basics Powertool Sharpen your skills Fast and easy dovetails 16 essential shopmade jigs Create unique moldings

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1 w THE BEST OF Powertool Get more from: Routers Tablesaws Bandsaws basics Jointers Sharpen your skills Fast and easy dovetails 16 essential shopmade jigs Create unique moldings Display until June 30, 2007 $8.99/Canada $9.99 A Taunton Publication

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3 The Biggest Breakthrough In Routers Is Also The Smallest. Router Shown Actual Size. Introducing the Versatile 1.0 HP* Colt Palm Router. Power and Precision in the Palm of Your Hand. Powerful enough to tackle a wide array of routing tasks. Small and light enough to do jobs big routers can t. The new Colt Palm Router combines precision and versatility in an easy-to-handle size with wide bit capacity and an electronically-controlled motor for smooth, accurate routing. Bigger isn t always better. Get your hands on a Colt Palm Router at a dealer near you or visit boschtools.com. *Max. tool output 2007 Robert Bosch Tool Corporation Invented for life boschtools.com

4 w THE BEST OF Powertool basics contents 84 BANDSAW JIGS MORE FROM YOUR tools 24 Tablesaw The best ways to equip and work with the most dangerous machine in the shop B Y G A R Y M. K A T Z 30 Bandsaw Five no-hassle tips guarantee smooth, straight cuts on any bandsaw B Y M I C H A E L F O R T U N E 36 Drill Press The right bits, jigs, and techniques add versatility B Y R O L A N D J O H N S O N 42 Jointer Use this shop mainstay to make straight, flat boards, plus tapers and roundovers, too B Y J. S P E E T J E N S 48 Dovetail Jigs How to create a complex joint the easy way B Y A N I S S A K A P S A L E S 52 Mortiser Simple tips for setup, sharpening, and cutting make the tool a joy to use B Y R O L A N D J O H N S O N 56 Scrollsaw It has more uses than you might think B Y P A U L S C H Ü R C H BETTER techniques 60 Dadoes, Grooves, and Rabbets The handiest joints are the easiest to make B Y A S A C H R I S T I A N A 66 Mortise-and-Tenon Joints Use the router, tablesaw, and a couple of jigs to make them foolproof B Y J E F F M I L L E R 70 Raised Panels How to achieve great results at the router table or the tablesaw B Y M A T T H E W T E A G U E 4 F I N E W O O D W O R K I N G Cover photo: David Heim

5 36 DRILL PRESS 24 TABLESAW 72 Unique Moldings The secret is combining multiple router profiles in a stack of pieces B Y A L A N C H A R N E Y 76 Router Templates These guides let you create elegant curves and furniture parts B Y D O U G P E T E R M A N 80 Router Jigs Get much more from your router with easy-to-make accessories B Y Y E U N G C H A N 84 Bandsaw Jigs How to make precise tapers, circles, wedges, and curves B Y M I C H A E L F O R T U N E 90 Featherboards These extra hands make cuts safer, cleaner, and more accurate B Y R O L A N D J O H N S O N 94 Sled Turns Planer into a Jointer Get a flat face on wide lumber B Y K E I T H R U S T departments 6 Editor s Letter 8 Quick Tips 16 Setups Tune-up kit for machines Test cuts eliminate errors Taming tablesaw tearout 98 Jigs & Fixtures Shopmade push sticks are a cheap way to stay safe Shopmade crosscut sled 106 Q&A Molding curved panels with router bits Keep a square edge while cutting with a jigsaw 110 Shop Safety Rule One: Avoid major injuries 112 Fundamentals Your tools may be telling you something s wrong 72 UNIQUE MOLDINGS Pp FineWoodworking.com k i n g.com P O W E R T O O L B A S I C S

6 editor s letter W Making the most of the machinery Power tools are both a blessing and a curse. When they re well-tuned and used with good fences and jigs, power tools let you cut and carve wood with incredible speed and precision. Even beginners can make shapes or create joints that require skill and practice to cut by hand. But if you don t have the right setup or the tools haven t been properly tuned, they will seem to fight everything you want them to do. I know from experience how frustrating that can be. It doesn t have to be that way. As Michael Fortune explains (p. 30), he set up the bandsaw in his shop a generation ago and it hasn t needed any tweaking since, even though it s seen daily use. If you follow his advice, you too can have a bandsaw that will easily cut curves, rip thick boards, or produce veneer-thin sheets. Other articles in this collection from Fine Woodworking will help you get the most from the tablesaw, drill press, jointer, mortiser, scrollsaw, and router. These are easy-to-follow tips, designed to let you spend more time working with wood, less time playing mechanic. We ll also help you refine your woodworking techniques. You ll learn how to make simple router jigs for cutting perfect mortise-and-tenon joints, shaping curves, even turning simple shapes without a lathe. You ll also learn how to use the tablesaw for cutting dadoes, grooves, rabbets, and raised panels. Safety is an overriding concern. We ve provided numerous tips that explain how to hold workpieces securely, how to keep your fingers safely away from moving blades, and how to prevent a piece of wood from kicking back at you with potentially lethal force. Even though we used basics in the title, this magazine isn t just for beginners. Experienced woodworkers will find plenty of useful information here, too. David Heim Power Tool Basics editor Power Tool Basics Issue EDITOR David Heim issue Art Director Michael Pekovich ISSUE COPY EDITOR Elizabeth Healy contributing designer Michael Amaditz Fine Woodworking magazine EDITOR Asa Christiana Art Director Michael Pekovich managing EDITOR Mark Schofield managing Editor, online Matt Berger Associate Editors Thomas G. Begnal, Steve Scott, Thomas McKenna, David Heim, Charles Reina ASSISTANT EDITOR Anissa Kapsales ASSISTANT EDITOR, online Gina Eide Copy/Production EditorS Julie Risinit, Elizabeth Healy ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Kelly J. Dunton ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR John Tetreault SHOP MANAGER John White administrative assistant Betsy Engel Contributing Editors Christian Becksvoort, Gary Rogowski, Garrett Hack, Roland Johnson METHODS OF WORK Jim Richey publisher Anatole Burkin MARKETING MANAGER Melissa Robinson administrative assistant Christina Glennon circulation director Dennis O Brien single copy sales manager Mark Stiekman ADVERTISING Sales Manager Peter Badeau senior national account manager Linda Abbett National Account Manager John Lagan Associate account Manager Chris Dunham senior ad sales support associate Marjorie Brown Woodworking Books & Videos EXECUTIVE EDITOR Helen Albert Copyright 2007 by The Taunton Press, Inc. No reproduction without permission of The Taunton Press, Inc. F I N E w o o d w o r k i n g