Table Of ContentRead This Important Safety Notice
To prevent accidents, keep safety in mind
while you work. Use the safety guards
installed on power equipment; they are for
your protection.
When working on power equipment,
keep fi ngers away from saw blades, wear
safety goggles to prevent injuries from fl y-
ing wood chips and sawdust, wear hearing
protection and consider installing a dust
vacuum to reduce the amount of airborne
sawdust in your woodshop.
Don’t wear loose clothing, such as neck-
ties or shirts with loose sleeves, or jewelry,
such as rings, necklaces or bracelets, when
working on power equipment. Tie back
long hair to prevent it from getting caught
in your equipment.
People who are sensitive to certain chem-
icals should check the chemical content of
any product before using it.
Due to the variability of local conditions,
construction materials, skill levels, etc.,
neither the author nor Popular Woodwork-
ing Books assumes any responsibility for
any accidents, injuries, damages or other
losses incurred resulting from the material
presented in this book.
The authors and editors who compiled
this book have tried to make the contents
as accurate and correct as possible. Plans,
illustrations, photographs and text have
been carefully checked. All instructions,
plans and projects should be carefully read,
studied and understood before beginning
construction.
Prices listed for supplies and equipment
were current at the time of publication and
are subject to change.
Metric Conversion Chart
TO CONVERT TO MULTIPLY BY
Inches Centimeters 2.54
Centimeters Inches 0.4
Feet Centimeters 30.5
Centimeters Feet 0.03
Yards Meters 0.9
Meters Yards 1.1
About the Authors
age of eight when his family built (Popular Woodworking Books),
their fi rst home on their farm outside Chris and a partner established Lost
Hackett, Arkansas, using hand tools Art Press LLC, a business that pub-
because they had no electricity. After lishes books on traditional wood-
studying journalism at Northwest- working techniques, including “The
ern University and The Ohio State Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” “The Joiner
University, Chris became a newspa- and Cabinet Maker” “The Essential
per reporter, while studying wood- Woodworker” and, most recently,
working at night at the Univeristy “To Make as Perfectly as Possible:
of Kentucky. He joined the staff of Roubo on Marquetry.”
Popular Woodworking Magazine in Chris remains an avid wood-
1996 as managing editor, worked his worker, building projects for his Lost
way up to editor and helped establish Art Press books, Popular Wood-
Woodworking Magazine in 2004. working, his family and occasionally
Christopher Schwarz is the pub- He’s also hosted numerous for sale. When he’s not woodworking Steve Shanesy was one of the found-
lisher at Lost Art Press, the former DVDs on hand tools for both Popu- or teaching others about the craft, ers of Woodworking Magazine and
editor of Popular Woodworking lar Woodworking and Lie-Nielsen he’s cooking or editing. part of Popular Woodworking’s staff
Magazine and Woodworking Maga- Toolworks. He lives in Fort Mitchell, Ky., for 19 years, serving as editor and
zine, and he teaches hand-tool wood- After writing his first book, with his wife, Lucy, who is also a publisher during that time. Steve is
working at schools around the world. “Workbenches: From Design & journalist, and his two children, an avid woodturner and also likes
He began woodworking at the Theory to Construction & Use” Maddy and Katy. to make contemporary furniture.
In his retirement, he’s spending as
much time as possible in the shop
with his son.
Megan Fitzpatrick is the editor of Robert W. Lang is executive editor Glen Huey has been associated with
Popular Woodworking and was a of Popular Woodworking and was a Popular Woodworking for 13 years
contributor to Woodworking Maga- contributor to Woodworking Maga- and now serves as managing editor.
zine. She has been a mamber of the zine. A lifetime professional wood- In addition to his work as an editor, David Thiel was a senior editor with
Popular Woodworking staff since worker and noted author of books on author, video host and woodworking Popular Woodworking Magazine for
2005, when she joined as manag- Arts & Crafts-style furniture, he also teacher, Glen is a long-time profes- 12 years before moving to our book
ing editor. Already an avid DIY car- is considered a foremost authority sional woodworker, who specializes division. He new serves as editor for
penter, she quickly began learning on Google SketchUp and a power in period reproductions. the woodworking books and is also
everything she could about building user who Google consults regularly. responsible for our woodworking
fine furniture and now gravitates video products..
toward hand tools to build 19th and
early 20th-century pieces. She is fi n-
ishing her Ph.D. in English literature
and teaches journalism, composition
and literature part time, in addition
to woodworking.
Contents
CABINETS BOXES CHESTS
8 18th Century Dry Sink 57 The 1839 School Box 66 A Better Blanket
Chest Design
16 Enfi eld Shaker Cabinet 63 Sliding Lid Box
73 Better Finger Joints
24 Adding Age to Cherry
79 Best Crackle Finish
26 Understanding
Wipe-on Finishes 81 A Simple Sea Chest
28 Shaker Hanging Cabinet
37 Making Stub
Tenon Doors
41 American Wall Cupboard
48 Build a Better Cabinet
52 Fitting Inset Doors
SLIDING LID BOX: PAGE 63 A SIMPLE SEA CHEST: PAGE 81
AMERICAN WALL CUPBOARD: PAGE 41 A BETTER BLANKET CHEST DESIGN: PAGE 66
TABLES STANDS THIS-AND-THAT
86 American Trestle Table 142 Stickley Magazine Stand 163 Whitewater Shaker Bench
94 Understanding Splines 148 A Simple 167 Arts & Crafts Mirror
Arts & Crafts Finish
98 Paint Furniture 173 Properly Pegged Joints
Like a Professional 150 Gustav Stickley
176 Authentic
Plant Stand
100 Why Wedge Tenons? Arts & Crafts Finish
158 Making Clean
104 Stickley Sideboard 177 Circular Cutting Board
Through Mortises
112 Simple Shaker End Table 179 Tool Tote
118 Gluing Up Flat Panels 181 Dining Room Tray
120 Mortise & Tenon 183 Tile Trivet
for Tables
185 Hanging Shelves
125 Simple & Fast
189 Floating Shelves
Rabbeted Drawers
129 A Tale of Two Tabourets
137 Cutting Circles
CIRCULAR CUTTING BOARD: PAGE 177
A TALE OF TWO TABOURETS: PAGE 129 STICKLEY MAGAZINE STAND: PAGE 142 TOOL TOTE: PAGE 179
18th-century Dry Sink
This vanished furniture form
is still useful. It can teach you
a few lessons about wood
movement and still fi nd
work in the modern home.
T
he concept of building a reproduction of a
dry sink seems – on its surface – ridiculous. It’s
on par with building a set of Egyptian canopic
chests and jars – the vessels that held the internal
organs of mummifi ed royalty.
Dry sinks were the kitchen cabinetry in early
American homes until plumbing became com-
monplace. The dry sink would hold a bowl and
pitchers of water so you could do the washing. The
oversized rim around the dry sink’s top (some-
times lined with metal) was called the splash,
and it kept the water from running everywhere.
H
This form of cabinet evolved in the 19th cen- RIS
R
A
tury to include drawers, frame-and-panel doors L P
A
and even sets of additional cabinets above the Y
B
splash. In other words, it started looking like a TO
O
modern kitchen cabinet. PH
So why build one today? There are a couple Early dry sinks, such as this one, seem to be a lesson in what not to do when building a carcase. You can
good reasons. From a woodworking perspective, journey down the same path as the maker or alter the plan to use modern construction methods.
building a dry sink is an interesting journey into
the mind-set of the early woodworker. The form
will cause you to question a lot of the woodwork- Curious Construction Details Begin With the Panels
ing dogma that permeates the magazines, books, In many ways, this cabinet is a simplifi ed ver- Unlike later examples of dry sinks that used
schools and web sites that deal with the craft. sion of a modern face-frame cabinet. There is a frame-and-panel construction, this example uses
The best reason to build one, however, is that primitive face frame on the front. The carcase is wide solid-wood panels. The original was built
your family members will fi ght about who gets assembled with the bottom and two rails nailed with Eastern white pine, which is what I’ve used
to own it (my wife and sister-in-law are at odds into dados and rabbets in the side panels. The for this project.
about the one in this article). back of the dry sink is a traditional shiplapped This species of pine is easy to work with hand
There is something inexplicably appealing back that is also nailed in place. and power tools, but it blotches horribly if you
about the form, especially to Americans. I like The splash, however, is a curious thing. The color it with dyes or pigments. So if you choose
to think dry sinks are like leather jackets. Both originals were built in a way that defi ed mod- a pine, you should also consider a paint for the
are impractical in many ways, but that doesn’t ern rules for accommodating wood movement. fi nish – or an amber shellac if you just cannot
stop you from wanting one. You will have to decide if you are willing to risk bear to paint your work.
This particular dry sink is based on an original your project being wrenched apart by seasonal Begin your project by preparing all the wood
example circa 1780 that came from a Connecticut expansion and contraction, or if you will apply a and gluing up the panels you need for the sides,
estate. It would make an excellent entertainment modern (and more complex) solution to deal with bottom and top of the dry sink.
center, changing table or even a sideboard in a the splash. We’ll be discussing both approaches Once the panels are complete, you should fl at-
rustic dining room. in this article. ten them before you begin the joinery. I use a
8 ■ Cabinets
jointer plane. If you are more power-tool inclined,
a hand-held belt sander will also do the trick. Set
the panels aside and gather the parts for your face
frame. The fi rst struggle between antique and
modern is nigh.
Face Frame or Forget It?
The original of this dry sink didn’t have a proper
face frame. The two stiles on either side of the
door were independent of the splash rail above
them. On the original piece, that rail was only
nailed to the other splash pieces and to the top
of the carcase.
You can build it this way and it will simplify
construction – you’ll just nail on the stiles and
splash rail after you build the carcase. You can
skip to the section about building the carcase if
you choose the antique approach.
I, however, decided to build a face frame.
Why? Because I wanted to be able to get the
splash rail and stiles joined tightly and without
gaps. The best way to do this is to build a face
frame and tweak the mortise-and-tenon joints
until the fi t is fl awless. Here I’m preparing the wide panels for the sides of the dry sink. First I plane across the grain of the panel,
To build the face frame, fi rst cut a 1⁄4"-thick then I plane diagonally and I fi nish up with strokes with the grain.
x 11⁄4"-long tenon on the end of each stile. I used
a dado stack in a table saw, a procedure we have
advocated since Issue 1.
The stiles are too wide to have just one tenon.
After tenons gets 6" wide you should split them
into two (sometimes three) tenons. This creates
a balanced joint – a single enormous mortise will
be too weak. I split each tenon into two 4"-wide
tenons with 1⁄2"-wide shoulders at each end.
Cut your tenons’ edge shoulders with a dove-
tail saw, then remove the waste with a bowsaw.
Clean up your work with a chisel.
Then use your finished tenons to mark the
locations of the mortises on your splash rail. Cut
your mortises. I used a hollow-chisel mortiser. To make the tenon, I use a dado stack and my Use a dovetail saw or tenon saw to cut the edge
In this situation I would usually use a mortising miter gauge. Set the dado stack to 1⁄4" high and shoulders of your twin tenons on each stile of the
chisel; however deep mortises in small pieces of set the fence 11⁄4" from the left-most tooth of your face frame. Each tenon should end up 4" wide.
pine are a recipe for a heartbreaking split. dado stack. Nibble the end of the tenon, then shift Get as close to the shoulder as you dare and then
Before assembling the face frame, it’s ideal to the tenon until it touches the fence and complete stop sawing.
the tenon cut.
A bowsaw or a coping saw is the perfect tool for Using your mortises to mark out your tenons A cabinetmaker’s rasp makes quick work of the
removing waste between tenons. The band saw requires fewer math equations. The only down- curve (especially in pine). Use the fl at face of the
can get unwieldy with bigger workpieces. side is that you need to test your tenons in a rasp for the straight section of the foot. Use the
sample mortise fi rst. curved face for the curved section of the foot.
Classic American Furniture ■ 9
