| Cherry Sofa-Table -- Legs and Joinery |
From "Wood Works"
episode WWK-404 |
|
|
|
advertisement
|
Legs and Joinery With the curved stretchers made, work can begin on the stock for the solid-cherry legs. Once the legs are made, the joinery can be cut using a plunge router. Materials: Cherry leg-stock
Table saw
Table router
Plunge router
Clamps
Straight-edge
Block plane
Carpenter's pencil
Safety 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, power-tools, saws, drills, routers, etc. Steps: - The leg stock is 1-3/4 inches square, and 29 inches long. For design, the inside of each leg is beveled. The bevel is cut in two steps. At the router table, a bevel 5/8-inch wide and 9 inches long is cut from the bottom of the leg, stopping the cut where the top of the stretcher will be (figure A). Later, the bevel will be finished by hand, tapering it to zero so it ends at the bottom edge of the apron.
- Create the first bevel using a 45-degree chamfering bit (figure B). Use a stop-block to ensure identical cuts on all of the legs stock.
- To join the stretcher to the legs, mortise- and loose-tenon joinery is used. The mortise in the stretcher is unusual in that it's cut in the end of a curved piece, and there's a very small amount of surface area on which the router can rest. For that reason, a custom jig is created especially for cutting the mortise (figure C). The jig consists of a guide-block cut to match the curve of the stretcher, attached to a flat piece of MDF. The MDF gives a larger 90-degree surface to support the router.
- A template guide is installed on the base of the router (figure D) to control the cut.
- Use a plunge router and 5/16" two-flute carbide bit to cut the mortises in the ends of the stretcher. The collar rides inside the slot in the jig, enabling a precise mortise-cut to be made in the small area on the ends of the stretcher.
- Next, cut matching mortises in the legs stock. We placed the legs in wooden holding blocks lined with cork to help ensure that the chamfered portion of the leg sits flat in the workbench vise (figure E).
- Use the plunge-router once again, now outfitted with a side-fence, to cut the mortises by referencing off the straight edge of the work bench (figure F).
- The mortises are cut the same size as those cut on the ends of the stretchers.
- The matching cherry tenons should be milled 1-1/2 inches wide, 1/4-inch thick, with a 1/8-inch rounded edge (figure G).
- With the joinery for the stretcher cut, conduct a dry-fit to ensure that the pieces fit together properly. Clamping-blocks help to pull the joints together (figure H).
- With the pieces dry-fit together, take measurements for making the aprons (figure I).
- Cut the aprons from 3/4-inch cherry stock. Our two long aprons were 47-1/4 inches long, and the short aprons were cut 13-1/2 inches long.
- As seen on the prototype, the tops of the aprons are flush with the legs, and they are offset slightly in the legs to provide a 1/4-inch reveal (figure J). The mortises in the legs are offset to provide this reveal.
- At the workbench, use a plunge router to cut mortises in the ends of all of the legs and aprons.
- The tenons for joining the legs and aprons should be milled 3/8-inch thick, 2 inches long, and 2-3/4 inches wide.
- With the joinery complete, work can begin shaping the aprons. Using an MDF template made from the original full-scale drawing, trace the curve onto the apron stock ( figure K).
- At the band-saw, cut the curves on the aprons, cutting them slightly oversized.
- With the template attached, flush-trim the edges of the curves at the router table with the bearing referencing against the edge of the template (figure L).
- Use 220-grit sandpaper to soften all of the edges of the legs, aprons and stretcher.
- Using the apron as a guide, determine and mark a stop-point to delineate where to extend the bevel on the legs (figure M). Use a block-plane to knock down the corner edge, tapering it gradually so that it ends at the point where the apron joins the leg.
In the segment that follows, the top is edge-glued from matched pieces of cherry, and the table assembly begins. 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
Woodworking Techniques: Best Methods for Building Furniture from Fine Woodworking
Author: Editors of Fine Woodworking magazine
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561583456
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
| 
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
