Project going down the drain... help!

[Alex Berkovsky]

I was about to screw on a back on the dresser and what I noticed made me sick and very upset with myself. The dresser is sagging enormously. :(

Not only does this present a problem for the back, but also for the drawers. Just as example, in the middle of the dresser, the drawer opening in the back is 1/16" less than in the front. How do I deal with this mess?

[Pete Brown]

What is holding it square? if you can use the back to hold it in square, assuming the back is more than 1/4" ply, that should help.

More importantly, why is it sagging? Is it really weight (the sag will go away if you turn it on its back or side), or is it warping wood/plywood. I can't see what it looks like below the top set of drawers

Pete

[everett lowell]

Alex, I'm sorry I don't have an answer to your problem , but I've had that sick-pissed off feelin' many times! step back awhile- take a break-and try to work the problem out , I'm sure between yourself and other 'creekers you'll solve it! good luck

[Alex Berkovsky]

What is holding it square? if you can use the back to hold it in square, assuming the back is more than 1/4" ply, that should help.

More importantly, why is it sagging? Is it really weight (the sag will go away if you turn it on its back or side), or is it warping wood/plywood. I can't see what it looks like below the top set of drawers

PetePete,
What you see in the picture is already glued - the warp cannot be straightened out.

BTW, in the first picture I put the back of the dresser on top of it to show how big the gap is.

[Greg Funk]

It's not surprising it is sagging. The dados for the dividers look to be about 1/4" deep leaving only 1/4" thickness in the middle of the shelf.

If you lay it flat and square it up then gluing the back on and using a face frame on the front should stabilize it.

Greg

[Lee Schierer]

Show a photo of the whole thing. I suspect the sag would come out if you supported the center with a foot and put your rear panel in place. You can stiffen up the front with a face frame, which would make the drawers slightly smaller.

[Alex Berkovsky]

Show a photo of the whole thing... Lee,
Here's a photo of the dresser from the front.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i232/jarhead8286/Woodworking/th_Dresserfront.jpg (http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i232/jarhead8286/Woodworking/Dresserfront.jpg)

[glenn bradley]

Alex, although it's not part of your original design, perhaps a center foot could help. If you can lay it on it's face and get it squared up with cauls or diagonal clamps, the back will help. The center foot will provide support over the long haul.

If the sag is too set you may need to consider a face frame although that is more for dress up than structural strength across that wide of a span. Sorry for the "oh cr@p" experience.

[Jim Fox]

Ok, not trying to draw attention to the problem or put Alex's head on the chopping block here.......

But, what could of been done in the design phase to combat this? Just wanna know from a education side of things.

[Brian Thomas]

Alex,

I was going to suggest the same thing as Lee and Glenn - a center foot or leg on the bottom that is centered both side to side and front to back. I have a low, wide cherry entertainment center from Ethan Allen and it has a center leg like this. I know this probably isn't what you had in mind.

Everett's advice is sound. Good luck.

[Jerry Olexa]

Adding a back as a stiffener would help once you get it squared. Also, the center postwould insure rigidness from the front once in the right position. Both of the above do AFTER you firmly clamp the carcass as is and then manipulate the trouble areas with clamps or leverage to gain back the lost 1/16 or whatever. Then once there. nail or screw in the backing which should hold your square shape and the same in the front w a face frame or a center post. It can be corrected. A carcass naturally has some "give". Be patient. You'll get it...

[Chris Billman]

It's not sag - well it's not sag due to gravity at least. You followed the dimensions in the plan without accomodating for the ACTUAL thickness of the plywood. (I've made that exact dresser and know of what I speak - link (http://www.chrisbillman.com/Projects/DoubleDresser.htm)).

The height of the middle vertical drawer dividers assumes that the horizontal faced plywood dust frames are EXACTLY 3/4" thick. But your plywood is not 3/4" - it's thinner. The "sag" you see is because the height of the vertical dividers should be something like 1/32" longer each to account for the thinner horizontal plywood.

Measure the height of the left/right vertical panels. Then measure the assembled height of the middle of the dresser. The middle will be shorter, and the difference shows up as "sag". The middle is acting to pull down the top of the dresser.

This is a good lesson in the importance of using plans as guides. It's up to us to ensure the plans are correct. If you have magical plywood that's 3/4" thick then the plan dimensions are fine. But in the real world we've got to account for thinner sheet goods. I learned that lesson the hard way when I built the NYW router table carcase and had similar issues with the drawers being out of square.

[lou sansone]

thanks chris for this info.. as you said, this is one of those "gottcha" things that can cause real problems.

lou

[Brian Penning]

Well like a lot of my projects, it now has character and is the only one like it. ;)

[Alex Berkovsky]

It's not sag - well it's not sag due to gravity at least. You followed the dimensions in the plan without accomodating for the ACTUAL thickness of the plywood. (I've made that exact dresser and know of what I speak - link (http://www.chrisbillman.com/Projects/DoubleDresser.htm)).

The height of the middle vertical drawer dividers assumes that the horizontal faced plywood dust frames are EXACTLY 3/4" thick. But your plywood is not 3/4" - it's thinner. The "sag" you see is because the height of the vertical dividers should be something like 1/32" longer each to account for the thinner horizontal plywood.

Measure the height of the left/right vertical panels. Then measure the assembled height of the middle of the dresser. The middle will be shorter, and the difference shows up as "sag". The middle is acting to pull down the top of the dresser...
Chris,
Good point... but I did adjust the dimensions to accomodate the thickness of the plywood. I guess a "sag" was a wrong term used to describe the problem. In fact, I was thinking why the plans don't give the "correct" dimensions knowing that the plywood is not 3/4" but 1/32" less. I did make some changes though; I did not use biscuits for the vertical dividers - instead I dadoed them. The bottom line is that I made a mistake somewhere and have to learn from it. One thing comes to mind is when I was cutting sheet goods, I used a tape to measure individual pieces where I should have used stop blocks. Little mistakes add up in the end.

Lee, Glenn and others who suggested to use a center foot probably didn't realize that everything is already glued up... Sorry, but I guess I should have provided more details.
On the way to work this morning, all sorts of thoughts were running through my mind. One was to somehow cut off the top with a circular saw and try to salvage the rest. Is that a possibility? It did cross my mind to take a sawzall to the entire project, take a loss, and start over. It's not so much as money, but the time put into it. For a newbie something like this takes a long time to build... especially when you have a full time job.

[Matt Day]

I don't have the answers, but as Jim said I would like to know what could have been done to alleviate the "sag".

My untrained opinion zeroes in on putting two dadoes directly on top of one another. If it were me, my first thought is that I would have made the vertical piece one solid sheet and dadoed the rails into the vertical piece. Maybe this woud have helped?

[Alex Berkovsky]

I don't have the answers, but as Jim said I would like to know what could have been done to alleviate the "sag".

My untrained opinion zeroes in on putting two dadoes directly on top of one another. If it were me, my first thought is that I would have made the vertical piece one solid sheet and dadoed the rails into the vertical piece. Maybe this woud have helped?Matt,
I see your point. But the sag is on the top, not where the two dados are cut. I considered that the top/bottom dado may weaken the horizontals but thought that the drawer dividers will provide the needed support.

[Brian Penning]

Is the top glued on?
If it isn't you could maybe shim it to make it level? A face frame would take care of the gaps. Then for the drawers go with overlay(lipped?) drawer fronts to hide the sag. You can save the carcass this way.
If the top isn't glued on then get it off somehow and make a new top.
Hope this helps

[Alex Berkovsky]

Is the top glued on?
If it isn't you could maybe shim it to make it level? A face frame would take care of the gaps. Then for the drawers go with overlay(lipped?) drawer fronts to hide the sag. You can save the carcass this way.
If the top isn't glued on then get it off somehow and make a new top.
Hope this helpsBrian,
Everything in the picture, including the top, is glued on.

[Pete Brown]

Alex, from one of the photos you sent, it looks like the top of the piece is warped, but the carcass is square. On another, it looks like everything is warped. It's hard to tell exactly where the sag/warp is, so these questions will help clear it up before you throw in the towel and take the sawzall to it

1. Are the individual drawer openings square?
2. Is the bottom most horizontal plywood piece square and without any bow?
3. What is the top made of?
4 How is the top attached to the rest of the carcass? Is it glued?

Pete

[Pete Brown]

Brian,
Everything in the picture, including the top, is glued on.

Ahh, ok. Is the top solid or ply? How much glue did you use and where did you spread it?

Pete

[Steve Schoene]

[QUOTE=Alex Berkovsky]Chris,

Lee, Glenn and others who suggested to use a center foot probably didn't realize that everything is already glued up...

The fact that it is already glued up shouldn't prevent a leg from being applied under the bottom, perhaps with some glue block set back enough to be hidden. It need not be a single post, it can be a board run from front to back. You can stop it short of the front, making it almost invisible. I had to do this after I badly underestimated how heavy records were. (I made mine of about 8/4 lumber and just left it loose as a prop.)I have also seen such a leg applied in the center of the bottom board of an 18th century book case.)

As far as design, consider that you have the entire width being supported by one sheet of 3/4" plywood as the bottom, with the center dividers carrying almost all the weight down to it. That's a pretty long span. A bottom rail under the bottom would also help carry that kind of weight. It looks like such a rail could be slipped under the bottom in the space above where the legs begin to taper. Even an inch and a quarter of rail would dramatically stiffen that bottom shelf. (It can just be glued to the bottom board, you don't need to join it to the legs in this retrofit.) The need to carry the weight out to the legs is why so many dressers seem to be set on a base frame.

[Anthony Anderson]

Alex, did you cut a plywood dado (23/32"), or an actual 3/4" dado to receive the plywood verticle pieces? Did you glue the top on, or fasten it from underside with screws? Thanks, Bill

[Alex Berkovsky]

First of all, thanks to all for throwing out ideas and trying to help. Now to answer your questions:

Alex, from one of the photos you sent, it looks like the top of the piece is warped, but the carcass is square. On another, it looks like everything is warped. It's hard to tell exactly where the sag/warp is, so these questions will help clear it up before you throw in the towel and take the sawzall to it.
1. Are the individual drawer openings square?
2. Is the bottom most horizontal plywood piece square and without any bow?
3. What is the top made of?
4 How is the top attached to the rest of the carcass? Is it glued?
Is the top solid or ply? How much glue did you use and where did you spread it?
Pete,
Only the top piece is warped - the rest is square.
1. All the individual drawer openings are square other than the top row where the sag is. Of course the worst 2 are the ones closer to the middle.
2. The bottom horizontal piece is not bowed.
3. The top is 3/4" veneered ply glued to 3/4" plywood.
4. The top is glued to the rest of the carcass.


The fact that it is already glued up shouldn't prevent a leg from being applied under the bottom, perhaps with some glue block set back enough to be hidden. It need not be a single post, it can be a board run from front to back. You can stop it short of the front, making it almost invisible. I had to do this after I badly underestimated how heavy records were. (I made mine of about 8/4 lumber and just left it loose as a prop.)I have also seen such a leg applied in the center of the bottom board of an 18th century book case.)
As far as design, consider that you have the entire width being supported by one sheet of 3/4" plywood as the bottom, with the center dividers carrying almost all the weight down to it. That's a pretty long span. A bottom rail under the bottom would also help carry that kind of weight. It looks like such a rail could be slipped under the bottom in the space above where the legs begin to taper. Even an inch and a quarter of rail would dramatically stiffen that bottom shelf. (It can just be glued to the bottom board, you don't need to join it to the legs in this retrofit.) The need to carry the weight out to the legs is why so many dressers seem to be set on a base frame.
Steve,
I am not sure I understand your proposal - just can't picture it. As far as the design, I followed the plans to a "T" and that may have been a newbie mistake.

Alex, did you cut a plywood dado (23/32"), or an actual 3/4" dado to receive the plywood verticle pieces? Did you glue the top on, or fasten it from underside with screws? Thanks, Bill
Bill,
The dado width was cut to match the plywood thickness - I sandwiched the ply in the jig and routed the dado. Nothing is fastened with screws... it's all glued.

[Brian Dormer]

The center foot is a good idea - and might be necessary in any case. But what about running a piece of angle iron across the back at the bottom? You could also go "belt and suspenders" and run a piece of flat stock across the back near the top (once you get the sag out). You might also need angle iron under the front (hold it back a few inches and paint it black - nobody will ever see it unless they lay down on the floor). The metal will offend the purists (and those few who look at the back or under the furniture) - but the stiffness and strength-to-weight ratio is just what you need - and may eliminate the need for a center foot.

[Matt Day]

I think I'm going to throw in the towel on this thread b/c I'm so confused!

Is the only thing that is "sagging" the very top most piece (the 3/4" veneered ply)? According to #3, this is glued onto another sheet of ply, right? That seems odd, but how is only the top piece bowed if they are glued together?

[Alex Berkovsky]

I think I'm going to throw in the towel on this thread b/c I'm so confused!

Is the only thing that is "sagging" the very top most piece (the 3/4" veneered ply)? According to #3, this is glued onto another sheet of ply, right? That seems odd, but how is only the top piece bowed if they are glued together?Matt,
Sorry if I didn't make myself clear. In #3 I ment that the bottom of the dresser horizontal piece is not bowed. Both top horizontal pieces are bowed.

[Brian Penning]

OK, so basically the carcass is square and it's only the top that sags.
If that is so you could make a sled and with a router flatten and level the top. I've done this with my workbench. Then reapply a new top.
Would this work or did I miss something, again.

[Matt Day]

I think I'm understanding you now. So the top two horizontal pieces are not straight; is the middle sagging down, or are the ends bowing up? It appears that the ends are bowing up to me.

If this is the case, I would think you should try to pull the ends back down. How about trying to pull them back down with some pocket screws drilled from the inside into the side rails?

[Howard Acheson]

Lee,
Here's a photo of the dresser from the front.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i232/jarhead8286/Woodworking/th_Dresserfront.jpg (http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i232/jarhead8286/Woodworking/Dresserfront.jpg)

Is the bottom piece and center cross piece ?

If the bottom is sagging, you can put in some sort of center support to the floor to bring it back into a straght line.

If only the top piece is sagging, then it's probably a problem with your vertical dividers being too short or your dadoe being too deep. Check the vertical measurement between the top and the horizontal panel below the top at both the sides and in where the center vertical dividers are. The inside dimension should be the same. If not, then there is little you can do to fix it except to use a face frame and hide it.

[Alex Berkovsky]

...you could make a sled and with a router flatten and level the top. I've done this with my workbench. Then reapply a new top. Would this work or did I miss something, again.Brian,
You did miss something... the top is veneered plywood.

I think I'm understanding you now. So the top two horizontal pieces are not straight; is the middle sagging down, or are the ends bowing up? It appears that the ends are bowing up to me.
If this is the case, I would think you should try to pull the ends back down. How about trying to pull them back down with some pocket screws drilled from the inside into the side rails?
The middle is sagging down - the end are fine.

If only the top piece is sagging, then it's probably a problem with your vertical dividers being too short or your dadoe being too deep. Check the vertical measurement between the top and the horizontal panel below the top at both the sides and in where the center vertical dividers are. The inside dimension should be the same. If not, then there is little you can do to fix it except to use a face frame and hide it.It could be a problem with vertical dividers - I will measure when I get home from work.
At this point, I am really thinking of somehow cutting off the top and salvaging the rest. Would that be possible with a circular saw and a guide?

[Pete Brown]

First of all, thanks to all for throwing out ideas and trying to help. Now to answer your questions:
Pete,
Only the top piece is warped - the rest is square.
1. All the individual drawer openings are square other than the top row where the sag is. Of course the worst 2 are the ones closer to the middle.
2. The bottom horizontal piece is not bowed.
3. The top is 3/4" veneered ply glued to 3/4" plywood.
4. The top is glued to the rest of the carcass.


If only the top two are bowed and the ones below it are not, and the bottom-most drawers are square, then one or more of your plywood drawer dividers is too short. Measure the height of the drawer opening on the far sides and then measure the height of the same drawer opening next to the divider and see if those are the same. Repeat for all your large drawers.

The reason why this is all important is becuase sag is pretty easy to fix, but miscuts will require some surgery.

Pete

[Pete Brown]

Brian,
You did miss something... the top is veneered plywood.

The middle is sagging down - the end are fine.
It could be a problem with vertical dividers - I will measure when I get home from work.
At this point, I am really thinking of somehow cutting off the top and salvaging the rest. Would that be possible with a circular saw and a guide?

If the carcass has miscut dividers you may have other options, but using it as-is without modification is not likely to be one of them.

Based on some comments from you today, I don't think the top is the problem. It still could be, but if you have some square openings and some not, then there is a miscut.

Pete

[Alex Berkovsky]

If the carcass has miscut dividers you may have other options, but using it as-is without modification is not likely to be one of them.

Based on some comments from you today, I don't think the top is the problem. It still could be, but if you have some square openings and some not, then there is a miscut.

PetePete,
OK... let me get home and get more details for you. No sense of going any further w/o giving you folks more facts.

[Jerry Olexa]

In the end, I think you're going to end up using some form of face frame to "hide the sin". It'll work out:) Leveling the top piece and adding another topper should work and then covered on edge w face frame..You should NOT have to salvage the total piece IMHO

[Anthony Anderson]

Alex, are you sure that the verticle supports are the correct height (verticle) measurement that they are supposed to be? It also could be a possibility that, the middle verticle support on the top opening is shorter than the other two, causing the bow/sag in the middle, when it was clamped together. Or, when considering the middle and bottom horizontal openings, that the middle support was shorter (vertically) than the openings on either end, and then a sag resulted when clamped together. I am not sure if this is clear, so ask for clarity. I know this will not help you now, but I always screw a top onto the carcass of dresser, or a unit where the underside will not be seen.

What brand and type of glue did you use? One suggestion, and this is just off the top of my head, and may sound out there, is to build a cheap 3/4" plywood box, with a removeable back with a plexiglass window, to house the dresser. Buy a hotplate and a medium sized cooking pot, fill the pot with water, and start steaming (with the back of the cheap plywood box on of course). The glue joints will loosen (will depend on type of glue used). It may take a few hours of steaming. This will allow you to reuse the pieces, and not have to go through the trouble of cutting all the pieces again. But you will have to find where the problem is and remedy it, before reassembling. If anything is not clear, ask and I will try to clarify. Regards, and good luck. Bill

[Alex Berkovsky]

Alex, are you sure that the verticle supports are the correct height...
I will measure later today and report back.

I know this will not help you now, but I always screw a top onto the carcass of dresser, or a unit where the underside will not be seen.
Lesson learned the hard way... next time I am using screws. :D

What brand and type of glue did you use? One suggestion, and this is just off the top of my head, and may sound out there, is to build a cheap 3/4" plywood box, with a removeable back with a plexiglass window, to house the dresser. Buy a hotplate and a medium sized cooking pot, fill the pot with water, and start steaming...
I used regular white glue. Let me get more details/measurements before I consider cooking the dresser. :rolleyes:


Thanks again to all with all your suggestions.

[Karle Woodward]

Alex: It sounds to me (assuming I understand what is going on) that about the only way to flatten that top is to build a router jig (as others have suggested). Then, once it's flat, you simply glue 1/4" plywood to the top (or veneer), trim it and band it.

[Bill Simmeth]

I'm with Pete... if everything is square except the top panel and if the top panel makes proper contact with the two sides and three dividers, the cause must be short dividers (or long sides). Given the dados used to set the dividers, I'm guessing the dividers are too short.

[Dan Lee]

I know you haven't confirmed the divider measurements yet but that would be my guess.
What I might try doing is using a flush cut saw like a Fein Multimaster (looks like theres enough room to get in there) and carefully cut out the top center divider.

Next I would put some sort of rigid straight edges (angle iron) on the top in front and back then use clamps and try to pull the top straight.

If that worked then I'd cut a new test divider(s) and slide it in, release the clamps and see if the top stays straight.
Might need to cut out all 3 dividers.

Not sure how I'd attach new permanent dividers sure isn’t enough room to route new dados. Maybe install some small cleats inside the carcass and slide new dividers into them with glue. Cleats will probably alter the drawer construction.

Well that my 2 cents worth
Dan

[Alex Berkovsky]

I am really embarassed even to post this; I don't know how I managed to screw it up so badly. :o
I took some measurement in the front and the back of the dresser and here's what I am dealing with. The vertical dividers lengths are not the problem; It's probably the dado depths where the problem is. Also, I used biscuits to join the horizontal shelves to the sides of the dresser - it's possible that the the slots were cut slightly off.
I am thinking to use this as a learning experience, scrap the entire thing, and start over. A lot of coin will be lost though. If I take this course of action, is it possible to salvage the legs?
Here are the measurements...

[Brian Tuftee]

I'm surprised, the dimensions you've measured on those vertical middle dividers is only 1/16" less than the sides, but your pictures show it much worse than that.

Okay, so the problem is everything is glued up, so you can't clamp it into square and then attach the back to keep it square. You need to remove and cut some pieces, so your frame is 'loose' again. I'd cut the three middle vertical dividers in half, along their length.

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/9215/fixitxd0.gif

Then use a mallet to whack those pieces out. Hopefully, they'll come out of the dados clean. If not, you may need to get in there with a chisel and clean out the dados. With the center dividers gone, you can begin squaring it up from bottom to top. Add a leg in the middle, so the bottom horizontal piece doesn't sag. Starting with the bottom divider (the 10 5/16" one), cut yourself a divider that's just a hair too wide, and test fit it in the dado. Check the openings for square. Once you have the bottom opening squared, then move to the next divider. Once you have all three new dividers cut and dry-fit, check it all for square again, then glue it up. I'd attach the back panel at this time too. And I'd also put a permanent center leg in there, just in the middle of the piece where it'll be hardly visible.

Remember, this fix may be a little ugly, but it's better than scrapping and starting over.

[josh bjork]

There isn't anything to be embarassed about. It just happens when you are learning stuff. The picture really doesn't look bad.

I would cut the legs off and make a base. I'd probably screw a bigger (1/3 vertical) board to the bottom front and back with some shims to level the top up the best you can and then put a wrap around the base. Then put some trim to cover up the seam. Cut your drawer fronts big and fit them with a hand plane. I don't think you would have any fun pulling it apart.

[Matt Lentzner]

My idea is to cut a horizontal strip maybe two inches wide out of the divider, cut grooves into the ends and then insert a tongued section of the same plywood that is the width of the strip plus whatever distance you need to make up. It should be almost invisible from the front and any seam on the side will be covered by the drawer.

All you would need is a router with paired slot cutters and a jigsaw.

Just curious: Did you dry fit the parts before doing your glue-up?

Regards,

Matt

[Alex Berkovsky]

Brian and Matt,
Your ideas are to correct the problem are similar in nature. I will probably go with Brian's idea of knocking out the dividers out of the dado completely.

Matt,
I did dry fit the parts before the glue up. Now it's obvious that I did go wrong somewhere during the glue up phase. First time glueing something as big as this and I was rushing.

[Matt Lentzner]

Alex,

I'm concerned that if you start whacking the dividers the top and bottom pieces are going to delaminate if you did a good job gluing it. The dado you cut has exposed the end grain of the plywood which is going to be a weak point. On the other hand, I can see the therapeutic value of that approach. ;)

The other suggestion of flush cutting the divider and rerouting the dado sounds more promising. You don't necessarily need a fancy saw. You could cut it close with the jigsaw and then trim it flush with your router with a flush trimming base. Then you could rerout the dado.

Good Luck and let us know how it turns out,

Matt

[Robert Trotter]

Alex, I'll put my hand in here as well...

Where will the piece go in the room? Is it going to be seen from the side a lot? Example from sitting on the sofa etc. Or is it mainly going to be seen from the front?

If it is mainly from the front then...

I know you really notice the "sag" now because your are making it, but as a finished piece is the sag really noticeable? If it is not like poking you in the eye then maybe just leave it. Just hand fit the top drawers (you are putting drawers in, right?:o ) And allow for matching the face curve about half way between the top curve and the stright line, so there is a gradual blending of the top curve through the drawers to the bottom of the top drawers and the rest of the straight lower half. (the lower half is straight if I get the thread:o )

Then just put that one down as your reminder piece. Or put it somewhere else in the house.

If you try to doctor it I would go for the trying to remove the top vertical dividers methid and replace them but be prepared for major damge it if it doesn't come apart so easily. Try flush cut or close and hand chisel out the dado. Slow but safe.

Robert

[Alex Berkovsky]

So many great ideas... thank you all!!!


Alex, I'll put my hand in here as well...

Where will the piece go in the room? Is it going to be seen from the side a lot? Example from sitting on the sofa etc. Or is it mainly going to be seen from the front?

If it is mainly from the front then...

I know you really notice the "sag" now because your are making it, but as a finished piece is the sag really noticeable? If it is not like poking you in the eye then maybe just leave it. Just hand fit the top drawers (you are putting drawers in, right?:o ) And allow for matching the face curve about half way between the top curve and the stright line, so there is a gradual blending of the top curve through the drawers to the bottom of the top drawers and the rest of the straight lower half. (the lower half is straight if I get the thread:o )

Then just put that one down as your reminder piece. Or put it somewhere else in the house.

If you try to doctor it I would go for the trying to remove the top vertical dividers methid and replace them but be prepared for major damge it if it doesn't come apart so easily. Try flush cut or close and hand chisel out the dado. Slow but safe.

RobertRobert,
Someone from our local woodworking club stopped by to take a look at it and said exactly what you did. I decided to work around the defects and make it a learning experience. Way too much time and money is invested in this project for me to start messing with it and taking a chance of messing it up even more. Let's put this one to rest. I will resurect this thread when I am finished. Better yet, start a new one so as to not remind myself of this. :rolleyes:

[Art Mulder]

The other suggestion of flush cutting the divider and rerouting the dado sounds more promising. You don't necessarily need a fancy saw. You could cut it close with the jigsaw and then trim it flush with your router with a flush trimming base. Then you could rerout the dado.


How on earth would he fit a router into that to re-route the dado? There can't be more than 5" of vertical space!?!? :confused:

This might be a time when pocket holes (in the divider) would come to the rescue.

best wishes,
...art

[Matt Lentzner]

How on earth would he fit a router into that to re-route the dado? There can't be more than 5" of vertical space!?!? :confused:


:o Oops. I wasn't paying attention to the measurements.

[Robert Trotter]

Good luck with finishing it off.

And better luck for the next project.

One plus has come out of your problem, and that is that it has been a good reminder. Especially for the beginners to check everything. Good coments from others have pointed out that bought plans are only guides and should be checked in the field so to speak. And other comments have pointed out various points that should be checked or thought about when designing etc. Informative thread. It just happens to be your bad luck that has helped everyone.

Good luck.

Robert

[Richard Wolf]

That's to bad this happened Alex, it looks like it was coming along nicely.
Knowing you as I do, I know you are disappointed with this project, and will not be satisfied to leave it as a reminder of things gone wrong.
If it was me I would try to take it apart. I would take a flush cut Japanesse saw and cut down the dados to release the glue from the side. This will help stop tearing the ply apart when you remove the dividers. Maybe shooting some vinegar into the glue joints will help soften the glue.
I know it's a big item, but if you would like to bring it to my shop, I could pick it up with my truck and help you try to take it apart.
Let me know.

Richard