After the last post, I promised an easy follow-up...and boy howdy, am I going to deliver. No Swedish extravagances this time...I'm keeping it easy with doweling, drill pressing and setting the table saw at an angle. Really. Simple. Stuff.
Because it's close to mind, I'll start with the desk top and table saw action. Out of the vacuum bag, all the edges were square...but the back of the top needs to match the angled portion of the side frame. To do that, I merely had to bring the saw to the correct angle, then rip it. And no...that's not California slang for making a cut, ripping is actually the proper term for cutting with the grain direction.
You can see the angle here...along with the fact that I've already drilled holes for the doweling. I did that, somewhat awkwardly, on the boring machine. Not super interesting...bypass!
With both pictures above and below, it's another opportunity to grasp understanding of last week's blog, or at least see the fruits/function of captured edge bandings. The front and back were different sizes, with the back being particularly deep to afford space to make this angled cut. Instead of exposing the poplar inner core, only elm remains visible on the exterior.
With that...the table top is done! Or, at least done until the big glue up.
With that...the table top is done! Or, at least done until the big glue up.
Speaking of a glue up, here is the clamp job for my side frames. The wishbone really threw me for a loop when it came to clamping. Because those joints are at an angle, I can't put direct pressure on them. So to bring the force in line with the joinery, I had to make these angled blocks:
And to hold these blocks in place, lest they slip while bringing the joinery home, I extended them down the leg, so each could be secured by a pair of clamps. In a way it was clamp vs. clamp...and guess who won? Here it is completed: smaller clamps holding angled blocks so big clamps can bring home the joinery squarely. As you can see, the bottom was easy.
Four hours later...or maybe the next day (I don't remember), I took it to the drill press and transferred the holes from the top onto the frame. Was somewhat awkward trying to get the side frames to sit flat on the tiny drill press table. After much shimming, I found the right balance and ultimately, only drilled one hole in the wrong place!
That's not really an accomplishment to be proud of.
A little anti-climactic, but with drilling these 10 or so holes, I've completed all the joinery and am ready for glue up! Or nearly so. The last few days I've been adding chamfers and sanding desk parts that would be hard to reach after it's standing. I did not include pictures of this...sanding is even less exciting than it sounds.
But that doesn't mean I don't have a few worthwhile pictures remaining. I've got three actually...and of the desk actually looking like a desk! Put together dry, without glue. It's pretty much ready for studying...or coding for Alpha Detail more likely (gotta make that money somehow).
