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Thread: Harlequin side table

  1. #16
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    Sep 2008
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    N. Idaho
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    Great work Derek, as usual. And clearly from down-under... your secondary wood looks like primary wood up here and vice versa

    Best,
    Chris
    "You can observe a lot just by watching."
    --Yogi Berra

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
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    Perth, Australia
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    Anyone here still watching these posts?

    The Harlequin side table will have 8 drawers. The drawer case sides and the central drawer blade are panels and run in dados or housings (depending on which side of the pond you live). Positioning of these dados is critical since any misalignment will affect the aesthetic. It goes without saying (but I shall) that the alignment also determines that the side panels will be square ... and drawers need to run against square sides. All this is done here with hand tools.


    Some of the finer points in getting it precise ...


    First of all, templates (or story sticks) are created to position the dados. There are two for each side panel: the second is 10mm longer than the first. Scoring each creates an exact 10mm dado. There is a series of templates to position all the dados. This ensures that the upper and the lower dado are position exactly the same distance from the reference wall ...








    A chisel wall is created for the marked outlines. This wall enables the fence to be lined up using a wide chisel ...





    The sidewalls are sawn with a azebiki saw. This have two curved sides, one with coarse rip teeth and the other with fine crosscut teeth. I begin with the fine teeth and use them to establish the kerf, and then switch to to the coarse teeth for speedier sawing.





    With a compass, I check that the kerf is parallel and to the desired width (10mm) ...





    The sawn side wall is now chopped away close to full depth ...





    This is done across the dados on one board at a time ...





    The waste in the centre of each dado is removed with a router plane. The dados are done at the same time to save have to reset the depth of cut (one stroke on dado #1, one on dado #2, and one on dado #3 ... then back to #1 ...) ...





    Keep an eye on the depth ...





    Fine tune the dado should theoretically be unnecessary if they were marked accurately. In practice, I find that there is usually some waste in the corners, or a slightly sloped wall. For this reason I run a side rebate plane (here a Veritas), the length of each wall. This is not held vertically, since that with remove some of the width. Instead it is run at an angle away from the side wall, as it it was undercutting the side wall ...





    The fit is now checked with an offcut from the side panel ...





    The side rebate plane can take a smidgeon off the sidewall if the fit is too tight. Some will argue that it is preferable to plane the panel instead. In this situation that is not advisable since the panel is to slide along the dado, and a tight point will impede all points of the panel.


    The carcase is Hard Maple, with Merbau as the secondary wood. Locally, Merbau is used for decking. It is cheap and hard, both qualities valued. But is a really brittle wood, and awful to work with. The number of splinters I have had ... and they are sharp and lodge deeply. Ugh!


    It can look like this ...





    ... and then a section breaks away ...





    At least it will be far inside the carcase and not be seen.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
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    A panel is made up for the interior dividers ...








    The pieces are fitted.


    Will the careful planning and neurotic execution pay off?


    I was holding my breath. This is a dry fit ....











    (sound of breathing again)


    Then I pulled it apart and glued up the carcase ...





    More after the coming weekend.


    Regards from Perth


    Derek

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
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    N. Idaho
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    Hi Derek,

    Yes, still watching! Thanks for posting and looking great. Super helpful for me as I'm in the middle of a similar case build.

    Best,
    Chris
    "You can observe a lot just by watching."
    --Yogi Berra

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Christopher Charles View Post
    Hi Derek,

    Yes, still watching! Thanks for posting and looking great. Super helpful for me as I'm in the middle of a similar case build.

    Best,
    Chris
    Me too.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  6. #21
    Coming along nicely. I like the asymmetry in the drawer layout and the curved front.

    Michael

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Austin Texas
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    1,957
    Nice corner miter work on the carcase Derek, but I lost my bet with myself on the dividers. I was betting that you would use either a half or full tapered dovetail connection rather than the housed connection. Is that because the grain orientation of the short dividers should result in no seasonal movement of the dividers? I also like the zig-zag drawer arrangement. An understated, flowing piece like this calls for some killer (for me, has to be wood) pulls though - the pressure is on to pick a winner.
    David

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Missouri
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    2,151
    Always watching. I might pick up a tip or two. Nice going so far. I'm wondering about the decision to use loose tenons at the leg to carcass joint?
    Jim

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Michiana
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    Anyone here still watching these posts?

    Yup. Really enjoying this one.





    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post

    The sidewalls are sawn with a azebiki saw. This have two curved sides, one with coarse rip teeth and the other with fine crosscut teeth. I begin with the fine teeth and use them to establish the kerf, and then switch to to the coarse teeth for speedier sawing.



    I need to find one of these Azebiki saws. What a handy little rascal that it.



    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post


    ... and then a section breaks away ...





    At least it will be far inside the carcase and not be seen.
    I've managed to do this on multiple species of wood. I guess you are mortal after all. I guess I'm in good company!
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  10. #25
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    Feb 2004
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    Perth, Australia
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    Quote Originally Posted by James Pallas View Post
    Always watching. I might pick up a tip or two. Nice going so far. I'm wondering about the decision to use loose tenons at the leg to carcass joint?
    Jim
    Can you think of another way to do this, Jim?

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  11. #26
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    Jan 2019
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    Fairbanks AK
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    Still watching. I hope that is ten characters, because I have nothing else to say.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Missouri
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    Can you think of another way to do this, Jim?

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    I always have concern about leg joints that depend on glue. The most force applied to that leg (dragging across carpet i.e.) is in line with the tenons. There is a lot of leverage involved. I'm not really sure what I would do in your case. Possibly a sliding dovetail or some kind of partial bridle joint. It is very possible that I am overly concerned. I believe the common cure in the past was stretchers to take away the leverage. I guess I've seen too many failures, some of my own of course, at those points.
    Jim

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    South West Ontario
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    +1 on the sliding dovetail, tapered if possible.
    Yes we do follow your builds Derek! You are very good at reminding me of the tools I manage without, or not....
    My next build is heavy dovetailed entertainment cabinet so all ideas and techniques welcome!
    Almost forgot; the idea that hard maple would be replaced with a secondary wood is rather amusing up here in Ontario! It is not the cheapest wood but lesser grades would be used and keep the Birdseye for the top!
    Last edited by William Fretwell; 06-11-2019 at 10:24 AM.
    ​You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
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    I always have concern about leg joints that depend on glue. The most force applied to that leg (dragging across carpet i.e.) is in line with the tenons. There is a lot of leverage involved. I'm not really sure what I would do in your case. Possibly a sliding dovetail or some kind of partial bridle joint. It is very possible that I am overly concerned. I believe the common cure in the past was stretchers to take away the leverage. I guess I've seen too many failures, some of my own of course, at those points.
    Jim
    Thanks Jim

    The joint to the leg is not my concern. My plan to date has been to mortice in a 75mm (perhaps 100mm) x 10mm Maple loose tenon, and then pin this from the side. I cannot see this being any less strong than any leg-stretcher join on a larger table. The concern I have is to the carcase. The case is 20mm thick. Will a 20mm deep by 75mm (100mm?) long and 10mm wide mortice in the case be strong enough to hold the other end of the loose tenon? The leg is planned to rest against the case, so stresses will be minimised. My thoughts run to creating a bridge between the legs and attaching this to the case.

    A sliding dovetail is unlikely to be strong enough in this situation. In any event, there is no way to make one.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
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    Thanks also William. We posted about the same time.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

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