772 2
We have the choice to work by hand, work by power or
work with both. If we understand where each method excels
- as well as where each falls short – we can master both sides
and produce furniture we’re proud of, without taking forever
to make it.
Precision & Product ivity
The heart of this piece is the keyed through-mortise-and-
tenon joinery. There are eight of these joints to make, each
with two through-mortises. One of the givens in this type of
work is consistency, and the electric router, combined with the
precision of a template, provides that.
I print a full-size pattern of the side profi les and joint loca-
tions, and attach the prints to a piece of^1 ⁄ 2 "-thick Baltic birch
plywood with spray adhesive. These patterns are available
online in PDF format at http://www.popularwoodworking.com/
projects/furniture-plans/arts-and-crafts-furniture/stickley-book-
rack-stickley-plans.
I use a straightedge and an X-Acto knife to mark the lines
of the mortises from the pattern. Then I remove the pattern,
drill a^7 ⁄ 16 "-diameter hole at each mortise location and place
double-sided tape over the lines. That allows me to place small
pieces of plywood along the lines. The adhesive is pressure-
sensitive, so I smack the pieces with a mallet to fi x them in
position.
With the pattern pieces in place, I use a^3 ⁄ 8 " bearing-guided
fl ush-trim bit to cut the openings exactly on the layout lines.
After routing, I peel off the pattern pieces and remove the
residue left by the tape with lacquer thinner.
The router makes straight and parallel edges, but leaves
round corners that must be squared with a chisel. To make the
D-shaped handle opening at the top of the pattern I drill a hole
at both ends of the top edge, and cut the curve with a jigsaw.
The edges of this opening are then cleaned up with a rasp.
Why bother cleaning up the corners of the template when
the router will also leave round corners on the workpiece? The
router does a good job of making straight edges, but can tear
out the solid wood. I score the grain on the work with a knife
and a chisel to prevent that.
I cut the sides to fi nished size and then make a rough cut
with the jigsaw at the top opening to lessen the load on the
router and bit. Then I clamp the template to the side, and
clamp both to an open-ended box on my bench. This holds
301 ⁄ 8 "(^13) ⁄ 16 " 281 ∕ 2 "
31"
101 ∕ 2 "
(^1) ∕ 2 "
10"
31"
15 ∕ 8 "
13 ∕ 8 "
911 ∕ 16 "
(^13) ∕ 16 "
8"
(^1) 4"
(^1) ∕ 2 "
(^13) ∕ 16 "
(^1) ∕ 2 "
11 ∕ 4 "
11 ∕ 2 "
11 ∕ 2 " 13 ∕ 4 "
41 ∕ 8 "
11 ∕ 2 "
SIDE VIEW
FRONT VIEW
7 70-77_StickleyBookRack.indd 72 0 - 77 _StickleyBookRack.indd 72 3/25/13 9:56 AM 3 / 25 / 13 9 : 56 AM