Since this sturdy bookcase has fairly simply styling, I thought resawing a unique slab might provide a chance to spice up the design with thicker components, showier grain and distressed figure. So I went to a local sawmill and selected a slab of red elm — it’s a species you won’t find at many lumberyards. I think its strong grain pattern, natural defects and warm color look great. The large box joints on the corners of the carcass complement the bookcase’s black, stocky base to give the project a contemporary look. Here’s a design that should work well with many home decors.

Selecting the Slab

When I had my piece of red elm picked out, I made sure to take note of its moisture content. Material around 12 percent or less moisture content is ideal for furniture building, and mine was dry enough for immediate use. The slab I bought was 7 ft long and about 14″ wide. I checked for any embedded metal objects with a metal detector and then rough-cut the plank into three sections that were about 26″ long.

I sized my pieces, in part, to fit into Rockler’s soon-to-be-released Benchtop Slab Flattening Jig. It fits workpieces up to 18″ wide, 28″ long and 1-3/4″ thick. My slab was about 2-3/8″ thick and had a slight crown to it, but that was no problem for this slab-flattening system. One of the unique features of this aluminum-railed jig is that it can be shimmed up to any height to match the thickness of the slab for surfacing. I raised the jig by inserting strips of 3/4″ MDF under its rails on top of the jig’s MDF substrate.

Flattening Both Sides

When preparing a slab for flattening, it’s important to stabilize and secure it to the jig’s MDF or plywood substrate so it can’t shift. I used a combination of shims and blocking, hot-glued to the substrate and the slab sections, to lock things down.

With a 1-1/2″-diameter carbide-insert spoil bit installed in my mid-size router, and the router mounted to the jig’s reinforced plastic router sled, I was able to easily remove the rough surface of the wood and eliminate the cupping/crowning. The process to flatten a slab in this jig is simple: Slide the router carriage back and forth on the jig’s aluminum rails, taking off about 1/8″ of material or less of thickness at a time.

After one side is flat, you could flip the slab over and repeat the flattening process to create a second smooth face. That might be really helpful if you don’t own a planer. But since I do, I ran the slab sections through my planer at this point with the flattened faces down to reduce their thickness to 2-3/16″. This way, I could resaw them to achieve the 1″ stock thickness I needed plus account for the material lost to the blade kerf and a bit of cleanup.

Once the faces of my slabs were flat, smooth and parallel to each other, it was time to work on their live edges. At the table saw, I used Rockler’s Straight-Line Rip Hold-Down Clamps attached to a plywood sled to rip one irregular edge off of each slab. I cut the opposite edges off using the rip fence, leaving each piece about 1/2″ wider than the Material List dimensions. I squared up their ends at the miter saw and kept them a tad overly long.

On to Resawing, Gap-filling

It’s sometimes easier with modestly powered band saws to first begin a resaw cut at the table saw, making a deep cut into both edges. That’s what I did here, which reduced what would be left for the band saw to finish up.

After making the table saw cuts along the slab’s centerlines, I took them over to the band saw and split them the rest of the way, turning three thicker pieces into six thinner ones.

I cleaned up the six sawn faces with one more pass through my planer, which brought them all to 1″ thickness. But you could use the flattening jig instead, or even a belt sander or a bench plane. It’s up to you. The important thing is, make sure the stock thickness for the bookcase’s top, bottom and sides match.

One of the reasons I selected this slab was because of the unique cracks and voids in it. I filled those defects with a black tinted epoxy designed for this application.

After a few hours of curing, the epoxy was ready to sand flat, which I did with my random orbit sander. Then I trimmed the bookcase’s top, bottom and sides to final size.

Cutting Box Joints

This bookcase features an irregular box joint pattern on the corners to add some visual interest as well as strength, since the project has no back panel. I cut my box joints using the old tried-and-true shop made “miter gauge” jig. It consists of a piece of 3/4″ plywood attached to my miter gauge’s fence with a 3/4″ x 1″ wooden key installed in a notch in its bottom edge. I chose a piece of plywood measuring roughly 12″ x 16″ for the jig fence — it was large enough to provide plenty of vertical and horizontal support for these large bookcase components, particularly when two of them need to be standing side by side on the jig for cutting the box joints. With a 3/4″-wide dado stack installed in the table saw, I set the height a hair above 1″, so the pins of the joints would extend just a bit past the workpiece faces when assembled. (I think it’s easier to level those flush than have the pins come up short and need to plane the whole faces of the parts instead.)

I cut a 3/4″ slot through the edge of the jig’s fence, about halfway along its length, for the wooden key. Then I made up a piece of 3/4″ x 1″ key stock about 4″ long. I cut it in half and installed one piece in the jig’s notch so it was flush to the back face of the fence and projected outward.

To prepare the box joint jig, set the second key against the first key on its left side (looking down from above) to act as a spacer, and place the jig fence against the miter gauge fence with the miter gauge in your saw’s left miter slot. Slide the fence assembly over so the spacer key touches the right side of the dado blade. Holding it carefully in this position, fasten the miter gauge to the box joint jig with several screws driven through both fences. Then remove the spacer key and cut a second notch through the jig fence. The distance between the jig’s key and the blade must match the width of the blade precisely, or the joints will be difficult to assemble. Accurate setup is really crucial here!

I used masking tape to lay out my box joint pattern on each of the bookcase’s top, bottom and side workpieces to help avoid confusion — no room for mistakes here on one-of-a-kind lumber! The tape layouts are merely visual guides, not exact templates for cutting.

As you can see in the Box Joint Layout Drawing, the 3/4″-wide pins are spaced between 3/4″-wide slots, and there’s a 3″-wide “pin” in the middle of the pattern on the bookcase top and bottom panels. I cut the joints on the ends of the top and bottom panels first, indexing each slot cut by fitting it over the jig’s key. Notice that you cut two slots in from each edge of these parts to form two thin pins. What’s left in the middle is the wider pin. Once the top and bottom panels are cut, use them to index the first slot cuts on the edges of the bookcase sides. It’s typical box-joint cutting procedure. Finish cutting the wider center slots by removing the waste in several passes.

Assembly Time!

With the tricky step now behind you, dry-fit the corner joints to make sure they slip together — if you made the jig correctly and worked carefully, they will!

Then I disassembled the carcass, gave all four parts a finish-sanding up to 220-grit and brought them together one last time with glue and clamps. When the glue dried, I flattened the protruding pins with 60-grit abrasive in my random orbit sander, then finish-sanded those areas again.

I wanted the bookcase shelf to be adjustable, so it was time to pull out my Rockler shelf pin jig and drill/driver to bore the 1/4″ shelf pin holes. Make sure all the rows of holes you drill align with one another so the shelf will sit evenly.

The base’s legs and short and long stretchers are simply 1-1/2″ x 1-1/2″ stock joined with pocket screws and glue. Since I would be painting the base, I just milled down economical 8/4 poplar for these parts. Once you’ve got the components cut to size and shape, fasten pairs of legs to each short stretcher with glue and pocket screws, orienting the pocket holes so they’re inside the base where they won’t be seen.

Then join these base end subassemblies to the long stretchers, again hiding the pocket holes on the back sides of the parts. When the glue dried, I sanded the base and brushed on two coats of General Finishes Lamp Black Milk Paint to wrap up its construction.

Finishing Up

This bookcase will receive lots of use in my busy home, so I opted to finish the carcass and shelf with a hard wax oil. It’s easy to apply by hand, and it buffs beautifully to a soft luster. It’s also easy to repair down the road by simply wiping more finish on again.

Once the paint and finish thoroughly dried, I bored 1/4″-deep countersunk holes into the bottom of the base stretchers, centered the base on the bookcase’s bottom panel and fastened the components together with 2″ wood screws.

Now grab some metal shelf pins and install the shelf at a height that works for you. I hope you’ll enjoy this rugged and attractive bookcase as much as I do!

The post PROJECT: Slab-built Bookcase appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

This design has a round resin “tabletop” that is as ultra-practical as it is impervious to water. Pouring your own resin top gives you the advantage of having nearly unlimited color variations at your fingertips. And that task will be made much easier by using a round silicone mold from Rockler. I have had mixed results making my own molds — breaking the hardened resin free from those molds is a common problem. They can be quite stubborn, and some bad words may have been uttered as I worked to free them. This silicone mold made that step so easy that it’s hard to explain the difference.

The framework of the plant stand is made from a manufactured bamboo board. I’d never used bamboo before, but I have to say I will use more of it now. It is solid and easy to work. Rockler sells a 3/4″ x 8″ x 30″ board that is more than sufficient to make one plant stand.

Starting at the Beginning

Kick the project off by ripping the top pieces and the legs to width on the table saw. As I’ve mentioned, this was my first experience with a manufactured bamboo panel. I was so impressed with the smooth, nearly polished edge that my carbide combination blade formed with these rip cuts. It was super clean.

Following that step, I used my miter saw to cut the top pieces to length. As surprised as I was about the smooth ripped edges, I was equally surprised by the fuzz formed on my crosscuts.

Apparently, the fibrous nature of bamboo does not take well to crosscutting. I likely could have improved my success by scribing a line with a knife in advance of the cuts, but I decided to use sandpaper to solve the problem instead.

With the pieces cut to length, it was time to make the half-lap joint in the center of the top pieces. I used a 3/4″ dado blade in my table saw. Test your setup on scrap pieces. This needs to be a tight joint, so take your time and do it right.

With that done chuck a 3/8″ straight bit into your router table and use it to form the mortises on the top pieces. It is a “drop” cut, so I made use of a featherboard to help control the operation.

I was able to rout the full 3/8″-deep mortise in one cut. The half-lap joint means these mortises need to be on a specific edge; mark them so you don’t get confused. Finish shaping the top pieces by cutting the angles on their ends.

Legs are Next

You’ve already ripped the legs to width, so now you need to add some details. First, cut the legs to length using your miter saw. Both the top and bottom of the legs need to be angled slightly. Set the angle — 10 degrees — on your saw. Be sure to cut the legs to exactly the same length to avoid a wobbly plant stand.

I raised the tenon on the top of each leg using my router table and a miter gauge. I attached a sacrificial fence to the miter gauge and chucked a 1/2″-diameter straight bit into the router.

Setting the bit 3/8″ above the table, I cut a notch in the fence, then clamped a stop block to the fence. Test the setup with scrap lumber until you are raising a 3/8″-tall by 3/8″- wide tenon.

Using a combination of a band saw and hand saw, I squared up the shoulders of the tenons. Finally I used a rasp to round the shoulders to match the rounded ends of the mortises. Test-fit each leg to be confident of a proper assembly.

Tapering the legs comes next. The taper starts 3-1/2″ down from the top of the leg (minus the tenon) and angles over to leave 1/2″ of bamboo remaining at the bottom of the leg. I set up Rockler’s large tapering jig and sliced the tapers, which cut smoothly and cleanly.

With that done, sand the undercarriage pieces smooth and do a dry-fit to make sure all the parts are correct. Now it’s time to glue and clamp them together. I chose to make two subassemblies using a top piece and two legs each.

I let the glue cure then applied glue to the half-lap joint and clamped the subassemblies together. I chose Titebond III, as it’s a darker color that matches the bamboo, but any wood glue would work just fine. After all the glue had cured, I broke the edges of the pieces with 220-grit sandpaper.

You may have noticed that the resin top is lifted slightly above the level of the top pieces. I did that with shelf pins that are usually used to support adjustable shelves in a cabinet. I bored holes for them 3/4″ in from the end of each top piece, centered in the edge.

Later, I used dowel points to locate the matching holes on the underside of the resin tabletop. This completed the woodworking aspect of the project. I sprayed a few coats of lacquer on the bamboo from an aerosol rattle can. It took the finish well.

Round Resin Tabletop

Epoxy resin work has become exceedingly popular when combined with woodworking. Rockler’s silicone molds make that work so much easier.

Measure your components carefully — by weight is best, but volume will work reasonably well. Using a mold release spray is also a sound technique … work smarter, not harder. Imagination and attention to details are the keys to great-looking resin products.

Careful measurement of the resin and hardener is critical to success. Mix the two components together well, then add color, should you so choose.

Combining colors and decorative agents adds variety to resin work. Rockler’s round silicone resin mold forms a perfect circle, and it also makes it so easy to remove the hardened resin when it cures. One trick in creating interesting swirls is to wait for the resin to just barely begin to harden and then move the stir stick across the shape in irregular and abstract patterns.

Topping it Off

I made the choice to make the tabletop from resin for a couple of reasons: first, resin is sturdy and waterproof, and second, it gave me a chance to try out Rockler’s new round silicone mold. Let me tell you, removing the top from that mold was so easy I could hardly believe it. That feature and the repeatability of the mold really sold me on the concept.

I made a few tops with my favorite being a translucent aqua green. To be frank, the tabletop could have been made of wood and the plant stand would be just as functional — but to me, the see-through top really adds to the freshness of this design.

Here’s a fun little project to build, and it makes a great gift. If you give them to a few different people, changing the tabletop colors and textures ensures unique gifts for all.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

The post PROJECT: Compact Plant Stand appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

The post VIDEO: Features and Benefits of the JET 1221VS Lathe appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

The post PROJECT: Tall Dresser appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

The post PROJECT: Cherry Dog Kennel appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

The post Cherry Dog Kennel Drawings appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

The post PROJECT: Floating Bedside Shelf appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

However, in our home, making something practical is also very important. I try to live by the motto, “if it’s going to be in the kitchen, we better use it.” (Just don’t look at my drawer full of BBQ tools … Yes, I need all those turners and tongs!) But I think I’ve reached a happy medium here. This round cutting board with a multi-species laminated accent is both fun to make and practical as can be.

Let’s Get Rolling

I started by selecting a color scheme and decided to make most of the cutting board from walnut with a bold accent of maple, cherry, mahogany and padauk. These colors work great in our kitchen and really make the cutting board pop! But just about any close-grained hardwoods would be great choices for this board. There are no rules here; my picks were entirely subjective, and my wife really liked the colors. Which supports another motto worth remembering: “Happy wife, happy life!”

Ripping Along

This project really gave my table saw a workout. I got started by crosscutting my pieces of walnut into roughly 16″ lengths and then ripped them to 1-1/8″ wide. My goal for this board was to end up just a bit proud of 1″ in thickness, so giving myself that extra 1/8″ for flattening and sanding turned out to be helpful.

To glue up the accent strip, I put a thin coating of glue on the faces that would be touching. I grabbed a couple of 2x4s to use as clamping cauls to provide even pressure.

I reached for my bottle of Titebond III for this lamination. The “green” label is the right choice here, because it’s a waterproof formulation and is FDA-approved for indirect food contact.

Once it had time to fully cure, I scraped away the extra glue squeeze-out and headed to the miter saw to cut it into some angled pieces. I swiveled my saw table to 22.5 degrees and, using a piece of tape and a marker, scribed a registration line on the saw’s fence 1-1/8″ away from the blade.

I cut 10 pieces to this length with the lamination laying on the saw table so its glue lines were facing up. Now back to that sandwich!

As you can see in the Drawings, I captured the angled pieces between the two maple strips. To glue the maple and the angled accent pieces together, I applied glue to one face of each maple strip and to the angled ends of the multicolored pieces, then sandwiched them all together. I was concerned that too much clamping force would cause this multi-piece glue-up to shift around before the glue had time to tack up. So, spring clamps to the rescue! I used enough clamps to apply adequate pressure but not to ruin their alignment.

While the glue was drying, I started to prepare for gluing up the whole board. I did a dry-fit of all the pieces and was satisfied with the results — it was going to work fine. Then I got busy applying glue to the pieces. After I had assembled about two thirds of the walnut into a blank, I glued in the accent strip and then finished up with the remaining walnut on the opposite side of the accent.

I used a pair of Rockler’s Mini Deluxe Panel Clamps to provide the clamping pressure. They’re designed to both squeeze a panel together and also keep its laminations flush — perfect for this application!

Cutting and Shaping Comes Next

It’s always a good idea to give the glue on complicated laminations plenty of time to cure, so I let mine dry overnight. Removing the board from the clamps, I was pleased to find that it required minimal flattening. And that was good because I had more work to do.

I got started back at the table saw squaring up its ends. While this board would have worked well as a square, I want something different, so I settled on a circle!

Before I got too excited and cut it round, I wanted to use a new 4-in-1 Cutting Board Handle Routing Template from Rockler. The template has four different handle shapes and takes the effort out of forming cutouts.

Simply register the template and remove the material with a router, making use of a guide bushing and 3/8″ spiral bit. I decided on the square cutout to pay homage to all the other square cutting boards in the world, and I think the square hole in a round object makes the choice a bit comical, too.

Then it was time to cut the board round. There are many ways to do this, but let me show you my preferred method. I started with my router attached to a circle-cutting jig and made a very shallow cut along the bottom of the board so I could see where the circle was going to be.

I set the jig for a 14″ diameter. I made a few more passes, routing to about 3/8″ deep. Then I took the board over to the band saw and completed the circular cut I had started. My last step was to skim off the remaining band saw waste with a flush-trim router bit.

Wrapping Up Some Final Details

A round cutting board with sharp edges just seems incomplete to me. So, I eased the outer edges of the circle with a 3/8″-radius roundover bit in the router and switched to a 1/4″ roundover for softening the edges of the handle cutout. I think the combination of profiles adds a nice detail.

Even though my board was sufficiently flat, it still needed more final sanding So, I worked up through the grits to 320 to give all of its surfaces a silky smooth feel. A couple coats of food-safe Walrus Oil Cutting Board Oil made it even smoother, and the oil really highlights this project’s many wood colors.

My favorite little feet are some 3/8″ soft bumpers that install in drilled holes in the bottom face. I mounted eight of them to prevent any tipping when I’m slicing tomatoes for my next BLT. And with that, my new cutting board was ready for use.

If you make one of these boards too, be sure to only wash it by hand and not in the dishwasher. When the board eventually looks dull and dry, clean it thoroughly and then apply a fresh coat of oil. Simple as that! I’m off to make a sandwich.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

The post PROJECT: Accented Cutting Board appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

The post PROJECT: Hideaway Bed appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

The post PROJECT: Plant Stand appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.