| Freestanding Mirror -- Assembling the Base |
From "Wood Works"
episode WWK-109 |
|
|
|
advertisement
|
With the laminate strips cut and shaped to create the curved laminate legs, the leg stock can be milled into its final form, and assembly may begin on the base for the mirror.
Materials: Cherry stock & bent laminate leg pieces
MDF (for frame template)
Belt sander
Jointer
Power planer
Band saw
Table saw
Drill press
Multi-router
Carpenter's square
Clamps
Doublestick tape
Yellow woodworker's glue
Chalk or carpenter's pencil
Safety glasses or goggles
Note: Cut sizes may vary. For exact measurements, please contact David Marks through his website -- information below under Resources. Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses when working with wood, saws, drills, routers, etc.
Completing the Curved Legs Steps: - Once the glue has completely dried in the laminate legs, the leg pieces are removed from the form. Use a belt sander (figure A) to remove any excess glue that squeezed out from between the laminate layers as the leg was drying in the form. It's important to remove any excess glue from the edges, as the next step will be to run the piece through the jointer. Any excess glue would be abrasive against the jointer knives during this process.
- With the excess glue sanded away, each leg piece is run through the jointer to joint one side flat. The leg is passed over the jointer, following the arc of the curve, to produce a perfectly flat edge (figure B).
- Using the flat edge as a reference against the fence of the jointer, the inside face of the leg stock is also passed over the jointer to achieve a flat surface ( figure C). That surface will later be glued against the center post to create the base.
- Using the flat edge as a reference once again, pass the leg piece through the power planer to create a flat and parallel surface on the opposite edge (figure D).
- With the leg stock properly milled, the leg pieces should have surfaces that are flat and parallel, and corners that are 90-degrees. The next step is to cut out the profile for the foot (figure E).
- Using a table saw with an extended fence clamped in place, the flat surface on the outside of the leg is used as a reference and clamped against the fence. In that way, a 90-degree cut can be made for the foot using the table saw (figure F). Later, when the base pieces are glued together, the 90-degree cut will ensure that the entire structure sits flat on the floor.
- Next, using doublestick tape to hold the leg securely in place, position the leg on the table saw for cutting the toe. The cut for the toe is made perpendicular to the foot (figure G).
- The leg piece is completed by cutting the top to length. The same steps are followed for the other curved leg pieces.
- A piece of milled cherry stock is used to create a center post that will fit between the two leg pieces on either side of the mirror. The center post is glued in place so that it extends about 1/4" proud from the two surrounding leg pieces -- a technique known as a step-down motif. A semicircular shape is cut in the bottom of the center post, creating a highlight that complements the curvature of the legs (figure I).
- The decorative semicircular shape is cut into the bottoms of the center posts using the drill press and a forstener bit (figure J).
Tip: An extra piece of stock placed underneath the cherry stock in the drill press helps prevent tear out.
- Using the table-saw fence as a straight reference, the curved leg pieces and center post are laid out for measurement, assembly and glue-up. The bottom of the center post is mounted so that it will be 14-13/16" off the floor (figure K), and the legs must line up at 90 degrees. A square is used, referencing off the miter slot on the table saw to line up the pieces, and pencil marks are made on the wood to indicate exactly how the pieces are to fit together (figure L).
- With assembly planned out precisely, glue-up can begin. The individual pieces are carefully glued and clamped into position in accordance with the measurements and marks that were made (figure M). Yellow woodworker's glue is used to hold the legs together. Since the long-grain of the legs is being glued to the long-grain of the center posts, the glue itself should be strong enough to hold the weight of the mirror without using joinery or hardware. The elements are clamped securely with multiple clamps as the glue dries (figure N). Blocks of scrap wood are used to protect the smooth surfaces of the legs from marks that might be made by the clamps.
Preparing Wood Stock for the Frame Steps: - Four pieces of milled cherry stock -- cut to size for the frame -- are laid out and clamped in position so that a premade MDF template can be laid over the stock (figure O) to mark the profile of the frame.
- The template, which is curved at the top and bottom, is used as a guide to mark the curves that will be cut into the frame stock (figure P).
- With the profile of the frame clearly marked on the stock, marks can also be made indicating the positioning of the joinery. The joinery used in this piece is of loose-tenon construction. The positioning of the joinery must take into account the curved profile of the frame as well as the fact that a rabbet will later be cut into the back of the frame for insetting the mirror.
- With the stock marked for the frame profile and joinery, mortises are cut into the frame stock using the multi-router (figure Q). Mortises are first cut in the bottom rail (figure R).
- Leaving the depth, length and size settings the same on the multi-router, matching mortises are cut into the bottoms of the stiles.
- The settings are then adjusted to make narrower mortises in the top rail and matching mortises in the tops of the stiles.
- Tenons are milled to match the mortises -- wider ones for the bottom of the frame and narrower ones for the top.
- Once the joinery has been checked with a dry-fit, the glue-up process can begin for the mirror frame (figure S).
- The rectangular shape of the rails allows for firm clamping as the glue dries (figure T).
Once the glue has dried, the curves at the top and bottom of the frame will be cut. Those steps -- and other steps in the completion of the frame -- are demonstrated in the segment that follows. Sponsored Resource
> Click here to order your tools and materials for this project from Woodcraft!
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
Beds and Bedroom Furniture: The Best of Fine Woodworking
Model: 1561581917
Author: Editors of Fine Woodworking
(1997)
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com
The Complete Book of Wood Joinery
Author: Robert J. Decristoforo
Publisher: Sterling Publishing Co.
ISBN: 0806999500
Advanced Woodworking
Model: 0783539126
Author: Editors of Time Life Books
1998
Time-Life Books Inc.
Website: www.timelife.com
Popular Woodworking
F & W Publications, Inc.
Website: www.popularwoodworking.com
| 
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
