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In the last issue of FOCUS, Stuart Lees
of 'Stu's Shed' introduced you to
the Kreg
K4 Pocket Hole Jig and sang the praises of pocket hole joinery. The
pocket hole joint’s simplicity and strength are two of the many
advantages over any other non-structural joint. Integral joints such as
mortise and tenon joints, finger joints and dovetails are far superior
and more decorative, but for many hobbyists and professionals alike, forming
these joints can be very time consuming at best and in many cases, unnecessary.
Non-integral joints (biscuit joints, dowel joints and the like) can be
quick to produce, but they call on a fairly high skill level to perfect,
and without this standard of production are frequently ineffective. For
example, a dowel requires perfectly aligned holes on two separate workpieces.
Misaligned holes mean misaligned work, which in turn means more sanding,
scraping and colourful language. Biscuits joints are somewhat easier to
form and by design they offer a small margin for error. They rely heavily
on gluing to form an adequate bond, but this makes them unsuitable for
many joints that have stress applied to them.
Here's a good example of the pocket hole jig's merit in creating strong
joints for a solid, functional workpiece. Our project this month is a
handy little footstool that will be a great addition to any home: use
it in the kitchen for gaining access to the back of the pantry, in the
laundry, in the bathroom or even in the workshop.
The design is extendable enough that it can be modified to form many
other furniture pieces, just by changing the dimensions. It can be used
as a starting point for a coffee table, or if you get a little more adventurous,
even a dining table. Remember, it’s just a matter of joining the
thinner panels together to make wider panels for wider jobs.
We will be producing all our joints with the Kreg
K4 Pocket Hole Jig. There are many other pocket hole jigs in the Kreg
range that will work just as effectively, but they may require a few
extra steps. The advantage in using the Kreg Pocket Hole Jig, is that
it produces a simple, strong, structurally sound joint. It’s perfect
for this and many other applications.
Materials you'll need:
The first thing you'll need is the project
plan.
CLICK
HERE TO DOWNLOAD (PDF - 120kb)
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You’ll need five pieces of timber.
We used Tasmanian Oak for our stool. Pine works just as well but
may require staining to give a more decorative finish. High grade
ply can also be used if there are not too many gaps in the layers.
If you don’t have the machinery to size and dress this yourself
you can pick it up from your local timber merchant pre-machined,
or you can adjust the sizes to match what you can easily source.
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Your starting
materials. Hardwood, softwood or suitable plywood. |
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Sizes below are for boards machined to a ‘ready to finish’
state. (fig 1 image)
1 x top - 500mm x 220mm x 19mm
2 x sides - 250mm x 250m x 19mm
2 x rails - 410mm x 105mm x 19mm
In addition to your wood, you'll need
Cutting the Curved Profiles
The first step is to cut the profiles into the top, sides and
rails. I found the easiest way to mark the profiles on the sides and rails
was to print the profiles I wanted onto A4 paper then glue the paper onto
the boards and cut them out with a jig saw. The paper can be easily removed
in the finishing stage. Remember to run the pattern along the grain of
the timber. I know this sounds basic, but I have fine examples of how
NOT to cut timber in my workshop (if anybody would like to see). Carefully
cut all sides and rails as shown on your plan.
The round corners on the top can be achieved by marking the desired radius
and carefully removing the waste with a jigsaw, coping saw or by sanding
off the waste on a disc sander (the disc sander is the cleanest method).
Most woodworkers choose a 5c or 10c piece to form their corner rounds.
That’s usually all they can afford!
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Side with
curve cut |
Rail with curve cut |
Routing a 1/8" Round on the Edges
A good idea is to mark the top edge of the side panels and the
top & side edges of the rails with a chalk or pencil mark. This will
help identify the parts we DO NOT want to rout the edges on (see diagram
below):
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Rail with edge marking
to avoid routing... |
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...and the side piece
also. |
Routing a 1/8” round on most exposed edges gives a nice and soft
finished look, and will prevent splintering along these edges. Too large
a roundover on such a small item will look disproportional and could look
very unprofessional. Less is more.
Remember, DON’T rout the areas we have marked
earlier.
Sanding the Components
Give every component a good sanding through the grits. I recommend
80, 120, 180, 240 and 320. A random orbital sander (Bosch
BO-GEX125-1AE) makes light work of the large flat surfaces. I found
that sanding the profiled sections with a drum sanding set in my drill
press for the coarse grits first and then by hand for the finer grits
allowed me to give them the extra attention they needed after being cut
out with a jig saw. Sanding by hand is always possible if you feel like
a workout. Being careful at this stage will make a lot less work after
the stool has been assembled, and the finish quality will be far better
if you have worked your way through all the grits without skipping a step.
Just try it, and you will see the difference.
Joining the Components
Finally, you get to use your Kreg
Jig!
Step 1:
Set out the components as they will be when complete, much like a “dry
fit” (Fig 1). The extreme adaptability of the Kreg Pocket Hole joint
now comes into its own. You can lay out the stool and decide the position
of the components (flush with outside edge or set back from edge) - the
making of the pocket hole is remains the same. We have positioned the
pocket holes on the inside of all components so that they are not seen.
Alternatively, you can have the holes exposed on the outside and then
plug them with one of the many Kreg Pocket hole plugs.
Step 2:
Simply mark the pocket hole centres’ positions and drill all your
pocket holes on your rails and sides as shown in the pictures below. Remember
to drill the pocket holes on the sides close enough to the centre to keep
them hidden when the rails are attached. Follow your Kreg Jig instructions
to determine the jig setup and bit depth. Remember that you only need
to drill one side of your joint. That’s why you brought a Kreg Jig,
isn’t it?
Step 3:
Now you can assemble the components, by repositioning, clamping (there
are many specific Kreg clamps to help this operation) and driving the
screws in. Remember to tilt the stiles to the angle on the outer edges
of the sides.
I attached the sides to the top first (Fig. 4-1), then the rails to the
side (Fig. 4-2), but you could just as easily assemble the entire sub-frame
(sides and rails) and then attach them complete to the top.
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(Fig. 4-1)
Attach the sides first... |
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(Fig. 4-2)... then the
rails. |
I didn’t use glue in building our footstool. It’s not required,
but it may be added if you like. If you do, remember to wipe of the excess
before it dries and before finishing.
Finishing
Two or three coats of Danish
oil (Liberon LBN-014642 - 500ml) will give the stool a nice, natural
finish. This can be applied by hand and rubbed in well. Burnishing will
give a higher gloss level. Burnishing can be done by rubbing the oil in
with 600 and 1200 grit wet and dry sandpaper. Build up the heat with the
sandpaper to complete the burnishing process. Once burnishing is completed
(two or three coats), the footstool should be dry. If it’s not,
then you need to rub a little harder and longer. Obviously you can lacquer
or clear coat the footstool, but this will require some more equipment
and time for drying.
How long until you can use your new footstool?
Once it’s dry, immediately! That’s the advantage
of using the Kreg® system. It’s strong enough to use straight
away.
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The finished product,
from the bottom... |
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...and the top, ready
for use!... |
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