Anything wrong with this design?

[Dan Mages]

I got another request for a cargo shelf, so my display table will have to wait. I want to confirm with you all that this plan will work fine before I start work. The request is for a shelf made of walnut with a herringbone inlay in the middle. I hoped to use mesquite for the herringbone, but the lumber supplier does not carry it so I will be using cherry. The shelf is approximately 41"x19". The herringbone inlay will take up a 1'x3' area in the middle. I am thinking of routing out a 1/4" slot in the walnut frame an insert a sheet of 1/4" luan plywood. The cherry will then be chopped to 2"x4" strips and glued to the plywood The bottom side of the plywood wlill be upolstered, possibly with brown leather. I might also use some scrap cherry as splines in the corners.

Can anyone see any problems with this shelf design? Will I have any expansion and contraction issues with the cherry glued to the plywood?

[Mark Singer]

Dan,

I don't understand how it is used or where. It looks fine though. I don't think it is big enough to have any expansion problems. How thick is the Cherry material that lays on the plywood?

[Dan Mages]

One of the nifty features of the PT Cruiser is a plastic cargo shelf that can be used to manage the trunk area of the car. One popular modification on this idea is to replace it with a wood shelf. The shelves are usually showed off at car shows and gatherings.

The cherry is 1/4" thick. I found a really nice piece of curly cherry that is 3/8 inch thick so it can be planed to the correct thickness. Another interesting problem came to mind. How do I clamp down the cherry as I glue them in the herringbone pattern?

Dan

[Mark Singer]

Dan,

A vacuum bag would work. Or cover the sustaid with glue and lay them up quickly , then placing a second cover piece on top to apply equal pressure.

They can be set in a temp. frame rout 2 or 3 dados ,,shallow ones and "let in" splines...now it is like parquet and one piece ..mount it to the ply with glue.

[Dan Mages]

That is what I was thinking of doing. I was going to place a sheet of wax paper over the wood and then a sheet of 1/2" mdf followed by a series of very large concrete paver blocks that I am storing outside. that should give it a few hundred pounds worth of even pressue!

Dan