I Haven't Forgotten About You...Panel

I finished with the replacement panel today. I then trimmed all the panels to final size and set up the router table to raise the panels. I am basically cutting a tongue all around the panels, no fancy profiles, just a simple raise with nicely rounded corners.

The slot cutter bit works well for this. I removed one of the .002" shims to make the tongue just a bit looser. The panels will float in the grooves and while I want them tight, I suspect that the humidity on the East coast, where this project will live, is more humid than here. I also want to make glueing up the piece as easy as possible, and if the panels are real tight assembly will be more difficult.

Notice that I am using a backer block for the crosscuts. This keeps the end edge from blowing out when it exits the cutter. That is also the reason I make the crosscuts first, so if there is any blow out it is removed when working the long grain edges.

Well, all the panels are raised now. I will try to get them finished ASAP and then I can get the chest put together. 

Thanks for taking a look. Check back soon and see how it is going.

Finishing The Stiles With A Tongue

I set up and cut the tenons and grooves for the stiles much as I did for the rails; cheek cuts with the tenon jig, shoulders on the crosscut sled, then grooves on the router table.

Next, I have to cut a tongue on the end stiles to fit into the grooves on the legs. I set up the slot cutter for a tongue configuration. It was pretty easy to dial in the tongue thickness even though changing it required inserting or removing shims.

The instructions that come with the bit provides the information to calculate the shims needed pretty closely.

Once I had the tongue width set I had to adjust the height. Notice that I had to remove the insert to lower the bit below the table. I need to get a few more inserts so I can accommodate large cutters. For me, without a zero clearance fence, it would be pretty scary to use this bit since the split fence is separated so much. After I had the height dialed in I moved the fence forward and clamped the plywood piece back on the fence, turned the router on and moved the fence into the bit until I had a good 1/4" exposed.After setting the depth with the router off, I ran all the end stiles through on the appropriate edge. Notice that I am using a push block to push these 1 1/2" wide pieces past the cutter. It just felt a little dangerous using only my fingers.

Now it's time to put all the frame pieces together. Oh yeah, I haven't forgotten about those panels and it's about time to get them finished. First I have to get my replacement panel together. The pieces stayed pretty flat after re-sawing so I ran the faces over the jointer once again and squared the edge. Then I used a hand plane to tune the edge before gluing. Next, I'll run the tongues on the panels.

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for taking a look. I hope you check back and see how the project is coming along.

"Groovin" And Finishing The Legs

Now I set up the router table and slot cutter.

After I had adjusted the bit for height I brought the fence out in front of the bit and clamped a piece of 1/4" ply to it so I could make a zero clearance fence. Note the lines on the table insert (the orange disk in photo below). Those lines mark the outer perimeter of the bit. I had the split fence separated to the edge of the insert. The lines help me keep from accidentally cutting into the split fence. Now I turn the router on and slowly push the fence into the bit. This bit has 5/8" clearance from the outside of the cutters to the shank so I pushed it all the way to the shank and then backed off just a hair, giving me a 3/8" deep groove. 

Click the photo to see it larger.

The lines on the fence itself identify the edge of the bit and help me to start and end the cut. The groove is started and stopped in the mortise. 

After running the test piece I was very pleased with the results so I ran all the legs. I then went to the bandsaw, set up with a 1/4" 6 tpi blade and freehand sawed to the line of the foot profile. This doesn't leave a finished cut by any means so now it's time for some hand powered fun.

Clamped in the vise, the leg curve is faired out with my spokeshave and smoothing plane. The leg in the photo below still has some saw cuts to remove but it is coming along nicely. Each curve takes about 3 minutes to smooth.

Well, the legs are pretty much done now except for finish planing and notching for the floor. I will do that after I have completed the frame pieces. Next, I make the mortises, grooves, and tenons in the rails.  

Blanket Chest Joinery

With the walnut lumber having sat now for almost a month since being cut open, I can bring this material to dimension. I had to flatten everything again and then plane to thickness. I used the table saw to rip to width, and a cut off sled to make the crosscuts. Now I need to get ready to cut the joinery.

For the legs I need to cut mortises with grooves between, as well as the "foot" detail. Here is my shop drawing of a leg as well as a plan view detail and an elevation detail of the bottom rail joinery.

A few details may change as I am still thinking through where the floor seats in a groove in the bottom rails. I want to also seat the floor into the legs and am also thinking of rabbeting the inside of the leg flush with the inside of the rails. Mainly I am thinking about whether this will remove too much material and compromise strength and stability. 

I recently purchased a set of slot cutters for the router and am planning on using them to cut the tongues and grooves for this project. This set (from Lee Valley tools) includes a variety of shims to adjust the width of the tongue or groove. It includes a pretty comprehensive set of instructions.

I started checking dimensions for the cutters I wanted to use and found my 1/4" hollow chisel mortise bit is slightly larger  (about 15/1000s) than 1/4". The slot cutter can make that dimension for a tongue and a groove but I will need to do some test cut first.

I am using a new bit for my mortise machine and as you can see, the drill bit shank is too long and needs to be "docked".

I want to do a neat job so I make a holder of hardwood by drilling a hole the size of the bit shank in a block and sawing it in half. I can then put the bit in the hollows and clamp the block. This gives me something I can clamp in a vise or hold on to while I hacksaw the bit to length.

I have a few different sized holes in this block. I also have a block sized for a 1/2 inch bit. I run the hacksaw against the side of the block and use a file after to smooth the cut.

Now I can make a test mortise and size the winged cutters for a test groove.

I am pleased with the results using the mortise machine and the winged cutters. I was able to size the groove to fit the mortise and, in two tries, line the mortise up with the groove cutters.

Next time, more joinery details.