21-05-2012, 11:39 AM
Hi,
Work on the desk stopped until yesterday due to the miserable; cold and dark weather so I've been sulking.
The desk is to be fitted with a row of drawers just under the top surface and yesterday I concentrated on making the lower frame to support the three drawers. It's slow going because I've not made any furniture for a long while and it is so easy to make silly mistakes whilst marking and cutting materials. Selecting mitre joints for the corners certainly isn't taking the easy option as these need careful aligning.
I found it an impossible task trying to align all the frame joints with the pieces loose on the table so as an aid I clamped one long piece to the table making the job much easier. Once the mitres had been cut then the two centre pieces could be cut to length and the spacing worked out. Biscuit joints were again used throughout.
Checking for fit.
As I get more used to the big Evolution mitre saw I'm gradually obtaining better and more precise cuts as can be seen in the picture of the mitre. Before cutting the saw is checked with a 45 degree set square between fence and blade; the table has a number of indents pre set at various angles but the table can also be locked at any desired angle to give good accuracy. This takes longer but is worth the time spent.
Better mitre cut.
One major problem with using mitres in frame construction is clamping during glue up and getting alignment just right; it looks simple in the picture but to ensure the joints mate correctly takes a lot of adjusting; If I had a big table with many holes to accept individual clamps then clamping would be simple but I have to make do with what I have to hand.
Frame glued and clamped.
The frame has been left clamped overnight and after dinner I'll resume work on the desk; the desk top and this frame will need to be joined taking a fair bit of work because exposed ends will require oak lipping and the two end panels will require Formica. There is still a lot to do but the work is interesting and tomorrow we are forecast some global warming at last so perhaps I can work without wearing a coat; now that would be something.
Kind regards, Col.
Work on the desk stopped until yesterday due to the miserable; cold and dark weather so I've been sulking.
The desk is to be fitted with a row of drawers just under the top surface and yesterday I concentrated on making the lower frame to support the three drawers. It's slow going because I've not made any furniture for a long while and it is so easy to make silly mistakes whilst marking and cutting materials. Selecting mitre joints for the corners certainly isn't taking the easy option as these need careful aligning.
I found it an impossible task trying to align all the frame joints with the pieces loose on the table so as an aid I clamped one long piece to the table making the job much easier. Once the mitres had been cut then the two centre pieces could be cut to length and the spacing worked out. Biscuit joints were again used throughout.
Checking for fit.
As I get more used to the big Evolution mitre saw I'm gradually obtaining better and more precise cuts as can be seen in the picture of the mitre. Before cutting the saw is checked with a 45 degree set square between fence and blade; the table has a number of indents pre set at various angles but the table can also be locked at any desired angle to give good accuracy. This takes longer but is worth the time spent.
Better mitre cut.
One major problem with using mitres in frame construction is clamping during glue up and getting alignment just right; it looks simple in the picture but to ensure the joints mate correctly takes a lot of adjusting; If I had a big table with many holes to accept individual clamps then clamping would be simple but I have to make do with what I have to hand.
Frame glued and clamped.
The frame has been left clamped overnight and after dinner I'll resume work on the desk; the desk top and this frame will need to be joined taking a fair bit of work because exposed ends will require oak lipping and the two end panels will require Formica. There is still a lot to do but the work is interesting and tomorrow we are forecast some global warming at last so perhaps I can work without wearing a coat; now that would be something.
Kind regards, Col.
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
