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 INTRODUCTION

Iim Tolpinon
LONG-LASTING
FI.]RNITI-IRE
'm
f goingto do whatto thatlovelychairandtableset?Well,I intendto expose it
I to the directheatandultravioletraysof the sun.ThenI'll let it getsoakingwet,
freeze,andthenthawout with blastsof warm,dry air.And I'm goingto allowthisto
happennot just once,but overand overagainfor the nexttwo to threedecades.
Well,of courseI am:I'm buildinga pieceof outdoorfurniture.
Thequestionis,how canI possiblybuild woodfurnitureto enduresuchhorrif-
ic abuse?To find someanswers, I lookedbackto theprinciplesandpractices of the
carriageandboatbuildersof thelastcentury.It was,afterall,thesetradesmen who
producedsomeof themosthighlystressed andseverely exposed-notto mention
beautiful-structures knownto man.Ifthesetradescoulddo that,I wasbettingthey
couldbuild oneheckof a lawnchair.
\AhatI learnedboileddownto this:Thesecraftsmen askedmuchof everyDrece
of woodthat wentinto a shipor carriage, but theyneveraskedmorethat it could
give-and theydid all theycouldto preserve its integrity.Theychosewoodsthat
wereinherentlyrot-resistant,beingcarefulnot to includesapwood, splits,pitchpock-
ets,cross-grain,or otherdefectsthatmightdiminishits strengthor longevity.
Theycut the exposed shoulders of jointsat water-shedding anglesand applied
beddingcompoundslike pinetar and Irish felt to the matingsurfaces-strategies
thathelpedpreventmoisturefrom intruding,lingering, andnourishingwood-eat-
ing parasites.
Theydesigned channels, drainholes,anddamsthroughoutthestruc-
ture to encourage waterto flow awayfrom the wood.Theyavoidedflat surfaces,
bowingthetopsof horizontalareaslikerailsandboxlidsto discourage puddling.And
wherefasteners wereneeded(thoughtheyminimizedtheiruseasmuchaspossible
by usingwoodwedges andpins),theychosemetalsthat resisted rustandwerenot
corrosiveto thewood.
WhileI don'tintendto buildAmericawhilesittingin my lawnfurniture(l don't
evenintendto beawake), I do wantthefruitsof my laborsto sele my familyfor many
years.TothatendI employmuchof whatI havelearnedfrom theselong-gonetrades-
men.And, sofar,that chairandtablehaveremainedlovely,continuingto do thejob
for whichtheywereintended-whilelivinghappilyoutdoors.

A builderof outdoorfurnitureandboats, Jim Tolpink alsoauthor

of several
booksfor the Taunton Press,including
BuildingTradi-
tionalKtchenCabinets. He livesin PortTownsend, Washington.
He isshownhereinsideq tinker'swagonthathebuilt 15yearsago
from douglas-firand tongue-and-groove pine.
 INTRODUCTION

ThomasPhillipsdescribes
the
NATURAL
BEAUTYOFWOOD
f *ur activelyinvolvedwith repairingall mannerof campfurnishings whenan
I antiquedealerfriendconvinced meto makemyfirstchair.Aftertakingtheplunge,
I spentthreeyearsresearching beforeI attempted myfirstpiece.Thatwas11years
ago,andI stillhaveit: a splitpost-and-rung model.
NowI buildmostly"twig"furniture,thekindwith thebarkstillon.Thevarious
indigenous woodsI workwith providemewith color,form,andtexture,allowingan
artisticfreedomof expression virtuallyunlimitedby straightlines.Originallythis
workevolved to complement mylifestyle, andit hassincebecome averyrewarding
sideline, providinga business andpersonal recognition farbeyondanythingI ever
dreamed of.
Workingwith woodin itsnaturalstateisparticularly challenging.Muchprepa-
rationandthoughtgoesinto everypieceI build.A thoroughknowledge of thewood
I intendto workwith is a must.Asanexample, if I wantto havenaturalbarkon a
project,thenI amrestricted to harvesting mymaterials duringa fewmonthsin the
coldseason. Also,toolsto workwoodin its naturalstatearenot readilyavailable.
Moreoftenthannot, figuringout howto do something takeslongerthanactually
doingit. Oneof mybiggest problems isstorage:
A stashof naturalstockfor chairstakes
up farmorespace thanmilledlimber.
Thereis alwayssomedetailthatchallenges my abilitiesandingenuityto execute
it, whetherI amworkingwith oneof my owndesigns or something I'vereceived
from somearchitectural firm. OftenwhenI amin theforestduringmy dailyactiv-
itiesI find my eyecapturedby a specialcurvesomesaplinghasgrowninto anda
pieceof furniturewill takeform,piecebypiece, in mymind.I canoftenseethefin-
ishedproductbeforeI evenharvest theuniqueformthatcaughtmy eye.Then,it
maybethreeweels,sometimes asmuchasfiveyears,beforethematerialsaredry
enoughto workwith.I mayconsider subsequent designs, butI oftengobackto the
originaloneI saw.Theactualhands-on workrequiredto makethepiecemaytake
a fewhoursor weeks, but whenit'sfinished,it always leavesmewith a sense of ful-
fillmentandaccomplishment, temporarilydrainedof theartist'screative sparkand
overwhelmed by thenaturalbeautyof wooditselfandthewarmthit provides.

ThomasPhillipsis awoodsmanagerin Tupper

Lake,New Yoil<" wherehehasbeenrestoring
outdoorand rusticfurniturefor neaily20years.
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 INTRODUCTION

CraigGilborn talksabout
RUSTIC
FURNITURE
f reeshavebeenmyneighbors for a quartercentury. Mybookonrusticfurniture,
I a dozenyearsin themakingandessentially "tree
about artj'wasresearched
andwrittenwithintheAdirondack forest, in a clearingof themuseum grounds that
washometo meandmyfamilyfor 20years. Ournexthome,whereI writethis,is in
thewoods.Doeandfawn,vixenandpup,havemadetheircarefulwaythroughthe
mixedforestanditstenderundergrowth of moss,ferns,andwildflowers, unaware of
myspyingonthemfrommystudywindow. Oncleardays, thesunglintsonl,onglake,
relievingthesultryshadows in whichthehouseis usuallycast.
TheAdirondacks havemanyfeatures thatmaketheareaanincomparable natu-
ral treasure. Peopleplayin itswaters,climbits mountains, seekitsiolitude,and
search out thewildlifethatroamtheforest.Forme,theAdirondack forestreigns
supreme. Nearlyunbrokenandextending roughlya hundredmilesnorthto south,
theforestnurturesallthatswims,crawls,andflies.Theforesthasshaped theregiont
cultureanddoessoeventoday.Once,thousands of menandwomenworkedin the
forest,cuttingitstreeswhilelivingin crudelogshanties milesfromhome,family,or
anyrealtown.Today,althoughloggingoccupies far fewerpeople,it remainsan
importantAdirondack industry-andtheforesta dominantpresence in residents'
lives,shapinga culturethatis differentanddistinctfromruralcultureselsewhere.
Thatoutdoorfurniture,especially of thetwiggykind,shouldbeaproductof this
forestenvironment isnotsurprising. Whatmorenaturalfurnishings shouldspring
fromtheforest?Perhaps moresurprisingis thestyletpopularityamongurbanites.
It wasa'craftthatwaspractised nearlyeverywhere in theAmericanEastbetween
1825and 1900.Rusticbenches andgardenhouses wereassembled in Manhattan
andshippedwherever therewasabuyerandconveyance. Theresurgence thatbegan
in theearly1970s continues, to mypleasant surprise,
to thisday.
Thisrusticcraftjogsamemorymadeof ourarboreal heritageamongthebuilders
andbuyers. Whoknowswhysomeone purchases achairof branches androotfor an
apartment 30floorsoffthepavement? In anyevent,thatlonelychair,a talisman of
naturein theciry canperformits therapyaslongasthereareforeststo visitand
dreamabout.

Historian CraigGilborn,theformer directorof the

AdirondackMuseumin BlueMountainLake,New
York,is a builderof outdoorfurniture and author
of AdirondackAnd RusticFurniture,published
byAbrams.He livesin LongLake,NarvYork.
 ,t*fl;

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y the natureof whereit spendsits Keeoin mind that someof thesame
I life,outdoorfurniturehasto be substances in decay-resistant woodsthat
designed,first and foremost,to with- wardoffrot canalsogiveriseto allergic
t standits toughestenemy-the elements. reationsin buildersandusers.Redwood,
Whilemakersof indoorfurnitureneed for example,cancauserespiratoryail-
I to considertheswellingandcontraction ments,whileteakcanproduceskinand
of wood due to seasonal changesin eyeallergies. Westernredcedarhasbeen
I relativehumidity, outdoor furniture known in somecases to triggerall three
buildersmustalsoallowfor thefactthat typesofreaction.
I theirpieceswill occasionallybe drenched Yoursecondline ofdefenseagainst
in water,driedby thewind,andbakedby Twocoatsof waterproofpolyure- theelements is thejoineryyouselict.A
I the sun.With appropriatematerials, thaneprovide0n extrameasure of basicrule is to avoidjointsthat will trap
design,joinery,and hardware, you can protectionfor an Adirondack chair waterthat will eventuallyrot the wood
I fashionoiecesthatwill beasdurableand madefrom Northernwhitecedar, whenthe weatheris warm,or splitthe
longlastlng asanykitchensidechairor a decay-resistant
wood. ioint auartwhenit freezes in coldweath-
I bedroomarmoire. er.Manyoutdoorpiecesrelyon joints
Choosea projectby reviewingsomeof thestylesandtypes likethehalf-lapthat,whenreinforced by screws andglue,are
I of outdoorpiecesthathavebeenpopularwith woodworkers, sufficientlydurablewhile allowingwaterto drain away.Any
asshownon pages14and 15.Yournext concernshouldbe hardwareyou use,whetherscrews, bolts,or knockdownfit-
I selectinga woodspecies thatis naturallydecay-resistant.
Several tings,shouldbe stainless steelto avoidrust.Youshouldalso
nativespecies fit the bill, suchasNorthernwhite cedarand usewaterproofadhesives, suchasepoxyor resorcinol. Formore
I redwood,asdo someimportedones,like teak.Thecharton detailonthetypesof joints,hardware, andgluesappropriate
page16ratesvariouswoodsin termsof theircapacityto weath- for outdoorfurniture,turn to pages18and 19.
I er the outdoors.Sincemost of thesespecies aresoftwoods, Onceyour outdoorpieceis readyfor the yardor garden,
which aregenerallysoldasdimensionidlumber,your pro- thelaststepis to coatit with a weather-resistant finish.Pages
I jectswillbe moreeconomical ifyou designthemon thebasis 20 and21presentinformationon thevarietyof finishessuit-
of their available dimensions. Referto page17for informa- ablefor theoutdoors,from glossypolyurethanes to a natural,
I tion on calculating how muchstockyouwill need. unvarnished finish.

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A coatingof sparvarnishis brushed
ontoa back
t slatof thebacleyard
benchshownat left.Tohelp
youapplyan eyencoatthatwill shieldthepiece
I from theelements,usea good-qualitybrush.

I 13

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A GALLERYOF OUTDOORFURNITUREDESIGNS
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ADIRONDACK
CHAIR
Tage 24 t
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EENCH AND
OLIDINGBASE
Tage 112
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CURVED
CHAIR
?age34
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KEYED. I
rENON
BENCH
?age 9O
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Tage44 I
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Tage 1O4
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OCTAGONAL
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Tage12O
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TROLLEY
Tage126
ARBOR
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SELECTINGWOOD I
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E . * d e c i s i o nasr ea si m p o r t a ntto Keepin mind thatthesamequalities N()MINAL
ANDACTUAL I
L buildinsoutdoorlurnitureasthe that makea wood like teaktough on SOFTW()OD
LUMBER
SIZES
choiceof w6od.The chartbelowrates bladesand cutterswill yield sturdyfur- I
severalspecies in termsof resistance to niture.Cedar,althoughit is morefor-
NOMlNAt (inches) ACTUAT(inches)
decay,strength,capacityto withstand givingto bladesandtools,hasa tendency Surfaceddry I
shock,workingproperties (likeplaning to containa considerable numberof
I-by-Z 3la-by-Itlz
andsandingor drilling,gluing,andfas- knots,which increase wasteand aswell
1-by-3 3lq-by-2tlz
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tening),andrelative cost.Thereisprob- asthe risk that the strengthof the fur-
ablyno one idealchoice.Althougha niturewill be compromised by a dead 1-by-4 3l+by-3tlz I
wood like teakcombinesstrengthwith knot thatwasnot cut out. Knotsarealso 1-by-6 3l+by-5Uz
excellentdecayresistance, it is very moresusceptible to rot. 1-by-8 3lq-by-7rlq I
expensive,anddifficultto find andwork. Whicheverspecies you select,
takethe 3lq-by-9tlq
1-by-10
Pine,on the otherhand,is readilyavail- time to chooseyour boardscarefully.
2-by-2 lUz-by-7112
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ableandeconomical, andis easyto work, Avoidlumberthat is cupped,bowed,or
but mostspecies arehighlysusceptible to warpedin anyway.For maximumsta- 2-by-4 ltlz-by-3112 I
decayand relativelyweak.Manywood- bilitv. chooseair-driedlumberwith a 2-by-6 ltlz-by-5112
workersconsidernativespecieswith maximumof 20uercentmoisturecon- 2-by-8 lUz-by-7llt I
superiorstrengthanddecayresistance, tent.Thewoodshouldcontainaslittle 2-by-10 ltlz-by'9llt
suchascedarand white oak,to be an sapwoodaspossiblesincethe sapwill
3-by-4 2Uz-by-3rlz I
acceptable compromise. attractwood-eating bugs.
4-by-4 3tlz-by-3rlz
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W()ODFOR()UTDOORS
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W()OD
SPECIES DECAYRESISTANCE STRENGTH SHOCKRESISTANCE WORKINGPR()PERTIES c0sT
Poor Fair Excel
lent Average
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Ash,white Low
Beech,American Fai Fair Fair Good Low I
yellow
Birch, Fair Good Excel
lent Good Average
Butternut Poor Fai Fair Good Average I
alomatic
Cedal, Excel
lent Fair Fair Average Average
Cedar,
Northern
white Good Poor Poor Fair Average
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Cedar, red
Western Excel
lent Poor Poor Good Average I
Cheny,
American Good Fair Fair Good Average
Elm,American Good Fair Fak Fai LOW I
Douglas-fir Fair Fair Fai Average LOW

Maple,
hard Poor lent
Excel Excel
lent Good LOW
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0ak,red Fai Good Fau Average Average I
0ak,white Excel
lent lent
Excel Good Average Low
Pine,Eastern
white Fai Fair Fair Good Low I
Pine,Southemyellow Fair Fair Good Average LOW

yellow
Poplar, Fai Fav Fair Good LOW
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Redwood Excel
lent Poor Poor Good
Spruce,
sitka Poor Fair Fair Average
Average
Average
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Teak Excel
lent Excel
lent Excel
lent Fair High I
Walnut,
black Good Fair Excel
lent Good High
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FACING THE ELEMENTS
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CATCULATING
BOARDFEET
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Ordering lumber bytheboardfoot
I The"boardfoot"is a unitof measurement usedto calcu- Theformulafor a standardboard:
latethevolume of a givenamount of stock.Asshownin I " x 1 2 "x 1 2 "+ I 4 4 = I ( o r1 "x 1 2 "x I ' - 1 2= I )
I the illustration
below, thestandardboardfootis equiva-
lentto a piecethatis 1 inchthick,12 inches wide,and So,if youhada 6-foot-long plankthatis 1 inchthickand
I 12 incheslong.Tocalculate the number of boardfeetin 4 incheswide,youwouldcalculaie theboardfeetasfol-
a pieceof wood,multiplyitsthreedimensions together. lows:1"x 4" x 6' = 12 = 2 (or2 boardfeet).Otherexam-
t Then,dividetheresultby I44 if allthedimensions are plesareshownin the illustration.Remember thatboard
in inches, or by 12 if justonedimension is in feet. feetarecalculated onthebasisof thenominal ratherthan
I actualdimensions of thestock;consequently, theboard
feetcontained in a 2-by-4thatactually measures 1%-by-
I 3%inches wouldbecalculated usingthe largerdimensions.

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2 boardfeet
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4 boardfeet
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1-by-12
B boardfeet
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5 %boardfeeL
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1"x12"x12"=
I 1Etandard board foof, 2'by-6 =
B boardfeet
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IOINERYAND HARDWARE I
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I oinerypresents uniquechallenges to Make sureyou chooseonesthat are low carpenter'sglueis not waterproof I
J the outdoorfurniture maker. Many eithermadefrom-or coatedwith-a and will eventuallyfail when exposed
of the standardioints usedfor indoor metalthat will not rust. Iron fasteners to the elements.Instead,selecta spe- I
furnitureareincapableof withstanding will eventuallyweakenor break;they cializedglue designedfor outdoor
the abuseswrought by weather.The alsostainthe wood. use,suchas resorcinoland epoxy- I
blind mortise-and-tenon joint, for exam- Gluesplay an importantpart in baseadhesives. The former is some-
ple, is normally an excellentchoicefor mostjoinery,and hereagain,weath- what easierto use,but epoxyhas t
joiningchairrailsandlegs,but it does er affectsyour choices.Standardyel- usefulgap-filling properties.
not fare well outdoors.Water can I
becometrappedin the mortise,caus-
ing the joint to swelland leadingto I
wood decay.A variationon the same
joint, the throughmortise-and-tenon I
(page19),solvesthat problemby allow-
ing waterto drain out. Cutting angled I
shouldershelps preventwater from
becomingtrapped.Lapjointsandrab- I
betjoints alsowork well.For extrapro-
tectionagainstwater,you can coatthe I
matingsurfacesof joints with a preser-
vativesuchaspine tar or an adhesive t
caulkingcompound.
Outdoor furniture makesfrequent I
useof fastenersto connectcomponents.
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Choosingthe righthardware isan I
importantpart of buildingoutdoor
furniture that will last.Chainand I
eye-hooks suspend hangingfurniture,
suchasporchswings.Lag bolts, I
threadedrodsand crossdowelsjoin
projectstogether.Makesureyou select I
corrosion-resistanthardware,suchas
galvanized stainless steelor bronze. I
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GtUE DURABITITY WORKING
PROPERTIES cosT I
Epoxy Weatherproof;
creates Requires mixingbeforeuse;sets Expensive
extremely
strongbond quickly,requiringquickassembly t
Resorcinol Weatherproof
; extremely Driesto a reddishcolour;
requires Expensive
strong longclamping time t
Weatherproof Weatherproof;
strong Donotusestandard, non-waterproof Inexpensive
yellowglue versionof thisglue I
PVA
Gross-linking Weatherproof;
forms 0ne-part adhesive;goodgap-filling Inexpensive
glue(Titebondll) extremely
strongbond quickdryingtime
ability;relatively I
Plasticresin Water-resistant;
strong Requires longclamping time; Inexpensive
requires a topcoatfor protection I
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FINISHING I
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f hefinishonanyproject hastwopur- Wateris not theonlythreatto out- I
I poses: tobeautifr thewoodandpro- doorfurniture.Sunlightcandamage
tectit. However, if youhavebuilt your woodby destroying theligninin the I
furniturefromrot-resistant andstable wood,whichfortifiesthecellwalls.If
wood,youmaychoose to leavethewood youwantto shieldthewoodcomplete- I
unfinished. Thiscutsdownsubstantial- lyfromthesun,usepaint.Generally, the
ly onmaintenance, because onceafinish higherthegloss,thebettertheprotec- t
ii applied,it mustberenewed periodi- tion,sincetheglosswill serveto reflect
cally.Still,for thelessdecay-resistantthesun'srays.Somefinishes, suchas t
woods,finishingis yourbestchoiceto sparvarnish, containultraviolet (UV)
protectthefurniturefromtheelements filters,whichhelpshieldthefurniture t
andto keepinsectsatbay.Also,some fromthesun'sharmfulradiation. For
woodswithlittlefiguremaylookbetter maximumW protection, applyfouror I
coveredwith paintor astain. A pigment- fivecoats.
edtopcoatwill alsoconceal anymis- Finally,do not expect a finishto sal- I
matched grain. vagea poorconstruction. Whilethere
Themostcommonfinishingchoic- areveryexpensive finishesavailable,such t
esarepenetrating oils,varnishes, and ascatalyzed linearpolyurethane, that
paint.Sparvarnishrequires thatthefirst will protectwoodfromvirtuallyany- t
coatbethinned.withundiluted varnish thing,includingsubmerging it in water,
forthesubsequent coats.Otherfinishes, thebestwayto ensure thatyourpieceof I
especiallypaints, needa sealer first,fol- furniturelastsis to startwith theright
lowedbyprimer,thenthefinishingcoats. joineryandglues. I
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Oneof thesolutionstofinishingisnot to do it. The t
arborshownat left is madefrom cedar,whichcontains
naturalpesticides,makingit extremelyresistantto rot. I
Theonly maintenance requiredis to scrubawaydirt
and mildewoccasionally. Thewoodwill eventually I
turn a silvery-gray
color.In general,darkwoodstend
to lightenovertime,whilelight woodsdarken. t
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OUTDOOR
FINISHES
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TYPE DURABITITY DRYING
TIME SURFAGE SHEEN cosT I
Paint Durable Varies:Latex,1-2hours; Flatto glosswithrange Inexpensive
alkyd,3-4 hours.Recoat
after24 hours
of opaque colours I
Sparvarnlsh Durable 4 to 6 hours,
cures Satinto gloss;clear Moderately I
overnight expensive
0paque
stain Resistsfading,but 4 to 6 hours Flatto semi-gloss, Moderately I
doesnotprotect manyopaque corours expensive
woodfromabrasion I
Polyurethane Verydurable; 24 hours Flatto gloss;clear,but Expensive
especially
resistant yellowswithage I
to fungus
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VARNISH
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VARNISH PAINT
t o Fillcountersunk
o Sandwith12O-grit
sandpaperfor hardwoods for
and220-grit screw
I softwoods, witha tackcloth,
thencleanthesurface holeswithwoodenplugs.

I o Mixvarnish bystirring varnish

only,Shaking bubbles
creates that o Sandwith120-grit sand-
m a ym a rt h ef i n i s h . paperfor hardwoods and
I 220-gritforsoftwoods. Then
o Avoidinexpensive
varnish
brushes. Instead,
buyonesmadefrom raiset h eg r a i nw i t ha d a m p
I chinabristle
or badger foambrushes.
hair.0r, usedisposable rag,andsandoncemoreto
remove theerectf ibers.
t o Donotworkin directsunlight
or in cool,damplocations.
r Fillsmallimperfections
I . Applyat leastfourcoats,preferably
five. w i t hg l a z i ncgo m p o u n d .

I o Sandbetween
coatswitha sandingblockand280-grit
sandpaper, . Wipethesurfaces
witha
thesurface
cleaning afterwards
witha tackcloth. tackcloth.
I
o Stir-do notshake-the
I paint.

I jitlfitillllllltillritljllllfilrfill
Illlfinfilltjllillttlllllllljltlll1 o Paintknotsfirstwith
s h e l l atco s e atlh e mt,h e n
I applythreecoatsof primer,
1HO? TI? sanding between eachcoat.
I
St rainingvarnishand paint . Sandthef inalcoatwith
I Varnishand oaint often 400-gritsandpaper, then
conNain impuritieo lh at f i n i s hw i t hg l o s p
s aint.
I muel be removedbefore
use.For besl resultrs,
sNrainthem.Simplypour
I lhe finishNhrou4h a larqe
coffeefilNerinto a clean
I conlainer,

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utdoor furnituremust be If youneedto cut a seriesof half-
I designedto roughit, andthe laps, it will probablybeworthyour
Adirondack chair,chaise lounge, time to make a shop-built jig and
I andcurvedchairfeaturedin this do the job with a router(page 83).
chapterareall up to thetask.In The chaise lounge (page 44)
I manypartsof the countrywith relies heavily on thehalf-lap. The
harshwinters,theappearance of ioint is usedto fastenall theback
I outdoorchairsmarksthereturnof slatsto therails.Thebackof this
pleasant weather. Cartedoutof the classic poolside relaxercanassume
I garage or basement onthefirstsun- six different positions, from the
nydayofspring,givenaquickdust- horizontalto nearly vertical.
t ing off, andthenleft exposed to TheAdirondack chair(page 2a)
theelements, theymustwithstand is amongthemostfamiliar pieces
t roughuse,indeed,until theyare of outdoorfurniture.Originally
returnedto shelterafterthefirst After eveningout anyslightirregularities namedtheWestport, afterthevil-
I frost.Suchtreatment places a par- in theendsof anAdirondackchairwith lagein New York'sAdirondack
ticularsetof demands on thejoin- abeltsander, youcanusea random-orbit Mountains whereit probablyorig-
I ery.Theblindmortise-and-tenon, sanderfor final smoothing. inated,thechairquicklybecame
for example, whichis normallyan popularthroughout America. And
I excellent choiceto join chairparts,doesnot faresowellwith it remainssoto this day,a familiarsightin urbanback-
outdoorfurniture,sincethemortiseserves asa convenient yardsandon countryporches.
I trapforwater.Evenwitha durable anddecay-resistant species, Thecurvedchair(page 34)isanoriginaldesign, ideallysuit-
thereis thedangerthatthewoodwill eventually rot. edfor ahiddencornerof thegarden. Assembled with a num-
I All threechairsin thischapter solvethisproblembyusing berofidentical unitstiedtogether byalengthofthreaded rod,
halfJapjoints.Whatit lacksin stoutness, thehalf-lapmakes thechairderivesits gentlecurvefrom circularspacers that
I It will nottrapwaterand,whenreinforced holdtheunitsfartherapartatthebackthanatthefront.The
up for in versatility.
with a weatherproof eporyandscrews, it is exceptionally versionshownin thischapter ismadeup of eightunits;youcan
I strong.Thejoint is alsofairlysimpleto produce. Youcan builda widerchair,or evena bench,by incorporating more
makebothpartsof theconnection onthetablesaw(page 37). unitsin thedesign.
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I Thechaiseloungeshownat left isperfealysuitedfor stretchingout and
relaxing.Like theotherchairsfeaturedin thischapter,it is madefrom
I lightweightbut durableNorthernwhitecedar.With itssturdywheels
andportabledesign,theloungeis easyto movetojust theright loca-
I tion.A thin mattresswill providean extrameasure of comfort.

I 23

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ANATOMYOF AN ADIRONDACKCHAIR I

f herearefewpiecesof outdoorfi.rr- seatandleanback,elbowsproppedon t

I niruremoreinvitinethananAdiron-
dackchair.Its reclinin"g
seatand tilted
backestbeckontheuserto sinkinto the
. r r \
thewidearmrestswhichprovideplenty
ofroom for booksanda colddrink. I
Mostof thepartsof thechairareirreg-

\ .\ , ' ularlyshaped. To reproduce the classic I

designillustratedbelow,referto thecut-
Assembled with stainless
steelscrews tingpatternsshownopposite. Remember I
and waterproofepoxyglue,andfin- thatthedimensions citedin thecuttins
ishedwith a weatherproof varnish, list represent
the stocksizebeforeshapl t
theAdirondack chairshownat left ing on thebandsaw.Sizethe partsfirst,
is readytofacetheelements. thentransferthe patternsto the stock. I
I
Arm I
Screwedto leg and arm
brace aL front and to
I
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Eatten
Keinforceaback
I
elata and keepe
them ali7ned I
t
Back alat
Arm braae
Faatenedto under-
)crewed to
back cleat,
I
aide of arm and out- bacKeupport,
oide face of leq and batten I
Seat elat'
Attached to top ed4e Eack aupport
I
of apron and aide raile Front edge
tapered to reat I
f,f fluah a4ainot
{f back alata; faa- I
tened to arma
I
s@ Back aleat
o@ Foaition deter- I
o@ mineeplacement.
and tilt of back-
reot: attached
T
to top edqe of
eide rail I
Apron I
Fastenedto front. 5ide rail
endof aideraila Leg Trofile of top edqe I
Attached to determineacurveof
arm, arm brace, aeat; acrewedto
and eide rail inaideface of leq I
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CUfiINGPATTERN
FORCURVED
PARTS
OFCHAIR
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I Baak alat

I
= 2 inches.
1 square gridto produce
Enlarge a cuttingpattern sizeforyourproject.
of theappropriate
t
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CUTTING
LIST 8TY TH W t
I Arm Z %' 5%', 29',
I Armbrace z IYo' ?x I0Yz'
Leg z IY4' ?r/^n 2rv,'
I Siderail Z LYo' 5v,' 30%'
t Apron 1 %' R1/^il
2I%',
Backcleat 1 IY4' ?r/"t 2I%',
I Center
backslat 1 %' 5Y2' 35'
Sidebackslats 4 %' ?v", 35"
T Backsupport 1 lr/4' 3v,' 28',
T Batten 1 3/qu
3Y4' 19y,',
Seatslats 5 %u 3Yo' 2t%'
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25
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BUILDINGAN ADIRONDACKCHAIR I
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A tttble-mounted routerequipped with n rowtd- ':ry
a.
T
overbit soJienstheedges of oneof thearmsof an
Adirondack chnir.Thesenrpshownat right I
includes a shop-made fenceandbitguardtoprovide \'.
a beorirrgxrrfncefor the stockwl'rileprotectingthe I
operator's
fingersfront the spinningbit.For best
resuks,rrraketwopasses to reachyow"finnl clepth. I
Irtctdclitiort
to thearms,theedges of thebackand
sentslstsand thebackcleatare trlsoroundedover. I
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PREPARING
THESTOCK
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Curving the backslats
C u tt h e p i e c e so f t h e c h a i rt o s i z e ,r e f e r r i ntgo t h e a n a t o m y a l i n ea c r o s tsh e o u t s i d es l a t st h a t a l i g n sw i t h t h e e n d o f t h e I
illustration(page24) and cutting patterns(page25). Forthe m i d d l en i e e . e( a h o v el e f t ) .f r i m t h e o u t s i d es l a t sa l o n st h e
b a c ks l a t ss, t a r tb y t a p e r i ntgh e ms ot h e m i d d l eo n ei s 4 % i n c h e s m a r k st,h e nd r a wa l i n ed o w nt h e c e n t e ro f t h e m i d d l es l a t . I
w i d ea t t h e b o t t o ma n d5 Y ,i n c h e sa t t h e t o p ;t h e o u t s i d es l a t s R e p o s i t i ot n
h e s l a t sa n dc l a m pt h e mt o g e t h ewr i t ht h e i rb o t t o m
s h o u l db e 2 Y ' i n c h e sa t t h e b o t t o ma n d3 / , i n c h e sa t t h e t o o . e n d sa l i g n e da n d % - i n c h - t h i cskp a c e r b s e t w e e tnh e p i e c e s . I
Y o uc a n m a k et h e c u t so n a t a b l es a wu s i n ga c o m m e r c i aj ilg A d j u s ta c o m p a stso a i 6 - i n c h r a d i u ss, e tt h e p o i n to n t h e m i d -
or the shop-built versionshownopposite. Next,setthe slatsedge d l e s l a tc e n t e r l i n 1e 8 %i n c h e s' r . o mt h e b o t t o me n d ,a n dd r a w t
t o e d g eo n a w o r ks u r f a c et ;h e e n d sw i l l b e u n e v e nT. o e v e no u t the crrrveat the ton end of ln lats (above.rishf).CuIthe slats
' u| J

I
\uUv' w. ' | 6' lL/

t h e b o t t o me d g e ,u s ea p e n c i a l n da c a r p e n t e rs' sq u a r et o m a r k on yourbandsaw,then roundovt therredges(photo,above).

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Totaperthe backslatsandlegsof your
I chaio r nt h et a b l es a w b, u i l dt h ej i g
shownabove from %-inch plywood.
I Referto the illustration forsuggested
dimensions. Toassemble thejig,set
I thesawbladeto maximum its height,
buttonesideof thejig baseagainst
I thebladeandposition theripfence
flushagainst theothersideof thebase.
r Lowerthe blade.Marka cuttingline
for the taperon theworkpiece, then
I s e ti t o n t h eb a s ea, l i g n i ntgh el i n e
withthe edgeof the basenearest the
I blade.Holding theworkpiece secure-
ly, position theguidebaragainst the l
t edgeandthestopblocksnugly against
I

theend.Screw theguidebarandstop I
I blockto the baseandpressthetogggle
il
clampsdownto secure theworkpiece iri
I to thejig; protect thestockwithwood t
tii
pads.To makethecut,settheblade
I height andslidethejig andworkpiece
ilt
across thetable,making surethatnei-
I therhandis in linewiththeblade(righil. ilxl
(Caution: Blade guardremoved forclarig.) il
I x
r $
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ASSEMBLING
THECHAIR I
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Tryequare I
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1 Attaching thesiderailsto thelegs I
I Toposition thesiderailsonthelegs,
marka pairof intersecting guidelines on I
thelegs'inside faces. Markonelinepar-
allelto thefrontedgeand1 inchfrom I
i t t o a l l o wf o rt h ea p r o n
a n da % - i n c h
reveal; thesecond lineshould beparal- I
lelto thetopendand63/o inchesbelow
it. Toensure thelegandrailwillbelev- I
el ontheground, alignthebottom ends
of thepieces withanedgeof yourwork I
surface; usea trysquare to makesure
thefrontedgeof thelegis perpendicu- I
larto theedgeof thetable.Drillthree
clearance holesforscrews through each I
railandspread waterproof glueonthe
contacting surfaces between thelegand T
rail.Withtheleginside-face upona work
surface, fasten therailto theleg,aligning I
thefrontendandtopedgeof therail
O Installing theapron
withtheguidelines ontheleghbove).
L B o r et h r e ec l e a r a n cheo l e st h r o u gthh ea p r o na b o u l % i n c hf r o me a c he n d . I
Applywaterproof glueto theendsof therails,setthelegsupright ona worksurface
andposition theapronbetween thelegsandflushagainst therails.Thetopedges I
o f t h ea p r o n
a n dr a i l ss h o u l b a b a rc l a m pt o h o l dt h ep i e c es q u a r e
d el e v e lU. s i n g
to the legs,screwtheapronto therails(abovd;protect thestockwithwoodpads. I
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t 1 Attachins the back
r-J cleatto thesiderails
I R e m e m b et or r o u n do v e rt h e t o p e d g e so f
t h e c l e a tb e f o r ei n s t a l l i ntgh e p i e c e T
. hen
I m a r ka g u i d e l i n feo r t h e c l e a ta c r o s st h e
t o p e d g eo f e a c hr a i l I I % i n c h e sf r o mt h e
t b a c ke n d .D r i l lt w oc l e a r a n cheo l e st h r o u g h
t h e c l e a tn e a re a c he n d ,s p r e a dg l u e ,a n d
I u s ea c l a m pt o h o l dt h e c l e a ti n p o s i t i o n
a g a i n stth e r a i l s .M a k i n gs u r et h e e n d so f
I t h e c l e a ta r ef l u s hw r t ht h e o u t s i d e d g e s
of the rails,fastenthe piecein place(left).
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t Itlrliiilliillilililiilirlllrilrllllllllll{illlllllillilllilllilrri{rrri
ilJ t$ i$ u r$ t$ ill ill l$ $ ilj ru ili i$ fli {$ l$ ll.l
I
5HO? TI?
I Uoinga dowelto anchora earewdriveninto end grain
Manyof Nhejointe ueedto assemble the Adirondackchair,suchas
I those belween NheaVronand eiderailsor lhe armsand lego,require
youLo f aslen into endqrain.Screwsdo noNholdwellin endqrain,oo a
I fasteneron its ownmaynoLbeoLrongenoughLo keepan end-Io-face
buLf, joinLLoqeNher. GluecanhelVsomewhaL,butLoreinforcelhe con'
I necLion adequately, bore a'/e - inch-dia met er hole verti cally th rouqh
LheendarainoieceabouL/zinchfrom its end.Oluea dowel
I i n l h e h o l ea n dl e l l h e Screwing thearmbraceto the legs
adhesive dry,Then -,{T
C l a m pe a c ha r m b r a c et o i t s l e ga n d
I dflve your Screw7
throughlhe malinq
s i d er a i ls o i t i s a l i g n ew d i t ht h e m i d d l e
o f t h e l e p T h ei n n e n d so f t h e b r a c ea n d
t niara in+a +l^.

Theecrewswillanchor
)^,^,-l
legshouldbeflush.Next,borethreeclear-
oecurely in the lonqgrain a n c eh o l e st h r o u g ht h e l e g ,s t o p p i n tgh e
I of lhe dowel. d r i l lw h e nt h e b i t c o n t a c ttsh e b r a c e .
I n s t a lal s m a l l e r - d i a m ebt ei trt o c o n t i n u e
I drilling p i l o th o l e si n t ot h e b r a c eu, s i n g
t h e c l e a r a n cheo l e sa sg u i d e sU . nclamp
I t h e b r a c et.h e ns n r e a ds l u eo n i t s f l a t
e d g e r, e c l a m pi t i n p o s i t i o na,n df a s t e n
t it to the leg (above).

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P r e p a r i nt g
h e b a c ks u p p o r t
f,
r - . / B e v e lt h e f r o n t e d g eo f t h e b a c ks u p p o r t o p r o v i d ea n the passwith a pushstick (above,/eff).(Caution:Bladeguard I
adequatb eearing s u r f a c ef o r t h e b a c ks l a t sa n d a l l o wt h e m r e m o v e fdo r c l a r i t y , N) e x t ,o u t l i n et h e c u r v e so n t h e o u t s i d e
t o t i l t a t t h e c o r r e cat n s l e O n v o r r tr a h l es a w o o s i t i o n the e d s eo f t h e b a c ks r r n n o r to n ea t e a c he n d a n d m a r ka I
r i n f e n c eo n t h e l e f t - h a n sd r d eo f t h e s a wb l a d ef o r a w i d t h s t r a i g hlti n ea c r o s tsh e b o a r d3 7 i n c h e sf r o me a c he n d .
o f c u t o f 2 % i n c h e sa n d a n g l et h e b l a d et o 3 0 ' . ( l t i s a l w a y s U s ey o u rb a n ds a wt o m a k ea c u t f r o me a c he n d o f t h e s u p - I
s a f e s t o m a k ea b e v e lc u t w i t h t h e b l a d ea n g l e da w a yf r o m p o r tt o t h e s t r a i g hlti n e ;a l i g nt h e c u t sw i i h t h e s t a r to f t h e
thefence.F ) e e dt h e s t o c ki n t ot h e c u t t i n ge d g ew i t h y o u r b e v e lF . i n a l l yc, u t t h e c u r v e de n d so f t h e b o a r do n t h e b a n d I
l e f t h a n dw h i l ep r e s s i ntgh e b o a r da g a i n stth e f e n c e .F i n i s h saw (above,right).
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f Attaching
thearmsto thebacksupport
h
L , f R e m e m b et o r r o u n do v e rt h e a r m s I
( n h o f on. a p e2 6 ) . t h e nd r i l lt w oc l e a r a n c e
holesthrougheachone.Spreadwaterproof I
glueonthe matingsurfaces of the armsand
s u p p o r tp, o s i t i o n
o n eo f t h e a r m so n t h e I
s u p p o r ta, n ds c r e wt h e p i e c e st o g e t h e r ,
u s i n ga t r y s q u a r et o m a k es u r et h e p i e c e s I
a r e p e r p e n d i c u l at or e a c ho t h e r( r i g h i l .
R e p e at to f i x t h e o t h e ra r mt o t h e s u p p o r t . I
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30 I
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t I Installing themiddle backslat
/ Before voucanattach thearmsand
I backsupport to thechair, themiddle back
n p l a c eS. e tt h e
s l a tm u s tb ef a s t e n ei d
I chairupright ona worksurface andclamp
t h es l a t o t h ec e n t eor f t h eb a c kc l e a t ,
I a l i g n i ntgh eb o t t o m
e n do f t h es l a tw i t h
thebottom faceof thecleat;protect the
I s t o c kw i t hw o o dp a d sH . o l d i ntgh es l a t
flushagainst thecleat,usethreescrews
I to fastenit in place(left),Donotuseglue
in caseyouneedto adjusttheslatlater
I whenyouinstall theremaining backslats.

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I Fastening
thearmsand
backsupport tothechair
I Setthearmsandbacksupport upsidedown
ona worksurface, thenposition theleg
I assemblyonthearms.Center themiddle
backslatonthebacksupport andclamp
I thepieces
together. Atthefrontofthechair,
usea tapemeasure to ensure thatthe
I insideedges of thearmsextend beyond
thelegsbythesameamount onbothsides.
I Usingthelegsandarmsupports asguides,
makelocation marks ontheundersides of
I thearmsonceyouaresatisf iedwiththe
position
of the legassembly (righil.Set
t thechairupright anddrillthreeclearance Locattoh markE
holesthrough eacharmandonethrough
t themiddlebackslat.Spread glueonthe
contacting
surfaces ofthearms,legs, and
I armsupports, thenrepositionthearmsin
place-using thelocation marks asguides
I -and screwthepreces together.

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Fastenin9thebackslats I
J Spread glueonthecontacting surfaces
between thesidebackslatsandtheback I
support andcleat.Screwtheslatsin place
(/eff),
slipping%-inchspacers betweenthe I
pieces ason page26 to position them
properly. Usetwoscrews to secureeach I
slatto ihe cleatanda single fastener
at
thebacksupport. Makesurethebottom I
of eachendslatis f lushwiththebottom
edgeof thecleat.Onceallthesideslats I
areinstalled,unscrew themiddleone,
applyglue,andreattach it. I
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1 n Installing thebatten
I\,/ Tocut the battento f inallength, I
clampyourstockagainst thebackslats
about12 inches above thebacksuooort I
andmarktheoutside edgeof theslatson
theboard. At thesametime,markclear- I
anceholesonthe batten-twoforeach
slat-alternating the holesbetween the I
topandbottomedgeof thestock.Cutthe
battento lengthon yourbandsawand I
d r i l lt h ec l e a r a n cheo l e sT. h e ns, p r e a d
s o m eg l u eo nt h eb a t t e nc,l a m pi t t o t h e t
backslats,andscrewit in place(right)
U s ea b e l ts a n d etro c r e a t ea s m o o t h I
c u r v ea l o n gt h et o po f t h e b a c ks l a t s
a n ds a n dt h ee n d so f t h e b a t t e na n d I
t h e j o i n tb e t w e etnh e a r m sa n dt h e
backsupport. I
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I 1 1 Attachingtheseatslats
I I T oc o m p l e t eh ec h a i rr, o u n d
I llitlltllillfiilfifiljllfillltlllufiiltljlilltlljlfiilffiillrllrilt n vv oL rr
u t! hr er L p does
U U E U J vn rf tLhrer u Jc e
^t^t^ /^L^t^
U;dt L 5 l d L 5 l p r l u t U ,

I a t e a c he n do f t h e p i e c e sS. t a r t i n g with
1HO?Tt?
t Sealinq knots with ehellac
Oecauseit is intendedto be oLurdyand ruslic, ouldoorfurnilure
I is often builtwith lower-qrade
wood.Althouqhthio is economical,
manyeuchboardshaveknoLs,Looseknols shouldbe cul off,since
I lhey weakenthe wood.Allhouqhtiqht knote haveno effecl on
L h e s t r e n q l h o f e b o c ka n d c a n b e l e f t , i n l a c t , , L h e yo f L e n
I oozepiLch,evenafLera finishio appliedt o the Vieceof
furnilure.lhiepilch willbleedthrouqhpaint,or varnish,
I otainingthe finishand.Vroducinq a otickymeoo. /'
Toavoidthis oroblem.brushlwo thin coalo
I of shellacovertiaht knotsLo seallhem.
p a g e2 O , t h e nd r i l lt w oc l e a r a n cheo l e s
t h e s l a tn e a r e st th e b a c k ,s p r e a ds o m e
g l u eo n t h e s l a t ' sb o t t o mf a c ea n ds c r e w
i t t o t h e s i d er a i l s ;u s e l - i n c h s p a c e r s
t o m a i n t a i nt h e p r o p egr a p b e t w e nt h e
s l a ta n dt h e b a c k .l n s t a l tl h e r e m a i n -
i n gs l a t st h e s a m ew a y ,s e p a r a t i nt g he
pieceswith the spacers(above). The last
s l a ts h o u l de x t e n db e y o n dt h e a p r o n
b y a b o u t1 i n c h .R i pt h e s l a tt o w i d t h
a n d r o u n di t s e d g e sa g a i n ,i f n e c e s s a r y ,
b e f o r es c r e w i n igt i n p l a c e .

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ANATOMY OF A CURVEDCHAIR
tl- h. curvedchair featuredin this uniform length to createa straight I
I. sectionis built by joining eight chairor build additionalunitsto make
identicalH-shapedunits with steel a bench. I
rods.Eachunit is separated from the As shownopposite,eachseatingunit
adjoiningoneby three2-inch-diame- is joinedto its rearandfront legswith I
ter spacers-twoat the rearlegandone half-laps-a T half-lapat thebackand
at the front. The curveis achievedby a cornerhalf-laoat the front-and all I
using1%-inch-long spacersin backand thejointsarereinforcedby screws.Once
%-inch-longspacers in front. the joinery is done, the piecesare I
The modulardesignof the chair is shaoedandtrimmedwith a routerand
very versatile.You can usespacersof a temnlate. I
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Thecuryeof thechairshownat left is madepossibleby usingspacers
at thebackthat aretwiceaslongasthoseat thefront. Thischairwas I
finishedwith twocoatsofprimerand onecoatof exterior-gradepaint.
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cHArR
JoTNERY
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ANDMATERIATS
CUTTING LIST
l,
I ITEM OTY TH W ORDIAM L
Rearleg 8 IY^' 5Yr' 36'
I Frontleg 8 I%' sYr' I7%'
I Seating
unit 8 IYo' 4%', 20yr'
Longspacers 16 IY,'
I Shortspacers 8 %' ail
Z

Caps 6 1u
I Rods 3 Y4u 36'

I Washers 6 %'
Nuts 6 Y^'
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FASHIONINGA CURVEDCHAIR I
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ASSEMBI.ING
THEUNITS I
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Oneof theunitsof a curvedchairis
trimmedto within about'hinchof the I
cuttinglineon thebandsaw.Onceall
thepiecesarecut,theyareparedtofinal I
shapewith a routerfitted with a llush-
trimming bit, guidedby a template. I
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I
1 Making thetemplate
I Markouta template of thechairunitsona pieceof plywood or hardboard, I
referring to theanatomy illustration on page34 forthe profileanddimensions of
thepieces. Startbydrawing the legsandseating unitwithstraight lines,thenuse I
a thinstripof springy woodto helpyououtlinethenatural curves alongtheedges
of thepieces. Usinga handscrew anda barclamp,secure thestriponedgeonthe I
template sothatonefaceis flushwiththetopof oneof yourcuttinglines.Then
gentlybendthestriptoward theotherendof theline.Keeping thestripfirmlyin I
p l a c e , r u n a p e n c i l a l o n g i t t o d e f i n e t h( ea cbuorvvee) . C u t t h e t e m p l a t e t o s h a p e
onyourbandsaw,thensandtheedges smooth. Setthetemplate asidefor now;before I
usingit to outline(page38)andtrim (page 39Ihe units,youneedto cut the half-
lapsin yourstockandassemble thepieces. I
I
36 I
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I
I CHAIRS

t
t r) Cutting thehalf-laps inthe
L trontlegsandseating units
I Marktheshoulders ofthehalf-laps onyour
blanks forthefrontlegsandseating units,
t using thetemplate asa guide. Theninstall
a dadoheadonyourtablesaw,adjustit to
I Miter 4au4e maximum widthandsetthecutting height
exten9ton at one-half thestockthickness. Attach an
I extension board to themitergauge, align
theshoulder lineonthefirstlegwiththe
I bladeandclamoa stooblockto theexten-
sionagainst theendof theworkpiece.
t Starting attheendoftheboard, feedit face
downalongwiththemitergauge to saw
I awaythewaste.Makea series of passes
to remove theremaining waste wooduntil
I youdefinetheshoulder withthework-
piecebuttedagainst thestopblockand
I mitergauge extension (/eil).Repeat with
t h er e m a i n i nf rgo n tl e g st,h e nc u t h a l f -
t lapsat bothendsof theseating unitsthe
sameway,repositioning thestopblock
I asnecessary.

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w
€

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I I< Sawing thedadoes in therearlegs
r-J 0utlinethedadoes in therearlegblanksto accommodatee x t e n s i otno s e tt h e o v e r a w l l i d t ho f t h e j o i n t .F e e d i ntgh e w o r k -
I thehalf-lapsin theseatingunits.Thesamesetupusedto cut piecefacedownand buttedagainsta stopblock,startby cut-
thehalf-lapscanbeemployed to sawthedadoes-except that t i n gt h e t w os i d e so f t h e d a d o .T h e nm a k ea s e r i e so f p a s s etso
I youwillneedto clampa second stopblockto themitergauge clearthe wastein betweenhbovd.

I
t 37

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CHAIRS I
I
Assembling theunits I
Test-fit the legsandseating units,
a n du s ea c h i s et lo t r i ma n yi l l - f i t t i n g I
l o i n t sT. h e nd r i l lt w oc l e a r a n ch eo l e s
i n t ot h es t o c ka t e a c hj o i n ta n ds p r e a d I
waterproof glueonthehalf-laps of the
seating units;makesureto locate the I
screws sotheywillnotinterfere withthe
placement of thethreaded rod(page 41). I
Clamptherearlegfaceupto a worksur-
--
\ "\ \, , face,position theseating uniton it, and I
\\\ screwthepieces together (/eff).(Notethat
\ - \ - \ - \ _ \).
\
thebackendof theseating unitis offset I
fromthebackedgeof theleg;asshown
b e l o wa, b o uot n e - h atlhf ew i d t ho f t h e I
legswillbecutawayat thepointwhere
theymeettheseat.)Finally, attachthe I
frontlegto theseating unit.
I
I
I
I
TRIMMING
THEUNITS
TOSIZE I
1 0utlining thechairprofile ontheunits
I Once alltheunitsareassembled. olace
I
onefaceupona worksurface, position the
template on it, andusea pencilto trace , r ' r l <l I
itsoutline onthestock(rtght).Theback
edgeof thetemplate should bealmost flush / ,/ ,/
/ r)
/l/
t
withthebackedgeof therearlegat itstop (/-/ //''
e n d .M a r kt h er e m a i n i nu gn i t st,h e nc u t
-
' / ' / . 2
I
themall to roughsizeonthebandsaw 'l
@age36), leaving about%inchof waste
outside yourcuttinglines.
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T
I
,

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t CHAIRS

I
t r) Shaping thechairunits
L f tnisn shaping theunitsusing a router
I fittedwitha top-piloted flush{rimming bit
Settheunitona worksurface andcenter
I thetemplate ontop,thenfasten thepieces
together, driving a screwthrough each
t threaded rodholein thetemplate intothe
unit.Clamp theassembly to thetableand
I a d j u stth er o u t e r 'dse p t ho f c u t s ot h e
pilotbearing willrubonlyonthetemplate
I (lnsef). Guidetherouteragainst thedirec-
tionof bit rotation alongtheedges of the
I unit,keeping thebearing in constant con-
tactwiththetemplate (/eff).Reposition
I fhe elamnc ac noodod

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t
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I
Rounding
overtheendunits
I Toroundovertheoutside
edses
of the
t w o u n i t st h a tw i l l b e o n t h e o u t s i d e of the
I c h a i r ,i n s t a l a
l b o t t o m - p i l o t er od u n d i n g -
o v e rb i t i n t h e r o u t e ra n ds e tt h e d e o t ho f
I c u t t o r e a c hy o u rf i n a ld e p t hi n t w o p a s s -
e s .S e c u r e t h e u n i to u t s i d e - f a cuep t o a
I worksurfaceand makeeachpassby feed-
ingthe routeralongthe edgesof the piece,
I p r e s s i ntgh e b i t ' sp i l o tb e a r i n ag g a i n stth e
stockthroughout(right).Again,reposition
I the clamosas necessarv.

t
I 39

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CHAIRS I
I
ASSEMBLING
THECHAIR I
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I
I
t
t
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I
'l Preparing theunits
I
I forthethreaded rod I
Usethe holesyouusedto secure the
template(page39) asguidesto bore I
c l e a r a n ch eo l e fso rt h et h r e a d erdo d .
Startbyclamping a plywood backup I
panel to yourdrillpress tableandinstall
a %-inch bitin themachine. Position the I
unitonthetablesothatoneof theholes
isaligned under thebitandholdtheunit I
steady asyoudrilltheholehbovd.
I
I
I
r) Making thespacers
L fit vourdrilloresswitha I%-inch- I
diametei holesawto cutthespacers that
separate thechairunits.Makethespacers t
f r o mt w ob o a r d s - % i n c ht h i c kf o rt h e
frontspacers andI% inches thickforthe I
rearones.Holdtheboard onthemachine
t a b l ea n dc u tt h r o u gthh es t o c kl,o w e r - I
rngthe feedleverslowly(right).At the
s a m et i m e ,t h eh o l es a w ' sp i l o tb i t w i l l t
b o r ea h o l et h r o u gthh ec e n t eor f e a c h
s p a c ef ro rt h et h r e a d erdo d . I
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I CHAIRS

I
t Q Stacking theunits
r-,1Onceyouhavecut enough spacers,
I youcanbegin assembling thechair.Start
byfeeding thethreethreaded rodsthrough
I t h eh o l e isn o n ee n du n i ta n da n c h o r i n g
eachwitha nutandwasher. Settheunit
I i n s i d e - f aucpeo nt h es h o pf l o o a r n ds l i p
a s p a c eorn t oe a c hr o d ,u s i n gl o n g e r
I spacers at thebackandshorter onesat
t h ef r o n t N. e x tf,i t a c h a i ru n i to n t ot h e
I r o d sa n dp r e s ist f i r m l yo nt h es p a c e r s .
C o n t i n uaed d i nsgp a c e a r sn dc h a i ur nits
I (left)untilthe lastunitis in place,then
installa washer andnutontothetopend
I of eachrod.

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I
I Tightening therods
Close any gaps between thespacers
I andthechairunits. Hand oressure should
suffice at thebackof thechair; a use
I wrench to tighten thenuts.At thefront
o f t h ec h a i r i,n s t a lal b a rc l a m pa c r o s s
I theseatandtightenit as necessary to
closeanygaps;protect thestockwith
I woodpads.Tighten thenutsat thefront
of thechair(right),Ihen giveallthenuts
I g .e m o vt eh eb a r
a f i n a lt i g h t e n i n R
clamps andusea hacksaw to cutthe
I excess rodflushwiththenuts.Cover the
nutswithwoodcapsfashioned fromshort
t lensths of 1-inch dowel.

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CHAIRS I
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INSTALLING
ARMS I
I
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lneide ed7ee of
arm blank t
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I
'l Designing thearms t
I Youcanaddarmsto thecurved chair,applyingthe same andvisually pleasing;
thearmrestpartshouldbe8 to 9 inches
design andjoinery methods usedto maketheindividual units. above theseat.Next,usea pencilandstraightedge
to outline I
Starb t y p r e p a r i nagt e m p l a t eh,o l d i nag p i e c eo f h a r d b o a r d theL-shapedarmblankonthetemplale (abovd,making it as
against onesideof thechairandmarking itsoutline witha pen- wideasnecessary to contarnthearmprofile.Cutthetemplate I
ctl (inseil.Thendesign thearmso it willbe bothcomfortableona bandsaw(photo, page36) andsandtheedges smooth.
I
t
I
I
r) 0utlining thearmprofile ontheblanks I
L flat<e eacharmblankfromtwoboards
joinedintoan L shapebyhalf-laps (page I
3 7 ) ;r e f e tro y o u rt e m p l a tw
e h e ns i z i n g
t h eb o a r d sS.e to n eo f t h e b l a n kos n a I
worksurface, position thetemplate on it
andusea pencil to traceitsoutline onthe t
slock(right).Marktheotherblank,then
cutthearmsto sizeon a bandsaw(pags I
36).Smooth thecutedges, sanding the
stockto yourcuttinglines. I
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42 I
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I CHAIRS

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I
J<' Rounding
overtheedges
ofthearms
I r - , 1 R o u n do v e rt h e e d g e so f t h e a r m s ,e x c e pw t h e r et h e yc o n - bit anda fenceforthestockto rideagainst theinfeedside
t a c tt h e c h a i r T. o m a r ko u t t h e s ea r e a sp, o s i t i o e n a c ha r m t h eg u a r da n df e n c et o g e t h e
o f t h et a b l eS. c r e w a rn dc l a m p
I a g a i n stth e c h a i ra n d d r a wa p e n c i la c r o s si t a l o n gt h e t o p o f themto thetable.Press theworkpiece against thepilotbear-
i h e s e a ta n dt h e f r o n te d g eo f t h e r e a rl e g .R e m e m b et o r mark ingasyoufeedeacharmacross thetable,thenturnoverthe
I o u t r i g h t -a n d l e f t - h a nvde r s i o nosf t h e a r m .I n s t a lal p i l o t e d stockandshape theotheredge(above). Whenrounding over
r o u n d - o v eb ri t i n a r o u t e a r n d m o u n t h e t o o l i n a t a b l e .T o the inside facesof thearms.startandstoothecutsat the
t p r o v i d ea b e a r i n gs u r f a c ef o r t h e a r m s ,f a s h i o na g u a r df o r t h e m a r k ecdo n t a cl itn e s .

I
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t
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I
Attaching thearmsto the chair
I -f t
D r i l lt w o c l e a r a n cheo l e st h r o u g h
e a c ha r m o n ea t e i t h e re n d - a n d a p p l y
I g l u et o t h e f l a t a r e a st h a tw i l l c o n t a ctth e
c h a i rC. l a m pt h e a r m i n p o s i t i oonn t h e
I c h a i ra n d f a s t e ni t i n p l a c e( l e f t ) .

I
t 43

I
 ANATOMYOF A LOUNGECHAIR

ItT o deckor patioiscomplete without

"chaise
I \ at leastonelounsechairor
longue."Buildinga couplelike the one ANDMATERIALS
CUTTING tIST I
shownat right and in the colorphoto-
graphon page22involvesthebetterpart PIECE OTY TH W ORDIAM. L I
of a day'swork, but the finishedprod- S i d er a i l s 2 IY^' 4v,' 90"
uctswill provideyearsof comfortable Slats l3 %'
'tr
21y,', I
loafingandsunworshipping. H a n dl e I 22%',
The chairis madewith almosttwo a
X
I
dozenslats.Thosefor themainbodyare Backrest
rail L %' 3', 29y,',
simplyscrewed to a cleatfastenedto the Backrest
slats 8 %' 3', 21y,', I
siderails;thebackrest slatsarejoinedto Cleats IYo' IYo' 78',
railswith half-laps.Butt hingessecure Spacer 2 IY4'
1 t / n
I74 24',
I
the backrestto the body.The backrest
canbeadjusted from thehorizontalposi- Rack a
a IYo' IYo' 17%', I
tion to nearlyvertical,andthe notched Backrest
support
rails Z
,/0,
IY,' 19y,',
rack supportingthe backrestallowsit Backrest stiles
support 2 %u IY,' 20' I
to besetat severalpositionsin between. Backrest
support
stop a
I%' 2%',
The loungechairis lightweightand
Z IYo'
I
easyto moveon wheelsattached to the Frontlegs 2 I%' 3v,' 9"
rearlegs.The wheelsareheldin place Rearlegs 2 T%' 3v,' 7 Yo' I
with axlecaps.Althoughthis hardware Axle 1 X Y,' 36',
is not asstrongascotterpins,it is easi- Wheels a
L X 8u X
I
er to install and more than sturdy
enoughfor the light-dutyneedsof the Washers 4 (min) X W' X I
loungechair.Usea galvanized steelor Axlecap 2 X v,' X
aluminumrod for theaxle. I
Sincethe slatsarethin, try to select
relatively
knot-freewoodfor thesepieces.
o P
E B
E V

Baakrest eupport etop

Freventa backreat eupport
from alippinqoff rack

Spaaer
9upporta the
main body elaLa I
Front leg
5r
I Eaakreat alat
Backreat
I rail

I
Eackrest'
I eupport
atile

I Piano
hinge
I
I
I Eackreet'
I aupport rail

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I
Main body alat
I
I

I
?ide rail

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 I
MAKING A LOUNGECHAIR I
I
A sabersaw cuts the curvedprofile at I
thefront end of one of the side rails of
a loungechair. Once the rails are sized I
properly,the curvecan be markedon the
stockwith referenceto the anatomy illus- I
tration on page44. Becausethe rails are
almost 8 feet long, it is easierto make the t
cutswith a portablesaw than to attempt
to maneuverthe bonrdson a band saw I
(left). After sawing the cLtrves,smooth
the cut edgesusinga spindlesanderor I
sanding block.All the edgesof the raik
are then roundedover. I
I
I
I
I
I
I
FASHIONING
THESIDE
RAITS
'l Rounding
I
overthesiderails
I C u te a c ho f t h es i d er a i l st o s i z e , I
clampthestockfaceupto a worksurface,
andsawthecurves at thefrontend(pho- I
to,above). Theninstalla pilotedround-
ing-over bit in a routerandmakeeach
passbyfeeding therouter alongtheedges
t
of therail,pressing thebit'spilotbearing I
a g a i n st h
t es t o c kt h r o u g h otuhtec u t
(right).Reposition theclampsas neces- I
sary.Turntherailoverandrepeat onthe
otherside. I
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40 I
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t CHAIRS

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t
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I J Drilling thehandle holes
f- fhe handle at thefrontendof thechairis madefroma 1 %i n c h efsr o mt h ef r o n e t n do f t h er a i l .M a k es u r et h em a r k s
I lengto h f 1 - i n c h - d i a m edtoewr e lB. o r et h ed o w ehl o l e si n t h e a r ei n t h es a m el o c a t i oonn b o t hr a i l sH
. o l d i ntgh ed r i l lv e r t i -
s i d er a i l sw i t ha n e l e c t r idcr i l l f i t t e d
w i t ha 1 - i n c hF o r s t n e r cal,borethe hole(above), stopping whenthebodyof the bit
I b i t .C l a m pt h es t o c ki n s i d e - f a uc p e o n a w o r ks u r f a caen d i s c o m p l e t erleyc e s s ei ndt h ew o o dt;h i sw i l l y i e l da l z - i n c h -
markouttheholes, centering thembetween theedges about d e e ph o l e .
I
I
I
I
I
I
Attaching
thecleats
totherails
I T o p o s i t i o nt h e c l e a t so n t h e r a i l s ,
m a r ka l r n ea l o n ge a c hr a i l ' si n s i d ef a c e
I 1%inchesfromthe bottomedge.Starting
2 i n c h e sf r o mo n ee n do f t h e c l e a t ,d r i l la
I c l e a r a n cheo l ee v e r y8 i n c h e sa l o n gi t s
l e n g t hT. h e na p p l yw a t e r p r o g o lfu eo n t h e
I i n s i d ef a c eo f t h e c l e a ta n d o o s i t i o tnh e
s t o c ko n t h e s i d er a i l ,a l i g n i n gthe back
I e n d so f t h e p i e c e sA. n c h o trh e c l e a ti n
place,holdingthe stripso its bottomedge
t i s f l u s hw i t ht h e m a r k e dl i n eo n t h e r a i la s
youdriveeachscrew(left).Workfromthe
I backof the cleatto the front.

I
I 47

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CHAIRS I
I
THEBODY
ASSEMBLING I
1I Preoarins
theslats
'
I C u tt h e s l a t sf o r t h e b o d yo f t h e c h a i r
I
t o s i z e ,t h e nd r i l l t w oh o l e sa t e a c he n d
o f e v e r yp i e c eT . o k e e pt h e l o c a t i o o nf the
I
h o l e su n i f o r md, o t h e j o b o n y o u rd r i l l
p r e s sa i d e db y t h e s i m p l ej i g s h o w na t
I
g b a c k u pp a n e tl o
l e f t .S t a r tb y s e c u r i n a
t h e m a c h i n tea b l ea n dd r i l l i n tgh e f i r s to f
I
t h e h o l e s - w h i c ha r ea l l % i n c hf r o mt h e
e n do f t h e s l a t sa n d % i n c hf r o mt h e n e a r -
I
. o rt h ej i g , l e a v et h es l a ti n p o s i -
e s te d g e F
t i o n a n dc l a m pt w o b o a r d st o t h e t a b l ea s
I
a f e n c ea n ds t o pb l o c k T . h ef e n c es h o u l d
b e f l u s ha g a i n stth e e n d o f t h e s l a ta n d
I
t h e s t o pb l o c ks h o u l db e b u t t e da g a i n s t
b o t ht h e f e n c ea n dt h e e d g eo f t h e s l a t .
I
D r i l lt h e s e c o n dh o l eb y t u r n i n gt h e s l a t
o v e ra n ds e a t i n gi t r n t h e j i g . R e p e atth e
t
n r o c e s as t t h e s l a t ' so t h e re n d a n d a t
b o t he n d so f t h e r e m a i n i nsgl a t s .
I
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I
r) Installing theslats I
L Onceall theslatsareready, setthe
s i d er a i l so n e d s eo n a w o r ks u r f a c e . I
s pn' rupu :u d olrrp n ^r^+ ^^i ^+^-+
u 6ruu v rnr iLhr p
r u fr ir rr c
J L. f > l O t O l l U , ) L C r L -

i n ga t t h e f r o n to f t h e c h a i r ,s e t i t o n t h e I
c l e a t sT. h es l a t ' sf r o n te d g es h o u l db e
f l u s hw i t ht h e e n d o f t h e c l e a t si;t s e n d I
s h o u l db u t ta g a i n stth e r a i l s C . h e c kw i t h
a t r y s q u a r et o m a k es u r et h e s l a t i s p e r - I
n e n d i c r l at ro t h e r a i l s t. h e ns c r e wt h e
s l a ti n p l a c eT. o i n s t a l l t h e remaining I
s l a t s ,u s ea b o a r dt h e s a m et h i c k n e s s
as the slats as a spacer(right).Check t
t h e a s s e m b lfyo r s q u a r ee v e r yf o u ro r
f r v es l a t s . I
I
48 I
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I CHAIRS

I
I BUILDING
THEBACKREST
I 1I Preoarins thebackrest railsandslats
I Thebackrest slatsarejoinedto the
I r a i l sw i t hh a l f - l a p0s u
. t l i n et h er a b b e t s
a t t h ee n d so f t h er a i l sa n dt h ed a d o e s
t i n b e t w e em n ,a k i ntgh e ma sl o n ga st h e
r a i lw i d t ha n da sd e e pa so n e - h atlhf e
I s t o c kt h i c k n e slse;a v eZ i n c ho f s p a c e
between theoutlines. Install a dadohead
I onyourtablesaw,adjustit to maximum
width,andsetthecuttingheight. Attach
I anextension to yourmitergauge. Sawthe
rabbets first,thenworkfromoneendof
I theboardto theotherto cutthedadoes
(righil.Foreachchannel, startbydefin-
I ingoneshoulder, thenmakea series of
passes untilyoureach theothershoulder.
t Holdtherailf lushagainst
extension throughout (Note:
themitergauge
Guard removed
I forclarity.)
sawmatching
Follow
rabbets
thesameprocedure
at bothendsof
to

I theslats.

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I
r) Attaching theslatsto the rails
t L O l l t t w oc l e a r a n cheo l e sa t e a c he n d
o f e v e r ys l a t ,t h e n s p r e a dg l u e i n t h e
I r a b b e t sa n d d a d o e so f t h e b a c k r e srta i l s .
S e tt h e r a i l sf a c eu p o n a w o r ks u r f a c e
I a n d i n s t a l lt h e s l a t sw i t h s c r e w s( / e f f ) ,
m a k i n gs u r et h e i re n d sa r ef l u s hw i t h
I t h e o u t s i d ee d e e so f t h e r a i l s .

t
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CHAIRS t
I
J<' Attaching
thebackrest
tothemainbody T
r.,l Setthe backrest on the siderailcleats,
leaving a % o - i n cgha p b e t w e etnh e b a c k - I
r e s ta n d t h e l a s ts l a t a t t h e t o p e n d o f
t h e m a i n b o d y .T h e np o s i t i o nt w o b u t t I
h i n g e sa c r o s st h e s e a m - o n ea t e a c h
end-centering t h e h i n g ep i n o n t h e g a p t
between the pieces.Markthe screwholes,
d r i l la p i l o th o l ea t e a c hm a r k ,a n ds c r e w I
the hingesin place(left).
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Installing theracks I
Makethetworacksfromlensths of
1%-inch-square stock.Starting aboul2Y, I
inches fromoneend,cuta series of notch-
esalongthetopedgeof eachrackonyour I
bandsaw.Thenotches should be%inch
deep,angled at 45",andspaced about2 I
inches apart.Mounttheracksbyfirstfas-
tening spacers thesamewidthandthick- I
nessasthecleats to thesiderailsdirectly
belowthecleats(seeanatomy, page44). I
T h e ng l u ea n ds c r e w t h er a c k st o t h e
s p a c e ras l,i g n i ntgh et o pe d g eo f e a c h I
stripwiththebottomedgeof thecleat
(right). Finally, attachthe backrest sup- t
portstopsto thetopedgeof the racks,
f l u s hw i t ht h eb a c ke n d s . t
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I f, Attaching thebackrest support
r.,/ Assemble thebackrest suooort with
I half-laps @age 49) Fasten the top end of
thesupport tothechairwitha piano hinge.
I Cutthehinge to thelength of thesupport
railsandscrew it to theinside faceof the
I toprailsothehingepinextends justoffthe
edge.Next,seatthebottom endof thesup-
I portin oneoftheracknotches andtilt up
boththesuooort andbackrest sothefree
t pianohingeleafiscentered onthefifthslat
fromthe bottomof the backresl tight).
I Markthescrew holes anddrilla pilothole
i n t h es l a ta t e a c hm a r kT. u r nt h ec h a i r
I overandscrewthehingeto theslat(insef).

I
INSTATTING
THELEGS
t 'l Preparing thelegsforthesiderails
( \ \ \
t I Thelessareattached to thesiderailswithrabbets
ona tableiawfittedwitha mitergauge extension
anda
cut

I dadoheadadjusted to maximum width.Setthecutting

heightat one-halfthelegthickness andanglethemiter
I gaugeto 45'. Positiontheripfencefora 3-inchcutting
width.Startbysawing therabbet shoulder,holding
the
I stockflushagainst thefenceandmitergauge extension.
Thenmakea series of passes to remove theremaining
I wasle(lefil.Onceall fourlegsarerabbeted, cutthecurve
attheirbottom endsonyourbandsaw.Keepin mindthat
t therearlegsare1%inches
enablethewheels
shorter
to contact
thanthefrontonesto
thesround.
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CHAIRS I
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r) Preparing therearlegs I
I torthewheelaxles
Markanaxleholeononeof therearlegs I
1 %i n c h e b selow t h er a b b est h o u l d e r .
T h e ni,n s t a lal / , - i n c hb i t i n y o u rd r i l l I
p r e s as n dc l a m pa b a c k u b po a r d
tothe
machine table.Holdthelegveryf irmlyas t
youdrillthehole(lefD.foensure thatthe
holein thelegontheopposite sideof the t
chairwillbein exactly thesamelocation,
alignthetwolegsfaceto faceandslipa I
pencil through theholeto marktheposi-
tionof theholein thesecond les. t
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Fastening the legsto thesiderails
Q
r . . l D r i l lt w oc l e a r a n cheo l e st h r o u g h
the t
r a b b e itn e a c hl e ga n ds p r e a dg l u eo n t h e
j o i n t .S c r e wt h e l e g si n p l a c e1 8 i n c h e s I
fromthe endsof the rails.Drivethe screws
w i t ht h e l e gc l a m p e di n p o s i t i o n s ot h e I
r a b b eci h e e kr e m a i n fsl u s ha g a i n stth e
f a c eo f t h e s i d er a r la n dt h e s h o u l d ebru t t s I
againstthe bottomedgeof Ihe rail (righil.
Repeatfor the frontlegs. I
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t Installing thewheels
I Fittheaxlerodsthrough
thelegs, thenslipa washer
theholesin
anda wheel
I ontotheaxlealongside
onewasher
oneleg.Morethan
maybenecessary to enable
I thewheelto turnfreely(above). Addanoth-
erwasher ontheoutside of thewheel,
I t h e nt a po na na x l ec a pu n t i li t i s s n u g
(left).lnslallthewheelon the opposite
I sideof thechairthesameway,butbefore
tapping ontheaxlecap,cuttherodsoit
t extends % inchbeyond
i n s t atl hl ec a o .
thewheel.Then

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he pleasures of a back- by itself,it canbetransformed
I yard or flowergarden into a gliderwhencombined
aremeantto beshared. While with thebaseshownon page
t a lonechairmavbesuitedto 112.Theparkbenchis rela-
solitaryreflection,benches tivelysimpleto make,assem-
I callout for company. More bledwith butt jointsthat are
thananything,a benchis an reinforcedby screws.The
I invitation,beckoning visitors joineryis morethan suffi-
to sit and chat or simply cientlystrong,andeliminates
t enjoythesurrounding views. the risk that the connecting
Thischaptershowshowto partsof thebenchwill trap
I build threedifferentstylesof waterthatcouldrot thewood.
benches. The gardenbench Perhaps morethananyoth-
I shownat left andon thefol- er pieceshownin thisbook,
lowingpageswill suit more thetreebench(page70)m:ust
I formaltastes. Itssolid,upright harmonizewith its setting-
backrest putsit in character both in its color and size.
I in a well-ordered garden. But Ratherthan trying thepainfullydfficult taskof cut- Ideally,it shouldappearto be
in therightlocation,thebench ting all the legsof the treebenchto fit unevenground almostan organicoutgrowth
I couldalsoserveasan inter- arounda treetrunlg levelit usingJlat rocksaswedges. of its environment. Madeby
estingcounterpoint to a more encirclingatreetrunk with six
I informallayout.In eithercase,try to situateit in front of modularseats thatareattached endto end,thebenchmust
tall flowersor shrubs,whichwill serveasa backdropto beplannedanddesigned with a particulartreein mind.The
I framethepiece. internaldiameter of thebenchshouldexceed thatof thetrunk
Theparkbench(page64)is aversatile piece.Thecurved byabout6 inches. Thetableon page71will helpyouchoose
I linesof its armrests andlegsgiveit a morecasuallookthan the appropriate dimensions for yourbench,giventhe cir-
the garden A
bench. simple andattractive bench when used cumference of your tree.
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Beforeyoupaint your outdoorfurniture, considerwhere
I it will beplacedin thegarden.Thewhiteof thegarden
benchshownat leftserves asan eye-catchingcounter-
I point to the colorfulflower bedthat standsbehindit.

I 55

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 ANATOMYOF A GARDENBENCH
nI- h. gardenbenchis a sophisticated backslats,for example,arehousedin that bridgethe ends,suchasthe front I
I pieceof fumiture.BuiJdingit demands dadoesthat extendright throughthe seatrailandbackrails.Finally,finishthe
asmuchprecisionandattentionto detail rails,allowinganymoistureto drainout. seatandback. t
asanyindoorproject.It alsoincorporates To makethe bench,startby assem- To ensurethat all the surfaces
ofthe
featuresthatgiveit theneededstrength bling the legsand rails,then add the benchareuniformlysmoothwhenthe I
anddurabilityto facetheelements. The armsand theirslats,formingthe two time comesto applya finish,sandthe
bottomendsofthe arm supportand endunits.Next,installthelongerpieces piecesbeforefastening themin place. I
I
Filler I
Upper atrip
baak e - t
rail /^eee Back
elat I
€4
tr-/
ae-i-nnI I
€

I
Lower
baok
rail
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9eat
alat
I
Lower
back
Front,
leg
I
rail CIeat
I
Front, aeat rail
Eack I
geat Seat eupport
rail I
Middle
stretaher
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End rail

{ I
End etretaher
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I BENCHES

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Front seat. rail
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I CUTTING
LIST QTY T w t CUTTING
PATTERNS
FOR
PARTS
CURVED OFBENCH
Frontlegs 2 l'/o' !'/ou 24',
I
Rearlegs 2 r%' I%' 47t/o'*
I Endrails 2 Iyo' 4', 233/"' Upperback rail
Arms 2 7 4 ?u 2Avt',
I Armsupportslats 6 3/qu 74 IIYo'

I Middfestretcher I Iy4' 274 60"

Endstretchers 2 Iyo' 2', 24"
I Frontseatrail L lt/o' 4u OU

Backseatrail I ly4' 3u 60"

I
Cleats 2 I' 1u 56'1', End rail
I Seatsupports 4 I%' ZA
a l
ZLtA
l / l

Seatslats 7 Iyo" 57Yo'

I Upper
backrail 1 IYo' 4t/n' 60"
I Lower
backrail 1 1' Z/4 OU

Lowerbackrailcap I %' z^ 56u/"u

I Backslats 13 ,,6', Z 25%',

I * Finalmeasurement.
Stockshouldbewiderto accommodate
curveof les.
 I
BUILDINGA GARDENBENCH I
I
A dadoheadon a tablesawcutsa dado I
in thefront legof a gardenbench.Each
front legneedsthreedadoes-two on the I
outsidefacethat matchrabbetssawninto
theendand stretcher rails,and oneon I
thefront edgefor a rabbetin thefront
seatrail. In thesetupshownat right,stop I
blocksclampedto a mitergougeexten-
sionensurethat thedadoesin thetwo I
legswill bein exactlythesamelocations.
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ASSEMBLING
THEENDUNITS
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r) Gutting joints
thehalf-lap
L Xl of thedadoes andrabbets forthe half-laps
usedto I
1 Making therearlegs assemble theendunitscanbecut onthetablesaw(photo,
I Referring to theanatomy illustration
andcuttinglistonthe abovel-exceptforthoseonthe backedgesof the rearlegsfor I
precedingpages, cutthearms,armsupport slats,andtheend the backseatrail.Thesearecut on a bandsawbecause the
andstretcherrails.Tooutlinethecurved rearlegsonthestock, cutsarelocated on the insideof thelegcurves,andthe I
startbymaking a plywoodor hardboard template; thelegsare stockcannotrestflaton a tablesawtableat theseooints.
vertical
fromtheirbottomendsto theseatandthencurveback- Startbymaking allthetablesawcuts,thenoutline theremain- I
wardat about10', ananglethatmostusers willfindcomfort- ingdadoon eachrearleg.Feeding thestockintothe blade
able.Oncethetemplate is ready,traceitsoutlineontheleg withbothhands, cutthesidesof thedadowithtwocross-grain I
stockwitha pencrl. Usinga 2-by-6willenable youto usethe cuts,thenmakea series of curved(above)andstraight
cutsto
sameblankfor bothlegs(above). Cutthe legsonyourbandsaw. remove theremainingwaste. I
T
58 I
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I BENCHES

t
T Attaching theendand
stretcher railstothelegs
t Setfrontandrearlegsfromthesameside
of the benchoutside faceuo on a work
I surface andapplywaterproof gluein the
dadoes. Taotheendandstretcher railsin
I position, check theunitforsquare anddrill
p i l o th o l e si n t h er a i l st,w oa t e a c he n d
I of theendrailandoneintothestretcher
rail,Screwthe piecestogether(righil.
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Installing thearms
I Screw thearmsupport slatsto the
endrails,making certain thatthesupports'
t bottomendsareflushwiththe bottom
edges of therails.Then,holding oneleg
I a s s e m bul yp r i g hst ,e tt h ea r mi n p o s i -
t i o n ,c e n t e r i ni tgo nt h es u p p o r a
t sn d
I butting thebackendagainst therearleg.
Outline thesupports ontheunderside of
I thearmandcut a %-inch-deep mortise
i n t ot h ea r mw i t h i ne a c ho u t l i n eA. l s o
I boretwoclearance holes through thearm
in linewiththefrontlegandthrough the
I r e a rl e gi n t ot h ee n do f t h ea r m .N e x t ,
spread somegluein thearmmortises and
I at theooints where thearmcontacts the
legs,fit thearmin position again(left),
I andscrewit to the legs.

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BENCHES
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t
ATTACHING
THESEATRAILSANDMIDDLE
STRETCHER I
1 Installing theseatrails
I
I Startbyattaching thefrontseatrail
to thefrontlegs,usinga malletandwood
b l o c kt o t a pt h eh a l f - l a pt os g e t h ear n, d
I
glueandscrews to f ixthepieces.
backrail,settheassembly upright
Forthe
on a
t
worksurface, position theboard against the
r e a rl e g sa, n dm a r kt h ep o s i t i oonf t h e
I
notchthatmustbecutin theendto enable
t h eo u t s i dfea c eo f t h er a i lt o s i t f l u s h
I
withthebackedges of thelegs.Cutthe
notch, thenglueandscrew therailto the
I
legstighil.
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t) Roundins overthefrontseatrail I
r../ Tomakethebenchmorecomfortable, roundoverthetop
a piloted
edgeof thefrontseatrail.Install rounding-overbit in I
a routerandsetthedepthof cutto reachyourfinaldepthin two
passes. Makethefirstpassalongtheinsrde faceof therail. I
Buttingtherouter baseplateagainstonefrontlegandholding
r-) Attaching
themiddlestretcher thetoollevelontherail,feedthebitintothestockandalong I
I Cuta rabbetateachendofthestretcher to matewiththe therail(above);makesurethebit'spilotbearing is pressed
dadoesin the endstretchers.Drilltwoclearance
holes
through againstthestockthroughout. Stopthecutwhentherouter con- I
thestretcher
at eachendof theboard, thenspreadsomegluein tactstheoppositefrontleg,thenrepeatthepassalong therail's
therabbets,setthe piecein position(above)
andscrewit down. frontface.Increase
thecuttingdepthandmaketwomorepasses. I
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60 I
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I BENCHES

T
t INSTATTING
THESEAT
I 1 Attaching
I Secure
thecleatsandseatsupports
thecleats to theseatrailswith
I glueandscrews spaced at 8-inchinter-
vals;position thecleats sothatthetopedges
t o f t h es e a st u o o o r tasn ds e a tr a i l sl i e
f lush.Withthecleatsin position, setthe
I b e n c ho n i t sb a c ka n da t t a c h t h ee n d
s e a st u p p o r t os t h ec l e a t sd, r i v i ntgh e
I screws fromunderneath; thesupports
should beflushagainst thelegsandend
I rails.Next,fasten themiddle
qn:nino
seatsupporls
i.h, r e me v e n l y
tn ihp nlo:iq an0
I h o l d i n ge a c hp i e c ei n p o s i t i o n
a s y o ud r i -
ve the screwslnshf).
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I r) Installing
theseatslats
I Rouna overthetopedges of theseat
I slatsandtestjitthemin thebenchsothat
thereis %-inchgapbetween them;trimthe
t slats'edses if necessary.Marktheloca-
tionsof theseatsupports oneachslatand
t drilltwoclearance holesthrough theslats
at eachmark.Startingat thefrontseatrail,
I screwtheslatsto thesupports, using%-
inchspacers to maintain thegapbetween
I the pieces(/eff).

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BENCHES I
I
AS SE M B LT
I NHG
EB A C K I
1 Shaping theupper backrail
I Cuttheupperbackrailto size,thensaw
t
therabbets at itsends.Outline thecurve I
along therail'stopedgeusinga template
based onthepattern onpage57.
illustrated I
Alignthetemplate withthetopcornerofthe
railat oneendandmarkitsoutline witha I
pencil(right).Repeatat theotherend,then
cutawaythewasteonyourbandsaw. t
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r) Preparing the railfor the backslats I
L Cutthegroovefor the slatsalongthe railon yourtablesaw t h e p o s i t i oonf t h ed a d oh e a dw h e ni t i s h i d d e nb yt h e r a i ld u r i n g
e q u i p p ew d i t ha d a d oh e a d A . d j u stth ew i d t ho f t h e b l a d e tso t h e the cut, marktwo lineson the fenceat the pointwherethe blades I
s l a tt h i c k n e s s - Xi n c h - a n d t h ec u t t i n gh e i g htto 1 i n c h .C e n t e r startandstopcutting.Holding the railagainst thefencejustabove
t h e r a i lo v e rt h e b l a d e sa n d b u t tt h e r i p f e n c ea g a i n stth e s t o c k . t h eb l a d ea s n da l i g n i ntgh ef r o n te n do f t h e e c ew i t ht h ec u t t i n g
p i I
T o h e l pk e e pt h e r a i lp r e s s eadg a i n st th ef e n c ec, l a m pa f e a t h e r - markon the fence,slowlylowerit ontothe head(above,left).Once
boardto thesawtable,bracedby a supportboardinstalled at a 90' the railis sittingsquarely on the table,feedit fonryard whilepress- I
a n g l e ;r o u n do v e rt h e t o p e d g eo f t h e f e a t h e r b o a trod f a c i l i t a t e ing it against the fence (above, right).Stopthe cut oncethe back
l o w e r i ntgh e w o r k p i e coen t ot h e b l a d e sT. o h e l py o ud e t e r m i n e endof the railreaches the backcuttinsmark. I
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62 I
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I BENCHES

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Fastening
thelowerbackrail
I totherearlegs
Prepare the lowerbackrailandtheninstall
I t h e b a c ks l a t si n t h e r a i l ,p r o c e e d i nags
you wouldfor a porchswing(page106).
I Spread s o m eg l u eo n t h e c o n t a c t i nsgu r -
facesof the lowerrailandrearlegs,fit the
I a s s e m b l i etso g e t h e (r a b o v da n d d r i v e
t w o s c r e w si n t oe a c he n do f t h e r a i l .
I
t
I
I
Attaching theupper backrail
I Positioning theupper railovertheslats,
startat oneendto pushtheraildown, snap-
I pingtheslatsintothegroove asyougo.
Oncethepieces areall in place, glueand
I screw t h eh a l f - l a pj os i n i n g
t h er a i la n d
rp:r lpoc (lpff ) f a enmnloto tho honnh
I g l u ew o o df i l l e rs t r i p si n t h eu p p e r a i l
groove between theslats.Thiswillkeep
I theslatsfromshiftins.

I
I 63

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I

-f h. parkbenchis a cozyseatfor hvo. yield a standard-height bench.Using joinerywith waterproofglueandscrews t

I It canserveasa stationary bench,as
shownhere,or asa glider,usingthebase
shownon page112.Theheightof the
benchwithouttheglidermaybea bit low
for someusers,but adding3 inchesto the
leglengthsprovidedin thecuttinglistwill
mainlysimplebuttjoints,theparkbench makesit sufficientlystrong.
isrelativelystraightforwardto construct. Anotherconcession to simplicityisthe I
While not asstrongasthe half-lap,the useof same-size stockfor backand seat
butt joint is quickandeasyto assemble- slats.Thisenables
you rip all theslatswith I
and it doesan evenbetterjob ofshed- thesamesettingon yourtablesaw,speed-
dingwaterandmoisture.Reinforcing the ingconstruction andreducing errors. I
I

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I BENCHES

I Two coatsof spar

varnish applied
I on thepark bench
shownat rigfut
I bringout therich
natural tonesof
I thewood-inthis
msaNorthern
I white cedar.

I
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I CUTTIl{G
I LIST OTY TH w t
Frontlegs 2 I/4' 4', 203/4'
I Rearlegs 3 LY4' 6n 33%',
Seatrails 3 lY4' 43/4o 2t'
I Ams 2 3/4' An 23',
I Frontrail I 3/qn 43/4' 46',
Rearrails 2 % ' , 23/4u 46',
I Upper I 3/on
2u 49Y4'
backrcil
t Seatslats 6 -/4
3u 47',
I Backslats 7 3/4n
3u 47',

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BENCHES
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THEENDUNITS
MAKING I
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1 Shaping thelegs I
I Startburldrngthebenchbyassemblingtheendunits,which c u t o u tt h e l e g so n t h e b a n ds a w .S m o o t ht h e s u r f a c eosf e a c h
of theseatandseatrails.Referring
consist pat-
to thecutting legwith a sandingblock(above), securingthe stockto a work I
ternsshownon page65, maketemplatesforthefrontandrear surface a n ds a n d i n g w i t ht h e a i n .R e a r r a n gt he e l e gi n t h e
g r
legs.Thentracethedesignsontoyourlegstock(page58)and c l a m p sa s n e c e s s a r y . I
I
I
I
/) Aftaching theseatrailsto thelegs I
L C u t t h es e a tr a i l st o s i z e t, h e nf a s t e n
o n et o e a c hl e g .M a r kl a y o ulti n e so n t h e I
l e g st o p o s i t i o tnh e r a i lp r o p e r l yT:h er a i l
s h o u l db e i n s e tf r o mt h e o u t s i d e d g e so f I
t h e l e g sb y % i n c ht o a l l o wt h e f r o n ta n d
r e a rr a i l st o b e s e tf l u s hw i t ht h e l e g ' s I
e d p e st,h e b o t t o me d p eo f t h e s e a tr a i l
s h o u l db e 5 %i n c h e sf r o mt h e b o t t o mo f I
t h e r e a rl e ga n d6 i n c h e sf r o mt h e b o t t o m
of the frontleg.Spreadsomeglueon the I
contacting surfaces of the pieces,alignthe
r a i lw i t hy o u rl a y o u lti n e s a, n d u s ea t r y I
s q u a r ea sy o uf a s t e nt h e r a i l st o t h e l e g s
to ensurethatthe bottomedgeof the rails I
r e m a i nps e r p e n d i c utl o a tr h eo u t s i d e d g e
of eachleg (right). I
I
66 I
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I BENCHES

I
I ASSEMBLING
THESEAT
Installing
thefrontandrearrails
I 1
I Cutthefrontandrearrailsto sizeand
drillclearance holes
at theendsof each
I piece. Using glueandscrews,fasten the
rearratlin place;driveonescrew at each
I endto start,checkforsquare,theninstall
theremaining fasteners.
Install
thefront
I railthesameway(right),then attach the
thirdseatrailto thefrontandrearrails,
I centerineit betweentheendunits.
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I O Installing theseatslats
L Cutalltheseatandbackslatsto size
I androundovertheiredges. Drilltwoclear-
anceholes through eachpieceat every
I seatraillocation.Next,notchthefirst
seatslatat thefrontof thebenchto fit
I around thefrontlegs.Toensure theslat
sitsflushagainstthecurved frontedgeof
I thelegs,holdit in positionontherails,
outlinethelegprofileat eachendwitha
I pencil(lefilandtrimto the linewitha
chisel.Screw theslatsin place, separat-
I ingthemwith%-inch spacers @age 61).

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BENCHES I
I
THEARM
INSTALLING I
1I Shanine
thearm
I 0 u t l i n et h e a p p r o p r i a ct eu t t i n gp a t t e r n
I
(page65) on onearm blank,thencut the
n o t c ha t t h e b a c ke n d o f t h e b l a n kt h a t
I
w i l l e n a b l et h e a r mt o f i t a r o u n dt h e r e a r
l e g .T o e n s u r et h e i n s i d es u r f a c eos f t h e
I
a r ma n dr e a rl e gw i l la l i g n h, o l dt h e b l a n k
i n p o s i t i oa
n n d m a r ka l i n ea l o n gt h e t o p
t
t^^^ ^t rL^ Lr^-r, +L^+^"r2llclq thp lpo'q
ldLtr Ul LllC Uldlln LlldL

insidefacetight).Cutthearmto shape
Vuruilu'J
I
on yourbandsaw,thenusea router to
its
roundoverall edges, for
except those
I
thatdefine Usethefirstarmto
thenotch.
outlinetheoooosite
one.
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Installing
thearms
P o s i t i otnh e a r m o n t h e b e n c hs o t h a tt h e i n s i d ee d s ei s t h e a r ma n d d r i l lc l e a r a n cheo l e st h r o u g hi t . T h e na p p l yg l u e I
f l u s hw i t ht h e r e a rl e ga n d o v e r h a n gt hs e i n s i d ef a c eo f t h e t o t h e c o n t a c t i nsgu r f a c eosf t h e a r ma n d l e g sa n df a s t e ne a c h
f r o n tl e gb y 1 7 i n c h e sM. a r kl o c a t i o nl i n e so n t h e u n d e r s i doef arm in placehbove). I
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I BENCHES

I
I ASSEMBTING
THEBACK
I
( ( (
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'l-l-
I Miter 4auge
extenaion
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I 1 Rabbeting thebackslats
I C u tt h er a b b e tast t h ee n d so f t h e b a c ks l a t so n y o u r h e a di s c l e a o
r f t h em e t aol n e .A d j u stth ec u t t i n gh e i g htto
t a b l es a w .I n s t a lal d a d oh e a da n da d j u sitt sw i d t ht o s l i g h t - one-half theslatthickness andscrewan extension boardto
t ly moreIhanrl inch.Thenattachan auxiliary fence,posi- the mitergauge.Feedtheslatsrounded-over sideup, hold-
tionthefencefora %-inch cutting width,andraise theblades ingthestockflushagainst thefenceandmitergauge exten-
I intothewooden fenceto notchit, making surethatthedado sionwhileyoumakethe cut (above).

I
I
I r) Attaching backslatsandrail
L tlttngglueandtwoscrewsat each
I e n d ,f a s t e n
t h e b a c ks l a t st o t h e r e a r
legs;cut Xo-inch spacers to maintain the
t proper gapbetween thebottommost back
slatandtheseat,and%-inch spacers for
I theremaining rows.Before applying glue
to thefourthslatfromthe bottom, notch
I it at eachendto fit around thearms.0nce
a l lt h eb a c ks l a t sa r ei n s t a l l e u
d s, et w o
I screws to fastenthe bottomendof the
backsupportpieceto the seatslatat
I t h eb a c ko f t h e b e n c hC. o m o l e t e he
benchbyinstalling theupperbackrail.
t Applyglueto thecontacting surfaces of
the railandlegs,thenscrewthesupport
I in position (/eft).

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ANATOMYOFATREEBENCH I

1 \ n c ei n s t a l l e da, t r e eb e n c hc a n is doneon site,youwill avoidfrustra- I

L - / b . . o * . a n i n t e g r apl a r t o f i t s tion if you first test-assemblethe six
environment, appearingasnatural, identicalseatingunits in the shop. I
necessary, and stableas the tree it Onceyou aresatisfied with thefit, dis-
encircles. Indeed,thisbenchis by def- assemble the benchonly partiallyto I
inition a custom-made proiect.You moveit. Remove thecaprail,seat,slats,
cannotcomplete thecutiinglistuntil backslatsand apronfrom two oppo- I
you measure thecircumference of the sitesections, leavingtwo pairsof seat
treearoundwhich the benchwill fit. sections intact.Whenyou reachyour I
Referto the chartoppositeto helpyou tree,positionthe two intactsections
sizethevariablepartsofyour project. aroundthe trunk, then reattachthe I
Althoughfinalassembly of thebench removedsections.
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I BENCHES

I Wrappedaround the trunk of a statelyashtree,a six-

sidedtreebenchoffersa shadyplaceto sitand reJlect.Its
I designallowsoneto view theentirepanoramawithout
movingthebench;theuserneedonlyshift to anotherseat.
I Thebenchshownat right wasfinishedwith a greenstain,
enablingit to blendunobtrusively
with itssurroundings.
I
t CUTTINGLIST w
OTY T L
I Legs 6 LYa" 3YB' 40'
Braces 6 1%' ?0
I6T+'
I Seatsupports I2 lrb' 3%' 17{q'
I Backcleats I2 IUz' IVz' 2s',
Caprails 6 1%', 3Vz'
t Aprons 6 IYB' 3Vz'
Backslats 18 4', *
I IVq'
Seatslats 18 Wq' +
I Cariagebolts t2 X 7ro"diam. 5n

I
I INSIDE [{stDE INSIDE
TREE tEl{GTH TREE TEl{GTH TREE tEiIGTH
I CIRCUMFERENCE
CAPRAIL* CIRCUMFEREilCE
CAPRAIL* CIRCUMFERENCE
CAPRAIL*
50' I23/4" 72" r6,/o' 94u 203/o'
I 52" 13" 7+'. ITYo' 96' 2IY4'
I 54u r3rl' 76' 17w' gg' 2rw"
56', I33/qu 7g' L77A' 100" 2l%"
I 58" L4' 80' I8Y4" 102" 22%"
I 60" r4u' 82" 18 5/a' 104' 22%',
62 I47,6' u' 19' 106' 22',
I 64u I5Y4' 86' I93,6' 108' 233,6'
66' 1554', 88' I9'/o' 110' 233/4'
I 68' 16' 90' 20' 112" 24r1',
t 70' 76%', 92" 20r,6' *Rounded up to
nearestt /s inch
I
Galculating
thedimensions ofa treebench
I Thesizeof sometreebenchparts-thecaprails,aprons, and androundyourresultupto oneof thedimensions in thechart
slats-deoend on thecircumference of thetree.Sincethe above. Thesamelineonthechartwillgiveyoutherequired
I mitered caprailshugthetreeclosest, theirlengthalongthe length of thecaprailsalongtheirinside edges.Cutthelength
inside(orshorter)edges is critical.
ldeally,
thereshouldbea of theothervariable oieces-theaDrons andslats-tofit.
I I%-inch gapbetween thecaprailsandthetreeat themidpoint lf thetreecircumference is lessthan50 inches, usel2slq-
of eachrail.Startbymeasuring (simply
thetree'scircumference inch-long caprails.lf it exceeds 112inches, youwillneedto
I wrapa measuring tapearound thetrunkat thecaprailheight) buildanoctagonal bench-orf inda smaller tree.

I 7l

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BUILDINGATRE,E
BENCH I
I
A tree benchbackslqt is trimmed to I
Iengthwith a compoundmiter cut on a
tablesaw.In the setupshown at right, I
the blade k angledto 30" so that the ends
of the slat will sitflush againstthe adjoin- I
ing legs;the miter gaugeangle is set to
match the splay angle-or side-to-side I
slope-of the legs.To help prevent kick-
back, the workpieceis clamped to a miter I
gaugeextensionand the cut is set up with
the wastepiece to the right of the blade. I
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MAKING
THESUPPORT
ASSEMBTIES I
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1 Assembling thelegs,braces andseatsupports I
I Startbuilding thebenchbymaking thesixsupport assem- notchon yourbandsaw(above, /eff).Next,useglueand
blies;eachonecomprises a leg andbrace andtwoseatsup- a screwto fastenthe braceto the leg,drivingthe fastener I
ports.Miterthebottom endof thebrace at a 72" angle, then through thebrace's bottomedge.Nowcuttheseatsupports to
trimthebottom corner witha cutat a 90" angleto themiter length, beveling
thefrontendat 30'. Thebackendof each I
cut;thissecond cutshouldintersect theendof thebrace 3% support shouldbeflushwiththeleg'sbackedgeandthesup-
inches fromthetopedge.Makea 45" mitercutat theother port'stopedgeshould beflushwiththetopendof thebrace. I
endof thebrace sothattheboardmeasures 16%inches along Clamp thesupports in position
onthelegandbrace, andmark
its bottom edge.Holding thebrace at a 105"angle to theleg a holeat eachendof bothsupDorts for a %u-inch-diameter I
4 inches fromtheleg'sbottom end,outline thebottom endof carriage bolt.Drillthe holesandinstallthe bolts,washers
t h eb r a c eo n t h ef a c eo f t h e l e s .T h e nc u t o u tt h e m a r k e d andnuts,tightening witha wrench(above, right). I
I
72 I
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I BENCHES

I
t
t
2 Preparing
thebackcleats
Makethe 12 backcleatsfromlenghs
of l'l-by-I%-inch
stock.Ripbothedgesof

Y
e a c hp i e c ea t a 3 0 ' a n g l e s o t h e n a r r o w
I f a c eo f t h e c l e a ti s % i n c hw i d e .C u tt h e
b o t t o me n d o f t h e c l e a ts o i t w i l l s i t f l a t
I o n t h e s e a ts u o o o r w t i t h t h e w i d ef a c e
f l u s ha g a i n stth e l e g .T o t r i m t h e t o p e n d
I o f t h e c l e a t ,h o l di t i n p o s i t i o a
n g a i n stth e
s e a ts u p p o r at n d l e g ,m a r ky o u rc u t t i n g
I line alongthe leg'stop end (right),and
m a k et h e c u t o n t h e b a n ds a w .
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Attaching thecleats tothelegs
r./ Tooffsetthecleatsfromthefront
I edgeof thelegsbytherequired 1%inch-
es,makea %o-inch-thick spacer thatyou
I canuseto space thecleatfromtheleg's
b a c ke d g eD
. r i l tl h r e ec l e a r a n cheo l e s
I through thecleatand,usingglueto bond
thecleatto the leg,fastenthecleatin
I place. Holdthespacer against thecleat
andf lushwiththeleg'sbackedgeasyou
I drivethescrews //eff).

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I 73

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BENCHES I
I
THESUPPORT
J()INING ASSEMBLIES I
1 Installins thecaorails I
I C u t h ec a pr a i l st o l e n g t hm, i t e r i n g
t h ee n d sa t 6 0 ' a n db e v e l i nt hg ef r o n t l)!:- --/. I
edgeat 70".(Refer to thecharton page \----,--'tl
7 1 t o d e t e r m i nt heel e n g t o h f t h er a i l I
alongitsinside edge.) Drilltwoclearance
holes through
propuptwosupport
therailsat eachend.Then I
assemblies andmark
a linealong thetopendof eachlegthat I
d i v i d eist st h i c k n e si ns h a l f A
. l i g nt h e
e n d so ft h ec a pr a i w l i t ht h em a r k eldi n e s
: n d f a s i p n t h p n i p c p t a t h o l p a c ,l r i o h f I
I
N o wa d do n a n o t h ecr a p r a i la n ds u p p o r t I
a s s e m b l cy o, n t i n u i nugn t i la l l s i xo f e a c h
a r ei n s t a l l e d . I
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r) Spacing thesupport assemblies t
L O n c ea l l t h e c a p r a i l sa r ei n p l a c e ,
s e tt h e l e g su p r i g hot n t h e s h o pf l o o ra n d I
c h e c kw h e t h etrh e s u p p o rat s s e m b l i e s
a r ee v e n l ys p a c e dM . a k i n gs u r et h e e n d s I
o f a l l t h e l e g sa r ef l a t o n t h e f l o o r ,m e a -
s u r ef r o mt h e i n s i d ef a c eo f o n er i g h t - I
h a n ds i d es e a ts u o o o rtto t h e i n s i d ef a c e
o f t h e a d j o i n i npgi e c e R . e p e awt i t ht h e I
r e m a i n i nsgu p p o r tas n dg e n t l yn u d g et h e
l e g st o o n es i d eo r t h e o t h e r ,i f n e c e s s a r y , I
u n t i la l l y o u rm e a s u r e m e na trsee q u a l
(lefil.Ihts maytakesometrial and error. I
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74 I
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I BENCHES

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t
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I Q Sizing theaprons
r-,1Youwillneedto markoneapronin position to determine
I h f t h ep i e c e sS. t a r bt yc u t t i n tgh ea p r o n s
t h ef i n a l e n g t o
a b o u3t 6 i n c h e lso n g et rh a nt h ec a pr a i l sN . e x tm , a r kl i n e s
I along t h et o pe n d so f t w oa d j o i n i nbgr a c etsh a td i v i d e their
t h i c k n e si ns h a l f a
, n dc l a m pa w o o ds t r i pa sa s t r a i g h t e d g e
I alongeachmarked line.Tomarktheapron, workwitha helper Attaching theaprons
t o h o l dt h eb o a r di n p o s i t i oant e a c he n d ;m a k i nsgu r et h e Drilla pairof clearanceholesat eachendof theaprons.
I apronisflushagainst theseatsupports andbutted against the Using straightedges theendsof thepieces
to center across
the
u n d e r s i doef t h es t r a i g h t e d greusna, p e n c ial l o n g t h ew o o d braces, screwtheaprons in place(above).Youmayneeda
I stripat eachendof theapron(above). Trimtheapron, then helper to holduptheopposite endof eachapronasyoudrive
usethepieceto marktheremaining ones. thef irstoairof screws.
I
I INSTALLING
SEAT
ANDBACK
SLATS
I 1l Marking -
thefirstseatslat
I Startsizins theseatslatsat theback
I of the bench.-To determrne theexact
angleat whichyouwillneedto miterthe
I e n d so f t h es l a t sh, o l dt h ef i r s tb l a n ki n
position ontheseatsupports andagainst
I t h el e g sa n du s ea s l i d i n b g e v et lo m e a -
s u r et h ea n g l e formeb d yt h es l a ta n d
I oneleg.Adjustthemitergauge onyour
tablesawto thisangle. Tolocate your
I c u t t i n gl i n e so nt h eb o a r dm, a r kl i n e s
a l o n gt h ef r o n te d g e o s f t h e l e g st h a t
I divide theirthickness in half.Then,with
theslatblankin position, drawthecut-
I t i n gm a r k st / ai n c hi n s i d teh o s eo nt h e
legs(left).Thiswill leavetherequired
I t/a-gap between slats.Trimtheslatto
length anduseit to sizetheremaining
I ones.Thenfastentheslatsto theseat
supports withtwoscrews at eachend,
I leaving a rla-gap between thepieces.

I
I 75

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BENCHES I
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t
Q Trimming thebackslatsto lengh t
r-,1Theendsof thebackslatsmustbecutat a compound
angle-both mitered andbeveled-so theysitf lushagainst I
r) Attaching theremaining seatslats thelegsof thetreebench. Tomarktheslats,seta 6%-inch-
L me second andthirdrowsof theseatslatsareinstalled in widespacer onedgeonthefirstseatslatandplacetheback I
muchthesamewayasthefirst.Tomarkeachslat,setit on s l a tb l a n ko nt h es p a c e H
r . o l d i ntgh es l a tf l a ta g a i n st w
t o
theseatsupports andbuttit edgeto edgeagainst thefirst adjoining legs,runa pencilalong theinside faceof theeach I
s l a t ,p l a c i nag % - i n c h - t h si cpka c esrt i c kb e t w e et n
h es l a t s . legto markcuttinglinesonthefaceof theslat(above). fo cul
Thenusea oencilanda ruleto marklinesacross thefaceof thecompound angle onyourtable saw,angle theblade to 60' t
theslatthatalignwiththeendsof thefirstslathbove).Lliter andadjustthemitergauge to theanglemarked ontheslat
theslatandfastenit to theseatsupports, maintaining the%- (photo, page72).Usetheslatasa guideto trimming theoth- I
inchgapbetween theendsanda %-inch space between edges. ersin thebottom tier.
I
Installing
thebackslats
holesat eachend
Drilltwoclearance I
of every backslat.Using thespacer to sep-
aratetheslatfromtheseatslatbelow and I
a clampto holdtheslatlevel, fasten each
pieceto thebackclealstighil. Installthe I
s e c o nadn dt h i r dt i e r so f b a c ks l a t st h e
sameway,butusea %-inchlhick spacer t0 I
separate theboard edges. Applyyourfinish
before setting upthebenchin itschosen I
location outdoors andsoavoidsplattering
thetreewithpaint,stain,orvarnish. Before I
transporting thebench,remove thecap
r a i l ,a p r o na n ds l a t sf r o mt w oo p p o s i t e I
sidesof theassembly. Thiswillleave two
pairsof framesections that,together with I
the removed pieces, areeasyto move.
Oncethetwoframesections arepositioned I
a r o u n tdh et r e e ,y o uc a nr e i n s t atlhl e
detached boards(photo,page77). I
I
76 I
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I BENCHES

I
t With twodouble framesections posi-
tionedon opposite sidesof an ashtree,
I a treebenchapronisfastenedin place.
Sincethebenchwasbuib in theshop
I anddisassembled for easytransport
andpositioning, installingtheremain-
I ingpieces-theseatand backslats,the
caprailsand thelastapron-is a sim-
I ple matter.Theboerdscanbefitted
intopositiorL
and thescrews driven
I into theirpredrilledholes.

I
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I SETTING
UPA TREE
BENCH
Leveling
I a treebench
0 n c ea l lt h ep i e c eosf y o u tr r e eb e n c h
t havebeenfastened in place, workwith
a helper to lift it andposition theassem-
T blyaround thetree.Thegapbetween
trunkandcaprailsshould beequal
the
around
t thetree'scircumference.
rainis unlikely
Because
to beaslevelasyourshop
theter-

I f loor,oneor moreof thelegsmaynotbe

in contact withtheground. Rotating the
I benchin onedirection
solvetheproblem.
ortheothermay
lf not,trima legUeft)
I thatis resting onhigher
upa legthatis nottouching
ground, or prop
theground
I (nhnfn neop 56)

I
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I 77

I
 5 . ?
E $
eL."
rJl\;r
t

_ =

+a

tr iI gor',- :',,. .tF:

""**"*;;T*{:#':.ry
,.-,.%:+- ra_..s4;.s:
* v) ..r::tly
U,:- ,','lF

S ,i' *:iirfi
rE %:II,,tt
Ls* #::t;:
' v,.i] {t
h* .r,.:I'u* ;Ff#
"li
tij l-.,*
*{c -t?",
I
I

I
I
t TABLES
I
I
I
atingoutdoorsis oneof life's manageable with thehelpof the
I simplepleasures. Whether it is indexing jig shownonpages 88and
a picnic,a barbeque, or something page134.
I moreelaborate, dining al fresco Thefoldingpicnictable(page90)
alwaysaddssomethingspecialto offersa convenient solutionto the
I theexperience. Thepatiotableand needfor atablethatistransportable.
the foldingpicnictableshown It is designed to fold downneatly
I in thischapterarebothexcellent andcanfit insidemostcartrunks.
additions to anyoutdoorfurniture Whenlockedin theupposition,the
I ensemble. tableprovides a sturdysurfacelarge
Thepatiotable(page80)islarge enoughto seatfouradults.Itscon-
I enoughto seatsixadultscomfort- structioncombines theuseof nre-
ably.It is,in fact,asbigasmanydin- fabricated partsandbuildingto fit.
I ingtables. Thetabledoesnotseem Whilethetop canbemademade
imposing, howeve5 mainlybecause by referringonlyto thecuttinglist
I of thelattice-work gridthatcom- (page 92),thelegsmustbeplanned
prisesthetop.Thisgives thetablea carefully sotheynestinsideeach
t light appearance, and literally Theconvenience of a tablethatfoldscan otherandmustbetrimmedto the
reduces theweight. Whileit isnotas bea liability whenit is ladenwith food. rightlengthandangleasthelast
t portableasthepicnictable,it can Oneway to ensurethat the tabledoesnot step(page96).
bemovedeasilyby hvopeople,or collapse at an inopportunetime is to A usefulcompanionto both
I evenonein a pinch. usea butterflycatchpull to lock the leg tablesis the keyedtenonbench
Likemanypieces of outdoorfur- rail and supportblocktogether. (page98).lt is attractive, simple,
I niture,thepatiotablereliesonhalf- andexceedingly strong.Sometimes
lapsto join thelegsandrails.Theframesurrounding thelattice calleda joyntstool,thisis a veryold designthatcouldhave
I gridis assembled with bridlejoints.Thesestrongjointshelp beenfoundoutside anEnglish cottage fourhundred yearsago.
makeup for someof therigiditysacrificed byhavinga lattice However, it looksperfectly
athomeon a contemporary deck
t topinstead of a solidone.Thegriditselfisformedbyjoining or patio.Its simpledesignmakes it easyto buildto whatever
thestripsof woodwith half-lapjoints.Thiscallsfor cutting lengthyouneed.Simplechange thelengthof theslatsand
I several hundreddadoes-adaunting task,butonemadequite stretchers listedin thecuttinglistasrequired.

I
I
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I A lanicetop makesa tablemuchlighter,but remember
not to maketheholestoolargeor glasseswill spilleasily.
I Thespaces shouldbeno largerthan 11/tinchessquare.

I 79

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I

hepatiotableis a slightlyformal, Thegrid of latticestripslacksthe ing,thecornersarejoinedwith bridle I

but welcome additionanydeckor samestrengthandrigidityasasolidtop. joints,whichoffertwicethegluingsur-
backyard. grid
Thelattice lendsalighr thetop'sresistance
Toincrease to rack- faceofhalf-laps. I
nessto a fairly largetable.A clever
designelementholdsthegrid in place I
with no needto cuta surrounding rab-
bet.Theinsidelengthandwidthof the I
frameare1%incheslongerthanthose
of thetablebase. Thiscreates a%inch t
ledgeto holdthegridontopof therails,
withintheframe. I
Thegriditselfcanbeassembled on
theworkbench andtheninstalledin I
thetable.Prepare thestripsoneinch
longerthancitedin the cuttinglist, I
cut the dadoesfor thehalf-laps,then
trim themto fit (page88). I
Thoughdelicatelooking,thetableis
far from flimsy.But,whileit will hold t
upto reasonable use,but donotexpect
it to withstandthesamestress asyour I
oakdiningtable.
I
I
Thebaseand thelatticegrid of the
patio tableareeasyto separate,lend- I
ing itselfto thisstrikingfinishingtech-
nique. Thelatticegrid wasremovedas I
a wholeunit andfinishedwith tungoil
and sparvarnish.Therestof thetable I
wasstainedwith a dark greenopaque
finish, creatinga contrastthat high- I
lightsthelatticewood'snaturalcolor.
I
CUTTI]IGTIST OTY T w t
I
Iegs 4 TY,' 3Y2' 29', t
Siderails 2 IYo' 4Y4' 5s%',
Endrails 2 IY4' 4Y4' 30t/z' I
Frame sides 2 1Y4' 3u 60' I
Frame ends 2 IYo' 3u 36'
Shoillatticestdps 24 Y4' IY4' 297/s'* I
Longlatticestrips 13 Y4' IY4' 54u*
*prepare strips one t
inch longerthan
trim to fit after cut-
ting dados
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ANATOMY
OFA PATIO
TABTE

Frame end

Short
lat'tice
et'rip -

Long
lattice
etrip -

\ 9ide rail

End rail
Leg
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TABLES I
I
PockethLtlcs are au cxccllurt cltoicc I
.fbr nttnclrirtg tlrc tnltla.fi'tttrcto thc
roils. Tlrcy cntt slsolte trsedto .joirr I
a roil to o post.TlrccLtrrtncrcid.iig
showrtttt lc.ftetnltlesyotr to Itoretlte I
lnlcswitlr s rttirrirrrturr o.fsetuptirrte.
Tlrc daviceclnrrrpstlrc workpieceitr I
positiortarrd.f-cottrres o Ittrshitrytlnt
holdstlrcdrill bit ot thecorrectnttglc. I
The corriltirttttittttltit slutwrrbttress
cleqrarrce lrclc.fbrtlrc screwsl.Lnrtk nrul I
cotutersittkstlrcltole.fbrtlrclrcodirr
orreopernliort. A stopcLtllar attsched I
to tlre bit rcgilotcs tlrc drilling dcpth.
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LEGS
ASSEMBLING ANDSTRETCHERS I
thehalf-lans
1l Cuttins
- I
I T h er a i l sa r ej o i n e dt o t h e l e g sw i t h
h a l f - l a p sS.t a r tw i t ht h e s i d er aj l s a n dt h e I
l e g s I. n s t a lal d a d oh e a do n y o u rt a b l es a w
a n ds e tt h ec r r t t i n h s e i p htto h a l ft h et h r c k -
I
nessof the stock.Adjustthe fenceto make
a 3 l - i n c h - l o n gr a b b e tt,h e na d da n e x t e n - I
s r o nb o a r dt o y o u rm i t e rg a u g eC . u tt h e
r a b b e t isn t h e s i d er a i l sa n dt h e o u t s i d e I
f a c e so f t h e l e g s .N e x t ,h o l dt h e l e go n
pdsp :o:inc.f ihp mif or oarroo pvtpnsinn
I
a n dc u t t h e d a d oi n t h e o u t s i d ee d g et o
accommodate the end ratl (right).To pre- I
p a r et h e e n d r a i l s ,s h i f tt h e f e n c ef o r a
1 ' l -i n c hl o n gr a b b e tt,h e nm a k et h e c u t I
o n t h e i n s i d ef a c e so f t h e e n dr a i l s T . he
finalstepisto trim % inchfromeachendof I
t h ee n dr a i l sT. h i sw i l la l l o wt h ee n dr a i l s
t o s i t f l u s ha g a i n stth e l e g s . I
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I CORNER HALF.IAP JOINTJIG
t lf youhaveto makecornerhalf-laps
in severalboards of thesamesize,
t it is worthtakingthetimeto build
thejig shownat right.Cutthetwo
I basepieces andthestopblockfrom
plywood thesamethickness asyour
t siock.Thebasepiecesshouldbe
wideenough to accommodate the
I edgeguidesandsupport the router
baseplateasyoucut the half-laps.
I Usesolidwoodstripsfor thefour
pdoo orridpc

I T o a s s e m btl he ej i g , m a r kt h e
shoulder ofthehalf-lap ononework-
I pieceandsettheboardface-up
worksurface. Buttthebaseoieces
ona

I against the edgesof the boardso

theshoulder markis nearthe mid-
I dleofthebasepieces. Install
bit in therouterandalignthecut-
a straight thestockthickness.
positioned
Then,withthe cuttheoutside edgesof thehalf-lap,
router inside theguides, keepingthebaseplateflushagainst
I ter withtheshoulder
tiononeendguideacross
mark.Posi-
the base
gripthetoolfirmly,turnit on,andlow-
erthe bit intotheworkoiece.
a guideat alltimes.Thenroutoutthe
Guide remaining waste,feeding thetool
I pieces andagainst
plate.Without moving
theiool'sbase therouterin a clockwise direction
to against
thedirection of bit rotation.
theworkpiece,
I repeatthe procedure
opposite guide.
to position
Nowalignthebit with
the

I theedgesof theworkpiece
thesideguides,
andattach
leaving a slightgap
I between the routerbaseolateand
eachguide.(Thef irsthalf-lap you
I makewiththe jig will routreference
grooves in thebasepieces.) Slipthe
I stopblockunderthe endguide,butt
it against theendof theworkpiece,
I andscrewit in place.Countersink
all fasteners.
I To usethejig,clampit to the
worksurface andslidetheworkoiece
I between the basepiecesuntil it
buttsagainst the stopblock.Pro-
I tectingthestockwitha woodpad,
clamptheworkpiece in place. Adjust
I therouter's cuttingdepthto one-half

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pocket
Making holes
Usea commercial pocketholecutter I
l i k et h eo n es h o w no n p a g e8 2 o r a s h o p -
b u i l tj i g l i k et h eo n es h o w na b o v eto make I
the pocketholes.This1igconsists of two
p i e c e so f : / a - i n c hp l y w o o dj o i n e dt o t
forman L-shaped cradleandtwosupport
b r a c k e ttsh a t a n g l et h e c r a d l ea t 1 5 " I
f r o mt h e v e r t i c a lS. e a t h e w o r k p r e ci e
n
t h e c r a d l ea, n d a l i g nt h e s t o c ks o t h e I
c l e a r a n cheo l ew i l le x i ti n t h e m i d d l eo f
the boardedge.Installa Forstner bit and I
d r i l la h o l ej u s t d e e pe n o u g ht o r e c e s s
t h e s c r e wh e a d( a b o v e )T. h e ni n s t a l a l I
b r a d - p o i nbti t a n d b o r et h e c l e a r a n c e
h o l et h r o u g ht h e w o r k p i e c e . I
I
Q Attaching legs
r-,1 Setonepairof legsona worksurface I
andapply glueto therabbets. Slidea side
railin position andsecure it witha screw I
a t e a c he n d .C h e cfko rs o u a r e n easnsd
adjustasnecessary, thenaddtwomore I
screws (right).Repeat theprocedure forthe
nihpr lpo and fnr ihp qo.nnd nrir nf lpoq I
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Adding
endrails
r T o a t t a c he a c he n dr a i l ,d r i l lc l e a r a n cheo l e si n e a c he n d e a c hc o r n e rC
. h e c kt h e t a b l eb a s ef o r s q u a r eb y t a k i n ga m e a -
thenapplyglueto therabbets. Withthehelpof anassistant to s u r e m e nat c r o s se a c hd i a g o n atl h; e ys h o u l db e e q u a l( a b o v e ) .
I h o l du pt h es i d e so na l e v esl u r f a c ep ,o s i t i oonn eo f t h er a i l s l f n o t ,p l a c ea c l a m po v e rt h e l o n g edr i a g o n aaln dt i g h t e ni t
andscrewit in olacewithonescrew. Check to makesurethat s l o w l yu n t i lt h e t w o d i s t a n c easr ee q u a l .L e a v et h e c l a m pi n
t ,+t- ^^,,^-^ +L^^ ^rr
It lJ )qudlc, tllcllduu
-rnthpr
d l r v L r r c r Js uarrcpv w
v . rR\ cepncpo :Lt tLhr rps rn r n a p s sf n r n ,l :ueucr u
p r r, n' 1t i, l' tLh' ,pu o l r r c n
E,uu uu,uJ.
rrrp.

I
PREPARING FRAME
THELATTICE
t 1I Cuttins
tenoncheeks
-

I I T h ec o r n e r o s f t h e l a t t i c ef r a m ea r e
j o i n e dw i t h b r i d l ej o i n t sf o r e x t r as t r e n g t h .
I T h ef i r s ts t e ni s t o c l t t h e t e n o nc h e e k s .
l f y o u a r ew o r k i n gw i t h a t a b l es a wy o u
I w i l ln e e da c o m m e r c itael n o n i njgr go r a
s h o p - b u idl te v i c el i k et h eo n el i k eo n p a g e
I 8 7 T o c u t t h e c h e e k ss e tt h e s a wb l a d e
t o i t sm a x i m u m h e i g hat n dm o u n t h e e n d
I o f t h ef r a m ei n t h et e n o n i njgi g .A d j u s t h e
i i p s o t h e h l a d em e e t st h e b o a r da t o n e
I t h i r do f t h e s t o c k ' st h i c k n e sfsr o mt h e
e d s e .K e e nt h e k e r fo n t h e w a s t es i d e .
I T u r no n t h e s a wa n d m a k ea p a s st h r o u g h
t h e b l a d eN . e x t f, l i p t h e b o a r da r o u n da n d
I makethe secondcut (left).Repeatfor the
o p p o s i teen dt h e nc u t t h e c h e e k si n t h e
I o t h e rf r a m ee n d .

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TABLES I
t
r) Cutting shoulders I
L Onr"allthetenoncheeks havebeen
cut,trimoffthewasteonthetablesaw t
to maketheshoulders. Laytheframerail
o nt h et a b l ea n da d j u st th eb l a d e height I
so it justtouches thecheek.Attachan
e x t e n s i ot ont h em i t e gr a u g eH. o l dt h e I
r a i la g a i n st ht eg a u g ae n dp o s i t i ot nh e
stockwiththecuttingmarkfortheshoul- I
d e ri n l i n ew i t ht h eb l a d eC. l a m ao s t o o
blockto theextension; thiswillspeed up I
making repeat cuts.Thenfeedthestock
intothe blade?ighil. I
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Q Cutting mortise sides I
r-,1lf yourshopdoesnothavea highceiling youmaynotbe mortise
Chiseling bottoms
ableto cutthemortises in thestilesusingthetablesawand Removethewastebetweenthemortise
sideswitha mallet I
thetenoning jig.Instead, sawthembyhand.Witha railtenon a n dc h i s e lM . o u n t h e s t i l et o y o u rw o r kb e n c ha s s h o w nc, l a m p -
asa guide,marktheshoulder lineandthesidesofthemortise i n gi t f i r m l yi n p l a c e S. e l e cat c h i s etl h e s a m ew i d t ha s t h e I
ontheedges andendof eachstile.Thenmountthestockon m o r t i s eo, r a s c l o s ea s p o s s i b lw e i t h o u tb e i n gw i d e r T
. oclean
yourworkbench at anangleasshown. Thissetupmakes it eas- o u tt h e w a s t e ,
o l a c et h e c h i s e l% i n c h i n f r o mt h e b o t t o mo f t
ierto cutstraight sides. Witha backsaw,cutdownfromthe themortisa e n dt a p i t w i t ha m a l l e st o i t s i n k sa b o u t% i n c h .
corner, keeping thebladeon bothlines(above). Stopwhenthe S e tt h e c h i s e lb a c kt o w a r dt h e e n d o f t h e b o a r db y a b o u l ' / o t
sawbladetouches theshoulder lineandtheoppositecorner. andtap towardsthe first cut to removea smallnotchof waste.
Cutitsneighboring side,thenturntheboard overandcutthe C o n t i n u ien t h i s m a n n e ur n t i ly o ur e a c ha b o u th a l f - w a yT.u r n I
otherdiagonal kerfs. Finally, finishthesidesbycutting
straight the boardoverand removethe restof the waste.Finallvoare
d o w nt o t h es h o u l d lei n
r es. straightdownat the shoulderline (above). I
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I A TENONING JIGFOR THETABLE SAW
I Youcanusethelig shown at rightto Dlade4uard
cuttenons onthetablesaw.Adapt
I t h ed i m e n s i o snus g g e s t ei ndt h e
illustration to customize thejig for
t yoursaw,if necessary.
Cuttheiisfenceandbackfrom
I %-inch plywood andsawa 45' bevel
at oneendof eachboard; thepieces
I shoulb d ew i d etrh a nt h eh e i g hot f
y o u rs a w ' sr i p f e n c e F
. a s t etnw o
I nieces topetherface to face to fash-
iontheback,thenusecountersunk
I screws to attachthefenceandback
in an L shape. Makesurethefasten- Fence
t e r sw i l ln o tb e i n t h eb l a d e 'psa t h
whenyouusethejig.Next,cutthe
Groovefor np fence
I brace fromsolidstock,bevelitsends,
andattachit flushwiththetopedges
t of thefenceandback,formrng
angle. Maketheclampbyfaceglu-
a tri- T o u s et h e i i s . s e t i t o n t h e s a w
J i 6 r
e v ! i r

t a b l ei n f r o n to f t h eb l a d e
v

w i t ht h e
t h e b l a d e .F e e dt h e j i g i n t ot h e c u t -
t i n g e d g e .( Y o u rf i r s t u s eo f t h e j i g
I i n gt w op i e c eosf l - i n c hp l y w o o d
a n dc u t t i n tgh ea s s e m bilnyt ot h e
r u n n ear n df e n c es t r a d d l i nt hger i p
fence. Clamp theworkpiece in thejig
w i l l p r o d u cae k e r fi n t h e b a c k . )F l i p
t h e w o r k p i e caer o u n da n dr e p e atto
I shape s h o w nU. s ea h a n g ebro l t , andposition theripfenceto alignthe cut the othercheek(below).Remove
washer, andwingnutto attach the cuttingmarkontheworkpiece with t h e. 1 i tgo c u t t h e s h o u l d e r s .
t clamp
between
t o t h e1 i gb a c kl,e a v i nagg a p
theedgeof theclampand
t h p f p n n p p n r r : l f n i h o i h l 6 l a n g g 5g f
I
t h e s t o c ky o uw i l l u s e .O f f s e t h e
t b o l ts o t h e c l a m pc a n p i v o te c c e n t r i -
c a l l y .( Y o uc a nd r i l la d d i t i o n ahlo l e s
I i n t h e j i g b a c ks o y o uc a ns h i f tt h e
c l a m pt o a c c o m m o d a tdei f f e r e n t
t stockthicknesses.) Next,cut the run-
n e rf r o ms o l i dw o o d .W h e na t t a c h e d
I t o t h e l i g f e n c e t, h e r u n n e wr i l ls t r a d -
d l et h e s a wf e n c e e , l i m i n a t i nagn y
I w o b b l eF . o rs o m em o d e l sy, o uw i l l
haveto mill a groovedownthe length
I o f t h e r u n n e r a, s s h o w n t, o f i t t h e
r i p f e n c e .F i n a l l yc, u t a p r e c eo f
I c l e a rp l a s t i ca s a b l a d eg u a r da n d
s c r e wi t t o t h e j i g b a c kf l u s hw i t h
I i t s f r o n tf a c e .

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f, Attaching theframe I
r-,f Onceyouhavecutthebridlejoints,
dryassemble theframeandsetit onthe t
tablebaseto ensure thatit fits properly.
There should bea %inchledge allaround t
theinside edgeof theframe, whichwill
support thelattice grid.Disassemble the I
frameandspread someglueonthetenons.
Reassemble theframe, checkforsquare- I
ness, andclampeachjointwitha pairof
clamps. Thenroundovertheoutside edges I
of theframe. Tosecure theframein posi-
tion,setit ontherailsandarrange it to t
create an even3/o inchledge.Holdthe
framein placewitha clampin eachcor- t
nerandsecure it witha screwin each
pockethole(/eff). I
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ASSEMBLING
THELATTICE
GRID I
1 Dadoing thecrossstrips
t
I Thestripsthatmakeupthelattice
gridarejoinedwithhalf-lap joints-more
than300 in total.Position thedadoes
I
jig (seepage134).
witha simpleindexing
Mounta %-inch-wide dadoheadonyour
t
tablesawandadjustthebladeheight
halfthewidthof thestock.Fixthejig to
to I
a mitergaugeextension to leaveIYzinch
spacebetween dadoes. Startwithstock
I
oneinchlonger thenthenominal
givenin thecuttinglist.Tocutthefirst
lengths t
dadoin eachpieceholdit onedgeagainst I
themitergauge withoneendbutted against
thekey.Makea passthrough
thenmovetheboardalongthegauge,
thecutters,
fit-
I
tingthenewdadooverthekey,andmake
a n o t h epra s sC. o n t i n ui n
e t h i sm a n n e r
I
untilyouhavecutdadoes
andlongstrips.
in alltheshort t
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I r) Sizing thestrips
L gotnthelongandshortstripsmust
I betrimmed to f it inside theframe.Laya
shortstripacross theframeandadjustit
I untilthedistance between thelastdado
andtheframeisthesameon bothends.
t Makea markonthestrip(righil,f o tim
thestrrp to thismarkinstall a regular blade
t i n y o u tr a b l es a w N
. e x tr,e p o s i t i tohne
mitergauge extension sothatwhenthe
I lastdadois f ittedoverthekey,thetrim-
mingmarkis linedupwiththeblade. Trim
I theendsofthisstrio.thentrimbothends
of alltheshortstripsthesameway.Repeat
I thisprocedure to trimthelongstrips.

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I thegrid
Installing
Popthegridin place, thenturnthe
t tableupside down.Install anglebrackets
to securethelattice in position. Tomake
I thegrid
Assembling surethegridrests flat,screw eachbracket
A s s e m b lteh eg r i d ,t h e ni n s t a lilt a s o n eu n i ti n t h ef r a m e L . a yo u ta l l t h es h o r t to therailswitha )4inchspacebetween
I strips-dadoee d d g e su p - o n a l a r g ew o r ks u r f a c eS. p a c et h e mo u t b y i n s t a l l i n g it andthelattice strip.Afterattaching a
a l o n gs t r i pa t e a c he n d .N e x t ,i n s t a ltl h e r e s to f t h e l o n gs t r i p sa, p p l y i n g l u ef i r s t bracket to itsrailsecure it to thecorre-
I andworkingthe dadoestogethergenlly(aboveJ. Anchoreachjoint with a f-inch sponding latlicebbove).Thegapwill
g a l v a n i z ecdo m m o nn a i l .O n c ea l l t h e l o n gs t r i p sa r ei n p l a c e r, e m o v teh e o u t s i d e cause thebracket to becinched down
I mi t hg l u ea n dn a i l t h e mi n p l a c e .
l o n gs t r i p sa n dr e i n s t a l l t h ew ontheIattice, holdingit tightly.

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FOLDINGPICNICTABLEAND BENCH t

f hispicnictableis greatfor sponta- I

I neousafternoons in thecountry.It CUTTII{G
LIST OTY T w L
foldsdown flat to fit into mostcartrunla
PICNIC
TABTE I
or hatchbacks. Thekeyto its portability
istheU-shapedlegassemblies, whichnest 0uterlegs z !Y,' 3y,' 36'* I
insideeachother.To acccomplishthis, Innerlegs z Ir/2' ?r/"1 36u*
maketheouterlegassembly first,thencut Hinge
rail 1 LY,' 3v,' 36' I
theinneroneto fit insideit. Thisarran-
Catchrail I I%' 3Y,' 29',
gementmeans,however, thatonelegrail
rail
Cross 1
t
is short,andmustreston a blockto pro- IY,' 3Y2' 29',
videthe propertableheight.Therail is Toprails Z LYo' 4', a1n
t
heldto the blockwith a butterflycatch. Topstiles Z IYo' 4', 44-
Thelegendsaremarkedandtrimmed
Butterfly
catch 1 IY4' 43/o' 19%',
I
afterthe tableis assembled, an easyway supportblock
to getexactlytheright angleandlengh.
Topslats 7/o' At
48'
t
Theperfectcomplement to thepicnic
table is the keyedtenon bench.Also Hingesupports Z I/4' ?il 6u I
known asa joynt stool,it is an adap-
tation of an old Englishdesignthat BENCH I
featuresaninteresting construction tech- Leghalves 4 LY4' 5'/2', 16'
nique.Thelegsaremadein halves,then
Upper
stretcher 1 I'A' 3u 28r/r',
I
joinedwith doweljointsto ensuresym-
metry,while the notchesautomatically Lower
stretcher 1 Ir/o' ?il 34', I
form the throughmortisesto hold the Cleats 4 IY4' I%' 4'/e',
stretchers in olace. Seatslats !Yo' 43/o' 36" I
Tusks z V2u 1u 4u
*Notfinallength
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MAKING A FOLDINGPICNICTABLE I
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Thepicnic table'slegassentblies nestinsideeach I
other allowing it to fold asflat aspossible.
I
ASSEMBLING
THET()P
Attaching frame
I
Cutthetopslatsto sizeaccordrng
cuttinglistandroundovertheirtopedges
to the t
andtheends.Thetopslatsaresecured
a rectangular framewhichalsoholds the
to I
legassemblies. Cuttheframe's
railsto size,thencutrabbets
stiles and
in theirends
I
joints(page37).Gluethe
forthehalf-lap
frametogether andfastenit withscrews.
I
Check forsquareness. Toassemble
layoutthetopslatson a worksurface
thetop, t
separated
togethe
by lninchspacers. Holdthem
wri t ha b a rc l a m pa t e a c he n d .
I
Center theframeonthetop,checkrng
a measuring tapethattheborders
with
along
I
thesidesandtheendsareeven.
theframewitha oairof screws
Secure
intoeach
I
slal(right).Donotuseanygluehere,soit I
willbea simple matter to replace broken
orrotten slatsin thefuture. t
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IEGASSEMBTIES
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1 Preparing legpieces
I I Cutthelegsandajoining railsto size
thencuttherabbets forthehalf-laps in
I thelegsandtherails.Next,markout
a 3Yzinchdadoforthecrossrailonthe
t innerlegs,
starting
21 rnches fronthetop.
Tomakethedadoes, maketwopasses,
t cuttingouttheextremes of thedado,
thenremove therestof thewastehbovd.
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Fastening legsandrails
I Starting withtheouterlegassembly,
laythelegsona worksurface andapply
I glueto therabbets. Toattacheachrail,
placeit in position onthelegsandsecure
T it withonescrew at eachend.Check that
it is perfectly square, thenaddthesec-
I o n ds c r e wB. e f o raes s e m b l itnhgei n n e r
legsandrails,double checkthattherails
I willfit inside theouterassembly, otherwise
thelegswillnotfoldproperly. lf necessary,
I trimtherailsandadjust theirrabbets to
compensate. Assemble theinnerlegsas
T above, thenaddthecrossrail (/eff).

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TABLES I
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overthelegsandrails
I<. Rounding I
r - . f R o u n do v e rt h e l e s sa n d r a i l sa f t e r
t h e yh a v eb e e na s s e m i l e dS. e tt h e d e p t h I
of cut to removethe wastein two passes.
C l a m pt h e a s s e m b lt yo a w o r ks u r f a c e . T
T u r no n t h e r o u t e ar n de a s et h e b i t i n t o
t h e w o o du n t i lt h e b e a r i n tgo u c h e st,h e n T
w o r kt h e r o u t e ra r o u n dt h e w o r k p i e c e ,
m a k i n gs u r et h a ty o um o v ea g a i n stth e I
bit'sdirectionof rotation(/eft).Reposition
the clampsas necessary. Thenroundover T
t h e o t h e rl e ga s s e m b l y .
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Fitting
carriage
bolts I
S e tt h e t w o l e sa s s e m b l i eosn a w o r k
s u r f a c ea s s h o w nw , i t h t h e s m a l l e or n e I
n e s t e di n s i d et h e l a r g eor n e ,t h e nc l a m p
t h e mt o t h e t a b l e .M a r kt h e h o l e sf o r t h e I
b o l t so n b o t ha s s e m b l i e s1 ,8 i n c h e sf r o m
t h et o nn f t h e h i n p er a i l F i ta d r i l lw i t ha t
/ " - i n c hb i t , t h e nb o r et h e h o l e ,k e e p i n g
the bit perfectly perpendicular to the edge. I
I t h e l p st o h a v ea n a s s i s t a nsti g h tt h e b i t
t o k e e pi t l e v e l D . r i l la s d e e pa s y o uc a n , I
t h e nf i n i s hf r o mt h e o t h e rs i d e T . a pt h e
c a r t a g eb o l t st h r o u g ht h e l e g sw i t h a I
h a m m e rt h , e ns l i d eo n a w a s h e rH. a n d
tightentwo nuts,thenfit a wrenchon both I
n u t sa n dh o l dt h e i n n e ro n ei n p l a c ew h i l e
tightening the outeroneagainsttI (right). I
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t INSTALLING
LEGS
r 'l Attaching
I Screw
thehinges
thehingesupport to theunderside of thetable-
I topwheretherailsandstilesmeet.Thenposition theouter
legassemblyonthetopstileandholdit upright witha
t handscrew
3%inches
(left).Arrange
theassembly
fromtheoutside
sothehingewill be
edgeof thestile.Thenscrew
t thehinge
to thelegbeforeattaching it to thetabletop.

I
I
Adding thebutterfly
catchsupport
block
I Cuttheblockto sizeaccording to thecutting
list,rippingoneedgeat 30 degrees,leavinga 4-
T inch-high outsideface.Sawtheopposite faceof
theblockat 60 degrees. Applyglueto thetable
I where theblockwilltouchit andclamptheblock
securely.Drilla pilotholeevery
4 inches,then
I s c r e wt h e b l o c k
in place(below).
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TABLES I
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? Installing thedowels t
r-J Tobolster theunionbetween thebut-
terflycatchsupport blockandtheedgeof I
thecatchrailinstall a pairof %-inch dow-
els.Tof it thedowels, firstdrilltwo%-inch I
holesin theblock,perpendicular to the
angled face,to a depthof about%inch. I
Place dowel centersin theholes andbring
thecatchrailintoposition (/eft).Pushdown I
ontherailto markthedowelholes. Drill
1-inch-deep holesin therail.Spread glue I
inside theblockholesandtapIwoI'/,
inchlongdowels intoplace. Thenscrew I
thebutterfly catchto therailandsupport
block.Thephotograph on page79 shows I
thecatchin operation.
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IEGS
FITTING
I
1 Marking thelegs
I Theposition of thelegsmakes it dif- I
f icultto marktheirlength sotheywillsit
perfectly levelwiththehelpof onlya tape I
measure. 0netrickrsto trima oieceof
scrapplywood to a widthof 28 inches and I
usethatasa guide. Tomarktheinnerlegs,
clampa carpenter's squareto theguide I
to holdit upright andsetit against the
legasshown. Holda trysquare against I
theboard andmarkthecutofflength and
angle(right).To marktheouterlegs,it is I
possible to simplyholdthemarking board
against the legedgeandtracetheline. I
Withthetrysquare runthelinesaround
allfoursidesof eachles. I
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96 T
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! Trimming thelegs
T C- f o trimeachleg,mountit in a viseandcut it offwitha backsaw,
keeping
thesawbothonthetopedgelineandthelrneontheclosest face.Oncethekerf
I extends across
thetopedgecontinue cuttingstraightdown(above).Keepcheck-
ingbothlinesto makesurethesawdoesnotwander.
T
I ijllllltfillllltljllillltjlltjlljljttlllittlllillllljlllllttjllilllillt
r 5HO7Tt?
I Replaceable feet
Oneof Lheprobleme ol the leqeof
I ouLdoorfurniNureie Ihat, the end
grainnaturallyac|e as a wickto
I drawmoislureinNolhe leg,hae-
Nenin7lhedecayinqproceee. A
I eimplesoluNion is to add,1/o-inch-
lhick blocks,
whoeeqrainrune
I lenqthwioe.Theeewillbe elower
Nopickup moisNure and can
t be eaeilyreVlacedwhenlhey
eventuallydo roi.
I
Rounding
feet
I Every
timethetableis moved,you
riskcatching
anedgeandsplintering
I thebottom.To prevent
thrs,roundover
thebottomsof thelegswitha random
I (above)
orbitsander ora sandineblock.

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KEYEDTENON BENCH I
I
The keyedtenon bench,also known t
as a joynt stool, is a handy seat that
canbe made in almostany length. t
It is theperfect complementto the
picnic table but is usefulall by i*elf. I
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THELEGS
MAKING I
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1 Marking legboards
I Thelegboards thengluedtogether
aremadein halves, with thecuttinglist.Check
thatthenotched edges areperfectly I
doweljoints.
Tomarkthelegboardhalvesmakea template, sotheywillforma tightgluejoint.Setthetemplate
refer- straight on
ringto thediagram thelegsaccording
in theinset.Prepare to thelegstockandmarkoutthecurveandthenotches. I
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98 I
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I
T r) Cutting thelegboards
L Cutoutthe lesson the bandsaw.
I Startwiththecurve, simply cuttrng onor
justoutsrde themarked line.Tocutout
t thenotches, firstmakea shortcross-grain
cutto definethemortise end.Nextmake
I a sweeping cuttowards, thenalong, the
m o r t i ssei d el i n eu n t i ly o ur e a c hthe
I o t h e cr r o s s g r amr na r kC. u tt h r ss e c t i o n
free(right). Finally reorient the board
I andremove therestof thewaste. Sand
offanymachining marks fromthecurve.
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J o i n i n lge gh a l v e s
Q
I r - , 1 J o i nt h e l e gh a l v e sw i t h d o w e jl o i n t s .
T o p r e p a r teh e l e g sf o r t h e d o w e l sd, r i l l
t t w o y ' i n c hd i a m e t ehr o l e s 1 , i n c hd e e p
i n t oo n eh a l .f M a r kt h e o p p o s i t e l e g sw i t h
I dowelcenters(seepage96). Positionthe
topsof the legsagainst a straight edgesuch
t a s a r i p f e n c et o m a k es u r et h e n o t c h e s
w i l l l i n eu p .S p r e a sdo m eg l u ei n s i d et h e
t h o l e sa n da l o n gt h e s t r a i g het d g e so f t h e
legs.Pushthe two halvestogether(/eff)
I a n dc l a m pt h e l e gw i t ha b a rc l a m po p p o -
s i t ee a c ho f t h e t w o g l u e de d g e s( n o t
I nnnnsitp ihp nntehpc\

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TABLES I
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AS SE M B TTI N
HGEB E N C H I
1 Cutting tenons in thestretchers I
I Prepare thestretchers referring to thecuttinglist,then
rabbet theirendsto makethetenons. Thetopstretcher tenon I
s h o u l bd e 1 %i n c h elso n g t oe n df l u s hw i t ht h el e g sw, h i l et h e
lower onemustbe4 inches longto allowit to holda tuskpin. I
a s s e m bilnyy o u r
T oc u tt h er a b b e t si n, s t a lal d a d oc u t t i n g
tablesawandattach a mitergauge extension. Adjust thecut- I
tingheight to about%inchandmakea cut in bothsidesof a
pieceof scrapstockandtestthefit in theopenmortise. Fine I
tunetheheight untilthetesitenonfitssnugly. Settheripfence
to makea 1%-inch-long tenon. Tocutthetenon,holdihestock I
against the miter gauge extension withanendbutted against
the fence. Pass the wood over the cutters, then remove therest I
of the waste by moving the workpiece away from the fence in
successive passes. Repeat for the other side and the opposite I
end.Next,raisethecutters Io %inch,holdthestretcher on its
loweredge,andcut a notch to allow the stretcher to fit flush I
withthetopof the legs. Reset the fence to make a 4-inch-long
(right).
tenonandmakethecut in the lowerstretcher Thensaw
piece
I
a'/o-inch notchin thetopand bottom edges to allow the
to f it intothemortise. I
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Lower
atretcher I
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o Installing
thestretchers t
L lnstallthe lowerstretcherfirst.To prepare thetenonfor hand.Whenthestretcher is in place, thetenonshould reveal a
thetuskoin.borea 1-inch-diameter holeceniered 2%inches % - i n cshe m i c i r ct ol eh o l dt h et u s k W
. h i t t lae n ds a n dt h et u s k I
fromthetenonend.Theninsertthestretcher in theleg(above). stockso it f itstightlyin theopening. Makeit slightly wedge-
Donotpressdownon theoutside edges of the legsto force shaped soit tightens thejointthefurther it is inserted. Tapthe I
themoverthetenon;thisis liableto splitthem.Instead, knock t u s ki n p l a c e
w i t ha m a l l e tF. i n a l l ya,p p l yg l u et o t h e u p p e r
thelegon bothsidesof thetenons withthetheheelof your mortise andslrdethetoostretcher in olace. I
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I
t I<' Attaching theseat-support cleats
r-,1To avoidhavinsscrewholesin the
I tooof theseat.seJure theslatsto the
legswithcleats. Trimthecleats sothey
t fit oneither sideofthetopstretcher. Drill
thepilotholes forattaching theslatsoff
I c e n t etro m a k ei t e a s i etro t i g h t e n
the
screws intotheseatwithoutknocking
I yourhands against thelegs. Apply glueto
, e ns e c u rteh e mt o t h el e g s
t h ec l e a t st h
I withscrews sothestripsaref lushwith
thetop of Ihe legs(right).
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Securing theslats
I Round overthetopedges of theslats,
thenlaythemoutona worksurface, sep-
I arated by%-inch spacers. Makesurethe
e n d sa r ea l l e v e nt,h e nt i g h t e n
a bar
I clampacross eachendto holdtheslats
in place. Center thebenchbaseonthe
I slatsandsecure it withscrews //eff).

I
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# Tr-
rl
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.tr r\,
"r

ffi\3\_tit
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SWINGSAI.{DGLIDERS
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t
p o.kittg-otionsseemintrin- thantheir regularsteelcounter-
I I\ sicallycomforting to people parts,arestrongandwill not rust.
ofall ages.Pleasant andrelaxing, Brassscrews arenotsostrong,but
t aswingor aglidingsettee provides offera decorative optionthat is
air idealaccessory to a porchor alsocorrosion-resistant. If youuse
I garden.Thetwo projectsshown brass,drivein a steelscrewfirstto
in this chapteralsoofferinterest- tap the hole,thenremoYeit and
I ingmecJranical challengesto afrr- installthebrassscrewtakingcare
niture maker.Thesepiecesmust notto overtighten or youwill risk
I be strong and lightweight. They breaking offthe head.
mustalsostandup to astress that Theporchswingisshownbegin-
I furniture rarely hasto endure- ning on page104,whiletheglider
constantmovement. frame sectionstartson pageII2.
t There are severalwavs to The benchthatfitsthisparticular
achievea rockingmotion.The frameis shownin the Benches
I simplest solutionisto suspend ttre chapterstartingonpage64.
seatwith rope or chain.This Thecomfortof theswing,and
I requiresa sturdybranch or struc- the benchusedwith the glideq
tural memberto support the dependuponthepropercurva-
I swing.Theglidersupportusesa tureoftheseatandbacksupports.
different systemto impart a Theseatshouldbeangledslight-
I swingingmotion.Fourlengthsof Theglider benchshownaboveswingson two ly sothepeopleusingit will stay
metalstrapsupportthe bench metalstrapsmountedon eachsideof a supPort firmly seatedwhenit rocksback
I within a low frame.Othermeth- frame. Therub rail at thebottomactsasa spacer, andforth.A seattiltedtowardthe
odsusecommercially available preventingthebench ftom bumpingagainstthe backalsoprovesmorecomfort-
I rollerbearings. frame astheglider roclcsbackandforth. able for prolongedsitting.A
It isimportantto buyhardware curvein the seatbackwill sup-
I that is ascorrosion-resistant aspossible, for these port thelumbarregionof thespine,but do not makethese
especially
pieces of furniturethataredifficultto cartindoorsfor thewin- curvestoo pronounced,or the sitterwill find it difficult to
I ter.Stainless steelstrapsandscrews, althoughmoreexpensive getin andout of theswing.
I
I
I
Although manypeoplechooseto hanga
I swingon a porch,you canalsosuspendyours
from a treebranch,asshownatleft,providing
I a shadyspotfor visitorsto lingerand relax.

I 103

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ANATOMYOFAPORCHSWING I

tlt h. backseatrail is beveledto a l5o method.They are fastenedtogether

I to 25" angle,so as to providea
comfortableanglefor the seatback.The
back is screwedand glued onto the
rail,thesamemethodusedto join most
of the frame.Thearms,whichprovide
additionalsupportfor the back,are
the exceptionto the glue-and-screw
by crossdowels.Theseare strong
joints,but mustbecarefully installed
to
work properly. geat Dack attle
Notethat the stilesof the seatback alat
arelocatedin front of the railsso the
thejoint lineisvertical,promotinggood
waterdrainagefor a long-livedjoint.

Eack eeat ratl

Arm

Crossdowelsare commonly usedin knockdownfurniture, but their

strength and durability make them idealfor outdoorfurniture that is not
designedto be taken apart. A cross-dowelconnectoris usedto join an arm to
an arm post in the chair shown above,providing a much strongerconnection
than screwscould, and saving the task of fashioning a more elaboratejoint.

CUTTING
LIST

ITEM OTY TH W L
Backslats %' 2r5Ao" 24Y4'
Seatslats 6 -/4
3%"" 55Yr'
Backrails z t%' A%', 55"
Backstiles z It/a' 4%', 28',
Frontseatrail I Z 3%', 60'
'I
Backseatrail I%' 2u 60'
Railcover i Yo' 4%', 45Y2'.
Seatsupports 4 I%' 3Yr' t5%'
Arms z %' 5%', 24',
Armposts Z %' 2%' TI%'

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I SWINGSAND GLIDERS

I
VIEW()FBACKRAILFR()MBELOW
I
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Eack alat

Railcover

I
Draaebuehinq
I g-

I
I Front aeat rail

t0s
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SWINGSAND GLIDERS I
I
PREPARING
THEBACK
RAITS I
1 Sawing dadoes
I Toprepare
inthelowerbackrail
therailfortheslats,you
I
willneedto cut2-inch-wide, %-inch-deep I
dadoes in thestock.First,fit yourtablesaw
witha dadoheadandadjustit to maximum I
width,thenattachanextension boardto
themitergauge. Check thecutting height I
bymaking a testcuton scrapstockand
adjusttheblades untilthecutisthesame I
depthasthethickness of yourslats.Mark
thedadooutlines ontheleading edgeof I
theworkpiece, beginning 8% inches from
eachendandspacing thedadoes 1%inch I
apart.Foreachdado,sawtheoutside edges,
thencut awaythewastein thecenter(/eff). I
(Caution:Bladeguardremoved forclarity.)
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Attaching therailcover I
Cuttherailcoverto size,thenspread \
[u \ X
Lower
g l u eo n t h ed a d o efda c eo f t h er a i la n d I
therailcover.Position thetwopieces \Xbackrail
together andtackthecoverin placewith // \
I
brads, making surenotto nailanybrads
within5 inches of either endof thenail. I
Next,clamptheassembly, making sureyou
apply pressure to every gluingsurface (right). I
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106 I
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I SWINGSAND GLIDERS

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I Cuttingcorner half-laps
Thebackassembly of stilesjoinedto thetwo
is composed
I railswithhalf-laps.Tocutthejoint,usethesamesetup youmade
forsawing dadoes in thelowerbackrail(step1) Thistimemark
I outthehalf-lapsattheendof eachrailandstile.Thejointshould
beaswideasthestilestock.Buttthestockagainst themiter
I gauge extension, andlineuptheblades to cuttheshoulder of
thehalf-lapfirst.Thensawawaytheremaining waste withmul-
I tiplepasses(above). Repeat theprocedureto cutthejointat the
otherendofthestockandintheremainins railandstiles.
I
t
I
r
I
I f,
Grooving thetoprail
r./ Youneedto routa groove in theupperbackrailto holdthe
I backslats.Fita %-inch three-wing slottingcutterin a router,
thenmountthetoolin a table.Marktheooints onthefaceof the
I stockwhere thecutshouldstartandend.Alsomarkthepoints
onthefencewherethe bit startsandstopscutting.Adjustthe
I height to centerthegroove in theedgeof therail.Turnonthe
routerandpivottherailintothecutter, aligning
thefrontcut-
I tinglineontheworkpiece withthebitcuttingmarkonthefence
farthestfromyou(abovd.Pushtherailalongthefenceuntil
I Decorating
thetoprail thebackcutting linealigns
withthebitcutting markclosest to
Referring
to theanatomy on page104,trace
illustration you,thenpivotthetrailingedgeof theworkpiece awayfromthe
I theshapeof thedecorative
toponthestockandcut it to cutter,steadyingtheboardagainst thetableandfencebyhook-
shapewitha bandsaw.Thenattachit to the upperback ingyourlefthandaround thefrontedgeof thetable.Usea
I railwithglueandclampthetwopieces (above).
together chiselto squaretheendsof thegroove, if necessary.

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SWINGSAND GLIDERS I
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THEBACK
ASSEMBTING I
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1 Installing theslats I
I Clamp t h el o w erra i ls o i t s t a n d s
right-side up on yourworksurface. Fit I
a slat into each notch (above) and tap the
s l a t su n t i tl h ee n d sa r ef l u s hw i t ht h e t
bottom of therail.Drive a f inishing nail
intoeachslatthrough the backof the I
railto secure thepiecein place, thenfit
theuooerbackrailontotheslats. I
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I
I
Gluing upthebackassembly I
Laythepartially assembled seatback
onyourworksurface. Applyadhesive to I
thecorner Iapjointsof therailsandstiles
andclamptheassembly together.
Then I
gluespacers in thegroove betweenthe
slatsin the upperbackrail(right). I
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I SWINGSAND GLIDERS

I
t ASSEMBTING
THESEAT
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I 1
Assembling theframe r) Attaching theeyebolts
I C u ta 1 5 "t o 2 0 ' b e v eol nt h er e a fr a c eo f t h eb a c ks e a rt a i l ,u s i n g 1 Ortlla holethrough the protruding
I a t a b l es a ww i t ht h eb l a d et i l t e dt o t h ea p p r o p r i aatneg l eT. h e np r e - endof eachseatrarljustlargeenough
parefourseatsupports, copying theirshapefromthe anatomy (page to accommodate a stainless-steel eye
I 105).CUIthe pieces on a bandsaw,usingthefirstsupport asa tem- b o l t .S l i pt h ee y eb o l ti n p l a c ea, d da
platefortheothers. Smooth theedges on a spindle sander. Glueand w a s h earn dn u t ,a n dt i g h t e n t h eb o l t
I screwtheframetogether, locating theoutside supports 2 inches from firmlyin place(above). Trimtheexcess
theendsof therails(abovd. bolt,if necessary.
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I
I Q Attaching thebackto theseatframe
r-,f Clamptheseatframebeveled-edge
I upona worksurface. Spread glueonthe
edgeandon thefrontfaceof the lower
t railof theseatback.Clamp thebackto
theseatframe, thendrillpilotholesand
I screwthetwoassemblies together(right).

I
I 109

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SWINGSAND GLIDERS I
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THEARMSANDSEATSTATS
INSTALLING I
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1 Attaching thearmposts
I Position thearmoost2 inches fromtheendof I
o f t h er a i l .
t h ef r o n ts e a rt a i lf l u s hw i t ht h eb o t t o m
Drill4 pilotholes, thengluethearmpostin placeand I
secure it withscrews (abovd. Repeat theprocedure for
thesecond armoost. I
t
I
r) Aftaching thearmwithcrossdowels
L Cutoutthearmsona bandsaw,referring to theanatomy for I
theirshape. Thereis botha rightandleftarm,sobesurenotto
mixthemup.Round overtheedges of thearmswitha routerfit- I
tedwitha round-over bit. Thenusea bevelgauge to transfer the
anglo e f t h ec h a i rb a c kt o t h eb a c ke d g eo f t h e a r ma n dm a k e I
t h e c u t o n y o u rt a b l es a w T . h i sw i l la l l o w t h ea r m w , h i c hi s
h o r i z o n ttaolf,i t f l u s ha g a i n st ht ec h a i b r a c kT. h e nd r i l la h o l e I
thesamediameter asthecross-dowel boltthrough thearminto
the a r m p o s t .
M a k es u r y
e o u d r i l ls t r a i g hNt .e x tb, o r ea h o l e I
intothe armpostforthecross-dowel connector about2 inches
fromthetopof the post,intercepting the bolt holeat 90". I
I n s e rtth ec o n n e c t ionri t sh o l et,h e ns l i d et h eb o l ti n t op o s i -
tionandtightenit witha hexwrench(righil.lnslallcrossdow- I
elsin thesamefashion to connect the backof theseatto the
arm.Repeat the procedure to attach thesecond arm. I
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110 I
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I SWINGSAND GLIDERS

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t ASSEMBLING
THECHAIR

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a<' Addine
theseatslats
t r . , l R o u n do v e rt h e f r o n t a n d b a c ke d g e so f t h e s l a t s .T h e n s u p p o r tasn d d r i l l p i l o th o l e st,h e ns c r e wt h e s l a t i n p l a c e
i n s t a ltlh e f r o n ts e a ts l a t ,n o t c h i n g
i t t o f i t a r o u n dt h e a r m p o s t s . (above, lefil.fo installthe remaining slats,usespacersr/eIo'/o
I T h ef r o n te d g eo f t h e s l a ts h o u l db e f l u s hw i t ht h e f r o n to f t h e i n c ht h i c kt o s e tt h e d i s t a n c e b e t w e e tnh e p i e c e sT. a pt h e
a r m p o s t ;t h e e n d so f t h e s l a t ss h o u l dp r o j e cbt e y o n d t h ee d g e endsof the slatsuntiltheyareall aligned(above, right).Then
I o f t h e e n d s e a ts u p p o r t sb y I i n c h .M a r kt h e p o s i t i o no f t h e d r i l lp i l o th o l e sa n ds c r e wt h es l a t si n p l a c e .

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Aftaching
thechains
I Installa screweyein eachof the seat
b a c ks t i l e s2 i n c h e sa b o v et h e a r m .T h e n
I m a r kt h e p o i n to n e a c ha r m d i r e c t l yo v e r
the fronteyeboltanddrilla holeto accom-
I modate a l%-inch-diameb t er ra s sb u s h i n g .
Inserthe bushing a n df a s t e ni t i n p l a c e .
T ' Openina
A t t a c ha l e n g t ho f c h a i nw i t h a n o p e n i n g
chain llnk l i n kt o e a c ho f t h e e y eb o l t si n t h e s e a t
I rails(lefil.Threadthe chainfromthe front
e y eb o l t st h r o u g ht h e b u s h i n g st h; e c h a i n
I 9crew
eve l
fromthe reareyeboltspasses throughthe
s c r e we y e si n t h e b a c ks t i l e s J. o i nt h e
t t l c h a i n so n e a c hs i d eo f t h e c h a i ri n p a i r s
t M
- { l
l
w i t ho p e n i n cg h a i nl i n k s g, i v i n gy o ut w o
I p o i n t sf r o mw h i c ht h e c h a i rc a n b e h u n g .

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ANATOMYOF A GLIDERBASE I

f his versatileglider basecan be

I adaptedto fit differentdesignsof
benches. In this case,it hasbeencon-
CUTTING
LIST
I
structedto supportthe benchshown
on page64.With simplechanges, this
designcould easilyadd swingingmo-
tion to a chair,or a benchup to three
personswide.
The baseconsistsof two sidefiames
connected by two centralbeamsthat are Footpads 4 I%' 3'/r' 5'/o'
separated by a spacer.The framesare
madeof railsandstilesjoinedwith corner
beams
Center 2 I%' 3'/,' 50%'
half-laps.The beamscanbe shortened
or lengthenedasnecessary, depending Support
straps
on the sizeof the benchor chair,but
rememberthat thelongerthebench,the
moreits weight,andthereforethegreater
the stresson the gliderbase.
The benchswingson 18-inchmet-
al straps.Theyshouldbe angledslight-
ly inward so the top endsare farther
apartthan the lower ends.This will
tend to slow the glider down as it
approaches the endsof its swing.It also
reducesmechanicalstresses on the
benchand gliderframe.

Center
beam
Eolt and
waaher
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9upport
etraP I
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Theadvantageof a glider baseovera porchswing
and canbeplacedwher-
is that it isself-supporting I
everyou want-on a porchor in a garden-with-
out requiringsupportingbeams or treebranches. I
Thebasefeaturesa metalrub rail at thebottomto
preventthebenchfrom bumpingagainstthebase I
asit glidesbackandforth.

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I SWINGSAND GLIDERS

)ide frame rail

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SWINGSAND GLIDERS I
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THEBASE
MAKING I
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1 Making thefeet
I Round overthebackedgeof each I
f o o tp a do n a d i s ks a n d e rG. l u ea n d
screwthe padsin place, withthefront I
edgeflushwiththefrontof thefoot.
Thenroundoverthefrontedses of each I
padandIoot(above).
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r) Assembling thesides
L C u th a l f - l a oi o i n t si n t h e s i d er a i l s I
andstiles(page107).Assemble eachjoint
w i t hf o u rs c r e w sa n d g l u e ,
t h e nc e n t e trh e Lowereide rail I
f e e to n t h e b o t t o mo f e a c hs i d ea n dd r i l la
p i l o th o l e5 % i n c h e sf r o me a c he n d i n t o I
t h e l o w e sr i d er a i l sf o r a 3 % - i n c h - l o n g ,
% - i n c h - d i a m e tl a
eg r b o l t .A d da w a s h e r , I
t h e ni n s e rtth e b o l ti n t h e h o l ea n dt i g h t e n
it with a wrench(rishil. I
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Q Attaching thecenterbeams to thesides
I s,l Glueandscrewa spacer blockto thecenterof the inside attachthe beams to theotherspacer block,checking witha
f a c eo f e a c hs i d er a i l .T h e ng l u ea n ds c r e wt h ec e n t e r s q u a r oe n b o t hl o w esr i d er a i l st o m a k es u r et h e a s s e m b l y
I b e a m so n e i t h e sr i d eo f e a c hs p a c ebr l o c k( a b o v et)h. e n ic nprfpntlv enr2ra

I
INSTATLING
THEGLIDERS
I
1 Drilling theholesinthesupport straps
I I Strike thestrapwitha center punch
I i n c hf r o me a c he n d T
. h i sw i l ld i m p l e
I thesurface, providing a starting pointfor
yourdrill.Next,f it a %-inch bit intoyour
I drillpress. Clamp a pieceof scrap wood
to themachine tableasa backup board,
I thenposition
justmadecentered
thestrapwiththemarkyou
under thebit.Place
I a second pieceof woodon topof the
strapto prevent thedrillbit fromlifting
I thestrapasthebit is retracted fromthe
hole.Borethe hole(/eff).Repeat at the
I otherendandforthethreeotherstraos.

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SWINGSAND GLIDERS I
t
r) Drilling holesforthebushings I
1 lttarV, outholesfor%-inch-diameter
t h r e a d ebdu s h i n gosnt h es i d er a i l sa n d I
onthe legsof the bench. Thishardware
will protect thewoodfromwearbythe I
boltsthatwillsecure thesupport straps to
theframeandthepiece of furniture. 0n the I
stand,locate eachhole1%inches from
thetopedgeand21/oinches fromtheout- I
sideedge.Onthebenchlegs,theholes
shouldbecentered in themiddle of the I
legs,1 inchfromthebottom. lf youare
adapting thestandto fit another piece of I
furniture, makesurethattheendsof the
metalstraps aremounted a coupleof I
inches closer together onthefurniture than
ontheglider frame. Thiswillimprove the I
gliding motion. Drillholes forthebushings
witha spadebit.Borethree-quarters of the I
waythrough eachhole(right),Ihen com-
pletetheholefromtheother srde. Make I
suretheholes aresouare withthefaceof
theframe. t
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Installing thebushings I
\,, Add threaded bushings bytwisting
themfingertighl(left),thenfinishtight- t
ening themwitha screwdriver ora coin.lf
thebushing begins to entertheholeaskew, I
r e m o viet a n de n l a r gteh eh o l es l i g h t l y
witha rat{ailfile.Whenit is installed, the I
bushing should restslightly proudof the
surface of thewood. I
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I SWINGSAND GLIDERS

I
t Bolting
onthesupport
straps
S l i d ea % - i n c h - d i a m e bt eorl tt h r o u g he a c ho f t h e s u p p o r t
I straps, slipona washer, andfit theboltsthrough eachof the
bushings in theupper framerail.Secure theboltsin placewith
t a lockwasher andtwonuts,usinga second wrench to holdone
o f t h en u t si n p l a c ew h i l ey o ut i g h t e n
t h eo t h e o r n e .N e x t ,
I position thebenchbetween thesidesof theframe, andrepeat
. i l l b ee a s i etro d o t h i sj o bw i t ha
t h eb o l t i n pg r o c e d u rlet w
I h e l p et ro h o l dt h eb e n c h inplacw e h i l ey o us l i d et h eb o l t s
9upport through the bushings in the legs.Tighten the nuts(/eff).
I etrap

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Frame
I atile

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I o

I o

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Addingtherubrail
I f,
r . , / T h er u b r a i l i s a 2 8 - i n c h - l o npgi e c e
o f / , - i n c ha l u m i n i u m
C - s t o c kD. r i l la h o l e
I a t e a c he n d ,t h e n p l a c et h e r a i lb e t w e e n
t h e s u p p o rst t r a p sa n dt h e g l i d e rf r a m e ,
I w i t ht h e l o w e re d g eo f t h e r a i lf l u s hw i t h
t h e u p p e re d g eo f t h e b o t t o ms i d er a i l .
I S c r e wt h e r u b r a i l i n p l a c e( r i g h t )t,h e n
attachthe secondrailon the oooosite side
I o f t h e s l i d e rf r a m e .

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hearbor,planter,andserv- slipovertheframeassembly,
t ingtrolleypresented in andarescrewed to thetop of
this chaptercomplement the theframe.Thetrolleyrollson
I furnituredesigns featuredin twowheels of thetypedesigned
previouschapters. Thearbor for gasbarbecues. Indeed,the
I creates a basefor climbing trolleycouldbeusedto replace
plantsanda decorative focal the oftenflimsymetalbases
I pointfor outdoorrecreation provided withmanybarbecues.
or relaxation.Planters canbe The arbor is built from
I usedto establish flowersor rough-sawn cedar(page131).
otherplantings in anypartof a leftwithoutafinish,thewood
I gard.en. And with its capacity will turn an attractive silver
to transportbothvictualsand hueasitweathers. Meanwhile,
I kitchenitemslikeplates, dish- Tungoil is applied to the surfaceof a servingtrolley. thenaturaldecay-resistance of
es,andcutlerytheserving trol- Usinga squirtbottleasshownaboveis a quick and cedarwill protectthe piece
I leyisawelcome convenience for easyway to spreadthisfinish. After beingallowed fromtheelements. Oneprac-
backyard entertaining. to Penetratethewoodfor about15 minutes,the ticaladvantage of leavingthe
I Theplanter(page120)is excessoil is wipedfrom thesurfacewith a rag. woodbareisthatthearborwill
built fromwhitecedarformed neverrequirerefinishing-a
I intostaves. A %-inch pieceof marine-grade plywood formsthe plusonceclimbingplantsweave themselves intothetrellisand
bottom,andthestaves arejoinedwith spline-and-groove joints. aroundtheposts.
I A lip aroundthetopedgeprotects theendsofthestaves and Thesides of thearborarebuiltwithtusktenonsandioined
addsadecorative element. Foraneight-sided planter,theedges with half-laps, andthetrellises areheldin placeby ileats.
I of thestavesmustbebeveled at22/z'.TlTtable-sawjig shownon Althoughthetopof thepieceissimplynailedto thesides, the
pageI2I will enable youto cutthebevels andtaperthestaves projectdoesnot skimpon traditionaljoinerytechniques-
I atthesametimesotheyarewideratthetopthanatthebottom. thearborshownin thephotoat left relieson no fewerthan
Theservingtrolleyfeatured on page126is built arounda 148halfJapjoints.
I framejoinedwithhalfJaps andreinforced byglueandscrews. Althoughwhitecedarwaschosen for theseprojects,other
Theslatsonthebottomreston cleatsrunningalongtheinside decay-resistant, attractivewoodssuchasredwoodandred
t faces of thelowersiderails.Thetopconsists of fourrailsthat cedarwill workequallywell.

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Festooned with flowers,therustic-style
arborshownat left
t frames a pathway from a backyardgardento a pond.
Thearboris madefrom latticesof rough-sawn %-inch
t northernwhitecedarassembled with half-lapjoinery.

I 119

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ANATOMYOF AN E,IGHT-SIDED
PLANTER I
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ende of etavee;
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nailed and
qlued in place I
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Madefrom decay-resis-
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tantwhitecedarandfn-
ishedwith tungoil, the
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plantershownbelowis
readyto weathera num-
berof seasons. Theparts
of theplanteraredesigned
t
to bemass-produced on
thetablesawsothatsev-
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eralplanterscqnbebuih
in relativelyshortorder.
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Plywood
apline
Stave
I
'ized to fit in
Tapered2 incheawider
gtave 1rooves
and 4lued in
Eottom at top than at bottan. I
Made of marine- Edqeeare qroovedto
place
4rade plywood; accept eplinee;dado
cut acrooa inetdeface
I
fita into dadoea
cut into atave7 accommodategbottom
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CUTTING
LIST
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ITEM OTY TH w L I
Staves 8 3,4',
6" 24',
Lips 8 %' 2', 6"1',
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Bottom I 3/o'
1B' 18" I
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I BUILDINGAN EIGHT-SIDE,D
PLANTER
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t PREPARING
THESTAVES
'l
I Beveling oneedgeofthestaves
I W i t ht h es h o p - b utial tp e r i nj rgg
I shownat left,youcanbeveltheedges
n f t h c s t a v e sa n d t a n e rt h e m i n a s i n -
I s l e s e t r r oF. o rt h e i i p .m a k et h e b a s e
i v i ! , i v

f r o ma p i e c eo f l 2 - i n c h - w i d p
J ' b

elywood.
,
i i i !

I a n dt h e g u i d eb a ra n ds t o pb l o c kf r o m
s o l i ds t o c k S. t a r tb y a n g l i n gtheblade
I la 22 r/" thpn rrcp h _e_r ,n_l ,e_ m prs0 s e c u r e
t h es t a v eb l a n kt o t h e b a s es o t h e
I e d g ee x t e n dos f f t h e b a s eb y 1 Z i n c h
attheleadine g n da n d % i n c ha t t h e
I . u t tt h eg u i d eb a ra n d
t r a i l i n ge n d s B
s t o pb l o c ka g a i n stth e s t o c k c, l a m p
t t h e m i n p l a c ea n df i x t h e p i e c e tso t h e
base.Screwtoggleclampsto the guide
I b a ra n du s et h e mt o s e c u r et h e b l a n k
t o t h e i i p ' n r o t e ctth e s t o c kw i t h w o o d
t p a d s .R e m o v teh e b a rc l a m p s N
h i l i t t h p p d s p n f i.h. ,A- i i o u
hd
. ext,
. -)^c - ^ - i n . +
dBdilrJL
I'o

I t h e b l a d ea n dt h e r i p f e n c ea g a i n s t
t h e o p p o s i t ee d g eo f t h e b a s e .S t a r t
I f e e d i n gt h e l i g a n dw o r k p i e cwe i t h
b o t hh a n d s a , s s h o w n ,b u t m o v ey o u r
I r i g h th a n ds a f e l ya w a ya b o u th a l f w a y
t h r o u g ht h e c u t . F i n i s ht h e p a s sw i t h
I 'lltl{lilj lllllllt{1il
lll llljullt]l]illtilljiljjfiltllltljllllillllj y o u rl e f th a n d ,k e e p i n tgh e j i g f l u s h
a g a i n stth e f e n c et h r o u g h o u (t .C a u t i o n :
I B l a d eg u a r dr e m o v efdo r c l a r i t y . B) evel
1HO?TI? oneedgeof everystavethe sameway.
I \''t''"''
Checkingthesaw
I bladebevelangle
To confirmtrhat,your
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I a n d e e No n e o f t h e V i e c e o
o n e d q e w i L hi l e b a c k f a c e
I t o w a r d sL h e c o r n e r o f I h e
equare, butl the olher Lest,
I p i e c e ef l u a h a g a i n e l t h e e n d s
of NhefireNone:Lheirbackfacesshouldbeflueh
a4ainelLhearmeof the equare.lfnoI,adjuelLhe
I bladeanqle,reculf,heendeollhe pieceo,and recheck.
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GARDEN PROTECTS I
I
r) Cuttingthe oppositeedges I
L t o a v o i dh a v i n gt o a d j u s t h e b l a d e
a n g l ew h e ny o u b e v e lt h e o p p o s i t ee d g e I
o f e a c hs t a v e c, l a m pt h e b l a n kt o t h e
b a s ea s i n s t e p1 , b u t w i t h i t s n a r r o we n d I
a t t h e l e a d i n ge n do f t h e b a s e M. a k es u r e
t h e n a r r o we n d o f t h e b l a n ke x t e n d so f f I
t h e b a s eb y 1 %i n c ha n dt h e w i d ee n d b y
% i n c h .P o s i t i o n t h e g u i d eb a ra n d s t o p I
b l o c ka g a i n stth e w o r k p i e c ea,n d s c r e w
t h e p i e c e st o t h e b a s ef r o m u n d e r n e a t h I
( / e f f ) .R e m o v et h e b a rc l a m p sa n d b e v e l
eachstave. I
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ASSEMBLING
THEPLANTER I
1 Preparing thestaves forthesplines
I Fityourtablesawwitha dadohead,
t
adlustitswidthto thespline thickness-
%inch-andsetthecuttrng height to %
I
inch.Center the edgeof a staveover
theblades, thenbutttheripfenceagainst
I
o n ef a c eo f t h es t o c ka n dc l a m pa g u i d e
boardto thesawtableagainst theoppo-
I
siteface.Feedthe staveintothe head,
k e e p i ntgh eo u t s i dfea c ef l u s ha g a i n s t
I
the fence(right).Todetermine
of theplywood splines, secure
thewidth
twostaves
t
u p r i g hi tn h a n d s c r e wb su,t tt h ep i e c e s
edgeto edge,andmeasure thecombined
I
depthof theirgrooves (inset). Cutthe
s p l i n etsh es a m el e n g t ha st h es t a v e s ,
I
r i p p i n tgh e ma sw i d ea sy o u rm e a s u r e -
ment,less% inch.
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I GARDENPROIECTS

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t Trimming
theendsofthestaves
O n c ea l l t h e s p l i n eg r o o v ehsa v eb e e n
t cut,dry-fitthestaves together withthe
s p l i n e sU. s es u r g i c at ul b i n gt o h o l dt h e
I assembly together. To levelthestaves at
thetopandbottom, bothendsof each
I piecewrllhaveto be beveled. Todeter-
minethebevel angle, holda board asa
I straightedge across thetopof theassem-
b l ya n du s ea s l i d i n gb e v et lo m e a s u r e
I theanglebetween theoutside faceof a
staveandthestraightedge (left).Tiltyour
t tablesawbladeto themeasured angle
andclampanextension board to themiter
I gauge. Alignthecuttingmarkat oneend
of thestavewiththe blade,thenbutta
I stopblockagainst theendof thestock
a n dc l a m pi t t o t h ee x t e n s i oAnn. g l e the
I m i t e gr a u g seot h ee n d sw i l lb ec u t
straight across. Then,holding thework-
I pieceflushagainst theextension and
stopblock,beveltheendof eachstave
I (below). Usethesamesetupto bevel
theopposite endsof thestaves.
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GARDENPROIECTS t
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Q Preparing thestaves fortheboftom
r.J Cutdadoes across the insidefaces I
of thestaves forthebottom witha simi-
larsetupyouusedforcrosscutting the t
staves. Adjust thewidth of the dado head
to %inchandtilt theblades to thesame I
angle you measured in step2. Setthe
cuttingheightto 3/"inch. Clampthestop I
blockto themitergauge extension to
locatethe dado3/qinchfromthe bottom I
ofthestaves. Anglethemitergauge asyou
did in the previousstepto compensate I
forthetapered sidesof thestaves. Hold
theworkpiece flushagainst theextension t
andthestopblockasyoufeedit across
thesawIablehbovd. I
I
Cutting thebottom oftheplantel
Dry-fitthestaves andsplines together t
(page123).Center theassembly ona piece
of %-inchmarine-grade plywood andout- t
linetheoutside of theplanter onthework-
oiece. Thenmarka second outlinewithin T
thefirst,offsetfromit by%inchto com-
oensate forthedadoes in thestaves. Use I
thesecond outlineasyourcuttingpattern
asyousawoutthebottomonyourband I
saw(righil.0nce the bottomis cut out,
drilla fewdrainage holesthrough it. I
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f, Assembling theplanter
I r-,f Test-fit allthepieces together, making surethesplines fit t h ep i e c eas r ei n p l a c es, e c u rteh ea s s e m bw
l yi t ht w o
snugly in theirgrooves andthebottom fitsintoitsdadoes. Use lengths of surgical tubing, bicycle innertube,or bandclamps
I a c h i s etlo f i n e - t u naen yi l l - f i t t i nj g
o i n t sS. p r e agdl u ei n t h e wrapped around thestaves-one nearthetopandonenearthe
splinegrooves, thenfit thestaves around thebottom, slipping bottom. Alsoinstall twobarclamps at eachendof theplanter
I thesplines in placeasyougo (above, /eff).Pushthesplines onopposite sidesof thestaves (above, righil.Trimthesplines
downuntiltheir endsareflushwiththebottom piece. Onceall flushwiththetopendof thestaves usinga flush-cutting saw.
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I n s t a l l i n g t hl iep
I A
\,1 Trimthe lip piecesto lengthby miter-
i n ge a c he n da I 2 2 1 / z A o .p p l yg l u et o t h e
I contacting surfacesof the stavesand lip
p i e c e sa, n d p o s i t i o n e a c hp i e c es o i t s
I e n d sa l i g nw i t ht h e s e a m sb e t w e e tnh e
s t a v e sU. s et w o n a i l st o f i x e a c hl i o o i e c e
I to its staver'leff).

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ANATOMYOFA SERVINGTROLLEY t
t
t
t
Top end rail I
Upperalat I
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Upperend rail
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Front leg
Upper aide rail t
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Lower end rail
Lower eide rail
t
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CUTTING
IIST I
ITEM OTY TH W ORDIAM t
I
Iop endraifs 2 LY4' 2%', 2IYe'
Handfe
rails 2 I'A' 2%' 47' I
Upper
slats 18 Yi' 9t' 20r/a'
siderails
Upper 2 IY4' 32', I
Upper
endraifs
Front
legs
2
2
1Y4'
I%"
4',
2Yr"
20'
27',
t
Rearlegs 2 I'/z' 2/z' 30" I
endraifs
Lower 2 IY4' 2Y4' 20'

Thesertingtrolleyshownaboverollson wheels
Lower
siderails 2 IYA' 2Y4' 3z', t
lowerslals 15 Yt' flt' 17lz'
designed asreplacementsfor gasbarbecues. With
Handfe I 1' 2l'/z'
I
itsconvenient handle,thetrolleyis easyto move
around,and itsstoutlegsand rails,joinedwith Cleats 2 IYi' IYI' 30%' I
half-lapjoinery,malcethepiecesturdyand durable.
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I FASHIONINGA SERVINGTROLLEY
I
t MAKING
THEFRAME
I 1 Preparing
I Consisting
thestock
of thesideandendrails,andthelegs, theframe
I of theserving trolley is assembled withhalf-lap joinery. Onyour
tablesaw,install a dadoheadandadjustit to maximum width.
I Refer to theanatomy illustration opposite forthelocation and
sizeof therabbets anddadoes required.At thebottom endof
t therearlegs,forexample, startbycuttinga rabbet alongthe
outside faceto accept thelower siderail.Thelength of therab-
I betshould equalthewidthof thesiderailanditsdepthshould
beone-half thestockthickness. Next,cut a rabbet alongthe
I o u t s i deed g eo f t h el e gt o a c c o m m o d a
t ht e l o w eer n dr a i l .
Position theripfencesoyoucanfeedthestockalong thefence
t asyoudefine therabbet shoulder, thenmakea series of passes
to remove theremaining waste(left).Guidetheworkpiece with
I themitergauge foreachof thesepasses.

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J Fastening thesiderailsandlegstogether
I C- Onceallthejoinery cutsaremade, spread glueonthecon- thediagonals between opposite corners immediately aftertight-
tacting
surfacesof thelegsandsiderails,andfit therailsand eningthescrews (aboye). Thetworesults shouldbethesame.
t onepairof frontandrearlegstogether.Usetwoscrews to rein- lf not,install a barclampacross thelonger diagonal. Tighten
forceeachjoint,driving
thefastenersthrough therailsandinto t h ec l a m pa l i t t l ea t a t i m e ,m e a s u r i a
n sgy o ug ou n t i tl h et w o
I thelegs.Tocheckwhether theassembly is square,measure ;;^^^^^t^
urdEUrdrJ
^-^
dtu
^^.,^l
cLludt.

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GARDENPROIECTS I
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? Installing theendrails
r-,1Oncebothsidesof theframeare I
a s s e m b l eadd,dt h ef o u re n dr a i l sU
. se
glueandscrews to fasten theupperend I
railsto thelegs,thensettheassembly
upside downandf ixthelower endrails I
in position (above).
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I
Installing
thelowerslats
Usingglueandscrews, attach
a cleat I
a l o n gt h e i n s i d ef a c eo f e a c hl o w e rs i d e
r a i ls o t h e t o p e d g e so f t h e c l e a t sa r e% I
i n c hb e l o wt h et o p e d g e so f t h e r a i l s a; p p l y
o n l ya f e w d r o p so f a d h e s i vael o n gt h e I
l e n g t ho f t h e c l e a t ,r a t h e rt h a n c o v e r i n g
i t s e n t i r es u r f a c et o a v o i dt r a p p i n gw a t e r I
between the railsandcleats.Startinstalling
t h e s l a t sa t o n ee n d r a i l .N o t c ht h e e n d s I
of the f irst and lastslatsto accommodate
the legsa , n df i x e a c hp i e c ei n p l a c ew i t h I
t w o n a i l sa t e a c he n d .U s e , / , - i n c shp a c -
ersto separate the slats(rrght). I
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I GARDE,NPROIECTS

I
t ATTACHING
THETOP
'l
t P r e p a r i nt hgeh a n d l er a i l s
I S t a r tb y p r e p a r i ntgh e h a n d l er a i l sf o r
t h et o p e n dr a i l sa n dt h e h a n d l eF. o rt h e
I e n dr a i l sc, u t a 7 - i n c h - d e eip%, - i n c h -
w i d ed a d oa c r o s tsh e i n s i d ef a c eo f e a c h
I h a n d l er a i l .F o rt h e h a n d l ed, r i l la 1 - i n c h -
d i a m e t ehr o l ea s d e e pa s o n e - h a ltfh e
I s t o c kt h i c k n e s sN. e x t ,o u t l i n et h e c u r v e
a t t h e f r o n te n do f t h e r a r la n dc u t i t o n
I yourbandsaw(left).Usethe rail to out-
l i n et h e c u r v eo n t h e s e c o n dp i e c ea n d
I
r e p e atth e c u t . S m o o t ht h e c u t s u r f a c e
t w i t hs a n d p a p eorr a s p i n d l es a n d e rt,h e n
roundoverthe outsideedgeswith a router.
I
t
r) Assembling thetopframe
t L tJstngglue and screws,fastenthe
t o p e n dr a i l st o o n eo f t h e h a n d l er a i l s .
I G l u et h e h a n d l ei n t oi t s h o l e t, h e nf i t
t h e s e c o n dh a n d l er a i lo n t ot h e a s s e m -
I b l y ( b e l o w )f ,i x i n gi t i n p l a c ew i t h a d h e -
s r v ea n ds c r e w s .
T
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/ / \ \
I /l \ \
,t
U) )
t
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--t:

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GARDENPROTECTS I
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thetopt0theupper
Attaching rails
Q Attaching thesupportblocks L o w etrh e t o p o v e rt h e u p p e r a i l s :i t s h o u l df i t s n u g l y I
r - J C u tf o u r 1 - i n c h - s o u abr el o c k sa n dd r i l la % - i n c h - d i a m e t e r around t h eo u t s i d oe f t h ef r a m e H
. o l d r ntgh et o p s ot h a tt h et o p
h o l et h r o u g he a c ho n e .G l u e da n ds c r e w etdo t h e h a n d l er a i l s , edgesof the supportblocksand upperrailsareflush,fastenthe I
t h e b l o c k sw i l l s u o o o rtth e s l a t sa t t h e f r o n ta n d b a c ke n d so f railstogether(above). Glueandfastenthe top slatsin place,as
t h e t o p . C l a m pt h e t o p a s s e m b loy n e d g et o a w o r ks u r f a c e shownon pageI28. Usethe supportblocksandthe top of the I
a n da t t a c ha b l o c kt o e a c hc o r n e fro r m e db y t h e h a n d l er a i l s frameto support the slatsin placeof the longcleatsusedin the
a n dt o p e n d r a i l s( a b o v e )p;o s i t i o tnh e b l o c k s% i n c hb e l o w bottomof the frame.Installthe upperslatsas youdid the lower I
thp tnn pdgp nf the rails onesn , a i l i n gt h e mt o t h e u p p e r a i l sa n ds u p p o rbt l o c k s .
I
T
I
R
I n s t a l l i nt gh ew h e e l s I
r . , l S e tt h e t r o l l e yu p s i d ed o w no n a w o r k
s u r f a c ae n dd r i l la % - i n c h - d i a m eht oe lre I
t h r o u g he a c hl o w e r a i l3 i n c h e sf r o mi t s
e n d .M a k es u r et h e h o l e sa r ea l i g n e dS. l i d e I
a % - i n c h - d i a m eat ex rl er o dt h r o u g ht h e
h o l e sa n ds l i pa w a s h eor n e a c he n do f I
t h e r o d .F i t a w h e e o l n t oe a c he n do f t h e
axle?ight),then lock it in placewith a I
secondwasherand a pressure nut.Tapthe
n u t i n p l a c ew i t ha h a m m e rw, h i l eh o l d - I
i n ga b l o c ko f w o o da g a i n stth e o p p o s i t e
e n do f t h e a x l e . T
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I ANATOMY OF A GARDENARBOR
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ARBOR
BUILDINGA GARDE,N I
I
TUSKTENONS
MAKING I
Roughing thesiderails
1
I S t a r tb u i l d i n g t h e a r b o rb y c u t t i n g
t
t h e t u s kt e n o n st h a tj o r nt h e s i d er a i l s
to the post.To cutthetenonsat theends
I
o f t h e r a i l so n y o u rt a b l es a w ,i n s t a lal
d a d oh e a da n da d j u s it t t o i t s m a x i m u m
I
width,andattachan extension boardto
t h e m i t e rg a u g eS. e tt h e c u t t i n gh e i g h t
I
at y' inchandposition the rip fencefor
a 1 2 - i n c h - w i dceu t . F e e dt h e r a i lf a c e
I
downwithoneendridingalongthefence
t o d e fi n et h e t e n o ns h o u l d e rM. a k ea
I
seriesof passes to completethe tenon
cheek,thenturnthe railoverandrepeat
I
the process on the otherside.Cuttenons
a t t h e o t h e re n do f t h e r a i la n da t b o t h
I
e n d so f t h e r e m a i n i nrga i l s .H o l dt h e
e d g eo f t h e r a i lf l u s ha g a i n st th e m i t e r
I
gaugeextension for everypass.
I
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I
r) Roughing outthemortises intheposts I
I youcancutthepostmortises byhand,
or usea mortiserora drillpress,
f ittedwith I
eithera mortisingattachment ora f -inch-
diameter spade bit,asshown at right.The I
mortises shouldstart18 inches fromthe
bottomand24 inches fromthetopof the I
posts.Usethefinished tenons to layout
thelenghandwidthof themortises, mak- I
ingsuretheoutlines arecentered onthe
insidefacesoftheposts. Thenclampa I
backup panelto yourdrillpresstableand
setthepostonthepanel, centering the I
outlineunder thebit.Drilla holethrough
the postat eachendof the outline(right), I
thenborea series of overlapping holes to
nnmnlotp ihp mnrtiso I
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r32 I
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I GARDENPROIECTS

I
t Cleaning
upthemortises
Square
thewallsof themortises
using
I a c h i s eal s w i d ea st h e m o r t i s e sH. o l d i n g
the chiselvertically, bevelfacingthe waste,
t a l i g nt h e t i p w i t ho n eo f y o u rc u t t i n gl i n e s
a n d t a p t h e t o o l w i t h a w o o d e nm a l l e t
I (right).Conlinuearoundthe perimeterof
t h e m o r t i s eu n t i la l l t h e w a s t ei s c l e a r e d
I away.Tesffit eachtenonin its moftiseand
w i d e no r l e n g h e nt h e c a v i t ya s n e e d e d .
I
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I ,{
Assembling theposts andrails
-T Fittheposts andrailstogether and
I marka linealong thetopof eachcheek
wherethetenonemerges fromthemor-
I tiseD . i s a s s e mtbhleej o i n ta n dd r i l la
1 - i n c h - d i a m ehtoel ret h r o u gthh et e n o n
I centered ontheline.Cuta %-by-1-inch
h a r d w o opdi e c ei n t ot h eb u l l est h a p e
I shownat left;makethe lengthof the
tenonwedge aboutequalto thepostthick-
I ness. Slidethetenonintothemortise and
strike t h ew e d g fei r m l yw i t ha h a m m e r
I u n t i l t h jeo i n ti st i g h t .

I
I 133

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GARDENPROIECTS I
I
INSTALLING
THE
TRELTIS I
1 Installing thecleats
I
I Cutthecleats thatframetheinside edges of thepostsand
siderails,mitering bothendsof each piece at 45'. Startwith
, a i l i n tgh e p i e c e isn p l a c et,h e n
t h ec l e a t sa l o n gt h er a i l s n
I
install theonealong theposts. Foreachcleat,drivethefirst
I
n a i la b o u2t i n c h efsr o mo n ee n d ,c o n t i n u i nagt a b o u8t - i n c h
s .s ea t a p em e a s u rpee r i o d i c atlol yc h e c kt h a tt h e
i n t e r v a lU
cleatsareoffsetby about% inchfromthe outsideedgesof
t
the postsandrails(right).
t
I
I
r') Preparing thelatticestrips
( - m e d a d o efso rt h e h a l f - l a pj os i n i n g
t h e l a t t i c es t r i p s I
together canbecutoneafteranother onthetablesawusing
a dadoheadanda simple jig madefromanextension board t
c l a m p etdo t h em i t e rg a u g eF. e e dt h ee x t e n s i oi n t ot h e
blades to cuta dado,thenslidetheextension along themiter I
gauge sothespacebetween thedadoandtheblades equals
4 inches. Screw theextension to thegaugeandcut a second I
dado.Then,inserta tight-fitting wooden keyin thefirstdado
so it projects at least2 inchesfromtheextension. Foreach I
latticestrip,butttheedgeof the boardagainst the keyand
holdanedgeflushagainst theextension. Feedthestrrpinto I
theblades to cut a firstdado,thenfit thenotchyoujustcut
overthekeyandmakea second cut.Continue cuttingdadoes I
in thismanner(below) untilyoureachthe opposite endof
. o o ky o u rt h u m b sa r o u n tdh ee x t e n s i ot ons t e a d y
t h es t r i p H I
thestripduring eachpass.
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t GARDENPROIECTS

I
t J<. Cutting
thelattice
strips
to lengh
r - , f 0 n c e a l l t h e i o i n e r vc u t s h a v eb e e n
I i n t h e l a t t i c es t r i j s , u s et h e s a m es e t u p
t o c u t t h e p i e c e st o l e n g t hR . e p l a cteh e
I d a d oh e a dw i t ha c o m b i n a t i obnl a d e F . or
e a c hs t r i p s, l i p t h e l a s td a d oy o u c u t
I o v e rt h e k e ya n df e e dt h e p i e c ei n t ot h e
blade (left).
t
I ,{
Assembling andinstalling the lattice
T L a yo u tt h e h o r i z o n t a l al t t i c es t r i p s
I on a worksurface, spreadsomeglueinto
a l lt h ed a d o ea s n df i t t h e v e r t i c asl t r i p s
I in position(below).Usea woodenmal-
l e tt o c l o s et h e j o i n t ss n u g l yt,h e nr e i n -
I f o r c ee v e r ys e c o n d l o i n tw i t ha n a i l .T o
i n s t a ltlh e l a t t i c eh, o l dt h e p a n eal g a i n s t
I t h e i n s i d ef a c eo f t h e c l e a t sa n df a s t e n
t h e s t r i p st o t h e c l e a t sd, r i v i n ga s c r e w
I i n t oe a c hc o r n ear n d i n t ot h e c e n t e o rf
eachside (lnsef).
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GARDENPROTECTS I
I
f,
Attaching thecaprails I
r - , f C u ta 1 - i n c h - d e erpa b b eat t e a c he n d
o f t h e c a pr a i l st;h e r a b b e tssh o u l db e a s I
l o n ga s t h e p o s tw i d t h .S e ta s r d ea s s e m -
b l yo n a w o r ks u r f a c es, p r e a dg l u eo n t h e t
c o n t a c t i nsgu r f a c easn df i t t h e c a p r a i l
i n p o s i t i o n( r i g h t ) .R e i n f o r c e a c hj o i n t I
with screws.
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BUILDING
THET()P
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'l thehalf-laps
0utlining onthetoprails
I -,
I T h et o p r a i l sc o m p r i s i ntgh e t o p o f t h e a r b o ra r ej o i n e dw i t h i n c h e fsr o mo n ee n do f t h e b o a r d sb, e g i nm a r k i n tgh e d a d o I
h a l f - l a jpo i n t s T
. o m a r ko u t t h e d a d o e si n a l l t h e p i e c e si n a s h o u l d e rTs o. e x t e n dt h e l i n e sa c c u r a t e al yc r o s tsh e r a i l s ,u s e
s i n p l es e t u n - a n de n s r r rteh a tt h e va l i p n - r ' l a m nt h e f i v es h o r t a c a r p e n t e rs' sq u a r eb, u t t i n go n ea r ma g a i n stth e o u t s i d ee d g e I
t o p r a i l sa n dt h e nt h e f o u rl o n gt o p r a i l st o g e t h efra c et o f a c e . o f t h e s t o c k( a b o v e E) . a c hd a d os h o u l db e 2 i n c h e sw i d e .M a r k
l V l a kseu r et h e e n d so f t h e n i e c e si n e a c hs e ta l r s n S t a r t i n sl 4 t h e d a d od e n t h 2 i n c h e s - o ne a c hr a i l . I
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I GARDENPROTECTS

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I r) Sawing thedadoshoulders
Z- Because thetoprailsareunwieldy
t t o c u to nt h et a b l es a wy, o us h o u l d
make t h ed a d o ebsyh a n dC. l a m tph e
I workpiece bottom-face upto a work
surface andusea crosscut sawto cut
I along theshoulder lines(above). Stop
eachkerfat thedepthline.
I
I
I
I Q
Chiseling outthewaste
r.,l Onceall the dadoshoulders havebeen
I cut,turntheworkpiece on onesideanduse
a c h i s e al sw i d ea s t h e d a d o e tso r e m o v e
I the waste.Startingjust belowthe bottom
e d g eo f t h e s t o c k h, o l dt h e c h i s evl e r t i c a l -
T l y ,w i t ht h e b e v efla c i n gt h e b o t t o me d g e ,
a n dt a o t h e t o o lw i t ha m a l l e t o s e v e a r
t pieceof wastewood(/eff).Continue in this
fashion u n t i ly o um a k ea f i n a lc u t w i t ht h e
I c h r s et lr pa l i g n ew d i t ht h ed e p t hl i n e .

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GARDENPROIECTS t
I
/l Shaping
theendsofthetoprails I
't t a R e f e r r i n g
t o t h e a n a t o miyl l u s t r a t i o n
( n a s e1. 3/ ) d r a wt h e d e c o r a t i vceu r v e I
al lhp pndq nf ihp inn r:ilc nn : nipep nf

Z - i n c hp l y w o o a d n dc u t o u tt h e p r o f i l eo n I
y o u rb a n ds a w .U s i n gt h e p l y w o o p diece
a s a t e m p l a t et r, a n s f et rh e c u r v eo n t oe a c h l,
r a i l .C l a m pt h e r a i lt o a w o r ks u r f a cw e ith
t h e e n dt o b e c u t e x t e n d i nogf f t h e t a b l e . I
and cut the curvewith a sabersaw(lefil.
O n c ea l l t h e r a i l sh a v eb e e ns h a p e ds,a n d I
t h e c u t e n d ss m o o t ha n da s s e m b lteh e
n ,r up!nu pJ c u
p v vr ,r Lt h r ou: inl ud J U I U v V )d ) y' U
r 'Bo rl ur u
^ ril
U UIU I
ihp l:tiinp /neop
\ F e b e
I ?4)
4 e ' / '

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INSTALLING
THEARBOR I
1l Burvins
-
theanchors
I Thepostsof thearborcanbe setin con-
I
c r e t eo r - m o r e e a s i l y - m e t aal n c h o rtsh a t I
a r ed r i v e ni n t ot h eg r o u n dP . l a c et h e a r b o r
w h e r ei t w i l lg o a n dm a r kt h e l o c a t i oonf t h e
n o s t sF. i t a l e n g t ho f n o s ts t o c ki n t oe a c h
I
a n c h o ar n d u s ea s l e d g e h a m mt e
the stockandanchorintotheground(righil.
o rd r i v e I
C o n t r n uuen t i lt h et o pe n do f e a c ha n c h oirs
nearthe ground.Makesurethetopsof the
I
fouranchors areall level.Remove the post I
stockfromtheanchorsand insertthe nnsts
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138 I
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I
t r) Attaching thefrontandbackrails
I C u ta 1 - i n c h - d e eapn d3 - i n c h -
t l o n gr a b b eat t e a c he n do f t h e f r o n t
a n db a c kr a i l s T. h e nf i t t h e r a i l si n
I n l a c ea n ds e c r r rteh e mw i t ht w o
screwsat eachend (left)
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I -) Installins
<'
theton
r - . 1 T oc o m p l e t be u i l d i n tgh e a r b o rw, ork
I w i t ha h e l p e tro l r f tt h e t o p i n t op o s i t i o n
( b e l o w )l .f y o ua r e u s i n gs t e p l a d d e r s .
I m a k es u r et h e ya r ep l a c e ds e c u r e loyn
s o l i dg r o u n dN . a i lt h et o p r a i l so f t h e
l a r b o rt o t h e c a p r a i l s .

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I 139

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A-B-C-D Clearancehole:A holeboredin a
AuxiliaryfenceA woodenattachment workpieceto accommodatethe shank
to a tool'srip fencethat servesto hold
accessories or preventdamageto the
bladeby the metalfence.
Axle cap:A stamped,unthreaded
cap driven onto an axlerod to hold
a wheelin place.
Backingboard:A board attachedto
a drill passto givethe work alarger
bearingsurfaceand to preventtearout.
Batten:A board stretchedacrossa
number of slatsor acrossthe grain of
a flat surfaceto increaserigidity and
minimize warping.
Bevelcut A cut at an anglefrom face
to facealongthe lengthor width of a
workpiece.Seemiter cut.
Blank A pieceof solid or glued-up
wood usedto createa furniture part.
Board foot A unit of wood volume
measurementequivalentto a pieceof
wood I inch thick and 12inchessquare.
Bridle joint A tfpe of openmortise-
and-tenonjoint in which the tenonis
aslong asthe width of the mortise
pieceand the mortiseextendsacross
the entirewidth of the board.
Butterflycatch: A speciallatchwith a
wingedknobdesignedto securetogether
two partsof a pieceof furniture.
Chamfer:A bevelcut alongthe edge
of a workpiece.
Cheek The faceof the projecting
tenon in a mortise-and-tenonjoint.
I
GLOSSARY I
I
Featherboard:A pieceof wood with
"feathers"
I
thin fingersor alongoneend
of a screw. to hold a workpiecesecurelyagainstthe
fenceor tableof a powertool.
I
CleafiA strip of wood fastenedto one
furniture part to supportanother. Fence:An adjustableguideto keepthe
I
edgeof a workpiecea setdistancefrom
Counterbore:Drilling a holethat the cutting edgeof a tool. I
permitsthe headof a screwor bolt to
sit belowa wood surfacesoit canbe Flushtrimmingbit A pilotedstraight t
concealed by a wood plug. routerbit usedto cut wood flushwith
a template. I
Countersink:Drilling a holesothe
headof a screwliesflushwith or slight- Four square:Lumberthat hasbeen I
ly belowthe surfaceof the workpiece. jointed,rippedandplanedsothe edges
Cross-dowekA metalcylinderthread-
aresquareto the faces. I
ed acrossits axisto accommodatea Groove:A rectangularchannelcut
screwor knockdownfastener;usually into a workpieceparallelto the grain.
I
usedto providelong-grainstrength Seedado.
when screwinginto end grain. I
Half-lap:A lap joint in which the
CrosscutAny cut madeperpendicular dadoesarehalf the thicknessof the I
to the wood grain. stock;seelapjoint.
I
Dado:A rectangularchannelcut into |ig: A devicefor guidinga tool or hold-
a workpieceperpendicularto the grain. ing workpiecein position. I
Seegroove.
Dowel center:A metalcylinderthat is
Kerf, A cut madein wood by the width
ofa sawblade.
I
insertedinto a dowelhole to pinpoint
a matchinghole in a matingworkpiece. Knockdown fitting: A fastenerthat
I
allowsthe quick assemblyand disas-
Doweljoint An edge-to-edge gluejoint semblyof a pieceof furniture. I
alignedand reinforcedwith dowels.
Lattics An assemblyof narrowor thin I
E-F-G-H-r-l wood stockjoined togetherto form a
Edgeguide A straightedgeor long gridJike pattern. I
pieceof squarestockusedto guidea
tool during a cut. Iap joint A joint in which oneor both
of the matingboardsaredadoedto
I
End grain: The arrangementand
directionof the wood fibersrunning
increasegluingareaand allowthe sur-
facesof the piecesto lie flushwith one
I
acrossthe endsof a board. anotherwhen the joint is assembled.
I
Eyebolt: A metal fastenerwith a
threadedshaftand a ring at oneend; I
usedwith a lengthof chainto hang
porch swings. I
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140 I
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7 K-L-M-N-O-P-Q
Kickback The tendenryof a work-
I pieceto be thrown backtowardthe
operatorof a woodworkingmachine.
I Miter cut A cut that anglesacrossthe
faceof a workpiece;seebevelcut.
I tionary tool to enablea workpieceto
Nominal size: The dimensionsto
I which lumber is sawnbeforeit is
planed;wood is sold accordingto
I nominalsize.
I Miter gaugeA devicethat slidesin a
slot parallelto the fenceon a sawor
router table,providing supportfor
I the stockasit movespastthe bladeor
bit; canbe adjustedto differentangles
I for miter cuts.
I Mortiss A socketcut into a pieceof
wood to receivea tenon.
I faceof a rail is positionedsothe stile
Mortise-and-tenonjoint A joinery
I techniquein whicha projectingtenon
cut in oneboard fits into a matching
I hole,or mortise,in another.
Open mortise: In a through mortise-
I and-tenonjoint, a mortisethat extends
through the mortiseworkpiece.
3 jointing andplaningto renderstraight
Pattern routing: Using a templateand
I flush-trimming bit to makeidentical
copiesof a furniture piece.
I of removingmoisturefrom green
Pilot bearing:A free-spinningmetal
I collar aboveor belowthe cutting edge
of a piloted routerbit that guidesthe
t bit alongthe edgeof a workpieceor
templateduring a cut.
I Pilothole: A hole drilled into a work-
pieceto preventsplittingwhen a
I screwis driven;usuallymadeslightly
smallerthan the threadedsectionof
I the screw
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t
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Post:A verticalmemberin a frame
assembly,suchasan arbor.
Pushblock or stick A deviceusedto
feeda workpieceinto the bladeor
cutter of a tbol to protectthe opera-
tor's fingers.
R.S
Rabbet A stepJikecut in the edgeor
end of a of a board;usuallyforms part
of a joint.
RaiftA board running alongthe bot-
tom edgeof a tabletopto which the
legscanbe attached;in a chair,the
horizontalmembersof the seatframe
which arejoined to the legs.Also the
horizontalmemberof a frame-and-
panelassembly. Seestile.
ReveahA decorativefeaturewherethe
to which it is attachedprotrudesslight-
ly; frequentlyusedin tableframes.
Rip cut A cut followingthe grain of
a workpiece-usuallymadealongthe
lengthofthe stock.
Rough sawn:Lumber in needof
and square.
Seasoning:The processor technique
wood to improve its stability.
Shoulder:In a mortise-and-tenon
joint, the part of the tenonthat is
perpendicularto the cheek.
SlafiThin, narrowstripsof wood used
in seatsandback of outdoor furniture.
StaveA tapered, pieceofwood.
beveled
Stile:The verticalmemberof a frame-
and-panelassembly. Seerarl.
Stopblock A block of wood clamped
to the fenceor miter gaugeof a sta-
be positionedproperlyfor repeatcuts.
Stoppedgroove:A groovethat does
not run the firll lengthof a workpiece.
T.U-V-W-X.Y-Z
T halfJap: A halfJapjoint that inter-
sectsthe middleof oneboard.
Thpercut An angledcut alongthe
edgeof a workpiecethat reducesits
width or thicknessat one end.
Tearout The tendenryof a bladeor
cutterto tearwood fibers.
Template:A pattern,typicallymade
ofplywood or hardboard,usedto
guidea tool in reproducingidentical
copiesof a piece.
Tenon:A protrusionfrom the end of
a workpiecethat fits into a mortise.
Through tenon:A tenonextending
completelythrough an openmortise.
Tusktenon joint A type of through
mortise-and-tenonjoint in which the
tenonis fixednot by glue,but by a
tusklike wedge.
Wood movement The shrinkingor
swellingof wood in reactionto changes
in relativehumidity.
Zincplating: A procedurein which
metalis electroplatedwith a thin coat-
ing of zinc;usedin somefasteners.
 I
INDEX t
t
Pagereferencesinitalicsindicatean Curvedchairs,14,23,34 Strainingvarnishand paint I
illustrationof subjectmatter.Page Arms,42-43 (ShopTip),21
references in bold indicatea Build It Assembly,40-41 Foldingpicnictables.SeePicnic I
Yourselfproject. Cuttinglists,35 tables
foinery,35,37-38 Gardenbenches,14,54,55,56 I
A-B.C Shaping,38-39 Backs,62-63
Adhesives, 13,18 Templates,36,38 Cuttinglists,57 I
Adirondackchairs,14,23,24 Cutting lists Cutting patterns,52
Assembly,28-33 Adirondack chairs,25 End units, 58-59 I
using dowelsto anchorscrews Arbors,131 Leg-and-railassemblies, 52
driven into end grain (Shop Curvedchairs,35 Seats.60-61 I
Tip),29 Gardenbenches, 57 Gilborn,Craig,l0-11
Backslats,26-27 Gliderbases, 112 Gliderbases, 14 103,112-113, I
Cuttinglists,25 Keyedtenon benches,90 114-115
Cutting patterns,25 Loungechairs,44 Cuttinglists,112 I
Seats,33 Parkbenches,65 Gliders.115-117
Allergicreactions,13 Patiotables,80 Glues.SeeAdhesives I
Arbors,15,118,lI9, 131 Picnictables,90 Half-lapjoints,23,35,37-38
Caprails,136 Planters,120 Cornerhalf-lapjoint jigs,83 I
Cuttinglists,131 Porchswings,104
Installation,138-1i9 Treebenches, 71 H-I-I I
Tops,136-1j8 Trolleys,126 Hardware,13,18
Trellises,134-1i5 Cutting patterns JigS I
Tirsktenonjoints, 131,132-133 Adirondack chafus,25 Cornerhalf-lapjoint jigs,83
Benches. SeeGardenbenches; Gardenbenches,57 Pocketholejigs, 82 .l
Glider bases;Keyedtenon Parkbenches,65 Taperjigs,27
benches; Parkbenches; Tenoningjigs for the tablesaw,87 I
Porchswings;Tieebenches D-E-F-G foinery,13,18,19
Bevelangles Decayresistance, 13,16 Crossdowels,104,110 t
Checkingsawbladebevelangles Finishes,20-21 Gardenbenches,57
(ShopTip), 121 Knotsin wood,21 Half-lapjoints,23,35,37-38 I
Boardfeet,17 sealingknots with shellac cornerhalf-lapjoint jigs,83
Build It Yourself (ShopTip), 33 Tusktenonjoints, 100,131, I
Cornerhalf-lapjoint jigs,83 Lattice-toptables,80 132-133
Taperjigs,27 Paint,20,21 Using dowelsto anchorscrews I
Tenoningjigs for the tablesaw,87 Polyurethane,20 driveninto end grain (Shop
Chairs.SeeAdirondackchairs; Sparvarnish,12,20,21 Tip),29 I
Benches;Curvedchairs; Stains,20 Joyntstools.SeeKeyedtenon
Loungechairs;Porchswings benches I
Chaiselongues.SeeLoungechairs
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r42 I
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a K-t-M-N-O Planters,15,II9, 120 Trolleys,15,119,126
Keyedtenonbenches,14,79,90,98 Assembly, 122-125 Cuttinglists,126
I Cuttinglists,90 Cuttinglists,120 Frames,127-128
Legboards,9S-99 Staves,l2l-122 Lowerslats,I28
I Seats,l0l Pocketholes,82,84 Tops,129-130
Stretchers,100 Polyurethane,20 Wheels,l30
I Loungechairs,14,22-23,44-45 Porchswings,15,702,103,104-105 Tlrsktenonjoints, 100,]31, 132-133
Assembly,48 Assembly,llI
I Backrests,49-51 Backs.106-108 W.X-Y-Z
Cuttinglists,44 Cuttinglists,104 Varnish,12,20,21
I Legs,5I-53 Seats,109-110 Strainingvarnishand paint
Siderails,46-47 Routers (ShopTip),2l
I Wheels.53 Cornerhalf-lapjoint jigs,83 Weatherproofing,13,20
Lumber foints,18
t Abbreviations,front endpaper S-T-U-V Wheels
Boardfeet,17 Safetyprecautions Loungechairs,53
I Grades,front endpaper Thblesaws,backendpaper Trolleys,130
Sizes,
16 Sanding,23 Wood
I SeealsoWood Servingtrolleys.SeeTiolleys Allergicreactions,13
Octagonalplanters.SeePlanters ShopTips,21,29,97 Boardfeet,17
I Finishes,2l,33 Decayresistance, 13,16
P-Q-R Sparvarnish,12,20,21 Lumbersizes,16
I Paint,20,21 Strainingvarnishand paint Paintingknots,2l
Strainingvarnishand paint (ShopTip),21 sealingknots with shellac
I (ShopTip),2I Stains(finishes),20 (ShopTip), 33
Parkbenches, 14,55,64,65 Swings.SeePorchswings Selection,l6
I Backs,69 Thbles.SeePatiotables;Picnic
Cutting lists,65 tables;Tiolleys
I Cutting patterns,65 Thblesaws
End units.66 Bladeguardassemblies, back
I Seats,67 endpaper
Patiotables,15, 79, 80-81 Checkingsawbladebevelangles
I Cutting lists,80 (ShopTip), .l2l
Latticetops,78,79,80 Safetyprecautions,backendpaper
I frames,85-88 Tenoningjigs for the tablesaw,87
grids,88-89 Taperjigs,27
I Legsand stretchers,82-85 Tolpin,Jim,6-7
Pocketholes,82,84 Treebenches,15,55,70,71
t Phillips,Thomas,8-9 Cuttinglists,7l
Picnictables,15,79,90,91-92 Dimensions,Tl
I Butterfly catches,T9 Installation,ZZ
Cutting lists,90 Seats,75-76
I Folding leg assemblies,92,
95-97 Supportassemblies, 72-25
Replaceable feet(ShopTip),97
I Tops,92

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WORKSHO
GPU I D E
I BASICW()ODW()RKING
CUTS

I A n yj o r n tc a n b e m a d ew i t ho n eo r m o r e Butbefore
o f t h e b a s i cc u t ss h o w nb e l o wA
youmakeyourf irst
. t e n o n , cut,rememberto
ANATOMY
OFA BOARD

I for examole.is formedwith two or more measure

r a b b ect u t s .A l a pl o i n ti s m a d ef r o m
twice.

I two dadoesor widerabbets.Thesecret

in creatina g n yl o i n ti s m a k i n gt h e s e
t s i m p l ec u t sp r e c i s eal yn di n
thp nnrrpnt qpnrpnao

I Compoundaut

I
I Miter cut

Croescut
I
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t notch

I Stopped Hole
rabbet
I 9topped
Kabbet hole
I
I USEFUT
TUMBER
ABBREVIATIONS
t AD A i rd r i e d TINFT L i n e a ro, r l i n e a lf,o o t STD Standard
I BD Board MC M o i s t u rceo n t e n t STK Stock
BDFT Boardfoot 0c 0n center SYMBOTS' Footor feet
t CLR Clear OG Ogee
'
l n c ho r i n c h e s
x b y ( a st n 2 x 4 )
C()M Common P Planed alq,6lq,Blq(andso on):
I C UF T C u b i cf e e t PAD P a r t i a l layi rd r i e d R o u g ht h i c k n e sisn
DIM Dimension PC Piece f r a c t i o nosf a n i n c h
I E Edge RDM Random s&E S i d ea n de d g e
FAS Firstsand seconds REG Regu
lar slE Sr rrfaeod nno odoo
I FT Foot RGH Rough s2E Surfacedtwo edges
Surfacemeasure(in feet) sls
I FTSM
GR Green
RIP
RL
Rip p e d
R a n d o ml e n g t h s s2s
S u r f a c eodn es i d e
Surfacedtwo sides

I HDWD Hardwood RND R o un d s4s Surfacedfour sides

HRTWD Heartwood SAP Sapwood sls1E S u r f a c eodn es i d e ,o n ee d g e
I lN Inches SD Seasoned sls2E Surfaced
oneside,two edges
JTD Jointed SE Squareedge T&G Tnnorreand qrnnrrp

I KD K i l nd r i e d SEt Select VJ Vj o i n t
LBR Lumber SF Surfacefoot (1 squarefoot) WDR Wider
I LGTH Length SM Surfacemeasure WT Weight
LIN L i n e a or r l i n e a l s0 Square WTH width
t
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