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by
Dave Boulton
photos by Donna Griffith
illustration by Len Churchill |
MISSION COFFEE TABLE (part 4) |
Drawer
Construction
As with any workshop project, the actual sizes of the drawer
openings will vary. That’s why it’s best to build
each drawer to fit each drawer opening.
Naturally, all drawer fronts are quartersawn white oak, but
I chose 1/2" Baltic birch plywood for the sides and backs,
along with 1/4" Baltic birch plywood on the bottoms. I
used half-blind dovetail joints to attach the sides to the fronts,
with the backs and bottoms held in dado slots (see plans for
details). If you use another joinery method, you’ll probably
need to adjust your material sizes to suit.
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ABOVE FOR DETAILED ILLUSTRATION |
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Begin by trimming each drawer front to fit its opening. Aim
for 1/32" to 1/16" clearance all around. Trim your
drawer-box sides to match the height of each front, then cut
them to length. Prepare drawer corner joints now.
Test-fit your drawer boxes, adjust size as needed, then reassemble
them with glue. Clamp your assemblies and confirm everything
is square.
Once the drawers are dry, test-fit them and adjust as necessary.
If a drawer sticks, check not just the drawer itself but the
runners and guides. When the drawers slide easily, rub some
paste wax on the runners, guides and drawer bottoms. This time
when you push them in, be gentle, and they’ll glide with
no effort. Mount the drawer pulls now.
As things stand now, the drawers probably sit about 1/2"
recessed into the frame. Since you really want them to be flush
with the frame’s face, you need to push the drawer all
the way in, measure the recess depth, then cut stop blocks to
match. After testing, glue and clamp the stops to the back web
rails, centred in the openings.
Top It Off
I built the top last. That’s because it’s a bulky
finished piece that’s challenging to store while everything
else is in progress. As you plane and joint your wood, make
the top at least 1/2" wider and an inch longer for now.
When you orient your boards on the bench, arrange the grain
so it’s all running in the same direction. This gives
a pleasing visual effect while also making it much easier to
plane the tabletop smooth. After trimming, sand the top with
120-, 180- and 220-grit abrasives. Sand the edges as well, going
one grit further on the end-grain to close up the pores, keeping
it from soaking up more stain and turning out darker than the
rest of the top.
When the tabletop is ready, turn it upside down with an old
blanket between it and your bench to protect that smooth, sanded
finish.
With the help of a friend, lower the carcass upside down on
top of the tabletop, then fine-tune the positioning. I used
20 metal tabletop clamps to secure the top. Put three on each
end, one on the front and back near the ends, then spread the
rest around evenly.
Mark screw holes for the clamps, then remove the carcass. Drill
pilot holes for the #10 mounting screws, then reposition the
carcass. Be sure to use a drill stop to make sure you don’t
drill right through the tabletop as you work. Access to some
of the end screws will be tight during the installation, but
you should be able to get a hand driver into them.
Final Finish
Remove the drawer hardware and sand down the drawer fronts up
to 220-grit. Before you complete one final sanding on the rest
of the project, check all surfaces for clamp marks or any other
blemishes. Repair these areas, then sand the complete project
with 220-grit paper. Be sure to use a tack cloth or vacuum to
clean off all dust after sanding.
Don’t finish inside the drawers or other interior components.
Finishing odours take a very long time to dissipate and
the smell can even permeate into whatever you store in the drawers
in the meantime.
When the finish is dry, reattach the hardware and move your
new coffee table to its place of honour. Reserve a drawer for
the remotes and TV Guide right away—all the other drawers
will fill up soon enough on their own. |
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1. Develop a plan |
2. Frames and panels
3. Finishing up |
4. Drawer construction |
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