Posts Tagged ‘Projects’
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 panel being 1/4 in plywood. I would love to do a raised panel in this job, but time and budget restraints being considered, plywood panels seem the logical fit.
Since I am doing a flat panel, I felt like waking up the design a little bit by doing an arch top on the upper cabinet doors. I cut all the upper rails at 3 1/2 inches compared to 2 1/2 inches for all the other rails and stiles. Since I have a wide variety of door widths, I needed a set up to cut the arches at different radii. Also, the particular router bit I have has a bearing on top and does not make contact with the piece being routed in the set up I chose. So I knew I needed a template to stick onto the piece being routed for the bearing to ride against.
I could have constructed a jig with nails or screws and a flexible strip, but I decided to just calculate the radius of the piece by a simple formula and then use a beam compass to strike the arc. I wanted a very small flat on each end where the rail meets the stile, so I decided to leave 3/8 in on each end. That makes the total width of the arc 3/4 in less than the width of the rail. I also knew that I wanted the height of the cut to be 1 1/2 inches from the bottom of the rail to the top of the cut. With this info, I used the formula:
where H = height of cut (all 1.5 in my case) and W = width of the arc (all my widths varied). As I said, there are several ways to do this, but being the math geek that I am, this is the way that felt right for me.
I calculated all the radii with this formula and then proceeded to cut some mdf scrap into parts sized identically to the arched rails. I then marked the two end points as well as the center point 1 1/2 inches up and used my shop made beam compass to strike the arc. After striking the arc, it was off to the band-saw and then the oscillating spindle sander to cut and then fair out the arch on the template pieces.
With all the arches cut on the upper doors, it was just a matter of routing the cope and stick profiles on the router table. The straight pieces were straightforward, but I had to use a template on the arches. I simply double stick taped the mdf templates I had made and routed them using a starting pin.
After the rails and stiles were all done, the 1/4 in plywood panels were cut to rough size and then the arch was transferred to the panel via the templates and cut out on the band-saw. I think they turned out very nice and you can see what they look like in the photo below.
Next it’s a whole lotta sanding and scraping followed by staining/finishing ( I finally get to use my hvlp system on a project ). One thing I have realized with this project is that my next tool will be an open ended drum sander. I just cringe knowing how long all these parts are going to take to sand versus how quickly I could knock them out with a drum sander…
Dry fit of one of the completed doors
Dry fit of one of the tall door frames
Template routing the arches
Router table setup for the straight pieces
Cleaning up the curves on the spindle sander
Cutting the templates on the bandsaw
Striking the arcs with a shop made beam compass
Rails and stiles all laid out on the out feed table
Drawer fronts
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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 Christmas and New Years, I’ve had to go work at my regular job a couple of days and then the temperature has been absolutely crazy this week…Saturday morning the low is supposed to be somewhere between 0 and 5.
That being said, I was able to get the carcases installed with a little help from a couple of family members. This was all done the week before Christmas. We also installed the countertop (which I don’t have pictures of), but they really look good.
As you can see from the photos, I have a bunch of drawer fronts as well as rails and stiles cut for the doors. I have completed all the drawer boxes as well. The next few days, I’ll be routing the profiles in the rails/stiles, sanding and scraping everything and then working on the finish. Hopefully in short order I’ll be ready for installation. More updates/photos to come…
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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 sitting and curing for about 2 days now and I lightly sanded them with some wet/dry sandpaper to smooth everything out. I think they turned out great. Cabinetmaking is a lot different than building furniture, but it has been a pleasure to change things up a little. Looking back at the knowledge I have gained, I feel like I could reach the point I’m at now on another job in a week. But I guess that’s the process. Build…figure things out…get faster…build some more…figure more things out. I still have to make all the doors and drawers, but I have some helpers coming on Monday to help install the carcases. So I guess I’ll be working on doors and drawers next week a day or two and then again the week after Christmas. I’ll post another update somewhere in there…maybe after installing the carcases (I sure hope I measured correctly 
)
On another note. After staining/finishing these pieces I have done so far, it really made me think hard about getting an HVLP rig. I really like the looks and reviews of the Earlex SprayStation Pro. I think I’m going to pick one of those up in the next 6 months or so, but after researching conversion guns and turbine systems online, I pretty much determined that the el-cheapo Harbor Freight HVLP Spray System was the same as the system sold by Rockler. The Rockler system is listed (at the time anyway) at $122.99 and the HF at $89.99. There were very good user reviews of the Rockler system (I think out of 68 reviews, only about 5 were negative), but the unit is completely plastic and I just decided to wait and get the Earlex. Well, I do not get into Harbor Freight very much except to buy glue brushes and other small items, but I walked in today and took a look at the spray system. They were having a sale and I actually walked out of the store with it for somewhere around $65.00. I got home and unpacked it…it is definitely just about all plastic, but I was quite impressed. I loaded some water up in it and tested it in the sink and I was impressed again. The next thing I did was immediately place an order with Target Coatings for some water based stain, grain filler/glaze base and water based lacquer. I can’t wait for this stuff to come in so I can put it through its paces and see if it will surprise me or if I just blew $65.00. I mean come on…If it gives me a decent finish on one piece of furniture or a set of cabinets then it has more than paid for itself (and if not…I’ll throw it in the trash and chuck it up to $65.00 in education). That all said, I still fully intend to invest in the Earlex in the very near future…I’ll let you know how it goes. –J
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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. The drawer faces and door stiles/rails will be solid oak as well with flat panels in the doors. I’ve included a few preliminary pics for now and will post more later. After all the carcases are built, I’ll be going back and adding the doors and drawers as well as applying finish to everything. More to come…
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While I’m sitting here waiting on my 7 ft rails to come in for my table saw, I decided to go ahead and come up with some type of outfeed table today. I’m going to really need good outfeed support for the cabinet job I’m getting ready to start. The old workmates with home made rollers mounted to them are getting old…I did a little looking around and remembered an episode of The Wood Whisperer where he built a new outfeed table due to changing his rail/fence system. It looked like it would suit me well and would be quick to make. Out to the shop I went. I didn’t use the walnut veneer plywood like he had lying around…I just used plain old pine plywood, but I think it turned out well. It is sturdy and should provide a lot of service. It only took about 4 hours from start to finish and I can’t believe I haven’t made one before, but I guess it’s better late than never.
It looks like it will be Tuesday before my new rails arrive as well as the new Osborne Miter Gauge I ordered, so I think I’ll make a panel sled tomorrow and possibly get started on the cabinets by making the smaller stack that goes above the refrigerator. I’ll post some progress pics as I go along.
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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!
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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
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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.
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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.
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