Thoughts on Art pedestal

[Eric Garner]

I've been asked to build two art pedestals made from maple 17"X17"X40". Very simple rectangle with some basic molding at the bottom.

I was going to build the pedestals in a similar manner to the pedestal David Marks built on Wood Works.

http://www.diynetwork.com/videos/pyramid-art-pedestal,-part-2/14796.html

Build the 3/4" Birch Plywood Core with butt joints (glue and brad) and then veneer with a 1/16" maple veneer. Glue two sides, trim excess with flush trim bit and router. Then repeat for other sides and top.

The other method would be to miter the edges, but this seems like it would be a bit of a pain when it came to assembly. 45's over a 40" run scare me a bit. The slightest warp in the plywood screws the whole joint up.

Wanted to get thoughts from others. Does David Marks method offer the best combination of speed and quality?

[Eric Garner]

bump for the evening crowd.

[John Stevens]

The other method would be to miter the edges, but this seems like it would be a bit of a pain when it came to assembly. 45's over a 40" run scare me a bit. The slightest warp in the plywood screws the whole joint up.

Hi, Eric. I've used 45* miters lengthwise on five rectangular media cabinets that were about 6" x 9" x 60" and it was no problem. Sure, there were some little gaps, but after you run the burnisher down the length of the miter a few times, it pretty much all seals up. A little filler and some creative coloring in your finishing schedule makes the defects disappear.

Not sure that 45* will work when the object tapers, nor am I sure how to calculate the correct angle and then get the saw set properly, other than a bunch of trial cuts.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

John