NEW BEST FINE WOODWORKING THE OF Workstations and Tool Storage NEW BEST FINE WOODWORKING THE OF Workstations Tool Storage and NEW BEST FINE WOODWORKING THE OF Workstations Tool Storage and The Editors of Fine Woodworking T © 2005 by The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Pp The Taunton Press, Inc., 63 South Main Street, PO Box 5506, Newtown, CT 06470-5506 e-mail: [email protected] Jacket/Cover design: Susan Fazekas Interior design: Susan Fazekas Layout: Cathy Cassidy Front Cover Photographer: Matt Berger, courtesy Fine Woodworking, © The Taunton Press, Inc. Back Cover Photographers: (left) Mark Schofield, courtesy Fine Woodworking, © The Taunton Press, Inc.; (top right) Michael Gellatly, courtesy Fine Woodworking, © The Taunton Press, Inc.; (bottom right) Dean Della Ventura, courtesy Fine Woodworking, © The Taunton Press, Inc. The New Best of Fine Woodworking® is a trademark of The Taunton Press, Inc., registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Workstations and tool storage / the editors of Fine woodworking. p. cm. -- (The new best of fine woodworking) ISBN 978-1-56158-785-8 (paperback) ISBN 978-1-63186-271-7 (ebook) ISBN 978-1-63186-272-4 (ePub) ISBN 978-1-63186-273-1 (mobi) ISBN 978-1-63186-274-8 (fixed) 1. Woodwork--Equipment and supplies--Design and construction. 2. Workshops-- Equipment and supplies--Design and construction. 3. Workbenches--Design and construction. 4. Storage in the home. I. Fine woodworking. II. Series. TT186.W687 2005 684'.08--dc22 2005004874 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The following manufacturers/names appearing in Workstations and Tool Storageare trade- marks: Bessey®, De-Sta-Co®, Deft®, Grainger, Jorgensen®, Lexan®, Masonite®, Pony®, Oneida Air Systems™, Record®, Simpson Strong-Tie®, Skil®, Styrofoam®, Watco® Working wood is inherently dangerous. Using hand or power tools improperly or ignoring safety practices can lead to permanent injury or even death. Don’t try to perform operations you learn about here (or elsewhere) unless you’re certain they are safe for you. If something about an operation doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Look for another way. We want you to enjoy the craft, so please keep safety foremost in your mind whenever you’re in the shop. Acknowledgments Special thanks to the authors, editors, art directors, copy editors, and other staff members of Fine Woodworking who contributed to the development of the articles in this book. Contents Introduction 2 Stack and Saw Lumber on the Same Rack 39 SECTION 1 CHRIS GOCHNOUR Workshop Systems Convertible Clamping Fine-Tune Your Shop 4 Workstation 42 GARY B. FOSTER JERRY H. LYONS Roll-Away Workshop 10 Low Assembly Bench 50 BILL NYBERG BILL ENDRESS Vacuum Hold-Down Table 54 MIKE M. MCCALLUM SECTION 2 Storage Solutions Rolling Chopsaw Stand Saves Space 58 CHARLES JACOBY Versatile Shop Storage Solutions 17 JOSEPH BEALS A Downdraft Sanding Table 62 PETER BROWN Four Ways to Get Organized 24 Clamp Storage Solutions 30 SECTION 4 Workbenches Power-Tool Workbench 65 LARS MIKKELSEN SECTION 3 Dedicated Workstations New-Fangled Workbench 69 Tilt-Top Shop Cart 36 JOHN WHITE FRED SOTCHER A Bench Built to Last 77 A Chisel Cabinet 119 DICK MCDONOUGH FRED WILBUR Rock-Solid Workbench 86 Tool-Cabinet Design 122 JON LEPPO CHRISTIAN BECKSVOORT An Inspired Tool Chest 131 BILL CROZIER SECTION 5 Sawhorses Heirloom Tool Chest 137 Build a Better Sawhorse 96 CHRIS GOCHNOUR VOICU MARIAN Sawhorses for the Shop 98 CHRISTIAN BECKSVOORT Credits 149 Index 151 SECTION 6 Tool Cabinets and Chests Making a Case for Dovetails 106 CARL DORSCH Making a Machinist-Style Tool Chest 110 RONALD YOUNG Fine Furniture for Tools 113 STEVEN THOMAS BUNN Introduction I have about 100 times more money Because of our fast-paced lives, we are invested in machines than in hand thankful for machines; otherwise we would tools, but it’s the hand tools I cherish not do as many projects promised to our most. Unlike a machine, a well-tuned hand family or to our clients. But at some point plane or razor sharp chisel allows me to all woodworking requires the use of some engage with wood in a personal, satisfying hand tools. Although you may not think of way. It’s like driving a car vs. taking a walk. them as such, a ruler, a marking knife and a One method gets you there faster, but the square are hand tools that are essential for latter allows you to see every ripple in the layout as well as for machine setup. Know- landscape. ing how to choose and use these tools will make you a better woodworker. 2 There are times when a handplane or chisel comes in handy, even if you work mostly with machines. Nothing pares an oversized tenon as accurately as a fine swipe across its cheek with a shoulder plane. To shape curvy parts like a ball- and-claw foot, you will need files, rasps and rifflers. To do honest period work, you must cut your dovetails by hand. A fine-tooth saw and chisel will have to be employed and eventually sharpened to continue working. For certain details, like a narrow bead with a fine quirk or groove, you are best off making your own simple tool, a scratch stock. These and other hand-tool articles are excerpted here from the pages of Fine Woodworking magazine. Once you start using more of these tools, you will see your work reach a higher level of refinement and realize that the extra time spent doing hand work is well worth every minute. —Anatole Burkin, editor Fine Woodworking 3