Heirloom Chest

7/27/2019 Heirloom Chest

1/14


2/141 WoodsmithShop.com 2011 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.

FeatureProject

HeirloomtoolcHestStriking veneer is combined with simple plywood construction to create

the perfect home for your fine tools.


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Solid zebrawoodStripS coverand protect

plywood edgeS

drawerSare aSSembled

with locking rabbetjoinery

low-coStengineered veneeraddS an exotic look

inSide of lidcan be cuStomized

with tool rackS(refer to page 7)

upper ShelfServeS aS a handy

work area whenthe lid iS open

Shallow holeScapture feet

to hold tool cheStin place rubber f

wont maSurface

Stand iS built frominexpenSive poplar

traditional mortiSeand tenon joinery createS

a rock-Solid Stand

HardWare SourceS:Stem bumper glideS, rockler #28373

212" x 138" butt hinge, lee valley #00d02.0358" inSert knob, lee valley #05e01.05

braSS cheSt handle, lee valley #06w02.01brown rubber feet, lee valley #00S51.03

left-hand lid Stay, lee valley #00t07.11

nylon StembumperS Support andguide drawerS

drawer pullShave matching

zebrawood inSertS

Note: cuStom Stain mix ondrawer frontS, lid, and Stand

add contraSting color

Stay lockS

in place to holdlid open

cove detailSoftenS

inSide edgeof drawerS

Note: tool cheStliftS off Standfor eaSy moving

hardwood bracekeepS lid flat

{A Modern Classic. Straight-grained

veneer and contrasting colors give thetool chest a timeless appeal.

Overall Dimensions:1434" x 26" x 1412" (Tool Chest)15" x 2758" x 4734" (Tool Chest & Stand)

Construction Details


4/14

Easy-to-Build Case

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The veneer on the tool chest gives

it a great look. But it starts with an

easy-to-build case with a lot o stor-

age inside. (Youll add the veneer

later.) The case holds six drawers.

Flipping up the lid reveals a handy

tool rack and small shel or keeping

requently used tools close at handbut o your workbench.

Materials & Joinery. To minimize the

weight and maximize space inside,

the case o the tool chest is made

rom 12" plywood. And its assem-

bled with straightorward joinery.

Creating the case begins with cut-

ting the sides and back o the case to

the sizes shown in Figure 1. Along

with the shelves, they create open-

ings or the drawers and the upper

shel. To do this, you need to cut a

series o dadoes across the sidesand back. The dadoes can be cut

at the table saw with a dado blade.

DIVIDER(13#/8" x 2")

SHELF(13%/8" x 23!/2")

SIDE(13&/8" x 14!/8")

BACK(23!/2" x 14

C

BA

D

A

C

C

C

C

D

NOTE: ALL PARTSARE !/2" PLYWOOD

7!/4

3#/4

!/4

10"

12"

NOTE: DRILL STEMBUMPER HOLESBEFORE ASSEMBLY

STEM BUMPERHOLES ARE (/16"

FROM ENDAND %/8" FROMFRONT EDGE

OF SHELF

TOP VIEW

!/4BACK

SIDE

!/4

SHELF

!/4 6%/8

DIVIDER

TRIM

BUMPERS

IN DIVIDER

SIDE

!/4

!/4

!/4SHELF

SHELF

FRONT VIEW

%/8

STEMBUMPER

!/2

&/16

DIVIDER

.

b.

.

1

Figure 1 shows the locations or

each o the ve dadoes. You can nd

the size o the dadoes in Figure 1b.

While I was at the table saw, I cut

the joinery that connects the sides

and back. I cut a rabbet along the

back edge o each side. Then, I cut

a mating rabbet on each end o theback panel. You can see how this

works in Figure 1c. This joint adds a

lot o glue surace and helps register

the parts during assembly.

shelves. Youll want to hold o on

assembly or now. Thats because

you need to make the shelves, rst.

These panels are all the same size,

but some have a ew added details

Ill mention in a bit.

Ater cutting the panels to size,

I cut a rabbet on each end and the

back edge to t the dadoes in thesides and back pieces, as you can

see in Figure 1b.

Thats all the joinery you need to

cut on the lower three panels. The

upper two shelves have additional

dadoes cut rom ront to back to

accommodate short, vertical divid-

ers. These create smaller openings

or the upper three drawers o the

tool chest. The dimensions or thedadoes are in Figures 1a and 1b.

short DiviDers. Beore assembling

the case, I cut the dividers to size

and cut a tongue on the upper and

lower edges to t the dadoes in the

upper shelves.

The nal detail to complete is to

drill holes or stem bumper glides

that center and support the draw-

ers, as shown in Figures 1, 1a, and

1b. Theres one thing I want to men-

tion about installing the bumpers. I

trimmed the bumpers in the verticaldividers so they wouldnt interere

with each other, as in Figure 1b.


5/14

EDGING(!/8" x !/2")

E

FIRST:APPLYEDGING TO TOP

OF CASE

SECOND:CUTAND ATTACH

LONG VERTICALEDGING STRIPS

THIRD:CUTHORIZONTAL

EDGING PIECESTO FIT

FOURTH:GLUEEDGING TOSHELVES

FIFTH:FIT SHORTVERTICALPIECES

4 WoodsmithShop.com 2011 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserve

2Case asseMbly. The case can be

assembled at this point. There are a

lot o parts that have to go together

at once, so its a good idea to use

slow-setting glue and do a dry run to

get your clamps ready.

When youre ready, set the back

o the case on the workbench andset one o the sides in place. Then,

sandwich the dividers between the

upper shelves and t them into the

case side and back. Ater adding the

remaining shelves, glue and clamp

the other side in place.

harDwooD eDging. That completes

the main part o the case. The next

steps get the case ready or the

veneer. I started by adding some

hardwood strips to the exposed

edges o the case. (Note: The edg-

ing is applied to the ront and topedges only.)

For the most part, applying edg-

ing to the case is simply a matter o

cutting thin strips to size and gluing

them in place, as shown in Figure 2.

But there are a couple o areas Id

like to highlight.

The edging that wraps around the

top edge o the case is mitered at the

back corners or a seamless look,

SIDE VIEW

TOP ANDVERTICALEDGINGMITEREDACROSS

THICKNESS

TOP VIEW

MITER EDGINGAT BACK CORNERS

OF CASE

G

FBACK VENEER

(24" x 14!/4")

SIDE VENEER(14" x 14!/4")

NOTE: APPLY VENEERTO BACK OF CASEAND TRIM FLUSH

BEFORE APPLYINGSIDE VENEER

G

TOP VIEW

SIDE VENEEROVERLAPSVENEERON BACKOF CASE

SIDEVENEER

BACK VENEER

.

3

b

.

as you can see in Figure 2a. Then,

at the ront o the case, the edging

is mitered across the width to meet

the edging on the ront o the case,

as shown in Figure 2a. I like to cut

the edging strips just barely wider

than the thickness o the plywood.

The strips are cut to length and can

be held in place with masking tape

while the glue dries. Once the glue

dries, a ew swipes with a sanding

block are all it takes to bring the

edging perectly fush with the case.

I glue on corresponding strips o

edging in stages. For example, the

two long vertical strips go on and are

sanded fush beore adding the hori-

zontal pieces.

easy-to-apply veneer. At this point,

you can apply the veneer, as shown

in Figure 3. I used engineered

veneer that looks like zebrawood.

Its sold through Certainly Woodand

Oakwood Veneer Company.

I cut oversized pieces o veneerand attached them with spray con-

tact adhesive. Apply the back piece

o veneer rst and trim it fush. Then

add the sides. This way, the side

pieces extend completely rom ront

to back. You can learn more about

this process on page 12.

Once the veneer is trimmed fush,

I sotened the sharp edges with

some sandpaper. This prevents the

veneer rom chipping.


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Completing the case lets you

turn your ocus to adding the

storage inside it. This con-

sists o building the drawers

and adding the fip-up lid. I

built the drawers rst.

siMple Drawers. The tool

chest holds six drawers. However,

as you can see in Figure 4, there

are only our sizes. Better yet, the

joinery on each drawer is identical.

CL

CL

CL

U

T

S

R

R

U

LOWER DRAWER VENEER(2&/8" x 22&/8")

MIDDLE DRAWERVENEER

(2!/8" x 22&/8")

CENTER DRAWER VENEER(1#/8" x 9#/8")

SMALL DRAWER VENEER(1#/8" x 6!/8")

RUBBERFOOT

(#/4"-DIA. x !/4")

DRAWERKNOB w/INSERT

3!/16

3!/16 2!/4

SIDE VIEW

WOODPLUG

&/8

TOP VIEW

#/16

!/4

!/8

!/8

DRAWERFRONT

!/4"-RAD.STOPPEDCOVE

DRAWERSIDE

!/16

FRONT VIEW

#/16

!/8

#/16

GAP AND GROOVEDIMENSIONS

APPLY TOALL DRAWERS

P

O

N

J

I

H

IO

UPPERDRAWER

SIDE(1#/8" x 13!/4")

SMALL DRAWERBOTTOM

(12&/8" x 5#/4")

CENTER DRAWERFRONT/BACK

(1#/8" x 9#/8")

WIDE DRAWER BOTTOM(12&/8" x 22!/2")

LOWERDRAWER SIDES(2&/8" x 13!/4")

LOWER DRAWER

FRONT/BACK(2&/8" x 22&/8")

MIDDLE DRAWERFRONT/BACK(2!/8" x 22&/8")

MIDDLE

DRAWERSIDE(2!/8" x 13!/4")

SMALL DRAWERFRONT/BACK

(1#/8" x 6!/8")

CENTERDRAWERBOTTOM(12&/8" x 9")

K

H

I

KL

MN

N

M

P

Q

QNOTE: DRAWERBOTTOMS AREMADE FROM !/8"PLYWOOD

NOTE: DRAWER FRONTSAND BACKS ARE MADEFROM !/2" HARDWOOD.DRAWER SIDES ARE MADEFROM #/8" HARDWOOD

NOTE: TO ROUT STOPPEDCOVE, TURN TO PAGE 10

STEMBUMPER

BOTTOMVIEW

CL

1!/2

INSTALL STEM BUMPERON EACH END

OF ALL DRAWER BACKS

DRAWERSIDE

Drawers & Lid

4

5

So to save some time and extra set-

ups, its a good idea to cut all the

drawer parts to size, rst. (Be sure

to allow or a116" gap on all sides.)

Then, you can cut the joinery or all

the drawers at once.

loCking rabbet Joinery. A table

saw makes quick work o cutting

the locking rabbets that connect

the ront and back to the sides. Ill

explain the three-step process I use.

The locking rabbet begins with a

groove cut across each end o the

ront and back pieces, as shown

in Figure 4b. The inside tongue is

trimmed back slightly to t a dado

cut in the drawer side.

The third step is to cut the dado

near each end o the drawer sides.

Its sized and located to mate with

the groove and short tongue on the

ront and back pieces.

stoppeD Cove. Beore assembling

the drawers, I took the sides over

to the router table to rout a stopped

cove detail along the inside top

edge. This detail sotens the inside

edge o the drawer. You can see how

I did this on page 10.aDD veneer, too. Once the cove is

routed, you can cut a groove in each

piece to hold the bottom, as in Fig-

ure 4c. Just like the case, the drawer

ronts have veneer added.

The stem bumpers and knobs are

the last things to add to the drawers.

A pair o stem bumpers is added

to each drawer back to keep the

drawer level, as youll notice i you

take a look at Figure 4a.

.

.

b.

.


7/14

in the open position. The hinges rest

in mortises cut in the back o the lid

(Figures 6 and 6a).

The lid stay needs to be attached

in just the right position to allow the

lid to open and lock in place. You

can see how I did this in Shop Short

Cuts on page 11.

Finally, I stained the drawer

ronts and lid. I used a custom mix-

ture consisting o equal amounts o

Java and Georgian Cherrygel stains

made by Gen-

eral Finishes.


LID FRONTVENEER

(1&/8" x 22&/8")

Y

E

EDGING(!/8" x !/2")

CENTER KNOBON FRONT

AND ALIGN WITHDRAWER KNOBS

LID TOP VENEER(13&/16" x 22&/8")

ZMITER EDGING

ALONG SIDE OF LIDAND WITH BOTTOM

EDGING PIECE

The knobs I used or the

drawers are unique. The center

o each knob has a recess that

holds a wood plug that matches

the veneer and hardwood used

on the project. I created the plugs

at the drill press using a plug

cutter. A little epoxy holds the

plugs in place. Finally, I chuckedthe knobs in the drill press and

sanded the plugs smooth.

Flip-Up liD. The lid at the top o

the tool chest does more than

enclose the case. Its L-shaped

to t between the case sides and

fush with the top, as shown in

Figure 6a. The lid has veneer

applied to the top and ront ace.

The lid starts with two pieces

a top and a ront. There are

two things to consider as you

size these pieces. First, you needto allow or a gap between the lid

and case. And you need to actor

in the thickness o the edging

that will be applied on each side.

The lid top and ront are joined

with a tongue and groove. A groove

at the ront edge o the top accepts a

tongue cut in the ront (Figure 6a).

Cover the eDges. Following the join-

ery, I applied hardwood edging to

the bottom edge o the ront and

the sides o the lid assembly. For

cleaner joint lines, I mitered the edg-

ing pieces, as in Figures 7 and 7a.

harDwooD braCes. Beore adding

the veneer, I made a pair o braces

to stien the lid and keep it rom

cupping. The braces are made rom

the same zebrawood as the edging.

APPLYVENEER

TO FRONTOF LIDFIRST

SIDE VIEW

LIDEDGING

LIDEDGING

7

b.

END VIEW

!/8

BRACE

LID EDGING

.

Ater sawing and smoothing the pro-

le, I routed a cove along the lower

edges (Figure 6b).

The braces are secured to the lid

with glue and screws. The screws

are driven through the lid top and

into the cleat. To keep the screw

holes rom telegraphing through

the veneer, I lled the holes and

sanded them fush. Now you can

apply veneer to the top and ront

ace o the lid pieces.

A pair o hinges and a lid stay allow

the lid to open smoothly and keep it

V

X

WX

LID TOP(13&/16" x 22%/8")

BRACE(!/2" x 1#/8" - 12!%/16")

LID FRONT(1%/8" x 22%/8")

#6 x 1!/4" FhWOODSCREW

LID STAY

1#/8" x 2!/2"BUTT HINGE

NOTE: LID TOPAND FRONT AREMADE FROM !/2"PLYWOOD

NOTE: FILL SCREWHOLES IN LID TOPAFTER ASSEMBLY

2!/2

1#/16

V

END VIEW!/4

!/4

BRACELID

FRONT

LID TOP

!/8

!/2"-RAD.

#/8"-RAD.

%/8 SHELF

%/8

!/8"-RAD.COVE

FRONT

VIEW

6

. b.


8/14

Materials & hardware


A Sides (2) 1378 x 141/8 - 1/2 Ply.B Back (1) 231/2 x 141/8 - 1/2 Ply.C Shelves (5) 1358 x 231/2 - 1/2 Ply.D Dividers (2) 1338 x 2 - 1/2 Ply.

E Edging (1) 1/8 x 1/2 - 235 (rgh.)F Back Veneer (1) 24 x 141/4G Side Veneers (2) 14 x 141/4H Small Dwr. Frt./Bk. (4) 1/2 x 138 - 61/8I Upper Dwr. Sides (6) 38 x 138 - 131/4J Small Dwr. Bot. (2) 1278 x 53/4 - 1/8 Ply.K Center Dwr. Frt./Bk. (2) 1/2 x 138 - 938L Center Dwr. Bot. (1) 1278 x 9 - 1/8 Ply.M Middle Dwr. Frt./Bk. (2) 1/2 x 21/8 - 2278N Middle Dwr. Sides (2) 38 x 21/8 - 131/4O Wide Dwr. Bottoms (3) 1278 x 22 1/2 - 1/8 Ply.P Lower Drawer Frt./Bk. (4) 1/2 x 278 - 2278Q Lower Drawer Sides (4) 38 x 278 - 131/4

R Small Drawer Veneers (2) 138 x 61/8S Center Drawer Veneer (1) 138 x 938T Middle Drawer Veneer (1) 21/8 x 2278U Lower Drawer Veneers (2) 278 x 2278

V Lid Top (1) 137/16 x 2258 - 1/2 Ply.W Lid Front (1) 158 x 2258 - 1/2 Ply.X Braces (2) 1/2 x 138 - 121516Y Lid Front Veneer (1) 178 x 2278Z Lip Top Veneer (1) 137/16 x 2278AA Handle Rack (1) 58 x 138 - 101/2BB Blade Rack (1) 58 x 1 - 101/2CC Tool Panels (2) 93/4 x 123/4 - 1/8 Ply.DD Tool Panel Veneer (1) 93/4 x 123/4EE Dowels (6) 38"-Dia. - Cut to FitFF Turn Buttons (6) 1/8 x 1/2 - 11/8GG Rails (4) 13/4 x 3 - 15HH Legs (4) 11/2 x 21/2 - 36

II Middle Rails (2) 1 x 2 -JJ Upper Stretchers (2) 1 x 21/4 - 2KK Arched Stretchers (2) 1 x 4 - 2LL Lower Stretcher (1) 1 x 11/2 - 2

(36) Nylon Stem Bumper Glides (11) 58"-Dia. Insert Knobs w/Screws (2) Chest Handles w/Screws (1 pr.) 21/2" x 138" Butt Hinges w/Screws (1) Left Hand Lid Stay (5) 1/4"-dia. Rare Earth Magnets (6) #6 x 11/4" Fh Woodscrews (4) 3/4" x 1/4" Rubber Feet w/Screws (6) #4 x 3/4 " Brass Fh Woodscrews (8) #6 x 58" Brass Fh Woodscrews (2) #8 x 2" Fh Woodscrews

With the lid open, the upper part o

the tool chest makes a handy shel

or holding tools. This also exposes

the underside o the lid, which cre-

ates a perect place or adding a

couple o tool racks or storing

(and displaying) some o my avor-ite hand tools.

Chisel raCk. The chisel rack is

made up o two parts. The upper rail

is drilled and notched to hold the

errules o my chisel set. The lower

rail is simply notched to accept

BB

AA

HANDLE RACK(%/8" x 1#/8" - 10!/2")

BLADE RACK(%/8" x 1" - 10!/2")

GLUE !/4"-DIA. RAREEARTH MAGNETS

IN COUNTERBORESWITH EPOXY

ROUTCENTERED GROOVE

WITH !/8" CORE BOX BIT

#6 x %/8" FhWOODSCREW

F F

EE

DD

CC

TOOL PANEL VENEER(9#/4" x 12#/4")

DOWEL(#/8"-DIA. -

CUT TO FIT)

TURN BUTTON(!/8" x !/2" - 1!/8")

TOOL PANEL(9#/4" x 12#/4" - !/8" Ply.)

NOTE: APPLY VENEEROUTER PANEL BEFO

CUTTING TORECESS

NOTE: CRECESS IN ONE

BOTH LAYE

ATTACH TOOLPANELS TOLID WITH#6 x %/8"

Fh SCREWS#4 x #/4"Fh SCREW

#/8

CL

#/8

1

%/8

1%/8 2HANDLE RACK

BLADE RACK

DADOES ARE !/16" DEEP

WASTE

TURN

BUTTON

!/4"-RAD.

%/32"-RAD.

Custom Tool Racksthe blades. Magnets glued in

counterbores in the lower rail ke

the chisels rmly in place.

storage panel. The other rack e

tures custom pockets to hold oth

hand tools. It consists o two piec

o18" plywood and a layer o veneeDepending on the size o the too

you may need to cut the recess in

one or both layers o plywood,

illustrated in Figure 8. The too

are simply held in place with thi

maple turn buttons.

8



Once the tool chest is complete,

you need a place to put it. Rather

than take up valuable bench space,

I made a complementary stand.

The stand is made rom poplar and

stained the same color as the drawer

ronts and lid.

You can see in Figure 9 that thestand is made up o two identical

end assemblies that are joined with

a series o stretchers.

enD asseMblies. To build the base,

begin by cutting the legs and upper

and lower rails to size. Mortises in

the rails accept matching tenons

in the legs (Figure 9b). I also cut

mortises on the inside edges o the

legs to accept a middle rail. Finally,

there are two mortises cut in the

inside aces o the legs to hold the

long stretchers.The next pieces to make are the

short middle rails. They have a

tenon on each end to t mortises

in the legs. And theres a centered

mortise on the inside ace o each

rail to accept the lower stretcher.

Now, you can do some assembly.

Just be sure to install the middle rail

beore tting the legs into the upper

and lower rails.

ConneCting stretChers. With the

ends assembled, you can use the

tool chest to determine the length o

the upper stretchers (plus tenons).

Allow a little extra space (38") so the

t o the chest isnt too snug.

To make the arched stretchers,

start with a 4"-wide blank. Ater cut-

ting a tenon on each end, cut the

curved prole on the top and bot-

tom o the rail (Figure 9b). The nal

piece to make is the lower stretcher.

Cut it to size and create the tenons

on each end (Figure 9a).

To hold the tool chest in place, Iadded rubber eet to the bottom o

the chest and drilled matching shal-

low holes in the upper rails o the

stand. Now you have a handy place

to store your tools without taking up

space on your workbench.

HH

II

KK

GG

JJ

LL

GG

GG

GG

HH

HH

II

JJ

KK

RAIL(1#/4" x 3" - 15")

LEG(1!/2" x 2!/2" - 36")

MIDDLE RAIL(1" x 2" - 11!/4")

UPPER STRETCHER(1" x 2!/4" - 26#/8")

ARCHED STRETCHER(1" x 4" - 26#/8")

LOWER STRETCHER(1" x 1!/2" - 25&/8")

&/8"-DIA x #/16"-DEEPHOLES IN UPPER STRETCHER

ALIGN WITH FEETON TOOL CHEST

NOTE:ROUT!/8"ROUNDOVERON ALL EDGES

1#/4

CL

CL

ENDVIEW

FRONT VIEW2#/42#/4

6!/4

1#/4

!/2

1

#/4

1

LEG

RAIL

UPPER STRETCHER

ARCHEDSTRETCHER

#8 x 2" FhWOODSCREW

#/4 !/2

!/2

1!/22!/2

CL

7!/4

!/2

1!/2

1

1

!/2

#/41#/4

1!/2

END VIEW FRONTVIEW

MIDDLE RAIL

LEG

RAIL

1

#/4 !/2

.

b.

9Strong & Sturdy Stand


10/14

cutting diagraM


60" x 60" - !/2" BALTIC BIRCH PLYWOOD

A

A

B

C

C

C

C

C

V

D

W

J J L O

OO

CC

CC

30" x 60" - !/8" BALTIC BIRCH PLYWOOD

NOTE GRAINDIRECTION

NOTE GRAINDIRECTION

*/4" x 9" - 84" POPLAR (10.5 Bd. Ft.)

HH

!/2" x 3" - 72" MAPLE (1.5 Sq. Ft.)

%/4" x 7!/2" - 84" POPLAR (5.5 Bd. Ft.)

HH

HH

HH

GG GG GG GG

JJ

JJKK KK

II II LL

H H I I I K

!/2" x 6!/2" - 96" MAPLE (4.3 Sq. Ft.)

NN

M

MQ

Q

Q

Q

P

P

#/4" x 4" - 36" ZEBRAWOOD (1 Bd. Ft.)

E

X AA

BB

F

G G Z

YR RS

U

U

T

DD

26" x 99" ENGINEERED ZEBRAWOOD VENEER

NOTE: UPPER DRAWER SIDES (I)PLANED TO #/8" THICK

NOTE: MIDDLE DRAWER SIDES (N)AND LOWER DRAWER SIDES (Q)ARE PLANED TO #/8" THICK

NOTE GRAINDIRECTION



STOP

STOP

COVE BIT

FIRST:PIVOTDRAWER SIDE

INTO BIT

SECOND:ROUT PROFILE

UNTIL WORKPIECE

CONTACTS LEFT STOP

DRAWERSIDE

NOTE: STOP BLOCKSENSURE COVE IS

CONSISTENT

ON ALL PARTS

The drawers in the heirloom tool chest have

a stopped cove routed on the inside edge, as

shown in the photo at let. To speed up the

process o cutting this prole in all 12 drawer

sides, I turned to the router table and a set o

stop blocks.

I marked the end points o the cove on

one drawer side. Then, I used that piece as a

gauge to set the position o the stop block

Simply align the bit with each layout mark o

the workpiece and clamp a stop block to th

ence at the opposite end. To rout the pro

brace the drawer side against the right sto

block (drawing below). Then, pivot the pie

into the bit and slide it along the ence until

contacts the other block.

!/4"COVE BIT

STOP

FENCE

DRAWER

SIDE

tiPs Fromour sHoP

sHoP sHortcuts

Stopped Cove

.



I used a lid stay on the tool chest

to hold the lid in the open position.

Theres just one trick: You need toinstall the stay in the correct posi-

tion to keep the lid open, but the stay

must old so the lid can close com-

pletely. To avoid peppering the tool

chest with holes in a trial-and-error

process, I used double-sided tape to

ne-tune the position.

You can start by attaching the lower

end o the stay using the dimensions

shown in detail a below. With the lidopen, extend the stay arm and lock it.

Then, secure the upper bracket to the

lid with double-sided tape, as shown

in the drawing at let. Try closing the

lid. I it doesnt close tightly, reposi-

tion the bracket and try the lid again

beore astening the stay with screws.

Installing a Lid Stay

LOWERPART OF STAY

ATTACHED

WITHSCREWS

LID

DOUBLE-SIDEDTAPE ALLOWS YOUTO FINE-TUNE THEPOSITION OF THESTAY BEFOREATTACHING ITWITH SCREWS

CASESIDE

3&/16

3#/8

!/2

PIVOT ON LIDSTAY SHOULD BE

CLEAR OF LIDWHEN CLOSED

LID

SIDE VIEW.


13/14

Exotic veneer is a sure-re way to

take the look o a project up a notch.

It can be used as an accent or or

creating the entire piece some-

thing that would be dicult or too

expensive to do with solid wood.

However, the traditional process o

veneering can be intimidating ormany woodworkers.

To minimize the hassle, I use a

simple, modern technique thats

quick and easy to master. There

are three keys to this technique:

The rst is selecting the right type

o veneer, the second is choosing

a good substrate, and the third is

using the correct adhesive.

easy veneer. Veneer used to imply

raw wood veneer, which comes in


{ Utility Knife. For straight and

smooth edges, cut the veneer withseveral light strokes.

{Veneer Saw. The teeth on a vene

saw are designed to cut cleanly anprevent tearing.

tiPs Fromour sHoP

easyVeneered PanelsYou can create custom plywood panels to dress up a project in a short

time with this simple technique.

narrow pieces and is oten wavy

and brittle. But you wont have

to worry about those problems.

Todays paper-backed veneer and

engineered veneer are easy to work

with and have several advantages

over raw wood veneer. Both are f

ter, come in larger sheets, and a

oten less expensive.

no ClaMps neeDeD. However, th

main reason I like using moder

veneer is that I can apply it wi


14/14

spray contact adhesive. This ast-

drying glue really speeds up the

process and eliminates the need or

clamps. And since theres no mois-

ture in the glue, warping in the n-

ished panel isnt a problem.

sMooth sUbstrates. Its importantto consider the material the veneer

is applied to the substrate. The

main goal in applying veneer is to

end up with a fat panel. So you want

to select a substrate thats as fat as

possible (margin photo). For case

panels, I like to use Baltic birch ply-

wood or MDF. And when making

thin door panels, 18" (or 14") hard-

board is a good choice.

when to apply. Beore you can use

the materials to make panels, you

have to decide when to apply the

veneer beore or ater assembly.

I applied veneer to the tool chest

ater assembly or a ew reasons.

Applied ater assembly, the veneer

covers the case joinery. And the tool

chest is small enough that I wasnt

wrestling with large veneer pieces.

Finally, adding veneer towards the

end o the construction process

means I didnt have to worry as

much about damaging it.

However, i your project useslarger panels or the veneer will be

visible on the inside as well, its best

to apply the veneer beore assembly.

Either way, the process is pretty

much the same.

You should also consider how and

when to cover the exposed edges o

the substrate. The photos at right

show three good options.

Flat veneer. The veneer I used came

in a large roll. So beore cutting and

{ Trim it Flush. At the routertable, use a flush-trimming spiralbit to cut away the waste.

{Edging First. Hardwood

edging is applied before theveneer for a seamless panel.

{Veneer Edging. Cut narro

strips from the same veneerget perfectly matched edgin

{Veneer First. Apply edging

after the veneer so the veneerwon't catch and chip.

Spray it On. Use anoverlapping pattern to

apply the glue to both theveneer and substrate.

{ Router Bit

A spiral dow

cut bit cleantrims the ed

ing flush withe substrat

applying the veneer, I laid it out and

let it relax overnight. Some slight

curling is okay because the glue will

keep it tight to the substrate.

While the veneer is resting, cut

the substrate panels to their nished

size. The panels can then serve as aguide to size the veneer.

sizing veneer. When cutting the

veneer, I initially make it slightly

oversized (1" wider and longer).

This makes it easier to align on the

substrate. You can trim the veneer

fush to the substrate later.

To cut the veneer, you can use

either a veneer saw or a utility knie

(lower photos on the previous page).

Use a straightedge to guide the tool

and a light touch to get it started.

Paper-backed veneer is pretty or-

giving to cut. But unbacked, engi-

neered veneer can splinter easily,

especially on cross-grain cuts.

applying the veneer. The task at this

point is to bring the veneer and sub-

strate together. As I mentioned, I

use spray contact adhesive or this.

Spray an even coat on both pieces,

making sure to cover the edges well,

as shown in the upper let photo.

The glue needs a couple o minutes

to dry. Then, center the veneer over

the panel and press it fat with your

hand (upper photos on the previous

page). To ensure a good bond, I use

a rounded block o wood to pressthe veneer down.

triM it FlUsh. Now, you need to trim

the veneer fush. Here again, you

have some options. For thick pan-

els, a good method is to use a router

and a fush-trim bit. I youre doing

this ater the project is assembled,

a hand-held trim router is the best

tool or the job. Otherwise, I preer

to do the job at the router table with

a spiral bit (right photo above).

On thin door panels, the bearing

wont make contact on the sub-

strate. So instead, careully trim

the veneer fush with the veneer

saw or utility knie.

Once the door panels are com-

plete, you can continue on with

your project. All in all, this veneer

technique adds a great look without

adding many steps or much time to

your project.

BaltiPly

34" MDF

18Hardb

Heirloom Chest

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