Steve Maskery
Established Member
A couple of months ago I made a set of kitchen doors and when I was painting them I had trouble finding enough places to put them while they dried. I promised myself that I would make a drying rack, and so, with another set of shutters to make, I have finally got round to it.
It's very simple; a pair of L-shaped legs with a series of arms attached, which support the painted workpiece. The width can be varied by adjusting the cross-brace at the back, and the whole unit folds together so that it can be hung on the wall when not in use.
I had a length of 6x2 left over from the workshop build. I've not been able to use it for anything decent as it was twisted like a propeller, but it was fine for this. I ripped it down and planed it up to finish with two pieces 1.7m long and 70x40mm in section. It is very rough stuff, with bits being ripped out in the thicknesser, but for a job like this, that does not matter.
I cut the feet out of the same stock.
I cut a mortice in each foot using my biggest mortice chisel, 5/8”, which gives the classic one-thirds proportion. I cut through from each side to give me a through-mortice.
I now had a decision to make. Do I cut the tenons on the bandsaw or the tablesaw? Given the length of the legs, I would normally cut them on the bandsaw. I have a very good jig which makes it pretty foolproof to get the tenons exactly the right size and in the right place within the thickness of the workpiece. I very modestly call it the Ultimate Bandsaw Tenon Jig. But it does rely on having the right blade on the saw and that being set up very well. My bandsaw needs a bit of attention at the moment and I wasn't going to trust it with a precision job like this.
I also have the Ultimate Tablesaw Tenon Jig. It cuts the tenon upright, though, and I wasn't sure how stable it would be with a workpiece sticking up 1.7m, I've never used it for anything so tall before. But I needn't have worried, it was perfectly stable, but the saw did baulk a bit at making a blind cut at its full height.
You'll notice that the jig has a front and rear guard built into it.
I cut the tenon shoulders with a crosscut sled.However I discovered that my sled has warped somewhat having been kept in a damp barn for a couple of years. I shall have to remake it. I don't use it very often, and indeed I could have cut them off on my SCMS as it does have a depth stop, but this works well for tenon cheeks. It does require the removal of the guard and the lowering of the riving knife, but I have a stand-alone guard which keeps my fingers from accidentally getting too close.
The width is trimmed on the bandsaw
The result is a tenon which not only fits perfectly but also finishes flush with the foot requiring no planing to clean up.
Before assembling the leg and foot, I needed to cut a series of mortices for the support arms. If I had a plentiful supply of dowel I would have used that but instead I have a pile of slats from an old airing cupboard. I can use them. So I cut a series of mortices with my Domino. Yes I know, I know. But you could do exactly the same thing with a router, it would just take a little longer.
I don't have a clamp long enough to close up the joint, so I decided to draw-bore them.
I drilled a couple of 8mm holes through the mortice, close to the edge, stopping just a couple of mm short of going right through.
Then I marked through with the drill to show where they would come.
But the actual corresponding holes in the tenon are drilled a couple of mm closer to the shoulder, so that the holes are very slightly staggered.
I shaped a length of dowel by hand with a block plane and hammered it in. The offset applies pressure so that the joint closes up tightly without any clamps. A quick check for square and the leg is assembled.
It's very simple; a pair of L-shaped legs with a series of arms attached, which support the painted workpiece. The width can be varied by adjusting the cross-brace at the back, and the whole unit folds together so that it can be hung on the wall when not in use.
I had a length of 6x2 left over from the workshop build. I've not been able to use it for anything decent as it was twisted like a propeller, but it was fine for this. I ripped it down and planed it up to finish with two pieces 1.7m long and 70x40mm in section. It is very rough stuff, with bits being ripped out in the thicknesser, but for a job like this, that does not matter.
I cut the feet out of the same stock.
I cut a mortice in each foot using my biggest mortice chisel, 5/8”, which gives the classic one-thirds proportion. I cut through from each side to give me a through-mortice.
I now had a decision to make. Do I cut the tenons on the bandsaw or the tablesaw? Given the length of the legs, I would normally cut them on the bandsaw. I have a very good jig which makes it pretty foolproof to get the tenons exactly the right size and in the right place within the thickness of the workpiece. I very modestly call it the Ultimate Bandsaw Tenon Jig. But it does rely on having the right blade on the saw and that being set up very well. My bandsaw needs a bit of attention at the moment and I wasn't going to trust it with a precision job like this.
I also have the Ultimate Tablesaw Tenon Jig. It cuts the tenon upright, though, and I wasn't sure how stable it would be with a workpiece sticking up 1.7m, I've never used it for anything so tall before. But I needn't have worried, it was perfectly stable, but the saw did baulk a bit at making a blind cut at its full height.
You'll notice that the jig has a front and rear guard built into it.
I cut the tenon shoulders with a crosscut sled.However I discovered that my sled has warped somewhat having been kept in a damp barn for a couple of years. I shall have to remake it. I don't use it very often, and indeed I could have cut them off on my SCMS as it does have a depth stop, but this works well for tenon cheeks. It does require the removal of the guard and the lowering of the riving knife, but I have a stand-alone guard which keeps my fingers from accidentally getting too close.
The width is trimmed on the bandsaw
The result is a tenon which not only fits perfectly but also finishes flush with the foot requiring no planing to clean up.
Before assembling the leg and foot, I needed to cut a series of mortices for the support arms. If I had a plentiful supply of dowel I would have used that but instead I have a pile of slats from an old airing cupboard. I can use them. So I cut a series of mortices with my Domino. Yes I know, I know. But you could do exactly the same thing with a router, it would just take a little longer.
I don't have a clamp long enough to close up the joint, so I decided to draw-bore them.
I drilled a couple of 8mm holes through the mortice, close to the edge, stopping just a couple of mm short of going right through.
Then I marked through with the drill to show where they would come.
But the actual corresponding holes in the tenon are drilled a couple of mm closer to the shoulder, so that the holes are very slightly staggered.
I shaped a length of dowel by hand with a block plane and hammered it in. The offset applies pressure so that the joint closes up tightly without any clamps. A quick check for square and the leg is assembled.
