This video gives you a good overview of mounting an insert to your router.  You can apply this to any router plate brand, however they do have a pretty nifty template that they use for the insert.

• Good visual on how to line up the handles with the plate
• Keeping the router lift hole in a good spot for use
• Marking your base plate and matching it to your router plate
• Line up the very cool template and tape it to the plate
• Remove the base plate and size to a drill bit
• Place base plate face down and center
• Use a drill press to drill holes, this keeps things straight
• Use counter sink bit to keep screws flush
• Connect to router

There really is many ways in which you can do this, but this will get your mind going.  Most people really fear the idea of mounting or drilling their own router plate.  As you can see its pretty simple.

About four years ago I built this loft for my son.  He had the smallest room in the house and it has given him a lot more room.  Its kind of a cross from a giant tree fort and a stilt home built near beaches.

If you have a small bedroom and want to maximize your space, building a loft in your child’s room can be a great project. They are surprisingly easy to do and can be completed in a weekend. You will be amazed at the ton of room that you gain by not having a bed on the floor plan. Didn’t have one in college? Then the key to building one is planning. I am not talking about a glorified bunkbed, I am talking about a room defining space that will change your child’s bedroom

The key to preparation is looking at your room and figuring out what you have to work with. Do you have high ceilings? Is your closet internal or external?

High Ceiling Homes

Obviously, the higher your ceilings are the better your loft possibilities are. Standard 8 foot ceiling rooms are not conducive to building lofts. However in today’s building market 10′ and 12′ ceilings are becoming more and more common.

Closets

 A room with a bumped out or external closet looks like this. It creates a natural ledge on the top of it and has some room from the ceiling. An internal closet is just that, it fits inside the internal dimensions of the room. The closet is a great point to use for stabilizing your loft, we will discuss that later. The example shown here is with an external closet, in my opinion it is just as easy to build one for both examples.

In the last part of the preparation phase you want to note the closet style so that you can plan your posts. In this example two of the main posts actually attach to the wall next to the closet. Internal closets loft styles are free standing.

 

 

Preperation

The first step in building the loft is building the posts. Posts are easy to build and can be very simple in construction. If you have experience in woodworking, it will be even easier. All four posts can be built from two pieces of ply wood. You will want to rip the plywood into four even strips of wood to build a hollow box. The diameter is up to you, but the bigger the posts the more stable the loft will be. I kept my posts fairly big around 8 inches square. Do yourself a favor and buy the cabinet grade plywood at Home Depot or Lowes. This grade costs about $40 per sheet but it is worth it when you go to finish the project. You will use simple butt joints and you can screw them together. Make sure you counter sink the holes and then fill in the screws with either a plug or with wood filler. Take your time here, and sand them up real nice and clean. These posts are multifunctional, they will hold the electrical work that you run inside for the lights that shine up on the ceiling. When you are done with the posts paint them to your desired finish.

Bring the posts into the bedroom and put them in the approximate spots the will go to. You will then need to cut the two long support beams that connect to the posts. You can use any time of wood you like. If you are going for a rustic look, you can use 2″x6″ lumber. Make sure you do not get the pressure treated variety. When you have the supports cut, sand them, and then finish them with paint. Bring the supports into the room and get ready to install them to the posts.

 

 

 

 

Supports

This is really the trickiest part of the assembly since you will need some help holding the support up against the post. Use carriage bolts to bolt the support to the post. You may have to reach down into the post with your arm to attach the nut to the bolt. Once you have the main two supports bolted on, repeat the process with the two cross supports. You are basically building a big box, or something similar to a deck that would be outside your house.

While the unit is still movable move the loft into the desired position. If you are going to attach it to the wall through a closet you would do that next. For mine I went and bought 14″ carriage bolts and ran them through the loft post, through the wall and through a homemade washer. (A piece of wood)

Add the rest of the cross bar supports. As you add the supports the unit will get more stable. (and heavier) If your loft is free standing, use this time in the framing stage to access its stability. The bigger the posts are the more stable the loft. If it is not stable, add whatever bracing you need. (keep in mind the floor will add a lot of stability) The loft I made was 8 feet by 8 feet, so it was very stable because of the materials and the size of the unit.

Floor

I love seeing other peoples projects, so I am always eager to show off what everyone else is building.  This makes the site more fun and more community oriented.  This one comes from a friend on lumberjocks, skywalker.  He took a rockler table idea and built out his own table using some recovered parts.  This is a great way to save money and use up items that you may have sitting around the shop already.  I really like the on/off switch to the four plug box under the table.  This is very easy to make and makes life easy if you want to plug in a shop vac or small dust collector. 

The fence clamps that grip the table are also beefy and very effective at holding your fence exactly where you want it.  Who says that a router table has to be white in color?  I really dig the yellow laminate.   

I have also enclosed the authors notes and thoughts about building this project.  Well Done!

I copied this from the version they sell at rockler. I just planed and jointed some 2×4’s to make up the frame. It is mortise and tenon construction and it is really sturdy. The top is 3/4” plywood with a solid oak edge band then covered with a yellow laminate. The track is from Highland Woodworking and the rulers are from Northern tool. I routed a tiny little groove to put the rulers into with epoxy. The rulers have etched out numbers and lines so that they don’t wear out over time. The router plate is 3/8” acrylic that I had laying around. I put small threaded inserts in the plywood top so that I can level the plate accurately with screws that go through the acrylic. The fence’s main part is the 1.5” aluminum angle. All the parts connecting to it are just solid oak. I’m not sure that this will cause problems later or not what with wood movement. I haven’t noticed any yet and it cuts a really straight line still after almost a year so I’m happy with it for now. The two halves of the fence can be spread apart to account for larger bits or putting the bit behind the fence for edge work. There are no slots for the fence, the clamps on the ends hold it in place, made out of rock maple and some bolts and threaded inserts. That way all I have to do to remove the fence for any reason I just loosen them up and slide it off the back or front. My table saw came with a router table insert and a dust collection piece that I salvaged and put on the back of the fence. None of the pictures show it but its basically a clear tube that folds down over the fence and above the bit. I really like it and it’’s quite accurate. dialing in precise measurements are real simple and it’s a joy to use.

 

This part one of a building a guitar by the Wood Whisperer.  I really like this video because I am into guitars and have always wanted to build my own.  This is a three part series and it shows a tremendous amount of details about the project.  Keep in mind this is for a classical accoustic guitar, not an electric solid body.  Below the video is some bullet point summary of the video if you are interested.  I have added a few points.  So far from part one I have surmised that you need a decent table saw, band saw, drill press and scroll saw (maybe) , jointer and router table.   The author also uses a vacume press jig that you might be able to swap out for some creative clamping.

• The materials were bought with a kit from www.lmii.com

Neck

• The Neck:  not a pre bought neck (which is cool)
• Layout of neck angle using jointer and bandsaw
• Cutting angle on Band saw to prep for glue up
• Used sander to plane the neck stock to size
• Head piece glue up using c clamps and f bar clamps (no screws!)
• Cutting the heel block, glue up
• Laminating the head piece by substituting some curly maple and sandwhiching them together with the vacume bag jig.  This takes only an hour
• Then glue the heel block and head piece then shaped on band saw.  After that cleaned up on router table with a flush trim bit.  This allows that layered glued up wood to really give some nice detail.
• slotting the heel stock for the side , used table saw with an angle on the blade.
• rough sawing the heel block shape
• Cutting the tuning machine holes on the drill press, then cleaning up the slots using a scroll saw.

Sides

• Used East Indian Rosewood
• Stock Preperaton
• Home made jig prep using a bandsaw.  I would imagine after you make this, you could churn out more guitars since you have the jig.
• cut opening for the heel stock into the jig.
• Built own custom bending jig using a light bulb and 1/4″ thick aluminum.  The lightbulb supplies the power via a 1000 watt dimmer switch (so you can control it) and water provides the moisture to bend the wood..Very neat.
• After wood is bent, clamped into jig and glued up
• Attached headstock

Here is an interesting video review that is good to watch and re think some items no matter what your skill level is.  One of the best things about using Pattern cutting templates and bits is that they really make easy work of your woodworking projects.  I like templates because once I remove the stock, the router really makes me look good.  The key is having a good template.  Take your time when making your template and the output will be good.  If you rush your way through it, it will not.  If you are doing any type of production work, or selling a particular item over and over again, these templates can be a lifesaver.  They almost take your woodworking to a cnc type of production without the overhead of the unit.  Here is the video and a brief bullet type summary of that video.

• The bearing and the cutter are on the same side
• Good rule:  What the bearing feels, the cutter cuts
• The difference between a pattern bit and a flush trim bit
• Taping a template to the stock
• Rough cut the stock outside the line on bandsaw makes less work for router
• Clamp stock to template and bench or tape
• Set bit height in plunge router
• Using thicker wood then your bit height

Rockler Pattern Cutting Bits

I like looking at new and tidy offerings. I found this little gizmo from the folks at Rockler. It shows some very interesting items without having to go through the whole site. Of notable intersests were the outlet section. After the beating my wallet took over christmas, saving money is always a welcome sign. I also liked the kitchen pull out shelf kit in the top sellers section. I was thinking about adding that feature to a cabinet in the kitchen for a better garbage set up. Currently we use a bucket with trash bags and its not working very well. I did price some slide out kits at Lowes, but all you get is the hardware and no real directions on how to make the rest of the items you need.

Well it is the holiday’s and if you have some woodworking skills (and I assume you do) then putting them to work as gifts seems like a natural idea.  I originally started out making kids furniture to sell on Ebay (highly recomended by the way, so go ahead and steal that idea).  Of course this year we have a new munchkin in the family so it only seemed naturally to dust off the old kids chair project.  I use to make the chairs the hard way which is cutting all the sides and doweling them together and hoping it comes out flat.  I have (fnally) learned that this takes way too long to do and there is a different way to skin this cat.  This year I redrew the design to be cut on the cnc machine.

I had the CNC cut all the parts and it tool like 5 minutes and they came out perfect.  Next we rounded over the edges with a palm router.  Anytime you finish an edge, wood becomes furniture in my opinion.  I do realize that not everyone has access to a CNC machine, but if you do, this can be really fun.  Next up was some good old fashioned hand sanding.  I used MDF on this project.  I know what your thinking, it will break, or its cheap, or whats your problem?

Here is my reasoning, and it comes from making a lot of these.  First of all, kids do not weigh that much, so weight is not an issue.  If you use decent joinery along with glue, they really cannot break it.  I use to build the chairs and ship them out assembled.  They were made out of maple, which is about as tough as it gets.  Federal Express still managed to destroy them, so I switched to building them as flat stock with “some assembly required” (like the rest of the world)  Once you put it together, its amazingly strong.  I had the conversation of building it out of other materials, it went like this:

Maniac: maybe we should cut them out of plywood?  CNCoperator: You will spend forever filling the voids and somehow chinese plywood has infiltrated the lumber yards and its full of voids, you will have to sand the heck out of it and I know you hate that.  You could go with Russian Birch, but thats like $80 a sheet.

Maniac: How about getting some 12″ hardwood like poplar and cutting it from that?  CNCoperator: If you can find it, its not very stable and chances are it will split.  If you send it out west where the humidity is low, it will almost always split and then you have that to deal with.  Smaller pieces with intricate joinery always make for better stability, or you can use this MDF.

Maniac: How about some other engineered material?  CNCoperator: everything is so expensive are you sure you want to go that direction?

Maniac: How about if we make the outsides out of hardwood and the support pieces out of MDF to save money?  CNCoperator: Now your bugging me.

Maniac: Or we could use decent hardwood cut on the CNC from like 6″ pieces and then pocket join them together?  CNCoperator: not a bad idea but do you want to see all those holes?

Maniac: Or we could make it out of MDF.  CNCoperator: You drink too much coffee.

See part 2 for video of the CNC and of the finished product (gift).

After cutting all the parts and do a dry fit with clamps, you will next need to prep the stock.  In my case I used MDF for the chairs and that means the end cuts have to be sanded.  If you don’t sand them it will continue to suck up paint or primer forever.  I recomend using an 80 grit then an 120 grit.  You might think that is not enough, but here is why.  The minute you prime the ends of MDF, you will raise the grain (so to speak)  Then you will have to go back and sand again.  Some use some sort of sealer, joint compound, spackling, and even bondo (yep).  But I have found that if you sand once, prime it, sand again, and then prime again you should be ok.  The last prime will of course need a sanding, and I use a 240 paper for that.

Prime the stock

I use two coats of primer on my chairs and table.  This helps me and saves some paint since the stock somewhat sucks up the primer fairly quickly.  This can be time consuming but if you are making a future family heirloom, it does not matter.  Besides most primer today is quick drying and you can reprime it fairly fast.

Next I lightly sand the primer and then paint with my final colors.  If you are going to do some art work, I recommend using a flat latex paint.  The satin finish and gloss finishes make it hard for the acrylics that most artists use to work with.  After you get the artwork done, let it cure for a couple of days.

Seal

I like to seal my artwork since little kids are involved and they like to bang on everything.  I have had very good luck with polyacrylic protective finish by Minwax.  It comes in a blue can and I like clear satin for the gloss factor.  Again I let everything cure for a while before shipping or using the item.

The last step is the assembly.  Hopefully you will have figured out your joinery technique before you have even started to cut any stock.  I knew mine was going to be assembled with screws and glue.  Now I know that some of you die hard woodworkers are snubbing your nose at my choice but I do have a reason.  Originally I built the chairs with dowels which worked pretty well.  But, I had to ship the chairs whole and the mortality rate from Federal Express was enough to make your stomach churn.  You have to outsmart the guy working third shift who is cold and tired and really wants to go to bed instead of handling your package with utmost care.  So I choose to have the chair ship flat and have the receiptaint put it together themselves.

In order to dress it up a bit, I did choose to buy birch buttons, paint them and have them cover the screws.  This gives the chair a kind of a mission look, but it is better than looking at the screws in my opinion.  If the chair did not have to be shipped, I would go back to dowels and call it a day, but that is not the case and if you are thinking about selling some, you will have to cross this road too.

Table Skirt

The table skirt is basically a wood box with the table legs attached to the inside.  Very easy, very simple and quick to build.

Table Top

The top started out with a 30″ piece of Plywood, edged with a round over bit and then primed and painted.  This also is pretty straight forward.  Attaching the skirt to the top can be a little tricky, but again the name of my game is shipping the table, so I opted for these neat little 45 degree corners that I made on the miter saw.  Screw one end to the top and one to the skirt.  This allows seasonal movement and and easy assembly.