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Even though it wasn’t the best saw in the world — it had a weak motor and a puny 8″ blade that was difficult to tilt — that vintage saw did yeoman’s duty, ripping and crosscutting boards (i.e., cutting them both with and across the grain), cutting miters and bevels and grooves and dadoes. As I took on more complex projects, I discovered just how versatile a table saw could be. Using both store-bought and shop-made jigs, I expanded my saw’s repertoire to include cutting tenons and box joints, raising panels and more.

Just What Can a Table Saw Do?

This versatile machine is capable of such a wide variety of cuts, it’s no wonder that a table saw is the centerpiece of most modern shops.

Using nothing more than the basic equipment that comes standard, you can perform all the basic cuts needed for an endless number of traditional woodworking tasks and home improvement projects:

Using the miter gauge, you can cut 45˚corners for picture and mirror frames and small boxes, cases and drawers. The rip fence is used to cut stock to width, panels to size, or to recut boards, thickness wise, to make your own veneers or split stock to book-match the grain for decorative panels. Working with the saw’s blade tilted, you can take compound cuts for frames, chests or planters with angled sides. Fit the saw with a dado blade and you can cut all manner of grooves, dadoes and rabbets, perfect for simple cabinet joinery, say to build a bookcase or display shelf.

By employing a variety of jigs and fixtures, a table saw can perform a vast array of tasks including:

– Cutting large sheet goods to size. Sliding tables, crosscut sleds, and long extension tables can all be used for safely sawing full-sized sheets of plywood and large panels to final size when building cabinets and furniture.

– Sawing tenons for mortise-and-tenon joinery. Tenons are cut by passing frame members vertically past the saw blade using a sliding jig.

– Cutting box joints. Milled with a dado blade and special jig, box joints are a series of alternating fingers and notches that interlock to form the corners of boxes, drawers, blanket chests, etc.

– Tapering. A tapering jig is used to cut tapered furniture legs and other parts that need to be wider at one end than the other. Bevel-cut tapered staves can be used to build projects with angled sides, like stands and planter boxes.

– Panel raising. By running the edges of a panel vertically past a slightly tilted blade, you can raise them (where the edge is thinner than the middle) for classic looking classic-looking raised panel doors. Smaller panels can be cut using the standard rip fence as a guide; larger panels require a jig.

– Cutting coves and moldings. Using a special fence jig that guides the stock at an angle over the top of the saw blade, you can cut hollow shapes for moldings and trim. (Look online for additional information, including a video, on how to make cove cuts.)

– Shaping stock. Fitting a table saw with a molding head — a special blade with interchangeable cutters — allows you to cut many of the same profiles that you’d normally create with a shaper or router: beads, ogees, flutes, etc.

Choosing a Table Saw

All table saws are basically built the same: a motor powers an arbor-mounted saw blade; controls allow you to raise and/or tilt the blade above a table that supports the workpiece. Beyond that similarity, there are several different types of table saws to choose from, including cabinet, contractor, portable and benchtop. The particular type, make and model saw you choose will depend on various factors, including the saw’s overall size and capacity, how powerful it is, how portable it is, its features and, of course, how well it fits your tool budget. Particular models are better suited to some woodworkers’ needs more than others. For example, it doesn’t matter if your saw is super light and portable if it doesn’t have the power to handle the heavy stock you need to cut and, conversely, a powerful saw doesn’t help you if it’s too big and heavy to move around your shop that must serve double duty as your garage. A quick rundown on the four most common types of table saws will help you decide which one is best for you:

Cabinet Saw

The first choice of professional woodworkers and serious DIYers, the “cabinet” in a cabinet table saw refers to the boxy sheet-metal base that totally encloses the saw’s inner workings. These saws feature heavy-duty trunnions and saw arbors designed to keep their 10″ or 12″ saw blades (depending on the model) running rock solid even during the most punishing cutting situations. Power is supplied by a 2-, 3- or 5-hp induction motor (single or three-phase) controlled by a magnetic motor starter switch. Most models feature a large extension table to the right of a heavy cast-iron saw table and long rails that allow them to cut panels up to 52″ wide or more.

Don’t want to spend big bucks on a top-shelf cabinet saw? Some saws, including JET’s ProShop series, are hybrid models that incorporate some features of cabinet saws into more compact and affordable contractor style machines with partially enclosed bases.

Contractor Saw

The traditional choice of professional contractors and home workshops, the contractor saw includes about three-quarters of the features of a cabinet saw in a lighter and more affordable package.

You can spot this saw by its open-legged sheet metal stand and motor and bracket hanging off the back. Most models feature a 10″ blade, sturdy cast-iron or cast aluminum table and an extension table and fence rails long enough for rip cuts 24 to 30 inches wide or more. Most saws sport induction motors in the 1-1/2- to 2-1/2 hp range: ample enough to power a saw blade through wet construction lumber, thick sheet goods and hardwood stock.

Portable Jobsite and Benchtop Saws

Although lighter and more compact than other saws, portable jobsite and benchtop table saws are impressively powerful and full-featured. Most models use a standard 10″ saw blade and have the same depth-of-cut capacity (3-1/8″ at 90°) as full-sized saws. To get a portable’s weight down, heavy steel and iron parts are replaced by aluminum alloy castings and/or molded plastic. Weighty induction motors are replaced by the same kinds of universal motors used in portable power tools. Although noisier and not as powerful as induction motors, universal motors can handle most light- and medium-duty cutting jobs. Some portables have built-in folding stands with wheels that make them very easy to move around and stow when not in use. Benchtop models have short bases and must be mounted on a work table or stand before they’re ready to run.

Selecting Blades

Although just about any saw blade will cut wood, you’ll get better long-term performance with a good carbide-tooth combination or “general-purpose” blade, such as the Forrest Woodworker II. As their name implies, these blades can tackle most of the everyday cuts taken on a table saw. But for the best, cleanest, cuts, choose a saw blade that’s specifically designed for the kind of cut you’re taking.

Crosscut blades, such as Freud’s D1080X Diablo, employ a high number of teeth (60 to 80 on a 10″ blade) with an alternating-top-bevel (ATB) tooth grind to produce square- or miter-cut ends that look as though they were sanded smooth. In contrast, ripping blades have far fewer teeth: typically 24 to 30 on a 10″ saw blade. Each rip tooth has a flat grind and a high hook angle, allowing it to slice through wood fibers along the length of a board. Thin-kerf blades (combo, crosscut or rip) require less motor power to run and generate less sawdust, to boot.

For super-clean cuts in materials such as plywood, melamine, plastics and nonferrous metals, choose a saw blade specially designed for cutting that material.

Cutting wide grooves, dadoes and notches for joinery, such as box joints, calls for a dado blade. A stacking dado set sandwiches individual chipper blades between a pair of outer saw blades. You change the width of the groove/dado by using more or fewer chipper blades, with shims between them.

Table Saw Safety

First of all: never adjust a table saw or check a saw blade without first unplugging the saw. Using safe table saw operating practices (see the “Making the Cut” section of this article for more), push sticks and featherboards can help avoid unfortunate accidents — as can the following safety devices specifically designed for your saw:

– Blade guard. Most stock blade guards have a hinged, clear plastic hood that surrounds the saw blade, allowing stock to be fed while preventing fingers from straying into the blade. The guard also deflects sawdust and small cutoffs from being thrown up toward the operator. Unfortunately, stock blade guards can be fussy to set up and must be removed for operations such as dadoing, box joint cutting, etc. It’s best to employ shop-made guards during these special operations, or fit the saw with an over-arm-style guard: a clear box-like guard suspended above the saw blade.

– Splitters and anti-kickback pawls. Whether built into the blade guard or mounted separately, a splitter (aka riving knife) is a thin steel vein set right behind the blade. It’s designed to keep the saw kerf from closing up and binding the blade as stock exits the cut, thus preventing the saw motor from stalling and the work from being hurled back at the user. Usually mounted on either side of a blade’ guard’s splitter, anti-kickback pawls are spring-loaded fingers with serrated points that scrape along the top of the work as it’s fed through the cut. They are “one-way” devices that further prevent stock from kicking back.

– SawStop. One of the most significant developments in table saw safety is the safety system incorporated into all SawStop brand table saws. The blade on the saw is charged with a small electrical signal. If the user’s skin accidentally contacts the blade, the electrical signal change activates the saw’s safety system: An aluminum brake springs into the spinning blade, stopping its rotation in less than five milliseconds. The blade’s angular momentum drives it down beneath the saw table, removing the risk of subsequent contact, and power to the motor is shut off.

– Dust Collection. Although it doesn’t prevent saw blade-related accidents, using dust collection with a table saw is an important part of protecting yourself from respiratory-related ailments.

That’s especially important because most table saws throw dust around like crazy. Fortunately, most saws these days feature a dust port, which makes hooking the machine up to a portable or central dust collector a simple matter.

Prepare a Successful Cut

Before you take your first cut, it’s important to make sure that your table saw is clean, in good condition and properly adjusted. (You can find hints on how to make this happen in my table saw tune-up article, posted online.) A poorly set up and/or maintained saw is not only bound to be less accurate, but it also can be downright dangerous to use. For example, stock being ripped using an improperly aligned rip fence may kick back suddenly and cause injury. Also make sure your saw blade is sharp and running smoothly, without vibration or obvious wobbling.

Basic saw prep before any cut should begin with checking the angle and height of the saw blade. Once you’ve mounted and secured the best type of blade for the job at hand, install a throatplate that, ideally, has the narrowest opening that still allows the blade to spin freely. For regular 90˚ cuts, raise the saw blade up to near full height and check the blade’s squareness with a dependably accurate try square, placing the edge of the try square flat against the body of the blade. It helps to put a flashlight behind the square as you sight to see if there’s any light showing between the square and blade. If there is, adjust the angle using the table saw’s bevel (tilt) adjuster (reset the tilt stop if necessary).

For bevel cuts, tilt the saw blade to the desired angle and check it with a protractor, angle block or sliding bevel. After adjustments, it’s very important to reset the height of the saw blade so that only about 1/4″ of the blade protrudes above the thickness of the stock you intend to cut.

From there on, saw preparation depends on the kind of cut you intend to make. When ripping stock, set the distance between the face of the rip fence and edges of a saw blade tooth closest to the fence to the desired width of cut (your fence should already be adjusted so that it’s near parallel to the saw blade, with just a skosh of clearance at the back edge of the blade). If your fence has a built-in cursor and scale, make sure that it reads accurately with the blade you’re using; double-check with a rule if there’s any doubt. Lock the fence, and you’re ready to rip.

To prepare for crosscutting, set the angle of your miter gauge relative to the blade. As when checking blade squareness or tilt, use a try square or protractor/ bevel gauge to check the setting (your saw table’s miter slots should already be set parallel to the saw blade). Now is a good time to set the miter gauge’s built-in stop(s), so you can repeat oft-used angle settings (90°, 45°, etc.) more quickly in the future.

Tilt Right or Left?

Traditionally, table saws tilted their blades to the right, in the direction of the rip fence, as was viewed most practical for right-handed users. A few long-standing models, including the Powermatic model 66, tilt their blades to the left, which helps prevent stock from binding and kicking back during bevel cuts. Taking miter cuts with the blade tilted left is also advantageous, as marked cut lines are on top where you can see them. While many woodworkers still prefer a right-tilt saw, left-tilting saws are popular enough that many makes/models of cabinet, contractor and portable saws are now available as southpaws.

Making the Cut

Regardless of the kind of cut you’re making, make sure that the stock — and your hand and fingers — are clear of the blade before hitting the saw’s “On” switch. When taking a rip cut, make sure that one edge of the stock has been planed or jointed so that it’s arrow straight. Set that edge against the rip fence, start the saw, then use a push stick to feed the work into the spinning blade. Feed at an even rate of speed while keeping the work in firm contact with the fence. If your stock is narrow, it’s best to use a featherboard to keep the work pressed against the fence and down on the saw table. Whenever possible, stand to the side of the stock and blade rather than directly behind it. That way, if the workpiece is kicked back, it won’t strike you.

When ripping dense hardwoods or “problem” boards (wood with knots, twisting grain, etc.), the motor/blade may bog down as you cut. In this case, try easing off on your feed speed. If the work starts smoking or binds on the blade, it’s best to turn the saw off immediately, remove the board, then repeat the cut or switch to a different piece of lumber.

Large panels and sheet goods can also be ripped using the rip fence as a guide. If you cut a really big piece, make sure it’s well supported at both ends of the cut with infeed and outfeed tables or supports. You can also crosscut large panels as long as the work isn’t too long or the side that rides against the fence isn’t too narrow.

When using the miter gauge, make sure that the end of long workpieces won’t hang up on the rip fence before you begin. Unless your stock is hard to handle, you can use hand pressure to keep the work firmly planted against the face of the gauge (a piece of peel-and-stick sandpaper applied to the face helps keep the work steady during cutting). When you’re ready, slide the miter gauge and work slowly and evenly through the cut, making sure to keep both hands well clear of the blade. After the cut is complete, it’s safest to shut the saw off before removing the workpiece and cutoff scrap: never reach over a spinning saw blade! For long, large, or extra short workpieces, either clamp the work to the gauge’s head or use a table saw crosscutting sled or specialized jig.

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Obviously there’s a ton of specialized hardware out there beyond the scope of this article (lazy Susans, flipper door hardware, electric lifts, etc.). For such specific hardware mounting information, I strongly urge you to read the instructions that come with your hardware. Better still, you can almost always find instructional videos on the Internet that show you exactly how to install special types of hardware.

Choosing Hardware

Peruse the pages of a hardware catalog, and it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the number of choices. Unless the style of the piece you’re building dictates the style of hardware you’ll use (Shaker, Craftsman, Ultra Modern), your hardware choices can have a significant effect on the appearance. For example, a simple, clean lined cabinet fitted with stainless steel wire pulls will tend towards a contemporary look; white ceramic knobs offer a country feeling, and antique brass bail style pulls lend a classical appearance.

Hardware that’s prominently located (knobs, latches, etc.) should be chosen to match the scale of the parts it’s used with. For example, tiny pulls on big doors may seem out of place or simply appear incorrect.

Hardware finish also affects final appearance considerably and should be chosen not only to suit the style of your piece, but to work harmoniously with the color and grain of the wood your project is built from. For example, black anodized pulls offer good contrast when fitted on a natural maple project but likely would be too subtle if used on a dark wood piece.

If you find brass or bronze hardware that you like, but it has too shiny a finish, you can actually create a darker, duller look with a brass darkening solution. Start by removing the protective clear coating from the shiny brass by scrubbing thoroughly with a steel wool pad dipped in acetone or lacquer thinner (wear protective gloves). Now fill a small glass bowl or disposable plastic cup with darkening solution and immerse the hardware in it, including screws used to mount the hardware. Leave them soaking until they achieve the desired shade of darkness, then rinse them thoroughly in clear water. If the pieces still aren’t dark enough, repeat the soaking/rinsing process. If pieces end up too dark, you can lighten their finish by rubbing them with fine steel wool.

Screw-on Hardware

One of my biggest hardware mounting pet peeves is seeing beautiful, expensive screwed-on hardware that’s either mounted crooked or has screws with stripped heads. To prevent these problems, here are some practical steps to follow when mounting hinges, latches, trunk corners, or just about any other kind of screwed-on hardware. Start by determining and marking the exact position of your hardware. If the hardware spans two separate parts, say a clasp fastener that locks two halves of a tabletop, set the parts together just as they will be after final assembly. If there’s supposed to be a gap between the parts, use cardboard or thin wood strips to shim them. Now set the hardware in place and either clamp it down or use double-stick tape to secure it.

If your hardware has steel screws, or brass-plated steel screws (if you’re unsure, check with a magnet), you’re all set to drive them in place. However, when driving soft brass or bronze screws into harder woods (oak, maple, etc.), it’s best to enlarge the pilot holes with a slightly bigger drill bit (try a bit that’s 1/64″ or 1/32″ larger), to avoid breaking the screws or stripping their heads. You can also “pre tap.” Whether you re-drill or pre tap the pilot holes, it’s best to run a test with spare screws and a scrap of your project’s wood.

When you’re ready to drive the mounting screws, it’s important to choose a screwdriver that fits the screw’s drive recess (Phillips, square, etc.) correctly. If you don’t, you’re in danger of the driver deforming the screw heads in some way and leaving an ugly result. Take special care when driving Phillips head screws, as there seems to be a stunning number of different sizes and styles. If your hardware comes with slotted-head screws, I urge you to replace them with Phillips head screws — it’s all too easy for a slotted screwdriver to slip out and ruin the screw head or, worse, scratch the hardware or gouge the wood!

To make driving easier, lubricate mounting screws by rubbing a little wax from an old candle into the threads. To seat the hardware evenly, run all the screws most of the way in first, then go back and tighten them fully, taking care not to apply too much torque. To prevent breaking or stripping screws when using a portable powered drill or electric screwdriver, set the tool’s clutch to the lowest torque setting that’ll get the job done.

If you do get a “spinner” — a screw that’s fully driven, but won’t stop turning — an old, but effective, trick is to un-mount the hardware, and apply the toothpick trick. After letting the glue dry, re-drill the pilot hole and remount the hardware; just go a little easy when driving the screw.

If you accidentally break off a screw while driving it, don’t panic; if any of the shank is still exposed, try gripping it with locking pliers and unscrewing it. If the shank breaks below the surface, you’ll need to drill out the broken screw with a tubular screw extractor, plug the hole with a short length of dowel, then re-drill the pilot hole and drive a new screw.

Nail-on Hardware

Small nails and pins are often used to mount hardware such as small latches, hinges and box corners. But driving pins directly into hardwoods is simply begging for problems. To keep small fasteners from bending or driving crooked, it’s best to create pilot holes before driving them in place. After positioning your hardware and securing it, use an awl to mark all holes. Just make sure pieces, such as box corners, are fully seated.

Choose a bit for pilot holes that’s slightly smaller than the diameter of the pins. Unfortunately, a 1/16″ diameter bit (the smallest from a regular drill set) is too large for pins size 16-gauge and smaller. Use bits from a numbered small drill bit set for these pilot holes: #55 for 16-gauge; #63 for 18-gauge; #72 for 20-gauge. Also, the chucks on many portable drills can’t handle bits this small, so use a rotary tool fitted with a drill chuck.

To make the pins easier to drive, rub a little wax on them and use a tack hammer or other small hammer. To avoid smashing your fingers, hold the pin between the teeth of a regular hair comb and leave the comb in place until the fastener is almost fully driven. After removing the comb, carefully tap the pin in until its head is in firm contact with the hardware. Don’t drive it in any farther: you’ll likely deform the pin’s head, and an over-driven nail can easily distort and buckle thin brass hardware.

Mounting Hinges

Hinges are needed for any project that has a door, lid, hatch or other articulated parts. Proper installation varies considerably: some hinges are designed to be surface-mounted; others must be mortised into place, while still others require special drilled or routed recesses.

The downside of surface-mounted hinges is that they typically leave a gap between the hinged parts. For closer fitting parts, there are several kinds of hinges that are easy to mount, including Rockler’s Easy Mortise hinges. Hidden barrel hinges are also very easy to install: Simply drill a pair of holes, one for the cylindrical portion of each hinge half, and press them into place.

Euro-style concealed hinges, popularly used with frameless cabinets, require a large pocket hole (usually 35 mm) for mounting one half of the hinge. On large doors, these holes can be awkward to bore using a drill press. An alternative strategy is to use a drilling guide to keep the big bit square to the surface.

Mortised Hinges

When a project calls for basic butt hinges or any hardware that requires mortising into the surface of the work, here’s my preferred method. After determining the location of the hinges on the work, position each hinge leaf and mark its outline with a razor or marking knife. For rounded or irregularly shaped hardware, stick the leaf down with double-stick tape and carefully trace around it.

Next, use a small plunge router (or laminate trimmer) with a small-diameter straight bit to remove the mortise waste. In most cases, mortises should be cut just deep enough to position the hinge leaf flush or just slightly proud of the wood surface. But there are exceptions, such as when the mortises must be deep enough to compensate for the thickness of the hinge’s barrel.

Before routing, darken your knife lines with a pencil, so you can see them more easily, then rout to within about 1/32″ of each line. By setting the bit depth carefully, routing assures a flat pocket of consistent depth. If you accidentally rout too deep, you can compensate by putting a bit of tape on the underside of the hinge leaf, or by shimming it with a small piece of thin cardboard.

If you have dozens of mortises to cut, say for a production run of jewelry boxes, you’ll get the most consistent results by using a template and plunge router fitted with a guide bushing. The template clamps atop the workpiece and has an opening sized and shaped to produce the desired mortise.

The bushing rides around the opening, allowing a straight bit to rout the mortise with great precision. You can make your own template, or use a ready-made system, such as the JIG IT® Hinge Mortising System.

Knobs and Pulls

Unless your cabinet or furniture piece is fitted with push-to-open hardware or has doors and drawers with routed finger grips, you’ll need to install some sort of knobs or pulls. When positioning these on drawer fronts, centering them vertically seems like a logical thing to do. However, you’ll find that this doesn’t always look right, especially on the lower drawers of a dresser or kitchen cabinet. This is due to the foreshortened perspective we see when gazing down at lower objects: centered pulls end up looking too low. Hence, it’s common practice to mount such pulls/knobs a little above center. There’s no hard and fast rule for how much higher; it’s best to temporarily tape pulls or knobs onto the finished piece, stand back, and see what looks best to your eye.

Unless you have only a few to mount, measuring and marking holes for each knob or pull separately is time-consuming and can lead to mistakes. It takes only a few minutes to make a drilling template that will guarantee that all holes end up exactly where they should be. Holes drilled through the template at the desired locations serve to guide the drill bit. Because the stop strips overlap both sides of the plywood, the template can be flipped over and set at either end of a long drawer face, allowing you to drill holes for pulls on both right and left sides.

When the need arises for mounting knobs in thick parts (or when you simply don’t want machine screw heads to show on the inside of a drawer), use a dowel screw.

If the holes you drill for mounting knobs or pulls are slightly off, all is not lost. In lieu of filling the holes and re-drilling (trust me, you’ll see those bad holes no matter how well you fill them), you can fit the pulls with backplates (or choose bail style pulls which have their own wide backing plates). Many styles of pulls (and knobs) have matching backplates, but you can always mix and match, or even make your own backplates from wood.

Drawer Slides

If you are using metal drawer slides in your cabinet or furniture project, your choices are almost as overwhelming as those for hinges and pulls. Basically, you need to choose a set of slides with adequate length and weight capacity as well as enough extension to allow easy access to items in your drawers. These days, some slides are available in different finishes, including black, white and brown. Using a black slide with light wood drawers can look classier than the typical nickel-plated steel slides.

Once you’ve picked the slides that best suit your application, you face the challenge of building your carcass and drawers to suit the requirements of the slides. Read thoroughly through the mounting instructions before you start building to avoid ending up with drawers that don’t fit or won’t work with your slides. One problem to avoid at all costs is ending up with a cabinet and/or drawer boxes that aren’t square. If the sides of the carcass are not parallel, or aren’t square to the front, your drawers will never close properly, regardless of the type of slides you’re using. Even if you adjust the individual slides forward or backward so that they catch in the closed position, your drawer’s face will still end up crooked relative to the cabinet’s face frame or front edges.

Another all-too-common mistake is to fail to subtract the thickness of the slides from the overall width of the drawer. If you find yourself in this situation, you may be able to avoid building new drawers by switching to under-mount style slides (if they’re just a skosh too wide, you may be able to sand down the drawer sides to offer more clearance). On the other hand, if your drawers end up being too narrow, it’s fairly easy to install shim (strips of cardboard or veneer) under the cabinet-mounted portion of each slide.

In order to end up with drawers that operate smoothly with faces that are evenly aligned to the cabinet and to one another, each pair of drawer slides must be mounted at precisely the same height and parallel to one another. Further, the cabinet-mounted portion of each slide must be square (vertically) to the front of the cabinet/drawer housing. You can certainly achieve this by careful measurement, but it’s easier to use a universal slide mounting jig. The jig aligns and supports the cabinet-mounted portion of the slide while you screw it in place.

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As an added bonus, I incorporated a guitar hanger — a feature I’ve never seen on any other music stand. The hanger accommodates all but the largest guitars as well as ukuleles and banjos. It can also be altered to hold violins, violas, mandolins and other instruments (it may also be omitted). I built my stand from ash, which makes it very light in weight: less than 7 lbs.! However, you can use any wood that steam bends well: white or red oak, cherry, walnut, beech, etc.

Cutting Out the Parts

Once you’ve selected the wood for your music stand, the first step before cutting begins is to use the parts diagrams to make full-sized paper patterns. You can do this by either scanning and printing them using a computer, or drawing them full-size by hand using the grid of squares shown on each diagram as a guide (you only need one paper pattern for each part). The patterns for the smaller parts —- the stretcher, guitar hanger, bracket arm and top spacer — can be applied directly to the stock; just be sure to plane the stock to final thickness first, following the parts list. Apply a light coat of spray adhesive, such as 3M Super 77, to the back of each pattern, then press it onto the wood. As the stand’s pairs of legs and feet will be pattern routed, glue their paper patterns onto 1/4″ hardboard or MDF template stock instead.

Saw out all the smaller parts as well as the leg and foot templates using a band saw or jigsaw, cutting just outside the marked lines (glue the pattern to the stretcher, but don’t cut it out just yet). Carefully trim the excess back to the pattern lines using a stationary disc or belt sander for the convex edges, and a drum or oscillating spindle sander for the concave edges. When cutting out the parts for the guitar hanger, it’s best to cut out and sand the upright first, glue on the two hanger prongs as rectangular blanks, then saw them to shape.

To finish the leg and foot templates, sight down each long curved edge to make sure that it’s smooth and flowing, and sand out any irregularities as necessary (it’s not important for the curves to perfectly match the pattern lines; close is close enough).

When choosing stock for the legs, the boards with the straightest grain will give the best results when steam bending. Use the templates to mark out the legs and feet on the stock with a soft pencil; make two pairs of parts that are mirror symmetrical. Saw the legs out, cutting just shy of your pencil lines as before. Attach the templates atop the rough cut blanks using either double-stick tape or adhesive transfer tape.

In preparation for pattern routing, chuck a flush-trim bit into your router table. You’ll get the cleanest cut with a 1/2″ shank piloted bit that’s at least 3/4″ in diameter with shear angle cutters (rather than straight ones) such as the Rockler Double Bearing Shear Flush Trim Router Bit. Set the height of the bit so that the top bearing firmly contacts the template.

Before switching on the router, it’s important to check to see how the grain of the wood runs relative to the template. For best results, only rout the sections of leg or foot where the bit is cutting with the grain. Cutting against it is likely to result in severe grain tearout. After those sections have been routed, the way you trim the unrouted sections depends on the type of bit you’re using: For a double-bearing bit (with bearings both above and below the cutter), simply flip the part over, reset the bit’s height so the bearing rides against the template and finish trimming. If your bit has a single top-mounted bearing, pry the template off and attach it to the opposite side of the part, carefully aligning the sections which have already been trimmed with the template. Leave the bit at the same height and finish trimming the unrouted sections. Repeat this process for both legs and both feet.

Machining the Legs

Before the stand’s legs are ready for steam bending, you need to rout the lap joint that attaches the legs to the feet as well as the slot that the music holder mounts to. Start by temporarily clamping one of the legs to the inside surface of its corresponding foot, positioning it as shown in the Drawing. Prop this assembly atop a flat workbench and position a long rule (or a straight stick) square to the benchtop with one edge flush with the rear end of the foot.

The distance between the rule/stick and the top of the leg should be 6-1/4″. If it’s not, shift the end of the leg back or forth as necessary. Using first a pencil, then a sharp knife, scribe a line onto the leg where it overlaps the foot. Use a router fitted with a straight bit to rout away the lapping section of the leg to a depth of 1/4″, working from the bottom end towards the scribed line. Rout as close to the line as you dare, then finish trimming with a sharp chisel or a gouge with a low sweep number (#2 or #3). The trimmed edge should be nice and square relative to the face of the leg.

To assure that the music holder mounting slots are properly aligned on both legs, you’ll first rout a slot into the leg template that will be used to guide a router fitted with a guide bushing and straight bit to rout the actual leg slots. To rout the template slot, clamp two straight-edged pieces of 1/2″ plywood atop the leg template, setting them exactly 1/2″ apart and parallel to each other. Then use a plunge router fitted with a 1/2″ O.D. guide bushing and a 3/8″ straight bit to rout a slot that’s centered, widthwise: it’s 5-3/8″ long and begins 1-11/16″ from the top end of the template.

Then, attach the template to the leg (using double-stick or adhesive transfer tape) and rout a through slot with a 1/4″ straight bit (preferably with fluted cutters) and a 3/8″ O.D. guide bushing mounted to the router’s subbase. It’s best to rout the slot in several passes, increasing the bit’s cutting depth each time. Scrap boards clamped on either side of the template/leg assembly will help to keep the router steady as you work.

The final machining step is to round just the front-facing edges of both legs using a 1/4″ radius piloted roundover bit. When routing the inner-facing edge of each leg, stop the cut about 9-3/4″ short of the top. Now is also a good time to round the upper, outer-facing edge of both feet, using a 1/2″ radius roundover bit.

Steam Bending the Legs

Bending the stand’s legs in their flat dimension gives them their sinuous shape, which curves in two dimensions. In preparation for bending, build the form onto which the heated legs are clamped after steaming, so that they’ll retain their shape as they cool. You can make this form out of just about any 1/2″ or 3/4″ scrap plywood or MDF you have lying around. You’ll need at least six form segments, cut to the shape shown in the Drawing (if you run low on stock, the outer two can be shorter on the skinny end).

Nail or screw the segments together with a couple of 3/4″-thick spacer strips between until the form is at least 6-1/2″ wide. (A form this wide is needed since the legs are wide in their non-bent direction, and one leg must be clamped in one direction on the form, the other in the opposite direction.) Nail/screw the assembled form to a 1/2″ ply baseplate, with a piece of 1/2″ ply screwed on top, flush to the skinny end of the form segments.

To perform the actual steam bending, you’ll need a source of steam, a sealable steam box big enough to accommodate the legs and a hose to connect them together. Rockler sells a kit that includes all the essential equipment, save the steam box, which you build yourself. A thermometer, like the kind used for checking meat while cooking, is also needed (you can watch my entire steam bending process in my More on the Web video for this article).

Joining the Stretcher

The next step is to trim and shape the music stand’s curved stretcher, then join it to the legs. First, clamp the legs to their respective feet, then clamp the top of the legs together with the guitar hanger and top spacer set in place, but not glued. Set the assembly atop a flat, level workbench, spread the feet so that they’re 18″ apart (outside measurement) and parallel, then clamp them down onto the benchtop. Using a sliding bevel set on a spacer block, check the angle of the inside of one of the legs at 9-1/2″ above the benchtop (the bottom surface of the stretcher). Use the bevel to set the tilt of the blade on your table saw (or miter saw) and trim one end of the stretcher. Measure the angle of the other leg and reset the saw blade tilt, then measure the distance between the two legs at the stretcher height. Trim the other end of the stretcher, cutting it to its final length. Now you can saw out the stretcher’s curved shape, following the pattern you glued on earlier. Round all long edges with a 1/4″-radius roundover bit, and sand the stretcher smooth.

Use a cordless drill to bore holes for the four 5/16″-dia. dowels that join the stretcher to the legs. To prepare for this operation, chuck up a 5/16″ brad point bit, set the drill on the bench and use a small level to see if the bit is parallel to the benchtop. If it’s not, tape a wedge to the underside of the drill’s battery. Now use as many spacers (scraps of plywood, Masonite, cardboard, etc.) as it takes to elevate the drill until the center of the bit is 913/16″ high. Clamp the stretcher in position between the legs atop a sturdy box or blocks and clamp it to the benchtop. Working slowly and carefully, drill two 1-1/2″-deep holes through the legs, into each end of the stretcher. Drive a couple of dowels (sanded to be slightly undersized) into these holes to keep the stretcher in place, but don’t glue them in just yet.

Next, you’ll drill a pair of holes for the 5/16″ dowel holes that join the guitar hanger to the legs. Unclamp only the stretcher and feet from the benchtop then set the stand on the floor. At the drill press, make a drilling guide out of a 1-1/2″ x 1-1/2″ x 3″ scrap wood block by boring a pair of 5/16″ holes spaced 1″ apart. After confirming that the guitar hanger is in exactly the right position, clamp the drill guide to the leg with the holes positioned as shown on the drawing. Clamp a scrap block to the leg opposite the holes (to prevent tearout from the emerging bit), then bore through both legs and the hanger.

Making the Music Holder

The music holder, ledge and bracket sides are all made from stock that’s been resawn and/or planed down to 5/16″ thickness. Unless you have some really wide stock, glue up enough stock to make the 12-1/2″-wide music holder. Rough cut the ends of the holder to shape, then use a section of the leg template (adhered as before) to pattern-rout the curves. Next, cut the ledge to size, then saw a 1-1/4″-radius curve into both outer-facing ends. Sand the holder and ledge smooth. To form a strong joint between these parts, plunge-cut five evenly spaced slots for #0 biscuits into both parts, and glue them together. Drill three countersunk holes for #6 screws through the face of the music holder, positioned as shown in the Drawing, for the screws that attach the music holder to the bracket.

To make the music holder bracket, first put a 1″-radius roundover on the outer ends of the bracket sides and spacers. Glue them together with the bracket arm, then rout the outer edges with a 1/4″-radius roundover bit (don’t rout the bracket arm).

Final Assembly

Before gluing the stand together, make sure that all parts are sanded smooth. Bevel the bottom edges of both feet by running them over a jointer with its fence set at a 105˚ angle — just make sure to keep the non-rounded-edge side of each foot against the fence. Now glue the legs to the feet at the lap joints, making sure to keep the legs properly positioned during clamping. Once these joints are dry, scrape off the excess glue. Glue the top spacer in place on only one of the legs and let it dry. Working atop your bench again, dry clamp the legs together as before, with the guitar hanger in place, but not glued. Position the stretcher and glue in 1-1/2″-long, 5/16″- dia. dowels into all four holes. Apply a clamp, if necessary, to make sure the joint is snug. Once dry, trim the protruding ends of the dowels and sand these areas smooth.

With the music stand on the floor, remove all clamps from the top of the legs and apply glue to the top spacer and guitar hanger upright. Clamp the legs together again, making sure that everything is properly aligned. Glue in the two 2-1/4″-long 5/16″ dowels that secure the guitar hanger, and clamp everything tight. Do one final check by setting a try square horizontally against the back edges of the legs, to make sure they’re square to one another, before leaving the assembly to dry. Trim and sand both ends of the hanger dowels, then sand the tops of the legs and spacer so that they’re all flush and smooth. Using a rasp or rifflers and sandpaper, round the top of the inner curve on the guitar holder’s prongs so that they cradle the headstock of your instrument and prevent it from accidentally sliding off.

Press the music holder bracket into its slot and check the fit; if it’s too tight, plane or sand it until it slides smoothly. If it’s too loose (or the holder won’t stay locked), stick a disc cut from 180 PSA sandpaper to the bracket arm centered on the bolt hole. Fit the 2-1/2″ x 1/4″-20 bolt and cam clamp that lock the bracket into position, then center the music holder on the bracket and clamp them together. Check to make sure the holder’s ledge is level and tweak its angle slightly, if necessary. Then, drill pilot holes through the countersunk holes you drilled earlier and drive three #6 x 1″ screws to secure the holder to its bracket.

You can finish the music stand with whatever finish you prefer; I applied a Danish oil to mine, which made the ash I built it from look darker and richer. Best of all, my finished music stand harmonizes beautifully with the décor of my music room; now that’s something to sing about.

Hard to Find Hardware

Double Bearing Shear Flush Trim Router Bit #27867
Steam Bending Kit #42826
1/4”-20 Cam Clamp #32545

Click Here to Download the Materials List and Drawings.

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