The jig shown above can be used on the table saw to cut both parts of an open mortise-and-tenon joint. Refer to the illustration for suggested dimensions. Cut the jig fence and back from three pieces of 3/4-inch plywood and saw a 45′ bevel at one end of each board; the pieces should be wider than the height of your saw’s rip fence. Fasten two pieces together face-to-face to fashion the back, then use countersunk screws to attach the fence and back together in an L shape; make sure the fasteners will not be in the blade’s path when you use the jig (inset). Next, cut the brace from solid stock, bevel its ends and attach it along the top edges of the fence and back, forming a triangle. Cut the runner from solid wood and attach it to the fence so that the jig runs smoothly across the table without wobbling. (The runner in this illustration has been notched to fit the particular design of the saw’s rip fence.) Finally, cut a piece of clear plastic as a blade guard and screw it to the jig back flush with its front face.

Mounting the eccentric clamp

Make the clamp by face-gluing three pieces of 3/4-inch plywood and cutting the assembly into the shape shown. Bore a pilot hole through the jig back and the clamp, then fasten the clamp in place; wedge one of your workpieces between the edge of the clamp and the fence as you drive the screw. Offset the fastener so the clamp can pivot eccentrically (above). (Drill additional holes in the jig back to enable you to move the clamp to accommodate stock of varying thicknesses.)

Cutting a tenon

Set the jig on the saw table in front of the blade with the runner and fence straddling the rip fence. Secure the workpiece in the jig by turning the eccentric clamp, and position the rip fence so that the blade is in line with a tenon cheek cutting mark on the workpiece. Feed the jig into the blade. (Your first use of the jig will produce a kerf in the back.) Flip the workpiece in the 1ig and repeat to cut the other cheek (above). Remove the jig from the table, lower the cutting height to the level of the shoulders, and shift the rip fence to cut the tenon shoulder.

To bore pocket holes on the drill press, use this jig made from 3/4-inch plywood and two small pieces of solid stock. Refer to the illustration at left for suggested dimensions. Screw the two sides of the cradle together to form an L. Then cut a 90″ angle wedge from each support bracket so that the wide side of the cradle will sit at an angle of about 20″ from the vertical. Screw the brackets to the jig base and attach the cradle to the brackets.

2.Drilling pocket holes

Seat the workpiece in the cradle with the side to be drilled facing out and the top edge sitting in the V of the cradle. Bore the holes in two steps with two different bits: a Forstner bit slightly larger than the diameter of the screw heads, so they can be recessed, and a brad-point bit a little larger than the screw shanks to allow for wood movement. Install the brad-point bit in the chuck and position the jig on the drill press table so the bit aligns with the center of the bottom edge of the workpiece. Clamp the jig to the table and replace the brad-point bit with the Forstner. Holding the workpiece firmly in the jig, feed the bit slowly to bore each hole just deep enough to recess the screw heads. To complete the pocket holes, reinstall the brad-point bit and bore through the workpiece.

To install a tail vise on a bench with a sliding dog block, position the vise collar against the right-hand side end cap and outline the hole for the vise screw. Then set a support board on the drill press table and clamp the end cap on top of it. Fit the drill press with a spade bit slightly larger than the vise screw and bore a hole through the end cap, Screw the vise collar to the end cap so the two holes line up. Next, secure the sliding dog block end-up in handscrews and clamp the hand screws to a work surface. Position the vise flange on the block and mark its screw holes. Bore a pilot hole at each mark, then screw the flange to the block.

2.Assembling the vise

Fit the sliding dog block in the bench so the hardwood keys in the block run in the grooves in the sides of the rail. Thread the vise screw through the vise collar, test-fit the end cap on the benchtop and lock the ball joint on the end of the screw into the vise flange. Set the front apron in position against the dog blocks and test the movement of the vise by turning the screw. If the sliding block binds, remove the end cap, apron, and sliding dog block, and ease the fit by paring the keys with a chisel. Once you are satisfied with the vise’s movement, attach the aprons, end caps, and trays following the procedures outlined.

Make this jig to simplify the task of boring a row of equally spaced holes on the drill press. Screw the fence flush with one edge of the base, then attach a wood block to the center of the fence as a dowel holder. (The hole for the dowel is made the first time you use the jig.) The dimensions given in the illustration will suit most drill press tables.

2.Boring the hole

Set the jig on the drill press table. Mark the location of the first two holes and seat the workpiece against the fence of the jig, aligning the first drilling mark under the bit. Butt a guide block against the back of the jig and clamp it to the table. Bore the first hole, slide the jig along the guide block, and bore a hole through the dowel holder. Fit a dowel through the hole in the holder and into the hole in the workpiece. Slide the jig until the second drilling mark is aligned under the bit. Clamp the jig to the table and bore the second hole. To drill each remaining hole, retract the dowel and slide the workpiece along the jig fence. Push the dowel down into the last hole you made.

Boring holes in cylindrical stock

To make the simple V-block jig shown above, mark a right-angle V on the end of a piece of solid stock that is long enough to hold your workpiece. Then, adjust the blade angle on your table saw to 45″ and align one cutting line with the blade. Butt the rip fence against the stock and feed the board to cut the first side of the V. Reverse the piece and make the second cut. To use the jig, secure it to the drill table so the drill bit touches the center of the V when the quill is extended. Hold the workpiece in the V, aligning the bit over the cutting mark, set the drilling depth, and bore the hole.

Install a dado head half as wide as the stock thickness on your table saw. Attach an auxiliary wood fence and raise the blades to cut a notch in it, then set the cutting height-again one-half the thickness of the boards. To secure the workpiece, clamp two feather boards and a support board to the table. Using a push stick, feed the stock into the blades, then flip the board over and repeat the cut along the other edge. To allow for wood movement, create a slight expansion gap between the boards at the back of the door by running one edge of each board across the jointer.

2. Assembling the door

Clamp the door together and place it inside-face up on a work surface. Then cut two battens slightly shorter than the width of the door and narrower than the door boards. Position the two pieces of wood across the top and bottom of the assembly as shown. Then fit an electric drill with a combination bit and counterbore holes for screws and wood plugs at 2-inch intervals along the battens, alternating between the top and bottom of each board. Make clearance holes except in the places where the screw will join the batten to an outside door board. Then, holding the batten square to the edge of the door, drive in each screw. Cut a third batten to fit diagonally between the two already in place and screw it into position. To conceal the screws, apply a dab of glue to their heads, then insert plugs in the holes. Tan the plugs in place with a wooden mallet, then use a chisel to trim the projecting stubs flush with the door surface.

For cutting perfect circles on the band saw, use a circle-cutting jig custom-built for your tool like the one shown at left. Refer to the illustration for suggested dimensions. Use a router fitted with a dovetail bit to cut a 3/4-inch-deep groove in the middle of the jig base. Then use a table saw to rip a thin, beveled board that will slide smoothly in the channel. (Set the saw blade bevel angle by measuring the angle of the channel edges.) Cut out the notch on the band saw. Then position the jig base on the saw table so that the blade lies in the notch and the dovetail groove is perpendicular to the direction of cut. Now screw the support arms to the underside of the jig base; the arms should hug the sides of the band saw table. Bore two screw holes through the bottom of the dovetail channel in the jig base roughly 1 inch and 3 inches from the unnotched end; also bore three holes through the bar.

Preparing the workpiece

Mark the circumference and center of the circle you plan to cut on its underside. Then, use the band saw to cut off the four corners of the workpiece to keep it from hitting the clamps that will secure the jig to the table as the workpiece turns. Make a release cut from the edge of the workpiece to the marked circumference and veer off to the edge. Screw the pivot bar to the center of the workpiece through one of the bar’s holes, leaving the screw loose enough to pivot the workpiece. Turn the workpiece over and mark the contact point where the blade touched the circumference during the release cut.

Securing the workpiece to the jig

Clamp the jig base to the band saw table, making sure the support arms are butted against the table’s edges. Slide the pivot bar into the channel in the base and pivot the workpiece until the marked contact point touches the blade. Screw through one of the holes in the jig base to lock the pivot bar in place.

Completing the circle

Turn on the saw and pivot the workpiece into the blade in a clockwise direction, feeding the piece with your right hand until the cut is complete.

To file off the existing hook on a scraper, clamp the tool in a vise with one long edge facing up. Holding a sharp mill bastard file firmly with both hands as shown, make several passes back and forth along the edge of the scraper, exerting moderate downward pressure until the bun disappears and the edges are flat. To remove filings, periodically tap the file on a firm surface or use a file card. Turn the scraper over and repeat the process for the other edge.

2.Honing the edge

Secure a combination sharpening stone fine side up to a work surface with cleats and lubricate it as you would when honing a plane blade Holding the scraper flat against the stone, rub the face on the stone with a circular motion. Apply moderate pressure and continue until any roughness produced by filing disappears. Turn the scraper over and repeat for the other face. To complete the honing, hold the scraper edge down and slide it back and forth diagonally across the stone until the edge is smooth with sharp corners. Repeat for the other edge.

3.Burnishing the edges to start a hook

Place the scraper flat on a work surface with the edge to be sharpened extending off the table. Holding a burnisher at a slight angle to the scraper, make several passes back and forth along the edge, applying strong downward pressure to start turning over the edge into a hook. Burnish the other cutting edge the same way; turn the scraper over and burnish the edges on the other face.

4.Completing the hook

Secure the scraper edge up in a vise. Hold the burnisher almost perpendicular to the edge and run it along the edge in one direction until the edge swells slightly, turning outward on one side. For best results, apply moderate pressure. Then hold the burnisher so that the handle is at a 10′ to 15′ angle above the edge of the scraper and continue burnishing until the edge turns over. Repeat the process to form a hook on the other side of the edge (inset), this time holding the handle with your other hand. The greater the pressure you apply, tho bigger the hook. Turn the scraper over and burnish the opposite edge. Test the cutting edges on a piece of scrap wood, burnishing them again, if necessary, until you have the hook you need for the job at hand.

Loosen the lever cap screw and remove the blade assembly-including the lever cap, cap iron and blade-from the plane. Then loosen the cap iron screw and slide the cap iron on the face of the blade to leave a gap of about 1/16 inch between the end of the cap iron and the cutting edge of the blade. Tighten the cap iron screw. Next, place the blade assembly in position on the frog. The gap between the front edge of the blade and the front of the mouth should be about 1/16 inch. If not, loosen both frog setscrews about 1/4 turn, then turn the frog adjusting screw with a screwdriver to set the proper gap. Lock the blade assembly in position.

2. Centering the blade and setting the depth of cut

Holding the plane as shown, shift the lateral adjusting lever to one side or the other to center the cutting edge in the mouth. To set the cutting depth, turn the depth-of-cut adjustment knob so that no more than about 1/32 inch of the cutting edge protrudes from the mouth. Check the depth of cut by eye, then confirm the setting by making a test cut on a scrap board. The shavings should be paper-thin; the finer the cut, the more transparent the shavings. Adjust the cutting depth, if necessary.

Use a combination square to determine whether the cutting edge of the plane blade is square to the sides. If it is not, square the cutting edge on a bench grinder, making sure to adjust the grinder’s tool rest at 90″ to the wheel.

2.Creating a hollow-ground bevel

Sharpening a plane blade involves three steps: creating a bevel on the blade’s cutting edge, honing a microbevel on the first bevel, and removing the burr that results from the honing process. To create the first bevel, clamp the blade bevel-down in a commercial grinding jig and adjust the tool rest to create a 30′ bevel. Holding the jig on the tool rest, advance it toward the wheel until the cutting edge makes contact. Slide the blade side-to-side across the wheel, pressing lightly. Check the cutting edge periodically and stop grinding when the bevel forms.

3.Honing the microbevel

Once you sharpen the plane blade’s cutting edge on a grinder, as in step 2, the result will be a hollow-ground bevel.If you did the job by hand on a sharpening stone, you will obtain a flat bevel.In either case, you need to hone a microbevel on the first bevel. Place a combination sharpening stone fine side up on a work surface. Screw cleats to the table against the stone to keep it from moving. For a hollow-ground bevel, clamp the blade in a commercial angle-setting honing guide with the bevel touching the stone. Saturate the stone with the appropriate lubricant and then, holding the honing guide, slide the blade back and forth from end to end along the sharpening surface. Apply moderate pressure until a microbevel forms. If you are starting with a flat bevel, clamp the blade in a commercial angle-setting honing guide with the bevel touching the stone. Then raise the angle of the blade a few degrees and complete the operation as for a hollow-ground bevel.

4. Lapping the burr

The honing process will create a thin ridge of metal, or burr, on the flat face of the blade. To remove the burr, saturate the fine side of the stone again. Holding the blade perfectly flat on the stone, bevel side up, move it in a circular pattern until the flat side of the cutting edge is smooth.

5. Testing the blade for sharpness

Clamp a softwood board to a work surface and, holding the blade bevel-side up in your hands, cut across the grain of the surface. A sharp blade will cleanly slice a sliver of wood from the board without tearing the wood fibers.

6. Honing the end of the cap iron

Secure a benchstone to your work surface; in the illustration at left. a diamond stone, which should be lubricated with water, is shown in its own box. Set the front portion of the cap iron that contacts the blade flat on the stone and slide it in a circular pattern on the surface. Continue until the tip of the cap iron is perfectly flat. This will guarantee that wood chips will not become trapped between the iron and the blade once the two pieces are reassembled.

To bore holes that are centered on the surface of a board, use the shopmade center-drilling jig shown above. The illustration provides suggested dimension.

Use a straight piece of 1-by-1 stock for the jig arm. You can make such a device any length you choose, but cutting it to the length shown allows it to accommodate even the widest stock used in a typical project. Mark the center of the top face of the arm and bore a hole through it for a guide bushing. The hole should be 1/8 inch larger in diameter than the bushing, which should be slightly larger than the holes you wish to make with the jig. Press the bushing into place.

Next, turn the arm over and mark a line down the middle. Mark ooints on the line 3/4 inch from each end, then bore holes halfway through the stock at these points, making them large enough to hold a 3/8-inch grooved dowel. Dab some glue into the holes and insert the dowel.

To use the jig, position it on the stock and pivot the arm until the dowels are up against the opposite edges of the workpiece. Holding the jig with one hand, fit the drill bit into the bushing and bore the hole.

For a hole centered on the edge of a board, first secure the workpiece edge-up in a vise. Then position the jig on the edge of the stock with the dowels flush against its opposite faces.