|
|
 |
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
| by:
Ken Tunnard
photos: Christopher Campbell
illustration: Len Churchill |
DRESSER VALET (part 2) |
Finessing
it Together
It’s difficult to clamp together mitered pieces that don’t
meet at 90º, so make it easier on yourself by breaking
up the job into a series of smaller glue-ups. Start the process
by joining the centre front to the two main dividers. As you
work, put the bottom panel in place. Use the same method to
glue the false dividers to the sides. Once the sides and centre
section of the box are dry, the remainder of the vanity valet
should go together easily.
Plane the lid and lid hinge strip
to a 5/8" thickness, then go ahead and cut these parts
to length and shape. Fasten the two-inch-wide strip to the back
of the box using two #0 biscuits. To attach the lid to the hinge
strip, you’ll have to cut down a standard 24" piano
hinge at one knuckle, as close as you can to the 20" mark.
A hacksaw or cut-off disc on a rotary tool works well.
Add the Hardware
 |
CLICK
ABOVE FOR
LARGER IMAGE |
|
Predrill
and attach the piano hinge prior to gluing the lid assembly
in place. In order to keep the lid from opening too far, buy
a small, fine chain to attach to the inside of the box. Once
the piece’s lid is dry, have a look at the inside of the
box to find a spot where the upper chain bracket won’t
hit any of the box members when the lid is closed. Mark the
spots, predrill the holes and then secure the chain.
Cut two 1/4" x 1/4"
Douglas fir plugs to fill the exposed panel grooves at the back
end of the box sides. With that done, attach four self-adhesive
vinyl bumpers to the underside of the project to give it some
grip and create a nice shadow line.
Finishing Touches
I finished my vanity valet with three coats of penetrating oil;
then, after the oil had cured for a week, I topped it off with
two coats of beeswax polish. As for whether you fill up the
piece with gifts before you close it up and wrap it, well, that’s
up to you. |
| You Will Need |
| Part |
Part |
Size |
Qty. |
| Back |
fir |
3/4" x 3 1/2"
x 17 1/8" |
1 |
| Sides |
fir |
3/4" x 3 1/2"
x 8 1/4" |
2 |
| Front facets |
fir |
3/4" x 3 1/2"
x 4 1/8" |
2 |
| Centre front |
fir |
3/4" x 3 1/2"
x 8 1/2" |
1 |
| Main dividers |
fir |
3/4" x 3 1/2"
x 10 1/2" |
2 |
| False dividers |
fir |
3/4" x 3 1/2"
x 3 1/2" |
2 |
| Bottoms |
cherry |
1/4" x 6 13/16"
x 9 5/16" |
2 |
| Bottom centre |
cherry |
1/4" x 5 3/4"
x 9 3/16" |
1 |
| Lid |
cherry |
5/8" x 10 1/2"
x 20 3/8" |
1 |
| Lid hinge strip |
cherry |
5/8" x 2" x
20 3/8" |
1 |
| Vinyl bumpers |
self-adhesive, vinyl |
3/8" dia. |
4 |
| Piano hinges |
brass plated |
20"-long |
1 |
|
| READ
PART 1 |
|
|
|
|
| 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
