Harlequin side table

[Derek Cohen]

Thanks Curt. The next episode is dedicated to you


The Harlequin side table will have 8 drawers. The drawer case sides and the central drawer blade are panels and run in dados or housings (depending on which side of the pond you live). Positioning of these dados is critical since any misalignment will affect the aesthetic. It goes without saying (but I shall) that the alignment also determines that the side panels will be square ... and drawers need to run against square sides. All this is done here with hand tools.

Some of the finer points in getting it precise ...

First of all, templates (or story sticks) are created to position the dados. There are two for each side panel: the second is 10mm longer than the first. Scoring each creates an exact 10mm dado. There is a series of templates to position all the dados. This ensures that the upper and the lower dado are position exactly the same distance from the reference wall ...





A chisel wall is created for the marked outlines. This wall enables the fence to be lined up using a wide chisel ...



The sidewalls are sawn with a azebiki saw. This have two curved sides, one with coarse rip teeth and the other with fine crosscut teeth. I begin with the fine teeth and use them to establish the kerf, and then switch to to the coarse teeth for speedier sawing.



With a compass, I check that the kerf is parallel and to the desired width (10mm) ...



The sawn side wall is now chopped away close to full depth ...



This is done across the dados on one board at a time ...



The waste in the centre of each dado is removed with a router plane. The dados are done at the same time to save have to reset the depth of cut (one stroke on dado #1, one on dado #2, and one on dado #3 ... then back to #1 ...) ...



Keep an eye on the depth ...



Fine tune the dado should theoretically be unnecessary if they were marked accurately. In practice, I find that there is usually some waste in the corners, or a slightly sloped wall. For this reason I run a side rebate plane (here a Veritas), the length of each wall. This is not held vertically, since that with remove some of the width. Instead it is run at an angle away from the side wall, as it it was undercutting the side wall ...



The fit is now checked with an offcut from the side panel ...



The side rebate plane can take a smidgeon off the sidewall if the fit is too tight. Some will argue that it is preferable to plane the panel instead. In this situation that is not advisable since the panel is to slide along the dado, and a tight point will impede all points of the panel.

The carcase is Hard Maple, with Merbau as the secondary wood. Locally, Merbau is used for decking. It is cheap and hard, both qualities valued. But is a really brittle wood, and awful to work with. The number of splinters I have had ... and they are sharp and lodge deeply. Ugh!

It can look like this ...



... and then a section breaks away ...



At least it will be far inside the carcase and not be seen.

[Derek Cohen]

A panel is made up for the interior dividers ...





The pieces are fitted.

Will the careful planning and neurotic execution pay off?

I was holding my breath. This is a dry fit ....







(sound of breathing again)

Then I pulled it apart and glued up the carcase ...



More after the coming weekend.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[hbmcc]

Derek you use an azebiki in a lot of the woodwork we see. I can't tell if it is impulse hardened, and information from [ thewoodworks.com.au ] site discusses several types of saws including hardening processes. Do you sharpen your saws, send them out for sharpening, or toss and replace? (The reduced quantity of teeth makes it attractive for home sharpening.)

I have a ryoba with fully hardened teeth and it can get costly to replace blades, especially as I now need to go to the branded supplier for those blades.....

BTW, the OZ site has good info on Japanese saws. I am not sure as much variety is available in the US.

[Strokes77]

Derek I'm always so impressed with your skill and execution. Thanks for sharing.

[Derek Cohen]

We left off with the drawer dividers a dry fit in the case ...



And then this was pulled apart and the case glued up. After a clean up, the ends were looking a little tidier ...



Now we've been through this together with the Jarrah coffee table, but for those who want to know how ...

The ends are marked (with a washer) ..



The aim is the remove the waste progressively to the lines ...



This is quick to do with a low angle jack ...



.. and finish with a block plane ...



Now finish with sandpaper - 80/120/240 grit ...



The completed case ...



I spent a few hours today turning a few legs. Rather than show the prototypes, I am hoping that I may have enough time to complete them tomorrow - I have the afternoon off!
- and then I will post more photos.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[cputnam]

Looking great Derek - as usual.

[Derek Cohen]

The case was completed last time ...



... but before the drawer dividers can be permanently installed, the legs need to be made and attached.

This was the original drawing ...



Some has been retained and some has been changed.

Instead of curved legs, which I later decided did not match the overall style, I decided on round, tapered legs that will splay out from the case.

Before turning the legs, the splay was created by tapering the top of the legs on the table saw. The slider uses a Fritz and Frans jig to rip the end at the chosen angle (8 degrees). This ensured that the splay angle would be the same for all legs.



The blanks were then turned to shape. Here I am checking that the near-to-finished legs are the same dimensions and have the same taper angle ...



The ends were then cut off and the top was shaped with rasps and sandpaper ...



How to attach the legs? Well, that had given me a real headache. I was thinking along the lines of a loose tenon ... overcomplicating matters (as usual). A number suggested simply glueing and screwing. I was skeptical, but of course, a glue joint alone is generally stronger than the wood ... and reason prevailed


There are three screws per leg, which were countersunk for the drawers. The glue chosen was Titebond III.





All cleaned up, this is what we have (drumroll) ...







The splay to the side is 8 degree, and from the sides, the legs are aligned with the front and rear of the case.



Drawers next


Regards from Perth

Derek

[MarkSingleton]

Beautiful work Derek!!!

[Derek Cohen]

A frustrating Sunday: I began installing the horizontal divider/drawer blade, and my spatial confusion (or lack of concentration) kicked in. In went the divider ... upside down! Well, fortunately it jammed half-way and could not be glued in ...

Knocking it out, however, caused the rear section of the panel (it is made of three boards) to break off. It was glued back again, but the panel needed to dry before starting again, and so I lost my Sunday afternoon. This table is destined for the Perth Wood Show at the start of August, and I am already battling with time as weekends are generally all that are available for woodworking.

Fortunately, I had this afternoon (Monday) off from my practice, and had a couple of hours to try and catch up a little.

The glue dried, and the panel was fine. It was sanded to 240 grit, and then installed. Ditto the side dividers. All went smoothly ... all lined up and everything is square. Clearly I have been a good boy




The reason why the table is termed "Harlequin" is that the drawers will be a mix of different timbers: Black Walnut (x3), Figured Hard Maple (x2) (both from the USA), and Tasmanian Blue Gum (x3) (which is local, of course).

The drawer fronts all curve, and I spent the last part of the afternoon cutting out the Walnut blanks. This will will give you an idea of the effect ..



Unless someone is interested in a walk through in dovetailing on the curve (which I have posted here previously), the next images will be the completed table.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Bill Holt]

Derek, fella, I am really sorry you had to experience something (broken panel) similar to what the rest of us mere mortals go through.  Really glad it work out OK.  Even though I have not had a hard dead line, I know how frustrating it is to loose a few hours because of an unfortunate incident.

I DO LIKE the design of the contrasting drawer fronts!