Woodworking Tip of The Week - Revolving Finish Station

First I would like to say that I'm sorry for not posting these tips every week. There has been a week or two that I have forgot.

I am a BIG Gamer, as well as Scroll Sawer and getting into Woodworking, and having so many Hobbies and all, you have to Juggle your time here and there.

I have been Stuck on World of Warcraft which i'm sure some of you woodworkers and scrollers out there are familure with or have even heard of the game it's self. And this is what I have been doing, Spending most of my time on World of Warcraft.

Anyway, Here is the Woodworking Tip of the Week.

One of the biggest challenges in a small shop is having room to apply finish to a project. I needed something that wouldn’t take up much room but would still provide easy access to all sides of the project. The station you see here is the solution.

First, the top sits on a lazy Susan. This allows you to rotate the project and apply finish easily on all sides. Second, the hinges allow you to set the station up and tear it down quickly. And third, it can be set up in a corner of my shop out of the way and without taking up a lot of valuable space.

The base consists of two side panels made from 3/4″ plywood and connected by a hinge. Another hinge connects one side panel assembly to the turntable, which is made up of two plywood disks and the lazy Susan (left drawing).

Then you set the station up, swing the two side panels open. The top will rest on the side panels and fit down onto a dowel pin (drawing above right). The dowel acts as a safety catch to lock the station open and adds stability. When you’re done with the station, all you have to do is lift the top up, fold the panels together, and hang it on a wall hook, as you see in the drawing above.

Have a nice weekend,
Phil Huber

Editor, ShopNotes

Woodworking Tip of The Week - Shop-Made Pull

When it’s time to choose drawer or door pulls for a project, there’s an option that’s often overlooked. Rather than buy something off the shelf or order from a catalog, save the cash and make you own pulls.

Shop-made pulls have some neat advantages. I like the fact that you’re not limited to what’s commercially available. When the work stays in the shop, you can better match the style, size, and wood of the pull to the project. You use up some scrap wood and get unique-looking, custom pulls out of the bargain.

So to get you started, here’s the step-by-step process for one great-looking, easy-to-make pull.
The real key to making this “cut-out” pull is doing things in the right order. I started by laying out the pulls on an extra-wide blank and drilling pairs of holes (upper drawing). You’ll get two pulls from each section. After ripping the blank down the center, the cutouts are completed by removing the waste between the holes on the band saw (left lower drawing).

Then, before cutting the individual pulls from the blanks, you’ll want to bevel the sides on the table saw, as shown in the lower right drawing.

Have a nice weekend,

Phil Huber
Editor, ShopNotes

Woodworking Tip of The Week - Adjustable Assembly Table

Projects come in all different sizes. So I found that a one-height-fits-all assembly table was not very practical. To solve this problem, I built an assembly table that can be adjusted to suit the project, as shown in the drawings below.

My simple design features two-piece legs that are hinged in the middle. At its full height, the legs are firmly locked in position with barrel bolts. When a shorter table is needed, the top can be lifted off and the legs folded down (Figure 2).

The construction is simple and solid. I used 4x4s for the legs and 2x4s for the stretchers. The removable top is cut from 3/4″ plywood.

Have a nice weekend,

Ted Raife

Editor, Woodsmith