Small Projects

Madmark2 said:

Perfect Mitered Cube Crystal Display Case

SWMBO is a Yankees fan and for Valentines day I got her a Waterford crystal baseball engraved with the Yankees logo. It's about 2-1/2" dia and leaded crystal.

Waterford Crystal Baseball.

There was a thread here recently about how to build a cubical bin. The OP already had a joinery method in mind but I suggested a mitered panel box. This box is made from 12 identical pieces all cut on the TS.

Each piece needs to have a 3/32" dado in two sides for the lexan panel inserts. Both ends of each piece are double mitered and assemble into a perfect cube.

I started with a piece of 1×6 about 2' long. I rIpped three 3/4" square pieces. Each piece is then dado'd 1/4" deep 7/16" in from the inside face. Once you have cut the first dado you must flip the piece end for end for the 2nd cut. (DAMHIKT)

Once the dados have been cut the ends of the three pieces are squared off and then cut into four equal pieces creating a total of twelve 3/4" square x 6" long blocks.

Setting my miter gauge to 45° and adjusting the stop block until the back corner just touches the kerf on my ZCI. Each end of each piece is double mitered. Each cut should have the dado facing the blade. Once both miters have been made to all 12 pieces, the miter stop is reset so the corner of the piece again is just over the ZCI again and all the other ends are double mitered. Again be sure to feed the dado face towards the blade.

You should have 12 identical pieces double mitered and pointy on both ends. Sand to 220.

Now finishing the box presents a challenge to do so without getting finish on the lexan panels. Prefinishing sounds like a good idea, but final sanding would ruin it.

Glue up has to be done in stages. Make sure you have a bunch of lexan scraps to hold the pieces in alignment while gluing. A small brush is needed to spread the glue to 100% coverage without getting any glue in the dados.

Use an assembly corner take any three pieces, and keeping the dados to the inside form a corner. Use pieces of lexan to hold the pieces in place while the glue dries. Make a total of three, 3 piece corners.

Glue two of the remaining pieces into a 90°. The 12th piece is set aside for now.

While the glue is drying this is a good time to cut the six lexan panels. All are cut identical squares about 1" smaller than the length of the sides. The saw may leave a burr on the edges making the lexan hard to insert. I eased the edges with 220 grit on the ROS.

Once the glue has dried on all three corners and the 90° piece, it's time to start assembling. Take two of the three piece corners and insert a piece of lexan prior to gluing. Once these pieces have set two more lexan pieces are inserted and the 3rd corner added.

The 90° piece is glued in with the lexan in place. Both remaining lexan pieces should be inserted until the glue sets.

The 12th piece is ripped on the dado line. Save both pieces. The thick piece is glued in place holding the back in place. Make sthat the top of this piece is glued even or just below the side dados.

The lexan piece for the top should have two adjacent corners rounded to about a 3/32" radius (not critical, round by eye) and the edges eased to make it easier to insert and slide.

Leaving the top piece of lexan sticking out slightly as a spacer, use the remaining cutoff from the 12th piece and glue it just above the sliding lexan to complete the box.

Once the glue is fully set the outside was sanded to 220 on the ROS.

I had some mirrored lexan that was cut to fit inside the sides. One piece was used on the bottom and the other on the back. The mirrored lexan is attached to the sides with double stick tape.

After cleaning the sawdust out the piece now appears as:

Mirror reflection adds depth.

3/4 view.

Plan is to add LED lighting and a stand to better show off the crystal.

SWMBO has previously criticized my finishing skills so I told her she could apply whatever finish she wanted.

Update 10SEP21:
Here is pic with lighting puck. Bar effect is because of strobe, not visible to naked eye.

Color change LED puck gives remote control lighting.

Click to expand...

Madmark2 said:

Perfect Mitered Cube Crystal Display Case

SWMBO is a Yankees fan and for Valentines day I got her a Waterford crystal baseball engraved with the Yankees logo. It's about 2-1/2" dia and leaded crystal.

Waterford Crystal Baseball.

There was a thread here recently about how to build a cubical bin. The OP already had a joinery method in mind but I suggested a mitered panel box. This box is made from 12 identical pieces all cut on the TS.

Each piece needs to have a 3/32" dado in two sides for the lexan panel inserts. Both ends of each piece are double mitered and assemble into a perfect cube.

I started with a piece of 1×6 about 2' long. I rIpped three 3/4" square pieces. Each piece is then dado'd 1/4" deep 7/16" in from the inside face. Once you have cut the first dado you must flip the piece end for end for the 2nd cut. (DAMHIKT)

Once the dados have been cut the ends of the three pieces are squared off and then cut into four equal pieces creating a total of twelve 3/4" square x 6" long blocks.

Setting my miter gauge to 45° and adjusting the stop block until the back corner just touches the kerf on my ZCI. Each end of each piece is double mitered. Each cut should have the dado facing the blade. Once both miters have been made to all 12 pieces, the miter stop is reset so the corner of the piece again is just over the ZCI again and all the other ends are double mitered. Again be sure to feed the dado face towards the blade.

You should have 12 identical pieces double mitered and pointy on both ends. Sand to 220.

Now finishing the box presents a challenge to do so without getting finish on the lexan panels. Prefinishing sounds like a good idea, but final sanding would ruin it.

Glue up has to be done in stages. Make sure you have a bunch of lexan scraps to hold the pieces in alignment while gluing. A small brush is needed to spread the glue to 100% coverage without getting any glue in the dados.

Use an assembly corner take any three pieces, and keeping the dados to the inside form a corner. Use pieces of lexan to hold the pieces in place while the glue dries. Make a total of three, 3 piece corners.

Glue two of the remaining pieces into a 90°. The 12th piece is set aside for now.

While the glue is drying this is a good time to cut the six lexan panels. All are cut identical squares about 1" smaller than the length of the sides. The saw may leave a burr on the edges making the lexan hard to insert. I eased the edges with 220 grit on the ROS.

Once the glue has dried on all three corners and the 90° piece, it's time to start assembling. Take two of the three piece corners and insert a piece of lexan prior to gluing. Once these pieces have set two more lexan pieces are inserted and the 3rd corner added.

The 90° piece is glued in with the lexan in place. Both remaining lexan pieces should be inserted until the glue sets.

The 12th piece is ripped on the dado line. Save both pieces. The thick piece is glued in place holding the back in place. Make sthat the top of this piece is glued even or just below the side dados.

The lexan piece for the top should have two adjacent corners rounded to about a 3/32" radius (not critical, round by eye) and the edges eased to make it easier to insert and slide.

Leaving the top piece of lexan sticking out slightly as a spacer, use the remaining cutoff from the 12th piece and glue it just above the sliding lexan to complete the box.

Once the glue is fully set the outside was sanded to 220 on the ROS.

I had some mirrored lexan that was cut to fit inside the sides. One piece was used on the bottom and the other on the back. The mirrored lexan is attached to the sides with double stick tape.

After cleaning the sawdust out the piece now appears as:

Mirror reflection adds depth.

3/4 view.

Plan is to add LED lighting and a stand to better show off the crystal.

SWMBO has previously criticized my finishing skills so I told her she could apply whatever finish she wanted.

Update 10SEP21:
Here is pic with lighting puck. Bar effect is because of strobe, not visible to naked eye.

Color change LED puck gives remote control lighting.

Click to expand...

Madmark2 said:

Perfect Mitered Cube Crystal Display Case

SWMBO is a Yankees fan and for Valentines day I got her a Waterford crystal baseball engraved with the Yankees logo. It's about 2-1/2" dia and leaded crystal.

Waterford Crystal Baseball.

There was a thread here recently about how to build a cubical bin. The OP already had a joinery method in mind but I suggested a mitered panel box. This box is made from 12 identical pieces all cut on the TS.

Each piece needs to have a 3/32" dado in two sides for the lexan panel inserts. Both ends of each piece are double mitered and assemble into a perfect cube.

I started with a piece of 1×6 about 2' long. I rIpped three 3/4" square pieces. Each piece is then dado'd 1/4" deep 7/16" in from the inside face. Once you have cut the first dado you must flip the piece end for end for the 2nd cut. (DAMHIKT)

Once the dados have been cut the ends of the three pieces are squared off and then cut into four equal pieces creating a total of twelve 3/4" square x 6" long blocks.

Setting my miter gauge to 45° and adjusting the stop block until the back corner just touches the kerf on my ZCI. Each end of each piece is double mitered. Each cut should have the dado facing the blade. Once both miters have been made to all 12 pieces, the miter stop is reset so the corner of the piece again is just over the ZCI again and all the other ends are double mitered. Again be sure to feed the dado face towards the blade.

You should have 12 identical pieces double mitered and pointy on both ends. Sand to 220.

Now finishing the box presents a challenge to do so without getting finish on the lexan panels. Prefinishing sounds like a good idea, but final sanding would ruin it.

Glue up has to be done in stages. Make sure you have a bunch of lexan scraps to hold the pieces in alignment while gluing. A small brush is needed to spread the glue to 100% coverage without getting any glue in the dados.

Use an assembly corner take any three pieces, and keeping the dados to the inside form a corner. Use pieces of lexan to hold the pieces in place while the glue dries. Make a total of three, 3 piece corners.

Glue two of the remaining pieces into a 90°. The 12th piece is set aside for now.

While the glue is drying this is a good time to cut the six lexan panels. All are cut identical squares about 1" smaller than the length of the sides. The saw may leave a burr on the edges making the lexan hard to insert. I eased the edges with 220 grit on the ROS.

Once the glue has dried on all three corners and the 90° piece, it's time to start assembling. Take two of the three piece corners and insert a piece of lexan prior to gluing. Once these pieces have set two more lexan pieces are inserted and the 3rd corner added.

The 90° piece is glued in with the lexan in place. Both remaining lexan pieces should be inserted until the glue sets.

The 12th piece is ripped on the dado line. Save both pieces. The thick piece is glued in place holding the back in place. Make sthat the top of this piece is glued even or just below the side dados.

The lexan piece for the top should have two adjacent corners rounded to about a 3/32" radius (not critical, round by eye) and the edges eased to make it easier to insert and slide.

Leaving the top piece of lexan sticking out slightly as a spacer, use the remaining cutoff from the 12th piece and glue it just above the sliding lexan to complete the box.

Once the glue is fully set the outside was sanded to 220 on the ROS.

I had some mirrored lexan that was cut to fit inside the sides. One piece was used on the bottom and the other on the back. The mirrored lexan is attached to the sides with double stick tape.

After cleaning the sawdust out the piece now appears as:

Mirror reflection adds depth.

3/4 view.

Plan is to add LED lighting and a stand to better show off the crystal.

SWMBO has previously criticized my finishing skills so I told her she could apply whatever finish she wanted.

Update 10SEP21:
Here is pic with lighting puck. Bar effect is because of strobe, not visible to naked eye.

Color change LED puck gives remote control lighting.

Click to expand...

Madmark2 said:

Perfect Mitered Cube Crystal Display Case

SWMBO is a Yankees fan and for Valentines day I got her a Waterford crystal baseball engraved with the Yankees logo. It's about 2-1/2" dia and leaded crystal.

Waterford Crystal Baseball.

There was a thread here recently about how to build a cubical bin. The OP already had a joinery method in mind but I suggested a mitered panel box. This box is made from 12 identical pieces all cut on the TS.

Each piece needs to have a 3/32" dado in two sides for the lexan panel inserts. Both ends of each piece are double mitered and assemble into a perfect cube.

I started with a piece of 1×6 about 2' long. I rIpped three 3/4" square pieces. Each piece is then dado'd 1/4" deep 7/16" in from the inside face. Once you have cut the first dado you must flip the piece end for end for the 2nd cut. (DAMHIKT)

Once the dados have been cut the ends of the three pieces are squared off and then cut into four equal pieces creating a total of twelve 3/4" square x 6" long blocks.

Setting my miter gauge to 45° and adjusting the stop block until the back corner just touches the kerf on my ZCI. Each end of each piece is double mitered. Each cut should have the dado facing the blade. Once both miters have been made to all 12 pieces, the miter stop is reset so the corner of the piece again is just over the ZCI again and all the other ends are double mitered. Again be sure to feed the dado face towards the blade.

You should have 12 identical pieces double mitered and pointy on both ends. Sand to 220.

Now finishing the box presents a challenge to do so without getting finish on the lexan panels. Prefinishing sounds like a good idea, but final sanding would ruin it.

Glue up has to be done in stages. Make sure you have a bunch of lexan scraps to hold the pieces in alignment while gluing. A small brush is needed to spread the glue to 100% coverage without getting any glue in the dados.

Use an assembly corner take any three pieces, and keeping the dados to the inside form a corner. Use pieces of lexan to hold the pieces in place while the glue dries. Make a total of three, 3 piece corners.

Glue two of the remaining pieces into a 90°. The 12th piece is set aside for now.

While the glue is drying this is a good time to cut the six lexan panels. All are cut identical squares about 1" smaller than the length of the sides. The saw may leave a burr on the edges making the lexan hard to insert. I eased the edges with 220 grit on the ROS.

Once the glue has dried on all three corners and the 90° piece, it's time to start assembling. Take two of the three piece corners and insert a piece of lexan prior to gluing. Once these pieces have set two more lexan pieces are inserted and the 3rd corner added.

The 90° piece is glued in with the lexan in place. Both remaining lexan pieces should be inserted until the glue sets.

The 12th piece is ripped on the dado line. Save both pieces. The thick piece is glued in place holding the back in place. Make sthat the top of this piece is glued even or just below the side dados.

The lexan piece for the top should have two adjacent corners rounded to about a 3/32" radius (not critical, round by eye) and the edges eased to make it easier to insert and slide.

Leaving the top piece of lexan sticking out slightly as a spacer, use the remaining cutoff from the 12th piece and glue it just above the sliding lexan to complete the box.

Once the glue is fully set the outside was sanded to 220 on the ROS.

I had some mirrored lexan that was cut to fit inside the sides. One piece was used on the bottom and the other on the back. The mirrored lexan is attached to the sides with double stick tape.

After cleaning the sawdust out the piece now appears as:

Mirror reflection adds depth.

3/4 view.

Plan is to add LED lighting and a stand to better show off the crystal.

SWMBO has previously criticized my finishing skills so I told her she could apply whatever finish she wanted.

Update 10SEP21:
Here is pic with lighting puck. Bar effect is because of strobe, not visible to naked eye.

Color change LED puck gives remote control lighting.

Click to expand...

Madmark2 said:

Perfect Mitered Cube Crystal Display Case

SWMBO is a Yankees fan and for Valentines day I got her a Waterford crystal baseball engraved with the Yankees logo. It's about 2-1/2" dia and leaded crystal.

Waterford Crystal Baseball.

There was a thread here recently about how to build a cubical bin. The OP already had a joinery method in mind but I suggested a mitered panel box. This box is made from 12 identical pieces all cut on the TS.

Each piece needs to have a 3/32" dado in two sides for the lexan panel inserts. Both ends of each piece are double mitered and assemble into a perfect cube.

I started with a piece of 1×6 about 2' long. I rIpped three 3/4" square pieces. Each piece is then dado'd 1/4" deep 7/16" in from the inside face. Once you have cut the first dado you must flip the piece end for end for the 2nd cut. (DAMHIKT)

Once the dados have been cut the ends of the three pieces are squared off and then cut into four equal pieces creating a total of twelve 3/4" square x 6" long blocks.

Setting my miter gauge to 45° and adjusting the stop block until the back corner just touches the kerf on my ZCI. Each end of each piece is double mitered. Each cut should have the dado facing the blade. Once both miters have been made to all 12 pieces, the miter stop is reset so the corner of the piece again is just over the ZCI again and all the other ends are double mitered. Again be sure to feed the dado face towards the blade.

You should have 12 identical pieces double mitered and pointy on both ends. Sand to 220.

Now finishing the box presents a challenge to do so without getting finish on the lexan panels. Prefinishing sounds like a good idea, but final sanding would ruin it.

Glue up has to be done in stages. Make sure you have a bunch of lexan scraps to hold the pieces in alignment while gluing. A small brush is needed to spread the glue to 100% coverage without getting any glue in the dados.

Use an assembly corner take any three pieces, and keeping the dados to the inside form a corner. Use pieces of lexan to hold the pieces in place while the glue dries. Make a total of three, 3 piece corners.

Glue two of the remaining pieces into a 90°. The 12th piece is set aside for now.

While the glue is drying this is a good time to cut the six lexan panels. All are cut identical squares about 1" smaller than the length of the sides. The saw may leave a burr on the edges making the lexan hard to insert. I eased the edges with 220 grit on the ROS.

Once the glue has dried on all three corners and the 90° piece, it's time to start assembling. Take two of the three piece corners and insert a piece of lexan prior to gluing. Once these pieces have set two more lexan pieces are inserted and the 3rd corner added.

The 90° piece is glued in with the lexan in place. Both remaining lexan pieces should be inserted until the glue sets.

The 12th piece is ripped on the dado line. Save both pieces. The thick piece is glued in place holding the back in place. Make sthat the top of this piece is glued even or just below the side dados.

The lexan piece for the top should have two adjacent corners rounded to about a 3/32" radius (not critical, round by eye) and the edges eased to make it easier to insert and slide.

Leaving the top piece of lexan sticking out slightly as a spacer, use the remaining cutoff from the 12th piece and glue it just above the sliding lexan to complete the box.

Once the glue is fully set the outside was sanded to 220 on the ROS.

I had some mirrored lexan that was cut to fit inside the sides. One piece was used on the bottom and the other on the back. The mirrored lexan is attached to the sides with double stick tape.

After cleaning the sawdust out the piece now appears as:

Mirror reflection adds depth.

3/4 view.

Plan is to add LED lighting and a stand to better show off the crystal.

SWMBO has previously criticized my finishing skills so I told her she could apply whatever finish she wanted.

Update 10SEP21:
Here is pic with lighting puck. Bar effect is because of strobe, not visible to naked eye.

Color change LED puck gives remote control lighting.

Click to expand...

Madmark2 said:

Perfect Mitered Cube Crystal Display Case

SWMBO is a Yankees fan and for Valentines day I got her a Waterford crystal baseball engraved with the Yankees logo. It's about 2-1/2" dia and leaded crystal.

Waterford Crystal Baseball.

There was a thread here recently about how to build a cubical bin. The OP already had a joinery method in mind but I suggested a mitered panel box. This box is made from 12 identical pieces all cut on the TS.

Each piece needs to have a 3/32" dado in two sides for the lexan panel inserts. Both ends of each piece are double mitered and assemble into a perfect cube.

I started with a piece of 1×6 about 2' long. I rIpped three 3/4" square pieces. Each piece is then dado'd 1/4" deep 7/16" in from the inside face. Once you have cut the first dado you must flip the piece end for end for the 2nd cut. (DAMHIKT)

Once the dados have been cut the ends of the three pieces are squared off and then cut into four equal pieces creating a total of twelve 3/4" square x 6" long blocks.

Setting my miter gauge to 45° and adjusting the stop block until the back corner just touches the kerf on my ZCI. Each end of each piece is double mitered. Each cut should have the dado facing the blade. Once both miters have been made to all 12 pieces, the miter stop is reset so the corner of the piece again is just over the ZCI again and all the other ends are double mitered. Again be sure to feed the dado face towards the blade.

You should have 12 identical pieces double mitered and pointy on both ends. Sand to 220.

Now finishing the box presents a challenge to do so without getting finish on the lexan panels. Prefinishing sounds like a good idea, but final sanding would ruin it.

Glue up has to be done in stages. Make sure you have a bunch of lexan scraps to hold the pieces in alignment while gluing. A small brush is needed to spread the glue to 100% coverage without getting any glue in the dados.

Use an assembly corner take any three pieces, and keeping the dados to the inside form a corner. Use pieces of lexan to hold the pieces in place while the glue dries. Make a total of three, 3 piece corners.

Glue two of the remaining pieces into a 90°. The 12th piece is set aside for now.

While the glue is drying this is a good time to cut the six lexan panels. All are cut identical squares about 1" smaller than the length of the sides. The saw may leave a burr on the edges making the lexan hard to insert. I eased the edges with 220 grit on the ROS.

Once the glue has dried on all three corners and the 90° piece, it's time to start assembling. Take two of the three piece corners and insert a piece of lexan prior to gluing. Once these pieces have set two more lexan pieces are inserted and the 3rd corner added.

The 90° piece is glued in with the lexan in place. Both remaining lexan pieces should be inserted until the glue sets.

The 12th piece is ripped on the dado line. Save both pieces. The thick piece is glued in place holding the back in place. Make sthat the top of this piece is glued even or just below the side dados.

The lexan piece for the top should have two adjacent corners rounded to about a 3/32" radius (not critical, round by eye) and the edges eased to make it easier to insert and slide.

Leaving the top piece of lexan sticking out slightly as a spacer, use the remaining cutoff from the 12th piece and glue it just above the sliding lexan to complete the box.

Once the glue is fully set the outside was sanded to 220 on the ROS.

I had some mirrored lexan that was cut to fit inside the sides. One piece was used on the bottom and the other on the back. The mirrored lexan is attached to the sides with double stick tape.

After cleaning the sawdust out the piece now appears as:

Mirror reflection adds depth.

3/4 view.

Plan is to add LED lighting and a stand to better show off the crystal.

SWMBO has previously criticized my finishing skills so I told her she could apply whatever finish she wanted.

Update 10SEP21:
Here is pic with lighting puck. Bar effect is because of strobe, not visible to naked eye.

Color change LED puck gives remote control lighting.

Click to expand...

Madmark2 said:

Lacewood Box with Brazilian Rosewood Tray

SWMBO had a friend visiting us in Fla from TGWN (The Great White North) and I made this box.

SWMBO put the final finish on it.

Ready to ship.

Waiting on final finished coat of poly.

The box is from a 15/16" x 5" x 18" piece of S2S lace wood. The tray is from a 13/16" x 2" x 24" piece of Brazilian rosewood with a big worm trail about 6" from one end.

There were only two pieces of scrap from the lace wood, both from trimming the bottom to length & width. Beyond those two, small, cutoffs, all the waste from the lace wood was dust.

Lacewood box with Brazilian rosewood tray ready for finish

Continue reading for build details:

Starting with the above, thinner stock, was called for in the actual project. This is to maximize yield and to have the box and tray read "lighter". This is essentially a zero waste project sized to fit the avaliable single piece of lumber with as close to 100% utilization as possible. As my father would say, "You can put the scrap in your eye!"

The finished box is 6-3/8" long x 4-5/8" high x 5-1/8" wide with the tray 5-13/16" x 4-1/2" x 1-7/8"

Both pieces were resawn and then lightly planed to even out the odd 1/32". Actual box thickness wasn't critical as long as everything was even. The lace wood was split down the center and yielded two ~3/8" pieces. The rosewood was cut from both faces at 9/32" and with the TK blade I have a 1/16" piece of veneer left over. The rosewood was planed to .250".

The box was built first and then the tray to fit. The tray is spaced off the bottom by four scraps of rosewood. I put the worm track to the inside on one of the spacers so not even that went to scrap.

Since the box side thickness and width isn't specified beyond "start with even thickness and width" cutting was done "self referentially".

I started by squaring one end of both slabs. Then I set the cross cut stop to the width of the board. I just put the random width piece against the blade and moved the miter stop over. This is the maximum width of the end.

The top, at maximum width, makes the box one side thickness wider than the lid. The ends are two sides thinner than the box, or one thickness thinner than the width of the top. Since we just set the miter stop to the max width of the board (the top), we simply use one of the pieces as a spacer next to the miter stop. This automatically subtracts the correct side thickness from the crosscut no matter what the thickness actually is! One end is cut from each slab to maximize yield.

Once the ends have been cut, the remaining stock is cut into four even lengths, two from each slab. There should be little, if any, cutoffs.

Of the four equal slabs select the best piece as the top, the worst the bottom, and the last two are the sides. Select and mark best side of all pieces.

The bottom is trimmed the same way as the ends but with both ends as self referential spacers.

The ends are then used to set the rip fence to the bottom width. The bottom has to be exactly the width of the ends.

The pieces are dry fit at this point just as a sanity check. The lid is both longer and wider than the dry fit. Tweak basics as needed.

Sliding Lid:
The trick to getting the top essentially flush with the sides, and cutting effectively, is to correctly sequence the operations, as the top and sides interact. First, rabbet both sides of and one end of the lid with a square profile half the material thickness. The rabbet should be a few thou (~0.005") deeper than half. Not too much, or the bottom of the dado will make the sides too thin.

Without adjusting the blade depth, use the lid to set the dado spacing for the top of the sides. Set the rip fence to match the rabbet depth on the lid. It's easy to set if you have a ZCI. Put the top side of the lid against the rip fence. Move the fence over until the edge of the bottom of the rabbet aligns with the fence side of the edge of the kerf in the ZCI.

Run two sides and one end with the bad (inside) face down.

Check to see if the lid slides in the side dados. If needed, widen the two sides first & retest. If the lid slides, DO NOT widen the end piece rabbet. The end of the lid should NOT want to go into the end dado. if there is 1/16" or more interference between the end of the lid and the dado in the end piece, widen the end dado of the interference is about 1/32". The front lip of the lid will be sanded to fit after gluing, during final fitment.

Once the dado width is correct, raise the blade and rip thru cut the remaining end. This insures the top of the end doesn't intrude into the dado, blocking the lid. Save the cutoff as it will be attached to the lid in a later step.

Box Assembly:
Time for another dry fit & tweak.

Once the dry fit is good, sand the inside faces to 220.

My corner assembly jig is my locked TS fence with one of those Rockler plastic "assembly corners" and a 6" Jorgensen wood clamp. The huge surface area of the block clamp locks and releases with a quarter-turn making setup and teardown a snap. Additionally both the corner and fence can be moved away from a freshly glued piece without disturbing it.

I assemble in this order:

1. left side along side assembly block.
2. far end (tall with dado) against fence into side
3. bottom.
4. near (short) end.
5. right side

Everything dries for at least an hour before the clamps come off.

The outside is scraped of big glue clumps and sanded with 120.

While waiting for the glue to dry on the box, this is a good time to attach the push-to-open/close bar to the near end of the lid. Because of the dado, the lid is always half a side thickness too long. Subtracting 1/2 a thickness is hard to do. We know it's going to get trimmed so we glue and clamp the offcut from the near end no more than 1/16" back from the edge. Since the offcut is being glued directly over where it was cut from, try to orient it correctly. Sand off about 1/16" from the end and the round the corners and edges of the top side for finger comfort. The bottom edges, being the glue surface, should be left square and flat.

Lid Fitment:
In a sliding lid box a "perfect" fit is where the lid slides easily and automatically locks in place when dropped in. The end dado is intentionally 1/32" to 1/16" narrower than the front lip of the lid. To get it to seat and hold, slowly fine grit sand a bevel on the lip. Test after every couple of quick passes as it's real easy to take too much off. Once the lip can be seated (a little gap is OK as long as the lid holds in place when upended), mark and trim most of the extra off. Leave it a little proud so the final sanding will get it dead flush with the end.

Detail of lid lip fitment.

The edge of the push/pull bar may need additional sanding.

Tray Fab:
The rosewood was sliced into two sides, three bottom/divider pieces, and two ends. One of the three bottom/divider pieces is ripped 1/4" off and used as both a center divider and lift grip for removing the tray.

The better sides of the rosewood was faced up or in since the interior of the tray is more visible

Rosewood grain is beautiful.

Glue up order:

1. left side
2. far end
3. both bottom pieces
4. near end
5. right side

The last piece was rounded on the top and eyeballed in place and tweaked until even.

Final Fab Touches:
Both pieces received a decorative 1/8"R bead around the base. This adds interest and visually raises the pieces. Although the detail on the tray is seldom seen, it serves to tie the two different species together. The use of the rosewood as spacers attached to the lacewood ties the two species together. All the rosewood was oriented with the visually most interesting side inward because the inside of the tray will be seen more often. No attempt was made at grain sequencing. On the lacewood the best side was faced out, again without sequencing.

After beading, a final 220 sanding removes the bearing marks and smooths. The edges and corners are lightly chamfered with the 5" ROS to avoid splintering.

Felt feet (Always!), shop stamp and build date complete the fab portion of the project.

Finishing:

Fully fitted & detailed, ready for SWMBO to finish.

Truthfully, I detest finishing. I do it because I have to. My soft finish is just wax. Hard finish is two coats of 50%-50% poly-MS and a final coat of 100% poly. The base coats are slopped on and I don't have a lot of patience between coats.

SWMBO has previously critiqued my finishing prompting me to say "Ok, YOU do it!" She replied "Ok." and here we are.

Finished pics soon! (I hope!)

Two coats of 50%-50% of poly-MS mix later we've got:

Slop coats are for penetration and coverage, not finish.

After the base coats were fully dry the outside of both the box and tray were scuffed with a 220 grit sanding sponge as prep for final finish.

SWMBO just put the final coat of full strength poly on.

Pack and ship to friend is last, last step.

Click to expand...

Madmark2 said:

Walnut Air Filter Stand

We have pets and with pets comes pet dander and allergies. We bought a Grizzly G0738 two stage (5um & 1um) filter.

Grizzly G0738 two stage, three speed air filter w/ remote.

It really makes a difference but it's not the most attractive box in the bedroom. It's been sitting on a faux walnut MDF stand that's falling apart. I decided, and SWMBO agreed, that something better was needed.

Completed top is gorgeous!

I came up with a design for a real walnut (& walnut A-A ply) stand. Here it is after the first coat of MS thinned 50%-50% poly and waiting on the top (which will have a live edge but isn't built yet.)

Cabinet with lower storage.

I had to CAD the carcass. It is built out of four panels with 3/4" walnut ply base and middle shelf. The base is 32" tall by 24" wide x 22" deep. The top is 28" x 24" with 2" overhang on the live edge front and sides. The top will be flush to the back.

Doors:
Construction started with the two raised panel doors. I have the Grizzly H5553 reversable rail/stile and panel set with the classic ogee profile. This was the first project that I used this on and the doors gave me an opportunity to dial in the reversable rail and stile set. Being anal (engineer) I had to draw up the stacks in assembly order locating the various thickness washers, bearing, and cutters. After cleaning, all the washers and cutter spacings were mike'd with my digital caliper and noted on the drawings to insure accuracy.

Stack for stile dado.

Stack for rail tenon.

By cutting the dado's first, the finished face is used as a reference. The 1/4" dado position becomes a reference for cutting the rail tenons.

Alignment Diagram.

The 4/4 S2S walnut from Craftsmen Supply (Ybor City/Tampa) came in at ~7/8". Rather than plane down the extra thickness into dust, I used it as-is. The only issue this caused was some extra tweaking of the ply deck and the face frame was too thick for the hinges. To get around this the sides of the door frame were undercut with a router and rabbeting bit to exactly 3/4". The hinges fit perfectly and the rabbet is essentially invisible.

I used one piece of 1×6x28 walnut per door with sawdust left over. The doors were given a slathering of wax as a "shop finish" to protect them until the rest of the cabinet was ready. The thinned poly went thru the wax like it wasn't there during the actual finish process.

UL: Panel cutting jig,
UR: Botched rout on rear,
LL: Test fit,
LR: Under clamps.

Before and after waxing.

The doors were set aside until the front frame was built. The hinge positions were verified against the frame opening and door size before drilling the 35mm hinge cups. I set the centerline stop on the drill press to 13/16" and just drill at the marks for perfectly positioned hinge cups. I set the panel flat on the drill press table and set the depth stop flush with the surface. A piece of 1/2" scrap under the stock raises the stock the thickness needed to drill the cups. Then I use the self centering drill bits in the corded VSR hand power drill in a hinge set in the cup to pilot the two mounting screws. This perfectly aligns the mounting holes with the cup using the hinge itself as the jig.

Sides:
Next came the two side panels, these are traditional rail and stile frames with 1/4" walnut ply panel inserts.

These went together easily because of the CAD analysis allowed me to set and reset the extra thickness rail and stile pieces with precision.

Four L's form two panels

The side panels are the strength members. The middle deck 3/4" plywood is supported by 3/4" sq cleats biscuited into the rails of side panels. The bottom of the sides have another biscuited cleat in the bottom rail. This cleat is glued to and rests on the 3/4" ply base, transferring the load down to the legs.

The cleats were positioned self referentially so the ~3/4" walnut decking would sit flush with the edge of the side, hiding the plywood grain. Setting the stock and biscuiter flush on the saw top "zeroed" the slots in the cleats. Then I used a cutoff from the ply as a spacer to lift the biscuiter up and cut the slots in the sides. Without measuring, the biscuiter cutter height, or the ply thickness, I was able to blind glue the cleats and it came out dead flush.

Self referential parts fit perfectly flush.

Front:
I hadn't fully thought thru the front face frame design. I had sketched it as two full height stiles with top, middle, and bottom rails. The bottom was to have two euro hinged doors and needed a flat 3/4" mounting surface. The top half was to have flat panels in rabbeted stiles and tenon edged rails. There was no clean way to transition one piece from flat to rabbeted so a different answer was needed. The rails were run full width with the stiles tenoned instead. The bottom was done with biscuits on the butt joints. The center rail was flat on the lower edge and rabbeted on the top. This solved the problem but leaves exposed end grain on the sides. I may make some trim to cover it.

The top panel looked boring and too wide so I added a center stile. This made the inset panels almost square. I mis-cut the panels 1/4" too narrow but they fit well with the spaceballs in the rabbets. I was careful to orient and sequence the panel plys consecutively.

Back:
The back also had three full width rails but was easier to make as everything was rabbeted in one go. As luck would have it, I cut the bottom stiles 1/4" too long. Better long than short and a quick trim brought everything back in spec.

Bottom:
The bottom had holes drilled for the screw on legs 3" in from each corner of the base or 3-7/8" from the outer edges. For some reason the screw studs were over an inch long and, with no way to trim them down, they project completely thru the 3/4 ply lower deck. The legs had small plastic protector caps on the screws that I trimmed and used to cap the exposed ends inside the lower shelf. Its not the best solution, but it's neat and better than leaving the studs exposed.

3×3x6 pyramid legs.

The top plates were installed using the supplied #6 hardware directly over the 3/8" hole for the studs. The inverted pyramid feet were set back to prevent the puppies from using them as a fire hydrant. The tops were recessed slightly to hide the mounting plates.

5/16-18 top plates.

Assembly:
The sides are biscuited into the front and back. The panels were set up on the saw in the same assembly corner I use for small boxes. The deck ply was fitted but not glued while the sides were glued to the back. Once these had set up, the front was glued on and the deck was glued down and weighted.

Finally the cab was inverted onto the floor and the bottom, feet and all, was glued in place, weighted and left to set overnight.

Finishing:
The completed box was sanded to 120 all round. One thing about gluing on the saw top is that all squeezeout in contact with the iron turns black and is easy to see where sanding is needed (LOL).

After sanding, a flood coat of 50%-50% MS-Poly mix is applied everywhere. The ply and end grains drank the poly up almost instantly. I reapply until it appears slightly wet.

I use 3" and 1-1/2" disposable foam brushes for streak free and easy application. Disposable brushes are easier on the environment than cleaning good brushes with a pint of MS. It took a while, but I got every square inch (except the top edge where the top will attach) inside and out.

The doors are mounted and the knobs attached. SWMBO selected and ordered nice real crystal round knobs with dark bases. These pair nicely with the walnut and, being round, can't be misaligned. The holes were drilled with a simple stop block on the drill press for perfect alignment.

Doors closed, open, and closing .

I haven't dialed the hinges in yet, but they self close with less than 1/8" gap between them.

Top:
The top was supposed to be 28×24 out of a 5 board glueup with 2" overhang on the front and sides. As I sorted and squared I came up with a really good grain match across four pieces that was great but only 23-1/2". Guess what?! The top is now 28×23-1/2"! LOL I'm not a slave to the plan and I'm more concerned about yield than having to hit an arbitrary dimension.

• After all, how much overhang on a top is "right"? 1/2"?, none?, 2"?, 6"? I've seen tables with dimensions all over the place. 2" was a nice, round number, but 1-1/2" will work too. None of you would know if I didn't tell you. LOL

Anyway the four pieces were laid out and cut for #20 biscuits in three places and glued up as two pairs, I-II and III-IV. Both pieces came in under 13" which is the limit on my planer so that's good. I was hoping to use the new scraper set that came today instead of planing.

The two halves are under clamps now.

Halves clamping.

As luck would have it I just bought (arrived today!) a six pack of assorted shape scrapers, Grizzly D3294 (yes, I do know how to use hand tools!)

The scraper made quick work of the squeeze out.

Before and after. Sharp scraper curls. Nice clean seam.

Finally both halves are biscuited, glued, and clamped to final size.

Final top glue up. The color sequence helps hide the seams. This will be beautiful when finished.

The plan is to wire brush the live edge to remove any loose material, then round the corners and rout a profile on the sides.

One of my (many) pet peeves is pointy corners. I tend to carom off things and have been gouged by pointy corners furniture and the like my whole life. So the two front corners will be radiused and the edges profiled as an architectural detail.

Looking great!

• Joinery Aside:
  Some insist that a jointer is mandatory for getting glue edge seam. The seams on this top are tight and straight off the saw with my favorite blade, the Freud LU83 combo. The lumber was all S2S and some was slightly bowed yet the seams are straight and tight. It gives glassy crosscuts and glue line rips. This is why there's no joiner in my shop. I just haven't found the need.

Because of expansion I'm going to biscuit the top to the back but let the front float on clips.

I've been kicking around the thought of milling some cove for under the table lip but wasn't sure I'd have enough walnut left. The savings on the top gives me a 1×6x32 board to spare so I've got the material. The only secondary woods are whatever is inside the walnut ply and the biscuits. Everything including cleats and supports is solid walnut.

Completed project.

Materials:

• 4/4×6 S2S walnut - 21bf @ $12/bf ~ $252 (includes top)
• 3×3x6 pyramid 5/16-18 screw on legs - $40/set of 4
• 5/16-18 top plates - $15/set of 4
• 1/4 A-A walnut ply, 2×4 sheet - $40
• 3/4 A-B walnut ply, 2×2 sheet - 2 @ $20 ea ~ $40
• knobs - 2 @ $2.50 ea ~ $5
• biscuits - 20 @ $0.05 ea ~ $1
• glue brushes - 8 @ $0.50 ~ $4
• foam brushes - 8 @ $0.50 ~ $4
• poly, 1 qt @ $12
• soft close euro hinges - 2 pr @ $14/pr ~ $28

Matl. Total: ~$440

Labor: 20 hrs @ $20/hr = $400

COGS: ~$850

Click to expand...

Madmark2 said:

Walnut Air Filter Stand

We have pets and with pets comes pet dander and allergies. We bought a Grizzly G0738 two stage (5um & 1um) filter.

Grizzly G0738 two stage, three speed air filter w/ remote.

It really makes a difference but it's not the most attractive box in the bedroom. It's been sitting on a faux walnut MDF stand that's falling apart. I decided, and SWMBO agreed, that something better was needed.

Completed top is gorgeous!

I came up with a design for a real walnut (& walnut A-A ply) stand. Here it is after the first coat of MS thinned 50%-50% poly and waiting on the top (which will have a live edge but isn't built yet.)

Cabinet with lower storage.

I had to CAD the carcass. It is built out of four panels with 3/4" walnut ply base and middle shelf. The base is 32" tall by 24" wide x 22" deep. The top is 28" x 24" with 2" overhang on the live edge front and sides. The top will be flush to the back.

Doors:
Construction started with the two raised panel doors. I have the Grizzly H5553 reversable rail/stile and panel set with the classic ogee profile. This was the first project that I used this on and the doors gave me an opportunity to dial in the reversable rail and stile set. Being anal (engineer) I had to draw up the stacks in assembly order locating the various thickness washers, bearing, and cutters. After cleaning, all the washers and cutter spacings were mike'd with my digital caliper and noted on the drawings to insure accuracy.

Stack for stile dado.

Stack for rail tenon.

By cutting the dado's first, the finished face is used as a reference. The 1/4" dado position becomes a reference for cutting the rail tenons.

Alignment Diagram.

The 4/4 S2S walnut from Craftsmen Supply (Ybor City/Tampa) came in at ~7/8". Rather than plane down the extra thickness into dust, I used it as-is. The only issue this caused was some extra tweaking of the ply deck and the face frame was too thick for the hinges. To get around this the sides of the door frame were undercut with a router and rabbeting bit to exactly 3/4". The hinges fit perfectly and the rabbet is essentially invisible.

I used one piece of 1×6x28 walnut per door with sawdust left over. The doors were given a slathering of wax as a "shop finish" to protect them until the rest of the cabinet was ready. The thinned poly went thru the wax like it wasn't there during the actual finish process.

UL: Panel cutting jig,
UR: Botched rout on rear,
LL: Test fit,
LR: Under clamps.

Before and after waxing.

The doors were set aside until the front frame was built. The hinge positions were verified against the frame opening and door size before drilling the 35mm hinge cups. I set the centerline stop on the drill press to 13/16" and just drill at the marks for perfectly positioned hinge cups. I set the panel flat on the drill press table and set the depth stop flush with the surface. A piece of 1/2" scrap under the stock raises the stock the thickness needed to drill the cups. Then I use the self centering drill bits in the corded VSR hand power drill in a hinge set in the cup to pilot the two mounting screws. This perfectly aligns the mounting holes with the cup using the hinge itself as the jig.

Sides:
Next came the two side panels, these are traditional rail and stile frames with 1/4" walnut ply panel inserts.

These went together easily because of the CAD analysis allowed me to set and reset the extra thickness rail and stile pieces with precision.

Four L's form two panels

The side panels are the strength members. The middle deck 3/4" plywood is supported by 3/4" sq cleats biscuited into the rails of side panels. The bottom of the sides have another biscuited cleat in the bottom rail. This cleat is glued to and rests on the 3/4" ply base, transferring the load down to the legs.

The cleats were positioned self referentially so the ~3/4" walnut decking would sit flush with the edge of the side, hiding the plywood grain. Setting the stock and biscuiter flush on the saw top "zeroed" the slots in the cleats. Then I used a cutoff from the ply as a spacer to lift the biscuiter up and cut the slots in the sides. Without measuring, the biscuiter cutter height, or the ply thickness, I was able to blind glue the cleats and it came out dead flush.

Self referential parts fit perfectly flush.

Front:
I hadn't fully thought thru the front face frame design. I had sketched it as two full height stiles with top, middle, and bottom rails. The bottom was to have two euro hinged doors and needed a flat 3/4" mounting surface. The top half was to have flat panels in rabbeted stiles and tenon edged rails. There was no clean way to transition one piece from flat to rabbeted so a different answer was needed. The rails were run full width with the stiles tenoned instead. The bottom was done with biscuits on the butt joints. The center rail was flat on the lower edge and rabbeted on the top. This solved the problem but leaves exposed end grain on the sides. I may make some trim to cover it.

The top panel looked boring and too wide so I added a center stile. This made the inset panels almost square. I mis-cut the panels 1/4" too narrow but they fit well with the spaceballs in the rabbets. I was careful to orient and sequence the panel plys consecutively.

Back:
The back also had three full width rails but was easier to make as everything was rabbeted in one go. As luck would have it, I cut the bottom stiles 1/4" too long. Better long than short and a quick trim brought everything back in spec.

Bottom:
The bottom had holes drilled for the screw on legs 3" in from each corner of the base or 3-7/8" from the outer edges. For some reason the screw studs were over an inch long and, with no way to trim them down, they project completely thru the 3/4 ply lower deck. The legs had small plastic protector caps on the screws that I trimmed and used to cap the exposed ends inside the lower shelf. Its not the best solution, but it's neat and better than leaving the studs exposed.

3×3x6 pyramid legs.

The top plates were installed using the supplied #6 hardware directly over the 3/8" hole for the studs. The inverted pyramid feet were set back to prevent the puppies from using them as a fire hydrant. The tops were recessed slightly to hide the mounting plates.

5/16-18 top plates.

Assembly:
The sides are biscuited into the front and back. The panels were set up on the saw in the same assembly corner I use for small boxes. The deck ply was fitted but not glued while the sides were glued to the back. Once these had set up, the front was glued on and the deck was glued down and weighted.

Finally the cab was inverted onto the floor and the bottom, feet and all, was glued in place, weighted and left to set overnight.

Finishing:
The completed box was sanded to 120 all round. One thing about gluing on the saw top is that all squeezeout in contact with the iron turns black and is easy to see where sanding is needed (LOL).

After sanding, a flood coat of 50%-50% MS-Poly mix is applied everywhere. The ply and end grains drank the poly up almost instantly. I reapply until it appears slightly wet.

I use 3" and 1-1/2" disposable foam brushes for streak free and easy application. Disposable brushes are easier on the environment than cleaning good brushes with a pint of MS. It took a while, but I got every square inch (except the top edge where the top will attach) inside and out.

The doors are mounted and the knobs attached. SWMBO selected and ordered nice real crystal round knobs with dark bases. These pair nicely with the walnut and, being round, can't be misaligned. The holes were drilled with a simple stop block on the drill press for perfect alignment.

Doors closed, open, and closing .

I haven't dialed the hinges in yet, but they self close with less than 1/8" gap between them.

Top:
The top was supposed to be 28×24 out of a 5 board glueup with 2" overhang on the front and sides. As I sorted and squared I came up with a really good grain match across four pieces that was great but only 23-1/2". Guess what?! The top is now 28×23-1/2"! LOL I'm not a slave to the plan and I'm more concerned about yield than having to hit an arbitrary dimension.

• After all, how much overhang on a top is "right"? 1/2"?, none?, 2"?, 6"? I've seen tables with dimensions all over the place. 2" was a nice, round number, but 1-1/2" will work too. None of you would know if I didn't tell you. LOL

Anyway the four pieces were laid out and cut for #20 biscuits in three places and glued up as two pairs, I-II and III-IV. Both pieces came in under 13" which is the limit on my planer so that's good. I was hoping to use the new scraper set that came today instead of planing.

The two halves are under clamps now.

Halves clamping.

As luck would have it I just bought (arrived today!) a six pack of assorted shape scrapers, Grizzly D3294 (yes, I do know how to use hand tools!)

The scraper made quick work of the squeeze out.

Before and after. Sharp scraper curls. Nice clean seam.

Finally both halves are biscuited, glued, and clamped to final size.

Final top glue up. The color sequence helps hide the seams. This will be beautiful when finished.

The plan is to wire brush the live edge to remove any loose material, then round the corners and rout a profile on the sides.

One of my (many) pet peeves is pointy corners. I tend to carom off things and have been gouged by pointy corners furniture and the like my whole life. So the two front corners will be radiused and the edges profiled as an architectural detail.

Looking great!

• Joinery Aside:
  Some insist that a jointer is mandatory for getting glue edge seam. The seams on this top are tight and straight off the saw with my favorite blade, the Freud LU83 combo. The lumber was all S2S and some was slightly bowed yet the seams are straight and tight. It gives glassy crosscuts and glue line rips. This is why there's no joiner in my shop. I just haven't found the need.

Because of expansion I'm going to biscuit the top to the back but let the front float on clips.

I've been kicking around the thought of milling some cove for under the table lip but wasn't sure I'd have enough walnut left. The savings on the top gives me a 1×6x32 board to spare so I've got the material. The only secondary woods are whatever is inside the walnut ply and the biscuits. Everything including cleats and supports is solid walnut.

Completed project.

Materials:

• 4/4×6 S2S walnut - 21bf @ $12/bf ~ $252 (includes top)
• 3×3x6 pyramid 5/16-18 screw on legs - $40/set of 4
• 5/16-18 top plates - $15/set of 4
• 1/4 A-A walnut ply, 2×4 sheet - $40
• 3/4 A-B walnut ply, 2×2 sheet - 2 @ $20 ea ~ $40
• knobs - 2 @ $2.50 ea ~ $5
• biscuits - 20 @ $0.05 ea ~ $1
• glue brushes - 8 @ $0.50 ~ $4
• foam brushes - 8 @ $0.50 ~ $4
• poly, 1 qt @ $12
• soft close euro hinges - 2 pr @ $14/pr ~ $28

Matl. Total: ~$440

Labor: 20 hrs @ $20/hr = $400

COGS: ~$850

Click to expand...

Madmark2 said:

Walnut Air Filter Stand

We have pets and with pets comes pet dander and allergies. We bought a Grizzly G0738 two stage (5um & 1um) filter.

Grizzly G0738 two stage, three speed air filter w/ remote.

It really makes a difference but it's not the most attractive box in the bedroom. It's been sitting on a faux walnut MDF stand that's falling apart. I decided, and SWMBO agreed, that something better was needed.

Completed top is gorgeous!

I came up with a design for a real walnut (& walnut A-A ply) stand. Here it is after the first coat of MS thinned 50%-50% poly and waiting on the top (which will have a live edge but isn't built yet.)

Cabinet with lower storage.

I had to CAD the carcass. It is built out of four panels with 3/4" walnut ply base and middle shelf. The base is 32" tall by 24" wide x 22" deep. The top is 28" x 24" with 2" overhang on the live edge front and sides. The top will be flush to the back.

Doors:
Construction started with the two raised panel doors. I have the Grizzly H5553 reversable rail/stile and panel set with the classic ogee profile. This was the first project that I used this on and the doors gave me an opportunity to dial in the reversable rail and stile set. Being anal (engineer) I had to draw up the stacks in assembly order locating the various thickness washers, bearing, and cutters. After cleaning, all the washers and cutter spacings were mike'd with my digital caliper and noted on the drawings to insure accuracy.

Stack for stile dado.

Stack for rail tenon.

By cutting the dado's first, the finished face is used as a reference. The 1/4" dado position becomes a reference for cutting the rail tenons.

Alignment Diagram.

The 4/4 S2S walnut from Craftsmen Supply (Ybor City/Tampa) came in at ~7/8". Rather than plane down the extra thickness into dust, I used it as-is. The only issue this caused was some extra tweaking of the ply deck and the face frame was too thick for the hinges. To get around this the sides of the door frame were undercut with a router and rabbeting bit to exactly 3/4". The hinges fit perfectly and the rabbet is essentially invisible.

I used one piece of 1×6x28 walnut per door with sawdust left over. The doors were given a slathering of wax as a "shop finish" to protect them until the rest of the cabinet was ready. The thinned poly went thru the wax like it wasn't there during the actual finish process.

UL: Panel cutting jig,
UR: Botched rout on rear,
LL: Test fit,
LR: Under clamps.

Before and after waxing.

The doors were set aside until the front frame was built. The hinge positions were verified against the frame opening and door size before drilling the 35mm hinge cups. I set the centerline stop on the drill press to 13/16" and just drill at the marks for perfectly positioned hinge cups. I set the panel flat on the drill press table and set the depth stop flush with the surface. A piece of 1/2" scrap under the stock raises the stock the thickness needed to drill the cups. Then I use the self centering drill bits in the corded VSR hand power drill in a hinge set in the cup to pilot the two mounting screws. This perfectly aligns the mounting holes with the cup using the hinge itself as the jig.

Sides:
Next came the two side panels, these are traditional rail and stile frames with 1/4" walnut ply panel inserts.

These went together easily because of the CAD analysis allowed me to set and reset the extra thickness rail and stile pieces with precision.

Four L's form two panels

The side panels are the strength members. The middle deck 3/4" plywood is supported by 3/4" sq cleats biscuited into the rails of side panels. The bottom of the sides have another biscuited cleat in the bottom rail. This cleat is glued to and rests on the 3/4" ply base, transferring the load down to the legs.

The cleats were positioned self referentially so the ~3/4" walnut decking would sit flush with the edge of the side, hiding the plywood grain. Setting the stock and biscuiter flush on the saw top "zeroed" the slots in the cleats. Then I used a cutoff from the ply as a spacer to lift the biscuiter up and cut the slots in the sides. Without measuring, the biscuiter cutter height, or the ply thickness, I was able to blind glue the cleats and it came out dead flush.

Self referential parts fit perfectly flush.

Front:
I hadn't fully thought thru the front face frame design. I had sketched it as two full height stiles with top, middle, and bottom rails. The bottom was to have two euro hinged doors and needed a flat 3/4" mounting surface. The top half was to have flat panels in rabbeted stiles and tenon edged rails. There was no clean way to transition one piece from flat to rabbeted so a different answer was needed. The rails were run full width with the stiles tenoned instead. The bottom was done with biscuits on the butt joints. The center rail was flat on the lower edge and rabbeted on the top. This solved the problem but leaves exposed end grain on the sides. I may make some trim to cover it.

The top panel looked boring and too wide so I added a center stile. This made the inset panels almost square. I mis-cut the panels 1/4" too narrow but they fit well with the spaceballs in the rabbets. I was careful to orient and sequence the panel plys consecutively.

Back:
The back also had three full width rails but was easier to make as everything was rabbeted in one go. As luck would have it, I cut the bottom stiles 1/4" too long. Better long than short and a quick trim brought everything back in spec.

Bottom:
The bottom had holes drilled for the screw on legs 3" in from each corner of the base or 3-7/8" from the outer edges. For some reason the screw studs were over an inch long and, with no way to trim them down, they project completely thru the 3/4 ply lower deck. The legs had small plastic protector caps on the screws that I trimmed and used to cap the exposed ends inside the lower shelf. Its not the best solution, but it's neat and better than leaving the studs exposed.

3×3x6 pyramid legs.

The top plates were installed using the supplied #6 hardware directly over the 3/8" hole for the studs. The inverted pyramid feet were set back to prevent the puppies from using them as a fire hydrant. The tops were recessed slightly to hide the mounting plates.

5/16-18 top plates.

Assembly:
The sides are biscuited into the front and back. The panels were set up on the saw in the same assembly corner I use for small boxes. The deck ply was fitted but not glued while the sides were glued to the back. Once these had set up, the front was glued on and the deck was glued down and weighted.

Finally the cab was inverted onto the floor and the bottom, feet and all, was glued in place, weighted and left to set overnight.

Finishing:
The completed box was sanded to 120 all round. One thing about gluing on the saw top is that all squeezeout in contact with the iron turns black and is easy to see where sanding is needed (LOL).

After sanding, a flood coat of 50%-50% MS-Poly mix is applied everywhere. The ply and end grains drank the poly up almost instantly. I reapply until it appears slightly wet.

I use 3" and 1-1/2" disposable foam brushes for streak free and easy application. Disposable brushes are easier on the environment than cleaning good brushes with a pint of MS. It took a while, but I got every square inch (except the top edge where the top will attach) inside and out.

The doors are mounted and the knobs attached. SWMBO selected and ordered nice real crystal round knobs with dark bases. These pair nicely with the walnut and, being round, can't be misaligned. The holes were drilled with a simple stop block on the drill press for perfect alignment.

Doors closed, open, and closing .

I haven't dialed the hinges in yet, but they self close with less than 1/8" gap between them.

Top:
The top was supposed to be 28×24 out of a 5 board glueup with 2" overhang on the front and sides. As I sorted and squared I came up with a really good grain match across four pieces that was great but only 23-1/2". Guess what?! The top is now 28×23-1/2"! LOL I'm not a slave to the plan and I'm more concerned about yield than having to hit an arbitrary dimension.

• After all, how much overhang on a top is "right"? 1/2"?, none?, 2"?, 6"? I've seen tables with dimensions all over the place. 2" was a nice, round number, but 1-1/2" will work too. None of you would know if I didn't tell you. LOL

Anyway the four pieces were laid out and cut for #20 biscuits in three places and glued up as two pairs, I-II and III-IV. Both pieces came in under 13" which is the limit on my planer so that's good. I was hoping to use the new scraper set that came today instead of planing.

The two halves are under clamps now.

Halves clamping.

As luck would have it I just bought (arrived today!) a six pack of assorted shape scrapers, Grizzly D3294 (yes, I do know how to use hand tools!)

The scraper made quick work of the squeeze out.

Before and after. Sharp scraper curls. Nice clean seam.

Finally both halves are biscuited, glued, and clamped to final size.

Final top glue up. The color sequence helps hide the seams. This will be beautiful when finished.

The plan is to wire brush the live edge to remove any loose material, then round the corners and rout a profile on the sides.

One of my (many) pet peeves is pointy corners. I tend to carom off things and have been gouged by pointy corners furniture and the like my whole life. So the two front corners will be radiused and the edges profiled as an architectural detail.

Looking great!

• Joinery Aside:
  Some insist that a jointer is mandatory for getting glue edge seam. The seams on this top are tight and straight off the saw with my favorite blade, the Freud LU83 combo. The lumber was all S2S and some was slightly bowed yet the seams are straight and tight. It gives glassy crosscuts and glue line rips. This is why there's no joiner in my shop. I just haven't found the need.

Because of expansion I'm going to biscuit the top to the back but let the front float on clips.

I've been kicking around the thought of milling some cove for under the table lip but wasn't sure I'd have enough walnut left. The savings on the top gives me a 1×6x32 board to spare so I've got the material. The only secondary woods are whatever is inside the walnut ply and the biscuits. Everything including cleats and supports is solid walnut.

Completed project.

Materials:

• 4/4×6 S2S walnut - 21bf @ $12/bf ~ $252 (includes top)
• 3×3x6 pyramid 5/16-18 screw on legs - $40/set of 4
• 5/16-18 top plates - $15/set of 4
• 1/4 A-A walnut ply, 2×4 sheet - $40
• 3/4 A-B walnut ply, 2×2 sheet - 2 @ $20 ea ~ $40
• knobs - 2 @ $2.50 ea ~ $5
• biscuits - 20 @ $0.05 ea ~ $1
• glue brushes - 8 @ $0.50 ~ $4
• foam brushes - 8 @ $0.50 ~ $4
• poly, 1 qt @ $12
• soft close euro hinges - 2 pr @ $14/pr ~ $28

Matl. Total: ~$440

Labor: 20 hrs @ $20/hr = $400

COGS: ~$850

Click to expand...

Madmark2 said:

Walnut Air Filter Stand

We have pets and with pets comes pet dander and allergies. We bought a Grizzly G0738 two stage (5um & 1um) filter.

Grizzly G0738 two stage, three speed air filter w/ remote.

It really makes a difference but it's not the most attractive box in the bedroom. It's been sitting on a faux walnut MDF stand that's falling apart. I decided, and SWMBO agreed, that something better was needed.

Completed top is gorgeous!

I came up with a design for a real walnut (& walnut A-A ply) stand. Here it is after the first coat of MS thinned 50%-50% poly and waiting on the top (which will have a live edge but isn't built yet.)

Cabinet with lower storage.

I had to CAD the carcass. It is built out of four panels with 3/4" walnut ply base and middle shelf. The base is 32" tall by 24" wide x 22" deep. The top is 28" x 24" with 2" overhang on the live edge front and sides. The top will be flush to the back.

Doors:
Construction started with the two raised panel doors. I have the Grizzly H5553 reversable rail/stile and panel set with the classic ogee profile. This was the first project that I used this on and the doors gave me an opportunity to dial in the reversable rail and stile set. Being anal (engineer) I had to draw up the stacks in assembly order locating the various thickness washers, bearing, and cutters. After cleaning, all the washers and cutter spacings were mike'd with my digital caliper and noted on the drawings to insure accuracy.

Stack for stile dado.

Stack for rail tenon.

By cutting the dado's first, the finished face is used as a reference. The 1/4" dado position becomes a reference for cutting the rail tenons.

Alignment Diagram.

The 4/4 S2S walnut from Craftsmen Supply (Ybor City/Tampa) came in at ~7/8". Rather than plane down the extra thickness into dust, I used it as-is. The only issue this caused was some extra tweaking of the ply deck and the face frame was too thick for the hinges. To get around this the sides of the door frame were undercut with a router and rabbeting bit to exactly 3/4". The hinges fit perfectly and the rabbet is essentially invisible.

I used one piece of 1×6x28 walnut per door with sawdust left over. The doors were given a slathering of wax as a "shop finish" to protect them until the rest of the cabinet was ready. The thinned poly went thru the wax like it wasn't there during the actual finish process.

UL: Panel cutting jig,
UR: Botched rout on rear,
LL: Test fit,
LR: Under clamps.

Before and after waxing.

The doors were set aside until the front frame was built. The hinge positions were verified against the frame opening and door size before drilling the 35mm hinge cups. I set the centerline stop on the drill press to 13/16" and just drill at the marks for perfectly positioned hinge cups. I set the panel flat on the drill press table and set the depth stop flush with the surface. A piece of 1/2" scrap under the stock raises the stock the thickness needed to drill the cups. Then I use the self centering drill bits in the corded VSR hand power drill in a hinge set in the cup to pilot the two mounting screws. This perfectly aligns the mounting holes with the cup using the hinge itself as the jig.

Sides:
Next came the two side panels, these are traditional rail and stile frames with 1/4" walnut ply panel inserts.

These went together easily because of the CAD analysis allowed me to set and reset the extra thickness rail and stile pieces with precision.

Four L's form two panels

The side panels are the strength members. The middle deck 3/4" plywood is supported by 3/4" sq cleats biscuited into the rails of side panels. The bottom of the sides have another biscuited cleat in the bottom rail. This cleat is glued to and rests on the 3/4" ply base, transferring the load down to the legs.

The cleats were positioned self referentially so the ~3/4" walnut decking would sit flush with the edge of the side, hiding the plywood grain. Setting the stock and biscuiter flush on the saw top "zeroed" the slots in the cleats. Then I used a cutoff from the ply as a spacer to lift the biscuiter up and cut the slots in the sides. Without measuring, the biscuiter cutter height, or the ply thickness, I was able to blind glue the cleats and it came out dead flush.

Self referential parts fit perfectly flush.

Front:
I hadn't fully thought thru the front face frame design. I had sketched it as two full height stiles with top, middle, and bottom rails. The bottom was to have two euro hinged doors and needed a flat 3/4" mounting surface. The top half was to have flat panels in rabbeted stiles and tenon edged rails. There was no clean way to transition one piece from flat to rabbeted so a different answer was needed. The rails were run full width with the stiles tenoned instead. The bottom was done with biscuits on the butt joints. The center rail was flat on the lower edge and rabbeted on the top. This solved the problem but leaves exposed end grain on the sides. I may make some trim to cover it.

The top panel looked boring and too wide so I added a center stile. This made the inset panels almost square. I mis-cut the panels 1/4" too narrow but they fit well with the spaceballs in the rabbets. I was careful to orient and sequence the panel plys consecutively.

Back:
The back also had three full width rails but was easier to make as everything was rabbeted in one go. As luck would have it, I cut the bottom stiles 1/4" too long. Better long than short and a quick trim brought everything back in spec.

Bottom:
The bottom had holes drilled for the screw on legs 3" in from each corner of the base or 3-7/8" from the outer edges. For some reason the screw studs were over an inch long and, with no way to trim them down, they project completely thru the 3/4 ply lower deck. The legs had small plastic protector caps on the screws that I trimmed and used to cap the exposed ends inside the lower shelf. Its not the best solution, but it's neat and better than leaving the studs exposed.

3×3x6 pyramid legs.

The top plates were installed using the supplied #6 hardware directly over the 3/8" hole for the studs. The inverted pyramid feet were set back to prevent the puppies from using them as a fire hydrant. The tops were recessed slightly to hide the mounting plates.

5/16-18 top plates.

Assembly:
The sides are biscuited into the front and back. The panels were set up on the saw in the same assembly corner I use for small boxes. The deck ply was fitted but not glued while the sides were glued to the back. Once these had set up, the front was glued on and the deck was glued down and weighted.

Finally the cab was inverted onto the floor and the bottom, feet and all, was glued in place, weighted and left to set overnight.

Finishing:
The completed box was sanded to 120 all round. One thing about gluing on the saw top is that all squeezeout in contact with the iron turns black and is easy to see where sanding is needed (LOL).

After sanding, a flood coat of 50%-50% MS-Poly mix is applied everywhere. The ply and end grains drank the poly up almost instantly. I reapply until it appears slightly wet.

I use 3" and 1-1/2" disposable foam brushes for streak free and easy application. Disposable brushes are easier on the environment than cleaning good brushes with a pint of MS. It took a while, but I got every square inch (except the top edge where the top will attach) inside and out.

The doors are mounted and the knobs attached. SWMBO selected and ordered nice real crystal round knobs with dark bases. These pair nicely with the walnut and, being round, can't be misaligned. The holes were drilled with a simple stop block on the drill press for perfect alignment.

Doors closed, open, and closing .

I haven't dialed the hinges in yet, but they self close with less than 1/8" gap between them.

Top:
The top was supposed to be 28×24 out of a 5 board glueup with 2" overhang on the front and sides. As I sorted and squared I came up with a really good grain match across four pieces that was great but only 23-1/2". Guess what?! The top is now 28×23-1/2"! LOL I'm not a slave to the plan and I'm more concerned about yield than having to hit an arbitrary dimension.

• After all, how much overhang on a top is "right"? 1/2"?, none?, 2"?, 6"? I've seen tables with dimensions all over the place. 2" was a nice, round number, but 1-1/2" will work too. None of you would know if I didn't tell you. LOL

Anyway the four pieces were laid out and cut for #20 biscuits in three places and glued up as two pairs, I-II and III-IV. Both pieces came in under 13" which is the limit on my planer so that's good. I was hoping to use the new scraper set that came today instead of planing.

The two halves are under clamps now.

Halves clamping.

As luck would have it I just bought (arrived today!) a six pack of assorted shape scrapers, Grizzly D3294 (yes, I do know how to use hand tools!)

The scraper made quick work of the squeeze out.

Before and after. Sharp scraper curls. Nice clean seam.

Finally both halves are biscuited, glued, and clamped to final size.

Final top glue up. The color sequence helps hide the seams. This will be beautiful when finished.

The plan is to wire brush the live edge to remove any loose material, then round the corners and rout a profile on the sides.

One of my (many) pet peeves is pointy corners. I tend to carom off things and have been gouged by pointy corners furniture and the like my whole life. So the two front corners will be radiused and the edges profiled as an architectural detail.

Looking great!

• Joinery Aside:
  Some insist that a jointer is mandatory for getting glue edge seam. The seams on this top are tight and straight off the saw with my favorite blade, the Freud LU83 combo. The lumber was all S2S and some was slightly bowed yet the seams are straight and tight. It gives glassy crosscuts and glue line rips. This is why there's no joiner in my shop. I just haven't found the need.

Because of expansion I'm going to biscuit the top to the back but let the front float on clips.

I've been kicking around the thought of milling some cove for under the table lip but wasn't sure I'd have enough walnut left. The savings on the top gives me a 1×6x32 board to spare so I've got the material. The only secondary woods are whatever is inside the walnut ply and the biscuits. Everything including cleats and supports is solid walnut.

Completed project.

Materials:

• 4/4×6 S2S walnut - 21bf @ $12/bf ~ $252 (includes top)
• 3×3x6 pyramid 5/16-18 screw on legs - $40/set of 4
• 5/16-18 top plates - $15/set of 4
• 1/4 A-A walnut ply, 2×4 sheet - $40
• 3/4 A-B walnut ply, 2×2 sheet - 2 @ $20 ea ~ $40
• knobs - 2 @ $2.50 ea ~ $5
• biscuits - 20 @ $0.05 ea ~ $1
• glue brushes - 8 @ $0.50 ~ $4
• foam brushes - 8 @ $0.50 ~ $4
• poly, 1 qt @ $12
• soft close euro hinges - 2 pr @ $14/pr ~ $28

Matl. Total: ~$440

Labor: 20 hrs @ $20/hr = $400

COGS: ~$850

Click to expand...

Madmark2 said:

Walnut Air Filter Stand

We have pets and with pets comes pet dander and allergies. We bought a Grizzly G0738 two stage (5um & 1um) filter.

Grizzly G0738 two stage, three speed air filter w/ remote.

It really makes a difference but it's not the most attractive box in the bedroom. It's been sitting on a faux walnut MDF stand that's falling apart. I decided, and SWMBO agreed, that something better was needed.

Completed top is gorgeous!

I came up with a design for a real walnut (& walnut A-A ply) stand. Here it is after the first coat of MS thinned 50%-50% poly and waiting on the top (which will have a live edge but isn't built yet.)

Cabinet with lower storage.

I had to CAD the carcass. It is built out of four panels with 3/4" walnut ply base and middle shelf. The base is 32" tall by 24" wide x 22" deep. The top is 28" x 24" with 2" overhang on the live edge front and sides. The top will be flush to the back.

Doors:
Construction started with the two raised panel doors. I have the Grizzly H5553 reversable rail/stile and panel set with the classic ogee profile. This was the first project that I used this on and the doors gave me an opportunity to dial in the reversable rail and stile set. Being anal (engineer) I had to draw up the stacks in assembly order locating the various thickness washers, bearing, and cutters. After cleaning, all the washers and cutter spacings were mike'd with my digital caliper and noted on the drawings to insure accuracy.

Stack for stile dado.

Stack for rail tenon.

By cutting the dado's first, the finished face is used as a reference. The 1/4" dado position becomes a reference for cutting the rail tenons.

Alignment Diagram.

The 4/4 S2S walnut from Craftsmen Supply (Ybor City/Tampa) came in at ~7/8". Rather than plane down the extra thickness into dust, I used it as-is. The only issue this caused was some extra tweaking of the ply deck and the face frame was too thick for the hinges. To get around this the sides of the door frame were undercut with a router and rabbeting bit to exactly 3/4". The hinges fit perfectly and the rabbet is essentially invisible.

I used one piece of 1×6x28 walnut per door with sawdust left over. The doors were given a slathering of wax as a "shop finish" to protect them until the rest of the cabinet was ready. The thinned poly went thru the wax like it wasn't there during the actual finish process.

UL: Panel cutting jig,
UR: Botched rout on rear,
LL: Test fit,
LR: Under clamps.

Before and after waxing.

The doors were set aside until the front frame was built. The hinge positions were verified against the frame opening and door size before drilling the 35mm hinge cups. I set the centerline stop on the drill press to 13/16" and just drill at the marks for perfectly positioned hinge cups. I set the panel flat on the drill press table and set the depth stop flush with the surface. A piece of 1/2" scrap under the stock raises the stock the thickness needed to drill the cups. Then I use the self centering drill bits in the corded VSR hand power drill in a hinge set in the cup to pilot the two mounting screws. This perfectly aligns the mounting holes with the cup using the hinge itself as the jig.

Sides:
Next came the two side panels, these are traditional rail and stile frames with 1/4" walnut ply panel inserts.

These went together easily because of the CAD analysis allowed me to set and reset the extra thickness rail and stile pieces with precision.

Four L's form two panels

The side panels are the strength members. The middle deck 3/4" plywood is supported by 3/4" sq cleats biscuited into the rails of side panels. The bottom of the sides have another biscuited cleat in the bottom rail. This cleat is glued to and rests on the 3/4" ply base, transferring the load down to the legs.

The cleats were positioned self referentially so the ~3/4" walnut decking would sit flush with the edge of the side, hiding the plywood grain. Setting the stock and biscuiter flush on the saw top "zeroed" the slots in the cleats. Then I used a cutoff from the ply as a spacer to lift the biscuiter up and cut the slots in the sides. Without measuring, the biscuiter cutter height, or the ply thickness, I was able to blind glue the cleats and it came out dead flush.

Self referential parts fit perfectly flush.

Front:
I hadn't fully thought thru the front face frame design. I had sketched it as two full height stiles with top, middle, and bottom rails. The bottom was to have two euro hinged doors and needed a flat 3/4" mounting surface. The top half was to have flat panels in rabbeted stiles and tenon edged rails. There was no clean way to transition one piece from flat to rabbeted so a different answer was needed. The rails were run full width with the stiles tenoned instead. The bottom was done with biscuits on the butt joints. The center rail was flat on the lower edge and rabbeted on the top. This solved the problem but leaves exposed end grain on the sides. I may make some trim to cover it.

The top panel looked boring and too wide so I added a center stile. This made the inset panels almost square. I mis-cut the panels 1/4" too narrow but they fit well with the spaceballs in the rabbets. I was careful to orient and sequence the panel plys consecutively.

Back:
The back also had three full width rails but was easier to make as everything was rabbeted in one go. As luck would have it, I cut the bottom stiles 1/4" too long. Better long than short and a quick trim brought everything back in spec.

Bottom:
The bottom had holes drilled for the screw on legs 3" in from each corner of the base or 3-7/8" from the outer edges. For some reason the screw studs were over an inch long and, with no way to trim them down, they project completely thru the 3/4 ply lower deck. The legs had small plastic protector caps on the screws that I trimmed and used to cap the exposed ends inside the lower shelf. Its not the best solution, but it's neat and better than leaving the studs exposed.

3×3x6 pyramid legs.

The top plates were installed using the supplied #6 hardware directly over the 3/8" hole for the studs. The inverted pyramid feet were set back to prevent the puppies from using them as a fire hydrant. The tops were recessed slightly to hide the mounting plates.

5/16-18 top plates.

Assembly:
The sides are biscuited into the front and back. The panels were set up on the saw in the same assembly corner I use for small boxes. The deck ply was fitted but not glued while the sides were glued to the back. Once these had set up, the front was glued on and the deck was glued down and weighted.

Finally the cab was inverted onto the floor and the bottom, feet and all, was glued in place, weighted and left to set overnight.

Finishing:
The completed box was sanded to 120 all round. One thing about gluing on the saw top is that all squeezeout in contact with the iron turns black and is easy to see where sanding is needed (LOL).

After sanding, a flood coat of 50%-50% MS-Poly mix is applied everywhere. The ply and end grains drank the poly up almost instantly. I reapply until it appears slightly wet.

I use 3" and 1-1/2" disposable foam brushes for streak free and easy application. Disposable brushes are easier on the environment than cleaning good brushes with a pint of MS. It took a while, but I got every square inch (except the top edge where the top will attach) inside and out.

The doors are mounted and the knobs attached. SWMBO selected and ordered nice real crystal round knobs with dark bases. These pair nicely with the walnut and, being round, can't be misaligned. The holes were drilled with a simple stop block on the drill press for perfect alignment.

Doors closed, open, and closing .

I haven't dialed the hinges in yet, but they self close with less than 1/8" gap between them.

Top:
The top was supposed to be 28×24 out of a 5 board glueup with 2" overhang on the front and sides. As I sorted and squared I came up with a really good grain match across four pieces that was great but only 23-1/2". Guess what?! The top is now 28×23-1/2"! LOL I'm not a slave to the plan and I'm more concerned about yield than having to hit an arbitrary dimension.

• After all, how much overhang on a top is "right"? 1/2"?, none?, 2"?, 6"? I've seen tables with dimensions all over the place. 2" was a nice, round number, but 1-1/2" will work too. None of you would know if I didn't tell you. LOL

Anyway the four pieces were laid out and cut for #20 biscuits in three places and glued up as two pairs, I-II and III-IV. Both pieces came in under 13" which is the limit on my planer so that's good. I was hoping to use the new scraper set that came today instead of planing.

The two halves are under clamps now.

Halves clamping.

As luck would have it I just bought (arrived today!) a six pack of assorted shape scrapers, Grizzly D3294 (yes, I do know how to use hand tools!)

The scraper made quick work of the squeeze out.

Before and after. Sharp scraper curls. Nice clean seam.

Finally both halves are biscuited, glued, and clamped to final size.

Final top glue up. The color sequence helps hide the seams. This will be beautiful when finished.

The plan is to wire brush the live edge to remove any loose material, then round the corners and rout a profile on the sides.

One of my (many) pet peeves is pointy corners. I tend to carom off things and have been gouged by pointy corners furniture and the like my whole life. So the two front corners will be radiused and the edges profiled as an architectural detail.

Looking great!

• Joinery Aside:
  Some insist that a jointer is mandatory for getting glue edge seam. The seams on this top are tight and straight off the saw with my favorite blade, the Freud LU83 combo. The lumber was all S2S and some was slightly bowed yet the seams are straight and tight. It gives glassy crosscuts and glue line rips. This is why there's no joiner in my shop. I just haven't found the need.

Because of expansion I'm going to biscuit the top to the back but let the front float on clips.

I've been kicking around the thought of milling some cove for under the table lip but wasn't sure I'd have enough walnut left. The savings on the top gives me a 1×6x32 board to spare so I've got the material. The only secondary woods are whatever is inside the walnut ply and the biscuits. Everything including cleats and supports is solid walnut.

Completed project.

Materials:

• 4/4×6 S2S walnut - 21bf @ $12/bf ~ $252 (includes top)
• 3×3x6 pyramid 5/16-18 screw on legs - $40/set of 4
• 5/16-18 top plates - $15/set of 4
• 1/4 A-A walnut ply, 2×4 sheet - $40
• 3/4 A-B walnut ply, 2×2 sheet - 2 @ $20 ea ~ $40
• knobs - 2 @ $2.50 ea ~ $5
• biscuits - 20 @ $0.05 ea ~ $1
• glue brushes - 8 @ $0.50 ~ $4
• foam brushes - 8 @ $0.50 ~ $4
• poly, 1 qt @ $12
• soft close euro hinges - 2 pr @ $14/pr ~ $28

Matl. Total: ~$440

Labor: 20 hrs @ $20/hr = $400

COGS: ~$850

Click to expand...

Madmark2 said:

Walnut Air Filter Stand

We have pets and with pets comes pet dander and allergies. We bought a Grizzly G0738 two stage (5um & 1um) filter.

Grizzly G0738 two stage, three speed air filter w/ remote.

It really makes a difference but it's not the most attractive box in the bedroom. It's been sitting on a faux walnut MDF stand that's falling apart. I decided, and SWMBO agreed, that something better was needed.

Completed top is gorgeous!

I came up with a design for a real walnut (& walnut A-A ply) stand. Here it is after the first coat of MS thinned 50%-50% poly and waiting on the top (which will have a live edge but isn't built yet.)

Cabinet with lower storage.

I had to CAD the carcass. It is built out of four panels with 3/4" walnut ply base and middle shelf. The base is 32" tall by 24" wide x 22" deep. The top is 28" x 24" with 2" overhang on the live edge front and sides. The top will be flush to the back.

Doors:
Construction started with the two raised panel doors. I have the Grizzly H5553 reversable rail/stile and panel set with the classic ogee profile. This was the first project that I used this on and the doors gave me an opportunity to dial in the reversable rail and stile set. Being anal (engineer) I had to draw up the stacks in assembly order locating the various thickness washers, bearing, and cutters. After cleaning, all the washers and cutter spacings were mike'd with my digital caliper and noted on the drawings to insure accuracy.

Stack for stile dado.

Stack for rail tenon.

By cutting the dado's first, the finished face is used as a reference. The 1/4" dado position becomes a reference for cutting the rail tenons.

Alignment Diagram.

The 4/4 S2S walnut from Craftsmen Supply (Ybor City/Tampa) came in at ~7/8". Rather than plane down the extra thickness into dust, I used it as-is. The only issue this caused was some extra tweaking of the ply deck and the face frame was too thick for the hinges. To get around this the sides of the door frame were undercut with a router and rabbeting bit to exactly 3/4". The hinges fit perfectly and the rabbet is essentially invisible.

I used one piece of 1×6x28 walnut per door with sawdust left over. The doors were given a slathering of wax as a "shop finish" to protect them until the rest of the cabinet was ready. The thinned poly went thru the wax like it wasn't there during the actual finish process.

UL: Panel cutting jig,
UR: Botched rout on rear,
LL: Test fit,
LR: Under clamps.

Before and after waxing.

The doors were set aside until the front frame was built. The hinge positions were verified against the frame opening and door size before drilling the 35mm hinge cups. I set the centerline stop on the drill press to 13/16" and just drill at the marks for perfectly positioned hinge cups. I set the panel flat on the drill press table and set the depth stop flush with the surface. A piece of 1/2" scrap under the stock raises the stock the thickness needed to drill the cups. Then I use the self centering drill bits in the corded VSR hand power drill in a hinge set in the cup to pilot the two mounting screws. This perfectly aligns the mounting holes with the cup using the hinge itself as the jig.

Sides:
Next came the two side panels, these are traditional rail and stile frames with 1/4" walnut ply panel inserts.

These went together easily because of the CAD analysis allowed me to set and reset the extra thickness rail and stile pieces with precision.

Four L's form two panels

The side panels are the strength members. The middle deck 3/4" plywood is supported by 3/4" sq cleats biscuited into the rails of side panels. The bottom of the sides have another biscuited cleat in the bottom rail. This cleat is glued to and rests on the 3/4" ply base, transferring the load down to the legs.

The cleats were positioned self referentially so the ~3/4" walnut decking would sit flush with the edge of the side, hiding the plywood grain. Setting the stock and biscuiter flush on the saw top "zeroed" the slots in the cleats. Then I used a cutoff from the ply as a spacer to lift the biscuiter up and cut the slots in the sides. Without measuring, the biscuiter cutter height, or the ply thickness, I was able to blind glue the cleats and it came out dead flush.

Self referential parts fit perfectly flush.

Front:
I hadn't fully thought thru the front face frame design. I had sketched it as two full height stiles with top, middle, and bottom rails. The bottom was to have two euro hinged doors and needed a flat 3/4" mounting surface. The top half was to have flat panels in rabbeted stiles and tenon edged rails. There was no clean way to transition one piece from flat to rabbeted so a different answer was needed. The rails were run full width with the stiles tenoned instead. The bottom was done with biscuits on the butt joints. The center rail was flat on the lower edge and rabbeted on the top. This solved the problem but leaves exposed end grain on the sides. I may make some trim to cover it.

The top panel looked boring and too wide so I added a center stile. This made the inset panels almost square. I mis-cut the panels 1/4" too narrow but they fit well with the spaceballs in the rabbets. I was careful to orient and sequence the panel plys consecutively.

Back:
The back also had three full width rails but was easier to make as everything was rabbeted in one go. As luck would have it, I cut the bottom stiles 1/4" too long. Better long than short and a quick trim brought everything back in spec.

Bottom:
The bottom had holes drilled for the screw on legs 3" in from each corner of the base or 3-7/8" from the outer edges. For some reason the screw studs were over an inch long and, with no way to trim them down, they project completely thru the 3/4 ply lower deck. The legs had small plastic protector caps on the screws that I trimmed and used to cap the exposed ends inside the lower shelf. Its not the best solution, but it's neat and better than leaving the studs exposed.

3×3x6 pyramid legs.

The top plates were installed using the supplied #6 hardware directly over the 3/8" hole for the studs. The inverted pyramid feet were set back to prevent the puppies from using them as a fire hydrant. The tops were recessed slightly to hide the mounting plates.

5/16-18 top plates.

Assembly:
The sides are biscuited into the front and back. The panels were set up on the saw in the same assembly corner I use for small boxes. The deck ply was fitted but not glued while the sides were glued to the back. Once these had set up, the front was glued on and the deck was glued down and weighted.

Finally the cab was inverted onto the floor and the bottom, feet and all, was glued in place, weighted and left to set overnight.

Finishing:
The completed box was sanded to 120 all round. One thing about gluing on the saw top is that all squeezeout in contact with the iron turns black and is easy to see where sanding is needed (LOL).

After sanding, a flood coat of 50%-50% MS-Poly mix is applied everywhere. The ply and end grains drank the poly up almost instantly. I reapply until it appears slightly wet.

I use 3" and 1-1/2" disposable foam brushes for streak free and easy application. Disposable brushes are easier on the environment than cleaning good brushes with a pint of MS. It took a while, but I got every square inch (except the top edge where the top will attach) inside and out.

The doors are mounted and the knobs attached. SWMBO selected and ordered nice real crystal round knobs with dark bases. These pair nicely with the walnut and, being round, can't be misaligned. The holes were drilled with a simple stop block on the drill press for perfect alignment.

Doors closed, open, and closing .

I haven't dialed the hinges in yet, but they self close with less than 1/8" gap between them.

Top:
The top was supposed to be 28×24 out of a 5 board glueup with 2" overhang on the front and sides. As I sorted and squared I came up with a really good grain match across four pieces that was great but only 23-1/2". Guess what?! The top is now 28×23-1/2"! LOL I'm not a slave to the plan and I'm more concerned about yield than having to hit an arbitrary dimension.

• After all, how much overhang on a top is "right"? 1/2"?, none?, 2"?, 6"? I've seen tables with dimensions all over the place. 2" was a nice, round number, but 1-1/2" will work too. None of you would know if I didn't tell you. LOL

Anyway the four pieces were laid out and cut for #20 biscuits in three places and glued up as two pairs, I-II and III-IV. Both pieces came in under 13" which is the limit on my planer so that's good. I was hoping to use the new scraper set that came today instead of planing.

The two halves are under clamps now.

Halves clamping.

As luck would have it I just bought (arrived today!) a six pack of assorted shape scrapers, Grizzly D3294 (yes, I do know how to use hand tools!)

The scraper made quick work of the squeeze out.

Before and after. Sharp scraper curls. Nice clean seam.

Finally both halves are biscuited, glued, and clamped to final size.

Final top glue up. The color sequence helps hide the seams. This will be beautiful when finished.

The plan is to wire brush the live edge to remove any loose material, then round the corners and rout a profile on the sides.

One of my (many) pet peeves is pointy corners. I tend to carom off things and have been gouged by pointy corners furniture and the like my whole life. So the two front corners will be radiused and the edges profiled as an architectural detail.

Looking great!

• Joinery Aside:
  Some insist that a jointer is mandatory for getting glue edge seam. The seams on this top are tight and straight off the saw with my favorite blade, the Freud LU83 combo. The lumber was all S2S and some was slightly bowed yet the seams are straight and tight. It gives glassy crosscuts and glue line rips. This is why there's no joiner in my shop. I just haven't found the need.

Because of expansion I'm going to biscuit the top to the back but let the front float on clips.

I've been kicking around the thought of milling some cove for under the table lip but wasn't sure I'd have enough walnut left. The savings on the top gives me a 1×6x32 board to spare so I've got the material. The only secondary woods are whatever is inside the walnut ply and the biscuits. Everything including cleats and supports is solid walnut.

Completed project.

Materials:

• 4/4×6 S2S walnut - 21bf @ $12/bf ~ $252 (includes top)
• 3×3x6 pyramid 5/16-18 screw on legs - $40/set of 4
• 5/16-18 top plates - $15/set of 4
• 1/4 A-A walnut ply, 2×4 sheet - $40
• 3/4 A-B walnut ply, 2×2 sheet - 2 @ $20 ea ~ $40
• knobs - 2 @ $2.50 ea ~ $5
• biscuits - 20 @ $0.05 ea ~ $1
• glue brushes - 8 @ $0.50 ~ $4
• foam brushes - 8 @ $0.50 ~ $4
• poly, 1 qt @ $12
• soft close euro hinges - 2 pr @ $14/pr ~ $28

Matl. Total: ~$440

Labor: 20 hrs @ $20/hr = $400

COGS: ~$850

Click to expand...

Madmark2 said:

Walnut Air Filter Stand

We have pets and with pets comes pet dander and allergies. We bought a Grizzly G0738 two stage (5um & 1um) filter.

Grizzly G0738 two stage, three speed air filter w/ remote.

It really makes a difference but it's not the most attractive box in the bedroom. It's been sitting on a faux walnut MDF stand that's falling apart. I decided, and SWMBO agreed, that something better was needed.

Completed top is gorgeous!

I came up with a design for a real walnut (& walnut A-A ply) stand. Here it is after the first coat of MS thinned 50%-50% poly and waiting on the top (which will have a live edge but isn't built yet.)

Cabinet with lower storage.

I had to CAD the carcass. It is built out of four panels with 3/4" walnut ply base and middle shelf. The base is 32" tall by 24" wide x 22" deep. The top is 28" x 24" with 2" overhang on the live edge front and sides. The top will be flush to the back.

Doors:
Construction started with the two raised panel doors. I have the Grizzly H5553 reversable rail/stile and panel set with the classic ogee profile. This was the first project that I used this on and the doors gave me an opportunity to dial in the reversable rail and stile set. Being anal (engineer) I had to draw up the stacks in assembly order locating the various thickness washers, bearing, and cutters. After cleaning, all the washers and cutter spacings were mike'd with my digital caliper and noted on the drawings to insure accuracy.

Stack for stile dado.

Stack for rail tenon.

By cutting the dado's first, the finished face is used as a reference. The 1/4" dado position becomes a reference for cutting the rail tenons.

Alignment Diagram.

The 4/4 S2S walnut from Craftsmen Supply (Ybor City/Tampa) came in at ~7/8". Rather than plane down the extra thickness into dust, I used it as-is. The only issue this caused was some extra tweaking of the ply deck and the face frame was too thick for the hinges. To get around this the sides of the door frame were undercut with a router and rabbeting bit to exactly 3/4". The hinges fit perfectly and the rabbet is essentially invisible.

I used one piece of 1×6x28 walnut per door with sawdust left over. The doors were given a slathering of wax as a "shop finish" to protect them until the rest of the cabinet was ready. The thinned poly went thru the wax like it wasn't there during the actual finish process.

UL: Panel cutting jig,
UR: Botched rout on rear,
LL: Test fit,
LR: Under clamps.

Before and after waxing.

The doors were set aside until the front frame was built. The hinge positions were verified against the frame opening and door size before drilling the 35mm hinge cups. I set the centerline stop on the drill press to 13/16" and just drill at the marks for perfectly positioned hinge cups. I set the panel flat on the drill press table and set the depth stop flush with the surface. A piece of 1/2" scrap under the stock raises the stock the thickness needed to drill the cups. Then I use the self centering drill bits in the corded VSR hand power drill in a hinge set in the cup to pilot the two mounting screws. This perfectly aligns the mounting holes with the cup using the hinge itself as the jig.

Sides:
Next came the two side panels, these are traditional rail and stile frames with 1/4" walnut ply panel inserts.

These went together easily because of the CAD analysis allowed me to set and reset the extra thickness rail and stile pieces with precision.

Four L's form two panels

The side panels are the strength members. The middle deck 3/4" plywood is supported by 3/4" sq cleats biscuited into the rails of side panels. The bottom of the sides have another biscuited cleat in the bottom rail. This cleat is glued to and rests on the 3/4" ply base, transferring the load down to the legs.

The cleats were positioned self referentially so the ~3/4" walnut decking would sit flush with the edge of the side, hiding the plywood grain. Setting the stock and biscuiter flush on the saw top "zeroed" the slots in the cleats. Then I used a cutoff from the ply as a spacer to lift the biscuiter up and cut the slots in the sides. Without measuring, the biscuiter cutter height, or the ply thickness, I was able to blind glue the cleats and it came out dead flush.

Self referential parts fit perfectly flush.

Front:
I hadn't fully thought thru the front face frame design. I had sketched it as two full height stiles with top, middle, and bottom rails. The bottom was to have two euro hinged doors and needed a flat 3/4" mounting surface. The top half was to have flat panels in rabbeted stiles and tenon edged rails. There was no clean way to transition one piece from flat to rabbeted so a different answer was needed. The rails were run full width with the stiles tenoned instead. The bottom was done with biscuits on the butt joints. The center rail was flat on the lower edge and rabbeted on the top. This solved the problem but leaves exposed end grain on the sides. I may make some trim to cover it.

The top panel looked boring and too wide so I added a center stile. This made the inset panels almost square. I mis-cut the panels 1/4" too narrow but they fit well with the spaceballs in the rabbets. I was careful to orient and sequence the panel plys consecutively.

Back:
The back also had three full width rails but was easier to make as everything was rabbeted in one go. As luck would have it, I cut the bottom stiles 1/4" too long. Better long than short and a quick trim brought everything back in spec.

Bottom:
The bottom had holes drilled for the screw on legs 3" in from each corner of the base or 3-7/8" from the outer edges. For some reason the screw studs were over an inch long and, with no way to trim them down, they project completely thru the 3/4 ply lower deck. The legs had small plastic protector caps on the screws that I trimmed and used to cap the exposed ends inside the lower shelf. Its not the best solution, but it's neat and better than leaving the studs exposed.

3×3x6 pyramid legs.

The top plates were installed using the supplied #6 hardware directly over the 3/8" hole for the studs. The inverted pyramid feet were set back to prevent the puppies from using them as a fire hydrant. The tops were recessed slightly to hide the mounting plates.

5/16-18 top plates.

Assembly:
The sides are biscuited into the front and back. The panels were set up on the saw in the same assembly corner I use for small boxes. The deck ply was fitted but not glued while the sides were glued to the back. Once these had set up, the front was glued on and the deck was glued down and weighted.

Finally the cab was inverted onto the floor and the bottom, feet and all, was glued in place, weighted and left to set overnight.

Finishing:
The completed box was sanded to 120 all round. One thing about gluing on the saw top is that all squeezeout in contact with the iron turns black and is easy to see where sanding is needed (LOL).

After sanding, a flood coat of 50%-50% MS-Poly mix is applied everywhere. The ply and end grains drank the poly up almost instantly. I reapply until it appears slightly wet.

I use 3" and 1-1/2" disposable foam brushes for streak free and easy application. Disposable brushes are easier on the environment than cleaning good brushes with a pint of MS. It took a while, but I got every square inch (except the top edge where the top will attach) inside and out.

The doors are mounted and the knobs attached. SWMBO selected and ordered nice real crystal round knobs with dark bases. These pair nicely with the walnut and, being round, can't be misaligned. The holes were drilled with a simple stop block on the drill press for perfect alignment.

Doors closed, open, and closing .

I haven't dialed the hinges in yet, but they self close with less than 1/8" gap between them.

Top:
The top was supposed to be 28×24 out of a 5 board glueup with 2" overhang on the front and sides. As I sorted and squared I came up with a really good grain match across four pieces that was great but only 23-1/2". Guess what?! The top is now 28×23-1/2"! LOL I'm not a slave to the plan and I'm more concerned about yield than having to hit an arbitrary dimension.

• After all, how much overhang on a top is "right"? 1/2"?, none?, 2"?, 6"? I've seen tables with dimensions all over the place. 2" was a nice, round number, but 1-1/2" will work too. None of you would know if I didn't tell you. LOL

Anyway the four pieces were laid out and cut for #20 biscuits in three places and glued up as two pairs, I-II and III-IV. Both pieces came in under 13" which is the limit on my planer so that's good. I was hoping to use the new scraper set that came today instead of planing.

The two halves are under clamps now.

Halves clamping.

As luck would have it I just bought (arrived today!) a six pack of assorted shape scrapers, Grizzly D3294 (yes, I do know how to use hand tools!)

The scraper made quick work of the squeeze out.

Before and after. Sharp scraper curls. Nice clean seam.

Finally both halves are biscuited, glued, and clamped to final size.

Final top glue up. The color sequence helps hide the seams. This will be beautiful when finished.

The plan is to wire brush the live edge to remove any loose material, then round the corners and rout a profile on the sides.

One of my (many) pet peeves is pointy corners. I tend to carom off things and have been gouged by pointy corners furniture and the like my whole life. So the two front corners will be radiused and the edges profiled as an architectural detail.

Looking great!

• Joinery Aside:
  Some insist that a jointer is mandatory for getting glue edge seam. The seams on this top are tight and straight off the saw with my favorite blade, the Freud LU83 combo. The lumber was all S2S and some was slightly bowed yet the seams are straight and tight. It gives glassy crosscuts and glue line rips. This is why there's no joiner in my shop. I just haven't found the need.

Because of expansion I'm going to biscuit the top to the back but let the front float on clips.

I've been kicking around the thought of milling some cove for under the table lip but wasn't sure I'd have enough walnut left. The savings on the top gives me a 1×6x32 board to spare so I've got the material. The only secondary woods are whatever is inside the walnut ply and the biscuits. Everything including cleats and supports is solid walnut.

Completed project.

Materials:

• 4/4×6 S2S walnut - 21bf @ $12/bf ~ $252 (includes top)
• 3×3x6 pyramid 5/16-18 screw on legs - $40/set of 4
• 5/16-18 top plates - $15/set of 4
• 1/4 A-A walnut ply, 2×4 sheet - $40
• 3/4 A-B walnut ply, 2×2 sheet - 2 @ $20 ea ~ $40
• knobs - 2 @ $2.50 ea ~ $5
• biscuits - 20 @ $0.05 ea ~ $1
• glue brushes - 8 @ $0.50 ~ $4
• foam brushes - 8 @ $0.50 ~ $4
• poly, 1 qt @ $12
• soft close euro hinges - 2 pr @ $14/pr ~ $28

Matl. Total: ~$440

Labor: 20 hrs @ $20/hr = $400

COGS: ~$850

Click to expand...