Kitchen Cabinet Job #4: Strike a Pose…errr Arc.
Since the last update on this job, I have been working on the drawer fronts and doors. I decided to go with a simple frame and panel door with the [...]
Kitchen Cabinet Job #3
Just a quick update on the kitchen cabinet job I’ve been working on. I actually haven’t spent a lot of time on them lately. I took some time off during [...]
Kitchen Cabinet Job #2
It’s been about 2 weeks since I’ve posted anything, so here’s an update on my kitchen cabinet job. I have all the carcases built, stained and topcoated. They have been [...]
Kitchen Cabinet Job #1
So I finally got started on my grandmothers kitchen cabinets this week. We decided to go with pre-finished plywood skinned with 1/4 in oak ply and oak face frames. [...]
Router Table #3 : Mounting The Router and Building a Fence
Ok, so I knew that this build was going way too smooth and that sooner or later a problem or mistake had to surface. Well, after fitting the insert plate perfectly ( not the least bit of play ), I got busy mounting the router base to the insert. This all went very smoothly as well and the router is about at close to center as anyone could get it. After all of this, the top was still not attached, so I flipped the top upside down on my workbench and turned the cabinet over on it. After drilling and driving screws, I threw a coat of shellac on it just to seal the outside. After the shellac dried is where I ran into trouble…
I have no helper, so I levered the top on my bench and flipped it over. At some point, the top slipped, I heard a “crack” and the case fell on top of the stretcher of my bench. After collecting my thoughts and flipping it back up, I saw the source of the “crack”. About an inch and a half chunk of laminate snapped off. After cursing for a few minutes, I applied some cement and glued the piece back in. This fix wasn’t terrible, but I could see it and for everything else to look so good, it stood out like a sore thumb. This was one of those times when I just needed to leave the shop for awhile.
After taking my mind off of the problem, it hit me…just trim off an inch and a half of the front of the top and glue in a piece of veneer. After returning to the shop, I set up a straightedge and spiral bit and began cutting. After the front strip was removed, I cut a piece of veneer to match the trim and glued it in. After trimming and chamfering, it’s really hard to tell that there ever was a problem. As a matter of fact, the top is now 28 inches instead of 29.5, so it will probably work out better anyway…next…on to the fence.
So I ripped 3 strips of mdf to 6 inches, cut some 45 degree blocks and glued up the fence…nothing unusual here. While that was drying, I took the third piece of mdf, cut it in half and applied more plastic laminate with contact cement. After that, I cut them down a bit and put a 45 degree bevel on the inside edges that will be near the bit. After the fence dried, I took it out, cleaned it up and cut out a large opening for the bit using the table saw and a jig saw. It turned out pretty well although I still have to cut slots to mount the movable pieces to the fence. So I’ll post some more as I get it done, but until then, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Router Table #2 : Tabletop
So the base cabinet is done for the moment, so lets move on to the tabletop. I cut two generous sized pieces of mdf and glued them up. After that big hung of weight had set up, I trimmed the edges and made sure it was all square. I had some Oak plywood scraps laying around and was too lazy to plane/joint some rough oak to size, so I cut the scraps to size, mitered the corners glued them onto the mdf top for the edging.
Next, I cut two over sized pieces of white plastic laminate, spread out the contact cement ( almost got high from the fumes ) and then applied the laminate when the cement was tacky. I did this for both the top and bottom. After rolling out the laminate, I took a flush trim bit in the router followed by a slight chamfer around both the top and bottom. This went well as I was pleased with the outcome.
Now I had this really nice top and was very nervous about cutting the hole in the top for the insert. After carefully making my calculations, I constructed a jig from scrap plywood and pocket screws to run the router around. After positioning it and clamping it down, I finally just had to get over the nerves and just go for it. Using a 1/4 inch up spiral bit, I went for it. After about 4 or 5 passes, the big hunk of meat fell out and I was left with a really nice hole exactly as intended. I next chucked up a 3/8 inch rabbet bit in the router and went to town after removing the pattern. This left a perfect fitting ledge for my shiny new router insert…except for the corners. The rabbet bit left too large a radius in the corners. So after considering what to do for a minute, I chucked up a 1/2 in straight bit ( which is the correct radius ), mounted a straightedge to keep me in check and carefully worked into the corners. After just a minute amount of chisel work, the insert plate “fit like a glove”.
I guess tomorrow it will be construction of a decent fence and figuring out how to drill holes in the router insert for the mounting screws as well as the adjustment points. So, I’ll post more as I get it. –JackD
Router Table #1 : Base Cabinet
So let me start by saying that I have a kitchen cabinet job to do for my elderly grandmother. She has been in poor health and my family all went in together and built an addition (apartment) onto my aunt’s house for her to live in. I have many uncles, aunts and cousins and many of them chipped in and did tasks like wiring the electrical, drywall, carpentry and plumbing. I must say that the addition turned out beautiful.
This is where I come in…Being a woodworker, I was asked about the cabinets for the small kitchenette. I consider myself to be an intermediate woodworker and as such did not hesitate to try and tackle the job even though I’ve never built any kitchen cabinets. I started doing some research and some modeling in Sketchup and realized that kitchen cabinets are much different than the furniture I’m used to building. But so far it has been a nice change of pace and I really enjoy it.
The first thing I decided to do was to build a new router table. I burned my last one when I remodeled the shop and haven’t gotten around to building a new one. I knew I would need it for moldings and such. So I decided to kill two birds with one stone. I wanted to do a dry run on a base cabinet carcase and also wanted a cabinet style router table, so off to buy a sheet of plywood. After I got home, I jumped right in and almost immediately I realized that it sure would be nice to have 7′ rails for my table saw. I got around the capacity limitation by measuring and clamping a straightedge along the left side of the workpiece and running that along the left side of the saw. It worked well, but was a pain ( I have since ordered the 7′ rails…should be here in 3 to 5 days ). Anyway, the Birch plywood base cabinet turned out beautifully ( my opinion here ).
I installed a shelf in the bottom and eventually plan to install a deep drawer in the space below. I also plan to construct some tall narrow boxes with bit drawers in the left side, electrical on the right side and some baffles in the center section with a dust collector hookup.
I think I accomplished my goal as I completed the cabinet in about 2 1/2 hours and gained a little experience with standard cabinets. Next onto the top and a nice new router table.
Leah’s Bookcase
Well, I guess I kind of put the Asian Inspired Greene and Greene Bookcase on the back burner for now. I actually started the project two different times and just didn’t like the way it looked when I made up the side panels. Soooo, Leah was really needing a bookcase for the house so for the short term I just decided to buckle down and knock out an Arts and Crafts bookcase for now and revisit the other later. The photos posted here are what I came up with. It turned out really nice and she likes it, but I still have the urge to go back to the drawing board and figure out what exactly it was that struck me wrong about the Asian Inspired G&G case. I really don’t know. I modeled it in Sketchup and it looked good, but after I made the legs, rails and stretchers, it just wasn’t what I was looking for. Maybe it’s the scale…Anyway, I’ll let you know when I figure it out and hopefully get moving along on it as soon as I finish the small kitchen cabinet job I have lined up at the moment. Until then…. Jack D
Roubo Workbench #3
Well, I didn’t publish many of the steps on this project because I just really got into the construction and didn’t want to lose my rhythm. Anyway, I took some pictures along the way and here is a dump of them all. They’re actually ordered backwards, but you get the idea. The last two involved laminating the top. The next four were routing the dog strip and gluing the top up into one big slab. A preliminary flattening in the next two. A close up of the track the wagon vise will ride in, a couple of the completed base and the last (or actually first) is of the base and top attached.
A few construction notes. I pretty much built this after the Roubo in Chris Schwarz’s Workbenches book which I bought. I think he is right on with that book and I learned a lot by reading it and then in constructing this bench. The only difference in mine and the one in Chris’s book is the tenon pegs in the top and in the wagon vise. I drawbored the pegs in the legs and stretcher joints, but I basically didn’t want to drawbore the pegs in the top in case I every want to drill them out and remove it. So what I did was to pull the base down with clamps really tight and then drill and install hardwood pegs. I may be a rookie here and should’ve drawbored the pegs, but it is rock solid and I’m happy with it right now. The other thing is the dog strip. I made a router template and routed square dog holes in the dog strip every 4 inches. I also routed grooves for the wagon vise block to ride in which should give me about 9 inches between the end of the dog strip and the block when it is fully opened.
I still have several things to do…buy some hard maple to construct an end cap for the wagon vise, a leg vise chop as well a sliding deadman. I’m also planing to build a second vise at some point that will slide along the track that the deadman slides in. I have to decide on some vise screws…whether I want to go with regular metal screws, buy some of the big wooden screws or buy a Beall woodthreader and make my own. I also have to construct a planing stop and purchase some holdfasts along with some other odds and ends.
With that being said, I think the first thing I’m gonna do is build some furniture. That’s right, I’m gonna actually slap a little finish on this puppy and drive it around naked. I’m really exciting about the clamping possibilities on this monster and I want to try it out in its current state before I make any decisions on vise screws and such. Hopefully that will give me more insight on some of the choices I need to make. So, I’ll let you know in a few days how it’s going, but until then I’ll be out in the shop. 
Roubo Workbench #2
I’ve only had about 2 hours of shop time since my last Roubo post, but thought I’d go ahead and put up a few more pictures of what I’ve accomplished. I actually have to go and pick up some more SYP at Home Depot to finish the top. There is a Lowe’s close to my area, but none of their SYP is kiln dried. The closest Home Depot is an hour away, so I don’t know when I’ll make it to pick some up.
I need about 3 boards to finish the top. If you look at the first picture below, the single 3 board piece on the left is the front of the bench. The four 3 board sections to the right are all glued up and will be the rear of the top. I have to glue up one more board and add it to the front piece and then a 2 board section will be milled with square dog holes and glued in between the front and rear sections to complete the top. I’m planning to put in a removable end cap on the right side and install a “wagon vise” made from just a block sliding in grooves with a screw driving it through the cap.
While I’m picking up the wood for the rest of the top, I’ll go ahead and pick up enough for the legs and stretchers and get that going next. Finally, the last two pictures included here show the solid rear of the top (the part behind the bench dog strip) glued up and in the clamps. I was really happy with how everything lined up. I’ll still have to flatten it with planes, but it shouldn’t be that difficult. Boy…I really need to make an investment in some parallel clamps!
I’ll post some more as progress continues. –JD
Roubo Workbench #1
I came to a harsh realization the other day when working on Leah’s bookcase…not having a decent workbench sucks bad! I walked in the house with my tail between my legs and explained that her bookcase would be delayed a little longer while I built at least my benchtop. I explained that I really needed the bench space because I was tired of being held back by my cheap flimsy bench with limited space. She said she understood and it was back out to the shop.
I decided to do the lamination in 3 board sections, so I began jointing, planing and cutting everything to dimension. My first 3 board glue up was all over the place. No matter what I did, I just couldn’t get it perfectly aligned. So after the glue up, it was back to the jointer and planer. After quite a bit of work, I was very happy with the result, but like I said, a lot of work.
On the next glue up, I decided to run a row of biscuits 1 inch from the bottom for better alignment. This was exactly what I needed and they went together beatifully. There will still be a little jointer and planer work, but much better. And with 3 inches above the biscuits, there is planty of meat for flattening the top through the years. So with that set, I was off to glue up the remaining 3 board sections, which are still in the clamps as I type this. The idea is to joint/plane each of these sections to the same thickness and glue them up two at a time. At that point, I can still get them through my planer for surfacing. I should be in pretty good shape when I glue up the entire assembly and have to pull out my #5 and #7. I knew this slab would be heavy, but I clamped it all up before glue up just to see and massive seems to be an understatement. Here’s a few pictures at various stages.
Bookcase Update
So it’s been a while since my last post, so I thought I’d post a little general info of what’s been going on. A little while ago I had a post that I was thinking of building an Asian inspired Greene and Greene bookcase. Well, I actually started the project and made the curved legs and side rails. After I was done, I just took a step back and totally did not like the way they looked. So, after making changes and racking my brain for a few days, it dawned on me that the look was just too heavy for a shorter piece like this will be. Back to the drawing board. I finally decided to scrap the whole idea and go with more of a traditional arts and crafts design. This will give me more of the lighter look that I was shooting for. I’ve included some pictures of the legs which are done with the exception of a groove that has to be cut. I have also got all of the rails glued up and in clamps right now as well as the back center divider. I’ll post more pics as progress continues.
On a little different note, I still have not made any progress on tool and storage cabinets or a decent workbench. After some thought and research I have decided to go with a Roubo workbench made out of Southern Yellow Pine. I went to Home Depot the other night and purchased enough SYP for the top. I then brought it back to the shop and stacked it so it would have good air flow all around it. I hope to get started on it in the next couple of weeks as soon as I get Leah’s bookcase done. As you can see by the picture of my pitiful little store-bought bench I’ve been stuck with, it will be a huge improvement. Hopefully then I can get some tool cabinets built.
Later – JD
Oak Lumber Rack #2
Well, here are a couple of photos of my oak lumber rack/miter saw bench project. I completed all the beams and support arms, glued them up and put in draw bored pegs to secure them. After that, I put on a couple of coats of Watco Golden Oak Danish Oil After a final scraping, then sanding. I mounted them to the wall with 6″ lag bolts and washers and used small oak wedges to square everything up. I’ll be stacking a load of cherry on it today and then eventually (I don’t know when) I’ll be finishing the miter saw bench. I also plan on building a Roubo workbench very soon as well as some cabinets and an assembly/outfeed table. Thanks for looking and I’ll post more pics when I get the bench done. –Jack
Oak Lumber Rack Project
Well, I’m glad to be back in the land of woodworking. I installed my air conditioning last week and it made it not only bearable, but downright comfortable in the shop. I can see myself getting a lot of work done now, whether summertime or winter. Anyway, just thought I’d post a few pictures of my latest shop project. It is a lumber rack/miter saw bench made up of 4/4 oak. Rough 4/4 is what I had on hand, so there was much planing/jointing as well as a lot of glue, but it is paying off. When I first started the project, I, number 1 – didn’t realize the amount of work I was getting myself into, and number 2 – didn’t realize just how massive and pretty this thing would be. I mean I feel like I want to take in and mount it in my house instead of in the shop:) Anyway, I still have some work to do. I have to notch out the center bench support to accept my miter saw so that it will be flush with the benchtop. I also have to cut some stopped sliding dovetail slots in the bench support arms to accept the stretchers. I plan to go ahead and make the notch and dovetail slots now, but I am going to go ahead and install the rack and work on the actual bench a little later. I’ll post some more pics after it is up and installed. –Jack
