Popular Woodworking 2003-06 № 134, страница 16

Q & A

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CIRCLE NO. 155 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD.

Cleats Help Attach Almost Anything

• Cleat attaches horizontal and vertical members

What are Cleats? And how do I Attach Them to My Projects?

I enjoyed the article on the Gustav Stickley Magazine Cabinet (April 2003), but I do have a question: What are cleats and how are they used to attach the top?

Dwayne Crider Austin, Texas

Cleats are lengths of wood (square in section) that hold screws going in two directions. In this particular project, you screw the cleats to the inside top edge of the side assemblies. Then you place the top on the assembled cabinet and screw the top to the cabinet through the cleats. Predrill all your holes before attaching your cleats.

When using cleats, keep in mind how the case and top will expand and contract with the seasons. This is usually a problem when the grain on a cabinet side runs horizontally (though not with this project). When this is the case, you need to bore slotted holes in your cleats to prevent the screws from breaking (or your top from self-destructing) when the wood moves.

Here are a couple other tips for cleats. When using them to attach a top, position the cleat ^/n"

14 Popular Woodworking June 2003

Screws grouped to prevent cleat from racking

below the top edge of the side to ensure the top will seat tightly against the side. Also, it's best to keep the screws grouped together as shown above. This prevents the cleat from bowing.

— Christopher Schwarz, senior editor

What's the Best Cutterhead Speed?

I own a 4" jointer powered by a 1,750 rpm motor. The drive sheave is 6" and the driven sheave is - or a 2.18 ratio. I figure this gives a cutterhead rpm of 3,815. Is this sufficient for a clean cut?

Nick Bontempo Fremont, California

Most 4" jointers run between 6,000 to 11,000 rpm. That's faster than the larger units because most of these are powered by universal motors. The 6" and 8" jointers with induction motors average about 4,500 to 5,000 rpm at the cutterhead. So your 3,815 rpm is a little slow, but I think it's acceptable. You can slow down your feed rate to increase your cuts-per-inch, or you can switch the driven sheave to a 2" pulley, which will increase your speed to 5,250 rpm.

— David Thiel, senior editor