This was an assembly of a large desk base with four aprons, three stretchers, and four legs; it was assembled with mortise and tenon joinery, prepared as I showed in an earlier blog entry. You can follow the work on the stand-up desk at this link.

After applying glue to the mortises and the tenons, I applied a little glue to the tapered tips of the pegs and drove them home; the liquid hide glue is a wonderful lubricant, too! No clamps were required to assemble the aprons to the legs (and the stretchers to the legs, etc.):

Drawbore pegs after leveling with block plane.

I used liquid hide glue, as it has a long open time; I felt this was the best way to assure myself of a panic-free, clamp-free, and relaxed time during the glue-up of a very large desk base. After the glue dried, I trimmed the pegs with a flush-cutting saw, and leveled all the pegs using a little block plane. Now the drawer fitting begins in earnest, including stops and alignment strips to ensure straight travel during opening and closing. In the meantime I will be touching up the shellac layers, to blend the areas I planed to the surrounding areas. Finally I will apply a durable varnish, Target Coatings’ Emtech 2000wvx.

I had to use a few clamps to hold the dust cover in place, while the glue dried – here is the dust cover in place:

Dust cover in place.

If you want to eliminate much of the anxiety during large glue-ups, I recommend the use of the drawboring technique to pull together all mortise and tenon joints tight. Even the double-tenon/double-mortise joints I used on the stretchers between the legs went together flawlessly; properly tapered, the pegs snaked their way nicely. This was the double mortise and tenon joint at the end of a stretcher, and made with an FMT Pro:

Dual mortise and tenon joint on stretchers.

I admit this was the joint I was most concerned about prior to the glue-up, due to the spacing (“Will the peg find its way through the second tenon…???”). But I am a happy camper now; well, maybe a happier woodworker, as the drawboring technique worked beautifully.

— Al Navas

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The thermometer caught my eye.

I had to look. Confirmed! I might be able to get away with spraying some lacquer today. The temperature was just above 40°F:

The first time over 40°F in weeks!

In the shop, on the outer wall to the finishing room, the thermometer has held between 66°F and 68°F for the last several weeks:

Master thermo-hygrometer, on finishing room wall.

The remote unit, near the West wall, and on the lumber rack, showed a slightly lower temperature, but still acceptable to spray the finish:

Remote thermo-hygro, at lumber rack.

In the finishing room, with all the equipment set up and ready to go, I started adjustments on the spray pattern, and air and liquid flow – I like to use craft paper as the target to make the adjustments:

Adjusting air and liquid flow, for optimum spray pattern.

During the Winter months I use a small ceramic heater in the finishing room; I use it to keep the temperature at 73°-74°F. It is powerful enough to keep the temperature in the room at 73°F with the 2,200 CFM exhaust fan running. In Winter I am typically limited to about 12-15 minutes of spray time before the temperature in the open part of the shop drops several degrees as the make up air comes in through a window. I should have waited until tomorrow, or the day after, to spray, as the outdoor temperatures will be in the high 40s; but why not today? Aw, heck, just get it done!

Following a short session spraying the lacquer, I moved on to preparing the pins I will use in drawboring the joints. I found a huge amount of oak dowels at the local home center, and proceeded to select those with the straightest grain (I don’t own a plate, to make my own pins). To minimize measurement errors, I decided to use one piece of dowel, pre cut to 2-3/4 inches, to measure all the others:

Measuring drawbore pins.

I have been readying the band saw for a presentation on resawing lumber to our Guild next week; as a result, the guides and blade are off the 17-inch machine. Why not use the Kenyon replica dovetail saw (made by Mike Wenzloff) to cut the pins to size? Of course! That made sense:

Cutting pins, using dovetail saw.

Some people prefer to cut with the dowel vertical to the workbench:

Another way to cut the pins.

I had a great day in the shop. The outside temperatures and the sunshine have been a welcome addition to the time spent in the shop. Have you:

• Been able to do much work in your shop, or is it too cold?
• Applied any finishes during the cold Winter months, or are some projects waiting for warmer weather?

Drop me a note to let me know about your time in the shop during the last several cold weeks.

— Al Navas

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I find it important to keep track of which side will eventually be up, and which will be facing the floor:

I always make a spare of everything, including legs. This allows me to test the joinery; in this case I am able to test the offset for drawboring, to ensure truly tight assembly of the joint:

The pre-drilled joint:

And testing for offset of the holes, which will allow pulling together the joint truly tight – - the holes in the tenon are offset from the holes across the mortise by approximately 1/32″, and closer to the shoulder; it is this offset that allows pulling the joint tight:

The pegs I will use to pull together the joints on the legs will be 2-5/8″ long:

The front aprons also will be pulled tightly to the legs by drawboring. In the following photo I am marking the tenons from the already-drilled holes on the leg:

Once the drilling is finished, I turn my attention to sanding, in preparation to applying the finish. To avoid rounding corners unnecessarily, I place the two leg stretchers together on the bench, and sand them in tandem:

The larger pieces, such as the legs, are sanded first with the random orbital sander; then I sand the corners by hand, using one grit higher, and sand lightly to avoid leaving scratches:

In preparation for dark toning the dust cover that will also be the support for the drawers, I apply two coats of a wash coat of dewaxed shellac to the surface that will be under the desk, facing the floor:

I am getting close to being able to do the final assembly, followed by application of the finish.

Finishing tip/preview: Some of you will wonder why I apply the wash layers of dewaxed shellac. I do this to ease the process of applying the finish. I will also be applying a wash coat of dewaxed shellac to all the aprons and the drawer fronts, which are made of white oak. This is crucial, as the shellac will isolate the highly acidic (that is, low-pH)  white oak surfaces from the waterborne topcoat I will be using. Why is this necessary? Waterborne coatings are typically high pH, around 10, or even higher; if used directly on high-tannin woods, pin-holing of the topcoat is very likely to result, with ugly results, and ruining of the finish. Using dewaxed shellac isolates the wood surface, paving the way for a beautiful finish using a waterborne alkyd varnish. This makes it much easier to achieve proper leveling of the four topcoat layers I will apply.

Related posts:
Additional reading about the stand-up desk.

— Al Navas

In this photo you see the hollow chisel as received. The grinder marks are plainly visible:

Just like a bench chisel, the sides of the chisel should be lapped using either sandpaper or, as I show here, with sharpening stones. Following preliminary lapping on the 1,000-grit stone, I continue with the 6,000-grit or finer stone:

In this next photo you see how the steel begins to shine, and the tool marks have disappeared near the cutting edges – not quite ready for work, the chisel is getting close to being ready to cut:

Next I use a diamond-covered abrasive cone, to sharpen the inside surfaces of the tip of the chisel. The cone holder is part of a set available from various sources:

Careful inspection is a must, before using the chisel. Look carefully at the inside surfaces, to make sure the cone has left smooth, shiny surfaces:

Yup, that is the BenchCrafted tee shirt. And it is a shameless plug for the company that makes, along with 11 other winners, the Popular Woodworking magazine’s Best New Tools for 2009, the BenchCrafted Tail Vise. I was the lucky recipient of one tee shirt at the Valley Force conference:

To my friend Jameel Abraham, of BenchCrafted.com, and his brother Fr. John, congratulations for winning the award – it is well deserved!

Disclosure: I am a happy owner of one BenchCrafted tee shirt; I have no commercial or any other interests in BenchCrafted.com. And I love the vises they make.

— Al Navas

With that mandatory preliminary out of the way, I found myself in a situation that needed correcting before I could assemble the standing desk. When I made the leg stretchers, I consciously left the tenons about 0.050″ too long, to be trimmed later; this made it much simpler to get the shoulder-to-shoulder length of the stretchers matched perfectly to the distance between the legs, front-to-back and near the top of the legs (in other words, square).

Later became today. You can see the gap between the stretcher (vertical) and the edge of the leg (horizontal):

I could have used the table saw to trim the dual tenons, but I really, really wanted to try my hand with the shooting board. Of course, I don’t have a specialized shooting plane in the shop, like the one my friend Ron Brese makes (maybe Sandy will read this soon). But I had the old reliable Stanley #5 sharp and ready to go – a very good thing when you shoot the end grain (notice the end grain curlies?):

Well…As expected, the Stanley #5 does not have the cheeks perfectly square to the sole, but it did a splendid job in trimming the tenons – all it took was a little fiddling with the iron angle using the lateral adjuster, and I was shooting square! Hint: Using a block plane, I put a little bevel on the back side of the unsupported tenons, to eliminate tearout.

After trimming off the 50 thousands of an inch or so, I was so excited I did not even realize the following photo was out of focus – the trimmed tenons, and a much tighter fit, before drawboring and tightening the stretcher to the leg:

A neat feature of the Evenfall shooting board is its adjustable fence. I checked the fence for square before I started shooting, and after. The fence held very well:

The Evenfall shooting board has accessories. I also bought the double-high fence (it comes with its own attachment hardware):

Notice the angled cut on the back side of the fences? The fences can be reversed, for angle cuts – pretty neat! And each is adjustable within a 5-degree range, very handy when shooting boards that will go into areas not quite square, such as moldings. And Made in the USA is a great thing, too, as part of the amazing revival of makers of hand tools. In case you are wondering about the features and specifications of the boards, I invite you read more on the Evenfall Studios page. And if you wish to buy one, you can place an order at the Evenfall online Store.

My Hint of the Day: Adjusting the hand plane iron for use on the shooting board (or just about any other use).

I know I have seen the following somewhere, but simply cannot put my finger where. Use a narrow strip of a softer wood; make sure only one corner contacts the sole and the blade. Now run the piece of wood across the blade from the toe toward the heel, near the corners of the iron, and at the center:

The result: You should have three very thin, almost identical shavings at each location, near the corners, and near the center:

How do I like the shooting Evenfall board? My answer is that I just love it. I am certain it will become entrenched in my woodworking habits, as I integrate hand tools in the shop over time. I can’t wait to try my hand at miters! I will probably send one of my spare (old) hand planes to a shop for squaring, and to have a handle put on it. Or maybe I will try making one from some of the Osage Orange Sandy has near her lathe, since I already have the large iron from Brese Plane.

Disclosure: I am strictly a user of the Evenfall shooting board, and have no commercial or other ties with Evenfall Studios.

— Al Navas

I like to check the joinery as I work, because it saves me headaches at dry-fit, and at glue-up time. So, checking each and every single joint is a hard-to-kick habit. After playing around with the Super FMT, moving clamps to and fro as I made mortises and then tenons, I found a misaligned joint:

See the light under the straight edge of the square? This means the joint is misaligned; there should be NO light under the straight edge. Take a deep breath, and start looking for the cause of the problem. My immediate thought: the table and the clamp plate were not at a perfect 90° angle to each other.

Now I must get ahead of the plan I mentioned near the bottom of an earlier thread. As I mentioned in that earlier post, I planned to cover troubleshooting in Part 5 of this series. But I now chose to ignore that part of my plan, and to give you the benefit of my findings right away. So, let us reason this out together – I will wing it:

1. I moved the clamp plate several times, to remove and insert clamps as I switched from routing mortises, to routing tenons.
2. The table moves only on one plane, in the X-axis (left-and-right) and in the Y-axis (front-to-back, and back-to-front). The table is, therefore, a good zero angle reference point.
3. Both mortise and tenon pieces are machined with the same face facing me (I mark these surfaces with chalk).
4. If the clamp plate is misaligned, and both tenon and mortise are machined with the work piece clamped flat to the plate, then the error introduced by a misaligned clamp plate (that is, with the clamp plate at an angle other than 90° ) is essentially doubled. This means that a 1° misalignment of the clamp plate relative to the table will result in a 2° misalignment of the joint. And even such a small error will be blatantly obvious.

Question: Why is the error doubled, as I mention in #4?

Answer: It is doubled because the top faces on the work pieces in the photo above are facing me while I machine them – let us assume each piece will have an error of 1°; the joint later goes together with the marks on the work pieces facing me. Thus, a 2° misalignment results; this is visible without the need for any measurement. But it is impressive when back-lit, as I have shown in the photo above — and it is a good way to for me to show you the results. Once again, the eye can tell and it can see the results of a slight joint misalignment; trust your eyes, and check joint alignment, always.

Solution: Align the clamp plate such that is at 90° to the table.

How to do this: My Wixey Digital Angle Gauge to the rescue. Simply set the clamp plate surface 90° to the table surface every time that the clamp plate is moved. First, the table is made the 0° (zero degree) reference surface:

Then set the clamp plate at a perfect 90° to the table:

After routing the tenon and the mortise, the result is a perfectly-aligned joint when the clamp plate is set to 90° to the table:

I double-checked, and my eyes were correct; I believe you can also tell that this joint is perfectly aligned, by simply looking at the photo above. Trust your eyes, but confirm it with a straight edge — always!

As I kept trying different things, I ran into the following – and when it happened, I felt serious vibration on the router itself, like a strong shudder:

A little more troubleshooting revealed that I forgot to properly tighten the table; I had moved it to align a new work piece.

Edit to add: In addition to remembering to tighten the table, I suggest you also move the table as far left (or as far right) as possible, while still allowing sufficient space to route the mortise. This allows you to move the work piece closer to the clamps; the net result is that the mortise work piece will be better supported by the clamps, and less prone to vibration. And, before I forget, always use two clamps to support the work piece.

After resetting the table, and properly tightening it, I got the following result:

I will continue work on the drawers, aiming to finish them this week. Then on to the rest of that project. And, in between, a little more work with the Super FMT. Hang in there with me!

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—— Al Navas

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Part 2 is all about the clamp plate, the new clamps, and the side-stop fence. The clamp plate is the front plate with many holes in it. The bar of the new F-style clamps is inserted from behind the plate, through the holes; a rare earth magnet holds the clamp in place while I position the work piece:

After sliding the screw handle on the clamp bar, I am ready to clamp the work piece:

It takes a little maneuvering to set up the clamps in the tight spaces that are the upper-left and the upper-right quadrants. The reason? The sides of the dust chute reduce the working space considerably. But, once the clamps are in place, they hold the work piece very well. Barring obstructions, the clamps can be rotated in the hole through a good arc, to allow the best clamping arrangement.

I used the pencil line on the work piece to set the plunged router bit depth, then moved it into position; the following photo shows an unobstructed view of a work piece as I machine a mortise:

After machining the test mortise, I prepared the jig to clamp the tenon pieces. I started by moving the clamps to holes that will allow clamping the work piece vertically (having extra clamps on hand would be better yet). I learned I could save acrobatics by moving the clamp plate to the full open position, reaching under it, and inserting the clamp bar through an opening in the plate:

In the next photo I push a clamp bar through the clamp plate – notice how the clamp on the right-hand side can now reach over the side-stop fence, to allow clamping the work piece:

After returning the clamp plate to the closed position, I have the following view, from my working position – in this photo it is clear how the clamp reaches the work piece (I have already machined the tenon):

In the following photo, taken from behind the clamp plate, you can see the clamp head below, and to the right of the dust collection hose:

In the next photo I show the tenon work piece at eye level, as I machine the tenon – the work piece is flush against the side-stop fence, it is held firmly in place, and is square to the table:

Also from my working position, the next photo shows how the joint aligning sight – the target area is huge, and allows very precise alignment of the work piece:

First impressions about the clamp plate, and workholding in general:

1. The new F-style clamps work very well-they hold the workpiece securely. I was unable to make the work pieces shift, even under heavy mechanical load (my hand, shoving hard)
2. In some areas, restrictions such as caused by the dust chute make insertion of the clamps somewhat hard. But after doing it a few times I started to get a better feel for the maneuvers.
3. An extra set of clamps will make workholding even better, as it will virtually eliminate moving clamps during a job.
4. I found that if I moved the clamp plate in any way, I had to check it for alignment, to ensure square joints. I am still working to find the best way to close the clamp plate repeatably after opening the clamp plate. I used a Wixey Digital Angle Gauge to do the measurements.
5. I love workholding on my old FMT (now the Pro), which uses cam clamps. It took me a while to get used to the new F-style clamps on the Super FMT, but now I like them much better.

In Part 3 I will cover the jig’s table features, and in Part 4 the router sub-base. In Part 5 I will cover routing technique, and troubleshooting if things don’t work out right.

Right now I must go shovel some snow off the deck, and run the tractor to remove about 4 inches of snow of the driveway – we expect an additional 8 inches later today.

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—— Al Navas

Disclosure: Leigh Industries, one of my blog sponsors, sent me the Super FMT to try.

Imagine this: Super-accurate mortises and tenons in a jig costing a fraction of the original FMT, but with all the features of the original FMT (now called the FMT Pro). That is what the new Super FMT will deliver – and I am working to learn its ins and outs.

In an earlier post, I mentioned I was on the road – and that the new Super FMT arrived the day I left! Now I am back, and it is time for several things; but first I must unpack the new machine, try it out, and compare it to the earlier model I have used for years.

First thing to do: unpack the box, check that all the contents are correct, and read the User Guide. I recommend everyone heed the instructions, especially when installing the router on the router base. Taking your time to align the router on the router base is key to getting the results you yearn for in your mortise and tenon (M&T) work.

I started assembly by installing the optional dust collection box; this was a snap. I suggest you get this accessory, as it will make your experience much better – this means very little wood dust and chips to clean up later, or during and between machining of both mortises and tenons. The only way to get the dust chute in place is by loosening the knobs on both sides of the body of the jig, and fully opening the front:

The chute is secured using two nuts provided in the kit:

Making a base is a basic requirement, as it allows holding the jig in place. I used the Leigh clamps, in the same fashion as I did with the FMT Pro:

With the Super FMT in place on the workbench, I can proceed with the remainder of the assembly:

The side-stop fence needed just a bit of tuning to make it perfectly square to the jig body – it uses a screw, similar to that available on many table saw fences:

I will have a detailed procedure on installation and centering of the router on the router sub-base in another article in the near future. It was surprisingly easy to do all the alignment with the new clamping arrangement designed for the new sub-base:

The first of two minor glitches I ran into was, surprisingly, preparing the plywood base for the jig. The instructions and their accompanying illustration in the User Guide showed the base slots to be 3-5/16″ front-to-back, with a spacing of 15-3/4″ between the left and right jig body supports. The actual dimensions I measured were 3-17/32″ and 13-7/8″, respectively. At first I thought jet lag caused me to mark the dimensions wrongly. Out came the tape measure… Leigh Industries has already published an Important Correction notice, available for download from the Leigh Customer Support page; print it, and keep it with your User Guide.

The second glitch: The side-stop fence is designed in such a way that it is virtually impossible to get a try square close to it while keeping the square’s body tight on the jig body (see the photo below). The reason: the cutout on which the adjustment screw is mounted is too close to the front of the jig. I solved this by using a metal square with a 45° bevel – problem solved!

I am impressed with the fit and feel of the Super FMT. It went together flawlessly; all surfaces are coated with something I believe is a fusion-bonded coating, and similar to the FBE (fusion-bonded epoxy) used on external surfaces on buried pipelines in the oil and gas industry. It is a very tough, durable coating, and as such should do well in a shop environment.

The clamp plate, which is the front of the jig most visible from the front, was remarkably smooth in its operation. And setting any angle was repeatable. The knobs on the side of the jig held fast; this will be very useful when machining angled joints. I will cover the clamp plate in greater detail in a future article.

I found that, once unlocked by slightly loosening two clamp knobs, the table glided effortlessly both to the left and to the right, and from the front to the back. The table movement can be limited by using the X- and the Y-axis Limit Stops, an essential feature to precisely align multiple mortises and tenons. The table also accepts the guides, the joint aligning sight, and the router sub-base, which holds the router for all operations. More on all the table features in future articles, as I work with this new machine.

First impressions:

• The touch-and-feel of the new Super FMT is excellent; thick steel telegraphs “sturdy”, “beefy”, “good!”
• The protective coating on the steel was in great condition as-received — not even one ding on any surface, whether exposed or hidden.
• The clamp plate worked effortlessly, and clamped well – I must mention that I did not detect any movement, even when loaded.
• The table worked extremely well; loosen two clamp knobs, and the table will glide to a new position without effort. Lock the knobs, and the table stays put extremely well.
• The joint aligning sight was very new to me, but I am geting comfortable with it. Already, the circle around it seems to make the targets more easily readable, as it gives the impression that it is larger (or maybe it just feels larger?) than the sight on the FMT Pro.
• Installing the joint guides was easy, although the guide recess itself has a totally different feel from the recess in its FMT Pro brother. I had to learn a new way to remove the guides; but my fat fingers learned it quickly — the table itself has a larger opening.
• The guide pins in the router sub-base make the sub-base feel quite different from the sub-base on the FMT Pro. But I suspect that, with a little use, I will get accustomed to this new feel as the sub-base pins ride in the tracks.

I am very pleased with the Super FMT thus far. As I put it through the paces, I will report my findings. And if you have any questions about this much-awaited machine, please leave it as a Comment here. I will address all questions as they arrive – and even if I don’t know the answer, I will work to get you an answer!

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—— Al Navas

If you’ve been pining for an FMT to produce rock-solid mortise-and-tenon joints, but price was a concern, you have no excuses anymore. The Super FMT is a great jig. It’s easy to set up, easy to adjust, has too many possible joint sizes and can be used for more than regular mortise and tenons.

I hope to have a copy of the Super FMT in the shop soon. Sandy just called me (I am on the road) – the Super FMT is home – YUM! I will publish my findings on this blog when I have completed the evaluation. Since I have been a long-time user of the older FMT, now called the FMT Pro, I will be able to pick up on differences small and big. And, best of all, I will be able to share with you. Please stand by!

In the meantime, please read the Popular woodworking article, as it includes a nice video of the demo by Grisly.

From the PWW article:

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—– Al Navas

Leigh Super FMT.

Super FMT magnetic clamps. The clamps have a built-in magnet.

Super FMT snap-in sight guide. When not needed, it will sit out of the way on the side of the jig.

Super FMT compound angle tenon: Note the clamp plate and the side stop are both set at an angle.

Super FMT with router on the sub-base. It will accept just about any router!

Super FMT fence rod holddown clamps.

Super FMT optional vacuum box.

From Leigh, as I received this additional information:

Design Philosophy

The Super FMT was designed as a lower cost alternative to the current FMT, continuing the trend to more affordable jigs, established with our Super Jig line of dovetail jigs. We anticipate both models of our mortise & tenon jigs coexisting and appealing to two market segments; those who want the best and those whose needs and budget dictate a compromise.

The original FMT was introduced in 2002 and was an immediate success in markets around the world. The FMT was, and is today, manufactured from many costly CNC machined and precision cast parts.

The Super FMT’s design is based on the functionality and exacting standards of the original but with redefined manufacturing processes, resulting in dramatically reduced manufacturing costs. Most of the Super FMT components are lower cost CNC Punched and formed steel or injection moulded plastic. All of the guides and bits used with the original are common to both jigs, and the commonality of parts further contributes to lower costs.

Jig Performance

Sharing the same joint guides and bits allows the Super FMT to produce the same vast array of mortise and tenon sizes from unbelievably small joints to massive 5” joints. Like the original, The Super FMT also shares special joint guides for louvers, “Y” axis or right angle mortises, and square tenons.

Features

• Over 70 sizes of mortises and tenons

• 21 Joint Guides 1/4″ set, 5/16” set, 3/8″ set and 1/2″ set (five, 5/16” joint guides included with jig)

• Square tenon guides, Louver guides and Y Axis Mortise guide

• Angled and compound angled joints

• Single, double (tandem & side-by-side), triple and quadruple joints

• Joint sizes from tiny 1/16” x 1/8” to massive 1/2″ x 5″

• Recordable, repeatable joint fit adjustment

• Works with virtually any plunge router

• Heavy gauge rugged steel frame

• Multi position clamping

• Clamp boards up to 3” x 5”

• Easy and precise joint sighting

Standard Equipment

• Universal sub-base that attaches to virtually any plunge router

• Five 5/16″ joint guides (5/16″ by 1/2″, 3/4″, 1″, 1-1/4″ and 1-1/2″), which can make over 21 sizes of mortises and tenons

• Joint guide stand

• 5/16″ HSS spiral upcut bit w/1/2″ shank (Leigh No. 170-500)

• Two “F” clamps – 3” thickness capacity

• Adjustable side stop fence for tenoning

• 1/8” hex driver

• Mounting hardware

• Illustrated user guide

Retail Pricing

Super FMT:  $449.00US,  $449.00 Canadian

Availability – Late October 2009