| Mahogany Piano Bench -- Legs, Stretchers and Joinery |
From "Wood Works"
episode WWK-213 |
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With the leg stock already milled to proper dimensions, work can continue on completing the legs of the piano bench. There are two main features to note on the legs: the tapered shape and the solid ebony feet (figure A). The tapers are cut only along the inside edges of the legs. The first step is to attach the ebony to the leg stock. After that, the legs will be taper-cut, the stretcher stock will be cut and the joinery will be made. Materials: Mahogany stock
Ebony stock
Wooden dowels
MDF for spacer
Table saw
Tapering jig
Drill press
Hand drill
Dowel jig
Metal dowel-centers
Cabinet scraper
Hand scraper
Yellow woodworker's glue
5-minute epoxy glue
Ruler; carpenter's pencil
Saftety glasses or goggles Note: Cut sizes may vary. For exact measurements, please contact David Marks through his Web site -- information below under Resources. Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses when working with wood, saws, drills, routers, etc. Tapering the Legs and Attaching the Ebony Feet Steps: - Dowels and 5-minute epoxy glue are used to attach the ebony to the legs. A dowel jig is fashioned out of scrap wood, and fits over the end of the leg-stock (figure B).
- The hole is offset from the center to allow for the taper of the legs. Since only the inside edges of the legs are tapered, position the jig so that the hole for the dowel is drilled on the outside corner of the leg. In that way, there will be no danger of accidentally cutting into the dowel when tapering the legs.
- To make the hole for the dowel that will attach the feet to the legs, use a hand-drill with a 3/8-inch bit (figure C). A piece of glue placed on the drill bit helps control the depth of the dowel hole.
- Next, place a metal dowel-center in the holes of the legs. Using the fence on the table saw as a guide, slide the ebony feet into the legs (figure D). The indentation left in the ebony by the dowel-center marks the location for the matching dowel hole.
- Use a drill press to drill the holes in the ebony feet (figure E).
- Tip: It's a good idea to drill the dowel holes allowing 1/16-inch of extra depth to accommodate the glue.
- Using the dowels and 5-minute epoxy, glue the ebony feet to the mahogany legs (figure F). Repeat these steps for each of the legs.
- Clamp the leg and foot assemblies firmly together to dry (figure G).
- After the glue has dried, flush the seam of the ebony and mahogany using a cabinet scraper (figure H).
- To cut the tapers on the inside faces of the legs, a jig is fashioned for use at the table saw. The jig holds the stock firmly in place, and an offset spacing notch angles the stock slightly out of 90 degrees (figure I).
- Use the table-saw blade to make two taper cuts on each leg. Make a cut on the inside face of the leg (figure J). Then, rotate the stock to make the second cut on the other inside face of the leg (figure K).
- Use a hand-scraper to smooth the surfaces of the tapered legs (figure L).
Stretchers Steps: - With the legs and aprons dry-fit together, you can take measurements for the stretchers that will join the legs. Since the dimensions will need to take into consideration the taper of the legs, a spacer is made from MDF to hold the stretcher stock at the appropriate height while pencil-marks are made for the angled shoulder cuts (figure M).
- Next, use a ruler to make the marks on the leg for the locations of the mortises that will hold the stretchers (figure N).
- Use the multi-router to cut the mortises on the insides of the legs.
- Once the mortises have been cut, use a sharp chisel to square up their ends ( figure O).
- To make the tenons on the stretchers, use a hand-saw to cut away the shoulders and cheek (figure P) until the tenon is revealed.
- With the tenons cut, dry-fit the pieces of the piano bench, with the short stretchers in place, to get the dimensions for the long stretcher that will connect the two shorter ones (figure Q).
- Use the multi-router to make the mortises in the two side stretchers (figure R) that will house the tenons on the long stretcher.
- Using the tenoning jig at the table saw, cut the tenons on both ends of the long stretcher.
- With the stretchers and joinery made, dry-fit all the pieces to ensure that they fit together properly (figure S).
In the segment that follows, the steps in the assembly are shown, and the bench-lid is created.
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RESOURCES :
Fine Woodworking
A magazine devoted to high-quality craftsmanship in woodworking.
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com
The Small Wood Shop (The Best of Fine Woodworking)
Author: Helen Albert (Editor)
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561580619
Woodworking Techniques: Best Methods for Building Furniture from Fine Woodworking
Author: Editors of Fine Woodworking magazine
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561583456
Mastering Woodworking Machines (Fine Woodworking Book)
Author: Mark Duginske
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 0942391985
David Marks Website
David Marks, DIY's Wood Works host, is a master woodworker. For more information on cut sizes and project details, please contact him via his Website at www.djmarks.com
The Complete Book of Wood Joinery
Author: Robert J. Decristoforo
Publisher: Sterling Publishing Co.
ISBN: 0806999500
Popular Woodworking
F & W Publications, Inc.
Website: www.popularwoodworking.com
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