night stand dry fit square is off help

[Brian Runau]

Dry fitting the two sides of a night stand. One side is off back from square 1/8" over 12", the other side is off less. Measuring across the legs I am off @ 1/16" and I could pull this in with a clamp, but the side is off square back to front. I cut the back stringers the same time I cut the front stringers so I know they are the same length. Looking at it, it looks like the front stringers are longer making the front farther apart than the back, but how could this be. When I measure the distance between the legs on the front and the back it is the same.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Brian

474986474987

[Robert Engel]

When faced with this, the first thing I do is make sure something hasn't bowed, especially if its under clamping pressure.

In your example, check the legs and tenon shoulders for square. On parts that narrow, it doesn't take much to throw it off.

[edit]What Kevin said about equal lengths very important. I would add the placement of the clamps is also a factor.

Sometimes in the end, it is what it is, drawer runners can be an issue, tho.

[Kevin Jenness]

Forget about testing the overall squareness of the piece with a combination square. That depends on the reference surface being perfectly flat. Make sure that opposing rails are equal length and measure the diagonals top and bottom. If the diagonals are off shift the clamps around. If the diagonals are equal and you have gaps then you can work on truing up the appropriate surfaces. I find it easier to direct the clamp pressure using cauls, but you should be able to do the necessary with parallel clamps.

[Paul F Franklin]

Per Roberts point: assuming you have mortise and tenon joinery there, make sure the shoulders are square to the faces and edges of the stringers. If they're not, and you clamp hard enough to close gaps, the stringers will likely bow because you are forcing the shoulders flat. Same point applies if you are using dominoes or dowel, but then you check that the ends are perfectly square to the faces and edges.

[Kevin Jenness]

Ian Kirby wrote an article in Fine Woodworking #31that covers the bases. https://www.finewoodworking.com/1981/12/01/gluing-up

[Brian Runau]

When faced with this, the first thing I do is make sure something hasn't bowed, especially if its under clamping pressure.

In your example, check the legs and tenon shoulders for square. On parts that narrow, it doesn't take much to throw it off.

[edit]What Kevin said about equal lengths very important. I would add the placement of the clamps is also a factor.

Sometimes in the end, it is what it is, drawer runners can be an issue, tho.

Robert checked my side panels and one of them is bowed. great! When I glue up the panels I lay the legs flat on my assembly table and try to make sure they are flat after assembly before final clamping. I was very deliberate in making sure of my machine set ups on the jointer so I can get a 90 degree out of the fence on the legs. Checked every cut off for 90 coming off the table saw, marked a refer3ence side on each piece so I could use that when routing the grooves in all the parts and making the mortises so all the reference side are the same sides I performed my operations from, ie: against the router fence, top of the festool domino etc.. Could my clamping pressure during panel assembly caused this? I glued it up and got within an 1/8" on the diagonals, which is sloppy, but no intention of starting over. I have 3D adjustable guides which will help me fir the drawers etc... thanks Brian

[Brian Runau]

Ian Kirby wrote an article in Fine Woodworking #31that covers the bases. https://www.finewoodworking.com/1981/12/01/gluing-up

thanks Kevin, back to school at 65. brian

[Brian Runau]

Ian Kirby wrote an article in Fine Woodworking #31that covers the bases. https://www.finewoodworking.com/1981/12/01/gluing-up

Kevin, thanks for the article, good read. Right up front he states, "You may have done accurate work up to this point, only to find that a small error in assembling or clamping has produced all sorts of inaccuracies that will be difficult, perhaps impossible, to fix." Damn! Working with glue blocks may prove to be problem for me, I work alone and managing these with the clamps could be a problem. Good news is the second set was not a problem to square up, hooray. Thanks Brian

[andrew whicker]

I also don't check with a square (due to bowing and machining imperfection), I check corner to corner. You can also use a caul to even out the clamping pressure along your rails. If your caul is beefy enough you can clamp the stiles and rails to it to keep them straight during clamp up.

[Matthew Curtis]

To me the bigger question is how does the piece look? Does anyone other than yourself realize the issue?
Yes this inaccuracy may drive me crazy but in the end what does the piece look like.