Popular Woodworking 2007-10 № 164, страница 37

TABLE, EXPLODED ViEW

straight and flat material. Even though I am a procrastinator, I wanted to speed the process so I cut the studs to rough lengths.

Most of the moisture exits the board through the end grain, so this opens up the middle of the board and lessens the distance the water in the wood needs to move. Then I cut a bunch of scraps into V4"-square strips and stacked the rough-length 2x4s with spaces between the edges of the boards and my V4" stickers between each layer of the stack. I scanned a few boards with a pinless moisture meter every few days, and in about a month the wood was dry enough to use.

Without a moisture meter, it's still possible to tell when the material is dry enough to use. If you have a piece of similar material that has been in your shop for several months, you can use that as a comparison to the new material. Wet wood will be heavier, and noticeably damp and cool to the touch.

Dynamic tension.

The jointed edge of one part helps keep the face of an adjacent part straight. Held together with glue and long screws, these legs are strong and straight.

The length of time it takes for the wood to acclimate will vary depending on where you live, and the environment of your shop. A month in our air-conditioned shop is the best-case scenario, but it could take two or three months in a damp basement shop. If you live in the desert, it could dry on the way home from the lumberyard.

Pretend it's Rough Lumber

When the wood was dry, I milled it down to 1V4" x 3V4" on the j ointer and planer. This may seem like a lot of waste, but in my experience, this is what it takes to get straight material from 2x4s. With a pile of now-straight and square stock, I cut the parts to final length and assembled the benches.

There are two subassemblies to the benches: "L"-shaped legs, and butt-joined frames. Glued and screwed together, the jointed edges of the leg components hold

each other straight, resisting warping and twisting. The legs are far stronger than just a 2x4, and the shape allows solid attachment of the frame. This method can be used to make sturdy benches of nearly any size. I also made stands for a lunchbox planer and a mortiser and you can see more details of these online at popularwoodworking.com/oct07.

The legs are held together with #8 x screws and glue. Set one of the leg parts on edge on the bench, and apply glue to the top surface. Put the other part on top, using a piece of scrap to support it while you align the edge with the face of the vertical piece. With the parts aligned, drill countersunk holes and drive three or four screws to connect the two parts of each leg. The frames are glued and butt-j oined and these j oints are also screwed together.

The frames fit in the inside corner of the leg assemblies. Lay two legs on the bench with the inside of the "L" facing up. Put some glue on the inside faces of the legs and put a frame unit in place with one of the long pieces down. Drill holes and connect the frame to the legs with #8 x 2" screws. With a combination square, mark the location of the lower frame 20" up from the bottom of the leg and glue and screw it in place. When the three tables are assembled,

All together now. With the frames inside the leg assemblies, this table is ready for a plywood shelf and top.

42 ■ Popular Woodworking October 2007