Popular Woodworking 2001-02 № 120, страница 64

Shaker Bench

Four boards and a little space

along a wall is all you need for this cozy bench for two.

ith nothing more than wedged tenons and some good engineering, this is a phenomenally strong bench. The wedged tenons create a splayed dovetail effect that completely locks this bench together. I built this bench using only The Little Shop Mark II, a workshop on wheels that uses only $1,000 in tools.

Begin construction by cutting out the four boards according to the Schedule of Materials. The extra length on the stretcher and legs is to accommodate a little extra length on the tenons for trimming.

After cutting and cleaning up the tenons, lay out and cut the through-mortises, which are angled to accommodate the wedged tenons. Cut the mortises to fit right over the tenons. To lay out the arc on the stretcher, drive a

nail into the top of the arc at the center of the board. Then drive a nail into the starting point of both ends of the arc, as close to the edge of the board as possible. Take a strip of wood approximately Vs" x ¹/2" x 36" and bend it into an arc between the nails and trace a line on the stretcher. Remove the nails, cut out the arc and clean up the edge with a drawknife.

Now make the cutouts in the end panels. Lay them out according to the diagram, then cut them out with a coping saw. Make some relief cuts into the waste side to make cutting it out a little easier.

Once you have all the joinery fit, it's time to get ready to assemble the bench. This is a completely clamp-free glue up. The wedges driven into the tenons act as the "clamps" to

by Jim Stuard

WHAT iS THE LITTLE SHOP MARK II?

The Little Shop That Could Mark II is a rolling workshop on wheels that contains only $1,000 in tools. It was featured in the September 1999 issue of Popular Woodworking. And though we're sold out of that issue, you can see the plans for this rolling shop on our website (www.popularwoodworking.com) or you can pick up a copy of the new book "25 Essential Projects forYour Workshop" (Popular Woodworking Books) that features complete plans for the Little Shop.

64 Popular Woodworking February 2001