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by
Cathy Dalrymple
photo: Dave Starrett
illustration: Len Churchill |
SEAT IN A BOX |
| This
quick project can serve as seats or side tables |
This
simple, triple-decker project began with a need for spare seating
on my deck. I wanted something that could stack out of the way
between uses, and which was sized to suit both little and big
people.
This project was designed with
simple joinery and low-cost materials, so it would be fun, easy
and cheap.
You probably have more than enough
scrap in your workshop to build these boxes, but you can also
use finer materials to suit your style—whatever reflects
your personal tastes.
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| Stacked
together, these boxes serve as nesting tables and
they use less storage space |
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Choose Your Wood
The construction of this project is simple. First, choose your
stock. Since I would be painting the wood, I wasn’t concerned
with appearance. I decided to laminate two thicknesses of 3/4"
spruce plywood. To keep things inexpensive, this was the best
option. You could also edge-glue 2-by lumber if you wish.
Take two and a half 3/4"-thick
sheets of 4x8 plywood and cut them to 22" wide on your
tablesaw. You should end up with six pieces of wood, 96"
long each. All of the boxes have the same front-to-back width;
only the height changes. When you’ve finished these first
cuts, glue and clamp two pieces of ply together in 96"
lengths. This takes a lot of glue, so consider using a paint
roller to spread it smoothly.
Even when the clamps are in place,
you may still have trouble getting the middle area of each double
sheet tight. After all, the clamps can only go around the edges.
Solve this problem by drawing the middle areas together temporarily
with #8 x 1" wood screws. Orient the screw holes left behind
in the middle of the boxes so they won’t be seen.
Box it Up
When the glue is dry, remove the clamps and run the pieces through
your tablesaw again to remove irregularities along the edges,
which will trim down your ply to a final width of 22" after
adding 1/4"-thick edging along each edge. Cut the parts
you need for the large box, then glue and clamp the components
together. The sizes in the materials list are for boxes assembled
with butt joints. Add three inches to the length of the sides
if you plan to create mitred corners.
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1 | PART 2 |
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