Entry hall table for a niece

[Derek Cohen]

There are three articles on my website documenting this build. It began late November 2019, however I have just returned home from a month travelling around Austria and Germany, and just resumed (article 3).

1. Preparing and dimensioning stock: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/E...iece1.html

2. Start of mitred dovetailed casework:  http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/E...iece2.html

3. Fine tuning of mitred dovetails and completion of case: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/E...iece3.html

Hopefully this will open up discussion about design, joinery, methods of work, etc.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[hbmcc]

Really nice! Of course, I will pull out my Starretts and start poking soon. 

But, what is really on mind is the massive drought and all of the damage caused. Your home is spared. A relief!

[Derek Cohen]

Thanks for asking.

The fires were all on the east coast of Oz. I live on the west coast (that is the same distance as NY to LA). Everything was going on while we were in Europe. I knew less about the facts than anyone as my German is limited to reading some. The TV news was too difficult to grasp, and the Internet was impossible to access in the hotels in which we stayed (German and Austria must have the most backward media services around!).

My son, who lives in Sydney with an apartment overlooking the Sydney Harbour Bridge said it was obscured by the haze. My brother-in-law in Auckland (New Zealand) reported that the smoke had reached the city. Here in Western Australia we have our annual forest fires, but nothing like the horror and tragedy in the eastern states.

It's good to be home, safe and healthy.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[stav]

The build is looking great so far.  I really like that wood.

[Derek Cohen]

Having completed the dovetailing of the case, the next step is to bevel the front face, and rebate the rear for a back panel.

I had been considering a cove in place of a bevel, however when I mocked this up it came across as appearing too busy. So, back to the bevel.

The angle for the bevel was finalised at 55 degrees. This enabled a 6mm (1/4") flat edge and a bevel that ran to roughly 4mm of the first dovetail. A 45 degree bevel would run into the dovetail.

The lines for the bevel were marked and then roughed out on the table saw ...



The table saw is a slider, and the rip fence was used to position spacers, before clamping a panel for cutting the bevel.

The bevel was then finished with a hand plane ...



This Jarrah is particularly interlocked but planes well with both a high cutting angle (the little HNT Gordon palm smoother) and a close set chipbreaker (the Veritas Custom #4).

Once the bevels were completed, the rear rebate was ploughed ...





Now the panels could be assembled into a case once again, and the work examined for tuning.

Three of the bevels needed tuning. This ranged from a smidgeon here ...



... to a largish amount ...



The case was dissembled and the bevelled edged planed down, re-assembled, checked, pulled apart again, planed ...

The rebates at the rear turned out to not require any tuning, with the exception of one corner ...



... where I had obviously forgotten to plane!
:\

That was easily rectified ( ... but the case had to be dissembled again). Finally, this is the rear of the case and the completed rebates ...



This is a rebated corner ...



Here are the front bevelled corners ...





This illustrates by the mitres on the corners of the dovetailed case needed to be perfect. Any undercutting would show here.



Next, the drawer dividers need to be done. I'll mention here - since I would appreciate the thoughts of others - that this area has been my biggest headache.

The reason is that my niece would like the drawers to have the appearance of a single board. However, to achieve this, because of the bevels, is quite complicated.

First of all, the table cannot have just two drawers. The width of the drawers will be greater than their depth, and this would likely lead to racking. Consequently, I plan to build three drawers, which will be more favourable for the width vs depth ratio..

Secondly, if the drawers have dividers between them, which they need (since I do not do runners), then there will be a gap between the drawer fronts (which will not flow uninterrupted).

As I see it, there are two choices: the first is to build the drawers with planted fronts. This is not a method I like (but it may be expedient). The second option is to set the dovetailed drawers sides back (recess them) to account for the internal drawer dividers.

Thoughts?

Regards from Perth

Derek

[hbmcc]

Next, the drawer dividers need to be done. I'll mention here - since I would appreciate the thoughts of others - that this area has been my biggest headache.

The reason is that my niece would like the drawers to have the appearance of a single board. However, to achieve this, because of the bevels, is quite complicated.

First of all, the table cannot have just two drawers. The width of the drawers will be greater than their depth, and this would likely lead to racking. Consequently, I plan to build three drawers, which will be more favourable for the width vs depth ratio..

Secondly, if the drawers have dividers between them, which they need (since I do not do runners), then there will be a gap between the drawer fronts (which will not flow uninterrupted).

As I see it, there are two choices: the first is to build the drawers with planted fronts. This is not a method I like (but it may be expedient). The second option is to set the dovetailed drawers sides back (recess them) to account for the internal drawer dividers.

Thoughts?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Why have 3 drawers; why two? You can do a single drawer--with a single uninterrupted face board. Just add a bottom guide rail. The only reason drawers bind is when flexure, or a fit too loose, too tight, or too frictioned is allowed. Almost every chest of drawers breaks the depth > span ratio you mention. 

So, what about the pulls?

[cputnam]

As I read your words and look at the pictures, I keep thinking of the parts for the La Forge Royal Miter Jack that I have sitting in the toolbox - complete with the Lake Erie wooden screw, 'Tis almost amusing, at least it would be were it not so frustrating, that I know very well what to do but lack in the execution skills faze. At least the overall direction is forward and the fatal errors are fewer. Do you already have a 45º paring jig for casework - or do you make one for each instance?

[Derek Cohen]

Why have 3 drawers; why two? You can do a single drawer--with a single uninterrupted face board. Just add a bottom guide rail. The only reason drawers bind is when flexure, or a fit too loose, too tight, or too frictioned is allowed. Almost every chest of drawers breaks the depth > span ratio you mention. 

So, what about the pulls?

When the width is much less than the depth, the drawer sides lose reference surface very rapidly as you pull the drawers out. As this happens, the drawers begin to rack, which means they come out unevenly and then get stuck. Two drawers will be too wide. One drawer will be a recipe for a disaster - I do not plan on mechanical devises with the drawers. Hence three drawers.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

As I read your words and look at the pictures, I keep thinking of the parts for the La Forge Royal Miter Jack that I have sitting in the toolbox - complete with the Lake Erie wooden screw,  'Tis almost amusing, at least it would be were it not so frustrating, that I know very well what to do but lack in the execution skills faze. At least the overall direction is forward and the fatal errors are fewer.  Do you already have a 45º paring jig for casework - or do you make one for each instance?

Hi Curt

I generally make up a new mitre paring guide each time (from scraps) as they get dinged and sliced up.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

What I need are lipped drawers.The question was whether I make them the easy way, which is by planting (glueing) on fronts. Or, whether I build them out of one piece, which is a lot more work as it requires creating half blind dovetails in a rebate.

For those unfamiliar with lipped drawers ..



This is the work of Christian Becksvoort ...





At this point, I am going to do it the hard way and make half-blind sockets in a rebated front. This is similar to building a secret dovetail.

To do this for all the drawers, the insides of the case at each end will require a spacer, essentially a 6mm panel glued to the insides. Each side will be half the thickness of the two middle drawer dividers (each 12mm). The centre dividers will be attached in a dado top and bottom.

Regards from Perth

Derek