At this stage, you have a decision to make. If you'll be making only one rack, go ahead and glue the paper pattern to your back panel blank, then saw through the paper. But be warned; chances are you'll get requests for more racks.
That's why it makes sense to prepare a wooden template for the scrollwork on the back panel. I used 1/4"-thick MDF (medium-density fibreboard) for mine.
When fastening or tracing your template onto your back piece, make sure the back of the spoon rack is symmetrical. Find the vertical centre, then draw a line from top to bottom. Place your half-pattern on the left side of the centre line and trace it, then flip the pattern over and trace the other side.
When it comes time to saw the back, think before you switch on the scrollsaw. Handling a large piece of wood on this machine can be tricky, so plan your approach and decide how you will tackle the cuts beforehand.
After cutting away the waste wood around the traced outline, the cut edges have to be sanded to remove all of the saw marks. I used a set of drillpress sanding drums and a few files for this job. The drums make it easy to achieve a fair, flowing curve, and the files allow you to smooth the inside corners easily.
Curvy sides
Cut two blanks for the sides, then sand them up to 150-grit paper, as you did with the back. The sides also call for decorative scrollsaw work following the pattern. Prepare a template and trace the pattern for the sides, but don't cut off the curved waste just yet. You should finish shaping all the edges and cut the required rabbets first. These accommodate the shelf, bin front and drawer front. A square piece of wood is easier to hold and manipulate on a router table, so save the scrollsaw work until the end.
Burn-free beading
To mill the decorative bead that is situated on the front edges of the sides, use two passes with a bearing-guided router bit. Cut one side, then flip the board over and do the other with the bearing riding on the newly-routed bead. This isn't a difficult job, but there is a trick you should know about.
Light-coloured hardwoods such as maple have a tendency to burn when routed, and the discolouration can be hard to remove with sandpaper. My single-speed router is particularly bad for this. It has no mechanism to slow down bit rotation, so friction and heat build up, causing a problem when working with maple and cherry.
To overcome this challenge, I've come up with a method that almost eliminates burning. I use a fence in conjunction with the piloted bit, setting the fence to take 85 per cent of a full cut. I make this partial cut, then observe how the wood reacts to the router. Next, I reset the fence to take approximately one-half of the remaining wood with the next cut. Now, here's the trick: for the final cut, the third one, set the bearing just proud of the fence before making the final routing pass. Since this only removes a thin shaving of wood, heat buildup is minor. With a sharp router bit, your cut will be burn-free and virtually flawless.
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