Time-Life Art of Woodworking Series 13, Shaker Furniture

GPU I D E WORKSHO FINISHES SHAKER ANDPEGS PULLS SHAKER FINISH A SHAKER REPTICATING of colors, painted in a variety th...

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GPU I D E WORKSHO FINISHES SHAKER

ANDPEGS PULLS SHAKER

FINISH A SHAKER REPTICATING of colors, painted in a variety theirfurniture TheShakers i n c l u d i nrge d ,o r a n g ey ,e l l o wb,l u e a, n db r o w nV. t r t u a lal yl l withthin paintsin a washthat werecoated of thesepieces grainto showthrough. To replicate this allowed thewood's a effect,youcanusemilkpaintorlatexpaint.Milkpaintsleave oncethesurface oiled,orwaxed flatfinishthatcanbestained, thatis asa powder milkpaintis available is dry.Although yourownby blending the addedto water,youcanprepare shownin thechartbelow. ingredients Totone withvarntsh. weref inished SomeShaker Dieces furnishowy-Shaker downa finishthatwastooglossy-and Theoilwithpumice. rubbeddownthesurfaces turemakers presented a deep,richf inish willimpart below recipe varnish forthe withouttoomuchgloss,andoffergoodprotection witha rag,let it sit applythesolution wood.Forbestresults, with thenruboff theexcess for a fewminutes, onthesurface a cleanrag.Allow24 hoursforthecoatto cure,sandlightly, anyfinComplete building upthefinrshin layers. andrepeat, pastewax. ishwitha coatof good-qualiiy

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. 3 partssteam-distilled turpentine MILKPAINT Basicformula(yieldsabout1 quart): . 1 r / 2c u p ss k i mm i l k . 1 o z .s l a k e dl i m e o 8 o z .p l a s t eor f P a r i so r c a l c i u mc a r b o n a t e Procedure 'I . S p r i n k l teh e l i m ei n t ot h e m i l ka n dm i xf o r 3 m i n u t e s . S t i ri n t h e p ' a s t e ' oPf a r i s . 2 . A d dc o i o r i n gs,u c ha s a r t i s t ' sp r g m e n tosr e a r t hp i g m e n t s o n a s c r a pp l e c e u s e df o r c o o r i n gc e m e n tt;e s tt h e s o l u i i o n a n dl e t i t d r y , 3 . L e tt h e o a i n ts r tf o r t h o u r ,t h e nb r u s hi t o n , frequently. stirring h r s h e l l a tco p r o t e ctth e f i n s h , 4 . A d da t h i n a y e ro f v a r n t s o PAINT LATEX Procedure '| c o l o rt o s e a lt h e w o o d . A p p l ya t h i n f i r s tc o a ti n t h e d e s i r e d a n d l e td r y . i ool. w i t hv e r yf i n es t e e w 2 . R u bt h e s u r f a c e 3 . A p p l ya n o t h etrh i n c o a to f p a i n ta n dr u bw i t hv e r y f i n es t e e w l ool. shellac. 4 . A d da l i g h tc o a to f o r a n g e

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SHAKER FURNITURE

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THE ART OF WOODWORKING

SffiR FIJRNITURE

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TIME-LIFE BOOKS ALEXANDRIA. VIRGINIA ST.REMYPRESS MONTREAL. NEWYORK

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THE ART OF WOODWORKING was produced by ST.REMYPRESS PUBLISHER KennethWinchester PRES/DENT PierreLdveill6 SeriesEditor SeriesArt Director SeniorEditor Editor Art Directors Designers Picture Editor Writers ContributingWriter Cont r ibuting Illu strators Administrator ProductionManager Coordinator SystemCoordinator Photographer Indexer

PierreHome-Douglas FrancineLemieux Marc Cassini Andrew fones Normand Boudreault, Bourgeois, Jean-Pierre Michel Gigudre HdldneDion, Jean-GuyDoiron, FrangoisDaxhelet ChristopherJackson fohn Dowling,Adam Van Sertima fune Sprigg GillesBeauchemin,Michel Blais, RonaldDurepos,Michael Stockdale, JamesTh6rien Natalie Watanabe Michelle Turbide Dominique Gagn6 Eric Beaulieu RobertChartier ChristineM. Iacobs

Time-Life Booksis a division of Time Life Inc., a wholly ownedsubsidiaryof THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY TIME.LIFEINC. Presidentand CEO Editor-in-Chief

JohnM. Fahey JohnL. Papanek

TIME-LIFEBOOKS President Vice-President,Director of Marketing ManagingEditor Director of Design Directorof Editorial Operations ConsubingEditor Vice-President,Book Production ProductionManager Quality AssuranceManager

John D. Hall Nanry K. fones RobertaConlan MichaelHentges Ellen Robling John R. Sullivan Marjann Caldwell Marlene Zack JamesKing

THECONSUXIANTS Ian Ingersoll owns a cabinetmakingshop in WestCornwall, Connecticut,that specializesin Shakerfurniture. GilesMiller-Mead taught advancedcabinetmakingat Montreal technicalschoolsfor more than ten years.A nativeof New Zealand,he hasworked asa restorerof antiquefurniture. ShakerFurniture. p. cm.- (The art of woodworking) Includesindex. ISBN0-8094-9s33-3 1. Furniture making-Amateurs' manuals. 2. Furniture,Shaker-Amateurs' manuals. I. Time-Life Books. IL Series. TTl95.S481995 749.213'08'8288-dc20 95-1022 cIP For information about any Time-Life book, pleasecall l-800-621-7026,or write: ReaderInformation Time-Life CustomerService P.O.Box C-32068 Richmond,Virginia 2326r-2068 @ 1995Time-LifeBooksInc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproducedin any form or by any electronicor mechanicalmeans,including information storageand retrievaldevicesor systems,without prior written permissionfrom the publisher,exceptthat brief passages may be quoted for reviews. First printing. Printed in U.S.A. Publishedsimultaneouslyin Canada. TIME-LIFE is a trademarkof Time WarnerInc. U.S.A. R 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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CONTENTS 6 INTRODUCTION L2 SHAKERDESIGN 1 8 A galleryof Shakerfurniture 24 26 34 38 44 48

CHAIRS Enfield sidechair Rushseat Shakerrocking chair Thpeseat Meetinghousebench

56 58 68 78

TABTES Tiestletable Drop-leaftable Candlestand

86 88 90 94 97 104 106

PIE SAFE Anatomy of a pie safe Making the caseworkframes Raisingthe panels Assemblingthe safe Shelving Tin-paneldoors

1T6 118 129 135 138

SHAKERCTASSICS Wall clock Stepstool Shakerboxes Pegboard

140 GTOSSARY 142 INDEX 144 ACKNOWTEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

David Lambon

REDEFINING SHAKERSTYLE enoughto liveattheCanterbury ShakerVillage in NewHampshire f *ur fortunate L for 14years, from 1972to 1986. My parents rantheVillageMuseum andwewere givenhousingin theChildren's House, builtin 1810.Ihadtheprivilege of knowing seven Shaker Sisters andlistened to theirbeliefs andmemories of theolddays. While livingthere,lfoundmyselfexploring andstudying thearchitectural elements of the buildings, aswellasthefurniturein thecollections. Whilelivingin theseuniquesurroundings, I hadtheexceptional opportunityof apprenticing with anOldWorldcabinetmaker fromMadrid,Alejandro delaCruz. His teachings emphasized tradition,classicism, andintegrityin work,design, and living.Thisapprenticeship providedmewith a directionandfocusfor studying Shaker andotherclassic designs. At thesametime,it allowed meto constructively criticizesomeoldpieces andto rebuildor redesign themby usingbetterconstruction methods, whilestillretaining theiroriginalcharmandattractiveness. Likethearchitectural elements of antiquirythebeautyandtruthof Shaker design aremostevidentin basicforms.Theoveralllines,proportions, andstance canbe seenin a simplepieceof furniturelikethecandlestandshownin thephotoatright. Details, if theyaredonewell,adda furtherdimension andwill notobscure or clutterthegeneral form. I donotbelieve thattheShakers setoutto develop theirowndesigns; rather, their beliefsreshaped formswith whichtheywerealready familiar.Shaker designcanbe seenasa stripped-down Federal style,withemphasis onHepplewhite andSheraton elements. Federal stylewasconcurrent with thebeginning andthedevelopment of theShaker religious movement. Thekeycabinetmakers of eachShaker villagewere alsofreeto develop theuniqueflavorof eachcommunity's workwhiletakingdirection fromtheleadcommunityof MountLebanon, NewYork. Whilea gooddealof Shaker designcharmliesin itsnaivet6, evenmoredepends on thecabinetmaker's complete masteryof theform.Creatingfurnituredesigns requires athoroughunderstanding process, ofthedesign andbeingableto "getinto theheads" of theoldmasters to understand whycertaindesign decisions weremade. It alsorequires a goodunderstanding of furnitureconstruction usingpastandpresenttechniques. It isimportantnotjustto acknowledge apieceasa masterpiece and copyit, butto findout wltyitisamasterpiece, byaskingmanyquestions aboutit. The answers will provideyourbuildingblocksfor creating yourowndesigns in anysryle.

DavidLambwasresidentcabinetmaker at CanterburyShaker Village,NewHampshire,between1979and 1986.He now buildsShaker-inspired furniture at hisshopin Canterbury.

INTRODUCTION

Iohn Wilsonperfectsthe

ELEGANT SHAKERBOX in apatternbookonShaker woodenware byEjnerHandberg boxes T mu sawShaker Even Community College. L n 1977whenI wasteaching furnituremakingatLansing ovalcontainers, craftedfromcherryin gradaslinedrawings, thesesimple,elegant appeal, butto havethemnest uatedsizes, wereintriguing.All boxesholduniversal insideeachotherappeals to thechildin allof us. for 10years, in residential construction Up to thispoint,I hadbeena carpenter teaching socialanthropology. LittledidI knowwhen andhadspentanotherdecade in Shaker thattheywouldbecome theperI beganto followmycuriositF ovalboxes othercomfectavenue for expressing thosethreeskills-workingin wood,interpreting Butthatis exactly whathashappened to me munities'lifeandwork,andteaching. overthelast15years. Byspecializing in Shaker ovalboxes, I wasfortunateto takeadvantage of three design, thepopularityof woodworking asa trends:a growingawareness of Shaker Thiscombination opened hobby,andaninterestin instructionin leisureactivities. By1986I wasteaching 30workshops thedoorsfor freelance box-making seminars. andEngland. Theparticiayearin manypartsof thecountry,aswellasin Canada pantsmakea nestof fiveboxes. It is fulfillingto beableto masterthetechnique of it in makingfive.In thel2yearcsincethe makingabox,andevenmoresoto perfect firstboxclass, I havetaughtmorethan4,000peoplethistraditionalcraft. bringingthe My memoryof firstattempting to buildthemisof bandsbreaking, projectto an abruptend.It takesmorethanlinedrawings to master technique. VisitingShaker sitesin NewEngland,Irecalla rareopportunityto watchboxmakHegavemeasample er|erryGrantatHancock ShakerVillage. of thetinycoppertacls thatarethehallmarkof theboxlap.These areasscarce ashen'steeth,astheexpresAt *re time,CrossNailCompany wastheoneremaining tackmanufacturer, siongoes. order.It tooka minimumof 50poundsto order, andmadethemonlyon special thatwasanincredible supply. Wth 12taclsneedandwithover750taclato theounce, a lifetimeof boxmaking. edto makea box,it alsorepresented mylifeandsupplying Today, Shaker boxes havebecome theboxtradewithqualmoreof mytimethaneithermakingboxesor teaching. ity materials nowoccupies hasleftmewiththeconMorethanjustbeinggoodbusiness, makingShaker boxes eachof usmustaccept. victionthatpassing on our skillsisa responsibility at Purduebefore turning JohnWilsontaughtsocialanthropology his attentionto teachingShakerboxmakingfull time in 1983. Hisseminarshavebeenheldat theSmithsonian, in Shakervillages throughoutAmerica,and in England.He ownsand operates The HomeShopon EastBroadwayHighrq,in Charlotte,Michigan.

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|une Spriggreflectson

A SHAKERLIFE hen I waslittle and shareda room with my sisterI yearnedto havea room of my own.I was19whenthat dreamcametrue,and oh, what a room it

was,in anearlyl9th-CenturyShaker buildingin Canterbury, NewHampshire. My roomwasa classic Shaker interior,with built-incupboards anddrawers, a pegrailaroundthewalls,andrareslidingshutters. Everything overhead andunderfootwastheworkof Shaker Brothers whohadusedlocalpine,maple,andbirchand a combination of handtoolsandwater-powered machinery in anefficientand sophisticated system of man-made pondsandmillsbehindthevillage. Aftera centuryandahalfof continual use,thepegswerefirm in theirsockets. Thedrawers slid smoothly with aslighttugonthesinglecenter pull.Thewholeeffectwasoneof spaciousness, airiness, andlightness. Thisroomwasworththewait. BythetimeI arrivedat Canterbury in 1972asa summerguidein themuseum, theshakers9cletyhadlongsinceflourishedandfaded.Thecanterburyshakers wereestablished in 1792astheseventh of whatbecame 19principalsettlements in America. when I came,thehalf-dozen shakers wholivedthere- all in their70s, (Theotherwas 80s,and90s-wereoneof thelasttwoShaker familiesin existence. sabbathdayLake in Maine.)Thesisters weredelightful-energetic, humorous, and unstintinglykind.TherewerenoBrothers atCanterbury. Thelastonehaddiedin the 1930s andthewomenjokedthattheyhad"workedthosepoormento death." while woodworking hadpassed into historywith thelastof theBrothers, the sisters heldtheworkof the"oldshakers" in highregard. A lifetimeof usingShaker desks, tables, workcounters, chairs, andcupboards hadgiventhemahands-on appreciationof the-qualities thathaveearned Shaker designrespect worldwide: strength, lightness, anda simplerightness of proportion. Ergonomic? Youbet.we heldour breathwhenever thefragilebut unstoppable Eldress wentup anddownthestairs with herbadkneeandcane,but thebreadthof thesteps, thegentlerise,andthe sturdy,elegant handrailkeptheruprightandsafe. "Hands to workandheartsto God,"a homilyof Shaker founderMotherAnn Lee,wasa roadmapfor goodlife.My Shaker friendsaregonenow,buttheirwork endures astestimony to thebeautyandwisdomof thatsimplemessage.

lune SprigghasbeenstudyingtheShakers for mostof her life,and shewasCuratorof Collections at HancockShaker Villagebetyveen 1979and 1994.Her latestbookwithphotographerPaulRocheleau, ShakerBurlt,ispublishedby MonacelliPress. Shelivesin Pittsfield,Massachusetts.

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SffiDESIGN todayas arerecognized T h. Shakers mostinteresting I oneof America's Thanks religious societies. communal cropofbooks,articles, to thevigorous thathavesproutedup andexhibitions celebrasincetheShakers' bicentennial mostpeople thinkof them tionin 1974,

rearlegs With its backward-Ieaning andcurvedsla*,theEnfleldsidechair shownat left wasbuiltfor simplicity and comfort.Therushseatson eaily Shakerchairslikethisonegradually gaveway to canvastapeseating.

firstandforemost asoroducers of simpleandwell-made furniture.Butin their hevdav from 1825to 1845,thevwere beiteri<no*nfor theiroriginalbiendof celibacy andcommunalism, adeepcomprinciples mitmentto Christian aspracandaworship ticedbyChristtdisciples,

serviceuniquein civilizedAmericafor its groupdancing,a sort ofsacredline or circledancethat gaveall membersequal the Holy Spirit. opportunityto express dance scandalized many This ecstatic including Ralph conventional observers, Dickens. WaldoEmersonand Charles

By themid-l9th Century,whenthelithographshownabovewasmqde, thefreneticdancingthat oncemarkedShakerworship-and gavethemtheir linedances. As in all Shaker with morereserved name-had beenreplaced werestrictlydivided.Thewomanin stylishVictoriandress activities,thesexes theirworship. to observe in theforegroundwasprobablyinvitedby theShakers

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t t I I Aspreached byAnn Leeandherfolat NewLebanon, NewYork.TheNew lowers,Shakerlife wasoneof hardship kbanon communitywas to become the I andself-denial. BeingaShakermeantliv- spiritualcapitalof the Shaker world ing a celibatelife with no possibilityof throughthenefi century. By1800, misI bearingchildren,andworkingselflessly sionaries hadhelpedestablish a dozen andequallyalongside one'sBrothers and Shaker communities throughoutNew I Sisters. It alsomeantlivingin isolation England,includingonesin Enfield, from theoutsideworld,renouncing all Connecticut; Harvard,Massachusetts; I privateproperty, andtakingsolace in the andCanterbury, NewHampshire. By purityof communityandprayer. 1825,19principalvillageswereflourI AlthoughAnn dieda scant10years ishingfrom Maineto pointswestin afterarrivingin Americaandhermove- Kentucky andOhio.In 1840,anestiI mentremained relatively smallduring mated4,000Shakers wereputtingtheir herlifetime,converts beganto join in handsto work andheartsto Godin T drovesin theyearsfollowingherdeath. America's largest, bestknown,andonly By1787,thefirstlarge-scale communal alternative to mainstream lifethatexistI Shaker Familyhadgathered nearAlbany edon a trulynationalscale. Thedininghall at thePleasantHill communityin Harrodsburg, K

MotherAnn'sNewOrder The Shakerstracetheir history in "Mother Americato1774, whenfounder Anrt''Leeemigrated to NewYorkfrom Manchester, England,with eightfollowers.The39-year-old daughterof a Midlandsblacksmith,Ann Leewas promptedto cometo theNorthAmericancolonies, according to herfaithfirl believers, byavisionof thesecond coming of Christ.Shewassickened by the corruptionof the Old World,andthe changes wroughtby the Industrial Revolution thatwerealteringtheconditionsofhumanlifebeyondallprevious experience. Shesoughtto establish anew orderof life in theNewWorld.

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In spiteofeffortsto attractnewconverts,theShakers'numbers beganto declinebeforetheendof theCivil War. In 1875,Tyringham, Massachusetts, was first close offithe Shaker communityto cially.In a centurythat witnessed so in Amermanyrevolutionary changes ican life it proveddifficult for the Shakers-whochangedso little-to maintainthemomentumof theirfirst

By1900,theShakers haddwin70years. vildledto 2,000members asShaker lagesclosedtheir doorsoneby one. justonecommunity Today, survives, at Sabbathday Lake,Maine,wherefewer carryon the thana dozenmembers Shaker traditions. HarmonyofProportion TheShakers werenot anesthetic move-

ment or a self-conscious schoolof In fact,theirfurniture,liketheir design. architecture andclothing,wasderided in its dayfor anexcessively utilitarian lackof style.Today, attracted bythesimplicityof theirdesigns, theworldhas begunto recognize theachievements of woodworkers, Shaker suchastheclocks madeby BrotherIsaacNewtonYoungs of NewLebanon, andthesewingdesks

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Thespiritualcenterof Shakerlife,themeetinghouse, is asmodestand unpretentious asanyShakerbuilding.

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and rockingchairsof BrotherFreegift Wellsof Watervliet, NewYork. Simplicityis thequintessential hallmarkof Shakerdesign.Comparedwith theopr.rlent complexiry of a QueenAnne highboy,for example, a Shaker chairis a paragonofaLrsterify: fourlegs,threeslats, a handfulofstretchers, anda fewyards of canvas tanefor the seat.In a world that seemsto growincreasingly more complexand chaoticyearby yearit is not difficLrltto seewhythesirnple,harr.r.ror.rior-rs linesof Shakerftirniturecontinueto holdtheirappeal. Shakerartisans alsodistinguished themselves by thequalityof theirwork. Theyrarelyneededto hurry andwere in factencour-aged to takethetimeneededto do thejob properly. Thecornmunal ftrmilystructuregaveindividuals fieedomfrom thoughtsof purchasing, narketing,sales, andallrelated business coucerns-anexperienced business staff took careofall t[at. Shaker woodworkersreceived freetrainingfrom veryfine craftsmen, olderBrotherswho taught them in an apprenticeship system. Shakers generally workedin big,handsome,state-of-the-art workshops with thebesttoolsandmachines available; a communal economy, thriftyliving,and an abhorrence ofbuyingon creditusuallymeantplentyof capitalto investin thebest.TheShakers'were alsocapable of irrverrtirrg thebestlthetablesaw,for wasthebrainchild example, of a Shaker sister.It comesasno sururisethatmanv woodworkers todayspeakenviously at tinresof theirShaker counterparts. A Lackof Ornamentation The relisiousmotivationbehindthe simplicityof Shakerdesignis an obviousone.The Shakers soughtin every-

BrotlrcrClutrlesGreaves outsidethe corpettyshLtp, Harrcock SlnkerVilLrge, Pittsfield, N'lassaclusetts, ilr theenrly1900s.

thing theydid to freethemselves from thevainandunnecessary, whichto them meantavoidinggrossmaterialism. This wasno meanfeatin theGildedAsethat gavebirthto Victoriana andconspicuous consumption. TheShakers eschewed the

sort of artisticfreedornthat allowed buildersto designand makewhatever theywanted.Theyseldomautographed theirpiecesbecause theytook no pride in beingrecognized asindividualartisans.Reliqious convictions alsoforbade

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a licenseto decoratewith carving,inlay, painting,exoticimportedwoods,or any othertype of appliedornament.The Shakerstraditionally regardedthese embellishments asa wasteof time and resources. Indeed,the few ornamental touchesto be found on Shakerfurniture-such asexposeddovetailingand the ubiquitous,neatlyturned drawer pulls and rail pegs-invariablyhad a utilitarianpurpose.

Usuallymadewith bentmaplesides pinetopsandbottoms, andquartersawn ovalboxeswereusedto storeall types of dry goods.Theywereconstructed in graduatedsizessothat eachonecould bestoredinsidethenextlargersize.

Believingthat all things visible revealedthe stateof the spirit within, Shakers took greatcarewith whatthey madesothat its near-perfection would both honorandemulatetheexcellence of God'sown creation.Aboveall else, Shakerfurnitureanddesignis imbued with the spirit of its makers,proclaimingtheir optimism and faith in the future. By spendingobviouscare and time on humble,usefulthings, the Shakersclearlyannouncedtheir beliefin a futureworth living and in the ability of future generationsto keeptheir craft alive. On thefollowingpagesis an illustrated galleryof someof themostenduring oiecesof furniture that serveas the legacyto modernwoodworking. Shakers'

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A tall clockserves asa boundarybetweenthemen'sand women's sleeping areasin theCentre FamilyDwellingat PleasantHill, Kentucl
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Dining room benah Euilt to accommodate aeveraldinera around a table

Trestle table (pa6e 5b) Themost, commonetyle of thaker dtntnqroom table. Euilt with 7lueleao joinery and knockdownhardware,f,hte table can be dteaaaembledwhenit ia not needed;the leqo,feet, and treetle runninqalon4the top'e undereideare poeitionedto maxtmizele4room

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Candle stand Qase78) Thetrtpod deei4n 4iveathie li4htweight.table qood etability

Dropleaf table (page 68) ALtached to the top with rulejoinLo,the Ieaveeof thio table can be exLended whenneededor dropped down to gave gpace

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Revolving chair Aleo called ewtvel etoola or revolverg, thege chaira were uged tn c)haPer

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Enfield aide chair (pase 26) Made with a backward tilt to provide comforL wtthout bendtn4I;hechatr'e rear leqe.Early ver' a t o n al i k eL h eo n e ahownfeatured rush eeata; the thakers Iater reliedon can' vae Lape,aa tn Lhe rockinqchatr ahown

Rocking chair

(paqe3O) Haeeteam-bent rear legeand aoltd' wood rockere;the tape eeaf,inqie availabletn a variety of colors and patterns. Also made tn a ladderback veraion

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Meetinghouae bench Accommodated the faithful durinq thaker reltgtoue eervrcee; wtth its eolid ptne aeat., Lhte etmple and lt7htweiqht chatr could be moved out of the way easily when neceaoary

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With theirshortbacks,thesplint-seat diningchairsshownabovecanslideunder a tablewithoutanysacrifice of comfort.

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CASEWORK Ketractable work aurface

Work etand Featuree a drawer with partitiona and piqeonholeeon top for etorinq aewinqauppliee: the rim around the workaurface prevente iteme from fallin7 off

Sewing deak Featurea a retractable work aurface; with drawera on adjacent aidee of the deak, two people could workon it at the aametime

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Pie safe (page bO) Traditionallyuaed to store bakedqoode:the piercedtin door panelakeptthe contente fresh whilepreventing verminfrom enterin4. Adjuatable ahelveaadded flexibility

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Waahatand Uaedby thakera for pereonaIhy4iene beforebed:deeiqned to holdan earthenwarepttcher and bowl

Alao knowna6 a aecretary' on-cheat;l;heLop aectionfeatured ehelvin7 for organrzedItoraqe and eeveralptqeonholeo

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Workbench Featured a epaciouowork eurface on top and storaqe drawera below:the boardjack olidee eide-to-eideto holda workpiecealonq front ed4e of the benchtn conluncLionwith the face viae

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Yarn reel (paqeTB) Ueedin textile makinq, this devtcefeatured a columnand leqdeei4n borrowedfrom Lhe can-

Step atool (pase129) Asaembledwith aturdy throuqh dovetaila,theae mtni-atepladdere enabledthakere f^

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ehelves and doora of floor-to-ceilin4 cagework: threeand four-etep ver9ton9 were aleo common

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Oval baekets joinery WiLhtheir awallowLail and coppertacka, theae containerewereoold rn the LhoueandaLo the outaide world;aesembledmuch like thaker boxee(page 138)

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Drying rack Ueuallymade from pine, racke were uaed Lo dry towelsand to air ouf,beddinq

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Pegboard (pase138) With their evenlyopaced pe4o,LheoerailelinedLhe wallaof moet thaker roome, holdtn4everyfihtnq from hata and cloaketc candleeconcea and clocke, likeLheoneehown

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Wall clock (paqe 118) Clockalike Lhe one ahown at left. helped t he thakera orqanize Lheir buay workdayo. The thakere ueually bought Lhe mecha' ntame and butlLLhe caeeetoftL:aa clock makero joined Lhe movement, the thakere beqan Lo aeeembleLheir own mechanigms

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Likennny nntl Arnericans livingin tlrc l9tlt wheels, usedspirrrting Centrn'y,the Sltakers Iikeonefrortt HotrcockShakerVillagesltotvrt above,to rnaketheir owrt textiles,As selfreliantpeople,the Shakersdepcntledort srrclt deviccsand the skillto operntetlwrt to rrtaitttttirttlreirirdepetdenceft'om tlteoutsitleworltl.

o

o Candlesconces Deetqned eo I;he heighL of Lhe candlea and Lhe li7hLtn4 could be adjueted ae Lhe candlee burned and mell,ed down. The vereion on the lefL fear,uree wooden Lhreada Lo ratae and lower Lhe candle eupporL; Lhe one on l,he rt4hL hae a row of holea LhaL a||owedthe candleaconce to be hunq from a pegboard aL any hei7ht.

Clothes hanger A typical thaker innoval,ion,Lhe three-armed hanqer was a clever, apace-eavin4 way to Itore clalthinq

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CHAIRS joints.The chair mortise-and-tenon of slatsthatmustbesteambackconsists bent.A traditionalmethodfor forming the chairseat-woven rush-is shown beginningon page34.The alternative seatstyleillustratedin the photo at far left, usinga tapeupholsterymaterial that the Shakerscalled listing, is startingon page45. explained With its turnedpartsand mortiseand-tenonjoinery,the Mt. Lebanonstylerockingchair (page38)sharesmany featureswith the Enfield.However,the rearlegsof the rocker,which arebent for comfort, and the rockersthemselves-fixed to the legswith dowelreinforcedbridle joints-are elegant The chairis namedafter refinements. the community in upstateNew York whereprototypeswerebuilt. Despiteits traditionaluseasa pew

nticipatingmodern-dayadvertisersby more than 100years,the

proudlypromotedtheirwares Shakers who of non-believers to a marketplace poisedto purchase werenevertheless qualityfurniture.Asoneof theirearly catalogsproclaimed,Shakerchairs "durabilirysimplicity, andlightoffered that Thelevelof craftsmanship ness." themto batkup enabled theyattained chairssold theirclaims.Shaker-made acumen well,provingthattheirbusiness astheirpiety. wasaswelldeveloped reasoned TheShakers hadastutely positionedandsized Withprecisely thatchairsweretherightproductfor mortises, thecrestrail of theShakerrelatively themarket.First,chairsneeded benchshownabove littlestockto build-comparedto case stylemeetinghouse isfined ontothespindles.TheShakers furniture-sotheycouldbemadeecoof thebenchto built longerversions Furthermore, mostmodels nomically. serveaspewsat religiousmeetings. couldbebuilt quitequickly,andthey for easy andlightenough werecompact meetinghouse bench purposes, thespindle-backed Finally,chairsareacommonhouse- forreligious storage andtransportation. Theversionshownon applications. All of thesefactors hasmanycontemporary holditem;mostbuyersrequiredseveral. a solid-wood seatwith ampleroomfor signifi- page48features enterprise to contribute enabled theirchair-making two or threeusers. prosperity. cantlyto Shaker ofwhicharestillintact examples Eachofthese chairs-early forbuildpresents instructions step-by-step Thischapter beliefoncesetforthby Mother theShaker ingthreeclassic Shakerchairs.TheEnfieldsidechair(page today-embodies "Build asthoughyouwereto livefor thatbeliesthefinecraftsmanship Ann,founderof thesect a simpledesign 26)featnres joineryneeded years, andasyouwoulddo ifyou knewyouwere to buildit. Itslegs,rails,andstretch- a thousand andprecise with to dietomorrow." areconnected ersareturnedonthelathe,andthepieces

Blueand whiteclothtape,or listing,is beingwoven betweentherearlegsof therockershownat left,providing a strong,attractive,and lightweightseatback.Thisrocker wasfinishedwith tungoil, thenrubbedwith blue-tinted beeswax to harmonizewith thecolorof thelisting.

25

ENFIELDSIDECHAIR t]- h. most striking featureof the I Enfieldsidechairis its backward slantof 98o,asshownin the sideview on page27.Thedesignallowsthechair to conformto theanatomyof thetypicaluserandprovidecomfortableseating without needingsteam-bentback posts.Theslant,however, doespresent

a challenge in executing thejoinery.Few ofthe jointsin thischairarecut square; most are assembledat comoound angles.lt is a goodideato referbackto the sideandtop viewsasyou build the chair,usingthe anglesto help setup your drill whenboringthe round mortises.As a resultof the seat'strapezoidal

ANATOMY OFANENFIETD SIDECHAIR

Kear leg

)ide aeat rail

shape,the front legsarespacedfarther apartthanthe rearones.Also,the rear legsaresplayedouhvardfrom bottom to top by 2o. Consequently, the back stretchers, seatrail, and slatsareprogressively longertowardsthetop oithe chair.Referto the cuttinglist on page 27 for precisedimensions.

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t

Front aeat rail

Front atretcher

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t Front. leq

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CHAIRS

I T I I T I I I

96'\

84"

Rear

aeat--\ rail \

Asshownin thetopviewof the sidechair1eft,top),thefront Kear leo buttherear legsareparallel, apartby angled slightly onesare joined to the The slats are 2". The a slight angle. rearlegsat Side aeat sideview(left,bottod illusrail lean. tratesthechair'sbackward feature Although thisdesign theneedto bendthe eliminates Front carerearlegs,thejointsrequire teq ful execution.

96'

84"

I T I T I

SIDEVIEW

1l

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\ ,,\

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\ 17" \

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\

\ 18"

\ 113/u"

r I T I I T I T I I I I T

r

ITEM Legs

Rear

Seatrail*

Front Front Back

Side Stretchers* Front Back Slats

Side Top Middle Bottom

OTY 2

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274

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*Note:Measurements include tenonlengths.

27

ThecherryEnfieldsidechairshown abovefeaturesafiber rushseatand a tungoilfinish,whichcombineto create a warm and naturalappearanca

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CHAIRS

PTANNING THEJ()B FronL le1 9tory pole

E N F I E L . DC I A I R

IEG

S F

' F

s a

)lat mortiae mark

5

Kear le4

Using a storypole To helpyousizeandprepare thechairlegs,markkeydimensionsandthe location of mortises on a shop-made storypole. Madefroma stripof plywood, thestorypoleshownabove includes the lengthof thefrontandrearlegs,andtheplacementof thestretcher, rail,andslatmortises. Refer to theside viewillustration of theEnfield chairon page27fortheheight

of eachelement. Themarks onthejig canthenbeusedto cut thelegblanks to length andoutline themortises ontheblanks. Notethatthemortises forthefrontor backstretchers or rails areoffset1/zinchlowerthanthe mortises forthesideonesto avoidweakening the legs.Labelthestorypoleandkeepit for futurechair-making.

PREPARING THELEGS. RAITS ANDSTRETCHERS theslatmortises 1 Routing I intherearlegs 0utlinetheslatmortises onyourrearleg blanks usingthestorypoleshown above, centering theoutlines ontheinside face of eachblank.Thensecure oneof the blanksbetween benchdogs.Installa %i n c hm o r t i s i nbgi t i n a r o u t eer q u i p p e d withan edgeguide.Center thebit over the mortise outlineandadjusttheedge guideto buttagainst thestock;usethe second legblankto support therouter. passes, Makeseveral increasing thecuttingdepthwitheachpassuntilthemortiseis completed to a depthof %inch. Repeat to routtheremaining mortises in bothblanks(right),Ihen square thecornersof thecavities witha chisel.

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28

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CHAIRS

I T I I

r) Turning therearlegs L P l a c ea r e a rl e gb l a n kb e t w e e cne n t e r so n y o u rl a t h e ,p o s i t i o nt h e t o o l r e s t to the workpiece a s c l o s ea s p o s s i b l e w i t h o u t o u c h i n gi t , a n dt u r n o n t h e m a c h i n eS. u p p o r t i nagr o u g h i nggo u g e o n t h e t o o l r e s t ,c a r e f u l l m y o v et h e b e v e l u n t i li t t o u c h etsh e b l a n ka n dt h e c u t t i n g e d g es t a r t sr e m o v i n w g asteC . ontinue working a l l a l o n gt h e l e n g t ho f t h e b l a n k u n t i l y o uf o r ma c y l i n d e r( l e f t ) ,w i t h t h e b e v e rl u b b i n ga n dt h e t o o l p o i n t i n gi n t h e directioo nf thecut.

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Turning thefinialsontherearlegs Startbycutting thecovethatseparates thefinialfromthe c y l i n d r i c as le c t i o no f t h e l e g .U s ea r o u g h i nggo u g ea t f i r s t , . o l d i n gt h e t o o l i n a n u n d e r t h e ns w i t c ht o a s p i n d l eg o u g eH h a n dg r i pa n d r u b b i n gt h e b e v e ol n t h e s t o c k s, l i c ei n t ot h e w o o da n d m a k ea s c o o p i ncgu t d o w nt h e m i d d l eo f t h e c o v e

(above, /eff).Switchto a skewchiselto shape thefinial.Set onthetoolrestandadvance it untilit cutsintothe theblade making stock. Shape thefinialasdesired, surethebevelis rubbingthroughout thecut (above, right).Usesandpaper to shape t h et i p .T u r nt h eo t h e r e a rl e ga n di t sf i n i atl h es a m ew a y .

29

CHAIRS

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Turning therailsandstretchers T u r nt h er a i l sa n ds t r e t c h ear sy o u did thc rpar lpos (naop 2Ql rrsino: n:ri1 J ' '

\ f e b e

i n pt o o lt o r : r rtth e t e n o n sa t t h e e n d so f oach niocp (riohf) t t

t b t

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Fnc,tvp: ' '

' J v '

c , n r r of i t h v

m a k i n gt h e d i a m e t eor f t h e t e n o n se q u a l t o t h a t o f t h e b i t y o uw i l l u s et o b o r et h e mnriispq

(naop r r qbv

Thp ipnnn v? / )

I T

I I I I I I

lpnoih

s h o u l bd eo n e - h at lhf et h i c k n e o s sf t h e legs.Finally, turnthefrontlegs.

I I I MAKING THESLATS

theslats 1t Steamins -

I I I I

I S e t u p a s t e a m r njgi g . r e f e r r i ntgo t h e b a c ke n d p a p ef ro r j i g r e a d y( s t e p2 ) . c o n s t r u c t i odne t a i l sA. l s oh a v ea b e n d i n g T u r no n t h e s t e a ms o u r c ea n d m a r kt h e c e n t e ro f e a c hs l a t . O n c es t e a mb e g i n st o e s c a p fer o mt h e 1 i g ' sd r a i nh o l e ,p l a c ea . l o s et h e e n d c a pt i g h t l ya n d l e t t h e w o o ds t e a m s l a t i n s i d eC

u n t i li t i s s o f t .A s a r o u g hg u i d e s, t e a ma i r - d r i e ldu m b e fro r o n e h o u rp e ri n c ho f t h i c k n e s sh;a l ft h a tt i m ef o r g r e e nw o o d .A v o i d s c a l d i n yg o u rh a n d sb y w e a r i n w g o r kg l o v e sa n d u s i n gt o n g s t o h a n d l et h e s t o c k( a b o v e )P. l a c et h e n e x ts l a t i n t h e j i g a n d b e n dt h e s t e a m e sdl a tw i t h o u d t elay.

30

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t T

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2 "x 2 " oupportboard

r) Bending theslats L to makethebending formshown above, center themortises fortheoowers alongthelengthof thesupport boards. Thedistance between thetwooutside dowels shouldbeslightly lessthanthespanof a slatwhenit is curved. Assoon quickly asyouremove a slatfromthesteamer, fit it between thedowels. Center theslatsagainst themiddle dowel andpushtheendsbehrnd theoutside dowels. pressure Alternate thedirection of theslatsto equalize onthejig.

Preparing theslatsfortheirmortises Q r-,f Lettheslatsdryin thebending formfor a c o u p l oe f d a y st,h e nt e s t - f ti th e mi n t h e qnro r e a r l e s s : n d c r r t t h c m t n l' "p" n b .o " .i h F ' nr 2

f i t , s a n dt h e e n d so f t h e s l a t so n a s p i n d l e s h a p e rC. a r e f u l lsya n dd o w nt h e p a r to f t h e backfacethatwill fit intothe mortise(abovd; c h e c kt h e f i t p e r i o d i c a lal ys y o ug o .A g o u g e c a na l s ob e u s e dt o c u t a w a vw a s t eu n t i lv o u havea goodfit.

PREPARING THELEGS FOR THERAITS ANDSTRETCHERS 'l

Preparing thefrontlegsfor I thefrontrailsandstretchers T h eo n l yr o u n dm o r t i s ei sn t h e E n ife l dc h a i r t h a ta r ed r i l l e da t 9 0 ' a r et h o s ei n t h ef r o n t l e g sf o rt h ef r o n tr a i l sa n ds t r e t c h e rU s .s e yourstorypole(page28) to outlinethe hole l o c a t i o nosn t h e f r o n tl e g sa n db o r et h e m o n y o u rd r i l lp r e s sC. u ta V - s h a p ewde d g e o u to f a w o o db l o c kc, r e a t i nag l i g t h a tw i l l c r a d l teh el e g sa sy o ud r i l lt h eh o l e sI.n s t a a ll b i tt h es a m ed i a m e t earst h er a i la n ds t r e t c h e rt e n o n sa,n dc l a m pt h ej i gt o t h em a c h i n e t a b l es o t h e b o t t o mo f t h e V i s c e n t e r e d u n d etrh eb i t .T h e np l a c et h e l e gi n t h ej i g a n ds e tt h ed r i l l i n d g e p t ht o s l i g h t lm y ore t h a nt h et e n o nl e n g t h a b o ut w o - t h i r dt hs e s t o c kd i a m e t e H r . o l d i n tgh e l e gw i t ho n e h a n d ,b o r et h e m o r t r s e(s/ e f t , )R. e p e afto r t h eo t h e rf r o n tl e g .

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t r) Preparing the rearlegsfor L me backrailsandstretchers T h em o r t i s eisn t h e r e a rl e g sf o r t h e b a c k r a i l sa n ds t r e t c h e rms u s tb e a n g l e dd o w n b y 2 ' t o c o m p e n s aftoert h e s l i g h st p l a y i n g nrri nf tho h:r'k

lpsq

Spf nnp nf thp lpoc

u p r r g hitn a b e n c hv i s e ,m a k i n gs u r ei t i s v e r t i c a lU . s ea p r o t r a c t ot or a d j u s ta s l i d i n g b e v eIl o 9 2 " . W r a pa s t r i po f m a s k i n g t a p ea r o u n dt h e b i t t o m a r kt h e d r i l l i n g d e p t h - a b o u t w o { h i r d st h e l e gd i a m e t e r . T o h e l py o u h o l dt h e d r i l l a t t h e c o r r e c t a n g l ea s y o u b o r et h e h o l e ,t a p et h e h a n d l eo f t h es l i d i n gb e v etlo t h e l e ga n d k e e p t h e b i t p a r a l l et lo t h e b l a d eo f t h e t o o l . S t o pd r i l l i n go n c et h e d e p t hf l a gc o n t a c t s t h e s t o c k .R e o e atth e o r o c e stso d r i l lt h e r e m a i n i nhgo l e si n b o t hl e g s( / e l t )r, e p o s i t i o n i n gt h e l e gi n t h ev i s ea n dt h es l i d i n g

' '---ssary.

hcvpl nn thp lpo 2q np.p(

I I I I I I I I I I I I I

WL I I

t I I

thefrontandbackrails,stretchers, andslatsto the legs C Gluing r - J B e f o r ed r i l l i n st h e h o l e si n t h e l e s sf o r t h e s i d er a i l sa n d s n d f i t t h e p i e c e st o g e t h e r . t e n o n sa n d i n t h e l e g m o r t i s e a s t r e t c h e r su,r r . r b l . t h e f r o n tt e g sa n Ot h e nt h e r e a rl e g s . T a pt h e j o i n t si n t of i n a l p o s i t i o n w i t h a w o o d e nm a l l e t .R e p e a t S t a r t i nw g i t ht h e f r o n tI e g ss, p r e a dg l u eo n t h e r a i la n ds t r e t c h e r f o r t h e r e a rl e g s g , l u i n gt h e s l a t si n p l a c ea s w e l l( a b o v e ) .

JL

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CHAIRS

Preparing thelegsfor thesiderailsandstretchers T h em o r t i s eisn t h e l e c sf o r t h e s i d er a i l s a n d s t r e t c h e rm s u s tb e d r i l l e da t c o m p o u n da n g l e s - t h e ya r ea n g l e di n b o t h t h e h o r i z o n t aaln d v e r t i c apl l a n e sS. t a r t b y s e c u r i n go n e o f t h e r e a rl e g si n a h a n d s c r eawn dc l a m p i n tgh e a s s e m b l y u p r i g h t o a w o r ks u r f a c eT. h e nu s et h e c h a i rs e a ta n d s i d ev i e w so n p a g e2 7 , a protractor, anda slidingbevelto determine t h e d r i l l i n ga n g l ea s y o ud i d i n s t e p2 . B u ti n s t e ao d f t a p i n gt w os l i d i n gb e v e l s t o t h e s t o c k ,c u t t w o s q u a r ep i e c e so f p l y w o o d ,c l a m p i n go n et o t h e l e gt o i n d i c a t e t h e v e r t i c aal n g l ea n dt h e s e c o n dt o t h e r a i lo r s t r e t c h efro r t h e h o r i z o n t aaln g l e . F o re a c hh o l e ,a l i g nt h e b i t w i t ht h e t o p dI D E e d g eo f t h e v e r t i c agl u i d e( l a b e l eS i n t h e i l l u s t r a t i oann) dt h e s i d ee d g eo f t h e h o r i z o n t agl u i d e( l a b e l e dT 0 P ) ( r i g h t ) . A g a i ns, t o pd r i l l i n gw h e nt h e d r i l l i n gd e p t h f l a gc o n t a c t tsh e s t o c k .U s i n gs i m i l a r m e t h o d sd, r i l lt h e f r o n tl e ga s s e m b l y .

ASSEMBTING THECHAIR Gluinu g pt h ec h a i r 0 n c ea l l t h e m o r t i s easr ed r i l l e ds, p r e a d g l u eo n t h e t e n o n so f t h e s i d er a i l sa n d s t r e t c h e rasn d i n t h e m o r t i s e sa,n df i t t h e n i e c e tso p e t h e Ir J s ea w o o d e n m a l l ea t nd a w o o db l o c kt o t a p a l l t h e j o i n t si n t of i n a l p o s i t i o n( l e f t ) . I h e ns e tt h e c h a i ru p r i g h t . T h ef o u rl e g ss h o u l da l l b ef l a to n t h ef l o o r . l f n o t ,y o u m a y h a v et o a p p l yf i r m b u t g e n t l et w i s t i n gt o o n eo r m o r eo f t h e c o n n e c t i o ntso c o a xt h e l e g si n t op o s i t i o n .

t I

RUSHSEAT f, arlyShakerchairs,likethe Enfield I-.i chair featuredon the preceding pages,werefinishedwith rush seats. Traditionally, therushwasnatural,consistingof marshgrasstwistedinto a cord which waswovenin a centerdiamond Datternoverthe frame.Rushseatsare anddurable,andcan both comfortable bedonein anhouranda halfor soonce you getthe knack. This sectionshowshow to rush a chairseatwith a morecontemDorary ^paper material-tough-grade, fiber twistedinto longstrands,knownasfiber or manilarush.Craftsupplydealers are usuallygoodsourcesofidvice for the appropriatesizeand amountof rush neededfor a particularproject.Before starting,spraytheindividuallengths of rushwith waterto keepthem pliable. A fiber rushseatis wovenontoa Shaker-inspired Enfieldchair. Usingthk traditionalmaterialand thesimpletechnique for installto anystick-style ing it canimpart a charmingappearance chair.

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RUSHING A CHAIR SEAT thefrontrail 1 Bridging I Sincetherailsthatformtheseatof a n E n ife l dc h a i rd o n o tf o r ma s o u a r e . youmustuserushto createa square seat frame.Measure rn length thedifference between thefrontandbackseatrailsand yourmeasurement in half.Measure divide yourresultalongthefrontrailfromeach of thefrontlegsandmakea markonthe rail.Tacka lengthof slightly dampened rushing thatisabouttwicethelength ofthe frontrailto theinside of a siderailabout 2 inches fromthefrontleg.Looptherush around thefrontrailfromunderneath, then Bring around thesiderailfromunderneath. therushacross thefrontrailandloooit around theothersiderailandthefront (right).Holding railin thesamemanner therushtaut,tackit to thesiderailoppositethefirsttack.

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34

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t

r) Squaring theseatframe L Fasten a lengthof rushalongside the f i r s to n e ,u s i n g t h et e c h n i q udee s c r i b e d i n s t e o1 . L o o oi t a r o u ntdh ef r o n ta n d siderails,likethefirststrands, andfasten i t t o t h eo p p o s i tr ea i l .C o n t i n uaed d i n g lengths of rush(left)untilyoureachthe offsetmarksyoumadeon thef rontrail.

I I I I I I I I

R o c r r r p tLnw lr r\ upLpp n lLhr reL rI ru rJ cl l L d^ J^ +L l;B- lLl t+ d^ l -l rU

s,tr:iohi :s nnscihlc

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t

Weaving a complete circuit youcanbeginrushing Onceyouhavesquared theseatframe, theseatallaround theframe. Working withanapproximately 20footlenghof rush,tackit tothesiderailneartherearlegsandloop it around alltherailsbbove,left).Keepworking around thechair

usingthesamepattern(above, right).Whenyougetto theendof a lenghof rush,clampit temporarily to theseatframeto keepit tautandattachit to a newpieceusinga figureeightknot.Locate theknotsontheunderside of theseatsotheywillnotbevisible.

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Checking theweavefor square O n c ee v e r yt h i r do r f o u r t hc i r c u i t , c h e c kw h e t h etrh e s i d e so f t h e s e a ta r e p e r p e n d i c u ltaore a c ho t h e r .H o l d i n g t h e l e n g t ho f r u s hi n a c o i lw i t h o n e h a n d ,b u t t a t r y s q u a r ei n o n ec o r n e r o f t h e s e a t( l e f D . I h eh a n d l ea n d b l a d e o f t h e s q u a r es h o u l dr e s tf l u s ha g a i n s t t h e r u s h i n gl.f n o t ,u s ea f l a t - t i ps c r e w d r i v e rt o s t r a i g h t etnh e s i d et h a t i s o u t o f - s q u a r ep,u s h i n g t h e l a s tc i r c u i ty o u installea d g a i n stth e a d j a c e not n e s . R e p e aat t t h e r e m a i n i n cgo r n e r so f the seat.

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Stuffingthe seat f, , . , 1 O n c et h e r u s h i n si s a b o u t w o l h i r d s d o n e ,i t i s t i m et o p r o v r Oeex t r ap a d d i n g by stuffingthe seat.To preventthe rush f r o ms l a c k e n i n gu ,s ea s p r i n gc l a m pt o s e c u r et h e l o o s el e n g t hy o ua r ei n s t a l l i n gt o a s e a tr a i l .U s ec a r d b o a rfdo r t h e p a d d r n gc,u t t i n go n et r i a n g u l apri e c ef o r e a c hs i d eo f t h e s e a ts o t h a tt h e t r i a n g l e ' s l o n gs i d ei s s l i g h t l ys h o r t etrh a nt h e s e a t r a i l .S l i pt h e p a d d i n ug n d e trh e r u s h i n g (righ),Ihentrim the tips if theyoverlapin t h e c e n t e rC . o n t i n uteh e n o r m acl i r c u i ta s b e f o r eu n t i lt h e t w os i d er a i l sa r ec o v e r e d .

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Completing the bridge 4i \ , 1 S i n c et h e s e a to n a n E n fi e l dc h a i ri s geing d e e p etrh a ni t i s w i d e t, h e r u s h i n b i n s t a l l eodn t h e s i d er a i l sw i l lm e e ti n t h e m i d d l eo f t h e s e a tb e f o r et h e r u s ho n t h e f r o n ta n d b a c kr a i l s .O n c et h i s o c c u r s , u s ea t e c h n i q uken o w na s b r i d g i ntgo f i l l t h e g a p .L o o pt h e r u s h i n go n t h e f r o n t a n d b a c kr a i l sw i t h a f i g u r e - e i g hpta t t e r n weavep , a s s i n gt h e r u s ho v e rt h e b a c k r a i l ,d o w nt h r o u g ht h e c e n t e ru, n d e rt h e s e a ta n d u p a r o u n dt h e f r o n tr a i l .T h e n b r i n gt h e r u s ho v e rt h e s e a tf r o mt h e f r o n t r a i la n d b a c kd o w nt h r o u g ht h e c e n t e r ( r i o h f ) P a c , ei ,h e r r r s h r r n d c r t h e c p : t \ t

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theiob 7T Finishins -

/ O n c ey o u h a v eb r i d g e dt h e g a p b e t w e etnh e f r o n ta n d b a c kr a i l s ,s e tt h e c h a i ru p s i d ed o w no n a w o r kt a b l ea n d t a c kt h e l a s ts t r a n do f r u s ht o t h e u n d e r sideof the backseatrail (left).Cut off the excess.

t I I

SHAKERROCKING CHAIR he Shakerrocker shown below shares manyfeaturesandbuilding techniques with the Enfieldsidechair. For example,the crestrail mortisesin therearlegsarerouted(page2|)before the legsareturnedand bent.(ln this chair,the rearlegsarebent from the armsto thetop,insteadof beingcanted back,ason the Enfield.)The mortises for thebackstretchers, rail, andslatsare

then bored with an electricdrill (page 32);themortisesmustbe angled2" to compensate for theoutwardsplayof the legsfrom thebottomto the top. Drilling the mortisesin the legsfor the otherstretchers andrailsis simoler because thereareno holesat comoound angles. The mortisesfor the front rails andstretchers are90oholesthat canbe boredon the drill press(page31).The

mortisesfor thesiderailsandstretchers canbeboredwith a drill andshop-made "TOP" drillingguides(page33);adjust the guideto the appropriate angle,and set "SIDE" up the guideat 90". The followingpagespresenttechniquesthat are uniqueto buildinga Shakerrocker,includingbendingthe rearlegs(page40),andmakingthearms androckers(pagea1).

ANATOMY OFA SHAKER ROGKING CHAIR Kearlea Creat rail

Arm Arm butLon

Rail and stretcher to leg joint

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Asshownin theoverhead viewof the rockingchak(|eft,top),thefrontof theseatiswiderthanthebackandthe topsof the rearlegsarefartherapart TOP atthetopthanthebottom. Asa result, VIEW therailsandslatsareprogressively longer fromthebottom to thetopof thechair.Liketherearlegs,theslats aresteam-bent for comfort. Thefront Front aeat rail legsareparallel soihefrontrailsand stretchers all sharethesamelengh. Asshownin thesideuiew(|eft, bottom), thesiderailsandstretchers areperpendicular to thelegsin the vertical axis.A comfortable angleis achieved bybending rear legs, the rather thaninclining them.Forbalance,therockers contact theground \',1" 2 to 3 inches in frontof therearlegs. Theillustrations andcuttinglistpro'%' videappropriate dimensions and angles thaiyoucantransfer to your \ storypole(page2&. \ Kearleq

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39

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Built in HancockShakerVillage, the rockershown abovefeatures a woven-splintseat.The Shakers made this seatingfrom wood, which they soakedin water for severalweeks,then split into long stripsand wovearound the seatrails.

CHAIRS

PREPARING THEREARLEGS theless 1t Bendins -

I R o u t h e c r e s tr a i lm o r t i s eisn t h e r e a rl e g s( p a g e2 8 ) , t u r n t h e mo n y o u rl a t h e( p a g e2 9 ) , t h e ns t e a mt h e l e g s( p a g e3 0 ) f o r b e n d i n gT. o b e n dt h e mt o t h e p r o p ear r c ,u s ea s h o p - m a d e j i g , l i k et h e o n es h o w na t l e f t .F o rt h e j i g b a s e c, u t a p i e c eo f plywood l o n g etrh a nt h e l e g s t, h e nm a k et h e b e n d i n gf o r mf r o m a p i e c eo f s o l i ds t o c ks l i g h t l yt h i c k e rt h a nt h e l e gd i a m e t e r0.n y o u rb a n ds a w ,c u t t h e d e s i r e dc u r v e - a b o u t1 0 " - o n b o t h e d g e so f t h e f o r m ,s t a r t i n g t h e c u t a b o u th a l f w a yu p t h e b o a r d . T h e ns c r e wt h e f o r mt o t h e b a s ea n d f a s t e na s t o pb l o c ko n e a c hs i d eo f t h e s t r a i g hpt o r t i o no f t h e f o r m ;t h e g a p b e t w e e n t h e b l o c k sa n dt h e f o r ms h o u l de q u a tl h e l e gd i a m e t e rA. s s o o n a s y o ut a k et h e l e g sf r o mt h e s t e a m e rs,e t t h e mo n t h e j i g b e t w e etnh e f o r ma n dt h e b l o c k sa, l i g n i n g t h ep o i n to n t h e l e g s t h a tw i l l b e j o i n e dt o t h e s e a tr a i l sw i t ht h e s t a r to f t h e c u r v e d c u t o n t h e f o r m .T h e n ,p r o t e c t i ntgh e s t o c kw i t h w o o dp a d s , i n s t a lal b a rc l a m pj u s t b e l o wt h e s l a tm o r t i s etso b e n dt h e l e g s s n u g l ya g a i n stth e f o r m .S e c u r e t h e t o p o f t h e l e g sa g a i n stth e (/eff). form usinga handscrew

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- - a, lFd r) Preparing the legsfor therockers L O n c et h e l e g s a r ed r y , m a r kh o l e sf o r t h e s c r e w st h a t w i l l f a s t e nt h e l e g st o t h e r o c k e r sl ;o c a t ea h o l eo n e a c hl e ga b o u tI i n c hf r o mt h e b o t t o me n d .C u ta V - s h a p ewde d g eo u t o f a w o o d b l o c k c, r e a t i n g a l i g t h a t w i l l h o l dt h e l e g sa s y o u b o r et h e h o l e sC . l a m pt h e j i g t o y o u rd r i l l p r e s st a b l es o t h e b o t t o mo f t h eV i s c e n t e r eu d n d e rt h e b i t . T h e np l a c et h e l e gi n t h e j i g a n da l i g nt h e m a r k e dp o i n tw i t ht h e b i t . H o l d i n tgh e l e gw r t h o n e h a n d ,b o r ea c o u n t e r s u nhko l et h r e e - q u a r t eor sf t h e w a y

t h r o u g ht h e s t o c k( a b o v el,e f t ) . f h e no u t l i n ea n o t c ho n t h e b o t t o me n do f e a c hl e gp e r p e n d i c u ltaort h e h o l e ,m a k i n gi t s w i d t he q u a tl o t h e t h i c k n e sos f t h e r o c k e ras n d l t s h e i g h a t bout o n e - h a ltfh e r o c k e h r e i g h tC . u tt h e s i d e so f t h e n o t c h e o snyour b a n ds a w ,t h e nr e m o v e t h e w a s t eb e t w e e tnh e k e r f s s, h a v i n g a w a yt h e w o o di n t h i n l a y e r w s i t h a c h i s e lC . l a m pa s t o pb l o c k i n p l a c ew i t h a n a r cc u t o u t o f o n ef a c et o s t e a d yt h e w o r k p i e c e bbove, right).

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CHAIRS

THEARMSANDTHEROCKERS PREPARING thearmsandrockers 1 Cutting I R e f e r r i ntgo t h e a n a t o m iyl l u s t r a t i o n on page38, makea templatefor the arms. 0 u t l i n et h e s h a p eo n o n ea r mb l a n kt,h e n f l i p t h et e m p l a t e o v e ra n do u t l i n et h e s e c o n d a r m ;t h i s w i l l e n s u r et h a tt h e t w o a r e s f e a c ho t h e r O . n e a c ha r m , m i r r o ri m a g e o a l s om a r kt h e m o r t i s et h a tw i l l a c c e pt h e t e n o na t t h e t o p e n do f t h e f r o n tl e g .C u t the armsto shapeon yourbandsaw(right). Reoeatthe orocess to sawthe rockers.

t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

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r) Preparing thearmsfor assembly Z A t t t r o u sthh e t e n o n sa t t h e e n d so f r o u n dp a r t so f t h e c h a i r - l i k et h e l e g s , r a i l s .s t r e t c h e r a s .n ds l a t s - c a nb e d o n e on the lathe(page30), the tenonsat the t et u r n e d . b a c ke n d o f t h e a r m sc a n n o b l d o w e cl u t t e ro n y o u r I n s t e a di,n s t a l a d r i l lp r e s st ,i l t t h e m a c h i ntea b l e9 0 " a n d c l a m ot h e a r m i n o l a c ew r t ht h e t e n o n e n dc e n t e r e u d n d e rt h e c u t t e r .S e tt h e d r i l l r n dg e p t ha t o n e - h atl hf e l e gd i a m e t e r then cut the tenon(/eff).

CHAIRS

ASSEMBLING THEROCKING CHAIR

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Gluing thefrontandrearlegassemblies together -

I G l u i n gu p t h e r o c k i n g c h a i rf o l l o w sm u c ht h e s a m ep r o c e d u r eu s e df o r t h e E n f i e l dc h a i r .S t a r tb y a t t a c h i n tgh e c r e s t r a i l .s l a t s .r a i l s .a n d s t r e t c h e rtso t h e t w o r e a rl e p s( n a p c 3 3 , ) .T h e ng l u et h e a r m s ,r a i l s ,a n d s t r e t c h e rtso t h e f r o n t

r) Makingthearmbuttons L P r e p a rtew o b l a n k sa n dd r i l la m o r t i s e h a l f w a tyh r o u g he a c ho n es i z e dt o a c c e p t t h e t e n o na t t h e t o p e n do f t h e f r o n tl e g s . G l u ea l e n g t ho f d o w e il n e a c hh o l e t, h e n u s et h e d o w e tl o m o u n to n eo f t h e b l a n k s o n y o u rl a t h e .T u r nt h e b u t t o nt o s h a p e , t h e ns m o o t hi t w i t hs a n d o a o ewrh i l ei t i s still spinningon the lathe(righil.Remoue t h e b u t t o nf r o mt h e m a c h i n ea n dd r i l lo u t t h ed o w e l .

legs. 0ncetheadhesive glueonthetenons hascured, spread of thesiderailsandstretchers andin theirmortises in thelegsand (abovd. fit thetwoassemblies together Usea dead-blow hammer t o t a pt h e . l o i nitnst of i n a lp o s i t i o n .

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CHAIRS

t) Installins thearmbuttons < r-,1Oncebotharmbuttonsareready, gluein theirmortises spread andonthe tenonsat thetopendof thefrontlegs. Thenposition thebuttons onthearms(/eft).

t I T I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Attaching thelegsto therockers 't,{ Settherockers on a flatsurface and positron thechaironthemsotherearlegs thepointwhere sitabout2 inches behind Usea therockers contact thesurface. chiselto shaoe thebottomof thenotches flatonthe in the legssotheylie perfectly rockers, thenmarkthescrewholesonthe usingthe holesin sidesof the rockers, Remove thechairand thelegsasa gurde. d r i l la h o l ea t e a c hm a r ks, e tt h ec h a i r down,andreposition therockers upside on thechair.Nowscrewthe lessand rockerstogether(right).

+J

TAPESEAT Q hakertape,calledlistingby the rJ Shakers, beganto supplantother tlpes of wovenseatmaterialsafter1830. Its rangeof colors,neatappearance, durabilitv.andeaseof installationmade it idealfor furniturebuildersbent on producingqualitygoodsasefficiently aspossible. And unlikecaneor other naturallyoccurringmaterials,tapedoes not dry out or split;nor doesit pinch or snagclothing. Shownbelowand on the following pages, weavingis fairlysimple.Onelength of tape,calledthewarp,is anchoredto

the siderailsand wrappedaroundthe front and backseatrailsin adjoining rows.A secondlength,calledtheweft,is wovenalternatelyunder and overthe strandsthatform thewarp.Looseends arejoinedby weavingthem backon themselves, ensuringthat the rows alwavsremainoarallel. Shakertapeisavailable in %-and 1inchwidthsfrom folk-artsuppliers. You canweavethe basictabbystyleshown in this sectionor createa wide variety of designs that includebasicand complexgeometricshapes.

TheShakerrockingchairshown at leftfeaturescanvastapeseating aswellasa tapeback.

WEAVING A TAPESEAT

Anchoring thewarprows 1 I Tacka lengthof tapeto theinsideof a sideseatrailabout theedgeof thematerial buttsagainst therearlegbbove). Wrap 2 inches fromtherearlegsothatthetapeis parallel to therail. thetapearound thefrontrailandpullit towards thebackrail Loopthetapearound thebackrailfromunderneath, ensuring fromunderneath.

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r) Stuffing theseat I Conlinue wrapping thewarparound thefrontandbackrailsfromunderneath, making rowsof tapearein sureadjoining Theweave contact. shouldbetight,but notsotautthatthereis noplayforthe weftrowsto bewovenbetween thewarp rows.Onceyouareabouthalfway to the opposite siderail,it istimeto stuffthe seat.To orevent thetaoefromslackening,tiethelooselength of tapeto oneof t h es l a t sB . u ya p i e c eo f 1 - i n c h - t h i c k f o a mp a d d i nfgr o ma c r a f ts u p p l oy r hardware storeandcut it witha craft knifeto fit withintheseatrails.Slipthe paddingbetween thetapelayers(left), it between centerine therails.

Completing thewarp Continue weaving thewarprows untilyoureach theopposite siderailand wrapped in thebackseatrailisentirely tape.Thentemporarily tackthe loose lengthof tapeto thesiderail(below) andcutofftheloose end.

CHAIRS

Starting theweft S e tt h e c h a i ru p s i d ed o w no n a w o r k

youto workcomsurface thatwillenable fortably. Starting along thebackseatrail opposite theplacewhereyoubegan the warp,sliptheendof thewefttapeunder thefirststrandof thewarp,overthenext, a n dc o n t i n uwei t ht h i su n d e r - a n d - o v e r weave untilyoureach thelastwarpstrand. P u l tl h ee x c e st sa p et h r o u g hl e, a v i n5g point.Weave inches orsoat thestarting part this backon itselfto anchor thetape in place(left).Flipthe chairupright andcontinue weaving onthetopsideof theseat.

Filling thegapsin thewarp f, r-,/ Weave aboutthreerowsof weft,then begin f i l l i n gi n t h et r i a n g u lgaar p sl e f t y o ui n s t a l l e d a l o n gt h es i d er a i l sw h e r e thewarp.Cuta length of warptapelong plus enough to weave tworowsof seating, a b o u5t i n c h e sa,n ds l i pt h et a p eu n d e r thelaststrand of weftbeneath theseat andaround thefrontseatrail,buttingit against the lastrowof warpyouwovein step3. Thenreturn to thebackrail,passingthetapeunder thelastweftrowand overthesecondone(right).Weave another warprowadlacent to thelastonethesame way.Leave theexcess hanging for now; y o uw i l lb ea b l et o w e a v iet i n t ot h es u b sequent weftrows.Weave threemoreweft process. rowsandrepeat thegap-filling

I I I I I T I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

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46

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T I I I

theweftrows trl Completing

weaving theweft,wrapping \,f Continue eachrowaround thesiderailsandweavingoverandunderthewarprows(left). Avoid twisting thematerial. Asyoufinish eachrow,pullit tightagainst theprevious onewithyourf ingers. Asyouworkyour w a yt o w a r tdh es i d er a i l ,t h ew a r pw i l l become increasingly tight.Tomakespace fortheweft,slidea bluntknifebetween thewarprowsas necessary. Whenyou havelaiddownthef inalweftrow,weave it backon itselfto holdit in place. Also weave in anyloose endsof tapeonthe underside of theseat.

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tape I Splicing I lf yourunoutof tapebefore finishing thewarportheweft, youwill needto jointwoends.Youcanstitchthemtogether withthread,but a simplermethodis to startweaving a new lengthat a pointabout6 inchesbefore theendof thefirst

tapebbovd,overlapping thetapesandbinding themtogether b yf r i c t i o nU. s et h i st e c h n i q uoent h eu n d e r s i d oe f t h es e a t w i t ht h ec h a i ru p s i d d e o w ns ot h a tn os e a m os r b u l g ew s ill b ev i s i b l e .

47

N,{EETINGHOUSE BENCH -[t h. meetinghouse benchservedasa I pewfor theShakers. Duringservices,thefaithfulwouldsit andlistento a sermondeliveredby an elder.At the would closeof themeeting,thebenches bemovedout of thewayandhungfrom a pegboard(page138).Wth the floor cleared,the Shakers'ritual dancing-

Madeof cherrywith a pineseat, themeetinghouse benchshownat Ieft is modeledafter thoseusedby peoBecause Shakerworshippers. ple arelargerthan theywerein the Shakers'time.theseatis wider than that of an originalbench.

from which they derivetheir namewouldbegin. AlthoughmanyShaker communities had benches of the styleshownin this section,the designis believedto have originatedin Enfield,NewHampshire. Typically,the crestrail, legs,and spindleswerebuilt from mapleor cherry and the seatfrom pine. Many early examplesremainintact,asa resultof soundconstructionand carefulhandlingby their makers. As shownbelow,the bench'slegs arerakedto the front andback,but are not splayed Thespindlesand sideways. crestrail are taperedand the rail is angledat theends.

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ANATOMY OFA MEETINGHOUSE BENCH

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PREPARING THESEAT

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Drilling thelegholes 1 I Clampyourseatblankbottom-face up on a worksurface andmarka reference lineacross thesurface 5 inches from eachend,thenpinpoint the holesforthelegs;thebackholes shouldbe 1%inchesfromthe backedgeof theseatandthe frontholesshouldbe 1%inchesfromthefrontedge.Fit a handbracewitha spoonbit thesamediameter asthe legs. T o h e l py o ud r i l lt h eh o l e sa t t h ec o r r e c t ; s f2t p s o l em : k c

twoguidesfroma shortwoodscrap,mitering theguidefor t h ef r o n tl e g sa t 5 " a n dt h eo n ef o r t h e b a c kl e g sa t 1 5 " . guideon edgeonthereference Settheappropriate linea few i n c h e fsr o mt h e h o l em a r ka n dh o l dt h e b i t p a r a l l et ol t h e miterededgeof the guide.Thenborethe hole(abovd,stoppingwhenyouareabouttwo-thirds of thewaythrough the stock-about 1 inchdeep.

49

CHAIRS

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Keference line

r) Drilling thespindle holes f- Borethe holesfortheseatspindles usingyourdrillpress j ie g . M a r ka r e f e r e n cl ien eo n i h et o pf a c e a n da s h o p - m a d of theseatparallel to the backedgeand1 inchawayfromit. T h e nm a r kt h es p i n d l h e o l e ss,t a r t i nagb o u2t % i n c h efsr o m t h ee n d sa n ds p a c i ntgh er e m a i n i nhgo l e e s q u a l l yT.oe n s u r e thatthespindles aretiltedbackat thecorrect angle, adjusta protractor to 10"andusetheshop-made tiltedtablejig shown a b o v teo t i l t t h es e a ti n r e l a t i otno t h eb i t .F o rt h ej i g ,s e ta p i e c eo f p l y w o oodnt h em a c h i ntea b l e p, l a c et h es e a tb l a n k

to shape theseat's top Q Preparing r.,l Cutthe recess on theseat'stopsurfaceonyourtablesaw.Startbymarking the profileof theseatontheworkpiece. Referring to theanatomy illustration on page48, outline theshape of theendson thebottom faceandendgrainof theblank. Tooutline therecess, settheseattopfaced o w no n y o u rt a b l es a wa n dc r a n kt h e blade to thedesired depthof cut.Position theseatsothe recess will be centered b e t w e et nh em i d d l ea n dt h eb a c ke d g e , t h e no u t l i n teh eb l a d eo nt h ee n do f t h e s t o c ka n dm a r ka r e f e r e n cl ien eo nt h e sawtablealongtheseat'sfrontedge(righil. Nowclampa board asa guidesothatits edgeisaligned withthereference line.

o nt o p ,a n ds l i pa 2 - b y - 2u n d etrh ep l y w o opda r a l l ewli t hi t s backedge.Holding the protractor baseontheseatandthe bladenextto the bit,reposition the2-by-2untilthe bladeis parallel to thebit (above, lefil.fhenscrew theZ-by-2Io theplyjig woodandclampthe to themachine table.Todrilltheholes, s e tt h ed r i l l i n g d e p t ha t t w o - t h i r dt hses e a t h i c k n e sasl,i g n thefirstmarkunder thebit,andclampa board to thelig asa fencealong theseatfront's Then,holding edge. theseatagainst thefence,boreeachholebbove,right).

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Cutting therecessin theseattop ,{ -T Adjustthe bladeto a cuttingheightof ' / , ui n c h .S l o w l yf e e dt h e s e a ta c r o s st h e t a b l ew i t ho n eh a n d w , h i l ep r e s s i nigt a g a i n stth e g u i d eb o a r dw i t h t h e o t h e r . s s n e c e s s a ruyn t i l M a k ea s m a n yp a s s e a t h e b l a d eo u t l i n eo n t h e e n do f t h e s t o c k (left),raisingthe blade%uinch disappears a t a t i m e . F o ra s m o o t hf i n i s h ,r a i s et h e b l a d ev e r ys l i g h t l ya n d m a k ea f i n a lp a s s .

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Shaping thetopof theseat f, s , / C l a m pt h e s e a tf a c e - u po n a w o r ks u r f a c ea n d m a r ka guidelina e l o n gt h e l e n g t ho f t h e r e c e s sy o uc u t a s a r e m i n d e r o f w h e r et h e c u r v e dp o r t i o no f t h e s e a t o p w i l l e n d .R e f e r r i n g t o t h e o u t l i n eo n t h e e n do f t h e s t o c k ,u s ea h a n dp l a n et o f i n ish shapingthe seatIop (above),removingwastefrom end to . o n t i n uuen t i l y o u e n da n da l w a y cs u t t i n gw i t ht h e g r a i n C r e a c hy o u ro u t l i n e .

Cutting theendsoftheseat F o l l o w i ntgh e c u t t i n gl i n e so n t h e t o p f a c eo f t h e s e a t ,c u t t h eendson yourbandsaw(above). Keepthe workpiece flat on t h e m a c h i ntea b l ea sy o uf e e di t , t h e ns a n dt h ec u t e n d ss m o o t h .

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theunderside oftheseat I Shaping I Theendsandfrontedgeof theseat arebeveled on its underside. Bevel the frontedgeof theseatonyourtablesaw, tiltingtheblade to a 45' angle. Theends arebestshaped by handwitha carver's drawknife. Clamo theseatface-down on a worksurface. Then,holding thetoolin bothhands withthebladebevel-down at a 4 5 ' a n g l teo t h ee n do f t h es e a tp, u l li t towardyouto shaveoff wastewood(left). Onceyouaresatisfied withthebevel, sand theendssmooth.

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THELEGS TOTHESEAT JOINING thelegsforthestretchers 1 Preparing I Turnthe legsonyourlalhe(page28), tapering themto a diameter of % inch at thetopdtldr%o inchat thebottom. Also turnthestretchers intocylinders, forming a tenon(page29) at eachend.Toensure t h a tt h es t r e t c h ehro l e si n t h el e g sw i l l b ea t t h ec o r r e catn g l ed, r i l lt h e mw i t h theseatface-down on a worksurface and t h e l e g sd r y -ift t e di n t h e i rh o l e si n t h e s e a t I. n s t a lal s p a d eb i t i n a n e l e c t r i c d r i l la n dw r a pa s t r i po f m a s k i ntga p e around thebitto markthedrilling deptha b o u ot n e - h atlhf e d i a m e t eorf t h e l e g . A l s om a r ka p o i n th a l f w auyp e a c hl e g (seetheanatomy on page48).Thenholdingthelegin itsholeandthebit parallel to theseatsurface, drilltheholeat the m a r ks, t o p p i nwgh e nt h em a s k i ntga p e contactsIhe stock(right).

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Preparing thelegsand forwedges stretchers thelegsto Reinforce thejointsconnecting to thelegswith theseatandthestretchers wedges. Cutthe kerfsforthewedges on yourbandsaw.Whenyouarekerfingthe l e g sh, o l dt h el e go nt h em a c h i nt ea b l e holefacingstraight up. withthestretcher in the Thiswillensure thatthewedges legsareperpendicular to thegrainof the theseatfromsplitting. seat,preventing Feedtheworkpiece intotheblade, slicing a kerfto a depthof aboutlz inch (righil. thesame Cutthekerfsin thestretchers willbe way,making surethatthewedges perpendicular to thegrainof thelegs.

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upthelegsandstretchers Q Gluing for the kerfs,cut r.,l To makewedges pieces somehardwood on the bandsaw slightly lessthan%inchlongand% inch t h i c ka t t h e b a s et,a p e r i ntgo a p o r n t . to the legs. Startbygluingthestretchers and Spread someadhesive onthewedges in the kerfsaswellason thestretcher in the legs,and tenons andthemortises insert thewedges intotheirkerfs.Fitthe andlegstogether, usinga woodstretcher intofinalposien mallet to tapthepieces protruding tion.Youcanleavethewedges fromthe kerfs(insef); theywillsit f lush withtheendsof the legsandstretchers Next, whenyoutapthejointstogether. gluethewedges intothelegs,spread adhesiveonthecontacting surfaces between the legsandtheseat,andtapthelegs (/eff,). intoposition

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Sawing thelegsto length T h et e c h n i q useh o w na b o v e w i l le n s u r e t h a t a l l f o u rl e g sa r ep r e c i s e tl yh e s a m e l e n g t hC . u tf o u rw o o db l o c k sf r o ma s i n g l e b o a r dt,h e n n o t c ho n eo f t h e b l o c k st o f i t a r o u n da l e g ( i n s e i l .P l a c et h e b l o c k a r o u n dt h e f i r s tl e gt o b e c u t . H o l d i n gt h e l e gf i r m l yw i t h o n e h a n d ,c u t i t t o s i z e w i t ha f l u s h - c u t t i nsga w .O n c et h e f i r s t l e gi s t r i m m e dr, e m o v e t h e n o t c h e db l o c k a n dr e p l a c iet w i t ho n eo f t h e r e m a i n i n g b l o c k sP . o s i t i otnh e n o t c h e dp i e c ea r o u n d t h e n e x tl e ga n dm a k et h e c u t .C o n t i n u ien this way until all four legsarecut (right). l f y o uw a n tt h e b e n c ht o h a v ea b a c k w a r d s l a n t ,t a c ks h i m st o t h e b o t t o m so f t h e f r o n tl e g sb e f o r et r i m m i n gt h e l e g s .

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GTUING THECREST RAILANDSPINDLES T()THESEAT 'l

Preparing thecrestrailfor thespindles I C u tt h e c r e s tr a i lt o s i z e t, h e nm a r k t h es p i n d l eh o l e so n i t s b o t t o me d g e u , sing t h e h o l e sy o ud r i l l e dr nt h e s e a ta s a g u i d e . C l a m pa p i e c eo f p l y w o oads a n a u x i l i a r y t a b l et o y o u rd r i l lp r e s si,n s t a lal b r a d - p o i n t b i t ,a n da d l u st h e d r i l l i n gd e p t ht o a b o u t 1 i n c h .A l i g nt h e f i r s th o l em a r ku n d e r t h e b i t a n dc l a m pa b o a r dt o t h e a u x i l i a r yt a b l ef l u s ha g a i n st th ef a c eo f t h e r a i l . T h i sw i l l s e r v ea s a f e n c et o o o s i t i o tnh e r a i l .B u t t i n gt h e r a i la g a i n stth ef e n c ed, r i l l the holes (righil.

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r) Gluing andcrestrail upthespindles L s"tthe seatface-uo ona worksurglueontheendsof the face,thenspread andin theholesin theseatand spindles t h ec r e s rt a i l .F i tt h es n i n d l eisn t ot h e eachoneintofinalposition seat,tapping (above). hammer Once witha dead-blow place, arein fit therailon allthespindles Foradditional topandtapit intoposition. r e i n f o r c e m eynotu, c a np e gt h ej o i n t s thesoindle andtheseatandrail between a t e a c he n do f t h eb e n c hD. r i l tl h ep e g through ihe back holesintothespindles faceof edgeof theseatandtheoutside explained therail,following theprocedure on page110.

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lllllllllltIIJilllllilllil illrilltljiltilJ iliIillJllltili l]l]ltilllrJ 1HO?TI? laperinglhe areEl rail on a planer lf you wiehNola?er the crest,railof the bencheo Xhelop edqeio aae nirrowe,than tie bott om,usea Nhickneee elanerand a bhop-m jig. ForNhejiq,tack two woodetriVeIo a boardNhat is longerand widerthan the rail.Oneof lhe eLrioeehouldbelwiceas thick as lhe Nhemehouldbe about,1inchleesthan oIher,and the 4ap beNween Nhewidlhof the rail,ClampNheji4 Lo Nheplan' er table so Lheboardand NheeNrioeextend lrom eachside of the machineby eeveral J;i, inches. Nowfurn on Ihe planerand make a Dao6throuahthe machinewithIhe bottom edqebfthe rail fluehayainol the Nhicker otripandlhetop edqeproVped uV onlhethinneretriV.lltake ae many?aeoeo ao necelearyNoachieveLhedesired t a p e r . T h e n N u r n l hr ae i lo v e ra n d repeat,lhe proceee,Nhietime with Lhe rail'e boLIom

edgebuLbed aqainot Nhethinnerelrip,ae shownabove,

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TABLES The of 12people. threesquares he earlyyearsof Shaker table illustrated on 6-footlong communitieswere far page 58 seats eight comfortably. from bountiful.As oneresiDropJeaftables(page68), dentof the Hancockvillage "Our tops, with their expandable foodwas saidin 1791, later than treswere developed veryscanty.Butwhatwehad, tle types, becoming common we atewith thankfulhearts. Theywere usedin the by 1820. Forbreakfast andsupper,we hall as side tablesor dining livedmostlyuponbeanporas dining tables. occasionally, By ridgeandwaterporridgeJ' But dropJeaf design is so the ofthe 19th thesecond decade practical Shakers that the theShakers' Centuryhowever, founda multitudeof applicahard capacityfor ceaseless from tionsfor it everywhere workbegan to payoffinmatethedairyto theinfirmary. rialprosperiry Thepedestal table(page78), Shakerdining tablesare stand,wasverypopor candle mutetestamentto the comStrong ularwith theShakers. munities' successin fields, andsturdy,itwaslightenough Asincreasbams,andgardens. joined Its tripodlegs to moveeasily. Wth helpfrom a shop-builtjig that restson thebedof ingnumbers of converts kept it from wobbling.The a lathe,a routerfitted with a dovetailbit plowssockets the movement,mealtimes experimented endwill mate Shakers in thecolumnof a candlestand.Thesockets saw the Shakerscrowded lesslywith thisbasicform.The with slidingdovetailsat the top endsof the legs. elbowto elbowaroundthe standwasbuilt with convex, For instructionson makingthisjtg, refertopage81. dinnertable,eatingin solemn concave, or turnedlegs.Tops silenceand, as in most of or rectangular. Sometimes, thetops with themenandwomenseparated. weremaderound,square their otheractivities, undercommonfixturesin mostShaker weresimplyroundedoveror lipped,andsomefeatured Trestle tables(page58)were to holdsewingsupplies. Sometopshadagroove legroom slungdrawers dininghalls.Wth theirnarrowlegsandunobstructed (Ovalor octagonal of seeds. thetableswerewell in thelip to helpin thepackaging allowingpeopleto sitquiteclosetogether, however, asbeingfrivolousandtoo wereexcluded, thepassing offoodacross shapes ethic.Tofacilitate suitedto theShaker "squares" fourdin- worldly.)Thecandlestandshownin thischapteris but one of weredividedinto thelargetops,settings trestletableswerebuiltto seat versionof a popularandfunctionaldesign. ers.Typically10feetlong,Shaker

A woodensupportispivotedundertheleafof thedropJeaftable shownat left. Overtime, thesupportmay tendto sagslightly,but the thin wedgeglued to the undersideof the leafwill compensate for the change,allowing theleaf to sitat thesamelevelasthe top.

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TRESTLE TABLE f-\ espitetheirlargesize,trestletables LJ areeasyto move.This is because the joints connectingthe feetto the legs,thelegsto therails,andtherailsto the top are fixed not by glue,but by screwsandbolts.Thetableshownbelow reliesheavilyon knockdownhardware, a modernversionof the ShakerDracticeof assembling tableswith boltsthat drewagainsta trappednut, allowingeasy disassembly. Shakersfrequentlyused

cherryfor their tables;this remainsa goodchoicetoday. Topreventthetop from warpingand alsoto hideend grain,a tongueis cut alongeachendto positionthe mating grooveofa breadboard end.The ends arescrewedto the top,with only a little glueappliedat the middle.This allows the top to expandand contractacross its width ashumidity changeswithout beinghinderedby thebreadboard ends.

t Asshownonpage59,thefirststepin makingthistableis gluingup thetop. Because of itswidth,thetopcannotbe passed throughmostthickness planers afterglueup.Instead, startby assemblingthetopin thelargest possible sectionsthatyourmachine canhandleand planethemto a uniformthickness. Thengluethesections together, being verycarefulto ensure thattheyareperfectlyflush.

ANATOMY OFA TRESTLE TABTE ToP 1"x41'/a"x7O%"

18"

Trestle 1"x4%"x49"

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,.t...Spareand sturdy,the trestletableshownbelow is a perfectexpression of theShakerphilosoplry. With the trestletuckedup underthe top,diners could sitclosetogetherwithout havingto splay out theirkneesor legs.Thenarrowfeetat theends madeit easyto sweepthefloor underthetable.

Rail

1"x5"x36"

/----=-% Croaa dowel

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Applying theglue I O n c ea l l y o u rb o a r das r el o i n t e da n dr i p p e dt o a c o m b i n e dw i d t ht h a ti s r o u g h l 1y i n c hw i d e tr h a nt h ef i n i s h e d e a t c ho f c o l t o p ,a r r a n gteh e b o a r d sf o r t h e b e s tp o s s i b l m . ominimize o r ,f i g u r e a, n dg r a i n T w a r p i n gl,a yo u t t h e p l a n k ss o t h a tt h e e n dg r a i no f a d j a c e nbt o a r d sr u n si n o p p o s i td e i r e c t i o n st h, e nm a r ka r e f e r e n cter i a n g l eo n t o p o f t h e b o a r d sT. h i sw i l l h e l py o uc o r r e c t lrye a l i g nt h e mf o r g l u eu p . T o h o l dy o u rb a rc l a m p su p r i g h tc, u t n o t c h e d w o o db l o c k sa n ds e tt h e c l a m p si n t h e b l o c k sS. p a c et h e c l a m p se u e r y2 4 t o 3 6 i n c h e sT. o p r o t e ctth e s t o c k a , lso c u t t w o w o o dp a d sa s l o n ga n d a s t h i c ka s t h e p l a n k s . A p p l ya n a r r o wb e a do f g l u et o o n ee d g eo f e a c hj o i n ta n d u s ea s m a l l ,s t i f f - b r i s t l ebdr u s ht o s p r e a dt h e a d h e s i v e evenlyon the boardedges(above).

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r ) T i g h t e n i ncgl a m p s L t u y t h e b o a r d fsa c eu p o n t h e b a rc l a m p sa n da l r g n t h e i re n d s ,m a k i n gs u r et h e s i d e so f t h e r e f e r e n ct er i a n g l e a r el i n e du p . T i g h t e n t h e c l a m p su n d e rt h e b o a r d jsu s t e n o u g ht o b u t t t h e mt o g e t h e rT. o b a l a n c et h e c l a m p i n g p r e s s u raen d k e e pt h e p a n e fl l a t ,p l a c eb a rc l a m p sa c r o s s l e t w e etnh e o n e su n d e r n e a t A t h et o po f t h e p a n eb h .s y o u t i g h t e nt h e c l a m p sm , a k es u r et h a tt h e b o a r d sa r ep e r f e c t l y f l u s h .P l a c ea s c r a po f w o o do n a n y h i g hs p o t sw h e r et w o b o a r dm s e e ta n dh i t i t w i t ha h a m m eur n t i l t h et w o l i ef l a t . F i n r s ht i g h t e n i nagl l t h e c l a m p st n t u r n ( l e f Du n t i lt h e r ea r e n o g a p sb e t w e etnh e b o a r d a s n da t h i n ,e v e nb e a do f g l u e s o r e e z eos r t o f t h e i o i n t s O . n c ea l l t h e t o n s e c t i o nas r e g l u e du p ,p l a n et h e ma n dg l u et h e mt o g e t h e r .

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Preparing thetopfor Q !,, thebreadboard ends Thebreadboard endsareattached to the joint.Start topwitha tongue-and-groove byrouting a tongue at eachendof thetop. Install a piloted three-wing slotting cutter in a routerandsetthecuttingdepthto % - i n c thh; i sw i l le n a b lyeo ut o c l e atrh e wastefromeachsideof thetonguein two passes. Secure thetooto a worksurface andturntherouter onwiththebitclear of thestock.Makethefirstpasson both s i d e so f e a c he n dm a k i nsgu r et h eb i t ' s p i l o tb e a r i nigs b u t t e d a g a i n st ht ee n d of thetop.Thenresetthedepthof cut slightlydeeper to routthe restof the w a s t ef r o mh a l fo f t h et o n g u et;h e t o n g u se h o u l db eo n e - t h i rt dh et h i c k n e s so f t h et o p .F i n i s h t h et o n g u east bothends//eft).

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Making andinstalling thebreadboard ends Plane thebreadboard endsto thesamethickness as thetop,thensawthemaslongasthetop'swidth.Cutthe grooves alongtheinside edges of thebreadboard endson yourtablesaw(page62).fhegrooves shouldbeaswideas yourouted thetongues in step3 andslightly deeper than theirlength. Fittheendsin position andcounterbore three holes through eachoneandintothetop,locating onehole at themiddleandanother a fewinches fromeachend.Use a fileto elongate theholesin thebreadboard endsslightly; t h i sw i l lf a c i l i t a twe o o dm o v e m e nSt p. r e agdl u eo nt h e tongues about1 inchto eachsideofthecenter, thenrepositionthe breadboard ends(right), usinga malletanda w o o db l o c ki,f n e c e s s a tr oy t, a pt h e mi n t of i n a lp o s i t i o n . Drivethescrews to secure theends,gluewoodplugsover theheads, andtrimthemflushwitha chisel. Sandthesurfacesmooth.

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MAKING THEFEET

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Preparing thefeetforthelegs I O u t l i nteh ef e e to n b l a n k as n dc u tt h em o r t i s ei ns t h e mw i t ha r o u t ear n dt h e s og u i d ep i n st h a tb u t t a b o v eT.h ej i g f e a t u r et w c o m m e r c im ao l r t i s i nj igg s h o w n mortise is centered onthe faces of a workpiece, ensuring that the against opposite to cut the mortising bit in a router and set the cutting depth edge.lnstalla'/t-inch your passes. foot on bench mortise in or four Secure one edge up 1%-inch-deep three Plunge thebit intothestockat one andmarkthebeginning andendof themortise. the other end, making suretheguidepins endof themortise, thenfeedthecutterto the cut. Repeat for the otherfoot,then bothridealongtheworkpiece throughout of themortises witha chisel. square thecorners

r) Sawing thefeetto shape L cutthelegonyourbanosaw,sawingthetopedgef irst,followed bythe bottomedge(above). Sandihe cut edges smooth.

ofthefeet thetopedges Q Chamfering r-,1Install 45-degree a piloted bit in a router, mountthetoolin a tableandset depthfora %-inch-wide chamthecutting fer.Toprevent kickback, a notched clamp guideboard to thetablesoitsedgeis in Reinforce linewiththebit'sprlotbearing. guide To the witha support board. indiends,marka line catewhere thechamfer across thetopedgeof thefoot% inchfrom Feedthe foot eachendof the mortise. intothecutter,ridingthestockalongthe guideboard to startthepass, thenpivot guide, theworkpiece awayfromthe makingsurethestockbuttsagainst the beari n p S t o nt h ec l t a t t h ec h a m f el irn e . Repeat on theothersideof the mortise, thenturnthefootoverandchamfer the opposite face(left).

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MAKING THELEGS ANDRAITS 'l Sawing thetenons atthe I bottom ofthelegs C u tt h e l e g st o s i z et,h e no u t l i n e the t e n o nos n t h e i rb o t t o m e n d su, s i n gt h e mortises in thefeetasa guide.Cutthe t e n o n os n y o u rt a b l es a wf i t t e dw i t ha d a d oh e a da; d j u stth ew i d t ho f t h eh e a d t o s l i g h t lm y o r et h a no n e - h atlhf et e n o n l e n g t h - a b o u1 ti n c h Y . o uw i l ls a wt h e tenonsidesandedgesin twopasses each, eliminating theneedto attach anauxiliary fence. Toposition theripfence, alignthe s h o u l d el irn eo nt h e l e gw i t ht h ed a d o headandbuttthefenceagainst theend oftheboard; thefence should bewellclear of theblades. Startbycuttingthesidesof thetenon(page71).Fortheedges, align theendof theboardwiththedadohead andmakea pass, thenturnthelegover andrepeat. Tocomplete thetenon, align theshoulder linewiththeheadandfeed withthemitergauge, theboard ridingthe endof theworkpiece against thefence. Turnthe boardoverandrepeal(lefil.

r) Preparing thelegsforthetrestle groove L me trestlefits intoa stopped j u s t a t t h et o po f t h e l e g .A d t h ew i d t h of thedadoheadandthecuttingheight to % inch.Center thefaceof thelegoverthe d a d oh e a da n db u t tt h ef e n c ea g a i n s t theedge.Marktheendof thegroove on thelegsandthepoints onthetableinsert where t h eb l a d esst o pc u t t i n gt h ; i sw i l l h e l py o ud e t e r m i nt heep o s i t i oonf t h e dadoheadwhenit is hidden bytheworkpieceduringthecut.Tosawthegroove, feedthelegfacedown,holding theedge against thefence(right). Oncethecutting l i n eo nt h el e ga l i g n w s i t ht h em a r ko n thetableinsert, lifttheworkpiece offthe dadohead.Square thestopped endof thedadowitha chisel. Youcannowcuta two-shouldered tenonat eachendof the (page71)to fit intothegroove. stretcher

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Preparing therailsforthelegs T h er a i l sa r ea t t a c h etdo t h e t o p e n d so f t h e l e g sw i t h b r i d l e j o i n t sS . t a r tb y c u t t i n gt h e r e c e s s ei sn t h e r a i l st h a te n a b l et h e m t o m e s hw i t ht h e m o r t i s eyso uw i l l s a wi n t h e l e g s O . u t l i n et h e r a i lp r o f i l eo n y o u rb l a n k sa n d m a r kt h e s h o u l d e rosf t h e r e c e s s e s 2 i n c h e st o e a c hs i d eo f t h e m i d d l eo f t h e b o a r d sA. d j u s t h e d a d oh e a do n y o u rt a b l es a wa s w r d ea s i t w i l lg o a n ds e tt h e c u t t i n g h e i g h ta t % i n c h ,S c r e wa n e x t e n s i otno t h e m i t e rg a u g e , a l i g no n eo f t h e s h o u l d emr a r k so n t h e r a i lw i t ht h e d a d oh e a d , a n d b u t t t h e f e n c ea g a i n stth e e n d o f t h e s t o c k .F e e dt h e r a i l w i t ht h e m i t e rg a u g ep, r e s s i ntgh e s t o c ka g a i n stth e f e n c e .F l i p t h e r a i lt o c u t a s h o u l d eorn t h e o t h e rf a c e ,t h e nr o t a t et h e p i e c e a n d c u t t h e s h o u l d e ras t t h e o t h e re n d o f t h e r e c e s s e/s/ e f f ) . M o v et h e f e n c eo u t o f t h e w a ya n dr e m o v teh e r e m a i n i nw gaste.

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Sawing themortises in thelegs R e p l a cteh e d a d oh e a do n y o u rt a b l es a ww i t ha c o m b i n a t i o nb l a d e c, r a n ki t a s h i g ha s i t w i l l g o ,a n dc u t t h e m o r t i s east t h et o p e n d so f t h e l e g sw i t ht h e h e l po f a c o m m e r c i tael n o n i n g j i g ; t h em o d e sl h o w na b o v es l i d e si n t h e m i t e rs l o t .C l a m pt h e l e gu p r i g hitn t h e j i g , p o s i t i o tnh e j i g t o c e n t e trh e b l a d eo n t h e e d g eo f t h e w o r k p i e c ea,n d f e e dt h e s t o c ki n t ot h e c u t . T h e n m o v et h e j i g v e r ys l i g h t l ya w a yf r o mt h e b l a d et o e n l a r g teh e m o r t i s eM . a k ea n o t h epr a s st,u r nt h e l e ga r o u n di n t h e j r g ,a n d feed it rntothe bladeagain(above).Next,test-fitone of the r a i l si n t h e n r o r t i s el f. t h e f i t i s t o o t i g h t ,a d j u s t h e j i g t o s h a v ea l i t t l em o r ew o o df r o mt h e m o r t i s ea n d m a k et w o m o r e p a s s e sc,o n t i n u i nugn t i lt h e r a i l f i t ss n u g l yi n t h e m o r t i s e .

therailsto shape f, Cutting r . f T o b r i n gt h e t o p e d g eo f t h e r a i l sf l u s hw i t h t h e t o p e n d o f t h e l e g s y, o uw i l l h a v et o n o t c ht h e b o t t o me d g eo f t h e r e c e s s esde c t i o no f t h e r a i l s( s e et h e a n a t o m yo n p a g e5 8 ) . F i t t h e r a i lu p s i d ed o w ni n t h e l e gm o r t i s ea n dd r a wa p e n c i l a l o n gt h e t o p o f t h e l e gt o m a r ka c u t t i n gl i n ea c r o s tsh e r a i l . C u t t h e n o t c ho n y o u rb a n ds a w ,s t a r t i n gw i t h s t r a i g h ct u t s a l o n gt h e s h o u l d e rosf t h e r e c e s tso t h e m a r k e dl i n e .R e m o v e t h e r e m a i n i nw g a s t eb y m a k i n ga c u r v e dc u t f r o mt h e e d g et o o n e s h o u l d e r( a b o v e )t ,h e n r o t a t et h e b o a r d1 8 0 " a n d s a w a l o n gt h e c u t t i n gl i n e .O n c et h e n o t c h e isn b o t hr a i l sa r er e a d y , s a wt h e r a i l st o s h a p ea s y o ud i d t h e f e e t ( p a g e6 1 ) a n d s a n d t h e s u r f a c essm o o t h .

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ASSEMBLING THETABLE 'l I

Preparing therailsforthetop

I T o a l l o wt h et a b l e t o p t o m o v et,h e r a i l sa r ef a s t e n etdo i t w i t hs c r e w sr a t h e r t h a ng l u e .M a r ks i xs c r e wh o l e sa l o n gt h e t o n e d s e so f t h e r a i l s - t h r e eo n e a c hs i d e o f t h e r e c e s s e sa n d b o r et h e mo n y o u r d r i l lp r e s sH. o l d r ntgh e r a i lu p r i g hot n t h e m a c h i ntea b l e d, r r l a l c o u n t e r b o rheodl e t h r o u g ht h e w o r k p i e caet e a c hm a r k ;u s e c u r v e db a c k u pb o a r d tso h e l py o us t e a d y t h e r a i l .T h e nt u r nt h e r a i lo v e ra n d e n l a r g et h e b o t t o mo f e a c hh o l e( l e f t ) , r r s i n ap , / - i n c h d i a m e t ebri t .T h r sw r l l f a c i l i t a tw e o o dm o v e m e nD t .o n o t d r i l l t o od e e p ,h o w e v efro; r p r o p ear n c h o r i n g , a s c r e wr e q u i r e as t l e a s t1 i n c ho f w o o d w i t ha h o l en o l a r g etrh a ni t s s h a n k .

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r) Preparing thefeetfor the legs L U s t r g t w od i f f e r e nbt i t so n y o u rd r i l l n r e s sh o r ea h o l el h r o r r s e h a c hf o o tf o r t h e b o l tt h a tw i l la t t a c hi t t o t h e l e g .T h e b o l tw i l l b e t h r e a d e di n t oa c r o s sd o w e l to providelong-grain support(step4). S t a r tb y d r r l l r nag h o l et o c o n c e aal b o l t h e a dw i t ha 1 l - i n c hs p a d eb i t .M a r ka l i n eo n t h e f a c eo f t h e f o o t 1 l i n c h e s f r o mt h e b o l l o me d s el o i n d i c a tteh e d r i l l i ndge p t hH . o l d i n tgh e f o o tu p s i d e d o w no n t h e m a c h i ntea b l e u, s et h e l i n e

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a c . : o r r i d pf n r c . p t i i n ot h p d r i l l i n o d p n t h

t h e n b o r et h e b o l t - r e c e s s r h no g l e( r r g h f ) . T h e ns w i t c hb i t sa n d b o r ea % - i n c h - d i a m e t e rc l e a r a n cheo l ef o r t h e b o l tt h r o u g h the foot.

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clearance holesinthelegs Q Drilling r-,1Useanelectric drillto prepare thelegsfortheboltsfrom andsecure the thefeet.Startbyfittinga footandlegtogether vrse.Insert a pencilinto assembly upside downin yourbench onthetenonat theend theholein thefootandmarkitscenter

of thelegbbove,lefil.fhenremove thefootandusethedrill fittedwitha%-inch spadebitto boreintothetenonandlegto a depthof about3 inches. Keepthetoolperpendicular to the (above, righil. endof thetenonthroughout theoperation

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Boring clearance holesin thelegsforcrossdowels lnstall a 'lu-inch brad-point bit in yourdrill press andsettheleginside{ace uponthe m a c h i nt e a b l eA. d j u st th ed r i l l i ndge p t h t o s l i g h t llye s st h a nt h es t o c kt h i c k n e s s . T ol o c a t e t h eh o l ef o rt h ec r o s sd o w e l , marka vertical linealongthe legaligned w i t ht h ep i l o th o l ea n da h o r i z o n tl ai nl e across theleg%inchfromtheshoulder of thetenon.Holding thelegsteady, drill the hole(/efil.

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legs F Boltingthefeetto the . . , 1 N o wv o u a r e r e a d vt o a s s e m b l teh e t a b l e ,s t a r t i n gw i t h t h e f e e ta n d l e g s .F i t t h e p i e c e st o g e t h ear n ds e tt h e a s s e m b l y o n a w o r ks u r f a c eS . l i p t h e c r o s sd o w e l i n t o i t s h o l ei n t h e l e ga n d i n s e r t h e b o l t u p t h e f o o t .T o a l i g nt h e f a s t e n e rsso t h e b o l t e n g a g ew s i t h t h e d o w e l ,h o l dt h e d o w e li n p o s i t i o nw i t h a s c r e w d r i v ea rs y o u d r i v et h e b o l t w i t h a h e xd r i v e ro r wrench(right).Oncethe bolt catchesin t h e d o w e lt,i g h t e ni t f r r m l y .

Assembling the legs,railsandtrestle 4i \ , f N o t c ht h e t r e s t l ef o r t h e c l e a t ,t h e ns c r e wt h e c l e a ti n p l a c eC . l a m pt h e c l e a tt o a w o r ks u r f a c ef ,i t t h e l e g sa n d r a i l s t o g e t h e ra, n d p o s i t i o nt h e l e g sa g a i n stth e t r e s t l eT. h e l e g s a n d r a r l sa r ej o i n e dt o t h e t r e s t l ew i t h b o l t sa n dc r o s sd o w e l s . T o m a k et h e c o n n e c t i o n d s ,r i l lt w o p i l o th o l e sf o r b o l t st h r o u g h

Locate the eachlegandrailintotheendof the treslle(above). holessotheypassthrough therail,rather thanbelowit, in the portion notched of thestock.Next,boretwoholesneareach forcrossdowels asyoudidin theleg@age 65), endof thetrestle thenboltthelessandrailsto thetrestle(inset).

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Preparing thetop I / B e f o r ef a s t e n i ntgh e t o p t o t h e r a i l s , r o u n do v e ri t s t o p a n d b o t t o me d g e sa n d e n d s .L a yt h e t o p f a c eu p o n a w o r ks u r f a c ea n d s t a r tb y r o u n d i n tgh e c o r n e r s s l i g h t l yw i t ha s a n d i n gb l o c k T . h e ni n s t a l l a p i l o t e d% - i n c h round-ove b ri t i n a r o u t e r a n d s e t t h e d e p t ho f c u t t o s h a p et h e top'sedgesin two passes. Pressthe bit's p i l o tb e a r i n g a g a i n stth e s t o c ka s y o u f e e dt h e r o u t e rc o u n t e r c l o c k w ai sl o en g t h e e d g e sa n d e n d so f t h e t o p ( r i g h t ) . Turnthe top overand repeatthe process w i t h a % - i n c hr o u n d - o v ebri t t o s h a p et h e b o t t o me d g e sa n d e n d s .

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Attaching thetoptotherails Leavethe too facedownon the work s u r f a c ea n d p o s i t i o nt h e r a i l - a n d - l e g a s s e m b loyn i t . U s ea n a w lt o m a r kt h e s c r e wh o l e st h r o u g h t h e r a i l so n t h e u n d e r s i d eo f t h e t o p ,t h e nd r i l la p i l o th o l ef o r a s c r e wa t e a c hp o i n t .M a k es u r et h e b i t d o e sn o t p e n e t r a t teh e t o p ' su p p e rs u r f a c e .R e p o s i t i ot h n e r a i l so n t h e t o p a n d screwthem in place(left).

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DROP-LEAFTABLE -l- h. Shakers appreciated theversaI tilityof drop-leaf tables. Theleaves couldberaisedwhena widertoDwas needed. andfoldeddownafterwirdso the tablewould occupylessspace. Shaker dropJeaftables ranged from10foot-longdiningtables,sometimes

"harvest referredto as tables,"to small work tablesjust 2 feetlong.At 41 incheslong,thetableshownin theillustration belowis a comfortablecompromise. Thetop canexpandto a width of more than 3 feet,seatingfour peoplecomfortably.With the leavesfolded down,

(lFA DROP.LEAF ANATOMY TABLE

thetableis lessthan20 incheswide.As with mostdrop-leaftables,the version shownhereusesrulejointsto attachthe top to the leaves.To ensureadequate supportfor the leaves,usethe largest drop-leafhingesavailable,which are typicallyll by 2'/,inches.

Drop4eaf hinge

ToP

t/o"x19'A"x41"

Leaf t/0"x10"x41"

Groove for wood button

Wood button 3l" x 3l" x'/r"

Drop4eaf auppott

End rail

'l"x5t/o"x15"

Dowel 7/u" x 2"

Drawer kicker 1 "x ' 1 "x ' 1 5 "

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Drawer rail '1" x ' 1 "x ' 1 5 " Note: Dimenarona includetenon and dovetaillen7tho

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Drawer alide

ShakerdropJeaftables,like theoneshownbelow,typicallyfeatureda drawerat oneendand slender,turned legswith a gradualtaper. This tablewasinspiredby onemadearound1820at theHancockShakervillage in Pittsfield,Massachusetts.

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()FDRAWER DETAIT

tEG.AND-RAIt ASSEMBLY

Drawer aide n/a"x3l"x15%"

Leg 2"x2"x29%"

Drawer back '/o"x2"1"x13'1" Drawer front "'/t"x3%"x13%"

Drawer alide groove l" widex'ls" deep

False front '/r"x3%"x13%"

MAKING THELEGS

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Gutting themortises andturning thelegs illustration, cutthefourlegsto size, Referring to theanatomy by hand,asshownon page91, or usea thenchopmortises d r i l lp r e ses q u i p p ewdi t ha m o r t i s i nbgi t .T h em o r t i s es sh o u l d b e% i n c hw r d ea n d% i n c hd e e pl,e a v i nsgp a c feo ra V i n c h shoulder onthetenonat eachend.Next,turnthe legsto the To helpyouproduce fouridentical legs,make required shape. of thetaper.Thetemplate shouldindia hardboard template points of thelegsat several different catethefinished diameter pommel, the orsquare alongtheirlengths. Startbyseparating Markthepommel lineon section, fromthecylindrical section. thenmountoneof themonyourlathe.Define thelegblanks, gouge. witha roughing Cuta notchat themarked thepommel

l i n et,h e nr o u n d t h ec o r n e rosf t h eb l a n kb e l o w t h ep o m m e l . g r a d u a l l y g o u g e r a ise t i l t e du p , t h eh a n d l e W i t ht h et i p o f t h e u n t i lt h eb e v eils r u b b i nagg a i n st ht es t o c ka n dt h ec u t t i n g left),Workfrombelow edgeis slicingintothe wood(above, l w a r tdh e b o t t o m o f t h e l e g ,c o n t i n u i nugn t i l t h e p o m m et o r i t ha t h eb l a n ki s c y l i n d r i caanl ds m o o t hF. o r mt h et a p e w gouge, foreachof adjusting a separate setof calipers spindle eh . e nc h e c tkh e t h ed i m e n s i oanssm a r k eodny o u tr e m p l a t T pointshbove,right). diameter of theblankat theappropriate Deepen untilthemeasurements onthe thecutsif necessary . e p e af o tr t e m p l a taen dt h ed i a m e t eorf t h ec u t sa r ee q u a lR t h er e m a i n i b n lga n k s .

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PREPARING THERAILS 1 M a k i n gt h ed r o p - l e asfu p p o r t s I T h e d r o p l e a v e sa r es u p p o r t e b dy p i v o t i n sg u p p o r t sH. o u s e d a l o n gt h e t o p e d g eo f t h e s i d er a i l s ,t h e s u p p o r t p sivot o n d o w e l st o h o l dt h e d r o pl e a v e w s hen t h e ya r ee x t e n d e dt h , e n a l i g nw i t h t h e r a i l sw h e nt h e l e a v e a s r en o t n e e d e dR. i p a Z - i n c h - w i dset r i pf r o mt h e e d g eo f e a c h s i d er a i l ,t h e na d j u syt o u rt a b l es a w ' sm i t e r g a u g et o a 7 0 " a n g l eC . u ta 1 0 % - i n c h - l o n g p i e c ef r o m e a c he n d o f t h e s t r i p ( r 6 l h t ) . T h e p i e c eb e t w e etnh e c u t sw i l l b e t h e d r o p - l e asfu p p o r tt;h e t w o e n d p i e c e sw i l l b e g l u e db a c ko n t ot h e s i d er a t l( s t e p2 ) . M a k et h e o t h e rs u p p o rtth e s a m ew a y .

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r) Reassembling thesiderails L tav fourbarclampson a worksurface andsetoneof the s i d er a i l so nt o p .S p r e agdl u eo nt h ec o n t a c t i ne gd g eos f t h e o u t s i dset r i p sy o uc u t i n s t e p1 a n dt h er a i l sa, n dp r e stsh e s t r i p si n p l a c eT. h er a i ls h o u l e d x t e n bd e y o ntdh ee n do f t h es t r i p sb ya b o u % t i n c h - t h ew i d t ho f t h es a wc u t sm a d e i n s t e p1 . ( T h er a i l sw i l lb et r i m m e lda t e r .P) r o t e c t i tnhge

s t o c kw i t h w o o dp a d s t, i g h t e nt h e c l a m p su n t i la t h i n g l u e b e a ds q u e e z eosu t o f t h e j o i n t s( a b o v e )l .m m e d i a t e lpyo s i t i o n t h e d r o p - l e asfu p p o r bt e t w e e n t h e s t r i p st o e n s u r et h a t i t b u t t sa g a i n st th e s t r i p ss; l i d et h e s t r i p sa l o n g t h er a i l ,i f n e c e s s a rRy e . p e awt i t ht h e o t h e rs i d er a i l ,t h e nt r i m t h e e n d s o f b o t hr a i l sf l u s h .

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supports Preparing thesiderailsforthedrop-leaf supMarkthe dowelholeson the top edgesof the drop-leaf p o r t s l,o c a t i n tgh e ma b o u t4 i n c h e st o o n es i d eo f t h e m i d d l e . O f f s e t t i ntgh e d o w e l si n t h i s w a yw i l l a l l o wt h e l o n g eer n do f t h e s u p p o r ttso r o t a t eu n d e rt h e l e a v e sI.n s t a lal % - i n c hb i t i n y o u rd r i l l p r e s sa n d a d j u s t h e d r i l l i n gd e p t ht o t h e d o w e l l e n g t h - a b o u2 t i n c h e sT. h e np o s i t i o tnh e s u p p o rot n i t s s i d e r a i l ,c l a m pt h e a s s e m b ltyo t h e m a c h i n tea b l ew i t ht h e m a r k e d p o i n tu n d e rt h e b i t a n d ,s t e a d y i ntgh e r a i lo n e d g ew i t h o n e . e p e afto rt h e o t h e rs i d er a i l . h a n dd , r i l lt h e h o l e( a b o v dR

Installing thesupports ontherails D a bs o m eg l u ei n t ot h e h o l e si n t h e r a i l sa n dt a p a d o w e l i n t oe a c hh o l e .O n c et h e a d h e s i vhea sc u r e d s, l i pt h e d r o p - l e a f Usea chiselto trim the dowsupports ontothe dowels(above). e l sf l u s hw i t ht h e t o p so f t h e s u p p o r t si f, n e c e s s a r r .

Sawingthetenonson therails f, r.,/ Installa dadoheadslightlywiderthanthe lengh of the tenons - % i n c h - o n y o u rt a b l es a w .( T h et e n o ns h o u l db e % i n c hs h o r t y o uc h o p p e di n t h e l e go n p a g e e r t h a nt h e d e p t ho f t h e m o r t i s e e x t e n s i otno y o u rm i t e rg a u g et,h e n 6 9 . ) S c r e wa b o a r da s a n f e n c e r a i s et h e d a d oh e a dt o n o t c hi t . T o a t t a c ha n a u x i l i a r y and c u t t h e t e n o nc h e e k sb, u t to n eo f t h e r a i l sa g a i n stth e f e n c ea n d t h e m i t e rg a u g ea n d f e e di t f a c ed o w n .T u r nt h e r a i l o v e ra n d r e p e atth e c u t o n t h e o t h e rs i d e ,t e s t - f i t t i ntgh e t e n o ni n t h e I e g m o r t i sa e n dr a i s i n tgh e b l a d e su n t i lt h e f i t i s s n u g (. A l o o s et e n o n s h e nf i r s t i s d i f f i c u l t o c o r r e c ts, o e r r o r t h e s i d eo f t i g h t n e s w a d j u s t i ntgh e h e i g h ot f t h e b l a d e s .N) e x t c, u t t e n o nc h e e k sa t t h e o t h e re n d ( l e f t )a n d r e p e a ft o r e a c hr a i l .T h e nl i n e u p t h e l e gw i t ht h e r a i la n d m a r kt h e f i n a lw i d t ho f t h e t e n o n ,u s i n g t h e m o r t i s ea s a g u i d e .F l i pt h e r a i lo n e d g ea n da d j u s t h e s a w b l a d et o t h e p r o p ehr e i g htto t r i mt h ew i d t ho f t h et e n o nA . gain, t e s t - f i tu n t i l t h et e n o nf i t s s n u g l yi n t h e m o r t i s ea n dt h e t o p so f t h e r a i la n d l e ga r ef l u s h .N o wp r e p a r teh e d r a w erra i la n dt h e k i c k e tr h e s a m ew a y .B e f o r ea s s e m b l r nt hg e l e g sa n d r a i l s , remember to preparethe railsfor the woodbuttons(page93) t h a tw i l lh o l dt h et o o i n o l a c e .

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Preparing thesiderailsfor thecrossrail 4i \ , f J o i n e dt o t h e s i d er a i l sw i t hs l i d i n gd o v e t a i l s ,t h e c r o s sr a i la d d ss t r e n g t tho t h e t a b l e s t r u c t u raen da l s oa n c h o rtsh e c o r n e sr t r i p s t h a t h o l dt h e d r a w esr u o o o r t sW. i t ht h e e n d s o f t h e s i d er a i l sa l i g n e dm , a r ka c u t t i n gl i n e a c r o s tsh e m i d d l eo f t h e i n s i d ef a c e so f b o t h r a i l sC . u tt h e d o v e t a si lo c k e tw s i t ha r o u t e irn twosteps.Startby installing a %-inchstraight b i t i n t h e t o o la n ds e t t i n gt h e c u t t i n gd e p t h t o r e a c hy o u rf i n a ld e p t h - % i n c h - i n t w oo r m o r ep a s s e sS. e to n eo f t h e s i d er a i l si n s i d e f a c eu p o n a w o r ks u r f a c ea, l i g nt h e b i t w i t h y o u rc u t t i n gl i n e a , n dc l a m pa T s q u a r jei g a n e d g eg u i d ew i t ha f e n c ef i x e dt o i t a t 9 0 ' a g a i n stth e r o u t e r ' bs a s ep l a t es o t h e j i g f e n c eb u t t sa g a i n stth e e d g eo f t h e r a i l .R o u t t h e s l o t ,t h e ni n c r e a steh e c u t t i n gd e p t ha n d . w i t c ht o a % - i n c hd o v e m a k ea n o t h epr a s s S t a i l b i t ,s e tt h e d e p t ha I t / , i n c h ,a n d m a k ea . e p e aot n t h e o t h e rs i d er a i l , l a s tc u t ( / e f f )R m a k i n gs u r et o p r e s st h e r o u t e rb a s ep l a t e a g a i n stth e e d g eg u l d ef o r e a c hp a s s .

ASSEMBLING THELEGS ANDRAITS

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G l u i n tgh el e g st o t h ed r a w erra i l , 1 I k i c k e ra. n de n dr a i l S a n dt h e i n s i d ef a c e so f t h e l e g sa n dr a i l s , t h e ns p r e a dg l u eo n t h e c o n t a c t i nsgu r f a c e sb e t w e etnh e k i c k e rd, r a w erra i la n d o n ep a i ro f l e g s F . i tt h el o i n t st o g e t h earn d secure t h e mw i t ht w o b a rc l a m p sa, l i g n i n g t h e b a r sw i t ht h e r a i la n d k i c k e rU . sing w o o dp a d st o p r o t e c t h e s t o c ka n d d i s t r i b u t et h e c l a m p i n gp r e s s u r et i,g h t e nt h e c l a m p sg r a d u a l luyn t i la l i t t l ea d h e s i v e squeezesout of the lotnIs(right).Repeat t h e p r o c e d u rteo a s s e m b lteh e r e m a i n i n g t w o l e s sa n dt h e e n d r a i l

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r) Gluingthesiderailsto the legs L O n c et h e g l u eh a sc u r e d r, e m o v teh e c l a m p sa n da p p l ya d h e s i vteo t h e l e gm o r . i tt h e j o i n t s t i s e sa n d s i d er a i lt e n o n s F t o g e t h ear n d i n s t a l tl w o b a rc l a m p st o s e c u r teh e a s s e m b lay l,i g n i ntgh e b a r sw i t h the siderails.Usewoodpadsas longasthe gr e s t e n o nw i d t ht o d i s t r i b u tcel a m p i n p s u r e .A s s o o na s y o u h a v et i g h t e n e db o t h c l a m p su, s ea t a p em e a s u rteo c h e c kt h e the assemblyfor square(left),measuring opposite comers;the two distancebetween m e a s u r e m e nst hs o u l db e e q u a l .l f n o t , i n s t a lal n o t h ebr a rc l a m pa c r o s tsh e l o n g e r o f t h e t w o d i a g o n a l s ,e t t i n gt h e c l a m p j a w so n t h o s ea l r e a d yi n p l a c e .T i g h t e n t h e c l a m pa l i t t l ea t a t i m e ,m e a s u r i nags y o ug o u n t i lt h e t w o d i a g o n a lasr ee q u a l .

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Making andinstalling thecrossrail usedto cutthesockWiththesamedovetail bit in yourrouter ets in the siderails(page72), mountthe tool in a table.Setthe c u t t i n gd e p t ht o m a k et h e d o v e t a i lssl i g h t l sy h o r t etrh a nt h e d e n t ho f t h e s o c k e t sP o s i t i otnh e f e n c es o t h a t o n e - h a lof f t h e cutterprojectsbeyondits face.Feedthe crossrailon end across . u r nt h e r a i la r o u n dt o t h e t a b l e ,p r e s s i n igt a g a i n stth e f e n c e T (abovd and repeatthe cutsat the other completethe dovetail j o i n t sa n da d j u stth ef e n c ea n dm a k e e n do f t h e r a i l .T e s t J i t h e . c et h e f i t i s s n u g ,s p r e a dg l u e a d d i t i o n aclu t s ,i f n e c e s s a r0y n s n ds l i d et h e r a i li n t op l a c e , o n t h e d o v e t a i lasn d i n t h e s o c k e t a ; s ea w o o db l o c kt o p r o t e ctth e s t o c k t a p p i n gi t w i t h a m a l l e t u ( r i s h f )f h e e d s e so f i h e c r o s sr a i ls h o u l dl i e f l u s hw i t ht h o s eo f t h e s i d er a i l s .

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MAKING ANDINSTALLING THEDRAWER thedrawer forthebottom 1 Preparing I Cutthefront.back.andsides of the drawer to fit intotheopening in thetable. Thebackis narrower thantheotheroieces to allowthebottom to slideintoplaceafter thedrawer is gluedup.Cutthethrough joining (page130, dovetails thepieces thencutthegrooves forthebottompanel in thefrontandsidepieces onyourtable saw.Position thefencesothegroove will passthrough themiddle ofthebottommosttailsonthedrawer sides andsetthe bladeheight to one-half thestockthickness.Usea pushstickto feedthepieces facedownacross thesawtable,while pressing thestockagainst thefence. R e p e aotnt h er e m a i n i npgi e c e st h, e n movethefenceawayf romthebladeby thethickness of thekerfandrepeat onall threeboards(right).fesl-fit yourbottom panel-typically plywood-in %-inch the grooves andwidenthem,if necessary.

a)4'' ,Vt:'

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thedrawer J Assembling glueonthecontacting Z- Spread surfaces of thepinsand tails,thentapthefourboards together usinga wooden mallet (above). posrtioning Clampthedrawer, theclamps to push (page73). thetailsintothepins.Check thedrawer forsquare Oncetheadhesive hascured,remove theclamps andslide panelintoplace. thebottom Thendrivea fewfinishing nails through thepanelandintothebottomedgeof thedrawer back to f ix it in oosition.

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Preparing thedrawer fortheslides I n s t a lal d a d oh e a do n y o u rt a b l es a wa n da d j u s ti t s w i d t h

to accommodate thedrawer slidesyouwilluse-typically Tu inchthick.Setthecutting height at % inchandposition therip f e n c et o c u t t h eg r o o vien t h e m i d d l eo f t h ed r a w esri d e s . F e e dt h ed r a w esri d e - d o whno, l d i ntgh ee d g e fsl u s ha g a i n s t thefence. Turnthedrawer overto cutthegroove in theother sidehbovd.

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. ' 1 i r : l i l l i l g i l * c o i n e sr t r i p s t-', :i::i d:'i,;lnl:iifles i t , . t f i i l s f r i : , . r ; rqp; l : o s i t i oinn t h e t a b l e ':r2:iiilr, p,t:;tionof the grooves in its 1.1''r,r . u ta c o r n e r s ' i - . . : , i il r e i e g sa n dr a i l s C st,'t';ir,i .;r;h ccrrterof Ihe drawer(page 'rh,.: 10,i),-",4x:ng dadoesas wide as the g r r . r . : . . " . . w oc o r n e sr t r i p sf l u s h o g a i , 4 ': i r es i c er a i la n d l e ga t t h e d r a w e r f r o r ,- ; r r i l r : i i c l a m p st o h o l d t h e t w o r e m ;i , ; , r . ' i o sf l r r s ha p a i n st h t es i d er a i l . . . ; r i l a t t h e d r a w e b r a c k t; h e and.' i n r l l f o u r s h o u l dl i n e u p dadoe-. strips j i r c o v e m a r k s . C u t t w o drawer withti::: s l i d e si , : ' a nt h e s a n h e t w e etnh e d a d o e s a l o n gt l ' . i d er a i l s .l e s sZ " i n c hf o r c l e a r a n c e .N i . c h t h e f r o n te n d t o f i t a r o u n d 'hen theles. s l i nt h e s l i d e si n t ot h e dadoesi-,ght).

I I I I I I I T I I T thedrawer ti Installing (/eff). ,.,f Slidethedrawer intoposition movesmoothly It should andsitcentered i f .n o t ,l o o s e n a n dl e v eiln i t so p e n i n g t h ec l a m phs o l d i ntgh eb a c k - e ncdo r n e r stripsandadjust theheight of thestrips, asnecessary. Whenthef it is f ine,screw thebackendstrips to thecrossrail.

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Attaching thefalselront fi \ , , S e tt h e d r a w efra c e - u po n a w o r ks u r f a c ea n d d r i v et w o b r a d si n t ot h e f r o n t , leaving t h e h e a d sp r o t r u d i n gT.h e ns n i p o f f t h e h e a d sw i t hp l i e r sI.n s t a ltlh e d r a w e r i n t h e t a b l e ,c u t t h e f a l s ef r o n tt o s i z ea n d p l a c ei t b e t w e etnh e d r a w er a i la n d k i c k e r , u s i n gs l i p so f p a p e ar s s h i m st o h o l d i t p r e c i s e lcye n t e r e a dn dl e v e lS . teadying t h e f a l s ef r o n tw i t ho n eh a n d ,s l i d et h e drawertowardthe board(left)and firmly p r e s st h e b r a d sa g a i n sitt ; t h e p o i n t e d e n d so f t h e n a i l sw i l l p u n c hi m p r e s s i o n s y o ut o r e p o s r t i o n i n t h e w o o d ,a l l o w i n g g l u e t h e f a l s ef r o n ta t u p . S p r e a da d h e s i v eo n t h e b a c ko f t h e f a l s ef r o n ta n d c l a m pi t t o t h e d r a w ew r i t ht h e t w o b r a d s r e s t i n gi n t h e i ri m p r e s s i o n s .

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ATTACHING THET()P Shaping thetopandleaves 1 I T h e l e a v e sa r ef a s t e n e d t o t h et a b l e t o p w i t h r u l ej o i n t s ,i n w h i c ht h e t o p ' s rounded-over edgemateswith a covecut alongthe edgeof the leaf (lnsef).Startby rounding o v e rt h e e d g e so f t h e t o p , u s i n g a p i l o t e dr o u n d - o v ebri t i n a r o u t e r T .o s h a p et h e I e a v e si,n s t a l la p i l o t e dc o v e b i t w h o s ed i a m e t ear n d p r o ifl e m a t c ht h e r o u n d - o v ebrl t , t h e n m o u n t h e r o u t e ri n a t a b l e .( T h et w o b i t sa r eo f t e ns o l da s a s e t . )T o s u p p o rtth e l e a v e d s u r i n gt h e c u t , c l a m pa f e a t h e r b o a trod t h e f e n c ea b o v e thecutterA . l i g nt h e f e n c ew i t ht h e b i t ' s p i l o t b e a r i n gs o t h e c u t t i n gw i d t hw i l l e q u a ol n e - h a tl fh e c u t t e rd i a m e t e rS. e tt h e d e p t ho f c u t t o r e a c ht h e f i n a l d e p t hi n severalpasses.Feedone leaf intothe bit, bracingits edgeagainstIhe fencetight). A f t e re a c hp a s s t, e s t - f i t h e p i e c e sc; o n t i n u ec u t t i n gu n t i lt h e t o p a n d l e a fm e s h w r t ha s l i g h tg a p b e t w e e tnh e t w o .R e p e a t the processon the otherleaf.

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r) Attaching theleaves to thetop I lointhe leaves to thetopbyinstalling rule-joint hinges ontheunderside of the oieces. Setthetooandleaves facedown ona worksurface, thenmarklinesalong theedges of thetopin linewiththestart of eachround-over cut,known asthefillet.Install foreachleaf:one threehinges in themiddle of thejointandone5 inches fromeachend.Witha paper shiminserted between theleafandtop,position a hingeleafagainst thetopandtheother against theleafat eachhingelocation so t h ep i ni sa l i g n ewdi t ht h ef i l l e tl i n et,h e n o u t l i n teh eh i n g eC. h i s eol u tt h em o r t i s e s ,u s i n ga w i d e r - b l atdoeo lt o c u tt h e mortises forthe hingeleaues @age113) anda narrower chisel to cuttheslotsfor thepins(right). Screw thehinges in place.

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thetoptothetablerails Q Attaching r-,1Thetop is fastened to therailswith woodbuttons; screwed to thetop,the buttons feature lipsthatfit intogrooves cut intotherails,providing a secure connection whileallowing forwoodmovement. Makesurethedrop-leaf supports arein placeonthesiderails,thenplacethetop facedownon a worksurface andclamp t h el e g - a n d - raasi ls e m bilny p o s i t i oonn top.Makea buttonfor every6 inchesof rail length(page101).Spacing them about6 inches apartandleaving a l|-inch gapbetween the bottomof the grooves andthelipped endsof thebuttons, screw the buttonsin place(lefil.

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CANDLESTAND theShakers f n anerabeforeelectriciry I depended on candles to seethem thoughthehoursof darkness. These diligentworkerscouldnot allowlatesunrisesor earlyduslato interfere withtheir labor.Candlestandswerelight,stable, andeasyto transport. Althoughcandle stands werenota Shaker invention. the furnituremakersin theircommunities elevated thiscommonplace itemto its mostrefinedexpression. Theelegancebf thecandle standttripod designsacrifices somestrength. Because of theangleatwhichtheysplay out,thelegsaresubjected to a greatdeal

of rackingstress whichpullsthemaway from thecolumn.TheShakers compensated for thisweakness in several ways. Themostimportantwasattachingthelegsto thecolumnwithsliding dovetails-verystrongand durable joints.SomeShaker candlestands have survivedI 50yearsandareassturdyas the daytheyweremade.To givethe

legsaddedstrength,a metal plate, "spider," known asa is naiiedtc ti:r: baseof thecolumnandlegs.Thedesign of thelegsalsofortifiesthestand.They are3/ainch thickerat the top, which makesthe dovetailsthat muchstronger. Also,the Shakerscut the legsso the grain runs alongtheir length,helping them resiststress.

ANATOMY OFA CANDTE STAND Top -

7/u" x 19"

diameter Wed6e

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I Column 19 incheelong

4" x 15";5/a" thick at bottom and 1"thick at top

Despitethesimpleappearance of the candlestandshownabove,thetable joinery.Positioned reliesonprecise exactly120"apart,thethreelegsare anachedto thecolumnwith sliding dovetaik,cut with angledshoulders to sit snuglyagainstthecolumn.

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CIRCLE-CUTTING JIG T o c u t t h e c i r c u l atro p o f a c a n d l e standon yourbandsaw,usethe shopb u i l tc i r c l e - c u t t i nj igg s h o w na t r i g h t . R e f e tro t h e i l l u s t r a t i ofno r s u s s e s t eddimensions. R o u ta % - i n c h - d e edpo v e t a ci lh a n n e l i n t h e m i d d l eo f t h e 1 i gb a s et,h e n usea iablesawto rip a thin boardwith a bevelalongbothedgesto produce a b a rt h a ts l i d e s m o o t h liyn t h ec h a n n e l .( S e t h e s a wb l a d ea n g l eb y m e a suringthe angleof the channeledges.) C u t o u t t h e n o t c ho n t h e b a n ds a w , t h e n s c r e wt h e s u p p o rat r m st o t h e u n d e r s i doef t h e 1 i gb a s e s, p a c i n g t h e mt o h u gt h e s i d e so f t h e b a n d s a wt a b l ew h e nt h e j i g i s i n p o s i t i o n . D r i l lt w o h o l e st h r o u g ht h e b o t t o m o f t h e d o v e t a ci l h a n n eiln t h e j i g base1 , i n c ha n d3 i n c h e sf r o mt h e u n n o t c h eedn d ;a l s ob o r et w o h o l e s t h r o u g ht h e b a ra s s h o w n . To prepare the workpiece, markthe c i r c u m f e r e n caen dc e n t e ro f t h e c r r c l e o n i t s u n d e r s i d eT.h e nu s et h e b a n ds a wt o c u t o f f t h e f o u rc o r n e r s o f t h e p a n e lt o k e e pi t f r o m h i t t i n g

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'/,"x20"x24"

9crew holes

?upport arm 1"x3"xB" 9liding pivot bar '/," x 24"

theclamps thatsecure thejig.Next, makea release cut f romtheedge o ft h ep a n etlo t h em a r k ecdi r c u m fprcncp ihpn vcer nff in iho odop

Screw thepivotbarto thecenterof theworkpiece through oneofthebar's holes, leaving thescrewloose enough to pivot thepanel. Turntheworkpiece overandmark the pointwherethe bladecontacte d t h ec i r c u m f e r e ndcuer i n gt h e r e l e a sceu t .C l a m pt h ej i g b a s et o

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t h e b a n ds a wt a b l e ,m a k i n gs u r et h e s u p p o rat r m sa r eb u t t e da g a i n stth e t a b l e ' se d g e sS. l i d et h e p i v o tb a ri n t o t h e c h a n n eiln t h e b a s ea n dp i v o t h e p a n eu l n t i lt h e m a r k e dc o n t a c tp o i n t t o u c h e st h e b l a d e .S c r e wt h r o u g h o n eo f t h e h o l e si n t h e j i g b a s et o l o c kt h e p i v o tb a r i n p l a c e( b e l o w . bfil. f urnon the sawand pivotthe w o r k p i e ci en t ot h e b l a d ei n a c l o c k wisedirection(below,righil, feeding i h p n i p ep r r n i i l t h p n r r t i c n n m n l o t c d

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t PREPARING THET()PANDRAIL 'l

Preparing thetop I 0 n c et h et o po f t h ec a n d l es t a n dh a s beencut (page79),shapeitscircumference tablein twosteps. Startby installona router 1 / z p i l o t e d i n ga i n c hr a d i u sb i t i n a r o u t e r . l i g nt h e a n dm o u n t i ntgh et o o li n a t a b l eA f e n c ew i t ht h eb i t ' sp i l o tb e a r i nagn dc l a m p to thefenceto support the a featherboard t o pd u r i n gt h ec u t .H o l d i ntgh et o pf a c e - u p andflaton thetable,pressthe edgeagainst t h es t o c ki n t ot h eb i t t h ef e n c ea n dr o t a t e ( / e l f )C . o n t i n upei v o t i ntgh et o p u n t i lt h e e n t i r ec i r c u m f e r e ni cs se h a p e dt h, e ns w i t c h radiusbit,turntheworkto a piloted1/a-inch pieceover,andrepeatto shapeitstopside.

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r) Makingtherail L Referringtothe anatomyillustration o n p a g e7 8 , c u t t h e r a i lt h a tw i l l c o n n e c t t h e c o l u m nt o t h e t a b l e t o pt,h e nb o r ea m o r t i s ei n t h e c e n t e ro f t h e r a i lt o a c c e p t t h e t e n o ny o uw i l l t u r n a t t h e t o p o f t h e c o l u m na; 1 - i n c h - d i a m eht eo rl ei s t y p i c a l . B e v etlh e e n d sa n de d g e so f t h e r a i lo n y o u rt a b l es a w .A t t a c ha n a u x i l i a rfye n c e a n d p o s i t i o nt h e f e n c et o t h e l e f t o f t h e b l a d ef o r a ' / u i n c hc u t t i n gw i d t h .R a i s e t h e b l a d et o i t s m a x i m u ms e t t i n ga, d j u s t t h e a n g l et o a b o u t7 5 " , a n dc l a m pa g u i d e b l o c kt o t h e r a i lt o r i d ea l o n gt h e t o p o f t h e f e n c e .M a r ka l i n ea c r o s tsh e f a c eo f t f the t h e r a i ls l i g h t l ya b o v et h e h e i g h o b l a d ea s a r e m i n d etro k e e py o u rh a n d s w e l la b o v et h e b l a d e .F e e dt h e r a i li n t o i t f l u s ha g a i n s t t h e b l a d eo n e n d ,k e e p i n g t h e f e n c ea n d p u s h i n gi t f o r w a r dw i t ht h e g u i d eb l o c k R . e p e at th ec u t a t t h eo t h e r . h e nb e v e tl h e e n d o f t h e r a i l ( r i g h t )T l o n ge d g e sb y a d l u s t i n gt h e b l a d ea n g l e t o 4 5 " . S a n dt h e r a i ls m o o t h .

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80

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'l Turning thecolumn I Mount a 3r/z-inch-square blankonyour latheandturnit witha roughing gouge folgouge, lowed bya spindle leaving a lipand enough stocknearthebottom fortheleg sockets. Tohelpyouproduce theproper (page shape, referto theanatomy illustration yourself 78)andfashion a template, asyou wouldto turna drop-leaf tableleg(page 69). Usea parting tooltoturntherailtenonat periodically thetopof thecolumn, checkingitsdiameter withoutside calipers tight). Smooth thecolumn withprogressively finer

r

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r) Routing thedovetail sockets I Unplugthe latheandcutthesockets, usinga router anda shop-made of a'/uinchplywood boxclamped to lig consisting t h el a t h eb e d .M a k e t h ei n s i d w e i d t ho f t h eb o xa sw i d ea st h e routerbaseplate,attaching therunners sotherouter bitwill cutthesockets withits baseplatesittingonthem.Next,mark t h et h r e es o c k el o t cation o snt h ec o l u m ns,p a c i nt g h e m1 2 0 " apart.Alsomarkthetopendsof thesockets, 370inches from thebottom of thecolumn. Transfer thesocket marks to the lathefaceplate, thenrotate thecolumnbyhanduntiloneof themarks onthefaceplate is vertical andimmobilize thedrive

( a b o v el,e f t ) .C u t e a c hs o c k e ti n t w o s h a f tw i t h a h a n d s c r e w s t e p s ,s t a r t i n gw i t h a ' / u i n c hs t r a i g h b t i t . A d j u s tt h e c u t t i n g d e p t ht o a b o u t t / izn c ha n d ,a l i g n i n g t h e b i t w i t ht h e s o c k e t e n d m a r k ,b u t t a s t o pb l o c ka g a i n stth e r o u t e rb a s ep l a t e . S c r e wt h e b l o c kt o t h e j i g . H o l d i n gt h e r o u t e ri n b o t hh a n d s , f e e dt h e b i t i n t ot h e c o l u m na t t h e b o t t o ma n dg u i d et h e t o o l a l o n gt h e r u n n e r su n t i lt h e b a s ep l a t ec o n t a c t tsh e s t o pb l o c k . R e p e aw t r t ha % - i n c hd o v e t a ibl i t ( a b o v er,i g h t ) . T oc u t t h e t w o r e m a i n i nsgo c k e t sr,o t a t et h e c o l u m nu n t i lt h e s o c k e t m a r kf o r e a c hc u t i s v e r t i c a l .

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TABLES

THELEGS MAKING thedovetail cheeks 1l Cuttins "

for I R e f e r r i ntgo t h e i l l u s t r a t i obne l o wf,a s h i o na t e m p l a t e t h e l e g sT . h eg r a i ns h o u l df o l l o wt h e s l o p eo f t h e l e g .t h e t o p a n d b o t t o me n d sm u s tb e p e r p e n d i c u l aarn, dt h e s p r e a do f t h e l e s sm r s t b e l e s st h a nt h e d i a m e t enr f t h p t n n O n c et h e t e m p l a t ei s c o m p l e t es,a wa l o n gt h e t o p e n do f t h e l e go n t h e b a n d s a w .N e x t c, u t t h e d o v e t a i lisn t h e l e g si n t w o s t e p sc, u t t i n gt h e c h e e k so n y o u rt a b l es a wa n dt h e s h o u l d e rbsy h a n d .A d j u s t h e t a b l es a w ' sb l a d ea n g l et o m a t c ht h a to f t h e s o c k e t ys o uc u t i n t h e c o l u m na n ds e tt h e c u t t i n gh e i g htto s l i g h t l lye s st h a nt h e d e p t ho f t h e s o c k e t sO. u t l i n et h e d o v e t a i losn t h e e d g eo f o n e , lign l e gb l a n ka n d ,h o l d i n tgh e b l a n ko n e n do n t h e s a wt a b l e a . u t tt h e r i p f e n c ea g a i n stth e a c u t t i n gm a r kw i t ht h e b l a d e B . l a m pa s h i m m e df e a t h e r b o atrod s t o c ka n d l o c ki t i n p l a c e C t h e t a b l ea n da g u i d eb l o c kt o t h e b l a n k .M a k ea p a s st o c u t o n ec h e e k( l e f i l ,I h e n r o t a t et h e b l a n ka n d f e e dt h e o p p o s i t e go v e . h e c kt h e r e s u l t i n d f a c ea l o n gt h e f e n c et o s a wt h e o t h e r C , justhe t a i l a g a i n sat s o c k e it n t h e c o l u m n .l f n e c e s s a ray d c u t t i n gw i d t ho r b l a d ea n g l eo r h e i g h at n d m a k ea n o t h esr e to f p a s s e sR. e p e afto r t h e r e m a i n i ndgo v e t a i l s . v I

L | | v

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L v Y .

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r) Cutting theangledshoulders L m e s h o u l d e rosf t h e l e gd o v e t a i l s m u s tb e c u t a t a n a n g l es o t h e yl i e s n u g l y a g a i n stth e c o l u m n( s e et h e i l l u s t r a t i oonn p a g e7 8 ) . 0 n c et h e d o v e t a ci lh e e k a s r ea l l e ith c u t .c l a m oa b l a n kt o a w o r ks u r f a c w t h e c h e e k se x t e n d i nogf f t h e t a b l e .T h e n u s ea b a c k s a w t o c u t t h e s h o u l d e rast a s li g h t l ys h a r p ear n g l et h a nt h e c u r v a t u r e of the column(ilghD.f esllit the dovetail i n i t s s o c k eat n dt r i m t h e s o c k e ti,f n e c e s fit. Repeat s a r y ,u n t i ly o ug e ta s u i t a b l e f o r t h e r e m a i n i ndso v e t a i l s .

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TABLES

Shaping thelegs Cutoutthe legsof thecandlestand on yourbandsaw,thensmooth theirsurfacesusinga sanding blockor a spindle sander(right).

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ils / Trinmingthedoveta -TTrim off thetop% inchof eachdovet a i lo nt h el e g sT. h i sw i l lh i d et h et o p s of thedovetails fromviewwhentheyare p u s h e ad l l t h ew a yi n t ot h e i rs o c k e t s . Clamp thelegupright in yourbenchvise andmarka lineonthedovetail % inch fromthetopend.Thenholda'/o-inch chiselvertically to score thedovetail on yourmarked line,cutting to theshoulder. Next,holding thechrsel bevel upandparpushthe allelto thedovetail shoulders, bladealongthesurface to pareawaythe (left).Periodically woodin thin shavings test-fitthe legagainst thecolumnuntil theshoulders restflushagainst thesurface.

83

t TABLES

Tapering the legs f, r - , f T o g i v et h e l e g sa n e l e g a n a t ppeara n c ew i t h o u st a c r i f i c i nsgt r e n g t ht ,a p e r t h e mw i t ha b e n c hp l a n ef r o ma t h i c k n e s s o f 1 i n c ha t t h e t o o t o % i n c ha t t h e b o t t o m .M a r kt a p e rl i n e sa l o n gt h e i n s i d e edgesof eachlegas a planingguide.Then securethe legfaceup on yourbench,using a notchedwoodblockto fix the bottomend i n p l a c eT. o a v o i dd a m a g i nygo u rp l a n e b l a d em , a k es u r et h e b e n c hd o g sa n dt h e woodblockarebelowthe levelof the top n e a rt h e t o p o f t h e l e g , t a p e rl i n e .S t a r t i n g f e e dt h e p l a n ea l o n gt h e s u r f a c ei ,n c r e a s pressure ingthe downward as youapproach . o n t i n u eu n t i l y o u c u t t h e b o t t o m( / e f f ) C t o t h e t a p e rl i n e ,t h e nt u r n t h e l e go v e r o n t h e b e n c ha n dr e p e atth e p r o c e s s .

ASSEMBLING THETABLE

K a i l6 Q e

'l Attaching therailto thecolumn the I Startbydrilling sixcountersunk screwholes through rail;it willbe lesscumbersome to prepare therailforthetop joining Locate oneholein eachcorbefore therailandcolumn. andoneoneachside nerof theflatfaceof therail'sunderside Thensetthetopfacedownona worksurface of themortise. a n dc e n t etrh er a i lo nt o p ,m a k i nsgu r et h eg r a i no f t h et w o pieces is perpendicular. Markthecorners of therailonthetop left). witha pencilandthe screwholeswithan awl(above, T o p r e p a rteh ec o l u m nf o rt h er a i l ,u s ea b a c k s atw oslice a kerffora wedgein thecenterof thetenonto a depthof about

t h r e e - q u a r t et rhse l e n g t ho f t h e t e n o n .C u tt h e k e r fa t a r i g h t a n g l et o o n eo f t h e d o v e t a isl o c k e t s o t h e r a i lw i l l b e p a r a l l e l . u tt h e w e d g ef r o mh a r d w o oadb o u t1 i n c h t o o n eo f t h e l e g s C l o n ga n d % i n c ht h i c ka t t h e b a s et,a p e r i n gi t t o a p o i n t .T o f a s t e n t h e r a i lt o t h e c o l u m n s, p r e a dg l u eo n t h e i rc o n t a c t i nsgu r f a c e sa n df i t t h e p i e c e st o g e t h ew r i t h t h e k e r fi n t h e c o l u m n t e n o np e r p e n d i c u lt ao rt h e g r a i no f t h e r a i l .T h e n ,h o l d i n g the c o l u m nu p r i g hot n a w o r ks u r f a c ea, p p l yg l u ei n t h e k e r fa n d o n t h e w e d g ea n d h a m m e irt i n p l a c ew i t ha w o o d e nm a l l e t h b o v e ,r i g h i l . f r i mt h e w e d g ef l u s hw i t ht h e e n do f t h e t e n o n .

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TABLES

I

r t

r I

r

r) Fastening the legsto the column L S p r e a dg l u ee v e n l yo n t h e d o v e t a i l s a n d i n t h e s o c k e t sT. h e n ,s e t t i n gt h e r a i l f l a t o n a w o r ks u r f a c es, l i d et h e l e g si n t o p l a c ea n dt a pt h e mi n t of i n a lp o s i t i ow n ith (rrght). a woodenmallet To strengthen t h e a s s e m b l ya,d d a t h r e e - a r m esdp i d e r cut from sheetmetal @age78).

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therailto thetop J<' Screwing

r . , l T o c o m p l e t et h e t a b l e ,s e t t h e t o p u p s i d ed o w no n y o u rw o r ks u r f a c ea n d d r i l l p i l o th o l e si n t o i t a t t h e p o i n t sy o u m a r k e di n s t e o1 . P o s i t i otnh e r a i la s s e m b l yo n t h e t o p ,a l i g n i n gi t s c o r n e r w s ith t h e m a r k so n t h e s u r f a c ea n d i t s s c r e w h o l e sw i t ht h o s ei n t h e t o p .S c r e wt h e r a i l in place(left).

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t

the intrusion tesares wereoncecommonm sidethat discouraged vermin. For maximum ventilaAmericankitchens.The one of pie shown at left reflectsthe Shaker tion, Shaker safestraditionally devotion to utility. The cabinets featuredtin oanelson the sidesas wereessentially largebreadboxes, wellasin thedoors. One of the charmingelements designed to storebakedgoodsmade and consumedby Shakerfamilies. of thesepiecesis the holepattern. The designs were sometimes That the cabinetsareelegantand pineappleattractiveis,in a sense, coincidental, abstract andsometimes for it is a reflectionofthe Shakers' shapedor floral,asin the example soareand utilitarianethicrather shownon page86.But again,these detailswerenot primarilyintendthanan exoression ofesthetics. All propirty andgoodsin Shaker edto beornamentalor flamboyant. Thepanelshadto beperforated,so communitieswereownedcollectively,to be usedasneeded.Since the Shakerschoseto ounch the priholessymmetrically belongings werenot considered A nail setandhammerpuncha holethrough to avoidan vate,latchesandlockson the doors a tin panelfor a pie safe.Toensurethat all the unnecessarily ornateor otherwise panelswill beidentical,eachblankisplacedon distracting appearance. of a piesafewouldhavebeensuperfluous.Doorssportedsimplewooda backuppaneland a papertemplatewith the Piesafesweretraditionallymade panernis tapedin placeon top. desired from cherry,althoughcommunien knobsand matingrabbetscut tieswherehardwoodswerescarce alongthe insidefacesof theirstiles sotheywould closeflushandtightlytogether.Themostclever frequentlyresortedto pine.This chapterprovidesdetailed instructionsfor buildinga Shaker-inspired featureof the safeliesin thedesignof thetin door panels.The step-by-step safe, cabinetshad to keeprodentsand insectsfrom gettinginside beginningwith cuttingtherails,stilesandpanelsfor thecabwhileallowingenoughair to circulateto preventthefoodfrom inet (page90)andcontinuingthroughgluingup the case(page (page104),andassem97),makingandinstallingtheshelves becomingstale.Wth the useof tin door panels,Shakerfur(page niture makerssolvedboth problemsat once.The smallholes blingthe doors 106).Althoughrootedin the Shakertradition,a piesafelikethisonewouldbea perfectadditionto any in thepanelspermittedthepassage of air.And,by punchingthe modern,country-stylekitchen. holesfrom theinsideout, theycreatedsharpedgeson theout-

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With itssturdyframe-and-panel construction, adjustable shelving, and perforatedtin doorpanels,thepie safeshownat left is idealfor storing bakedgoods.In a modernincarnation,thesafecouldbeusedasan entertainment center,with plentyof space for audioor videoequipment.

87

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ANATOMYOFAPIESAFE

I

CONSTRUCTION DETAIT OFCASEWORK ToP

Oroove for wood buttons

Crown molding Gluedto caaework frame Wood button c)erttrea

f nn

Lo caae; aits in groovenear the top edqeof caaeworkraila

Eack panel A veneeredpWood panel LhaLsits flueh with the outeide face of the frame

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t

Coakbeading Glued tn rabbeta routed

aroundinside of frame front

Ledger atrip 9ecuree bot' tom Lo caae: fasLenedLo botLom casework raile

Support board lnaerted into dadoeain corner eLripoto hold up ehelf

Corner atrip Dadoedat evenly apaced intervals Lo hold ehelvrn4 1upport boardeat variableheiqhta; 4luedto inoide cornergof caseworkstiles

thelf Cornere notched ta fit around corner oLripa

?t'ile

Rail

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t I

PIE SAFE

I I SIDEFRAME

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Median rail

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tl- h. pie safefeaturedin this chapter fourframesjoinedat the I comprises corners.Eachframeis madewith rails with mortise-andandstilesconnected tenons.Thesideframesaregroovedto housefloatingwood panels.The back frameis dividedin halfby a mullionand is rabbetedaroundthe insideedgesto accommodate fixed backpanels.The front frameis madethesamewayasthe with two hingesholdingeachdoor sides,

CUTTING LIST

I I

(sides) (frontandback) (frontandback) (side,top,andbottom) (side, median)

Frame stiles rails* Frame

Mullion* Woodpanels

I

6nu

2%u

3/^'

2%'

3/4u

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Crown molding

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Gorner strips

2

54Yo'

Shelves Backpanels

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33%',

1" rr/o' ,/", I6Ye'

Z

49Ya'

Shelfsupport boards

4

Gockbeading

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4

Doorstiles Doorrails*

(topandbottom) (median)

*Note: lengths. Measurements include tenon

draw attention ornamentation

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20'

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wood oanel

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60' 60' 3ry,' 1A%', I4Y,'

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8

Top

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to its stiles.To assemble thesafe,theside framesare built first and then glued togetherwith thefront andbackrails. Thetop andbottomaresolidpanels Thetop is heldin ofedge-glued boards. olacebv woodbuttonsandthebottom is fastenedto ledgerstrips.The solidwoodshelves sit on supportboardsthat areheld by cornerstrips.The inside edgesof the front framearerabbetedto cockbeadine. accommodate

9ide frame atile

89

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MAKING THE CASEWORKFRAMES tI- h. firststepin buildinga piesafeis J. to cut andpreparethe framestiles, asshownbelow,andjoin them in pairs to form the cornersof the cabinet.All of themortisesarecut in thestiles.then thetenonsarecut at theendsofthe rails. As shownon page92,thebestmethod for cuttingtheblind tenonsisby handwith a backsawand a miter box. Next, the frames are dry-assembledand groovesarerouted alongtheir inside edgesfor thefloatingwood panels(page 93).Finally,thetop railsaregroovedon thetablesawto accommodate thewood buttonsthatwill securethetop.

A hollowchiselmortiserdrillsa mortisein a pie safeframestile.Themortisewill accommodate a rail tenon. AlthoughtheShakerswouldhave painstakingly chiseled out their mortisesby hand,asshownon page91, usinga powertoolisquickandaccurate.

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PREPARING THESTILES thestiles 1 Tapering I Referring to thecuttingliston page 89,cuttheframestiles to size,thentaper t h e i rb o t t o m e n d sT. h et a p e r w s i l lg i v e the bottomof the stilesanelegant, leglikeappearance. Clamponeof thestiles faceup on a worksurface andmakeone cutting markon its bottomend1%inchesfromtheinsideedgeandanother mark ontheedge5 inchesup fromthebottom. Jointhetwomarks witha line,thenusea ripsawto cutthetaperalongIheline(right). Usethetapered stileasa template to mark cuttinglinesontheremaining stiles, then taperthemthesameway.Sandallthecut edgessmooth.

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PIE SAFE

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r) Gluinu g pt h es t i l e s L C l u et h e s t i l e st o g e t h eirn p a i r st o formthe cornerof the piesafe.Remember t h a tt h e f o u rw i d e rs t i l e sw i l l b e u s e do n t h e f r o n ta n d b a c ko f t h e s a f e ,w h i l et h e n a r r o w esrt i l e sw i l l f i t o n t h e s i d e st;h i s w a y ,t h e c o r n e jro i n tw i l l o n l yb e v i s i b l e f r o mt h e s i d e s S . p r e a ds o m eg l u eo n t h e c o n t a c t i nsgu r f a c eosf e a c hp a i ro f s t i l e s : t h e o u t s i d e d g e so f t h es i d es t i l e sa n dt h e i n s i d ef a c e so f t h e f r o n ta n d b a c ks t i l e s . Withthe sidestilefacedownon a worksurf a c e ,s e c u r et h e j o i n t ,s p a c i n g t h ec l a m p s a b o u t1 2 i n c h e sa p a r t ;p r o t e ctth e s t o c k a n dd i s t r i b u t eh e c l a m p i n pg r e s s u rwei t h w o o dp a d s .T o s e c u r et h e j o i n t w h e r e t h e s t i l eh a sb e e nt a p e r e du, s ea c u t - o f f f r o mt h e t a p e rc u t sy o um a d ei n s t e p1 t o squarethe clampon the stock(/eft).

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in thestiles n Cuttinsthe mortises r-,1 Eachstile needsa mortiseat the top and bottomto accomm o d a t ea r a i l t e n o n y; o ua l s oh a v et o c u t t h r e em o r em o r t i s e s i n e a c ho f t h e s i d es t i l e sf o r t h e m e d i a nr a i lt e n o n sY. o uc a n u s ea p o w e tr o o l s u c ha s a h o l l o wc h i s e lm o r t i s e(rp a g e9 0 ) t o m a k et h e c u t , o r c h i s e tl h e mo u t b y h a n d ,a s s h o w na b o v e . R e f e r r r nt o g t h e a n a t o m yi l l u s t r a t i oonn p a g e8 8 , o u t l i n et h e m o r t i s eosn t h e e d s e so f t h e s t r l e st.h e nc l a m no n eo f t h e g l u e d - u sp t i l e st o a w o r ks u r f a c eS. t a r t i n g a t o n ee n d o f t h e

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o u t l i n eh, o l da m o r t j s ce h i s e sl q u a r et o t h e e d g eo f t h e s t i l e a n ds t r i k er t w i t ha w o o d e nm a l l e t U . s ea c h i s e tl h e s a m ew r d t h a s t h e m o r t i s ea n d b e s u r et h e b e v e l e sdi d eo f t h e b l a d ei s f a c i n gt h e w a s t e M . a k ea n o t h ecr u t % i n c hf r o mt h e f u s t h b o v e , / e f i l .C o n t i n uuen t i ly o ur e a c ht h e o t h e re n do f t h e o u t l i n et,h e n leverout the wasteto a depthof about'/^inch (above,right). R e p e atto c u t t h e r e m a i n i n m g o r t i s e st h, e ns m o o t ht h e b o t t o m o f t h e m o r t i s ew s i t h a l o c k - m o r t i sceh i s e l .

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PREPARING THERAILS thetenoncheeks 1l Cuttins -

I O u t l i n et h e t e n o n sa t b o t he n d so f t h e r a i l sm , a r k i n ag s h o u l d el irn ea l l a r o u n d t h e e n d ss o t h e l e n g t ho f t h e t e n o n sw i l l b e s l i g h t l yl e s st h a nt h e d e p t ho f t h e m o r t i s eyso uc u t i n t h e s t i l e s S . e c u r eo n e o f t h e r a i l su p r i g h itn a v i s ea n dc u t a l o n g t h e l i n e so n t h e e n d o f t h e b o a r dw i t ha backsaw u n t i ly o ur e a c ht h e s h o u l d elri n e (right).Repeatfor the tenonat the other e n do f t h e r a i la n da t b o t he n d so f t h e r e m a i n i nrga i l s .

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Sawing thetenonshouldels Toremove thewaste fromthetenoncheeks. secure a miter (above,Ieft);Iurn overthe stockand repeatthe operationon b o xi n t h e v i s e ,t h e ns e t t h e r a i lo n t h e b a s eo f t h e b o x ,a l i g n i n gt h e s h o u l d el ri n ew i t ht h e 9 0 " s l o t .T i g h t e tnh e c l a m p si n t h e b o xt o h o l dt h e r a i l i n p o s i t i o nS. l i pt h e b a c k s a w b l a d ei n t o t h e s l o ta n d c u t a l o n gt h e s h o u l d elri n eo n t h e f a c eo f t h e b o a r d s, t o p p i n gw h e ny o u r e a c ht h e k e r fy o u c u t i n s t e p i

t h e o t h e rs i d e .T o c u t a w a yt h e w a s t eo n t h e e d g e so f t h e t e n o n ,s e c u r et h e t h e r a i l u p r i g h ti n t h e v i s ea n d s a wt o t h e s h o u l d el ri n eo n b o t he d g e so f t h e r a i l .F i n a l l yc,l a m pt h e r a i l e d g eu p a n d c u t t h r o u g ht h e s h o u l d elri n eo n [ p i h o d o a cn f thp r:il

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Preparing thetop railsfor woodbuttons Q r . , l O n c ea l l t h e t e n o n sa r ef i n i s h e dy, o u will needto cut a groove alongthetopframe railsof the safeto accommodate the wood b u t t o n tsh a tw i l l s e c u r et h e c a b i n etto p i n p l a c e I. n s t a lal d a d oh e a do n y o u rt a b l e saw,adlustrtswidthto % inch,andsetthe c u t t i n gh e i g h ta t a b o u l ' / oi n c h .P o s i t i o n t h e r i o f e n c ea b o u t% i n c hf r o mt h e b l a d e s a n d i n s t a l tl w o f e a t h e r b o a r tdoss u p p o r t t h e r a i l s c, l a m p i n g o n et o t h e f e n c ea b o v e t h e d a d oh e a da n da n o t h etro t h e t a b l e . B r a c et h e s e c o n df e a t h e r b o a w r di t h a suooortboard.Feedthe railsintothe dado h e a di n s i d e - f a cdeo w na n d w i t h t h e t o p e d g e p r e s s e da g a i n s tt h e f e n c e ( r i g h t ) . F i n i s he a c hp a s sw i t h a p u s hs t i c k .

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PREPARING THEFRAMES F()RFLOATING PANELS Routing thepanelgrooves l r o o v easl o n gt h e i n s i d e C u tt h e p a n e g e d g e so f t h e s i d ef r a m e sw i t h a r o u t e r a n da p i l o t e dt h r e e - w i nsgl o t t i n g cutter. D r y - a s s e m belaec hs i d ef r a m ea n dc l a m p oneof them facedownon a worksurface. A d j u s t h e r o u t e r ' cs u t t i n gd e p t ht o c e n t e r t h e g r o o v eo n t h e e d g e so f t h e s t o c k . W i t ha f i r m g r i po n t h e r o u t e rt,u r n o n t h e t o o l a n d l o w e rt h e b a s eo l a t eo n t o t h e s u r f a c eG. u i d et h e b i t i n t ot h e s t o c k n e a ro n ec o r n e ro f t h e f r a m e .0 n c et h e p i l o tb e a r i n gb u t t sa g a i n stth e e d g eo f t h e s t o c k c, o n t i n u e t h ec u t i n a c l o c k w i s e d i r e c t i o nR . e p e a t h e o r o c e s fso r t h e l p e n i n g sr ,e p o s r t i o n itnhge o t h e rp a n e o c l a m 0 sa s n e c e s s a r v .

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RAISINGTHE PANELS T) aisedpanels,with their distinctive l\ bevelededges, evolvedasa practical solutionto two commonproblemsfaced how to fit thick by Shakercabinetmakers:

panelsinto framesmadeof thinner stock for wood moveandhow to compensate ment.Bevelingthepanelsallowedthem to fit in the groovesin the insideedgesof

planebevelsoneendof a woodpanel.Thesehandtools A panel-raising mustbeusedin pairs to raisea panel Usingleft-and right-handmodels in thedirectionof thegrain at all times. allowsthepanelto bebeveled

TABLE RAISING PANETS ONA ROUTER Making a raisedpanelwitha router Installa panel-raising bit in yourrouter andmountthetoolin a table.Position thefencein linewiththebit'spilotbearingandsetthecuttingdepthat % inchso thatyoucanreachyourfinaldepthin two Lowerthe guardoverthe or morepasses. To minimize bit andturnonthe router. cut theendgrainof thepanel tearout, firsi,beveling thetopandbottombefore thesides.Keepthepanelflatonthetable the insidefacedownandflushagainst fenceasyoufeedit acrossLhebiI (righl. Repeat thecut at theotherendandalong bothsides.Turnoff therouterandtest-fit lf the panel oneendin a framegroove. lieslessIhan% inchdeepin thegroove, increase the cuttingdepthslightlyand in Continue makeanother oassallaround. thisfashion untilthepanelfitsproperly.

wasused,sothe theframes.No adhesive panelscould swell and shrink with lhangesin humidity. Cut the panels'A inch longer and wider than the openingsin the frames. Thereareseveralwaysofraisingpanels. Shakerbuilderslikely did the job by planes,as hand,usingpanel-raising photo left. A more at shown in the commonapproach,shownbelowand on the followingpages,involvesbeveling the edgesofpanelson a routertable or tablesaw. Most furniture makersotherthan the haveinstalledthepanelswith the Shakers raised,centralportion facingoutward, addingvisualinterestto their pieces. Although Shakersin the Western communities,whereGermaninfluence admittedsomedecoration,might have donethe same,theShakercreedfrowned on extraneousornamentation.As a result,Shakerpie safeswereoftenbuilt with the flat sideof the panelsfacingout, whiletheattractive,raisedfacesarehiddenfrom view on the inside.

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MAKING RAISED PANELS ONA TABLE SAW 'l

Beveling the ends I T o d e t e r m i nteh e b l a d ea n g l ef o r r a i s i n g t h e p a n e l sd, r a wa % - i n c hs q u a r ea t t h e b o t t o mc o r n e or f o n ep i e c et,h e nm a r k a l i n ef r o mt h e i n s i d ef a c eo f t h e p a n e l t h r o u g ht h e i n s i d ec o r n e ro f t h e s q u a r et o a p o i n to n t h e b o t t o me d g e ' / "i n c hf r o m t h e o u t s i d eI a c e ( i n s e i l .I n s t a lal 6 - i n c h w i d ea u x i l i a rw y o o df e n c e ,h o l dt h e p a n e l a g a i n stth e f e n c ea n d a d j u s t h e b l a d e a n g l eu n t i li t a l i g n sw l t ht h e m a r k e dl i n e . N e x t ,a d j u s t h e b l a d eh e i g h u t n t i lt h e o u t s i d et i p o f o n et o o t he x t e n d sb e y o n d t h e i n s i d ef a c eo f t h e p a n e l t, h e nc l a m p a g u i d eb l o c kt o t h e p a n e tl o r i d ea l o n g t h e t o p o f t h e f e n c e .F e e dt h e p a n e li n t o t h e b l a d e ,k e e p i n gi t f l u s ha g a i n stth e f e n c ew h i l ep u s h i n gi t f o r w a r dw i t h t h e g u i d eb l o c k( r i g h t )T e s t -ift t h e c u t e n d i n a f r a m eg r o o v el.f l e s st h a n % i n c h l n t e r st h e g r o o v em , o v et h e of the panee f e n c ea l i t t l ec l o s etro t h e b l a d ea n d m a k e . e p e atth e c u t a t t h e o t h e r a n o t h epr a s s R e n do f t h e p a n e l .

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Beveling thesides Beveling t h e s i d e sa f t e ry o u h a v e

b e v e l et d h ee n dg r a i nh e l p sm i n i m i z e tearout. Setthe panelonedgeandfeed it intotheblade, keeping thebackflush against thefence. Turnthepaneloverto cuttheremaining edge(lefil.

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I I A PANEL.RAISING JIG F()R THETABTE SAW Toraisea panelonthetablesawwithoutadjusting theangleof theblade, usetheshopbuiltjig shown at right. Referto the illustration forsuccesteddimensions. Screwthe lip alongthe bottom edgeof theangled fence;makesure youposition thescrews wherethey will notinterfere withtheblade.Prop theangled fenceagainst theauxiliaryfenceat thesameangleasthe cuttinglinemarkedon a panel(page 95),usinga slidingbevelto transfer theangle.Cuttriangular supports to f it precisely between thetwofences, thenfix themin olacewithscrews. C o u n t e r s i tnhkef a s t e n e rssot h e panelwillslidesmoothly along the angled fence. To usethejig, position it onthe sawtablewiththe jointbetween the lip andtheangled fenceabout % inchfromtheblade.Buttthetable saw's ripfenceagainst thejig'sauxiliaryfenceandscrewthetwotogether. Turnonthesawandcrankuothe bladeslowly to cuta kerfthrough the lip.Next,seatthepanelin thejig and adjusttheheight of thebladeuntil a singletoothprotrudes beyond the frontof thepanel.Makea testcut in a scrapboardthesamethickness as thepanelandthencheckitsf it in thegroove; adjusttheposition of the fenceor blade,if necessary. Thencut the panel,beveling theends(rghf, bottom)before sawing ihe sides.

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Auxiliaryfence 9" x 30"

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ASSEMBLING THE SAFE nceallthefloatingpanelsareready, f\ V it is timeto gluetheframestogether. Startby fitting the panelsinto their frames,asshownbelow,then glueup the railsand stiles,formingthe sides of the cabinet(page98).Thenextstep involvesinstallingthebackpanelon the frame(page99). Thepie safefeaturedin this chapter includesnvoof thefewdecorative touches found in Shakerfurniture:crown moldingand cockbeading aroundthe insideedges of thedooropenings in the front frame.The moldingprovidesa smoothvisualtransitionfrom thefront andsidesto thetop ofthe safe.Although moldingmight appearto be an extraneousembellishment, the restrained, unadorneddesignshownis entirelyin A ledgerstrip isfastenedto thebackbottomrail of a pie safe. keepingwith the Shakeridealsof simOncestripshavebeenattached to allfour bottom'rails,thi plicity and harmony. bottompanelwill bescrewed to thetopedgeof thestrips.

ASSEMBLING THESIDEPANETS thepanels intotheirframes 1 Fitting I Test-assemble thesideframes. lf a jointistootight,disassemble thepieces andusea chiselto pareawaysomewood. 0nceyouaresatisf iedwiththef it, sand anysurfaces thatwillbedifficult to reach whentheframehasbeengluedup,and spread adhesive onallthecontacting surfacesof therailsandstiles. Donotapply anygluein thepanel thepanels frooves; mustbefreeto movewithintheframe.Set oneof thestilepairson a worksurface, f it therailtenons intotheirmortises, then (left), sliptheframesintotheirgrooves tapping themintoposition witha mallet, if necessary. Fittheopposite stilepairon therailsandclamptheframeGtep2).

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Clamping thesideframes S e tt h e f r a m ei n s i d e - f a cdeo w no n a w o r ks u r f a c e a n ds e c u r et h e m o r t i s e - a n d t e n o nj o i n t sw i t hb a rc l a m p sA. l t g n t ntgh e b a r sw i t ht h e r a i l st,i g h t e nt h ec l a m p su n t i l a g l u eb e a ds q u e e z eosu t o f t h e j o i n t s (rrght).Protectthe stileswith woodpads. U s ea t r y s q u a r et o e n s u r et h a tt h e f r a m e r e m a i n s q u a r ea s y o ut i g h t e nt h e c l a m p s . hascured,removethe Oncethe adhesive c l a m p sa n dt h e ns a n da l l t h ew o o ds m o o t h ,

GLUING UPTHESAFI thefrontandbacktothesides 1t Gluine -

I P r e p a rteh e r a i l so f t h e f r o n ta n d b a c k o f t h e p r es a f ea s y o uw o u l df o r t h e s i d e s ( n a p eQ 2 la n da l s oc r r ta m u l l i o nf o rt h e tFsbv

J4'

. u tt e n o n sa t t h e e n d so f t h e b a c kf r a m e C m u l l i o na n dr o u to r c h i s eol u t m a t c h i n g m n r t i s ens n t h e e d p e so f t h e b a c kf r a m e railc

Thpn olrrp thp nipepc inopfhor

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. et t h ej o i n t sS a l o n gb a rc l a m pt o s e c u r e t h e s i d ef r a m e si n s i d e - f a cuep o n y o u r s h o pf l o o ra n ds p r e a ds o m eg l u eo n a l l t h e c o n t a c t i n gs u r f a c e sb e t w e e nt h e s i d e f r a m e sa n d t h e f r o n ta n d b a c k .F i t t h e b a c kf r a m et e n o n si n t ot h e i rm o r t i s eisn o n eo f t h e s i d e s( / e f f )t,h e n i n s t a ltl h e f r o n tf r a m et h e s a m ew a y .F i n a l l ys,e tt h e r e m a i n i nsgi d ef r a m eo n t o p .

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r) Clamping thesafe I Carefully setthecabinet upright, working witha helper, if n e c e s s a rUys. ef o u rm o r eb a rc l a m p tso s e c u rteh es i d e st o t h ef r o n ta n db a c ka, l i g n i ntgw oc l a m p w s i t ht h et o pr a i l so f thefrontandbackandtheremaining twowiththebottom rarls. Besureto protect thestockwithwoodpads.Assoonasyou h a v et i g h t e n eadl l t h ec l a m p su, s ea t a p em e a s u rt o echeck

thesafeforsquare measuring thedistance hbove), between opposite corners; thetwomeasurements shouldbeequal.lf not,installanother barclampacross the longer of thetwo d i a g o n a sl se,t t i ntgh ec l a m pj a w so nt h o s ea l r e a di yn p l a c e . Tighten theclampa littleat a time,measuring asyougountil thetwodiagonals areequal.

Installing thebackpanels S e tt h es a f ed o w nw i t hi t sb a c kf a c i n g u p ,t h e ni n s t a a ll prloted %-inch rabbeting bit in a router andadjust thecutting depthto %einchmorethanthethickness of thebackpanels youareusing.Routtherabbets around theinside edges of the backpanelopenings, pressed keeping thebit'spilotbearing against thestockthroughout thecut (above, /eff),thensquare

thecorners witha chisel.Cuttwopieces of plywood to fit s n u g l iyn t ot h eo p e n i n gasn da p p l ya t h i nb e a do f a d h e s r v e (above, alongthe rabbets right)andonthecontacting surfaces of theplywood. Spread theglueevenly, setthepanels in posit i o n t, h e nu s es m a lfli n i s h i nnga i l st o s e c u rteh e ma t 6 - t o B inchintervals.

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NG C()CKBEADI INSTALLING thesafeforcockbeading 1 Preparing edgeof around theinside I Cuta rabbet thefrontframeof thesafe,usingthesame youfollowed procedure forthebackpan(page els 99).Thistime,installa'l-rnch p i l o t e rda b b e t i nbgi t i n y o u r o u t ear n d adjustthecuttingdepthto about%inch. butted against Keepthebit'spilotbearing thestockasyoumakethecut (right),Ihen witha chisel. square thecorners

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r) Milling thecockbeading from/"cockbeading L tuaxeenough cutin step1, thick-stock to fit therabbets ona table it withmolding cutters shaping stock;instead, saw.(Donotusenarrow wide cutpieces thatareat least4 inches fromthem.) andthenripthecockbeading I n s t aa l l na u x i l i a frey n c ea n dr a i s et h e molding headintothewoodfenceto notch theworkit. Usea featherboard to secure piece;screwit to a shimsothe pressure w i l lb ea p p l i eadg a i n tsht em i d d l oe f t h e stock.Toadlustthecut,centeranedgeof thenbuttthefence theboard overa cutter, against thefaceof thestock.Holdthe workpiece flushagainst thefenceandthe tableasyoufeedit intothecutters(/eff). the edgeof theboard Shape theopposite sameway.0nceallyourstockhasbeen o nt h es a wa n d m i l l e di .n s t aal l r i ob l a d e makfromtheboards, cutthecockbeading by%inch ingit wideenough to protrude in thesafe. fromtherabbets

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r - , 1C u t t h e c o c k b e a d i nt g o f i t i n s i d et h e f r o n tf r a m e ,m i t e r - s e c u r et h e c o c k b e a d i nagl o n gt h e t o p a n d b o t t o mo f t h e i n gt h e e n d s .C u t a n df i t o n e p i e c ea t a t i m e ,a l i g n i n tgh e o p e n i n gp, r o t e c t i ntgh e s t o c kw i t h w o o dp a d s ;f o r t h e s i d e s , m i t e r e de n d sw i t h t h e c o r n e r so f t h e r a b b e t sS. p r e a da l i t t l e w e d g et h i n w o o ds t r i p ss l i g h t l yl o n g e trh a nt h e g a p b e t w e e n g l u eo n t h e c o n t a c t i nsgu r f a c e sU. s ea n ys u i t a b l ec l a m pt o the cockbeading(above).

FASTENING THET()PPANEL Makingthewoodbuttons 1 I l f y o ua r eu s i n gw o o db u t t o n tso i n s t a l l t h e t o p o n t h e p i es a f e ,y o uw i l l n e e dt o makeenoughbuttonsto spacethemevery 6 i n c h e sa l o n gt h e e n d sa n de d g e so f t h e p a n e lY . o uc a n m a s s - p r o d utchee b u t t o n s f r o ma s i n g l eb o a r do f a t h i c k n e sesq u a l to the gapbetween the top edgeof the top f r a m er a i l sa n dt h e g r o o v eyso uc u t i n t h e rails(page93), lessZoinch.Cut a %-inch r a b b eat t e a c he n do f t h e b o a r dt,h e nr i p i t i n t o i - i n c h - w i d se t r i p sa n d c u t o f f t h e b u t t o n sa b o u t1 %i n c h e sf r o mt h e e n d s (inset).fomakescrewholesin the buttons, i n s t a lal l o - i n c hb i t i n y o u rd r i l lp r e s sa n d f a s h i o na c o r n e jri g f r o m% - i n c hp l y w o o d and L-shaped supportbrackets. Clampthe j i gt o t h e m a c h i n e t a b l ea n ds t e a d tyh e b u t t o n sw i t h a p u s hs t i c k .D r i l lt h r o u g h t h e c e n t e ro f t h e u n r a b b e t epdo r t i o no f eachbutton(/efu.

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thetop O Installing L Setthetoppanelfacedownonthe r n dp o s i t i ot n h es a f eu p s i d e s h o pf l o o a downontopof it. Alignthebackof the withthebackedgeof thetopand cabinet thepaneledges. centerthesafebetween nearthecorners, fit therabbeted Starting intothegrooves endsof thewoodbuttons thebuttons about in thetoprails;space e % - i n cgha p 6 i n c h eas p a rat n dl e a v a the bottomof thegrooves and between e n d so f t h eb u t t o ntso a l l o w t h el i p p e d Drivescrews to fasforwoodmovement. tenthe buttonsin place(right).

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INSTALLING CROWN MOLDING themolding 1 Cutting I Fita moldins headwithbevelcutters andmounttheheadonyourtablesaw. woodfence Install andnotchanauxiliary (page100),andpositron thefencefor profile. thestockyou thedesired Secure withtwo willuseto makethemolding featherboards, clamping oneto thefence anda second to thesaw above theblade, a s u p p o rbto a r d ata 90' t a b l eC . lamp featherboard. Raise angle to thesecond thetable;do thecutters% inchabove n o tm a k ea f u l l - d e p ct hu t i n o n ep a s s . Press thestockagainst thefenceasyou f inishthe slowly feedit intothecutters; theboard cutwitha pushstick.Reverse andrepeat thecutontheotheredge(left). raisMakeasmanypasses asnecessary, ingthecutters % inchat a time,untilyou deothof cut. havereached thedesired Install a ripblade onthesawandcutthe molding frombothsidesof theworkpiece, asrepresented bythedottedlinesin the illustration.

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t t r) Installingthe sidemolding I FasIen onesidemolding f irst,then thefrontpiece, andf inallytheremainpieces ingsidepiece. Cutthemolding to length, mitering theirends.Spread someglueonthecontacting surfaces between thefirstsidepieceandthetop railof thesideandsettheoiecein position. Toallowforwoodmovement, do notapplyanygluebetween the molding andthetopof thesafe.Clamp thefrontpieceto thefrontrail-without glue-tohelpyoualignthesidepiece properly. Install twobarclamps along thetopto secure thesidepiecein place, gradually tightening theclamps untila thinbeadof gluesqueezes out fromthejoint;usewoodpadsto protect boththemolding andthetop(above).

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thefrontmolding Q Installing r.J 0ncethesrdemolding hasbeen secured, remove theclamps holding the frontpiecein placeandapplyglueto it andto thefrontrailof thepiesafe.Also spread someadhesive onthe mitered endsof themolding. Usehandscrews to clampthefrontmolding to thecabinet, spacing theclamps about6 inches apart (left).Finally, installtheremaining side pieceasyoudidthef irstone.

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SHELVING wouldnodoubt shelvins A diustable A ttuu.appealed tishakerfurniture Thefeature givesa cabinet flexmakers. needsand ibiliry adapting to changing theuserto organize space most enabling Theshelves canbeheldin efficiently. placewithshelfsupports thatfit in holes drilledin thestiles,asshownat right. Anotheroptionis shop-made wooden whicharedadoed cornerstrips(below), andattached to theinteriorcornersof thepiesafeto holdup theshelving.

A metqlshelfsupportpin is beingscrewedinto a threadedsleevein a pie safestile.Insertedinto drilledholesat evenf spacedintervals allowthepinsfrom thebottomto thetopof thecabinet,thesleeves and shelves-tobeinstalledat virtuallyany heightinsidethesafe.

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thecorner strips 1 Making I Youcanmakefourstrips, oneforeachcorner of ihe pie board thatis longenough to safe,froma single4-inch-wide fromtopto bottomof thecabinet. Installa dadohead extend of onyourtablesawandsetthewidthequalto thethickness youwilluse.Determine thedesired spacing theshelfsupports about2 inches-andcuttwodadoes of the notches-typically Alignthe thatdistance apartin a mitergaugeextension board. to the left-hand dadowiththe bladesandscrewtheextension

T T I gaugewiththeotherdadooffsetto the right.Cuta 2-inch pieceof shelfsupport stockandf it it intothatdado,whereit (inseil.Cutyourf irstdadoabout willserveasan indexingkey heightyouwantyour 8 inchesfromoneend-or at whatever lowest shelf.Cutthesecond andsubsequent dadoes by movingthepieceto therightandfittingtheprevious dadoover the key(above). Whenthedadoes areall cut,rip the board intofour1-inch-wide corner strios.

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r) Installing strips thecorner L andshelfsupports S p r e asdo m eg l u eo n t h ec o n t a c t i n g surfaces between thecorner stripsand s f t h ep i es a f ea, n dp o s i t i o n t h es t i l e o surethatthedadoes eachstrip,making Toclamp ofthecabinet. facetheinterior usethinwoodscraps thestripsin place. the slightly longer thanthegapbetween Fortheshelfsupports strips(above). (represented bydottedlinesin theillusmeasure thedistance between tration), front back stiles of the safe and the and c r r t h en i e c etso f i t E n s u rteh a tt h e suppora t sr ew i d ee n o u gtho h o l dt h e shelves securely.

theshelves Q Preparing \, Allfourcorners of eachshelfmustbe n o t c h etdo f i t a r o u ntdh ec o r n esrt r i p s . Measua r en dm a r ke a c hs h e l, fc l a m pi t facedownto a worksurface, andcutout (lefD. witha backsaw thecorners

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h. doorsof the pie safearejoined I with the openversionof the mortise-and-tenon loint usedto assemble the cabinet.The reinforcingpegswill preventthe joints from racking,even undertheheaviest use.As shownbelow, you canmakethejoint on yourtablesaw jig. Oncethedoorsare with a shop-made assembled, theyarerabbetedto accept the tin panels(pagel0B). As shownon pageI I 1, a varietyof specialpunches are availablefor piercingthe panels themselves. Oncethepanelsareinstalled, the doorscanbe mountedto the safe with simplebutt hinges(page114).

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Thedoorsof thepie safeareassembled with mortise-and-tenons, reinforced by woodpegs.Thetin panelssitin rabbets alongtheinsideedges of thedoorsand areheldin placebystripsof molding.

thetenoncheeks in therails 1 Cutting I Cutopenmortise-and-tenons jigshown onyourtablesawusing theshop-made in theinset.Refer to thedimensions suggested, making surethethickness of thespacer andwidthof thebraceenable thejig to slidealongtheripfencewithout wobbling. Cutthe bodyandbracefrom3/uinch plywood andtheguideandspacer fromsolid wood.Sawanovalholefora handle in thejig bodyandattachtheguideto thebodyin frontof thehandle. Screw a woodblockto thebodybelow thehandle andattacha toggle clampto theblock.Finally, fasten thespacer andbracein place. Tocutthetenon cheeks in thedoorrails,butttheworkpiece against theguideandclamprt in place. Setthecuttingheightto thetenonlength, position thefenceto alignoneof thecuttingmarks ontherailwiththeblade andslidethejig along thefence to makethecut Turntherailaround bbove). to cuttheothercheek, thenrepeat thecutsat theother endof therailandat bothendsof theremaining rails,

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r) Cutting thetenonshoulders Z- Screwa boardto the mitergaugeas g n eo f t h ed o o r a n e x t e n s i oT nh . e n ,h o l d i n o r a i l sa g a i n st th ee x t e n s i oand, l u stth e b l a d e h e i g h t o t h e d e p t ho f t h e t e n o ns h o u l d e r . A l i g nt h e s h o u l d ewr i t ht h e b l a d eb, u t ta n o t c h e ds t o pb l o c ka g a i n stth e s t o c k a , nd c l a m pt h e b l o c kt o t h ee x t e n s i otnh;e n o t c h in the stopblockwill preventsawdustfrom it andthe workpiece. accumulating between H o l d i n tgh e r a i lf l u s ha g a i n st th e e x t e n s i o n andthe stooblock.feedthe stockwith the m i t e rp a r r p ien c r r it h e f i r s ts h o u l d e T r .o s a wt h e o p p o s i tseh o u l d etru, r nt h e r a i l over(right).Repeatto cut the tenonshould e r sa t t h e o t h e re n do f t h e r a i la n d i n t h e remaining r a i l s .( C a u t i o nB: l a d eg u a r d removedfor clarity.)

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-) Cuttins themortises inthestiles <' r.,l Usethetenoning ligto sawthemortisesin thedoorstiles. 0utlinethemort i s e so nt h ee n d so f t h es t i l e su, s i n ga Thenclamp completed tenonasa guide.

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nnp nf the stiles tn thp iio resetthe hladp

h e i g h t o t h e t e n o nl e n g t ha, n d p o s i t i o n the fenceto alignoneof the cuttingmarks w i t ht h e b l a d eS. l i d et h e j i g a l o n gt h e f e n c et o c u t o n es r d eo f t h e m o r t i s et ,h e n t u r nt h e s t i l ea r o u n dt o c u t t h e o t h e rs i d e ( / e f f )R . e p o s i t i ot n h e f e n c ea n d m a k ea s manypassesas necessary to clearout the wastebetweenthe kerfs.Repeatthe cuts a t t h e o t h e re n d o f t h e s t i l ea n d a t b o t h e n d so f t h e r e m a i n i nsst i l e s .

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upthedoorframes Gluing D r y -rft t h e r a i l sa n d s t i l e so f t h e d o o r sa n d u s ea c h i s e l i.f n e c e s s a rt yo,f i n e - t u naen yi l l . pread g l u eo n t h e c o n t a c t i n g f i t t i n gj o i n t s S s u r f a c eos f t h e m o r t i s e as n d t e n o n st,h e n u s e b a rc l a m p st o s e c u r e t h e j o i n t s a, l i g n i n tgh e b a r sw i t ht h e r a i l s .U s ew o o dp a d st o p r o t e ctth e s t o c ka n dt i g h t e nt h e c l a m p su n t i la l i t t l eg l u e squeezesout of the lotnIsbbove).

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P r e p a r i nt g h ed o o rf r a m e fso r p a n e l s f, r - , 10 n c et h ea d h e s i vhea sc u r e dr.e m o vteh ec l a m p s a n ds e c u r e t h ef r a m e si n s i d e - f a cuep o n a w o r ks u r f a c e .T o c u t t h e r a b b e t isn t h ef r a m e sf o rt h et i n p a n e l si n, s t a a l l p i l o t e d ' / a - i nrcahb b e t i nbgi t i n a r o u t e rA. l t h o u gyho u rf i n a ld e p t hw i l l e q u at h l ec o m b i n e dt h i c k n e sosf t h ep a n e las n dt h em o l d i nygo u w r l lb e r n s t a l l i n g t y p i c a l lry/ ei n c h a d j u stth eb i t t o c u t t h e r a b b e tisn t w oo r m o r ep a s s e sR. o u t h e r a b b e tm s o v i n cgl o c n w i saer o u n tdh e i n s i d e d g e s o f t h ep a n eol p e n i n gkse, e p i ntgh eb i t ' sp i l o tb e a r i n gp r e s s eadg a i n stth e s t o c kt h r o u g h o u e ta c hc u t ( r i g h t )O. n c ey o ur e a c hy o u rf i n a ld e p t h s, q u a r teh e c o r n e rosf t h e r a b b e tw s i t ha c h i s e l .

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Preparing the doorframesfor thefalsemullion 4i cut a rabbet \,1 To enablethe pie safedoorsto closeproperly, a l o n gt h e i n s i d ef a c eo f b o t hd o o r sa t t h e i rc o n t a c t i negd g e sa; w o o ds t r i p ,k n o w na s a f a l s em u l l i o nw, i l lb eg l u e di n t o t h er a b b e t o f t h e l e f t - h a n dd o o rs o t h e d o o r sw i l l r e s tf l u s hw h e nc l o s e d (pagel10.fhe t/e-inch gap between the right-hand doorandthe edgeof the mullionwill prevent the doorsfrombindingwhenthey areclosed,as shownin the end-onviewin the inset.Forthe rab-

bets,installa dadoheadonyourtablesawandadjustitswidth 5/ro inch.Attach to 1/zinchanditsheightto anauxiliaryfenceto yourtablesawripfence,position width, thefenceforthecutting andnotchthewooden fencewiththeblades. Tosupport thedoor frames. clamoa featherboard to thefenceabove thedadohead. Feedeachframeinside-face downwith bothhands(above), keeping it flatonthetableandpressed flushagainst thefence.

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mortise-and-tenons J Peggingthe / Markpegholesat all fourcorners of eachdoorframe,cen- clampit in place asanedgeguide. Then,holding theframeagainst teringthemonthefrontfaceof therailslr/z inches fromtheside theguide,drillthehole(above, left).Boretheremaining holes edgeof thedoor.lnstall a 5/ro-inch brad-point bit in yourdrill in bothframes thesameway.Cuta pegforeachholefroma piece press, placea backup panel onthemachine tableto minimize of solidstock,making it slightly shorter thanthedepthof the tearout, andsetoneofthedoorframes ontop,centering a drilling holes, Thepegsshouldbecutsquare, tapered at thebottom end markunder thebit.Adjust thedrilling depthto about two-thirds andwitha slightchamfer at thetop.Tapeachpegintoits hole (above, thethickness of theframe.Butta boardagainst theframeand witha hammer right),lelling it protrude about1/roinch.

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thepattern to thepanel 1 Securing I Tinpanels andthetoolsusedto punch holesin themareavailable fromfolk-art supply houses. Thebestwayto punchthe holesin thepanels sotheyareallthesame is to usea pattern asa template. Several patterns common areillustrated on page 111;usea photocopier withanenlargementfeature to oroduce a version of the pattern desired thatis thesamesizeas yourpanels. Thensetoneof thepanels inside-face upona backup board, center thepattern onthepanel, andfixthepaper to thetin withmasking tape.Tosecure the panel to thebackup board, usepushpins, tapping themintothe boardevery few inches around theperimeter ofthepanel.

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TRADITIONAT TINPANELPATTERNS

TINPUNCH COMMON TOOLS ANDTHECUTSTHEYMAKE

Basbpunch ldealfor makin4qeometric patterna becauaetL produceaholeaof uniform erze;thts punchleavee a amooth edqeon both eideeof the panel

Lamp maker'achisel Froduceaa emooth,elon4aLedhole;traditionally uaedin lanLernmaktnq

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Curvedchiael Makea creacent moon-eha ped cute; tradittonally ueed when ti4htinqwaopootttonedbehtnd the panele

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Star punch Traditionallyone of the moat commonlyuoedohapeo

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Diamond punch ldeal for Lhe edqee of patterne; a traditional choice when Iiqh'Ltn4 wao uaed behind Lhe panele

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Pineapplepunch Froduceethe burra on pineapplepaLterno

Courteeyof CountryAccents.MonLoureville. 7A

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r') Punching the holes r n dt h e a p p r o p r i a t e L t J s ea h a m m e a p u n c ho r c h i s e fl o r t h e t y p eo f h o l ey o u w i s ht o p r o d u c eH. o l d i n g t h e p u n c hv e r t i c a l l yo n o n eo f t h e p a t t e r nh o l e s s, t r i k e the tool with the hammer(righil.A minim u m a m o u n to f f o r c ei s n e e d e dt o p u n c t u r et h e p a n e l t; h e h a r d e yr o us t r i k et h e p u n c ht,h e l a r g etrh e h o l ew i l l b e .P u n c h a l l t h e h o l e st h e s a m ew a y ,c h a n g i ntgo a d i f f e r e npt u n c ho r c h i s e al s n e c e s s a rlyf . y o ua r e u s i n ga m e t a lo t h e rt h a nt i n f o r t h e p a n e l ss, u c ha s m i l ds t e e ly, o uw i l l n e e dt o f i l e t h e s h a r pe d g e so f t h e h o l e s . ith on theoutside f a c eo f t h e p a n e l sW t i n , f i l i n gi s n o t n e c e s s a r y .

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Installing thetinpanels andmolding M a k ef o u rs t r i p so f m o l d i nfgo re a c hp a n eal sy o uw o u l d n a i l st h r o u gthh em o l d i nagn di n t ot h ef r a m ee v e r2y i n c h e s , for the glassdoorsof a wall clock (page125). fhen set the t h e nd r i v et h e n a i l su s i n ga b r a dd r i v e rT. o u s et h ed r i v e r , d o o rf r a m e so u t s i d e - f a cdeo w no n a w o r ks u r f a c ea n d p l a c ea i n s e rat n a i li n t oa p i l o th o l et,h e np o s i t i otnh ej a w sa n d panea l n d m o l d i n gi n p o s i t i o nT. h es h a r pe d g e so f t h e p u n c h e d t i g h t e n t h el o c k i n ng u t .H o l d i ntgh ef r a m es t e a d ys,q u e e z e h o l e ss h o u l db e f a c i n gd o w n .B o r ep i l o th o l e sf o r f i n i s h i n g thelawsto setthe nail(above).

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M aking butterfly hingee WiLhLheirwing-shaped leaves,butLerflyhinqee werecommonlyueedon 3hakerfurniture.Today, they are exVeneive anA ditricult Lo find. l, owever, t ranoforminga eNandard butlhinqe inhoa buLterfly hinqeio a oimplemalter, Grindthe lopo and bollomsof butt hinqeleaveo qrinderunLilyou onyourbench cuI awayenough melallo Vroduce the characterieNic ehape.

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the hingeson thedoors 1 Installing I S e c u r eo n eo f t h e d o o r sh i n g e - e d g e u p i n a b e n c hv i s e . O u t l i noen eh i n g e l e a fa b o u t6 i n c h e sf r o mt h e t o p o f t h e d o o ra n da n o t h e6r i n c h e sf r o mt h e b o t t o m .T h e n .h o l d r nag c h r s evl e r t i c a l l y . s c o r et h e o u t l i n ea n dc u t i t s l i g h t l d yeepe r t h a nt h e t h i c k n e sos f t h e h i n g el e a f . H o l dt h e c h i s e lb e v e u l p t o p a r et h e wastefrom the mortise(above).Once y o u h a v ec l e a r e do u t t h e r e m a i n i n g m o r t i s eos n b o t hd o o r ss, e tt h e h i n g e s i n t h e i rm o r t i s e sd,r i l lp i l o th o l e sa, n d s c r e wi h e m i n p l a c e .

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onthesafe thehinges O Installing Z- Position o n e o f t h e d o o r si n t h e c a b i n e ts, l i p p i n gt w o o r t h r e es h e e t so f p a p e ru n d e rt h e d o o ra s s p a c e r sU, s ea b a rc l a m pt o h o l dt h e d o o ri n p l a c et,h e n m a r kt h e t o p sa n d b o t t o m o s f thehinge l e a v e os n t h e i n s i d ee d g eo f t h e f r o n t f r a m es t i l e s( a b o v e )R. e m o v e the door, s l i pt h e p i n so u t o f t h e h i n g e sa, n do u t linc thp frpp hinsp

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u s i n gt h e m a r k sy o um a d et o d e t e r m i n e t h e h e i g h ot f t h e o u t l i n e sM . a k es u r et h e h i n g ep i n sw i l l p r o t r u dfea r e n o u g hf r o m t h e s a f es o a s n o t t o b i n d a g a i n stth e c o c k b e a d i nwgh e nt h e d o o ri s o p e n e d a n dc l o s e dC. h i s eol u tt h e h i n g em o r t i s e s o n t h e c a b i n est t i l e sa s y o ud i d o n t h e doors(pageI 13) and screwthe hinge . e p e atth e p r o c e sws i t h l e a v e isn p l a c e R t h e o t h e rd o o r .

I T Hanging thedool O n c ea l l t h e h i n g el e a v easr ei n s t a l l e di t, i s t i m et o h a n gt h e d o o r .L i f to n eo f t h e Slip on the doorandthe safeengage(above). doorsintopositionsothe hingeleaves e a c hh i n g ep i n i n p l a c et o j o i nt h e l e a v e sH. a n gt h e o t h e rd o o rt h es a m ew a y .

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I n s t a l l i nt S h ef a l s em u l l i o n ,{ T C u tt h e m u l l i o nf r o ml - i n c h - t h i c k s t o c k ,m a k i n gi t a s l o n ga s t h e d o o r s . S i z et h ew i d t ho f t h e m u l l i o ne q u atl o t h e gap between the shoulders of the rabbets you cut in the doors(page109), less'/" i n c h .T h eg a pb e t w e etnh e r i g h t - h a n d d o o ra n dt h ee d g eo f t h e m u l l i o nw i l l p r e v e n tt h e d o o r sf r o mb i n d i n gw h e nt h e y a r ec l o s e dS. p r e a ds o m ea d h e s i vien t h e r a b b e ti n t h e l e f t - h a n d o o ra n do n t h e c o n t a c t i nsgu r f a c eosf t h e m u l l i o na, n d . l a m pt h e s e tt h e s t r i po f w o o di n p l a c e C m u l l i o na g a i n sbt o t hc h e e ka n ds h o u l d e r t h i l et h e g l u ec u r e s( / e f t ) . o f t h e r a b b ew

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I n s t a l l i nt g h ed o o rp u l l s R r . / M a k ea p u l l f o r e a c hd o o ro n y o u r l a t h et,u r n i n ga r o u n dt e n o na t o n ee n d , o r b u yt h e p u l l sr e a d y - m a dM e .a r ka p o i n t i n t h e m i d d l eo f t h e c o n t a c t i ndgo o rs t i l e s a b o u t w o - t h r r dosf t h e w a yu p t h e d o o r s a n dd r i l la h o l et h es a m ed i a m e t earst h e t e n o n sa t e a c hm a r k .S p r e a ds o m eg l u e o n t h e t e n o n sa n d i n s e r et a c hn r r l li n t o tls hole (right).

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featurewas an 80-pound that ffi he sameprinciples $ guidedthe Shakers in brassenginebellthatsoundedloudlyon thehour. their daily lives-purity, wholesomeness, Oval boxes,like those and usefulshownat left,wereusedto ness-arereflectedin everystorea varietyofdry goods. thingtheybuilt.Eachof the With theirdistinctive swalsrnallShakerprojectsfealowtailfingers,straightsides, turedin thischapter-a wall andsmoothfinish,theboxclock,a stepstool,an oval eswereelevated by Shaker box, and a pegboard-is a craftsmanshipfrom mere classic example of thissinglevessels into thingsof beaumindedphilosophy. ty. That the Shakers made TotheShakers, no housetheseboxesby thethousands hold item, no matter how whileholdingto a highstansmall,couldbe considered is remarkfrivolousor simpleadorndardof excellence "knickknack" able-and typicalof their menl Theterm creedandcraftsrnanship. hadno placein theirlexicon. Thetall cabinets built by Whatevertheymadehad to theShakers created theneed Madefi"ontquartersawncherryverteer,the bandfor the bestrong,durable,andwithto access high shelves. The box shownaboveis bett oroLffida dryingfonrr after first ou[ [ault.It alsohadto beperstepstoolshownon page fectlysuitedto the purpose ltehrysonkedin hot water nnd softerrcd.The band is I 2 9 r n s w e r etdh i sr e q u i l e for which it wasdesigned. seuu'edin its bentshnpeby coppertacks. nent, becominga mobile Wall clocks,like the one grandfather Althoughits treadswereoftendovetailed shownon pageI I B,andtall,freestanding clocks but sturdystaircase. justifiedthe lives,but theShakers into thesides, strength, ratherthanappearance, wereessential to theShakers'disciplined "wag-ondesigned othertypesfor specialneeds. Thehomely attractiveioinerv. Thepegboard(page135)isan exampleofhow theShakers the-wall"clockhad no case,but onlya smallframeto proof a hurnbleitemuntilit became an andsimplyhungfrom a peg.Theyalso stretched theusefulness tectthemechanism, part of theirlives.Pegslinedthe wallsof most madebasicclocksfor theirbarnsthathadonlyan hourhand. indispensable "tower Lake, Shakerhomes,hangingeverythingfrom bookshelves and Evenlessornatewasthe clock"at Sabbathday had no faceor handsat all.Its main kitchenimolements to clocksandchairs. Maine.Thistimeuiece

The rttils,stiles,and divider of thef'urrc for a Shnkerwnll clocknre beingglued ttp,seared by bnr chmtps The rails and stilesshowttat left orc joitretl with rabbets,while the divider sirrrylylrtsitto dndoesaff acrosstlrc stiles.

WALL CLOCK led verydisciplined, T h. Shakers I structured lives.Theyroseat 4:00 a.m.in thesummer, allowingthemselves to sleepin anhourlaterin winter.They stopped workingat7:30p.m.on summerevenings andat 8:00p.m.in the winter,one-halfhourbeforeevening worship.Theyalsoatetheirmealsatprecisetimes.A Shaker elderfrom Ohio "The oncesaid, clockis an emblemof theShaker communitybecause everythinggoesontime.Promptness, absolute punctuality, is a sinequanonof a successful community." In theearly,lean yearsof theirmovement,Shaker communities considered

ANATOMY OFA WALL CTOCK Caee top panel 5" x 9%"

themselves fortunate to ownoneworking "alarum"clock.Asthesectprosjoinedthe pered,andasclockmakers movement, theavailability of thetimepieces spread. TheShakers nevercarried pocketwatches, however. Thesewere considered unnecessary indulgences. Themechanisms of originalShaker cloclsweremadefrombrassor wood.A les mstlyandmore reliable modemalternativeistobuyaquartzclockmovement. These canbeordered complete withmetaldialandwithorwithoutapendulum frommanyhobbysupplystores. Thefollowingpagesshowhowto assemble a casefor a Shaker-style wallclock.

IsaacNewtonYoungswasone of thefew Shakerclockmakers to designand constructcasesto househis timepieces. Theclock shownbelowwasinspiredby onethat hebuib in thespring of 1840at theNewLebanon communityin New YorkState.

Toptrim 4" x 1O3A"

Top-door etile Top-door rail (2) 1%" x 10"

'lt/o" x 10"

Baakboard 9%"x 32t"la"

Divider 1'/o"x 10" Eottomdoor rail (2)

Caae aide panel 3" x 3O"

2" x 10"

Eottomdoor atile 2" x'19%"

Thewallclockis assembled withthesameprecisionthatShakers brought to theirdailyroutines. Thefourpanelsof thecasearegluedtogether withrabbets, andtherailsandstilesof thedoors joints. arejoinedwithopenmortise-and-tenon Thebackboard fits intoa rabbetcut alongthe backof thecasepanels, andis nailedin place. Thetrim pieces aresimplygluedto thetopand bottompanels of thecase.Thedivideris glued intostopped dadoes in thesidepanels of thecase. Use%e-inch-thick stockforall butthedoorsand divider, whicharemadefrom%-inch-thick wood.

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BUI L D I N TH GEC A S E Rabbeting thesidepanels 1 I P r e p a rteh e c a s ep i e c e sf o r a s s e m b l y b y r a b b e t i ntgh e e n d so f t h e s i d ep a n e l s o n y o u rt a b l es a w .I n s t a lal d a d oh e a do n t h e s a wa n d a d j u s ti t s w i d t ht o % ui n c h . S e tt h e c r r t t i n ph e i p h at t I i n c h .S c r e w a w o o d e na u x i l i a rfye n c et o t h e r i p f e n c e a n d n o t c hi t w i t h t h e d a d oh e a d .T o h e l p y o u f e e dt h e l o n gs t o c ka c r o s st h e s a w t a b l ea n dt o m i n i m i z e t e a r o u ts, c r e wa b o a r da s a n e x t e n s i otno t h e m i t e rg a u g e . l g a i n stth e T h e n ,b u t t i n go n es i d ep a n e a f e e f e n c ea n dt h e e x t e n s i o n , di t a l o n g w i t h t h e m i t e rg a u g et o c u t t h e f i r s t r a b beI (right).Repeatat the otherend of the b o a r da n d a t b o t he n d so f t h e s e c o n d . o p r e p a r teh e s i d ep a n e l sf o r s i d ep a n e l T t h e b a c k b o a r dc,u t a r a b b e ta l o n gt h e b a c ke d s eo f e a c hb o a r d

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r) Preparing thesidepanels L torthedivider 0 u t l i n et h e d a d oo n t h e f r o n te d g eo f e a c h s i d ep a n etl h a tw i l l a c c e pt th e d i v i d e r . T h e l e n g t ho f t h e d a d os h o u l db e a b o u t o n e - h a tl fh e w i d t ho f t h e d i v i d e rl.n s t a lal s t r a i g hbt i t t h e s a m ed i a m e t ear s t h e d a d o w r d t hi n a r o u t e rb, u t to n es i d ep a n e ol n a worksurfaceagainsta backupboard,and a l i g nt h e b i t o v e rt h e o u t l i n eB . u t ta b o a r d a s a n e d g eg u i d ea g a i n stth e r o u t e b r ase p l a t ea n dc l a m pt h e s e t u pi n p l a c eW . ith the baseplateflushagainst the edgeguide, p l u n g et h e b r t r n t ot h e b a c k u pb o a r da n d g u i d ei t i n t ot h es i d ep a n e ls, t o p p i ntgh e . out hedado c u t a t y o u re n d l i n e ( / e f t ) R i n t h e s e c o n ds i d ep a n e lt,h e ns q u a r e b o t hd a d o e sw i t ha c h i s e l .

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Preparing thedividerfor installation Q r - , 1L e a v i n g t h e a u x i l i a r fye n c ea n d m i t e rg a u g ee x t e n s i oonn y o u rt a b l es a w , n o t c ht h e e n d so f t h e d i v i d etro f i t i n t o t h e d a d o e ys o uc u t i n t h e s i d ep a n e l s . P o s i t i otnh e f e n c et o c u t a % u - i n c h - w i d e n o t c ha n d s e tt h e c u t t i n gh e i g h ot f t h e d a d oh e a dt o % i n c h .H o l d i n g thedivider o n e d g ea n df l u s ha g a i n stth e f e n c ea n d e x t e n s i o nf e, e dt h e m i t e rg a u g ei n t ot h e b l a d e sT. u r nt h e b o a r da r o u n da n d n o t c h the other end (right).

I I I I I I I I I I I I I Rounding overthedivider Round o v e rt h ef r o n te d e eo f t h e d i v i d eo r n a r o u t e tra b l e .I n s t a lal p i l o t e d % - i n c hr o u n d - o v ebri t i n a r o u t e rm , ount t h e t o o l i n a t a b l e ,a n d a l i g nt h e f e n c e w i t ht h e b i t ' sp i l o tb e a r i n gT. o s u p p o rtth e d i v i d e ru, s et h r e ef e a t h e r b o a r dcsl a, m p i n gt w ot o t h e f e n c e o , n eo n e a c hs i d eo f t h e b i t , a n d o n et o t h e t a b l e .B r a c et h i s secondfeatherboard with a supportboard : h ef e a t h e r s e c u r e tdo t h e t a b l e .( N o t e T b o a r do n t h e o u t f e e ds i d e o f t h e f e n c e h a sb e e nr e m o v e fdo r c l a r i t y . N ) o wu s ea p u s hs t i c kt o f e e dt h e d i v i d e a r c r o s st h e table (left). Maketwo passesto round o v e re a c hf a c eo f t h e s t o c k ,s t a r t i n gw i t h a shallow c u t a n dr a i s i n tgh e b i t s l i g h t l y fnr ihp cpennd

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thebackboard Cutting f, r - , / U s ea p i e c eo f s o l r dw o o df o r t h e r o u l dt y p i b a c k b o a r d - aS h a k ebr u i l d ew c a l l vh a v er r s e dn i n e T o m a r ko u t t h e a r c ha t t h e t o p o f t h e b a c k b o a r fdi ,r s t m a r ka c e n t e r l i nnee a rt h et o pe n do f t h e s t o c ka n d u s ea c o m p a stso o u t l i n ea c i r s f 2 l i n c h e si n t h e m i d c l ew i t ha r a d i u o d l e o f t h e s t o c k c, e n t e r e2d1 , i n c h e sf r o m t h e t o p e n d .N e x t ,m a r ka s t r a i g hlti n e a c r o s tsh e s t o c k3 ' i n c h e sf r o mt h e t o p e n d .D r a wt w o p e r p e n d i c u llai nr e sa s s h o w nt o a c c o m m o d atthee n o t c h e si n t h p t n n n a n p l I l q pv n r r b a n ds a wt o c u t o u t t h e a r c h .S e tt h e s t o c ko n t h e s a w t a b l ea n df e e dt h e p i e c ew i t hb o t hh a n d s , m a k i n gt h e s t r a i g hct u t sf i r s ta n dt h e n s a w i n gt h e s e m i c i r c l (e/ e f t ) .

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D r i l l i n tgh ep e g h o lien t h eb a c k b o a r d f, L , l T o e n s u r et h e c l o c kw i l l h a n gl e v e l , - h e n e sh o l em r r s th e c e n t e r e b de t w e e n t h e e d p e so f t h e b a c k b o a r d M. a r ka t n y o u rc e n t e r l i n1eZ i n c h e s drillinp g o i no f r o mt h e t o p o f t h e a r c h ,t h e nb o r et h e h o l eo n y o u rd r i l lp r e s sI.n s t a lai / - i n c h e n dc l a m p b r a d - p o i bn rt tr nt h e m a c h i n a a b a c ' < uppa n etlo t l ' e t a b l et o h e l pn i n i m i z et e a r o u tP. o s i t i oyno u rm a r kd i r e c t l y d u n d e tr h e b i t ,c l a m pt h e b a c k b o a ri n place,and drrllthe hole(rrght).

SHAKERCLASSICS

Preparingthe top panelandtop J I ttimpiecefor thebackboard Y o uw i l l n e e dt o c u t a n o t c hi n t h e b a c k e d g eo f t h e t o p p a n e la n d t o p t r i m p i e c e o f t h e c l o c kc a s et o a c c o m m o d a t e he b a c k b o a r0du. t l i n et h e n o t c hi n t h e m i d d l e of the edgeof eachpiece.Leavethe dado h e a da n d m i t e rg a u g ee x t e n s i oonn y o u r t a b l es a w ,b u t m o v et h e f e n c eo u t o f t h e w a y .T o c u t t h e n o t c h e sa, l i g nt h e d a d o h e a dw i t ho n ee n do f t h e o u t l i n er,a i s e t h e b l a d e st o t h e t h i c k n e s os f t h e b a c k b o a r d a, n d u s et h e m i t e rg a u g et o f e e d the panelintothe cut.Then,slidethe workp i e c ea l o n gt h e e x t e n s i obny t h e w i d t ho f the kerfand makeanotherpass(/effl,cont i n u i n gu n t i ly o ur e a c ht h eo t h e re n do f t h e o u t l i n eU . s et h e s a m es e t u pt o p r e p a rteh e t o p t r i m p i e c ef o r t h e b a c k b o a r d .

Assembling thecase S m n n t h t h c c a s p n i e r ^ e 53 p l l l g

b a c k b o a r du ,s i n gp r o g r e s s i v e f ilnye rs a n d p a p e rf,i n i s h i n gw i t h2 2 0 - g r i tA . ssemble t h e c a s ei n t w o s t e p s s, t a r t i n gw i t ht h e s n dt h ed i v i d e rS. p r e a g f o u rp a n e l a d l u eo n a l l t h e c o n t a c t i nsgu r f a c eosf t h e p i e c e s a n d c l a m pt h e j o i n t ss e c u r e l ya,s s h o w n i n t h e c o l o rp h o t oo n p a g e1 1 6 . C h e c k t h e c o r n e r fso r s q u a r eb y m e a s u r i ntgh e d i s t a n c eb e t w e e d ni a g o n a lo l yp p o s i t ceo r n e r so f t h e c a s e T . h et w o m e a s u r e m e n t s s h o u l db e t h e s a m e ;i f n o t ,a d j u s t h e c l a m p i n gp r e s s u ruen t i lt h e ya r e .0 n c et h e g l u eh a sc u r e d ,r e m o v e t h e c l a m p ss, e t the assembly facedownon a worksurface, a n d f i t t h e b a c k b o a ridn p o s i t i o nl.t i s s e c u r e dw i t h n a i l s ;d o n o t u s ea n yg l u e , s i n c et h e b o a r dm u s tb e f r e et o m o v ea s t h e w o o ds w e l l sa n dc o n t r a c tws i t hh u m i d i t y c h a n g e sB. o r ep i l o th o l e sf o r f i n i s h i n g n a i l st h r o u g h t h e b a c k b o a radn d i n t ot h e r a b b e t sa l o n gt h e b a c ke d g e so f t h e c a s e n a n e l sS n a c et h e h n l e sa b o u t4 i n c h e s a p a r t t, h e nd r i v et h e n a i l si n p l a c e( r i g h t ) .

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MAKING THEDOORS 1 C u t t i ntgh et e n o n si n t h er a i l s I U s ey o u rt a b l es a wt o c u t t h e o p e n mortise-and-teno t hnast j o i n t h e r a i l s a n ds t i l e so f t h e d o o r sS . a wt h e p i e c e st o s i z e t, h e ni n s t a lal c o m m e r c i tael n o n i n g l r g o n t h e s a wt a b l e ;t h e m o d e ls h o w n s l i d e si n t h e m i t e rs l o t .C l a m oo n eo f t h e r a i l se n d - u pt o t h e j i g , u s i n ga w o o dp a d in nrntpnt

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h e i g h te q u a lt o t h e s t o c kw i d t ha n d p o s i t i o nt h e i i p s o t h e o u t s i d e f a c e so f t h e b l a d ea n dt h e w o r k p i e caer ea l i g n e d . P u s ht h e j i g f o r w a r dt o f e e dt h e r a i l i n t o t h e h l a d e( r i p h t )t h e n t u r n t h e s t o c k a r o u n da n d r e o e a t h e c u t o n t h e o t h e r edge.Movethe jig towardthe bladeslightly s ot h et h i c k n e sosf t h et e n o nw i l l b e e o u a l t o a b o u to n e - t h i r tdh e s t o c kt h i c k n e s s a n d m a k et w o m o r ep a s s e sR. e p e atth e p r o c e s tso c u t t e n o nc h e e k so n t h e o t h e r e n d o f t h e r a i la n d a t b o t he n d so f t h e r e m a i n i nrga i l s . \ r r b , r ! / t

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r) Sawingthe mortises I Clamponeof the doorstilesend-upto t h e j i g ,p o s i t r otnh ej r gt o c e n t etrh e e d g e withthe blade,andfeed of the workpiece the stockinto the cut (left).Thenmovethe 1 i gv e r ys l i g h t l ya w a yf r o m t h e b l a d et o e n l a r g teh e m o r t i s eM . a k ea n o t h epr a s s , t u r nt h e s t i l ea r o u n di n t h e j i g ,a n df e e di t i n t ot h e b l a d ea g a i nN . e x t t, e s t - f iot n eo f t h e r a i lt e n o n si n t h e m o r t i s el .f t h e f i t i s tootight,movethe jig awayfromthe blade slightlyand maketwo morepasses, continu i n gu n t i l t h et e n o nf i t ss n u g l iyn t h em o r t i s e .U s et h e s a m ep r o c e d u rteo c u t t h e m o r t i s east t h e o t h e re n do f t h e s t i l ea n d a t b o t he n d so f t h e r e m a i n i nsgt i l e sY . ou ^^- ^r^^ ,,^^ ^ ^L^^ *^rp L d I d t 5 u u 5 t r d 5 i l u p - i l t d u - ri ,i oo f. n - nrrithic

j o i n t ,a ss h o w no n p a g e1 0 6 .

SHAKERCLASSICS

Gluinu g pt h er a i l sa n ds t i l e s Q r - , 1 D r v - a s s e m btlhee t w o d o o rf r a m e st o c h e c kt h e f i t o f t h e joints.lf theyaretoo tight, usea chiselto pareawayexcess wood;if anyof the tenonsextendsbeyondthe outsideedgesof t h e s t i l e ss, a n di t f l u s h .T h e ns p r e a dg l u eo n t h e c o n t a c t i nsgu r f a c e so f t h e r a i l t e n o n sa n d s t i l em o r t i s e sa,n d a s s e m b lteh e

f r a m e sU . s et h r e ec l a m p st o s e c u r e a c ha s s e m b l ya ,l i g n i n g one w i t he a c hr a i la n dc e n t e r i nag t h i r db e t w e etnh e s t i l e s p; r o t e c t . ighten t h e s t o c kw i t hw o o dp a d s T t h e c l a m p sa l i t t l ea t a t i m e until a thin gluebeadsqueezes out of the loinIs(above), checki n gt h e f r a m ef o r s q u a r ea s y o ug o .

Preparingthe doorframesfor glasspanels E a c hd o o rw i l l h a v ea g l a s sp a n e tl h a t s i t s i n r a b b e t sc u t a l o n gt h e i n s i d ee d g e so f t h e f r a m e t; h e g l a s si s h e l di n p l a c eb y s t r i p s o f m o l d i n gO . n c et h e g l u eh a sc u r e d r, e m o v e t h e c l a m p sa n d c u t t h e r a b b e t so n a r o u t e r t a b l e .l n s t a lal ' / . i n c h t o p - p i l o t esdt r a i g hbt i t r na r o u t ea r n d m o u n tt h e t o o l i n a t a b l e . A d j u s tt h e b i t h e i g htto t h e c o m b i n etdh i c k n e s so f t h e g l a s sa n d m o l d i n gy o uw i l l b e using.Remove the fenceandset a doorframe o n t h et a b l e T . u r no n t h et o o la n dp r e s st h e i n s i d ee d g eo f t h e f r a m ea g a i n st th e b i t n e a r onecorner,thenrotatethe stockclockwise to c u t t h e r a b b e t sa l o n gt h e r a i l sa n d s t t l e s ( r i s h f l 'K e e nt h e f r a m pf l a t o n t h e t a b l ea s \"b"'/' youfeedit intothe bit. Squarethe corners of t h e r a b b e tw s i t ha m a l l e ta n da w o o dc h i s e l . R e p e atth e p r o c e d u rf eo r t h e o t h e rd o o r .

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hingeson thedoors f, Mounting r - , 1T h ed o o r sa r eh u n go n t h e c l o c kc a s ew i t h b u t t h i n g e st:h e h i n g el e a v e as r ec o n c e a l eidn r e c e s s ecsu t i n t ot h e i n s i d ef a c e s o f t h e d o o r sa n dt h e f r o n te d g e so f t h e c a s e .P o s i t i o en a c hd o o r i n t u r no n t h e c a s ea n do u t l i n et h e h i n g el e a v eos n t h e d o o r sa n d t h ec a s eT . o c u t t h e r e c e s s ei sn t h e d o o r sc, l a m pt h e f r a m et o a w o r ks u r f a c e i n s i d e - f a cuep .C u te a c hr e c e sw s i t ha c h i s e il n t w o s t e p sS . t a r tb y h o l d i n g t h e c h i s evl e r t i c a l loyn y o u ro u t l i n ew i t h t h e b e v efl a c i n gt h e w a s t ea n dt a p t h e h a n d l ew i t h a m a l l e t , m o v i n gt h e c h i s e al l o n gt o s c o r et h e e n t i r eo u t l i n eT. h e np a r e a w a yt h e w a s t ei n t h i n l a y e r sh, o l d i n g t h ec h i s eh l orizontally, bevel-side up (left).TestJita hingeleafin the recessperiodically, s t o p p i nw g h e nt h e r e c e s iss a b o u t% oi n c hd e e p etrh a nt h e t h i c k n e s so f t h e l e a f .W i t ht h e h i n g el e a fi n p o s i t i o nm, a r kt h e s c r e w h o l e si n t h e r e c e s sb, o r ea p i l o th o l ea t e a c hm a r k ,a n ds c r e wt h e h i n g el e a ft o t h e d o o r .U s et h e s a m ep r o c e d u rt e o c u tt h e r e c e s s es in the frontedgesof the case.

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theglass-stop molding tri Making

\ , f C u tt h e m o l d i n gt h a tw i l l s e c u r e t h e g l a s si n t h e d o o r sf r o m a s i n g l e% - i n c h - t h i cbko a r dS . t a r tb y r o u n d i nogv e rb o t he d g e s o f t h e p i e c ea s y o ud i d f o r t h e d r v i d e(rp a g eJ 2 0 ) ,t h e nr r pt h e m o l d i n gf r o mt h e b o a r do n y o u rt a b l es a w ,f e e d i n gt h e s t o c k w i t h a p u s hs t i c k( a b o v e )S. a wt h e m o l d i n gt o f i t i n t ot h e r a b b e t si n t h e d o o r sm , a k i n g4 5 ' m i t e r c u t sa t t h e e n d so f e a c h p i e c eC. u ta n df i t o n ep i e c ea t a t i m e ,m a k i n g s u r et o a l i g nt h e m i t e rc u t sw r t ht h e c o r n e ros f t h e r a b b e t s .

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Securing theglass I I Haveglasspanelsprepared for the door,cuttingthem % i n c hs h o r t ear n d n a r r o w et hr a nt h e i ro p e n i n g sT.h i sw i l l l e a v e a % o - i n cgha pa r o u n dt h e g l a s st o a l l o wf o r w o o dm o v e m e n t . A p p l yy o u rf i n i s ht o t h e d o o rf r a m e s l,e t i t d r y ,t h e ns e tt h e d o o rf r a m e sa n dg l a s so n a w o r ks u r f a c e a n d p l a c et h e m o l d i n g i n p o s i t i o nB. o r ep i l o th o l e sf o r f i n i s h i n gn a i l st h r o u g ht h e m o l d i n ga n d i n t ot h e f r a m ee v e r y2 i n c h e st,h e nd r i v et h e n a i l s u s i n ga b r a dd r i v e rT. o u s et h e d r i v e ri,n s e r at n a i li n t oa p i l o t h o l e ,t h e np o s i t i o tnh e j a w sa n dt i g h t e nt h e l o c k i n gn u t . H o l d i n gt h e f r a m es t e a d ys, q u e e zteh e j a w st o s e tt h e n a i l (above). Usea pieceof cardboard to protectthe glass.

SHAKERCLASSICS

FINAT ASSEMBLY 'l

Gluing onthetrimpieces I Cutthetopandbottom trimpieces to size,thenroundoveronefaceof theirside andfrontedges ona router tableusinga 9%-inchround-over bit @age120. To installthepieces, settheclockcaseon its glueon backona worksurface andspread thecontacting surfaces of thetrimpieces andthetopandbottompanels. Position thetrimpieces sotheirbackedges are flushwiththebackof thecaseandsecure themwithbarclamps spaced every 4 to 6 inches. Tightentheclamps(right)unlila littlegluesqueezes outof thejoints.

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r) Preparing thecaseforthedialandclockmechanism L me dialandclockmechanism areattached to a thinplywoodbacking board, whichin turnis screwed to cleatsgluedto theinsideof thecase.Cuttwocleatsto f it alongtheinsideface of thecasesidepanels between thetoppanelandthedivider. C u ta t h i r do n et o r u na l o n e t hien s i d fea c eo f t h et o oo a n e l

between thesidepanels. Tohelpyoumarkthepositions of the cleats, test-fittheclockin thecase,remembering to allowfor glueonthe thedoors. Oncethecleatposition is certain, spread contacting surfaces between thecleatsandthecase,andclamp thecleatsin place(above).

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Assembling theclockmechanism (lnsef),insert Assemble theclockmechanism following the manufactur- the board's edges. Toattachtheclockmovement er'sdirections. Forthe modelshown,position the dialon theshaftthrough theshaftholeandthedial,thentighten the the backing boardprovided andoutlinetheshaftholeon the nut on the shaftby handhbovd. lf the shaftprotrudes toofar board.Remove thedialandboretheshaftholethrough the fromthedial,loosen thenut,remove themovement andslip b a c k i nb g o a r do n y o u rd r i l lp r e s sF. i xt h ed i a lt o t h e b a c k - oneor morewashers between the movement andthe backing ingboardwithepoxy, making surethedialis centered between board. A number of washers aresupplied withmostmodels.

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Securing theclock assembly to thecase Position thebacking boardin theclock caseanddrilloilotholes for%-inchNo. 6 woodscrews through the boardand intothecleats.Borea holeat eachcorner,thendrivein thescrews(/eff).

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thedoors fl Hansins

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r - , / S e tt h e c l o c ko n r t sb a c ka n d p o s i t i o nt h et o n d o o ro n t h ec a s eW . r t ht h e h,noo nin noniorpd

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hcirnrepn ihp pdooc

o f t h e d o o ra n d c a s e ,m a r kt h e h i n g e l e a fs c r e wh o l e si n t h e c a s e .B o r et h e h o l e sa n dd r i v et h e s c r e w st ,h e nr e p e a t the nrncess for ihe hottnmaoor(above). l r e i t h e dr o o rb i n d sa g a r n st ht e d i v i d e r , r a i l N o wa p p l y t r y s a n d i ntgh e b i n d i n g a f i n i s ht o t h ec l o c kc a s e .

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Installing thependulum M o s tp e n d u l u mw e i g h t sh a v ea b r a s s fini.h rh^r ;^ ^^",1,, ^^,^+^hod. lllll)ll LlldL l) Ud)lly )LldtLilLu, ic rrc'r:llv ino

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pendulum h a sb e e nm o u n t e dS. l i d et h e pendulum r o du n d e tr h e c l o c kf a c es o i t s t o n e n d r - a t c h ensn t h e h o o ku n d e rt h e m o v e m e nTt .h ec l o c kc a n n o wb e h u n g o n a w a l lf r o ma h o o ko r a S h a k e pr e g b o a r dl i k et h eo n es h o w no n p a g e1 3 8 .

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STEPSTOOL f n theirquestfor orderandefficienry, I theShakers built chests of drawers and cabinetsthat madegooduseof available space, oftenstretchingfrom floor to ceiling.Stepstoolsliketheoneshownbelow evolvedto enablehouseholdmembers to gainaccess to the uppermostshelves. Dependingon individualneeds,the stoolsweremadein two-, three-,and four-stepversions. Thetallerstoolsoften

featuredsteadyingrods screwedto the sideto providea handhold. Althbughthesestoolsappealto the moderneye,usefulness wasthe Shaker builder'ssoleconcern.Throughdovetailswerechosento attachthe treadsto thesidesbecause the interlockingjoints gavethe stoolsstrengthand stability. Step-by-step instructionsfor cuttingthe joints by hand,muchasa Shakercrafts-

ANATOMY OFA STEP STO(IT

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man might havedone, are provided startingon page130. Thestoolsweretraditionallycut from %-inch-thick cherryexceptfor theX-inchthickcrosspieces. Onceyouhavecutyour stockfor thesidesofthe stool,usea pencil to mark the top,bottom,and front andbackedgesof eachpiece.Thiswill helpyou avoidanyconfusionwhenyou cometo cutthepinsatthesides'topends.

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THEDOVETAILS CUTTING thesidesforthecrosspieces 1I Notching "

I T h es i d e sa r em a d ef r o mt w o b o a r d s p l r r e dt n p e t h ear f t e rt h e n o t c h e a snd t h e p i n so f t h e d o v e t a ij lo i n t a r ec u t i n t h e m .O u t l r n et h e n o t c h e so n t h e e d g e s o f e a c hs r d eo i e c e t. h e nc u t t h e mo n y o u rt a b l es a w .I n s t a l al d a d oh e a do n t h e s a wa n ds e tt h e c u t t i n gh e i g htto t h e n o t c hw i d t h .S c r e wa b o a r dt o t h e m i t e r passes gaugeas an extension. Makeseveral t o c u t e a c h n o t c h( r i g h t ) ,f e e d i n gt h e

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c t n n k r r n n n o d o p r n r i t ht h p m i t p r s : t t o e l l c p t h o r i n f p n c p , r c :, q r r r d pf o r c r r t t i n o i v i

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u p t o t h e n o t c he n d l i n e .

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r) Layingoutthe pins L S " t a c u t t i n gg a u g et o t h e s t o c kt h i c k n e sasn ds c r i b ea l i n e a r o u n dt h e t o p e n do f e a c hs r d ep i e c et o m a r kt h e s h o u l d el ri n e t h e p i n so n , s ea d o v e t asi lq u a r teo o u t l i n e o f t h et a i l s .N e x t u t h es a m ee n d ;t h ew i d ep a r to f t h e p i n ss h o u l db e o n t h e i n s i d e f a c eo f t h e s t o c k .S t a r tw i t h a h a l f - p i na t e a c he d g ea n d a d d orronlv cnaned ninc in hoturppn Tn cnmnlptp

thc m:rkino

spattrp

t h e p i e c ei n a v i s ea n du s ea t r y s q u a r ea n dp e n c itl o e x t e n dt h e l i n e so n t h e b o a r de n dt o t h e s h o u l d elri n e sh b o v e ) M . a r kt h e w a s t es e c t r o nw s i t h X s a s v o uq o .

I I I pins Q Cutting r . J L e a v et h e p i e c ei n t h e v i s ea n d u s ea d o v e t a isl a wt o c u t a l o n gt h e e d g e so f t h e p i n s ,w o r k i n gf r o mo n es i d eo f t h e b o a r dt o t h e o t h e r .F o re a c hc u t , a l i g nt h e s a wb l a d el u s tt o t h e w a s t es i d eo f t h e c u t t i n gl i n e .U s es m o o t he, v e ns t r o k e s , t h e s a wt o c u t o n t h e p u s hs l r o k e( a b o v e )C. o n t i n u e allowing r r g h t o t h es h o u l d el irn e ,m a k i n gs u r et h a tt h e b l a d ei s sawing o e r o e n d i c utl oa trh e l i n e

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Chiseling outthewaste S e tt h e s i d ep i e c ei n s i d ef a c eu p o n a w o r ks u r f a c e a n dc l a m po n a g u i d eb l o c k , a l i g n i n gi t s e d g ew i t ht h e s h o u l d elri n e . U s i n ga c h i s e ln o w i d e rt h a nt h e n a r r o w s i d eo f t h e w a s t es e c t i o n b , uttthe flat s i d eo f t h e b l a d ea g a i n stth e g u i d eb l o c k . H o l dt h e e n do f t h e c h i s esl q u a r e to the f a c eo f t h e p i e c ea n d s t r i k ei t w i t h a w o o d e nm a l l e t s, c o r i n ga l i n ea b o u t% i n c hd e e p T . h e nt u r nt h e c h i s etlo w a r dt h e e n do f t h e p a n e al b o u t% i n c hb e l o wt h e surfaceof the woodand shaveoff a thin layerof wasle(abovd.Continueshaving a w a yt h e w a s t ei n t h i s f a s h i o n u n t i ly o u areabouthalfway throughthe thicknessof the piece,then moveon to the nextsection.Whenyouhaveremoved all the waste f r o mt h i ss i d e .t u r nt h e p i e c eo v e r a , nd workfromthe otherside(left)until the p i n sa r ec o m p l e t e e l yx p o s e d .

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Abhough the Shakersdid not have routersand conmtercinljigsat their disposal,the tools'efficacyfor cutting dovetailjoittts quickly nnd precisely would certainlyhavenppealedto thent. The jig shown at right consistsof two tenrplatesfastenedto backupboards. The workpieceis seun'edto the jig and a stop block helpswith positioningfor repe(ltcLtts.Here, a routerfitted with n dovetailbit nrovesin and out of the slotsof the tail board template.

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outthetails f, Laying Holdoneof upona worksurface. r,l Seta treadbottom-face pinsdownwithitsinside withthe facealigned thesidepieces . s ea p e n c ti lo o u t l i nteh et a i l sa t s h o u l d el i rn eo f t h et r e a dU thelinesonthe thenextend eachendof thetreadhbove), MarkthewastewithXsandrepeat boardusinga try square. t h ep r o c e swsi t ht h er e m a i n i nt rge a d .

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waste thetailsandremoving f, Cutting to cut the tailsthesamewayyoucut saw V Usea dovetail (above), pins ratherthan the board the Gtep2). Angling S a w s m o o t h al yn de v e n l y , , a k efso re a s i ecru t t i n g . t h es a w m Y o u c a na l s oc u t l i n e . s t o p p i nl g u s ts h o rot f t h es h o u l d e r y o u r w i t ha c h i s e l R e m o v t e h e w a s t e b a n ds a w . t h et a i l so n as in steo4.

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thefit ofthejoints 7 Testing gluingupthestool, / Before assemble it to checkthefit of allthejoints. Stand oneof thesidepieces onend,thenalign a treadwithit. Press thejointtogether by handasfar as it willgo (right),thenusea malletto tapthetreadtherestof theway intoplace. Theboards should f it snugly, requiring onlya lighttapping; avoidusing force.lf anyjointisclearly excessive too tight,markthespotwhereit binds, then disassemble theboards andusea chisel to pareawaya littlemorewood,Testf i t t h ej o i n ta g a i n a n da d j u sitt f u r t h e r , asnecessary.

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GLUING UPTHESTEPSTOOT 'l

Gluing upthesides I Seta pairof barclamps ona work surface andlaytwoboards thatmakeup a complete sidepieceonthem.Spread glueonthecontacting edges of theboards, aligntheirbottom ends, andtighten the clamps untiltherearenogapsbetween theboards anda thinbeadof adhesive squeezes outof the joint(left).Glueup theothersidepiece thesameway.

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r) Relieving thesidepieces L g Vc u t t i n ga s e m i c i r c ol eu to f t h e , a v i ntgw ol e g so n e a c h s i d ep i e c e sl e side,thestoolwill be morestableon surfaces. Adjusta compass to a uneven r a d i uosf 3 %i n c h easn dm a r ka s e m i c i r placing the cleononeof thesidepieces, porntat thebottomendof the compass sidesmidway between theedges. Cutthe semicircle onyourbandsaw(right), feedingthestockacross thetablewithboth h a n d sT. h e nm a k et h es a m ec u to nt h e othersidepiece.Youcanthensmooth awaythe marksleftbythesawbladeon

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e qnindlo candpr

I I I I I I I Croeapiece

thetreads ? Installing r-,1Spread an evenlayerof glueonthecontacting surfaces between thepinsandtails,thenassemble thestool, setting thetreadsonthesidepieces(abovd.Secure thejointswith barclamps, aligning thebarswiththesidepieces andusing woodpadsaslongasthetreadwidthto distribute theclampingpressure.

Attaching thecrosspieces Setthestepstoolon its backedgeandapplyglueto the contacting surfaces between thecrosspieces andthesides andtreads. Place thecrosspieces in theirnotches andclamp themsecurely in place. Neareachendof thecrosspieces, drill holefora woodscrew through thecrosspiece a counterbored andintothefrontedgeof thesidepiece.Drivea screwinto match,usea plugcutteron eachholebbovd.Fora perfect yourdrillpress to cut plugsfromthewastewoodleftbyrelievglueontheplugsandtap ingthesidepieces Gtep2).Spread themintotheirholes, ensuring thatthegraindirection of each runsin thesamedirection asthecrosspiece. Usea chiselto trimtheplugs flushwiththesurface, thensandthemsmooth.

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SHAKE,RBOXES BUILDING A B()X KIT Firstproducedin tlrc 1790s,Slnker ltoxes werertnde irr grnduntedsizesto hold houseltoldgoor/s;wherrurrpty, they cotildbe rtested irrsideorrenrrotlrcr.The ovsl boxesrentoirtpoptrlar todcry,atul cortbe nnde easily.frottrcorrtttterciol kits. The box showtrut right wosrrrttde by craftsnratrJohrt\\lilsortoJ'Chnrlotte, Michigarr.He trddeda.fewhmrn'iotrs refulenrctttsto tlrc utilitsrintt yet elegnttt Slnker desigtt,srtchns usingltird's-eye qrul n wsltuft trraple Jbr thebox ltorrds burl verrcer.fbr tlrc top.

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thefinsers 1t Cuttins -

I T o m a k ea S h a k ebr o xf r o ma c o m m e r c i ak lr t ,f r r s tp r e p a r e the stockfor the two bands-onefor the boxandonefor the top. T h eb a n d sa r et y p i c a l l yr e s a w n f r o mh a r d w o osdt o c kt o a t h i c k n e S SO f / , 0 i n C h . F O f [ 9 5 { l o c r r l t c r r c o c t r a i o h t - o r r i n o r l , q g 3 ; [ g ; 5 2 y y 1 1

s t o c ka i r - d r i etdo a m o i s t u rceo n t e not f 1 5 t o 2 0 o e r c e n tO. n c e the bandshavebeencut to size,usethe proper-sized fingertemplateto outlinethe fingerson the boxband(above), then mark t h e t a c kh o l e sw i t ha n a w la n dd r i l lt h e mw i t ha X , , - i n cbhi t .

SHAKERCLASSICS

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r) Beveling thefingers L Cla p the bandsto a backupboard s i t ha u t i l i t yk n i f e . a n db e v etlh ef i n g e r w H o l d i n tgh e k n i f ef i r m l yw i t hb o t hh a n d s , c u t a t a n a n g l eo f 1 0 " a r o u n dt h e f i n g e r s hbovd. Thentaperthe outsidefaceof t h e o p p o s i teen do f e a c hb a n du s i n ga beltsander,startingthe taperaboutIY, i n c h e si n f r o mt h ee n d .T h i sw i l le n s u r e a s m o o t ho v e r l aaon du n i f o r mt h i c k n e s s oncethe bandsarebent.

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M a r k i n tgh ej o i n t Q r - , f S o a kt h e b o xa n d l i d b a n d si n b o i l i n g w a t e ru n t i lt h e ya r es o f t - t y p i c a l l ya b o u t 2 0 m i n u t e sR . emove t h e b o xb a n df r o m t h e w a t e ra n d w r a pi t a r o u n dt h e p r o p e r f i n g e r sl a p s i z e db o xc o r es o t h e b e v e l e d o v e rt h e t a p e r e de n d . M a k ea r e f e r e n c e m a r ka c r o s tsh e e d g e so f t h e b a n dw h e r e the endsoverlap(right).Keepthe beveled f i n g e r sp r e s s etdr g h t l ya g a i n stth e c o r et o p r e v e nt th e mf r o ms p l i t t r n g .

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t I I I I I I I I I Tack-nailing thebox

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q u i c k l ys, l r pt h e b a n do f f Working t h e c o r e ,r e b e n di t s o t h a t t h e p e n c i l m a r k sl i n eu p , a n dt a c k - n a i lt t h r o u g h t h e h o l e sy o ud r i l l e di n s t e pI u s i n gt h e a p p r o p r i a ct eo p p etra c k s T . o c l i n c ht h e t a c k si n s i d et h e b a n d ,u s ea l e n g t ho f i r o np i p ec l a m p e dt o y o u rb e n c ha s a n anvil (above).0nce the box bandsare t a c k - n a i l e dp ,l a c et w o s h a p e - h o l d e r s i n s i d et h e b a n d - o n ea t e a c he n d - t o maintain t h e o v a lf o r ma s i t d r i e s .

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f , S h a p i ntgh el i d b a n d r - , 1S h a p ea n dt a c k - n a ti lh e t o p b a n df o r the boxlid as described above,but usethe d r y i n gb o xb a n da s a b e n d i n gf o r ma n d shape-holder as it dries(lef). fhe f ingers f o r t h e t o p a n dt h e b o xs h o u l dl i n eu p evenly. Allowtwodaysfor the bandsto dry. T o c o m p l e tteh e b o x ,c u t a l i d a n db o t t o m f r o mo u a r t e r s a wsnt o c kt o f i t i n s i d et h e b a n d sb, e v e l i ntgh e e d g e sa t 5 " t o p r o v i d e a t i g h tf i t l i k ea c o r ki n a b o t t l eT. h e nd r i l l \ r t n c h p i l o th o l e sa n d u s et o o t h p i c kass oessto secrrre the nieces. Theboxescan be finished w i t h m i l k p a i n to r a c l e a rl a c q u e r .

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PEGBOARD

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'A place for everythingand everything in itsplace"werewordsthe Shakers livedby,and manyhouseholditemsin Shakerhomeshung pegs. from assigned

-|a h. pegboard is a fittingsymbolof I theShaker's approach to bothdaily lifeandcraftsmanship. Aswith other Shaker-made items,the clean,unadorned linesofthepegboard reflected itshumblefunctionratherthananyconcernwith appearance. Butthesimple design beliedthepegboard's versatility. Theboardsdid notjustholdhatsand coats. Liningthewallsof Shaker homes, theywereanintegralpartof household life-convenient,organized, andtidy, hangersfor everythingfrom bookpipeholders, shelves, andtowelracksto candlesconces, chairs,clotheshangers (a Shaker invention),andwallclocks (page118).

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For the modern woodworker,the pegboards alsorevealthe Shakerdevotion to craft.The simplemushroomshapedpegswereaccordedthe same attentionto detail asthe finest cabinet. For this reasonperhaps,Shaker pegboardswereremarkablyconsistent in designandconstruction no matter when or wherethey weremade.The pegsweretypicallyfashionedfrom mapleor cherryandaveraged 3 inches in length.Theyweresecuredto 3-inchwide back boards usually mount-

MAKING A PEGBOARD

ed 6 feetabovethe floor. The spacing of the pegsvaried accordingto the board'suse. In New Lebanonand Hancock,the pegswere sometimes threadedand then screwedinto the backboard.Normally,however,they wereattachedwith a friction fit, as describedin this section. You can buy pegsready-madeor turn them on your lathe.In eithercase, the baseof the pegswill needto be kerfedto accommodate the wedges that securethem in place.

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thebackboard 1 Shaping I Cutthe backboardto sizefrom%inchthickstock;makeitswidth3%inchesanditslength dependent onthenumber of pegsyouwill mount.Shape the board on a routertableusingtwodifferent bits. Startby rounding overthefrontfaceof the boardat the edgesandends(page 120,Ihen switchto a pilotedbeadbit. Alignthefencewiththebit'spilotbearing andadjustthecuttingheightsothebeads willbeabout% inchfromtheedges of the board. To helpyoufeedtheworkpiece, clampa featherboard to thetable,braced witha support board.Feedthebackboard intothe bit on edge,keeping thefront facepressed against thefence.Thenturn the boardoverandrepeattheprocedure to routthebeadontheopposite edge(righil.

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SHAKERCLASSICS

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r) Preparing thebackboard forthepegs .a

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Z- Starting n e a ro n ee d g eo f t h e b a c k b o a r dm , a r kt h e p e gh o l e sa l o n gt h e m i d dlp nf f hp qtnnlr

(Thc nooa nn tho hnarrJ

s h o w na t l e f tw i l l b e s p a c e d5 i n c h e s a p a r t . l)n s t a lal Y - i n c hb r a d - p o i nbti t i n y o u rd r i l lp r e s sa n da t t a c ha b a c k u pp a n e l to themachine t a b l et o m i n i m i z tee a r o u t . S e tt h e b a c kb o a r do n t h e p a n e sl o t h e f i r s tm a r ki s d i r e c t l yu n d e rt h e b i t a n d c l a m pa b o a r da s a g u i d ef e n c et o t h e t a b l ef l u s ha g a i n stth ew o r k p i e c e T.h e n , b u t t i n gt h e b a c kb o a r da g a i n stth e f e n c e , d r i l lt h e h o l e s/ / e f f ) .

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Driving in thewedges Tapping in the pegs Q r - . f T o m a k et h e p e g se a s i e tro i n s t a l l u , s ea s a n d i n gb l o c kt o s h a p ea s m a l lb e v e a l r o u n dt h e b a s eo f e a c ho n e .T h e ns a wa k e r ff o r a w e d g ea c r o s st h e b a s eo f t h e p e g ;t o a v o i ds p l i t t i n g t h e w o o dw i t ht h e w e d g em , a k et h e c u t a t a r i g h ta n g l et o t h e grainO . n c et h e p e g sa r er e a d ys, p r e a dg l u eo n t h e i rb a s e sa n d tap the pegsintothe holes(above).

F o re a c hp e g ,c u t a Z , - i n c h - l o nw g e d g ef r o ms c r a pw o o d S p r e a dg l u ei n t h e k e r f sa n d o n t h e w e d g e ss,e tt h e p e g b o a r d f a c ed o w no n a w o r ks u r f a c et,h e nt a p t h e w e d g e si n w i t h a ) .v o i du s i n gt o o m u c hf o r c e t; h i s m a yc a u s e h a m m e (r a b o v eA a p e gt o s p l i t .T r i mt h e w e d g e fsl u s hw i t ht h e b a c kf a c eo f t h e b o a r dF . asten t h e p e g b o a rtdo t h e w a l lb y c o u n t e r b o r i n s cg r e w h o l e sa n dd r i v i n gt h e s c r e w si n t ow a l ls t u d s C . o n c e at h l ef a s tenerswith woodplugs(page134).

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GLOSSARY Counterbore:Drilling a hole that perA-B-C AuxiliaryfenceA woodenattachment mits the headof a screwor bolt to sit to a tool's rip fencethat servesasan anchor for accessories and prevents accidentaldamageto the metalfence. Blank A pieceof solid or glued-up wood usedto createa furniture part, suchasa turned leg. Bridle joint A type of openmortiseand-tenonjoint in which the tenon is aslong asthe width of the mortise pieceand the mortiseextendsacross the entirewidth of the board.

belowa wood surfaceso that it canbe concealed by a wood plug. Countersinlc Drilling a hole that permitsthe headof a screwor bolt to lie flush with or slightlybelow a wood surface. Cross-doweftAwooddowelor metal cylinderthreadedacrossits axisto accommodatea screwor knockdown fastener;usuallyusedto providelonggrain strengthwhen screwinginto end grain.

Candlesconce:A candlestickholder. Chamfer:A bevelcut alongthe edge of a workpiece. Cheek The faceof the projecting tenon in a mortise-and-tenonjoint. Clearancehole:A hole drilled in a workpieceto accommodate the shank of a screw. Cleat:A strip of wood fastenedto one furniture part to supportanother,such asa shelfor a tabletop. Cockbeading:Narrow proj ecting molding surroundingthe insideedge of the door openingof a cabinet. Compound-anglehole: A hole drilled into a workpiecewith the bit presented at anglesother than 90orelativeto the faceand edgeofthe stock. Corner strip: A notchedwood block fastenedto the stileof a cabinetor the rail of a tableto hold up a shelfsupport or drawerslide.

Crown molding: Decorativetrim installedaroundthe perimeterof a pieceof furniturejust belowthe top; alsoknown ascornicemolding. D-E-F-G-H-r-l Dado:A rectangularchannelcut into a workpiece. Edgegluing: Bondingboardstogether edge-to-edge to form a panel. End grain:The arrangementand directionof the wood fibersrunning acrossthethe endsofa board. Fiber rush: A naturalfiber madefrom the twistedleavesof cattailsusedto for seatingmaterialin chairs;a more commonlyusedalternativeis made from twisted kraft paper. Finiah An ornament-usually turned and carved-projecting from the upper cornersof a furniture piece suchasa chair. Glass-stopmolding: Decorativestrips of wood usedto hold a paneof glass in a door frame.

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Half-blind dovetail A dovetailjoint in which the structureof the ioint is concealed by oneside;commonly usedto join drawerfrontsto the sides. K-r-M-N-O-P-Q Kerf:A cut madein wood by thewidth of a sawblade. Kickback The tendencyof a workoieceto be thrown backin the directionof the operatorof a woodworking machine. Kicker:A board fastenedacrossa draweropeningand positionedabove the drawerto keepit from tilting down when opened. Knockdown hardware:A fastener that allowsthe quick assemblyand disassembly of a pieceof furniture. LeafiA panelthat is extendedto increasethe sizeof a tableand retractedwhen not in use:it can be hingedor sliding. kdger strip: A short, narrow piece of wood usedto supportthe top or bottomofa cabinet. Listing: Canvasor wovenwool cloth tapeusedfor weavingchair seats;also known asShakertape. Miter gaugeA devicethat slidesin a slot on a sawor router table,providing supportfor the stockasit moves pastthe bladeor bi! canbe adjusted to differentanglesfor miter cuts. Molding: Decorativestripsof wood usedto embellisha pieceof furniture.

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Mortise A hole cut into a pieceof wood to receivea tenon. Mortise-and-tenonjoint: A joinery techniquein which a projectingtenon cut in oneboard fits into a matching hole,or mortise,in another. Mullion: A slim verticalmember dividing sectionsof a frame;also known asa muntin. Panel-raisingplaneA hand plane with an angledsoleusedto bevel the sidesof a panelin frame-andpanelconstruction. Pilot hols A hole drilled into a workpieceto preventsplittingwhen a screw is driven;usuallymadeslightlysmaller than the threadedsectionof the screw. Pilot bearing:A free-spinningmetal collar on a piloted routerbit that followsthe edgeof a workpieceor a templateto guidethe bit during a cut. Pommel The squaresectionleft on a turned furniture leg;allowsroom for mortisesneededto receiverails. Pushblock or stick A deviceusedto feeda workpieceinto a bladeor cutter to protectthe operator'sfingers. Quartersawnlumber: Wood sawnso the wide surfacesintersectthe growth rings at anglesbetween45oand 90o; alsoknown asvertical-grainedlumber when referringto softwood. R-S Rabbetjoint:A method of joining wood in which the end or edgeof one workpiecefits into a channel,or rabbet,cut alongthe edgeor end of anotherworkpiece.

Rail In a table,the railsjoin the legs and supportthe top; in a chair,one of four boardsthat framethe seat.Also the horizontal memberof a frameand-panelassembly. Seestile. Raisedpanel In frame-and-panel construction,a cabinetor door panel with a bevelcut aroundits edges,a decorativeeffectthat "raises"the center and allowsthe panelto fit into the groovecut in the frame. Rakeangle The angle at which a chair leg deviatesfrom the vertical when viewedfrom the sideof the chair;seesplayangle. Rocker:The curvedrunnersof a rockingchairjoined to the chairlegs. RoughinggougeA turning tool usually usedto shapea squareblank into a rylinder. Rulejoint A pivotingjoint commonly usedin drop-leaftables;featuresmating convexand concaveprofilescut into the edgesof the tableleafand top. Shoulder:In a mortise-and-tenon joint, thepart ofthe tenonthat is perpendicularto the cheek. Sliding dovetailjoint Similar to a joint, exceptthe tongue-and-groove slide,shapedlike the pin of a dovetail joint, is held by a mating groove. Splayangle:The angleat which a chair leg deviatesfrom the vertical when viewed from the front of the chair;seerakeangle.

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Stile:The verticalmemberof a frameand-panelassembly. Seerail. Stoppeddado:A dadothat stops beforecrossingthe full width or thicknessof a workpiece. Storypole:A shop-mademeasuring gaugeusedto determinethe dimensionsandthelocationof thejointsin a project,suchasa chair. T-U.V-W-X-Y-Z Tearout The tendencyof a bladeor cutterto tearwood fibers. Template A pattern usedto guidea tool in reproducingidenticalcopies of a piece. Tenon:A protrusionfrom the end of a workpiecethat fits into a mortise. Through dovetail joint A method of joining woodby meansof interlocking pins and tails,which passentirely through the matingpiece. joint A joinery Tongue-and-groove methodfeaturinga protrusionfrom the edgeor end of oneboardthat fits into the grooveofanother. Tiestle:In a trestletable,a board running alongthe undersideof the top to which the legsareattached. Wood button: A small,square-shaped blockwith a rabbetat oneendthat fits into a groove;usedto securethe top of a pieceof furniture. WoodmovementThe shrinkingor swellingof wood in reactionto changes in relativehumidity.

INDEX Pagereferences in italicsindicatean illustrationof subjectmatter.Page references in bold indicatea Build It Yourselfproject. A-B 10, 15,17 Architecture, Band saws IigS circle-cutting jigs,79 Baskets,22 Benches Dining room benches,l8 Meetinghouse benches,19,25,48 crestrails,54-55 cutting list,49 legs,52-54 seats,4&50-52,54-55 spindles,50,54-55 Blanketchests,2l joints,90, Blind mortise-and-tenon 91-92 Boxes,8-9,17,117, 135-137 Build It Yourself Band saws circle-cutting jigs,79 Piesafes panel-raisingjigs for the tablesaw,96 Butterfly hinges Making butterfly hinges (ShopTip), 1lj C-D Cabinets,20 23 Candlesconces, Candlestands,l& 78 78,81,84-85 Columns, Legs,78,82-84,85 Rails,Z& 80,84,85 Sliding dovetailjoints, 57, 78, 81-83 Tops,79,80 Canterburycommunity, 10 Chairs.25 Dining room benches,l8

Enfieldsidechairs,12, 19,25, 26-27 backslats,i0-i1, 32,33 cutting list,27 joinery,26,28,31-i2, 33 legs,27,28-29,31-33 railsand stretchers, 30,32-33 rushseats,34-37 Listing,24,44-47 Revolvingchairs,19 Rockingchairs,19,24,25, 38-39 arms,41,42-43 assembly,42 backs,24 cutting list, 39 legs,40,43 rockers,4l,43 tape seats,44-47 Rushseats,34-32 Splint-seatdining chairs,19 SeealsoBenches Circular cuts Circle-cutting jigs,79 Clocks,17,23, 116,117,118 Assembly,126-128 Cases,119-122 Dial and clock mechanisms, 126-127 Doors,123-125 Pendulums,I28 Clotheshangerc,23 100-101 Cockbeading, Crownmolding,102-103 Cupboards Cabinets,20 Sill cupboards,2l SeealsoPie safes Cutting lists Enfieldsidechairs,27 49 Meetinghouse benches, Piesafes,89 Rockingchairs,39 Dining room benches,18 Dovetailjoints Slidingdovetails, 57,78, 81-83 Throughdovetails,129,130-133

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Drawers Drop-leaf tables,69, 74-76 Drop-leaftables,l& 56,57,68 Drawers,69,74-76 Legs,69,72-73 Ptails,69,70-73 Tops,76-77 Drying racks,22 E-F.G Enfieldsidechairs,12, 19,25,26-27 Backslats,30-31,32,33 Cutting list,27 foinery,26,28,31-32,33 Legs,27,28-29,31-33 Railsand stretchers, 30,32-33 Rushseats,34-37 Finishes,/ront endpaper Footstools,22 Greaves, Charles,l6

H-r-l-K Hinges Making butterfly hinges (ShopTip), 113 IigS Bandsaws circle-cuttingjigs,79 Pipe steamers,backendpaper,30 Rocking chairlegs,40 Routers dovetailjigs,1j2 sliding dovetails,5Z 8l Thblesaws jigs for the table panel-raising saw,96 foinery joints, Blind mortise-and-tenon 90,91-92 Enfieldsidechairs,26,28,3132,33 joints, 106Mortise-and-tenon 107,110 Slidingdovetailjoints, 57, 78, 81-83 Through dovetailjoints, 129, 130-133

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L-M-N-O-P-Q Lamb,David,6-7 Lee,Ann,10,14 Listing,24 Rocking chair seats,44-47 Meetinghouse benches,19,25,48 Crestrails,54-55 taperingcrestrails on a planer (ShopTip),55 Cutting lists,49 Legs,52-54 Seats,4&50-52,54-55 Spindles,50,54-55 Milk paint,/ro nt endpaper joints, 106-107, Mortise-and-tenon 110 Ovalbaskets,22 Ovalboxes,8-9, 17,117,135-137 Paints,front endpaper Panels Glass,124-125 Raised,94-95 panel-raisingjigs for the table saw 96 Tin,87, 110-112 Pantries.SeePiesafes Pegboards, 23, ll7, 138-139 Pegs,front endpaper Piesafes,20, 86-87,88-89 Assembly, 97-103 joints, Blind mortise-and-tenon 90,91-92 Cockbeading,100-101 Crown molding,102-103 Cutting lists,89 Doors, 89,106 frames,106-110 installation,113-114 making butterfly hinges(Shop Tip),113 mortise-and-tenon ioints,106107,110 pulls,l15 tin panels,87, 110-112 Floatingpanels,93,97 panel-raisingjigs for the table saw 96 raisingpanels,94-95 Framestiles.90-91

Rails,92-93 Shelving,104-105 Pipesteamers, 30,backendpaper Planers Thperingcrestrails on a planer (ShopTip), ss Pulls,front endpaper R.S Raisedpanels,94-95,96 Revolvingchairs,19 Rockingchairs,19,24, 25, 38-39 Arms,41,42-43 Assembly,42 Backs listing,24 Cutting list, 39 Legs,40,4j Rockers,4I, 43 Tapeseats,44-47 Routers,94 IigS dovetailjigs,I32 sliding dovetails,57, 8I Raisingpanels,94 Rushseats,34-37 Sewingdesks,20 Shakerboxes.SeeBoxes Shakerculture,I0, 13-17 Shakerstyle,6,16-17 SeealsoArchitecture ShopTips,55,113 Sill cupboards,2l Slidingdovetailjoints, 57 Candlestands,57,78, 81-83 Spinningwheels,23 Splint-seatdining chairs,l9 Sprigg,fune,10-ll Stepstools,22, lI7, 129 Gluingup,133-134 Through dovetailjoints, 129, 130-133 Stools Footstools,22 Stepstools,22 gluing :up,133-134 through dovetailjoints, 729, 130-133 Storypoles,28

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T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z Thbles.57 DropJeaf tables,I & 56,57, 68 drawers,69,74-76 legs,69,72-73 rails,69,70-73 tops,76-77 Trestletables,18,57,58 feet,61,64,66 legs,62-63,65,66 rails,63,66, 67 tops,58,59-60,64,67 SeealsoCandlestands Tablesaws,16 Raisingpanels,95 jigs for the table panel-raising saw 96 Tapeseats,44-47 Through dovetailjoints, I 29, 1i0- 133 Tin panels,87, 110-112 Tin punches, lll Tools,16 Band saws circle-cuttingjigs,79 Pipe steamers,backendpaper,j0 Planers,55 Routers dovetailjigs, 132 sliding dovetailsjigs,57,81 Storypoles,28 Tablesaws,16,95,96 Tin punches,111 Trestletables,18,57, 58 Feet,61,64,66 Legs,62-63,65, 66 Rar7s,63, 66,67 Tops,58,59-60,64,67 Yarnish,front endpaper Washstands,2l Wells,Freegift,16 Wilson,John,8-9, 135 Workbenches,2l Work stands,20 Yarn reels,22 Youngs,IsaacNewton,16,118

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Theeditorswish to thank thefollowing SHAKERDESIGN famesArchambeault,Lexington,KY; ElizabethFitzsimmons,HancockShakerVillage,Pittsfield,MA; Richmond,MA; JuneSprigg,Pittsfield,MA PaulRocheleau, CHAIRS AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln, NE; Black& Decker/EluPowerTools, Towson,MD; ConnecticutCane& ReedCo., Manchester,CT; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; Mike Dunbar,Portsmouth,NH; GeneralToolsManufacturingCo.,Inc., New York, NY; HancockShakerVillage,Pittsfield,MA; Hitachi PowerTools U.S.A.Ltd., Norcross,GA; Ian Ingersoll,West Cornwall,CT; Jean-PierreMasse,Montreal, Que.;RyobiAmericaCorp.,Anderson,SC; SandvikSawsand Tools Co., Scranton,PA; StanleyTools,Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT TABLES AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Black& Decker/EluPowerTools,Towson,MD; Guelph,Ont.; GreatNeck SawMfrs. Inc. Delta InternationalMachinery/Porter-Cable, (Buck Bros.Division), Millbury, MA; LesRealisationsLoeven-Morcel,Montreal, Que.; AmericaCorp., Anderson,SC;SandvikSawsand Tools Co., Scranton,PA; StanleyTools, Ryobi ' Division of fhe StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord,Ont. PIE SAFE AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln, NE; RobertBourdeau,Laval,Que.; Guelph,-Ont.; Country Accents,Montouriville, PA; Delta InternationalMachinery/Porter-Cable, Masse,Montreal,Que.; GreatNeckSawMfrs. Inc. (BuckBros.Division),Millbury, MA; Jean-Pierre StanleyTools,Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord,Ont.; Troy, MI WainbeeLtd.,PointeClaire,Que./DE-STA-CO, SHAKERCLASSICS AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Atelier d'EbdnisterieR6jeanGuerin Enr., St-Rdmi,Que.; Guelph,Ont.; GreatNeck SawMfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros. Delta InternationalMachinery/Porter-Cable, Division), Millbury, MA; The Home Shop,Charlotte,MI; David Keller,Petaluma,CA; Murray Clock Craft, Willowdale,Ont.; Sears,Roebuckand Co., Chicago,IL; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord,Ont. in thepreparationofthis book: Thefollowingpersonsalsoassisted Lorraine Dor6, SolangeLaberge,GenevidveMonette,Tim Reiman, David Simon.DianaVon Kolken

PICTURECREDITS Cover RobertChartier 6' 7 SteveLewis 8,9 Ed Homonylo 10,ll SteveLewis 12 JamesArchambeault 13 CourtesyHancockShakerVillage 14,15 JamesArchambeault(both) 16 CourtesyHancockShakerVillage 17 CourtesyHancockShakerVillage (rop) 17 JamesArchambeault(boxom) 19 PaulRocheleauPhotography 20,23,39,4 CourtesyHancockShakerVillage

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WORKSHO GPU I D E A SHOP-MADE PIPE STEAMER Usethejig shownbelow to steamchair parts,suchasslatsor rearlegs.Theecoillusnomical anddurable woodsteamer tratedcanbefashioned fron 2-by-4s r o i o ea n df i t a n d4 - i n c h - d i a m eAtBeS features support racks tings.Thedevice inside thepipeanda removable capat Thesteam eachendfor easyaccess. is a watercanconnected source to the steamer bya lengthof plastic hose; the waterin thecanis heated bya propane(Thissetupshould firedcooker. onlybe usedoutdoors,) Thesteamsource should havea removable, screw-type cap. To buildthesteamer, startwitha length of Schedule 80 ABSpipelonger thanthepieceof woodyouwishto bend. Cutit in halfandborea series of holes through bothpieces to accommodate %inchzinc-coated machine boltsandnuts These wood asshown. boltswillsuooort inside thesteamer andorevent it from (Thezinccoatlyingin condensed water. ingwillprevent theboltsfromstaining thewood.) Drilltheholes below thecenterlineof thepipeto provide roomforthe wood.Install thebolts, usingbothsteel

1TEAM ?OURCEF|TT\NG(DETA|L) Machine nul, (inai,.le

afeam

water can)

Tlasttc hose to gteamer

Kubber4aeket. a n d r u b b e rw a s h e r so n b o t hs i d e st o m a k ea n a i r t i g hst e a l .N o wg l u eb o t h halvesof the pipeto an ABST-connector. D r i l la % - i n c hd r a i nh o l ea t o n ee n dt o release moisture a n d p r e v e net x c e s s pressure. pipecut Thengluea connector f r o m 1 % - i n c hA B S p i p et o t h e s p o u to f t h e T c o n n e c t o rN. e x t ,c u t a l e n g t ho f plastichosethatwrllconnectthe steamer to the watercan;the fittingsrequiredfor the watercan end areshownabove. ( T h ef i t t i n g sf o r t h e s t e a m eer n do f t h e h o s ea r ei d e n t i c a e l ,x c e ptth a ta n A B S end cap is usedinsteadof the watercan

9chedule 8C AES.ptpe

cap.)Makesurethef ittings areairtight. Lastly, builda 2-by-4 f rameto support thesteamer. Naila smallsupport block at oneendsothesteamer willrestona s l i g hitn c l i naen dw a t ewr i l lr u no u to f thedrainhole. Tousethesteamer, carefully connect thegascooker to a propane tank.Fillthe w a t ecr a n ,s e a il t t i g h t l ya, n ds e ti t o n thecooker. Secure the removable end capson thesteamer, lightthecooker, a n dl e tt h es t e a m ebru i l du o s t e a m . (Caution: Donotletthesteamer or steam pressurized.) source become

T connector Kemovable end cap

F.anctabie and ca,t:)

ConnecLor PiPE 2 x 4 frame

Fropane-fired 4ae cooker