital sander
saw marks. If all that doesn’t
convince you get two pieces you’ve built, sand one and leave the other
untouched. You be the judge of which one looks better! And the tool
marks will be even more obvious if you use a finish, which will highlight
once unseen flaws.
Types of Sandpaper
Sandpaper is made up of abrasive grits that are glued to a piece of paper.
These grits are designated with a number. Lower numbers mean a
coarser (rougher) grit; higher numbers use smaller or finer grit. There
are three types of grit that you’re likely to see in stores: garnet,
aluminum oxide, and silicon carbide.
Garnet is a natural mineral and is the less expensive but the quickest
wearing of the three. Garnet comes in grits ranging from 80 to 220.
Aluminum oxide is a man-made abrasive. It is more expensive but lasts
longer so the extra expense may be worth it. Aluminum oxide comes in
grits ranging from 80 to 1200.
49
Silicon carbide is usually used to sand a hard finish that has been
applied to a piece to level it out. An example of a hard finish would be
polyurethane, which we’ll talk about later. Silicon carbide is easy to
distinguish from other sandpaper because of its black color. The glue
used to apply the silicon carbide to the paper is waterproof. This means
that it can be used to sand a finish that is still wet. Usually Silicon
carbide is used just in the finer grits.
With grits from 60 to 1200 and up it would take all day to sand a small
project if we used every one available. Good news! You usually only
needs to use a few to get the results you’re after.
Which Grits to Use
Deciding on the first grit to start with is hard. The first grit needs to be
coarse enough to scratch out the worst marks on the wood but not too
coarse that it ends up causing more damage to the wood than the marks
you’re trying to remove. Usually 80 to 100 grit is a good place to start.
The only way to know for sure is to start out with one and if it doesn’t
seem to be removing the marks on the wood without a lot of effort step
down to the next grit. Now, the next grit doesn’t have to work as hard as
the first. All the next grit has to do is remove the scratches left behind by
the last grit used and so on. Grits to normally use are: 80 or 100 then
120, 150, 180. In most circumstances, grits over 180 are used to polish or
level an existing hard finish.
How to Sand
When sanding a flat surface
you need something flat for
the sandpaper to be placed
on. The simplest thing to
use is a block of wood. A
piece of wood that is about
1”thick 2 ½” deep and 3 ½”
long will work great.
Chamfer the edges with
your block plane so the
50
Sanding block
sharp edges don’t cut through the sandpaper. Figure 1 shows how to
tear a sheet of sandpaper into sections that will fit your sanding block.
First fold the sandpaper into thirds as shown.
Fig. 1 Tearing sandpaper
After you’ve torn the sandpaper into thirds, take one piece and fold it
down the center crease where the side with the grit is exposed (see figure
2). Now just fold the edges up around the side of your block.
Fig. 2 Folding sandpaper
51
Sometimes it’s best just to use your fingers
Now how about areas of a project that aren’t flat? Sometimes using your
fingers work best. You can feel the shape of the wood under the
sandpaper and this helps control how much pressure to apply.
Something else that does a great job on curves or round parts or other
irregular shapes is a sanding
sponge (see figure 3). These
can be found at home
improvement warehouses and
are nothing more than sponges
with abrasives glued to the
outside.
After the wood’s surface has
been sanded and all the dust
has been removed it’s ready for
Fig. 3 Using a sanding sponge
52
some protection. This protection can come in many different forms.
Here are the ones that we’ll be looking at: Paint, oil, stain, wax, and
finish.
Paint
Paint is used when you want to add some color to
your projects. The only limit with the color
combinations that you can use is your
imagination. Paint come in two basic types:
Water base and oil base. Water base is best
because it doesn’t have a strong smell and you can
clean up spills and brushes with water. Look for
paint that says latex on the label. This means its
water based. For a tougher finish use latex
enamel.
Note to Parents
Most all products used to finish
wood have an odor to them. Some
are even flammable. Read the label
of all products to understand the
precautions that the manufacturer
recommends. It’s always best to
wait for a pretty day to finish your
projects outdoors. Also, paint and
other finishes put on with a brush
can easily splatter into unprotected
eyes; always wear safety glasses
when there’s a chance that
something can accidentally get into
eyes.
Latex comes in three different sheens. A high-gloss, which will make
your project shinny, semi-gloss, can be used if you want just a little bit of
shine and flat paint for no shine. Also, if you’re painting an outside
project chose an exterior latex paint, it will hold up much longer.
Brushes
Before we go further, let’s take a moment to talk about brushes. Brushes
come in many different shapes and sizes. Use the correct size brush for
your project. A large brush on a small project means you’re going to
have a mess on your hands, literally, and using a small brush on a big
project will take much longer than it should.
Bristle brushes come in natural and synthetic. Natural bristle brushes
are actually hair from an animal usually a pig or badger. Natural bristle
brushes are used with oil and solvent -based paints and finishes.
53
Synthetic brushes, usually nylon, are used with water-based products
because water won’t cause the bristles to lose their shape, unlike natural
bristle brushes.
Foam brushes, although technically
not a brush, have become popular
lately. They are basically a sponge
with a handle. Typically foam
brushes are used with water-based
finishes. Oil or solvent-based finishes
will cause the glue used to hold the
sponge to the handle to dissolve.
Foam brushes are cheap and meant to
be disposed of after one or two uses.
Stains
Stains are used when you want to add some color to the wood without
covering up the wood’s grain. Stains come in many different colors. The
same color stain can color one kind of wood a light color and a different
kind of wood a dark color. This is because the way stains color wood is
by getting into the pores of the wood. The bigger and more numerous
the pores the darker the stain is able to color the wood. The smaller the
pores, the less the stain is able to penetrate the wood, so the lighter it
stains.
Stains are oil-based products so they can’t be cleaned up with water.
Have you heard the saying: Oil and water don’t mix? We’ll its true!
Stains that have been put on with brushes need to be cleaned up with
solvents like mineral spirits or turpentine. Buy the low odor kind; it’s
worth the extra money. To clean brushes, pour enough mineral spirits
into a metal can or glass jar to cover the top of the bristles on your brush.
Let it soak a while to get all the stain out between the bristles. Next,
shake the excess solvent out onto some old newspapers or rags. Take the
brushes to a sink and wash it well with soap and water. Stand the brush
on end to allow the excess water to drip out. Stains only color wood;
54
they don’t offer any protection. Any time you use a stain you should
follow up with a finish.
Stains come in two different thicknesses. Most stains are very thin,
almost like water. These are fine for many projects especially if you have
a lot of flat horizontal surfaces. But if you have a lot of vertical surfaces
then you could use a gel stain. A gel stain is just that, stain that is very
thick, just like a gel. The advantage to this is it won’t run down a vertical
surface like regular stain will so it’s less messy. Gel stains typically stain
more evenly (no light and dark spots) than liquid stains but less dark
because they aren’t soaked up into the wood pores.
Finish
Finish is used to protect wood from wear and tear and moisture. There
are hundreds of products on the market sold as finishes so we’ll just look
at the most common.
Oils
Oils are used to bring a “warm” look to the wood. There are two
common types of oils: Linseed oil and tung oil. Linseed oil is derived
from the flax plant. Look for boiled linseed oil; it dries much faster than
raw linseed oil. Apply linseed oil with a rag and allow for it to sit for 30
minutes to an hour. Go back and wipe off any excess oil remaining. The
label will tell when the piece should be dry enough for use.
Read the label carefully. If rags are used to apply linseed oil (which is
the easiest way) they should be laid out to dry and not wadded up and
left to dry. As linseed oil dries, it produces heat. If rags are wadded up
and the heat builds they can catch on fire. Just make sure the rags are
spread all the way out on a concrete floor away from open flames or
outside in the grass until completely dry.
Tung oil is derived from the nut of the tung tree, which grows in Asia
and South America. Tung oil and linseed oil are similar in how they will
make wood look. Tung oil is a little better in protecting against moisture
55
than linseed oil. But that’s not saying much, neither oil has waterproof
qualities like our next finish: Varnish
Varnishes
Clear varnishes are an excellent choice when a project is going to have to
stand up to a lot a wear and tear or come into contact with moisture.
Varnishes dry into a hard finish that protects wood very well. Varnishes
for outside use are called marine varnishes, spar varnishes or exterior
varnishes. The most common interior varnish is called polyurethane.
Polyurethane varnish comes in an oil-based and water-based finish. The
water based is the way to go. It’s easier to clean up, (simple soap and
water), and doesn’t have the strong odor that you get with oil-based
varnish. You can apply polyurethane with a synthetic bristle brush or a
foam brush. Some manufactures have come out with a “wipe on poly”.
It’s basically just a thinned down version of the brush on kind. The draw
back to using wipe on poly is it only puts on a very thin coat so it could
take several coats to equal one brushed on coat of polyurethane varnish.
Another type finish that is very popular is “Danish oil”. Danish oil is a
mixture of oil and varnish. It’s more protective than oil alone but not as
protective as varnish alone.
Waxes
Waxes are used when you’re looking for something to add a little shine
but keep the wood close to its natural color. However, waxes provide
little protection so they should be reserved for decorative objects that are
just to look at. Waxes come in different colors as well. Use the creamcolored waxes for light woods like pine, maple and poplar and darker
waxes for darker woods like oak and walnut.
56
Activities
This one is easy. Find a project that you’ve been working on and need to
finish. Figure out what the project is going to be used for. Is it going to
be played with a lot or sit on a shelf to be admired? Do you want it to be
colorful or just add some protection? Will it be exposed to the weather?
All these things need to be considered in order to figure out the best way
to protect your prized project. Once you’ve decided on what type of
finish you will use, go back and reread that section of this lesson. Also, if
you have any questions about the best way to apply your finish, glance
back over the section on brushes.
Make sure if you go with a solvent or oil-based finish that you have
some mineral spirits on hand for cleaning up.
Now go dress up that project!
57
Crosscut Box
58
Lesson 9
Cross-Cut Box
Here’s a jig that you’ll find yourself using on just about every project in
this book. No, I’m not talking about dancing a jig. A jig in
woodworking is anything that helps you hold a piece of wood so you
can cut it more safely and/or more efficiently.
Things You’ll Need
The cross-cut box you are about to build will help
you cut to length boards at a perfect right angle
every time up to 5 ½” wide or a typical 1”x 6”. No
more having out-of-square boards or having to
place a guide block next to your cut line!
Measuring tape
Handsaw
Hammer
1” x 6” x 12” Pine
1” x 4” x 2’ Pine
Step 1
Take your 1x6 and measure off 12” for the base.
Then draw a right angle line with your speed
square or combination square to guide your saw
cut.
Speed square
Combination square
Clamps
4d finish nails
Glue
59
Step 2
Next you need to cut the two sidepieces to size. We
made ours 3 ½” wide. You can either buy a 1x4 piece
of pine for this or, like we did, rip part of a 1x6 down
to the 3 ½” size with your handsaw. Crosscut them to
the same length that you cut the base.
Remember!
Rip means to cut
down the length
of a board,
Crosscut means
to cut across the
width of a board.
Step 3
Now we need a way to mark both sidepieces in the exact same place near
the middle. Why? So when we put our jig together we will already have
a mark that will show us a perpendicular line (or square) to the base.
This line will mark where our saw kerf will be for future cuts. This is
how we’ll get square cuts every time using this jig.
The easiest way to do this is by drawing a line down both sidepieces at
the same time. Line up your sides so that the ends are even with each
60
other. Using your combination square
draw a line down the width, don’t worry
about measuring to get the exact center
for your mark, just eyeball it.
Step 4
Spread some glue along the edge of the
base piece and make sure that the ends
are all even. Using 4d (1 ½”) finish nails,
four per side, put the jig together.
WARNING: Getting the giggles while hammering can be hazardous to nails!
61
Step 5
Now that the jig is
together the kerf needs
to be cut. In order to
start square it’s best to
bring our line that’s on
the sides up on the
edges. With your speed
square continue the line
up to the edges.
This next step is important! Using your handsaw cut the kerf on both
sides at the same time as shown in the picture. Stay right on the line, if
you get off your kerf won’t be square to your base so the boards you cut
using the jig won’t be square either. Stop cutting when you get to the
base, you don’t want to cut your jig in two pieces!
If after you’ve cut the kerf you look down and see that you didn’t stay on
your line, don’t panic, you don’t have to scrap all this hard work and
start over. Draw another line and start over. Make sure that the lines
down the sides are square and try again. Just make sure that you move
the line over at least
an inch or two away
from your original
cut. Remember it
doesn’t matter that
the line isn’t right in
the middle.
62
Step 6
Now let’s see how well you did. Find a scrap piece of wood and using
your speed square mark a cut line across the width. Next, align your
mark with the saw kerf in the jig. Clamp the scrap and the jig at the
same time to your workstation.
Cut the scrap piece in two. Now, here’s the true test. Take the scrap
pieces and with your combination square check to see if they are square.
If so, your jig is done. You can be confident that anytime you use it
you’ll have perfectly
square edges.
63
Birdhouse
64
Lesson 10
Birdhouse
I don’t think it’s possible to be a woodworker and not build a birdhouse
at some point. I still remember my first birdhouse that I built when I
was a kid. I think the reasons that birdhouses are so popular is there are
so many different kinds you can build, it’s really cool to see wild life up
close, and they’re really fun to build!
The one thing you need to keep in mind when
building a birdhouse is who is going to use it? This
seems obvious doesn’t it? But many birdhouses that
you see in stores, especially the really fancy ones, are
made to decorate your home more than they are a
home for birds. That’s because no consideration has
been made for the bird’s needs in a house. Different
birds require different birdhouses. Some like four
walls for a house, some just a ledge to build a nest on.
Some like the entrance hole to be high above the
floor, some close to it. Most birds like the entrance
hole large enough to get into, but small enough to
keep predators and larger birds out.
Things You’ll Need
(1) 1” x 6” x 4’ pine. Most
places won’t have lumber in 4’
lengths, if not buy the 1x6x6’
length. Save the waste to use
on another project.
Crosscut box
Handsaw
Brace drill
1 ¼” auger or paddle bit
3/8” twist bit
3/8” dowel
Combination square
So, some planning is in order. If you have a
particular kind of bird you would like to nest in your
birdhouse you have to make the birdhouse for that
species of bird. Below you’ll find a list of birds and
the dimensions that they prefer in a birdhouse.
Speed square
Measuring tape
65
Birdhouse Dimensions for Nesting Birds
Bird
Species
Interior
Size
Depth
Entrance
Size
Entrance Height
Above Above
Floor Ground
Habit Bird Prefers
Eastern
Bluebird
5" x 5"
8"
1 1/2"
6"
Brushy borders near open
areas
5-10 ft.
like pastures - no tall
undergrowth.
Western
Bluebird
5" x 5"
8"
1 1/2"
6"
5-10 ft.
Open forests, favors
ponderosa pine.
Black-capped
Chickadee
4" x 4"
8-10"
1 1/8"
6-8"
5-15 ft.
Brushy borders and
forests.
Carolina
Chickadee
4" x 4"
8-10"
1 1/8"
6-8"
5-15 ft.
Brushy borders and
southeastern forests.
House
Finch
6" x 6"
6"
2"
4"
8-12 ft.
Bottom lands, canyons,
suburbs, and ranches.
Song
Sparrow
6" x 6"
6"
All Sides
Open
---
1-3 ft.
Brushy borders and
wood margins.
Barn
Swallow
6" x 6"
6"
One or
more
sides open
---
8-12 ft.
Areas near farms.
Open areas and cut over
forests
where nest sites are
available.
Purple
Martin
6" x 6"
6"
2 1/2"
1"
15-20
ft.
American
Robin
6" x 8"
8"
Three
sides
open
---
6-15 ft.
Open areas with scattered
trees and shrubs.
White
Breasted
Nuthatch
4" x 4"
8-10"
1 1/4"
6-8"
5-20 ft.
Deciduous woodlands.
Red Breasted
Nuthatch
4" x 4"
8-10"
1 1/4"
6-8"
5-20 ft.
Coniferous forests.
Tufted
Titmouse
4" x 4"
8-10"
1 1/4"
6-8"
6-15 ft.
Eastern deciduous
woodlands.
Downy
Woodpecker
4" x 4"
8-10"
1 1/4"
6-8"
6-20 ft.
Open woodland, orchards,
farmlands, and urban
areas.
66
Common
Flicker
7" x 7"
1618"
2 1/2"
14-16"
6-20 ft.
Around large trees in open
woodlands,
fields, and meadows.
Hairy
Woodpecker
6" x 6"
1215"
1 1/2"
9-12"
12-20
ft.
Nests in live trees in open
woodlands and forests.
Redheaded
Woodpecker
6" x 6"
1215"
2"
9-12"
12-20
ft.
Open areas--farmyards,
field edges,
dead snags with lush
groundcover.
Pileated
Woodpecker
8" x 8"
1230"
3-4"
10-12"
12-20
ft.
Mature forest areas.
Red-bellied
Woodpecker
6" x 6"
1214"
2 1/2"
10-12"
12-20
ft.
Common in southeastern
forests.
Bewick's
Wren
4" x 4"
6-8"
1"
1-6"
6-10 ft.
Farmyards, brush lands,
fencerows,
and suburbs.
Carolina
Wren
4" x 4"
6-8"
1 1/8"
1-6"
6-10 ft.
Forests with thick
underbrush.
House
Wren
4" x 4"
6-8"
1"
1-6"
6-10 ft.
Brushy borders and edge
habitat.
*Wood
Duck
10 1/2" x 10
1/2"
24"
3" ellip.
20"
10-25
ft.
Bottomland hardwood
forests
near water.
*Common
Merganser
11" x 11"
34"
4 3/4"
20"
10-15
ft.
Cool, clear waters of
northern
or western forests.
*Add wood shavings or sawdust at a 2" or 3" depth inside the box on the floor.
Reprinted by permission from http://my.pclink.com/%7Erlovgren/house.htm
Use the table above as a guide. These dimensions don’t have to be exact.
Just because you build a birdhouse the correct size for a particular bird
and place it in an ideal environment doesn’t mean that a different species
of bird may not take a fancy to such a fine home and set up house
keeping.
The birdhouse below has an interior space of 4 x 6 inches and an
entrance hole size of 1 ¼”, which is a good size for many of the smaller
67
birds listed above. Feel free to change any of the dimensions below to
better suit the species of bird you’re trying to attract.
You can build this birdhouse from one 1”x 6”x 6’ piece of pine.
Remember the symbols for inches (“) and feet (‘). Also, the true
dimensions or nominal size of our 1” x 6” is ¾”x 5 ½”. So any time you
see the width listed as 5 ½” you won’t have to cut down the width to
size, only the length.
(2) Sides(2) Ends(1) Bottom(1) Right side roof(1) Left side roof-
¾”x 5 ½”x 6”
¾”x 5 ½” x 8 ¼”
¾”x 4”x 6”
¾”x 5 ½”x 9”
¾”x 4 ¾” x 9”
Step 1
Lay out the 1 x 6 by marking the dimensions with your measuring tape,
speed square, and pencil. Use chalk to mark (on the board) what each
piece will be used for before you cut it free. It will be much easier to put
the birdhouse together without having to measure a piece again to see
what part it is or even worse, getting the pieces mixed up and putting
the birdhouse together wrong.
68
The only piece that has to be cut down to a smaller width is the left side
of the roof. The left side of the roof has to be narrower because the right
side of the roof will overlap it. We need to take ¾” off the width of the
left roof piece. This will give us a finished width of 4 ¾”. A good way to
mark this off is with the combination square. Set the length at 4 ¾” and
with the square riding along the edge of the piece and a pencil marking
the line on the end of the ruler, slide
the combination square and the pencil
together down the length of the left
roof piece, (See picture above). You
now have marked a line to show
where you need to saw. Clamp the
cross cutting box to your work surface
and cut all the parts to length.
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Important!
Step 2
Next, the front and back angles for the roof need to
be cut. Cut the back piece first before you do
anything to the front piece, I’ll show you why later.
Find the center point on the width of the board
which is 2 ¾” and place a mark. Now measure
down 2 ¾” on each side and place a mark. Draw a
line from the center point to each point on the sides.
(See picture below). Clamp a guide piece on the
line and cut the corners off.
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Double check your measurements
before you cut each piece from the
1x6. If your cuts get off the mark at
all that will mean that the next piece
will be too short or too long.
Here’s a saying that woodworkers
have used for years to remind
themselves to be sure of a
measurement before cutting:
Measure twice, cut once
Lay the back piece you just cut on top of the front piece and trace the
angles to the front piece. The reason that we didn’t cut both pieces at
once is that if while cutting the back piece you got off the mark just a
little it won’t matter. As long as both front and back have the same
angles the roof will sit flat. Cut the front piece the same way you did for
the back.
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Step 3
The entrance hole needs to be cut out next. Find the center of the front
piece and using a ruler mark the center point for your birdhouse. Our
entrance hole is 6” up from the bottom and is 1 ¼” in diameter. Go back
and look at the chart at the beginning of the lesson and adjust yours to
whatever size you need.
Drill the hole for the entrance
using a bench vise to hold the
piece or clamp it to your
workbench with a scrap
backer piece underneath.
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Step 4
Without using any
glue simply put the
pieces together to
make sure everything
fits. This is called dry
fitting. It’s better to
find any problems
now than after you
have the project half
built! After you’re
comfortable with how
everything fits
together glue and nail
the front and back to
the right side.
When putting the left side on use no glue, and
only nail it to the top of the front and back
pieces. This is so we can have a way to get into
the birdhouse to clean it out after the birds are
through with it for the year. Drill a hole with a
1/8” twist bit at the bottom of the front and back
parts and into the side part about a ¼”. Now
using a 1 ¼” screw secure the pieces together.
(Hint: Dip the threads of the
screws into some wax before
you use them. The wax will
reduce the fiction making it
much easier turn)
Friction- The rubbing of
one object or surface
against another.
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With no glue and the screws removed, the nails in the top act like a hinge
allowing the left side to be raised up to clean out the birdhouse for the
following year’s nesting season.
Step 5
Nail the bottom to the front and back pieces. Remember not to nail
through the left side to attach the bottom or you won’t be able to raise it.
Step 6
The roof of the birdhouse is next. Attach the left side first which is the
piece you had to rip down to 4 ¾” wide. Lay the piece up on the left side
making sure that the amount of overhang is even off both end pieces.
Just do this by eye. Also, the left side of the roof must be even with the
peak of the end pieces since the right side will overlap the left side, (see
the picture below). Spread a bead of glue on top of the end pieces and
nail the left side on with 4d nails.
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Step 7
With your brace drill and a 3/8” twist bit, drill a hole about 3/8” deep 1”
below the bottom of the entrance hole. Cut off about 2” of a 3/8” dowel,
spread some glue on the end, and with your hammer lightly tap it into
the hole.
Step 8
Since we built our birdhouse out of pine, which will not hold up outside
very long, we need to protect it with some finish. You can paint yours or
use a clear finish like a marine varnish. Either one will work fine.
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Toolbox/Art Caddy
Lesson 11
Toolbox
Art Caddy
Finally a project to help organize all the cool tools you’re starting to
collect, or as my daughter decided, all those art supplies that are piling
up. This toolbox/art caddy can be made from one single 1”x6”x8’ piece
of pine. All the pieces are 5 ½” in width which means there is no
ripping; only cutting to the appropriate length.
Here are the dimensions we used for the toolbox and the art caddy. Both
projects are the same except for the shape of the side pieces:
(2) Ends(2) Sides(1) Bottom-
¾”x 5 ½”x 11”
¾”x 5 ½”x 21”
¾”x 5 ½”x 19 ½”
Things You’ll Need
Crosscut jig
Measuring tape
Handsaw
Step 1
Using your crosscut box, cut the pieces to length.
Again, after you cut a piece off, measure the next
piece again to make sure that your length will be
correct.
Brace drill
1/8” twist bit
1” auger bit
Screwdriver
Coping saw
Step 2
After all your pieces are cut to length make sure
you label them with chalk to avoid any mix-ups
later.
(1) 1” x 6” x 8’ pine
1” hardwood dowel (24”)
Clamps
Glue
4d finish nails
1 5/8” drywall screw
Sandpaper 100,120, 150,
180 grits
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Step 3
Next we need to mark where the holes for the handle will be. You need
to mark the center point of the two end pieces which is at 2 ¾”. Draw a
line about 3” down from your center point. Measuring down from the
center point again place a mark at 1 ½”. This will be the center of the
hole.
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Step 4
First we’ll look at how we made the design for Katie’s art caddy then
Nick’s toolbox. If you’re making the toolbox skip to step 7.
The end pieces of the art caddy are shaped curves that resemble petals of
a flower. Katie came up with this design herself, and you should feel
free to experiment with your own design as well. We just started
looking for a curved shaped that fit the space we wanted to fill. We
found a small pint size paint can worked well for the top curve. Placing
it in the top center of an end piece we traced the curve about three
quarters of the way around the can. This can be trial and error until you
come up with a shape you like.
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For the curves on each side that
connects to the top curve we
used a slightly larger quart size
can. Again play with this until
you find a design you like.
To make sure that both side
curves are even, use your
combination square and draw a
line across from your first end
point to the other side. This will
let you see where to end the
curve on the
other side,
Symmetrical- Being
similar in shape and size
which will
with each other
make both
sides
symmetrical.
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The finished drawing of Katie’s art
caddy looked like the picture to the
right. If yours doesn’t look exactly like
this one, don’t worry. As long as you
like the way it looks, that’s all that
matters.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the other end
piece.
Step 5
Using clamps to hold the pieces tight to
your workbench cut the design out with
a coping saw on the front and back
pieces.
Hint: When cutting curves with the coping saw
that go into a sharp corner, make a relief cut first.
A relief cut is a cut that’s used so you don’t have to
pull the saw blade back out through the kerf you
just cut. For our piece the relief cut would be cut
across the side and stopping where the two curves
come together. The dashed line on the picture to
the right represents this. So, it doesn’t matter
where you start your cut; whenever you get to the
intersection of the two curves, the piece you just
cut will fall away.
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Step 6
After cutting out the shapes on the front and back pieces you may need
to smooth the curves out with a rasp. Next, use sandpaper or a sanding
sponge 100 through 180 grits to further smooth out the curves. If you’re
not building the toolbox you can skip down to step 9.
Step 7
If you want something to carry all those tools you now have, like my son
Nick, you’ll want something that looks more like a toolbox. Here’s how
we made our design. This design is not something we came up with on
our own. This is a traditional design that carpenters have used for well
over a hundred years. First, follow steps 1, 2, and 3. Next, using a end
piece, measure over ¾” on both sides of the center point and place a
mark. Now from the top edges of the piece measure down 3 ¼” on each
side. With a straight edge connect the marks so that it looks like the
picture on the following page. Do the same steps for the other end piece.
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1 ½” (¾”each side of center point)
3 ¼”
Center point
Center point
for handle
hole
Step 8
Set up to cut the angles off the end pieces using your guide block and
your favorite handsaw. Clamp everything down and cut the angles on
both pieces.
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Step 9
Clamp an end piece in a bench vise
or clamp it to your workbench
with a scrap piece of wood
underneath and using a 1” auger
bit drill for the handle holes in
both end pieces.
Step 10
Finally, we get to start putting our project together! The first part to put
together is the bottom piece to an end piece. Since the bottom piece is
long it can be awkward to work with. A solution is to clamp it to the
edge of your workbench so that the end barely sticks up above the
surface. With this method your hands
are free to hold the end piece flat on the
workbench and nail it. If this doesn’t
work with the bench you’re using, that’s
ok. Have your Mom or Dad to hold the
bottom piece on edge while you nail the
end piece to it. Whichever method you
try, spread a bead of glue on the edge of
the bottom piece before you nail it to the
end piece. Put about four 4d nails in
each end piece.
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Step 11
Lay the bottom and end pieces you just
put together on their side. Spread a
bead of glue on the edge of the bottom
piece and up onto the edge of the end
pieces. Using 4d nails attach the side
pieces.
Step 12
After the box is nailed together you can insert the 1” hardwood dowel
into the end pieces. Push the dowel through until it’s flush with the
other side. Now with the brace drill and a 1/8” twist bit drill a pilot hole
on top of each end piece deep enough to go into the dowel about halfway. Using two 1 5/8” drywall screws secure each end of the dowel.
Step 13
Now that the dowel is secure cut the
extra length off using your handsaw.
You may need to go back with a block
plane and shave off a little of the
dowel if you didn’t get it flush with
the end. Finish sanding your project
starting with 100grit and go through
180 grit. Also, chamfer the edges with
your block plane and sandpaper.
Step 14
You can finish your toolbox/art caddy in
many different ways. Paint would be a great
choice as well as Danish oil or polyurethane.
The choice is up to you. Just remember,
whatever you decide use two coats for
protection. This is going to be a project that
will get a lot of use!
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Baseball Rack
86
Lesson 12
Baseball Rack
Has this ever happened to you? Some friends come by and ask if you
want to come out and play a game of baseball and you say, “Sure”. You
run off to try and find all your gear, but wait! Your bat isn’t where you
thought it would be, the glove that was suppose to be in the closet is no
where to be found, and your baseball has become the dog’s new favorite
toy.
Well, if any of this sounds familiar, then this project is for you. The
baseball rack will be a place to store your gear until the next big game.
Let’s get started.
We made our baseball rack from left over pieces of 1” x 8”, 1” x 3”, and
5/8” dowel, hopefully you can too because that’s all the wood you need
for this project.
Here’s the cut list:
Things You’ll Need
Back
(1) ¾” x 7 ¼” x 12”
Shelf
(1) ¾” x 2 ½” x 12”
Hammer
Handsaw
Screwdriver
Glove hook (1) 5/8” x 3” dowel
Clamps
1 ¼” drywall screws
Coping saw
Brace
1” and 5/8” auger bits
Combination square
1” x 8” x 12” pine
1” x 3” x 12” pine
5/8” x 3” dowel
Safety glasses
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Step 1
Cut your parts to length
by using your measuring
tape to mark the distance
and your combination
square to draw a line to
follow with your
handsaw. To be sure of a
square cut use a scrap
piece of wood as a guide
piece just like we did in
building the birdhouse.
Step 2
Next we need to mark the
area to be cut out for the
handle of the bat to slide into.
On our bat the handle
measured about 1 1/8”
across at the very bottom.
We looked for something that
was just a little larger to use
as a template to draw a circle
on the shelf. What turned out to work just right
was a measuring cup that comes with liquid
Template- A pattern
medicine. The center of the cup should be about
for forming an accurate
2” from the left side of the shelf and there should
copy of an object or
shape.
be ¾” of wood left between the cup and the back
of the shelf.
Use your combination square to mark lines down from the outside of the
circle to the front edge of the shelf. These will be your cut lines to follow
with the blade of your coping saw. Clamp the shelf to the workbench to
help hold it while you saw.
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Step 3
All that’s left on the shelf is to drill a hole for a baseball to rest in. The
center point for the hole is 2 ½” over from the right side of the shelf and
1 ¼” in from the front edge. Use your measuring tape and combination
square to lay out these lines. The place where the lines intersect is the
center point. Put a 1” auger bit in your brace and drill the hole at this
center point. If you clamp the shelf in a
vise remember to drill only until the tip of
the bit sticks out the other end. At this
point flip the piece around and continue
drilling out the hole from this side. By
doing this the wood won’t tear out as the
bit comes through the other side.
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Step 4
The dowel to hold your glove is the next piece
to add. The center where the dowel will go is
located 2 ½” over from the right side of the
back piece and 1 ¼” up from the bottom. Lay
out the intersecting lines for this hole just like
you did for the hole for the baseball. Use a
5/8” auger bit to drill the hole all the way
through.
Step 5
It’s best to sand all the parts now before
everything is put together. Start out at 100 grit
and work your way through to 180 grit. This
will give the parts a smooth feel and remove
any noticeable scratches. If you don’t plan on
putting a stain on your baseball rack you can
stop sanding at 150 grit.
We removed the sharp edges all the way around the back piece and
around the shelf except where it meets the back. To do this, use your
block plane at an angle on the edges. If you need a refresher on using
yours, go back and look at the lesson on block planes.
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Step 6
Attaching the shelf is next. With the back piece facing up measure 3” up
from the bottom on each side and place a small pencil mark. This is
where the bottom edge of the shelf will line up. Now, flip the back piece
over and measure up from the bottom edge again, but this time place a
mark at 3 3/8”. The extra 3/8” will place the holes you’re about to drill
directly into the center of the shelf’s edge. Connect the marks you just
made on the back with a pencil and your combination square. This line
is where you’re going to drill the pilot holes for the screws. Using a 1/8”
twist bit in your brace drill pilot holes all the way through the back piece
about every 3” spaced out evenly.
Step 7
Line up the shelf on the back pieces as described above and place a
clamp on each end to hold everything in place. Next, use 1 ¼” drywall
screws through each pilot hole, (remember to dip the screws in paste
wax to make it easier to screw them in).
Now all that’s left in the construction of the baseball rack is to apply
some glue to the base of the dowel and place it into the hole on the base.
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Step 8
You can finish your baseball rack however you like. We chose to paint
ours using a latex enamel. You can go back to the lesson on finishing if
you have any questions on how to finish your project.
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Pencil Holder
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Lesson 13
Pencil Holder
Here’s a way to keep track of all those pencils you keep losing! This
pencil holder is not just any old pencil holder, this one comes with a
twist, or should I say, a spin! We designed this one so it spins on its
base. This really comes in handy when you’ve got it loaded up with
colored pencils and you’re trying to find just the
Things You’ll Need
right color.
Cross cut box
There are not a lot of parts to this project and it’s
fairly straight forward to build, but you need to be
sure you complete each step before moving on to
the next. Let’s get started!
Combination square
1” x 6” x 24” (look through your
scrap pile or the scrap bin at your
lumberyard)
5/8” x 6 ½” dowel
Cut list for pencil holder
(1) Base ¾”x 5 ½” x 5 ½”
(1) Bottom ¾”x 5” x 5”
(1) Top ¾”x 5”x 5”
(1) Dowel 5/8”x 6 ½” (½” size that will also work
fine).
Metal washer that has a hole large
enough for the 5/8” dowel to fit
through
Clamps
5” piece of non-stretchable string
Hammer
Coping saw
Wood rasp
Screwdriver
Brace drill
3/8” bit
5/8” bit
Sandpaper
Glue
Safety Glasses
94
Step 1
Using the measurements above, cut your pieces to size with the crosscut
box. As always, label each piece with chalk to avoid any confusion.
Step 2
Next, we need to find the center point of the top, bottom, and base
pieces. You can easily find this by drawing the diagonals. Using a
straight edge line up the corners and mark it with your pencil. Do the
same for the opposite corner. For the top and bottom pieces, draw the
line all the way from corner to corner. For the base piece you only have
to mark a small line near the center in each direction. Both ways form an
X in the center. Where the two lines cross, that’s your center point.
Top and Bottom
pieces
Diagonal
Center Point
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Step 3
A circle needs to be drawn on our top and bottom pieces
to give us a guide to cut by. A compass can be used for
this job, but if you don’t have one, a nail and piece of
string will also work. Tie one end of your string to a
finish nail and using the center point lightly tap it in, just
so it stays upright. Next measure off 2 ½” on the string,
which is the radius of our circle, and tie this to a pencil.
Keep the string tight and draw the circle with your pencil.
This will make a circle 5” in diameter.
Radius- A straight line
that goes from the
center to the outer
edge of a circle.
Diameter- A straight
line that passes
through the center of a
circle from one side to
the other.
We need another circle
that’s slightly smaller in
diameter. This circle will
mark where to place the
holes for the pencils to go
through. Shorten your
string or compass to 2” and
draw a circle.
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Step 4
Now we need to draw
two more lines that will
divide up the circles
even more. Using your
combination square, set
the head against the flat
part of the top and
bottom pieces and draw
a line through the center
and out to the other side.
Do this on the remaining
side that doesn’t have a
line.
The point where all the straight lines intersect with the smaller circle is
where we’ll drill the holes for the pencils to fit through. But first, we
need to saw the circles out.
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Step 5
Using your coping saw cut out the circles on the top and bottom pieces.
If you’re like me your circles may need a little more shaping with the
wood rasp to get them completely round.
Take the top and bottom pieces and using the hole that was made by the
nail to draw the circle, insert a 1 ¼” drywall screw through both pieces.
Now with both pieces screwed together sand the edges smooth. If the
two pieces don’t match up
exactly that’s ok, but if
they are off a lot clamp
them down and use your
rasp to match them up.
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Next we need to get ready to drill out the holes for the pencils. With the
two pieces screwed together we can drill the holes into both pieces at the
same time. By doing this we know that our holes will line up once we’re
done. We need to place a line on the edge of both pieces so if while
we’re drilling the holes the two pieces happen to move we can easily line
them back up. We also decided to add some more holes in our project to
allow for more pencils. You don’t have to do that on yours if you don’t
want to. We placed a small line in between the intersecting lines of the
smaller circle and determined the placement just by eye. This gives us
sixteen holes for our pencils.
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Step 6
With the two pieces marked
we’re ready to drill our holes.
We determined that a good
size hole for our pencils to fit
through would be 3/8 ”. This
leaves plenty of room for a
pencil but not for most ink
pens. Think about what you’re
going to use yours for and
make the holes big enough for
that item. But first we need to
take a piece of tape and mark
the depth because we don’t
want to drill all the way
through the bottom piece. We
decided to drill the hole in the
bottom piece about half way
through. Since our pieces are
all ¾” thick, dividing that by 2
we get 3/8”. Next we need to
add the thickness of the top
piece, again which is ¾”, so
3/8” + ¾ = 1 1/8”. Place tape on
the bit at this measurement to
remind yourself to stop and
drill all the holes. Next we
need to drill the holes for the
center dowel. The top and bottom pieces get a hole drilled all the way
through, the base piece only has a hole 3/8” deep. Again, we use a 5/8”
dowel but if you have a different size left over from another project use
it, there’s no reason to be wasteful. Remove the screw holding the top
and bottom pieces together and drill for the center dowel.
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Step 7
With all the holes drilled, we need to sand all the parts of our pencil
holder. Use your sanding block for the flat parts and a sanding sponge
on the edges of the circle parts (if they need further sanding), but don’t
sand off your alignment marks, you’ll need those later. Here’s a helpful
trick to help you sand all those holes you’ve drilled. Tear off a small
piece of sandpaper that will just wrap around a pencil. While holding
the pencil and sandpaper together run the pencil up and down in the
holes to get all the little splinters out.
Step 8
Let’s put it all together! Take the washer and place it over the hole on
the base piece. Next, with the center dowel just pushed in to the bottom
piece, spread glue around the dowel. Push the dowel through the
washer and into the base piece. IMPORTANT! Make sure you don’t get
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any glue in the base hole or on the bottom part of the dowel that’s
sticking out of the bottom piece or your pencil holder won’t spin. Now
put a little glue in the center hole of the top piece and insert it onto the
dowel. Slide it down until there is about 5/8” sticking up through the
top circle. This part will give you something to hold onto when spinning
the pencil holder.
Before the glue has a chance to set up you need to make sure the top and
bottom pieces are still lined up. If they’re not when you go to insert your
pencils they may not go into the holes. Use your combination square
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and with the marks you made earlier on the edges of the top and bottom
piece line up the two parts.
Step 9
Finish your pencil holder any way you like. Paint would be an excellent
choice as would stain and a top coat of polyurethane.
103
Battleship
104
Lesson14
Battleship
ALL HANDS ON DECK! BATTLE STATIONS!
This project is as fun to build, as it is fun to play with. You’ll need to be
more creative with this project than the other ones we’ve built. That’s
because this project is made almost entirely from scrap materials that
we’ve accumulated in building the projects to this point. Your creativity
comes into play in figuring out how to best use those scrap pieces to
form your battleship.
Ok I said our battleship was made ALMOST entirely
from scrap. We did have to purchase some supplies.
The 1/8” and 3/16” dowels and the washers were
purchased at a local home improvement warehouse.
Also, we’ve not used a 2x6” piece of pine in any of
our projects so you may not have that item lying
around your shop. Here’s an idea on how to find a
2”x 6” or other scrap pieces you may need to finish
this project. Most home improvement warehouses
have a scrap cart where all the cut-offs end up after
they cut boards to length for customers. They don’t
want to just throw these out but they know most
people can’t use such short pieces. That’s where you
come in. Look through this gold mine of scrap to find
your 2”x 6” or anything else you want. They mark
most of these items down to less than a dollar!
Things you’ll need
Hammer
Screwdriver
Handsaw
Crosscut box
1 5/8” drywall screws
Flat metal washers that the
head of the screw can’t fit
through.
Glue
1/8”, 3/8”, 5/8” dowels
Clamps
Safety glasses
Before we begin let’s talk about some of the parts of our battleship so
there won’t be any confusion as to what were talking about. First, on a
ship you don’t say “front, rear, left side or right side” when talking about
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parts of a ship. Front is “bow”, rear is “stern”, left side is “port”, and
right side is “starboard”. If you’re interested in how these nautical
names came about visit this website for more information:
http://www.history.navy.mil/trivia/trivia03.htm.
I’ll give you some of the dimensions of the pieces we used on our
battleship to use as a guide, but remember to be creative with the scrap
pieces you have and come up with your own unique design.
(1) 2 x 6 x 24” This is the hull of the battleship
(1) 1/8” dowel. This is for the smaller gun barrels, and
the top of the radar tower.
(1) 3/16” dowel. This is for the gun barrels on the
large turrets.
Hint: We went to the Internet
and looked up battleships on a
search engine and found
pictures of real battleships and
printed off some we liked. We
used these pictures as our
guide to construct the
battleship.
(1) 5/8” dowel. This is used on the posts in the stern section of the
ship.
A piece of 2x4” was used for the base of the bridge as well as 2x3”
and 2x2”.
The gun turrets were made from varies sizes of ¾” stock cut down to
the sizes we needed.
Some of the various pieces of scrap we used in building our battleship.
106
Step 1
We got the basic shape of the hull from the pictures we look up on the
Internet. Measure down 7 ¾” from the bow section and using your
combination square or speed square draw a line across the width of the 2
x 6”. From the center point of the 2 x 6” measure over 1” to the left and
1” to the right and place a mark. Next connect the lines to form the “V”
shape of the bow section. The stern section just needs the edges trimmed
back a little. Measure up 5” and draw a square line across. From the end
measure over 1” from each edge and place a mark. As before, connect
the lines. Yours should look similar to the picture below.
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Clamp the 2” x 6” to the workbench and then clamp your guide block to
help cut these tricky angles. A 2 x 6” can be difficult to cut through so
don’t be shy in asking for help to cut these angled pieces.
Step 2
After you’ve cut the
angles off that make
up the shape of the
hull, sand it using
your four different
grits of sandpaper.
The completed shape of the hull.
Step 3
Now for the fun part!
Use your imagination
to arrange the scrap
pieces you’ve gathered
together. Again, your
ship doesn’t have to
look like ours, make
up a design all your
own. Also mark the
pieces that need to be
cut down to a smaller
size to fit the space
available on your ship.
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Step 4
Now cut all the pieces
down to size using your
handsaw. The crosscut
box will come in handy
for this. Dowels
especially can be hard to
hold or clamp down to
cut to length, but the
crosscut box makes it
easy.
Step 5
Now that all your pieces are cut to
size again arrange them back on the
ship to make sure you like the way
it looks. Once your satisfied with
the way everything looks you may
want to take a pencil and trace the
footprint of the pieces so you don’t
forget where everything goes.
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Step 6
Building the gun
turrets is easy. We
used different sizes
throughout our
battleship but they
are all made the
same way. For the
three larger turrets
we used the 3/8”
dowel for the
barrels and for the
smaller ones the
1/8” dowel. Using
the correct size drill
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bit for the size dowel you’re using drill
holes into the turrets. We didn’t measure
how deep to drill them. Instead we just
inserted the dowels into the holes in the
turrets and then cut them all off the same
length so they would match. Also, we
angled the drill up just slightly on some of
the holes so the gun barrels would be
pointing up instead of straight out.
Keep your brace drill out and change bits
to drill holes for any other dowels you’ll
be using on the deck of your battleship.
Step 7
The radar tower on our battleship is made
up entirely of dowels. The pole is a piece
of 5/8” dowel sitting in a hole drilled into
the deck of the ship. The cross piece is a 3/8” dowel. The 3/8” dowel is
clamped down and 1/8” holes were drilled into it with our brace drill.
Into these holes we put the 1/8’ dowels. We also drilled a small pilot
hole in the center of the 3/8” dowel so a nail could be driven through it
and into the 5/8” dowel pole. Use a nail set and hammer to drive the
nail into the pole.
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Step 8
Let’s start putting things together.
For the buildings, spread some glue
on the bottom of the pieces and nail
them into place. Next we need to
drill holes through the gun turrets
and into the deck of the ship or if
they are sitting on a platform, drill
into that. Use a twist bit that’s a little
smaller than the width of the thread
of the screw you’re using. Have a
helper hold the turret as you drill
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through it and into the deck. In order for the gun turrets to turn the hole
going through it needs to be larger than the screw you’re using so it just
slips through. Take the turret back off and with a larger bit drill a bigger
hole. Place a flat washer underneath the gun turret and place another
washer onto the screw up to the head. Make sure that the washer’s hole
is smaller than the head of the screw. With the screw and washer in
place slide them through the gun turret and through the washer on the
other side and finally screw it into the deck of the ship. Tighten it down
just until its snug.
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Step 9
All that’s left to do now is to finish your battleship with something. We
chose a gray paint to better resemble a real battleship. But don’t let that
stop you from using any colors you want. We stopped at painting but if
you plan to see if this ship can really float you’ll need to protect yours
from moisture. The best product for things that will be in direct contact
with water is a spar or marine varnish. Follow the manufactures label on
how to apply to protect your ship.
Happy Sailing!
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Media Storage Rack
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Lesson 15
Media Storage Unit
Ok, I have a confession to make. I selfishly came up with the idea for a
way to organize my kids growing video game and DVD collection. They
get piled up on top of the game console or stacked up beside the DVD
player and nobody can find anything when they want it. Does this
sound like your house? If so, then I know this project is going to be a
welcomed addition to your home.
Things You’ll Need
We choose clear white pine for this project
because we intended to use stain for our finish.
We didn’t want any knots or defects in the wood.
You’ll pay more for this at the lumberyard but it
sure is beautiful wood.
Handsaw
Coping saw
Cross cut box
(1) 1” x 8” x 5’
(1) 1” x 4” x 28”
Here’s the cut list for the media storage unit.
(2) Sides
¾” x 7 ¼” x 27 ½ “
(1) 1” x 3” x 34”
(2) Feet
¾” x 3 ½” x 13 ¼ “
½” auger bit
(2) Braces
¾” x 2 ½” x 16 ½”
(3) Dowels
½ x 48” (Cut to 15 ¾” long)
Brace drill
1/8” twist bit
(3) ½” x 48” dowels
Dry wall screws (1 ¼”)
Glue
Step 1
Gel stain (see text for details)
The sides can be cut from one 1 x 8 x 5’. The feet
Safety glasses
and braces are small enough that you might have
enough scrap pieces left over from other projects that will work. You
might also check the scrap bin at your local lumberyard. Using the cut
list above cut your parts to size.
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Here are the pieces cut to size.
Step 2
Lay out for the feet by measuring
over 4 ½” from the top edge on
both ends of each foot and place
a mark. Then measure up from
the bottom on both ends of each
foot ¾” and place a mark. Using
your ruler, connect the marks on
each end. Cut the corners off
with your handsaw using the
lines as a guide.
Step 3
The front edge of the side pieces
are curved, and just like with the
art caddy, we used a can to give
us the shape we wanted. We
wanted to have a small curve so
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we used a pint sized can for our template. You just want to knock off the
front corners so line up the edges of the can with edges of the side pieces
and draw the curves.
Clamp the side pieces down to the workbench and with a coping saw cut
out the curves. Afterwards, if you need to, use your rasp to smooth out
the curves.
Step 4
Next we need to mark where the holes
will go for the dowels. On your
workbench lay the two side pieces
with the front edges facing away from
each other. This is what is called a
mirror image. If you were to hold one
side piece up to a mirror the reflected
image would be the exact opposite, or
the mirror image of the piece you’re
holding. The reason for laying out the
sides this way is so that the holes we
drill will all line up with both side
pieces insuring us of level shelves.
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Now with sides even, take your combination square and ½” up from the
bottom draw a line across the width of both pieces.
Next, measuring from the bottom, draw a line across both pieces at 6”, 9
¼”, 14 ¾”, 18”, and 23 ½”. These lines mark the area where our holes
will go. Now we need to figure out where on each of these lines the
holes need to be. We used a DVD case to look at how far back from the
edge the dowels needed to be and the distance apart to support the case
and where the support dowel in the back needed to be. With all these
considerations here is what we came up with. On the bottom line
measuring from the front edge of both side pieces place a mark at 2”and
5”. Do this on every other line up both pieces. These are where the holes
for the shelf dowel will go. Now, for the other lines on the side pieces
that you skipped over before, measure from the BACK edge this time
and place a mark at 1”. These are where the holes for the support
dowels will go. The following pictures show the placement of the lines
on the side pieces.
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Step 5
Using a ½” auger drill bit we need to mark the depth of cut with a piece
of tape. Our boards are ¾” thick and we want the holes for the dowels to
be as deep as possible to give support but not too deep to weaken the
side piece. About half the distance or 3/8” is what we decided. Place
your tape 3/8” up from the bottom of the cutters. Don’t include the
center point if your bit has one in your measurement, if you do your
holes will be too shallow. Carefully drill all the holes keeping the brace
straight up and down to insure the tightest fit possible for the dowels.
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Step 6
With all the holes drilled, dry fit (no glue)
the dowels into one side piece laying flat
on your workbench. Next, flip the other
side piece up onto the dowels and line
them up with the holes. This operation
goes much smoother if you have all the
extra hands you can find, even little
brothers could be of help here!
After all of the dowels are in place, carefully flip the storage unit upright
and check to make sure all the dowels are going into the holes all the
way and the storage unit is sitting flat without any wobble.
While the unit is standing, go ahead and
dry fit the feet onto the sides. There
should be three inches of overhang past
the side on each end. Measure this off
and then place a line where the foot
touches the side. This will quickly show
where to align the feet without
measuring again.
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Step 7
Before we start putting things
together the parts need to be
sanded. Again, because we chose
to stain this project, extra attention
needs to be paid to this step. Don’t
skip grits when sanding and look
the parts over very well to find any
dents or ruff spots. (IMPORTANT:
Don’t sand off the marks you put
on the feet to line them up with the
sides, you’ll need these later.)
Don’t be fooled by the smooth feel
of the dowels either, they still need
to be sanded. Curl a piece of
sandpaper around the dowel and
again go through all your different
grits. The reason that sanding is so
important when staining a project
is that the stain will magnify all the
little defects on the wood. Stain
will get into dents and scratches
and will stain darker than the other
wood around it. The same is true
for areas that aren’t sanded as well
and remain rough, they will stain
darker also.
Step 8
With all the parts sanded, let’s glue the feet to the sides. Because we
didn’t want screws or nail holes showing on this piece we simply glued
the feet to the sides. The glue is plenty strong enough by itself to hold
the feet in place. Spread some glue onto the feet being careful not to get
glue onto areas that won’t be covered by the sides your alignment marks
should show where to apply the glue. Next, line up the marks that you
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already have on the feet with the sides and clamp them together. Let the
glue dry (follow manufacturers label) before moving on.
Step 9
With the feet glued to the sides let’s get ready to put on the stain.
Sometimes a piece is finished after it is glued up especially if it’s small.
But for larger projects it’s usually much easier to apply the finish before
assembly. By doing this you don’t have to work around parts and get
the finish pooled up in the corners. One thing you do have to watch out
for when finishing a project before assembly is not to get finish on any
parts that have to be glued. That’s why we went ahead and glued the
feet to the sides.
Clean off an area around your workbench and spread out some
newspaper to keep the stain from getting on everything and also to keep
the parts clean. Before the stain can be applied all the surfaces need to be
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dust free. Just
wiping the wood
off with a rag
won’t remove all
the dust in the
pores. Here are
some of the best
ways to remove
dust from your
wood. You can
buy a tack cloth
which is a very
sticky cloth that
you wipe over the wood to remove dust. These can be found just about
anywhere paint is sold. You can wipe the parts down with a rag that has
mineral spirits on it and then allow the parts to dry or you can use my
favorite, a vacuum cleaner. Using a brush on the end sweeps the dust
out of the pores and the vacuum sucks the dust away. It’s quick and
does a great job.
Choosing the Stain
The type stain that was used on this project was an “Early American” gel
stain. We choose a gel stain because it’s less messy and gel stains
actually stain more evenly on pine than the “watery” stains do. By
“evenly”, I mean the color
that it stains the wood is the
same all over. With regular
stain it gets deep into the
pores and will give pine a
“blotchy” appearance where
there are spots of darker
colors mixed in with lighter
colors.
The first thing you will want
to do before you commit the
pieces of your project to
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stain is test the color on a scrap
piece of wood. The catch to this is
that it must be a piece of wood that
has been sanded just like you
sanded the parts of your project.
The reason is if you just pick up a
scrap and apply stain to it and the
piece hasn’t been sanded it will
stain a much different color than
when you go and put the same
stain on your sanded project.
Work in small areas at a time.
Cover the area with the gel stain
and then start removing the extra
stain left on the surface with
another clean rag. This takes a
little practice to get the color you
want. But that’s another advantage
to gel stains. If you want a lighter color, wipe more off, if you’re after a
darker color, add more stain and don’t wipe off as much this time. You
may want to practice on some scrap pieces until you get the hang of this.
Use a lint free cloth to apply
the stain and be sure and
wear some disposable gloves.
Once stain is on your skin it
doesn’t easily come off. This
goes for clothes also!
Go over all the parts making
sure to even out the color and
to make sure that all the
excess stain is removed.
Allow the pieces to dry
according to the
manufacture’s label.
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Step 10
Just like when you did your
dry fit of the parts, insert the
dowels into the sides only
this time put glue into the
dowel holes. Now turn the
project face down. We need
to make sure the project is
square, meaning one side is
not sitting higher than the
other side. To do this
measure from one corner diagonally across to the opposite corner and do
the same for the other diagonal. If the two measurements are the same,
you’re all square. If not, slightly move one of the sides and measure
again until they are equal.
Once you have squared up the sides carefully measure down 6 ½” from
the top edge of the sides and place a mark. This is the where the top
edge of the brace will go. Drill pilot holes with a 1/8” twist bit through
the brace (two on each side) and screw it to the back edge of the sides.
Add the other brace 2” from the bottom and secure it just like the top
brace.
Now I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is
you’re done with another great project. The bad news is now you don’t
have any more excuses for games and movies being all over the house!
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Step Stool
127
Lesson 16
Step Stool
Here’s a project that everybody can use. Don’t think that this is a project
just for the vertically challenged. Anywhere there’s a shelf that’s out of
reach, or a light bulb that needs changing, or how about a plant up high
on a cabinet that needs watering? And yes, for those of us that God
seemed to pass over when He was handing out the height gene, a stool is
very handy.
The first thought in designing a step stool is safety. If the stool is wobbly
or you feel like it might tip over if you’re not standing in just the right
spot it’s not worth having. So we made sure that this stool would be
sturdy and look good too! But with any step stool, be
sure to use it carefully. Make sure that it is on level
Things You’ll Need
ground and don’t reach out until you feel yourself
Handsaw
getting off balance, it’s too late at that point. Move
Screwdriver
the stool if you can’t reach something easily instead of
Coping saw
trying to stretch way out for it.
Measuring tape
We bought southern yellow pine for this project
because it’s stronger than white pine and we felt
added strength was needed for this project, again to
make it as safe as possible. You may see this kind of
pine listed as SYP on the shelf at your building
supply store. Make sure that the lumber you buy is
as free of knots as possible. Loose knots can weaken
a board. You can tell a loose knot from a solid knot
usually by the color, loose knots are dark, almost
black and may have several cracks around them. The
big problem with loose knots is that as the wood
(1) 1” x 8” x 8’
(1) 1” x 6” x 28”
Block plane
Glue
Clamps (bar clamps or pipe
clamps, see text)
Sandpaper (all grits)
Brace drill
1/8” twist bit
5/16” twist bit
1 5/8” dry wall screws
Wood putty
Safety glasses
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normally shrinks and expands the loose knot will eventually be pushed
out leaving a hole.
Here’s the cut list for our step stool:
(2) Sides
¾” x 14 ½” x 10”
(1) Step
¾” x 13 ½” x 13”
(2) Risers
¾” x 5 ½” x 13 ½”
(1) Top
¾” x 7 ¼” x 16”
The first thing you may notice about the cut list is the size of the side
pieces and step, particularly the width, (remember the first number is the
thickness, and second is the width and the last is the length). The widest
board you’re going to find at your building supply store is 12”. So how
do you think we can make a board wider? By using a board stretcher?
No, actually they haven’t invented one of those yet. So until they do
(don’t hold your breath) if you need a wider board you have to glue two
boards together.
To get the width we need for the sides and step we have to glue two 1” x
8” boards together. Remember that a 1 x 8” board is actually 7 ¼” wide.
So gluing two together will give us a board 14 ½” wide. This is exactly
the size we need for the sides with just a little to trim off the step.
Step 1
Cut four 10” long pieces off your 8’
board. For the step cut two boards 13”
long. If you’re lucky the edges of the
boards will come together without any
gaps, but as you can see in the picture to
the right ours didn’t. To correct this
and get a good fit we used our block
plane. Clamp the boards one at a time
129
and take a very fine shaving off
with the block plane. After a
couple of passes off each check
the fit to see if the gaps are gone,
if not take a couple more until
you’re happy with the fit.
Step 2
With the pieces fitting nicely together, it’s time to
Wood Joint: Anywhere two
glue them up. Spread a bead of glue on one edge,
or more pieces of wood are
then with a couple of clamps, bring the joint
connected together.
together. Be careful and don’t tighten the clamps
too much or you’ll squeeze most of the glue out.
How do you know how much is enough? First off we need to
understand why we use clamps in the first place. Clamps are not used to
pull a joint together to get rid of gaps. That’s why we used the block
plane. So the clamps main purpose is to just add pressure to the joint so
the glue bonds to both pieces and so the pieces won’t come apart before
the glue dries. So tighten the clamps until they’re snug and you start to
see a line of glue just squeezing out of the joint.
Glue squeeze out after clamping
130
Types of Clamps and What You
Need to Get Started
Pay close attention to the alignment of
the boards as you clamp them up.
The boards are the same thickness so
the glue joint should come together
without any ridges from one piece
being higher or lower than the other.
Also, since we have cut the boards to
their exact width, make sure the ends
line up.
Pipe clamps and bar clamps
There are dozens of different style clamps on
the market today. Some are for general use
and some are very specialized. Three of the
most widely available style clamps are bar
clamps, pipe clamps, and one-handed bar
clamps. I use all three in my shop often times
interchangeably. I prefer pipe clamps for
gluing panels up because the wood sits on top
of the pipe. If the wood is laying flat on the
pipes then your panel will be flat also. Y ou
can see in the picture to the left that in using
bar clamps to glue up panels the wood isn’t
laying on the bar itself. That’s because the
jaws are much deeper than the thickness of
the panels. The deep jaws may be a
disadvantage here but when you need to
clamp something that is thick or sits back
several inches from the edge the deep jaws
are the only clamps that will do. I use onehanded bar clamps when I need to hold parts
down while I saw, shape, sand, etc…. They
don’t’ have the gripping power of pipe clamps
but what you lose in power you make up in
convenience.
Bar clamps are sold in varying lengths. The
lengths you will most commonly use are 12”,
24” and 36” If you can buy two each that
would be a great, but if you can only buy two
get the 24” length.
Pipe clamps are sold in two parts. You buy
the jaws separate from the pipe. This is
actually an advantage because you can buy
the pipe in any length you want and if they
don’t have the size you need you can have the
pipe cut to the proper length. The black pipe
is usually found in the plumbing section of
your favorite home improvement warehouse.
Lengths of 30” to 48” will be used the most.
One-handed bar clamps
One-handed bar clamps are most useful in the
smaller length. If they’re too long the
convenience of the one-handed operation gets
difficult. The most popular size seems to be
12”. A couple of these would be nice.
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After the glue has set for about an hour
it becomes tacky and can easily be
scraped off the glue joint. Use an old
chisel or putty knife to lift the glue up in
long pieces. If it’s still too wet let it sit
for another 20-30 minutes and try again.
It’s much less trouble to do this while
the glue is just tacky and not dried hard.
Step 3
While you’re waiting for the glue to dry on the step and side pieces start
work on the pattern for the side pieces. On the next pages you will find
a full size drawing of the pattern to use for cutting out the sides. Take
the patterns and make copies of each page. The pattern was too big to fit
on one page so we divided it up. The dashed line on the long edge of
each pattern needs to be lined up to connect the two patterns. Use some
tape to hold the pattern parts together and then cut around on the solid
line with some scissors. Do not cut through the two solid lines going
through the center of each pattern, we’ll use those later. We actually
then took our paper pattern and traced it onto a ¼” piece of plywood
and cut out that pattern using the coping saw. We did this because we
planned on building three or more step stools for our house and we
wanted a more permanent pattern to use. You don’t need to do this step
if you’re only building one, the paper pattern will hold up just fine.
Step 4
With the glue dried, trace the pattern
out onto the two side pieces. Clamp
the pieces down and cut them out
using the coping saw. Sand the edges
smooth with your sanding block on
the flat surfaces, and a sanding sponge
or with sandpaper backed with your
fingers on the curved areas. Be sure at
this time to trim the step to the correct
size to be ready for assembly.
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133
134
Step 5
Align your pattern back on top of the side pieces. Where the two center
lines on the pattern meet the edge of the sides, place a small mark. Take
the combination square and connect the marks you just made so that
now your side pieces have the same two lines as your pattern. Next,
take the combination
square and extend the
lines down the edges and
onto the other side of both
side pieces. These lines
are for aligning the step
piece with the sides. It
will also help us in the
placement of the screws to
hold the step.
135
Step 6
It’s time to start
putting together our
step stool. Place six to
seven small X marks
spaced out evenly
inside the two lines on
one of your side pieces.
For the other side piece
turn it around so that
it’s a mirror image of
the piece you just place
the Xs on. In other words, the two side pieces are facing different
directions. Place the Xs on the outside of the other side piece now.
Put a 1/8” twist bit in
your brace drill and
drill pilot holes at the X
marks all the way
through the side
pieces. Using 1 5/8”
drywall screws insert
them into the holes on
one side piece just far
enough for the point to
stick through the other
side. Now position the
side piece onto the step
making sure to align it between the two lines. Press the step piece onto
the side so that the tips of the screws make an indention on the edge of
the step. Remove the side and now with your brace and 1/8” bit drill
pilot holes into the step. This is to keep the step from splitting when the
screws are inserted.
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We plan to paint our step stool so we don’t want all these screw holes
showing. What we need to do is set the head of the screws below the
surface so we can fill this with wood putty. To do this we took a 5/8” bit
and drilled holes just about 3/16” down on top of the pilot holes in the
sides. Test the head of the screws you’re using to see if 5/8” is the
correct size.
Dip the screws into wax and again start
them all so that the tips just stick out from
the other side. Align the tips of the screws
with the pilot holes on the step’s edge and
put together the two side pieces to the step.
Make sure that the step’s edge is aligned
between the lines on the sides. The reason
this is important is so your step stool will
sit level on the ground.
137
Step 7
The risers are put on next.
These two pieces will
make the step stool much
more rigid because they
will further tie the two
side pieces together. If
everything has gone well
to this point the risers
should fit in between the
two sides. Set the top step
on the sides and measure
the width that the risers should be. If they measure less than 5 ½” you’ll
have to take some off the width of the riser. Test the fit of the risers and
trim the width and length if necessary.
Set the front riser back from the top edge of the sides 1 ½”. This will give
more room for feet on the bottom step. The back riser should be set back
¼”. The risers need to be perpendicular to the step below. The best way
to determine this is with your speed square. After the risers are squared
up to the step, place a pencil
mark along the sides. Next, with
the combination square, place
marks down the sides to show
where to place the screws (into
the sides.) Just as with the
screws for the side pieces, drill
pilot holes and then drill larger
holes for the screw heads.
138
Step 8
The top is all that’s left in the
construction of our step stool.
Measure the distance between the
sides and add an inch to the
measurement, it should equal 16”.
Center the top and place Xs to show
where you want to place screws in all
four corners. Clamp the top down to
secure it from moving while you drill
pilot holes. Again, drill out a larger
hole for the screw heads.
Step 9
Now is the time also to smooth over
all the outside edges of the step stool
just to make it feel better to the touch.
Next, using wood putty, fill in all the
screw holes. Allow the putty to dry
and sand it flush. All that’s left is
deciding what color to paint your
step stool.
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Two for One Birdfeeder
Lesson 17
Two for One Birdfeeder
Early we built our feathered friends a home to kick back in after a hard
days work. But what about some food that’s easy to get to and close to
home? I think a birdfeeder is needed. But what do birds eat? Different
birds eat different things. Some eat seeds, insects, fruits, corn, nectar
(from flowers) and suet (fat mixed with seeds, berries, and other
ingredients). So if you want to attract and feed the most birds you need
a feeder that can offer a variety of food. Check out this website to find
out what different birds eat:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/BirdFoods.
htm.
Our feeder is designed to use seed, and suet or fruit, etc… It’s easy to
build and shouldn’t take more than a day to complete. Let’s take a closer
look at the design of our birdfeeder.
Top shades area below
and sheds rain and
snow
Removable dowel for
inserting suet or fruit
Dowels enclose an area
for suet or fruit to go
Two pieces for the
bottom of suet feeder
gives more depth for
the seed tray
Tray area for seed
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We made our birdfeeder out of pine. Not a very good choice for outdoor
projects. But, we had pine around the shop and I hate going out and
spending more money on wood when I already have some lying around.
So, there are some choices for you to build your birdhouse out of. Like
us you can use pine if you already have it and plan on painting it or
applying two or three coat of an outdoor varnish like spar varnish.
Either one will protect the wood well. Or you can spend a little more
money and build it out of a wood that will stand up to the elements
without anything being applied to it. Two types of wood come to mind
that are common at home improvement warehouse stores: Cedar and
pressure treated lumber. God made cedar to withstand the elements for
long periods of time without decaying, so it’s a natural fit for this type of
project. Pressure treated lumber is usually southern yellow pine that has
been treated with a preservative to protect it from the elements. Both
will do the job well, however; cedar is a more attractive wood in my
opinion, it cuts easier, and to top it all off your shop will smell great as
you cut the cedar parts to size!
Here’s the cut list for the birdfeeder:
Things You’ll Need
(2) ½” x 36” dowels
(1) Top
(7) 1/2" x 6 3/4"
(1) 1/2" x 9"
¾” x 11 ¼” x 9 ¾”
Cut off box
Hammer
4d finish nails
(2) ½” x 36” dowels
(1) Bottom
¾’ x 11 ¼” x 9 ¾”
(2) Bottom of suet feeder
¾” x 5 ½” x 7”
(2) Ends for tray
¾” x 2 ½” x 9 ¾”
(1) 1 x 12 x 4’ (see text for
type of wood)
(1) 1 x 6 x 14”
(1) 1 x 3 x 6’
½” eye bolt
(2) Sides for tray
¾” x 2 ½” x 12 ¾”
Glue
Safety glasses
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Step 1
Get all your pieces together and using the cut list and your cross-cut box
cut all your pieces to size. The 1 x 12” obviously won’t fit in your crosscut box. Use a straight piece of wood clamped on your cut line to help
guide the saw so you get a square cut, just like we did building the
birdhouse.
All the parts for the birdfeeder
Step 2
Next we’re going to work on where to place the holes for the dowels to
go into.
2”
1 ½”
1 ½”
2”
1 ¼”
2 ¾”
1”
1”
Bottom three
holes have
same spacing
as top holes
Fig. 1 Bottom of suet feeder
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Figure 1 shows the spacing of the holes for the bottom piece of the suet
feeder. The other bottom piece that’s the same size doesn’t need holes,
it’s only there to raise the height of the bottom.
Measure the distances given in fig. 1 then draw
the intersecting lines with your combination
square. Where the lines intersect is where the
point of the drill bit will go.
Step 3
We need to transfer these same lines we just drew onto the top piece.
First let’s center the bottom of the suet feeder onto the top. The exact
placement isn’t important but we need to be close. If you cut your pieces
to the sizes in the cut list there should be about 2 1/16” all the way
around the bottom piece. Once you’ve gotten the bottom centered use
the combination square to square it up to the edge of the top piece.
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Use your pencil to
trace the outline of
the bottom piece onto
the top and then
remove it. Now all
you have to do is use
the measurement in
fig. 1 and transfer
those to the top. The
area we just
transferred to the top
piece should now
look like the lines we
drew onto the bottom
piece of the suet
feeder.
Step 4
We’re now ready to drill the holes for
the dowels to fit into. Again, the
intersection points of the lines are
where the holes go on the sides. For
the holes on each end just place an X
to show where to drill. On the top
piece one of the end holes needs to be
drilled all the way through for the
sliding dowel. All the rest of the holes
should be drilled 3/8” deep. Place a
piece of tape on your drill bit to show
where to stop drilling like you did in
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building the peg game. Drill all the
holes and set aside the pieces for now.
Step 5
Before we start putting things together
give everything a good sanding. This
is an outdoor project so you really
don’t need to sand past 120 or 150
grits so this process shouldn’t take
long.
Step 6
Next let’s put the sides and ends on
the bottom of the birdfeeder to form
the tray. We used 4d (1 ½”) finish
nails to attach the tray pieces to the
bottom. If you’re using an outdoor wood like cedar or pressure treated
lumber and don’t plan on putting any protective finish on your
birdfeeder then use galvanized nails. These nails are dipped into a
liquid that coats the nails and dries to a protective covering. Without
this coating the finish nail will rust quickly if out in the elements. You
can also use stainless steel nails but they’re usually more expensive.
Add a bead of glue along the edge of the bottom piece and line up a side
piece. Pay close attention to where you place the nail. Make sure that
you line them up so that they will enter the edge of the bottom piece near
the center. If you don’t the
nail may split the wood or
come out the bottom or top.
If either of these things
happen (and from time to
time they will happen) pull
the nail back out and move it
over and start a new hole.
Attach the remaining tray
pieces to the bottom.
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Step 7
Now let’s attach the two bottom
pieces of the suet feeder. Turn
the bottom piece that you
drilled the holes into face down
on the workbench. Spread
some glue between the two
pieces then nail them together
just so we don’t’ have to wait
for them to dry.
Take the glued and nailed together
bottom and center it on the bottom
tray. Just as before when we were
doing this for the top centering
doesn’t have to be exact, but very
close. This is because the dowels must
line up with the holes drilled into the
top. The measurements will be the
same as before about 2 1/8” all
around. Again, spread some glue on
the bottom then nail it to the tray. 4d
nails won’t be long enough for this
you need a 5d (2”) nail. If you don’t
have a couple, use your clamps and
just wait for it to dry.
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Step 8
Put a little glue onto
one end of each dowel,
except the longer 9”
dowel, and insert it
into a hole on the
bottom tray section.
(Remember not to get
any glue in the hole
that the 9” dowel will
be going into, we need
to be able to remove
this dowel to insert the
suet.
Next, dab some glue on top the dowels
sticking up out of the suet feeder part. Using
some much needed and appreciated help, line
up the holes drilled in the top with the dowels.
IMPORTANT! Make sure that the hole that
goes all the way through the top lines up with
the empty hole on the suet feeder part.
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Step 9
We’re almost done. After
all the dowels are in you
can now slide the 9”
dowel into the end hole.
If you built yours out of a
weather resistant wood
you’re done. However, if
you choose, like we did, to
build yours out of pine
you need to put some type of protective finish on. Paint or an outdoor
varnish will protect the wood well. Paint will start to peel off after a
while if left out doors and varnish will need to be applied again after a
couple of years. So which ever you choose, they both will need a little
maintenance. But if you will keep up with this your birdfeeder will last
for years and years.
The only thing left is to figure out a way to hang your new birdfeeder.
We used a simple eye bolt screwed into the center of the top. With a
little string or metal chain the birds will all be talking to each other about
the new restaurant in town.
149
Workbench
150
Lesson 18
Workbench
A workbench is one of the most important tools in any woodworkers
shop. I can hear some of you saying, “Tool, I never thought of a
workbench as a tool,” but that’s exactly what it is. Webster’s definition
of a tool is “anything that serves in the manner of a tool”, and a
workbench sure does that!
Just look back on all the projects that we’ve built in this book up until
this point. Our workbench is used in every single one. I’ll bet you’re
saying, “Then why didn’t we build this first?” That would have made
sense if we had the skills in the beginning to build a workbench. But we
needed to spend more time working with our tools and getting the hang
of using them before we tackled a project like this. But I know at this
point in your woodworking that you have what it takes, so let’s get
started.
Workbenches come in all shapes and
sizes. One of the advantages of
building our own is that we can
make it to suit our needs. One of the
most important things to consider
when building a workbench is the
proper height of the work surface. If
what you’re going to be doing with
your workbench is sawing,
hammering, measuring, etc, like
we’ve been doing through out this
book, then here is a good way to find
your ideal work surface height.
Stand with your arm straight down
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Plywood
Plywood is made by gluing thin
pieces of wood together to
form a sheet that is a given
thickness. Plywood can have a
top sheet made from any wood
you can imagine. Most of
what you’ll see at lumber
warehouses are, pine, maple,
birch, and oak. Pine, being the
least expensive, is what we
chose for our bench top.
Plywood is graded by the
appearance of the face on
each side. A-Excellent, BGood, C-Average. The
backside can sometimes be
listed as 1, 2, 3, instead of A,
B, C but they mean the same.
So our piece has a good side
and an average side. Make
sure when you build your
workbench that you put the Bside up and the C side down.
at your side with your wrist bent so your hand is
parallel to the floor. Now, with the help of a parent
or friend, measure from the ground up to where
your wrist is bent. This measurement is a good
work surface height for you. What happens when
you have two of more people using the bench and
they aren’t the same height? You compromise like
we had to do. That’s ok, a few inches one way or
the other won’t matter a whole lot.
The workbench we built is 24 ¾” from the ground to
the work surface. Keep this measurement in mind
when you go to build yours. If that’s way off your
ideal height adjust the measurement of the legs for
your workbench accordingly. In the cut list below
you can see that we used a 4” x 4” x 8’ for our legs.
This worked out for us because we wanted a work
surface height around 25 inches. By cutting our legs 2’ long each we got
4 out of our 8’ piece. Remember to add the thickness of the plywood top
(3/4”) to your total height. Let’s look at our parts.
Things You’ll Need
Workbench cut list:
Hammer
Screwdriver
Top
(1) ¾” x 2’ x 4’ sanded BC plywood
Long aprons
(2) 2” x 4” x 45’
Short aprons
(1) 2” x 4”x 2’
Legs
(4) 4” x 4” cut to the appropriate length
Handsaw
Brace drill
3/16” twist bit
12d nails
6d nails
(16) 3 ½” screws
6 ½” bench vise
(1) 2” x 4” x 8’ pine
(1) 2” x 4” x 6’ pine
(1) 4” x 4” x 8’ pine or fur (see
text to make sure this is long
enough for you)
(1) ¾” x 2’ x 4’ sanded pine
plywood
Parts to the workbench, total cost including vise was less than $40
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Safety glasses
Step 1
Let’s cut the legs to length first. Mark off the length of each leg that
you’ve determined to be a good working height for you. Use your speed
square to mark a square line to guide your saw. Use a piece of wood
across your line to help keep you on track if you need it. Since these are
the legs to our workbench it’s important that they be cut square so they
sit evenly on the ground with no rocking back and forth. These boards
are heavy so be sure to have help in picking them up and holding them
while you’re cross cutting them to size. Cut off all four legs.
Make sure you measure correctly; you never know who might be looking over your shoulder
Step 2
Cut the bench aprons to size according to the
cut list. The apron on any table is the part that
wraps around the legs and is just underneath
the tabletop. It’s what keeps the legs square
and sturdy. Take a short apron piece along
with the two long aprons and set them on the
floor. Using two 12d nails on each end nail the
end apron to the side aprons. Make sure that
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you nail as close into the center of the ends of the side aprons as possible
to prevent them from splitting. Nail the other end apron to the opposite
side. If the 2 x 4s are a little twisted (not unusual) then try using clamps
to pull them together so everything lines up.
Step 3
Now we’re ready for the top. The
top not only gives us a nice work
surface, it also squares up the apron.
Place the top on the completed
apron and square up one corner
making sure that the top is flush to
the apron. Place a nail in this corner.
Now go down to the next corner and
square it up. Nail off this side and
continue on around the top placing a
nail about every 6”. You may need
to pull the apron flush with the top
with a clamp before nailing. That’s
ok, just be sure that the top and
apron are flush all the way around.
By doing this you automatically
square the apron to the top.
Step 4
Turn the top onto one of the long sides. With a
3/16” twist bit drill pilot holes that are spaced
according to fig. 1. Drill the holes all the way
through the apron. It would also be helpful to
then mark where the holes will meet the legs
and drill a pilot hole in them. If you do this
make sure that you mark the legs with
something (like the letter A) and put the
corresponding mark on the apron so you match
them up when you’re ready to screw them
together.
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4”
4”
Top
1 ½”
x
x
End
apron
x
Side apron
x
2 ½”
1”
2 ½”
4”
Top
1 ½”
x
x
Side
apron
x
End apron
x
1”
2 ½”
Fig.1 drilling pattern for aprons
Have someone hold the top while you drill
the pilot holes in the end aprons. After all
the pilot holes have been drilled we’re ready
to attach the legs.
Step 5
You’ll need a couple of short clamps, your
legs cut to size, and (16) 3 ½” screws and
some wax to dip the screw into. Turn the top
over facing the ground and clamp a leg
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securely into a corner of the top. Be sure not to block a pilot hole with
one of the clamps, you’ll need to be able to get to them with a
screwdriver. If you have difficultly getting the screws all the way in, you
may need to remove it and with the leg still clamped to the apron, drill a
deeper pilot hole for the screw to go into. The wood on these 4” x 4”s
can be really hard so don’t be surprised if you have to do this on most
holes.
Attach the rest of the
legs in this same
manner. Use the speed
square to check to see if
the legs are plum. Turn
the workbench over and
check to see if the legs
woble and if the legs sit
flat on the ground
without rocking. If the
legs are wobly, go back
and check to see if all the
screws are securely
tightened. If the workbench is not sittting flat on the ground either the
legs aren’t all the same length, or the floor it’s sitting on is not flat. In
both cases the easiest fix is to shim it. Measure how much the leg that’s
not touching the floor is off. Find a piece of wood or cardboard that’s the
same thickness and “shim” it under the leg. This should keep the
workbench from wobling and make it much more sturdy to work on.
Step 6
Our workbench is now ready for the
bench vise. We chose a small 6 ½” bench
vise. The 6 ½” refers to how wide the
bench jaws are. This vise has a total
opening of 4 ½” which is more than
adequate. The jaws on our vise come off
by simply turning the handle counter
156
clockwise until they separate. Take the piece that doesn’t have the
handle and place it against the long side of the apron. The exact
placement doesn’t matter we chose to center ours 12” from the edge.
Once you find where you want your
vise to be, place the lip underneath the
side apron. Then using a pencil draw a
circle where the mounting holes are on
the side of the apron. Now you can
remove the vise jaw and drill a small
1/8” pilot hole. At this time you may
want to add a couple of small strips of
wood to the face of your jaws to help
protect pieces of wood clamped
between the metal faces. Mount these
strips of wood through the provided holes on each jaw. Use 1 5/8”
drywall screws to mount the vise to the side apron. Take the other jaw
and line up the threaded rods with the holes on the mounted jaw and
slowly turn the handle clockwise until they catch.
Step 7
Now for some finishing touches. Give the whole bench a good sanding
with 100 grit sandpaper. Round over any sharp edges and check for
splinters that may be sticking out just waiting for an unsuspecting
victim. Also, you can seal the top from stains with a couple of coats of
polyurethane.
157
Doll Cradle
158
Lesson 19
Doll Cradle
Here’s a simple project with few parts, that’s fun to build, and will
provide hours of entertainment. Now I know there are more than a few
girls out there that will be excited about building this project for a special
doll, but guys, before you turn your nose up at this project, here’s
something to think about. Do you have a sister, a cousin, or a friend that
would like a doll cradle to play with? Talk about impressing them with
your woodworking skills. What a great gift idea!
Before we begin let’s look at how we
designed our doll cradle. My daughter
collects a particular type of doll and
they’re all the same size. So we took one
of them and measured it to see how long
our cradle would need to be. The doll
was 18” tall so we decided to make the
inside of the cradle 21” long, (gives a
little room to grow). We also made our
cradle extra wide to even accommodate
two sleeping dolls, if the need should
arise.
Here’s the cut list for the doll cradle:
Ends
(2) ¾” x 9 ¼” x 20”
Bottom
(1) ¾” x 9 ¼” x 21”
Dowels
(8) 1” x 22 ½”
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Step 1
Cut all your parts to size according to the cut list. Make sure you label
the end pieces and bottom part to avoid confusion later on.
First we need to draw the half
circles on the end pieces.
We’ll do that just like we
drew the circles for the pencil
holder. Take a piece of string
that’s at least 12” long and tie
one end to a small finish nail
and the other end to a pencil
at exactly 9”. Remember that
the radius of a circle is a
straight line that goes from
the center to the outer edge of
a circle. This will give us a
diameter of 18” or two times the radius.
Now place the finish nail with the string attached at the center (10”) of an
end piece. Ok, were ready to draw our half circle, but there something to
keep in mind. You need to hold the pencil straight up and down while
keeping the string tight. If you lean the pencil from square or don’t keep
the string tight your curve won’t be even. Just take your time and it will
come out fine. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just make sure that there are
no flat spots on the bottom portion of the curve so that the cradle will
rock properly.
160
Step 2
With one end piece marked with the half circle use your coping saw to
cut it out. Remember to stay to the outside of your line rather than
trying to cut right on the line. It’s easier to go back and sand extra wood
back to the line than to accidentally cut inside the line and leave a dip in
the wood.
Once the end is cut out use your sanding block to shape the curve back
to the line and to smooth any rough edges out.
Now that you have one end piece completed use it as your pattern for
the other end piece. Just trace it onto the uncut end and shape it as you
did the first piece. Even though you’re not using your home made
compass to draw the curve on the second piece, you still need to find the
center and place a mark to show this.
161
Step 3
Set the end pieces aside for now and let’s work on the bottom. The first
thing we need to do is to find the center across the width of the bottom
piece. Mark that with a small line on each end of the board.
Take the time now to chamfer the edges of the bottom with the block
plane. It’ll be much easier now than if you wait until after everything is
already glued up.
Step 4
Now that the bottom piece is ready we
need to find and mark where it will connect
to the end pieces. The first step in this is
marking a center line all the way across
both end pieces with your combination
square. Use the nail hole on the first end
piece and the mark that you placed on the
other end piece as a reference.
162
Set your combination square to measure 6
¾”. Place the head of the square against
the bottom of both end pieces and set
your pencil against the end of the ruler
and slide the head along the length of the
edge, marking as you go. This line
represents the bottom edge of the bottom
piece.
Step 5
All that’s left to do to the end pieces is to
drill the holes for the dowel to fit through.
We wanted the dowels to follow the same
curve as the end pieces. So we pulled our
home made compass back out and used
the same center mark but this time we
shorten the string to 8”. This will be the
center- line for the dowel holes. We need to mark the spacing of the
holes on this line. Using your measuring tape or combination square
measure down the right side from the flat
edge and place an X on the curve at: ¾”, 2
3/8”, 4 3/16”, 5 ¾”. Mark the same
measurements on the left side and the
other end piece.
163
Take your brace bit with a 1” auger bit
and drill all the holes. Here’s a hint to
keep the drill bit from tearing out the
wood as it breaks through the other
side. First, you can place a scrap piece
of wood underneath if you’re drilling
on a flat surface (which you should do
anyway to protect the tip of the bit).
The scrap piece underneath will help
support the wood fibers keeping them
from tearing away. Second, if you’re
drilling your holes like Katie’s doing in
the picture with it clamped in a vise
you can drill just far enough so the tip
of the bit just pokes through. Take the
bit out of the hole, turn the piece
around and finish drilling your hole from the other side. This also
prevents the wood fibers from being torn away.
Step 6
To help us line up the nails so that they
go into the center of the bottom piece
we need to draw a line on the outside of
both end pieces. The bottom piece, if
you’ll remember, was placed 6 ¾” from
the top. To place the nails into the
center of the bottom we need to subtract
half the thickness of the board or 3/8”
from the 6 ¾”. This gives us a
measurement of 6 3/8”. Use your
combination square set to this
measurement and as before, slide it
along with your pencil to mark a line to
show where to nail.
164
Step 7
Spread a bead of glue on one edge of the bottom piece. With some help
line up the center point line on the bottom piece with the center point
line on the inside of one of the end pieces. Next make sure that the line
we drew 6 ¾” is underneath the bottom piece. Once everything is lined
up, nail through the end piece with 4d (1 ½”) finish nails.
Step 8
Sand all the parts including the dowels at this point. Normally we
would have sanded our parts before we put them together, but if we had
done that all our alignment marks would have been erased. (Not a good
thing.)
Step 9
We’re finally there, we’re ready to put the last pieces together. Slide the
top dowel in place on each corner and place a small amount of glue on
the dowel where it will come into contact with the hole.
165
Before you put the rest of the dowels in,
let’s check to make sure that the ends are
square to the bottom. Place your speed square
into the corner where one side is against the
bottom and the other side is against the end. If
both pieces don’t meet the square you will
need to adjust the end piece in or out until it’s
square. If this takes much effort you probably
will have to place a small brad nail or finish
nail through the edge of the end piece into
both dowels on each corner.
After everthing has had time to dry, trim off
the excess dowel with your handsaw and flush
it to the ends with a block plane.
Step 10
All that’s left is to decide on the finish for your doll cradle. You could
choose paint, stain and polyurethane, or just poly. You really can’t go
wrong with any of these. Well, almost, Katie informed me that she
wanted to paint her doll cradle purple with pink poka dots. How
would you like waking up to those colors? Now that’ just wrong.
166
Catapult
167
Lesson 20
Marshmallow Catapult
Here’s a project that you can build and use to learn about engineering
terms such as force, trajectory, tension, and of course the theory that once
an object is in motion it tends to stay in motion. Oh who am I kidding,
here’s a cool project to build so you can launch marshmallows into the
air like scud missiles!
Again, like some other projects in this book, there are not a lot of parts to
put together but things have to be done in order. Particularly, all the
holes have to be drilled precisely where shown in the diagrams in order
for the catapult to work properly. Remember, measure twice cut once
(and drill once).
Here’s the cut list for our project:
Things You’ll Need
The usual suspects
Handle:
(1) ¾” x 1” x 7”
Side panels:
(2) ¾” x 5 ½” x 6 ½”
4d finish nails
Brace drill
5/16” bit
Long boards:
(2) ¾” x 1 ½” x 14 ½”
Catapult arm:
(1) ¾” x 1” x 10 ½”
Tall spacer:
(1) ¾” x 1 ½” x 5 ½”
Short spacer:
(1) ¾” x ¾” x 4”
Screwdriver and 1 ¼” drywall
screws
(2) 7/16” wrenches
(4) ¼” x 4 ½”” hex head bolts
(1) ¼” x 3” hex head bolt
(10) ¼” flat washers
(1) Door knob stopper
We pieced our catapult together with wood
scraps left over from other projects and you can
probably do the same. If you do need to buy
(1) Towel hook (with two hooks)
(2) Rubber bands 3 ½” x ½’
(4) ¼” lock nuts
(1) ¼” wing nut
Block plane
Safety glasses
168
lumber, the side panels can be cut from a 1 x 6 x 14” board, and all the
rest can come from a 1 x 2 x 4’ board. Remember that a 1 x 2” is actually
¾” x 1 ½” so you won’t have to rip to width any pieces except the
handle, catapult arm, and short spacer.
Even if you have all the wood left over from other projects a trip, to the
hardware store is going to be necessary (don’t you just hate that). The list
of things you may need is listed in the “Things You’ll Need” section at
the beginning of the lesson.
Long boards
Side panels
Catapult arm
Tall spacer
Short spacer
Handle
Catapult parts cut to size
Hardware for catapult
169
Step 1
Let’s work on the handle
first. If you haven’t cut it
to size from the cut list yet
go on and do that. Next
we need to cut a notch into
the bottom section of the
handle. This is so we can
use the handle to hold the
catapult arm in place
before firing. Use your
combination square and set it to read at ½”. Then, use your pencil to
slide along with the combination square to mark off 3 ¼” on the side that
measures 1” in width. We need to angle the top of the notch so that it
better grips the catapult arm. So, instead of cutting straight across, drop
down about a ½” and cut at an angle back up to your cut line. (See the
picture of the catapult parts cut to size).
Step 2
We need to glue the short spacer to the two long boards next. The
spacer’s job is to, you guessed it; keep a space between the two long
boards. If we didn’t have a spacer block
the two long pieces would pinch together
trapping the catapult arm. Take one of the
long boards and measure over 1 1/8”. At
this mark place the short spacer flush with
the bottom edge and trace an outline onto
the long board. Next spread some glue on
both sides of the spacer and line it back up
onto the long board and place the other
long board on top. Use your speed square
to make sure that the ends of the long
boards are even. Using some help to make
sure that the pieces don’t slide around put
a couple of 4d finish nails into each side to
secure the pieces until the glue dries.
170
Step 3
Next, let’s lay out the holes in the
side panels. First thing to do is to
place an arrow pointing along the
length of each side panel. The two
panels need to be mirror images of
each other so one panel the arrow
points to the left, the other panel it
points to the right. These arrows
will point towards the small spacer and also the side with the arrows
will be the outside of the panel when everything is put together. This
will help avoid drilling the holes in the wrong spot and from connecting
the panels backwards. With the arrows facing up take both side panels
and lay out the lines and mark the placement of the holes with your
measuring tape and speed square according to fig 1. Pay close attention
to which way the arrow is pointing for each panel.
½”
1”
1”
1”
2 ¼”
¾”
¾”
¾”
2 5/8”
3 1/8”
¾”
Fig. 1 Lay out for right side panel, left side laid out just the opposite
The other side panel is a mirror image, so to lay it out flip all the
measurements around. The arrow will also be pointing in the opposite
direction. It’s easier to lay out the holes on one side panel and then place the
panels back to back (both arrows on the outside and facing the same
direction) and drill both pieces at the same time. This way the holes line up
and it avoids confusion (if you’re not already confused).
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Step 4
The hex head bolts that we’re
using are ¼” size but to make
things a little easier when
putting things together use a
5/16” drill bit in your brace
drill. In some places you will
be putting the bolt through
three different holes before you
get to the other side and the
extra room will help in locating
these holes. Drill the holes for
both side panels. You can even
drill both side panels at the same time by putting them back to back in
the vise. If you do this pay attention to the arrows, they should both be
on the outside and pointing in the same direction. Also, make sure you
hold the drill level. If you don’t and you angle the bit a little the two
holes won’t line up and the bolt may not go through both holes. Have a
friend watch the drill as you turn it to make sure things look straight.
Step 4
After the holes have been
drilled in both side panels we
need to attach them to the
long boards. The arrows face
out and towards the short
spacer we installed earlier.
Insert the tall spacer between
the two long boards just for
support at this time. Now
with the side panel flush with
the bottom edge place a screw
in the end of the long boards about ¾” up and ¾” over from the bottom
of the front edge (see picture). With both side panels attached with one
screw each let’s drill the holes through the tall spacer.
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Clamp the pieces down to the workbench
and with the same 5/16” bit in your drill
place the bit in the hole that’s at the
bottom corner of the side panel. We need
to finish drilling the hole all the way
through the long board, the tall spacer and
finally through the long board on the
other side. Your bit may not be long
enough to go through all this and even if it
is it’s best to only go halfway through
each side and then flip the piece over and
continue the hole until they both meet.
This way, if you start to get off square
with your bit as you drill, you won’t carry
the angle all the way through to the other
side and miss the hole that you’ve all
ready drilled.
Drill the top corner hole the rest of the way through the tall spacer just as
you did with the bottom hole. Take a bolt and test your fit with both
holes. If you have trouble getting the bolts to go all the way through the
holes they may need some friendly persuading with your hammer. I
said friendly persuading. If you have to hit the bolt hard and it’s still not
going through, remove it and see if you can tell where it’s getting stuck.
You may have to use sandpaper, or if things are way off, a bigger drill bit
to allow the bolt to go through.
Now, drill the hole that’s at the
bottom towards the middle of the
side panel the rest of the way
through the long boards just as
we did for the other holes. This
is the hole that the catapult arm
will pivot on, but we need to wait
to drill the hole through the arm.
That step is coming up.
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Here is how to install the bolts: Take a bolt and slide a washer on, insert
the bolt through the holes, place another washer on the end and finally
the lock nuts are tightened. Follow this procedure and install the two
bolts that go through the tall spacer.
Before you tighten the nuts, place
your speed square against the side of
the panels to make sure they are
square. If you tighten the nuts too
much you can pull the side panels
out of square. One of the reasons for
using lock nuts is you don’t have to
tighten them down in order to keep
them from loosening up, where ever
you stop turning them that’s where
they’ll stay.
Step 5
Grab the doorknob stopper, the towel hook, and the catapult arm and
head to the workbench. (Is it just me or does that just sound plain
weird?) The door knob stopper (let’s shorten that to DKS) that we
bought had a sticky backing but we didn’t trust that to hold it to the
catapult arm so we screwed it to the arm with a 1 ¼” drywall screw on
the side that’s ¾” in width. Make sure you leave ½” space above the
DKS for the handle to have something to grab onto. Just below the DKS
place the towel hook with the hooks pointing up towards the DKS. We
found out after we installed our catapult arm that it rubbed the inside of
the long boards as it moved. To prevent this we used some sandpaper to
remove some material so that it wouldn’t stick.
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On the opposite end we need to drill the hole for the catapult arm to
pivot on. Use fig. 2 for the placement of the hole.
¾”
½”
1”
Catapult arm
Fig. 2
To make sure that the corner of the
catapult arm doesn’t hit the surface
it’s sitting on as it swings forward; we
chamfered the edge using our block
plane.
Before we secure the catapult arm with a bolt we need to drill one last
hole.
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Step 6
We need to drill a hole through the end of the long boards and through
the handle. Figure 3 shows the placement of the hole in the long boards
and the handle. Drill the hole for the handle separate from the holes
through the long boards. Because the bottom of the handle is notched to
help catch the catapult arm there’s not much room for error in drilling
this hole, so pay careful attention to place the drill bit in the center of the
wood.
½”
¾”
Long board
5/8”
¼”
Handle
Fig. 3
Now we can assemble the handle and the catapult arm. Just as we did
before, slide a washer over the bolt, insert the bolt then place another
washer on the end of the bolt, and finally the lock nut. The catapult arm
uses a 4 ½” bolt and the handle uses the 3” bolt. The catapult arm needs
to be able to move freely so just tighten the lock nut enough so that the
bolt doesn’t move.
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Step 7
There’s one more bolt that you should have
left. This bolt will go through one of the four
empty holes that are on the top of the side
panels. This bolt will stop the catapult arm
at different points along its arc depending
upon which one of the holes the bolt is in.
Changing the stopping point will change the
trajectory of the marshmallow. The hole
closest to the handle will give a higher
trajectory, while the last hole furthest from
the handle will give a lower, straighter
trajectory. Secure the bolt with a
washer on each end but this time
Trajectory- The
instead of a lock nut use a wing
curved path of an
object as it moves from
nut. The wing nut will make
one point to another.
moving the bolt into different
holes easier.
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Step 8
There’s one last thing to do in the construction of the catapult. Using
your brace and a 1/8” diameter bit drill a small pilot hole 1 ½” deep that
goes through the catapult arm near
the top close to where the handle is.
The exact placement of the hole
doesn’t matter just make sure that it
goes through the long board and
into the catapult arm. Next, put a 4d
nail in the hole to act like a safety
pin. With this pin installed, the
Safety pin
catapult arm will be unable to move.
Step 9
Let’s get this thing ready to launch! First thing we need to do is to wrap
a rubber band around the bolt on each side of the tall spacer. After
wrapping a rubber band around the bolt loop one end back through the
center and pull it tight. (Yeah, that last sentence would make much
sense to me either if I hadn’t written it; look at the picture for more
detail.) Do this for both rubber bands. Next bring the catapult arm up
and slip the rubber bands around the hooks. Slowly pull the arm down
and put the safety pin in. Place the marshmallow into the cup then move
the handle over the catapult arm and pull out the safety pin.
Make sure that nothing and especially NOBODY is around or in front of
the catapult.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, release the handle and fire away!
Caution!
This catapult should not be used to throw anything except large size marshmallows.
Keep hands clear of the catapult arm when being released. Make sure the area is clear before using
the catapult of people, pets or breakable objects (we don’t want Mom and Dad mad at us, do we)? If,
after repeated use the catapult arm becomes badly dented from hitting the stopper bolt, discontinue
use. You can easily replace the dented catapult arm with a new one. Anytime the catapult arm is
pulled down with rubber bands attached you should have the safety pin in. The only time it is safe to
remove the safety pin is after the handle is underneath the catapult arm and you are ready to fire.
Failure to follow these safety procedures may result in serious harm. The author assumes no liability
for harm resulting from the use of the catapult.
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1
2
(1) Wrap a rubber band around the bolt on each side of the tall spacer.
(2) Take one end of the rubber band and pull it back through the loop.
3
4
(3) Bring the arm up and loop the rubber bands around the hooks.
(4) Pull the arm down and insert the safety pin.
5
6
(5) Raise the handle until it catches the arm, pull the safety pin out and
load the marshmallow into the cup.
(6) Pull back on the handle and FIRE!
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Planter Box
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Lesson 21
Planter Box
Here’s a simple project to make that’s useful and attractive. It’s also the
perfect gift for Mom or Dad to say thank you for all the cool tools and
wood that they’ve bought for you.
We’ve built other projects in this book that were meant for outside use
but the planter box is unique in one way. The birdhouse and birdfeeder
that we made was finished with an outdoor spar varnish to protect the
pine. This is a good choice for projects that need protection from
occasional rain and snow. But for something that’s going to be in almost
constant contact with moisture you’re better off going with a wood that’s
water resistant. We chose western red cedar and pressure treated wood
for the planter box because both stand up to moisture for a long time
without rotting. Western red cedar is plentiful in the south but where
you live it might be easier to find redwood or cypress. Also, building the
whole project out of pressure treated wood is fine, but you might have
trouble finding it tongue and grooved.
What’s tongue and grooved I hear you say? I’m glad you asked. When
two pieces of wood are “tongue and grooved”, it forms a joint allowing
two pieces of wood to be connected without the need for any glue.
Here’s how it works. On one edge of a board a groove is cut into the
center down the entire length of the board. On the same board, but on
the opposite edge a “tongue” is cut that is the exact shape to fit into the
groove that was cut. Now
the way this works is you
take one board with the
groove facing to the right and
take another board flipped
around with the tongue
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facing to the left and slide them together, (see picture). Also, as you can
see from the picture, a chamfer is cut into the edge of the tongue side and
the grooved side making an attractive “V” when the two pieces come
together. This is a good joint to use to quickly connect pieces of wood
together and forms a tight joint that won’t allow water or dirt to seep out
in-between the joints.
Here’s the cut list:
Panel pieces
Long braces
Things You’ll Need
(14) ¾” x 5 ½” x 14 ½” T&G cedar
(2) ¾” x 1 ½” x 17” Cedar
The usual suspects
(2) 1” x 6” x 10’ Tongue and
grooved western red cedar
(1) 1” x 2” x 6’ cedar
Short braces
(2) ¾” x 1 ½” x 12 ¼” Cedar
Bottom
(4) 1 ½” x 3 ½” x 17 ½” PT
Feet
(2) 1 ½” x 3 ½” x 11” PT
(1) 2” x 4” x 10’ pressure treated
pine
(1) 1” x 4” x 6’ cedar
8d galvanized common nails
1 ¼” stainless steel screws
Frame (short)
(2) ¾” x 3 ½” x 11” Cedar
Frame (long)
(2) ¾” x 3 ½” x 21” Cedar
6d finish nails
Combination square
1/8” twist bit
Waterproof glue
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Step 1
The planter has two
panels that are three
boards each and two
panels that are four
boards each. After you
slide the boards together
to form the panels you’ll
notice that on each end
of the panels you still
have either a tongue or a
groove left. In order for
us to connect the panels
together we need to rip off the tongue and grooves that are on the end of
our panels.
Here’s how we ripped off the unnecessary tongue or groove and cut the
panels to final width. To avoid confusion only work on one panel at a
time so you’re only working on two boards at a time. Take one of the
end boards on a long panel (one that has four boards) and set your
combination square to the length from the edge to just remove the
tongue or groove. With a pencil and your set combination square, slide
the two together down the length of the board to form a cut line to
follow. Clamp the board to you workbench and remove the tongue or
groove with your handsaw.
Now, take the piece you just cut and re-attach it to the long panel. The
final width of the long panels are 19”, so measure over from the board
you just cut to the other edge and place a mark at 19”. Again, set your
combination square to this mark and with a pencil mark this length
down the entire edge. Cut these pieces to width just as before. The other
long panel is done the exact same way.
For the short panels (one that has three boards) the only difference is the
final width is 14 ¼”. Cut all four sides to final width.
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Step 2
With all the panels cut to size and assembled you’ve probably noticed
that they are a little flimsy. The tongue and groove joint is not enough to
hold the panels together. We need some type of backing to stiffen the
panels up. That’s where the braces come in. If you haven’t cut the
braces to size yet go on and do that. The longer braces are for the wider
panels and the short ones are for the narrower panels. The reason that
the braces don’t go all the way across is to keep them from getting in the
way when the panels come together. Measure over 1” from both edges
and place a mark. The braces on the wide and narrow panels should fit
in-between these marks. The braces need to be placed somewhere in the
middle of each panel so we measured down roughly 7” from the top
edge of each panel and place the top of the brace at this mark.
Once you have the braces marked where they
Expand- To grow bigger,
should go clamp them in place and with your
to enlarge.
brace drill pilot holes using a 1/8” bit through the
Contract- To shrink in
brace and into the center of each board. By
size.
drilling into the center of each board you allow
the panel to expand and contract along the width.
Remember wood is constantly moving. Wood moves in response to how
much moisture is in the air. If the air is dry wood will contract, if the air
is damp, wood will soak up this moisture and expand. Most of wood’s
movement is across the width of the board, (very little movement is seen
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along the length). So, if we were to screw down the brace board all along
the width of each panel, especially two into each board, it wouldn’t
allow the individual boards to expand and contract and would
eventually split the panels into pieces.
Before you connect the brace to the panels, use your combination square
along the bottom of each panel to make sure that the boards are all even.
Using only 1 ¼” screws, no glue, connect the braces to each panel.
Step 3
Set the panels aside for now and let’s build the
bottom. The bottom is made up of four 2 x 4 x
17 ½” pieces just butted together. The two feet
are evenly spaced across the bottom pieces and
nailed with 8d-galvanized nails. Place a nail
through the feet and into each of the bottom
boards. It helps to place a clamp across the
bottom boards to hold everything together while
you’re hammering.
Step 4
One of the worst things that can happen to a
potted plant is for the roots to sit in water day
after day. Since we built our planter bottom
without any gaps between the boards for water
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to drain, water will collect in the bottom
with nowhere to go. We need to find a
way for the water to drain out. The
solution that we came up with is to drill
small drainage holes through the bottom.
We drilled six ½” holes spaced evenly
over the bottom. Make sure that the
holes don’t go through the feet because
they touch the ground and won’t allow
the water to drain out properly.
Step 5
Now that the bottom is completed we can attach the panels around it.
Take a long and short panel and wrap them around the bottom section,
(make sure you’ve flipped the bottom over so that the feet are against the
ground.) The long panels overlap the short panels. We also used scrap
pieces of cedar underneath the panels to raise them off the ground by ¾”
while we nailed them to the bottom. This extra space makes sure that
the bottom edge of the panels won’t sit in water for long periods of time
helping the wood to last longer. Measure up from the bottom edge of
the panels to the center of the bottom boards and use your combination
square to draw a line across. This line will mark where to place your
nails to make sure they go into the bottom boards. Along the bottom
edge use the same 8d galvanized nails you used in building the bottom.
Here’s a girl that’s not afraid to swing a hammer!
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We found it helpful to have one person hold the bottom section with a
couple of clamps holding the panels together while another nailed
everything together. In addition to nailing the panels to the bottom you
need to nail where the panels come together. The 8d nails are a little big
for this so we chose to use 6d finish nails along with some water- proof
glue to hold the panels together. Connect the other two panels the same
way.
Step 6
Our planter box is looking good at this point but it needs a little
something extra. How about a frame to go around the top edge of the
box? This is a small thing to add but makes a huge difference in the
appearance of the planter. The frame is made from 1 x 4” cedar, no
tongue & groove is needed here.
Butt Joint
A simple butt joint is all that’s needed to connect the frame parts. The
frame parts are sized so that when it’s put together there should be
approximately a 1” overhang of the panels all the way around. It’s much
easier to put the frame together first and then place the completed frame
on than to piece the frame together around the planter. Spread glue on
each joint (a waterproof glue should be used) and clamp the frame up as
shown in the picture. Measure from one corner to the opposite corner
(diagonally) and note the distance. Measure the other diagonal and if
the distance is equal you know the frame is square. If it’s not, loosen the
clamps a little and gently push the longer corner in and measure again
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until the measurements are the same, retighten the clamps and set it
aside to dry.
Step 7
Now it’s time to attach the top. Earlier we said that when the frame sits
on the planter there should be approximately a 1” overhang all the way
around. The 1” overhang is not critical, just measure the amount of
overhang around the frame and make sure it’s close to the same all the
way around. Once this is set take your combination square to the
distance of overhang plus 3/8” and place small marks all the way
around the frame about every 4”to 5”. These marks are where you need
to drive 6d finish nails through the frame and into the top edge of the
panels.
Step 8
Your planter box needs no finish if you built it out of cedar, redwood,
cypress or pressure treated-wood. All of these woods will weather to an
attractive silver gray after about a year outdoors.
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