Popular Woodworking - Woodworking Plans, Woodworking projects, Designs Patterns Download FREE woodworking plans for these projects The following projects were featured in Popular Woodworking in the last couple years. In each free plan you get a cutting list, a decription of the construction process and a downloadable construction drawing in PDF format. Pattern Cutting on the Table Saw With a simple jig, as seen in these free woodworking plans, you can transform your table saw into an accurate pattern-cutting machine. CLICK HERE A Contemporary Mobile File Cabinet Looking for a sleek and contemporary project that helps organize? Just read this free plan to see how easy it can be. CLICK HERE http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/projects.asp (1 of 4) [1/20/2004 7:50:46 PM] Popular Woodworking - Woodworking Plans, Woodworking projects, Designs Patterns Heirloom Photo Album A special board and some hardware are all you need to make this album. CLICK HERE Rough Lumber Cut-off Stand Cut long lengths of lumber to rough size without four sawhorses or a helper. CLICK HERE Arts & Crafts Globe Stand If this globe-stand design doesn't suit you, we offer three other drawings to give you some options. CLICK HERE Shaker Storage Cabinet With two different shelving systems, this face-frame cabinet stores light or heavy stuff. Just look at these drawings, techniques and plans to see for yourself. CLICK HERE European Telephone Console Keep your phone, phone books, keys and small umbrellas in order with this fashionable modern console. CLICK HERE http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/projects.asp (2 of 4) [1/20/2004 7:50:46 PM] Popular Woodworking - Woodworking Plans, Woodworking projects, Designs Patterns Router Table-Mate Make your own router table for less than $50 by using these woodworking drawings and techniques. This one is easy to make and store. CLICK HERE What You Must Know About Shelving Learning to build shelving is a basic skill every woodworker must master. Here are the basic rules everyone must follow. CLICK HERE Garden Swing This swing is simple to build but looks great in your yard or on your porch CLICK HERE Morris Chair I don't care what they say about dogs, Morris chairs are a man's best friend. This reproduction of a Shop of the Crafters chair is sturdy and comfortable, as you can learn from these free woodworking plans.. CLICK HERE Tansu Chest This Japanese-style Tansu chest can be used in several different configurations to fit your lifestyle. No matter how you stack it, it stores a lot of items, as we show you with this free project.. CLICK HERE http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/projects.asp (3 of 4) [1/20/2004 7:50:46 PM] Popular Woodworking - Woodworking Plans, Woodworking projects, Designs Patterns Contemporary Shelves It's rare that bookshelves look as interesting as the objects you display on them. These shelves are easy to build and knock down for storage. CLICK HERE Drill Press Table Drill presses are designed mostly for metalworking. Dress yours up with this table - we give you all the project plans - and you'll find it indispensable for woodworking, too. CLICK HERE Bungalow Mailbox This project was by request. As I live in the 'burbs and have to walk to the curb to pick up my bills, a mailbox mounted next to my front door would be purely decorative. CLICK HERE © Popular Woodworking • F+W Publications Inc. Customer Service FAQs http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/projects.asp (4 of 4) [1/20/2004 7:50:46 PM] Popular Woodworking Magazine Pattern Cutting on the Table Saw http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/fea.asp?id=1234 (1 of 4) [1/20/2004 7:50:50 PM] Popular Woodworking Magazine With a simple jig, you can use your saw to cut duplicates of parts. Sure, I have a router and a handful of pattern-cutting bits. But many times when I need to make This complex shelf was traced, roughed out duplicates of an odd-shaped part, I and trimmed to size in less than five minutes turn to my table saw instead. with only one clamping setup. Try that with your router. With a shamefully simple jig (it’s two pieces of wood) clamped to my saw’s fence, I can cut patterns all day long. I think it’s faster than pattern cutting with my router for several reasons. First, when roughing out the shape of the blank on my band saw, I don’t Once your jig is clamped to your fence, you need to cut real close to my line like need to align its edge with your sawblade. A I do when pattern routing. I only square will get you close, but a follow-up test have to get within 1-½" of the line cut or two will get you exactly where you instead of within 1/16" to 1/8". want to be. Second, there’s less clamping involved with this table-saw method. Normally I screw or nail my template to the side of the part that won’t show (the underside of a shelf, for example) and go. I can do this with pattern routing, too, but I’ll still need One of the big advantages to cutting patterns to clamp everything to my bench, with your table saw is you don't have to be make part of the cut, readjust the real accurate when roughing out the stock. With a router, you need to cut pretty close to clamps and then finish the cut. the line so the tool can handle trimming the When I use the table saw, I screw it last bit of stock flush. With this table saw and cut it. setup, you have to be within 1-1/2" of your line –– which means you're much less likely to accidentally cross it, too. Build the Jig The jig should take five minutes to build. It is simply two narrow strips of ¾"-thick wood nailed and glued on one long edge into an “L” shape. One of the strips of wood should be as long as your table saw’s fence. Its width depends on how thick your project’s stock is. For cutting patterns in ¾" stock, rip this board to 1-5/8" wide. The second one should FOr this cherry corner cabinet, I screwed the pattern to the shelf on its sappy underside. A be 1-¾" wide and about 6" shorter http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/fea.asp?id=1234 (2 of 4) [1/20/2004 7:50:50 PM] Popular Woodworking Magazine than the first board. Nail and glue couple brad nails would also do the trick. these two boards together using the Align the shortest part of the pattern flush with a jointed or straight-sawn edge. drawing as a guide. Set Up Your Jig and Use It Install a quality combination blade in your saw. Clamp the jig to your fence with the jig flush to the table. Slide the table saw’s fence over so the jig overhangs the blade and raise the blade until it almost touches the jig. Using a square, line up the edge of the jig with the edge of your sawblade’s teeth. Now wax the edge of the jig to make things slide more easily. Screw a couple pieces of scrap together and test your setup. When the cut is complete, the two pieces should be perfectly flush. Adjust the fence until this is the case. Now you’re set. Align the shortest part of the pattern with a jointed or straight-sawn edge. Trace the pattern on your stock using your template as a guide. Rough out its shape using your band saw and then screw the template to your stock. Push the pattern against your jig’s face and slide it forward. Be cautious when sawing short lengths. You’ll probably be surprised how accurate and easy this is, and give your router a rest every once in a while. PW Christopher Schwarz is a senior editor at Popular Woodworking Return to Free Projects Plans http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/fea.asp?id=1234 (3 of 4) [1/20/2004 7:50:50 PM] Popular Woodworking Magazine http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/fea.asp?id=1259 (1 of 9) [1/20/2004 7:50:55 PM] Popular Woodworking Magazine A Contemporary Mobile File Cabinet An elegant design that provides no- nonsense functionality. A few years ago I built some office furniture for a local internet consulting company, and recently they called me back: Not only had they survived the dot-com crash, but they needed some mobile file cabinets. I had already developed a unique look for their computer workstations: birch surfaces surrounded by rounded-over solid cherry edge-banding. The style was crisp, clean and a nice fit for the company’s bright and airy office. During the second stage of cabinet assembly, laying the cabinet on its side My clients had a few ideas in mind: keeps you from fighting with gravity. The cabinet comes together relatively easily, and They planned to move the cabinets the alignment is a snap thanks to the around so that people could share biscuits. files, and they wanted to wheel the cabinets underneath their desks to be easily accessible without occupying extra floor space. Locking casters and the ability to hold letter- size hanging file folders would also be nice. These guidelines created a set of dimensions to work from, and the fact that these cabinets are mobile also dictated that they be finished on all sides so that they could be enjoyed from all angles. In terms of materials, we ruled out solid-wood panels because of their inevitable cross-grain expansion and contraction, and laying up the veneers myself would’ve been Go slowly while rounding over the edges, as prohibitively expensive. the cherry can tear out and splinter if a cut is rushed. The roundover is key to the smooth, http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/fea.asp?id=1259 (2 of 9) [1/20/2004 7:50:55 PM] Popular Woodworking Magazine Fortunately I was able to locate clean feel of the piece. some nicely figured ¾"-thick birch plywood, and this allowed us to keep the look we were after without spending a fortune or sacrificing durable construction. Cutting and Edge-banding the Cabinet Parts First inspect the edges of the Using spacers to position the drawer slides plywood, because the joint between eliminates one of the leading causes of poor- the solid-wood edge-banding and fitting drawers: inconsistent spacing of the plywood panel needs to be crisp. slides. Before putting in the spacers, be sure Although it is tempting, you can’t to brush out any sawdust or woodchips that may have accumulated inside the cabinet. A assume that a factory edge is up to 1/16" discrepancy at this point could cause snuff, and a quick glance may reveal an annoying misalignment that you’ll have to numerous dings, dents and backtrack to correct later on. scratches. I often end up ripping ½" off of each factory edge. To minimize tear-out on cross-cuts, I use a sharp plywood blade and a zero-clearance throat plate. Feeding the panels more slowly, good-side facing up, also helps keep the cuts free of tear-out. Once your panels are neatly trimmed to size, it’s time to mill some edge-banding. I use cherry because I like the color that it darkens to, but substitute as you like: I’ve also used walnut with pleasing results. I simply plane the cherry to ¾", then rip it into ¼" strips. Precision is critical, as A consistent reveal is key to the crisp feel of inaccurately sized strips will either the piece. The shims shouldn’t bow the overhang the plywood panels and cabinet sides out at all, but should fit snugly need to be trimmed, or they won’t to ensure that the drawer front is centered cover the edge entirely and you’ll and that the reveal is even on both sides. have to make new ones. I usually mill some extra stock in case I notice a defect in one of the strips that wasn’t evident beforehand. The cut list calls for 12 strips, which allows for one extra. I own a few clamps that are designed for attaching solid-wood edge-banding, but they end up gathering dust for several reasons. http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/fea.asp?id=1259 (3 of 9) [1/20/2004 7:50:55 PM]