| Mahogany China Display -- Curved Frame and Joinery |
From "Wood Works"
episode WWK-113 |
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In this episode of DIY Wood Works, host David Marks builds a mahogany display for showcasing fine china. This piece draws on architectural themes and features a light, open framework. The shelves and back panel are made of mahogany, and the warm mahogany tones are offset by trim and support pieces of dark wengae -- an African hardwood. Wengae provides a rich accent to the narrow frame as well as contrasting trim for the shelves. It is also used for the flowing, curved side supports. Brass pins in the supports add beauty and strength to the piece.
Materials: Mahogany plywood and wengae stock
MDF (medium-density fiberboard) stock for making templates
Band saw
Table router
Multi-router
Patternmaker's rasp
Hand chisel
Double-stick tape
Clamps
Woodworker's glue
Chalk or carpenter's pencil
Saftety 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. Cutting the Curved Frame StockWengae is a relatively expensive hardwood -- about $14 per board foot -- so it was used only for the frame border and shelf trim. But using just a small amount of wengae, in the curved portions of the frame, adds a distinctive, visually pleasing accent to the piece.
Steps:
- To cut the curved pieces for the frame, prefashioned templates made of 1/2" MDF (figure A) were used as guides. The templates were carefully laid out, cut on the band saw, then hand-shaped using a patternmaker's rasp. The result is a nicely curved profile with a stepped-down motif.
- The completed templates are laid out on the boards of wengae (figure B) and secured in position using doublestick tape.
Important: Before cutting the curved pieces from the wengae, the wengae stock was jointed flat on one edge. That edge will later serve as a reference in creation of the joinery.
- With the template secured in position, the curved profiles are cut out of the wengae using a band saw (figure C).
Tip: Installing a 1/4" bimetal blade on the band saw makes it easier to cut a hardwood such as wengae.
- Once cut, the curved profiles are cleaned up on the table router using a flush bearing-bit. Simply follow the curves on the template to clean up the edges of the curved frame piece (figure D).
- Once the curved pieces for the top and bottom of the frame have been cut, straight side pieces that connect the top and bottom of the frame (figure E) are milled up and cut to length on the table saw.
Mortise-and-Tenon Joinery The joinery holding the frame together consists of a combination of techniques.
For the top, the sides are joined to the top piece using wood splines and matching slots in the frame (figure F).
For the bottom , the sides are joined to the bottom piece using a wood spline, a slot in the bottom piece and a mortise in the side piece (figure G). The mortise/slot combination is used at the bottom since the curved bottom rail will be mounted so that it's offset about 1" from the bottom of the side piece.
Steps:
- Work begins on creating the joinery by cutting the mortises for the frame sides using the multi-router (figure H).
- Using the same bit, the multi-router is used to cut the slots (figure I) that will join the top and bottom pieces to the side pieces.
- Since the router makes rounded cuts, the ends of the mortises are squared up using a hand chisel (figure J).
- Wood splines are milled and cut for a precise fit using 1/4" wengae stock. The splines are milled to a width that fits both the slots and mortises.
- With the joinery made, the frame can be dry-clamped together (figure K) to ensure a precise fit in preparation for glue-up. Dry-clamping serves as a rehearsal for the glue-up, ensuring that all pieces fit snugly before glue is applied.
- Because gluing the curved frame can present a challenge, a curved wood support (figure L) was created from scrap lumber. The supports are cut to match the curved profile of the frame, and provide a surface for the clamp to grab onto while pulling the joints tight.
Once all of the stock and joinery has been made, the frame can be glued up and work can begin preparing the frame to accept the mahogany back panel. The techniques used in that process, as well as cutting and installing the panel, are included 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
The Complete Woodworker's Companion
Author: Roger Holmes
Publisher: Watson-Guptill
ISBN: 0823008665
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
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