|
|
 |
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
by
Dave Boulton
photos by Donna Griffith
illustration by Len Churchill |
MISSION COFFEE TABLE (part 3) |
As you drill
out the mortises, the bit will get hot. Drill one or two, then
let the bit cool. While that’s happening, do your cleanup
work with a mallet and chisels. By the time the mortises are
squared, the Forstner bit will be cool again. As you drill and
fit the various mortises, mark each leg and its companion mortise
to spare you the guesswork of what goes where during glue-up.
Before the first stage of assembly, you need to saw grooves
in the two top side rails to accept the tabletop clamps. Using
your tablesaw, cut the groove according to the clamps you will
be using.
Start to Finish
Once you’re satisfied that everything fits, sand all the
parts you’ve worked on so far. It’s easier now because
you don’t have troublesome corners and cross-grain connections
to contend with yet. Sand all components up through 120- to
220-grit. Any exposed corners should be very slightly rounded
with handheld sandpaper. File and sand small chamfers onto the
bottoms of the legs to prevent splintering if the table is ever
dragged across the floor.
 |
| A
web-frame system acts as a cage that both supports
and stops the two levels of drawers. |
|
Begin assembly with the sides. Insert the rail tenons in
one leg, slide the panel in place and cap it with the other
leg. While the tenons and mortise surfaces must be coated with
glue, the panels must be kept dry so they float. Clamp up this
assembly, then check it carefully for square. With both sides
complete, join them together with the back lower rail and front
kickplate. The back is essentially the same as the sides; it
just has more panels and intermediate stiles. Bring the parts
together in the same way.
As you work, you’ll find it helpful to attach a temporary
support rail at the front top. Clamp a piece of scrap to the
front legs so they’re 36 1/2" apart. Check for square
across the entire piece to ensure the drawer frame can drop
into place easily.
Web Frames
Web frames are horizontal assemblies that support the drawers.
You need to make three: one to support the lower drawers, one
to support the upper drawers and one to stop the upper drawers
from tipping when pulled out. The web frames are separated by
uprights, which are the same height as the drawers.
Start by drilling and counterboring holes for #8 x 2" screws
for attaching the web frames to the legs. Also, before web frame
assembly, cut saw grooves in the perimeter of all upper frame
components to accept metal tabletop clamps you’ll install
later.
I assembled my web frames using #20 biscuits for all joints,
except the top frame, which is attached to the short uprights
using screws for strength; this is because when you lift
the coffee table, you would normally lift it by holding the
top. The tips of the biscuits extend beyond the frame edges,
but you can remove them using a stationary disc sander. Assemble
each frame, taking the time to ensure everything is square.
Smooth the joints with a belt sander, then join the completed
frames with the uprights using one or two #8 x 2" screws
driven into each upright.
Cut, glue and clamp the 7/8" x 1/2" drawer guides
onto the top surfaces of the bottom and middle web frames, right
behind the front uprights.
With all three web frames together, drop the assembly into place
between the legs. To make this easier, I glued six blocks to
the lower part of the carcass: three on the inside of the kickplate,
7/8" down from its top edge, and three on the lower back
rail at the same height.
Now is the time to use glue to fasten the upper rear rail of
the web frame cage to the inside face of the top rail of your
cabinet. Drill pilot holes and install eight #8 x 2" screws,
attaching the web frame to the legs through the uprights. This
reinforces the kickplate.
Attach your quartersawn drawer frames to the front face of the
web framing. You won’t need this on the bottom frame,
since the kickplate serves the same purpose.
|
1. Develop a plan |
2. Frames and panels
3. Finishing up |
4. Drawer construction |
|
|
|
|
| FREE
NEWSLETTER |
Subscribe to our newsletter. Every few weeks, you'll get a behind-the-scenes
peek at the magazine, the web site and the folks who put it all together.
CLICK HERE |
|
|
PROJECTS
