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So when I was asked to help create a mobile sharpening center for the Journal, I was happy to get to the task. While this specific cart has a couple of tool holders hanging on the sides that favor woodturning, it will be equally useful for woodworkers who don’t own a lathe. (It just seemed right to accommodate turners — they sharpen constantly.)

Designed with Solid Construction

We chose to make the cart from Baltic birch plywood. The vast majority is 3/4″ thick, with the drawer boxes and bottoms formed from 1/2″ material. You could use any plywood, or even solid lumber for your cart, but voidless composition of the Baltic birch was a big plus in my mind. Just sand the edges smooth and you’ve got a good-looking and durable surface to finish. No need to face the edges. It also glues up great and handles screws (for drawer slides and other hardware) well.

I made the leg components, inner panels and the top and bottom first (pieces 1 to 4). The legs and the top/bottom are just cut from the Baltic birch stock. Glue and clamp the leg components together to build up the legs. While that glue is curing, move on to the inner panels — which have notches to accept the legs at each corner. I roughed out the notches using a band saw, but then I used a simple hardboard template to pattern-rout the exact dimensions (see Drawings). One neat trick here is that I used a 1/2″-diameter pattern routing bit. It left the perfect radius in the notched corner to match my legs — because I then used a 1/4″ roundover bit mounted in my router table to soften the long edges of the legs.

When those tasks were in the rearview mirror, I glued the inner panels to the top/bottoms in order to form two 1-1/2″-thick pieces. I waited for that glue to cure and then joined the legs to the top/bottom subassemblies with glue and screws. I clamped up the whole unit as well, checking and adjusting for square.

Making the Drawer Case

The drawer case is as simple a bit of bread-and-butter woodworking as you are likely to find. The sides, back, top and stretchers (pieces 5 through 8) are just cut from the plywood to the sizes indicated in the Material List. Plow a couple of 3/4″-wide by 1/4″-deep dadoes into the back edges of the sides to capture the back. Look to the Drawings for their locations. Here, I must confess that I used a Festool Domino joining system to locate floating tenons to join the stretchers to the sides. Why? Because I have a Domino machine, and my cart was going to get photographed for a magazine. If those things were not true, I would have simply glued and screwed the entire case together. Either method works, and the dimensions of the parts remain the same either way. (See the Drawings for the stretcher locations.)

Once you have the sides, back and stretchers assembled, the top is secured to that subassembly using glue and screws driven up through the stretchers. Simply made but sturdy — it could hold an NFL lineman and his coaches. Take a few minutes to sand the drawer case smooth and then mount it to the rolling cart subassembly using screws driven down through the stretchers. You are really making progress now.

Adding Three Strong Drawers

The drawer boxes (pieces 9 through 18), as mentioned earlier, are constructed from 1/2″-thick Baltic birch plywood, but the drawer fronts are made of 3/4″ material. Cut the box parts to size and then step to your table saw and replace the saw blade with a dado set installed to cut a 1/2″ groove. Lock the fence 3/8″ away from the blade, and test the setup to be certain that the plywood fits properly in the groove you are plowing. Go ahead and plow grooves for the drawer bottoms in all four pieces of each drawer box. Next, with the same dado head in the saw, use your miter gauge with an auxiliary fence and stop to form the rabbets at the ends of the drawer sides. Test-fit your drawer boxes, and when you are satisfied, glue and clamp the pieces together. Because these parts are all made of rock-steady plywood, you need not make accommodations for seasonal wood movement.

I made my three drawer fronts from a single piece of Baltic birch plywood so that the wood grain would flow through all three drawer fronts. Hey, just because this is a shop project doesn’t mean that we should get sloppy here! Use a 1″ core box bit to form the handle cutouts on the drawer fronts. You could mount regular drawer pulls here; it is really a matter of personal preference.

I attached the drawer fronts to the drawer boxes after I used full-extension drawer slides to mount the drawers into the drawer case. That way, if I was a hair off in my drawer location north or south, I could adjust the drawer faces to accommodate for that miscue. (Not that such a thing would happen to me …)

Making Tricky Tool Holders

Even though they are just a small part of this pretty substantial project, the tool holders (pieces 19 to 22) took the most thought and design work. They are easy to make: after you cut the pieces to size, both plywood and PVC, take the plywood pieces over to your drill press. Lay out and drill the holes in the top and bottom pieces. First, drill the shallow borings that will capture the PVC pipe tubes. Then, on the top, switch bits and bore the access holes all the way though the plywood. On those same pieces, plow the dadoes that will capture the side pieces. You have one more task on these parts: form the little grooves that capture the shelf pins (from which the whole assembly hangs on the rolling cart). I used a 1/4″ core box bit to make the little groove, but you could just as easily carve it with a chisel. Finally, drill a hole to hold a rare-earth magnet on one end of the tool holder bottom. This magnet will hold the tool holder upright when the cart is not in use. Epoxy that magnet in place.

The tubes, while simple in concept, are a little tricky to make in practice (mostly because I decided it would be cool to create a “window” in each tube, so you can see your tool without pulling it all the way out of the holder). To rout that opening, I made a jig that controlled the process. Take a look at the Drawing for details on constructing the jig. I used a 1″ bowl-carving bit in my plunge router. I attached a round 1/4″ MDF piece to the base plate of my router and then glued the sliding top of the jig right to my router. It worked really slick. I clamped the PVC pipe in place and routed the opening in a single operation. The length of the sliding top of the jig allows you to register the length of the cut. Once all the tubes are machined, you are ready to assemble the tool hangers. Secure the PVC in place using clear silicone adhesive and glue and clamp the hangers together, checking to make sure they’re square.

Completing the Final Details

The sharpening cart is nearly finished at this point; there are just a few fun details yet to be completed. First, locate (from the Drawings) and drill the holes to hold the shelf pins on the legs of the rolling cart. After you have done that, mount the casters on the bottom of the rolling cart. I used short lag screws with washers to hold the casters in place. I put the two locking casters on the front side of the cart.

Now hang the tool holders in place. Mark on the leg the location for the metal disk that will align with the rare-earth magnets you installed earlier. Once the hole is drilled, mount the metal disks. At this point, go ahead and mount a rare earth magnet on the long side of the tool holder bottom and a matching disk on the side of the drawer case. They will hold the tool holder at an angle when the rolling cart is in use.

I also mounted a power strip to the back of the drawer case. That allows me to plug in my sharpening machine and magnifying glass — which is ringed with LED lights. While it may seem a bit over-the-top, that lighted magnifier makes a huge difference when putting an edge on a tool. (It’s really great when you can see what you are doing.)

Because I use various sharpening systems, everything from a machine to a slip stone, I wanted the top of the rolling cart to be bulletproof. So I purchased a 1/16″-thick sheet of aluminum (from Lowe’s®) and secured it to the top of the cart with contact cement. Cut the aluminum a bit oversized using your table saw and a carbide-toothed saw blade. The process of securing it is just like applying plastic laminate — which would have worked well here. Apply the contact cement to the aluminum and the plywood top. Allow the cement to dry.

Then lay a few 1/4″ dowels across the width of the top to help control the process of sticking the aluminum down. Position the glued faces toward each other, and start pulling out the dowels and sticking the two parts together. Be careful: once they touch, you are not getting them apart. Roll the aluminum down with a J-roller and then trim off the excess with a carbide 45° trim bit in your handheld router. It will cut the aluminum like butter. Once it was in place, I used some steel wool to texture the top — I have to say, it looked pretty good when I was done.

Now apply three coats of Watco Oil natural finish, let it cure, and you are ready to load the cart up with all of your finishing paraphernalia and roll it to wherever you wish to use it. In my shop, it will be hanging out near the lathe.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

Hard-to-Find Hardware:

5″ Caster (Locking) #37138
5″ Caster (Swivel) #39507
1/2″ Magnets (10 pack) #30810
Shelf Pins (10 pack) #22278

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I have been intrigued with the idea of building one of my gift boxes with a tambour door, but I wanted something more attractive than the traditional halfround, breadbox type tambour you often see at local gift shops. Plus, I didn’t want to go to the time and expense of making my tambour strips by routing them to shape with one of the fancy (and expensive) new router bit sets designed specifically for that purpose. So I decided to design and make my tambour strips using a mixture of woods to give a nice texture variety and rich, colorful appearance.

The box is constructed from bubinga and maple and features a tambour sliding door. Other contrasting species, I’m sure, would work just as well. Your overall box dimensions should allow room for the top to retract into its “hiding place.” The box that I’ll walk you through here is sized to accomodate two regular sized bottles of wine, but you can adjust the size of yours as necesssary.

Getting Started

The first step is to make the right and left sides of the box (pieces 1) from 3/4″ maple stock. Keep in mind that the two sides are mirror images of each other; thus the ends and accompanying dimensions must be reversed to make matching sides that face each other.

Using a dado blade in your table saw, form the 1/2″ rabbets on the inside surfaces of each side to accommodate the top and bottom. Now, use a sharp chisel to form the notch on the insides of each side to accommodate the top plate, as shown in the Drawings.

To create the channel for the door, I made a template from 1/4″-thick Masonite®. Attach the template to one of the side pieces. I like double-sided self-adhesive discs but double-sided carpet tape, also works to hold the template firmly in place.

Chuck a 5/16″ straight bit and 7/16″ O.D. guide bushing in your router, and set your depth to form a 1/4″-deep groove. Rout the groove on one side and then repeat the process on the second side. Depending on your experience, you may want to use up a little of your shop scrapwood testing this cut. Once you’ve completed it on both sides, sand the grooves to a smooth inside finish. Apply a furniture wax to the grooves to promote smooth sliding of the tambour door.

Replace the 5/16″ bit with a 1/4″ straight bit (same guide bushing) and use a right-angle straightedge template to form the 1/4″-deep grooves on each side for the internal box back and top, as shown in the Drawings.

The Top, Bottom and Top Plate

As mentioned, I used bubinga as my contrasting species. Now is the time to cut these pieces to size, including the top, bottom and top plate (pieces 2, 3 and 4). Using a 1/4″ straight bit in your router, form a 1/4″-deep dado on the bottom piece, exactly 13/16″ from the back edge (so it aligns with the grooves you already cut on the box’s sides). This dado serves to hold the bottom edge of the internal box back. Note that the top piece is a tad narrower than the bottom, to accommodate the top plate.

Internal Box Pieces

To hide the tambour door from view when the box is opened, I added two internal pieces of 1/4″ thick Baltic birch plywood (no one will see the edges), the internal box back and top (pieces 5 and 6). You can cut these pieces to size now. When they are assembled within the grooves you formed for them earlier, the top will butt up to the back.

Cut the Tambour Slats to Size

The tambour door consists of 14 pairs of alternating maple and bubinga slats (pieces 7 and 8). Each of these 28 slats has a 30° chamfer on one edge, as shown in the Drawings. The best way to create these is to cut 3-ft. lengths of maple and bubinga to the correct width and thickness and form the chamfer along one edge. Since these are small pieces to handle, I recommend clamping each piece in a bench vise and chamfering them with a sharp hand plane. Plane in the direction of the grain and follow up by sanding the show faces smooth.

Once your chamfered stock is smooth, you can crosscut the pieces to length. You should be able to get four slats from each 3-ft. stick, so you’ll need to repeat the process until you have 14 slats of each species. Set the non-chamfered edge of each like-wood slat together, and then alternate pairs of bubinga and maple, matching the chamfered edges. Begin the panel with a maple pair followed by a bubinga pair, and continue the alternating process until complete. This will produce a roll-top panel with nice design character.

Push/Pull Handle

The only other piece that’s made from bubinga stock is the push/pull handle (piece 9). Use the pattern at left to cut this piece to size, and shape the ends using a disc or oscillating sander. Position the push/pull handle on the door’s second maple slat. Drill pilot holes through the parts, and drive two small finishing screws through the back of the slat and into the handle. Disassemble the parts — they’ll be reattached after the fabric is applied.

Assembling the Tambour Panel

Bottom weight canvas fabric (piece 10) and Aleene’s® Original Tacky Glue® are used to secure the slats in alignment and provide the necessary flexibility to maneuver the curves of the side grooves. These two products are available at fabric stores. It is very important that the slats are perfectly square to ensure that they will close evenly in the enclosure and avoid binding during opening and closing.

I recommend that you make a simple tambour panel jig to hold the slats in alignment during the gluing process. The jig can be made of scrap plywood or MDF. On the flat surface of the jig, screw or nail parallel cleats spaced 8-1/2″ apart. Make sure the jig base is at least 14″ long, and add a similar cleat at one end.

Perpendicular to and between the edge pieces, draw parallel lines one inch apart across the jig opening. I found that these “alignment guides” helped to keep me on track as I lined up the slats. Now use a straightedge and draw a line down each edge of the slats, about 1/2″ in from the edge. You don’t want any canvas (or glue!) to end up in this area, as these ends will ride in the grooves you formed in the sides.

Cut a piece of canvas 6-1/2″ wide and several inches longer than the 14″-long panel itself. Once all your slats are installed in the jig, add a bead of the glue to the back of each piece, being sure to keep the glue well inside of the edge lines you just added. Center the cloth on the jig, leaving approximately 1″ spacing on each side so the slat ends extend well beyond the cloth.

Once the slats and cloth are laid up, place a flat board (with a piece of waxed paper between the fabric and the board) over the cloth and install clamps around the assembly to ensure good contact between each slat and the cloth. After the glue dries, trim off any excess cloth from each end of the panel using a razor blade or sharp utility knife.

Sand and slightly round the slat ends to prevent any binding in the grooves. The door might also require some final trimming on the ends to ensure smooth rolling in the grooves.

I suggest that you apply wipe-on polyurethane finish to the glued-up door before gluing up your box. This allows the finish to be applied evenly along the entire length of each slat, including the ends. At this time, locate the two small screw holes you made earlier, and glue and screw the handle to the maple door slat.

Fitting Process

Sand all of your machined pieces to a smooth finish and dry fit the entire piece together before you begin the glue-up. Carefully check that all angles are square and fit properly. Especially check to be sure the door panel rides smoothly in its grooves. A bit of fine trimming and sanding of the door may be necessary.

Now glue and clamp the sides, top, internal box top and back and the top plate for the first assembly, leaving the bottom and tambour door off. (Note: you do want to ensure that the bottom fits snugly in place at this time — just don’t glue it.) After the glue has dried from this initial gluing phase, retest the fit of the tambour door, ensuring that it slides well in its groove. Then insert the door panel in its grooves and glue the bottom in place, capturing the door in the box.

Glides and Optional Bottle Rack

The next two steps are strictly optional. Install 5/8″ furniture glides (pieces 11) at each of the corners of the bottom to prevent marking or scratching any surface upon which the box may be set. In this case, a simple rack was included to hold two regular-size wine bottles. The wine bottle rack consists of two side rails (pieces 12) and a center divider (piece 13). The Drawing shows these additions, which feature 45° chamfers to nestle the wine bottles. You’ll cut one chamfer on the inner edge of each side rail and one on each edge of the center rail. Using double-sided self-adhesive discs, attach each side rail to the internal box back outer edges and carefully place the center divider in the middle. By using the adhesive discs, it is possible to remove the rails and divider should your gift recipient decide to use the box for another purpose. Two wine bottles will rest snugly between the three rail pieces.

Finishing Up

Do a final sanding and apply two or more coats of Minwax® Wipe-On Poly Clear Satin Polyurethane, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Or, use a similar finish of your choice.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

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