By now the glue on the side frames should be cured. Plunge biscuit slots into the top and bottom of each frame where the stiles meet the rails. Swab some glue into the slots then insert #20 biscuits. Trim them flush when the glue is completely hard. This technique is great in hidden places and is easier than internal biscuit installations. Keep the biscuits nearer the front of each side frame so they won't interfere with the rabbets you'll be milling next to hold the glass and wood panels.
I used a table-mounted router with a 1/4" bit and guide bearing to mill the rabbets. This leaves rounded corners which need to be squared up with a chisel.
Image at left: The side panels are a full 1" thick and are set into 1/4" rabbets. The tops of these panels support the plywood inner shelf
Bring everything together
Take a few moments now to sand the side frames and legs. The sides attach to the legs with #10 biscuits and glue, and are set back from the legs by 1/4". To accommodate this, plunge all the biscuit slots in the sides first, then adjust the fence of the biscuit joiner by 1/4" and plunge the mating slots in the legs. Glue and clamp the four sides and legs together. Ensure the diagonal measurements taken from corner to corner are equal so the lamp body will be square. When the assembly has dried, tip the whole thing onto each face to install the solid panels from the inside. One brad in the centre of each side, top and bottom is all that is needed to secure each panel.
Now cut the shelf from 1/2" exterior-grade plywood. The corners of the shelf are trimmed to clear the legs, and a 1/2" hole accommodates the lamp wiring. The shelf is not structural; it rests on the top edges of the panels to prevent the light from escaping underneath the lamp.
Electrify the roof
The wiring of this lamp is a breeze. Mount an outdoor-rated electrical box to the underside of the peak; rather than wire a plug and cord, I purchased a 6' grounded outdoor extension cord and cut the receptacle end off. Thread the cord through the hole in the shelf and into the electrical box. Use a cable clamp to secure the cord where it enters the box. Now all that's left to do is install the light fixture onto the box.
The rafter and peak assembly can now be fitted over four 1/4" dowels that fit into the top of each leg. I used a hand-held drill and a brad point bit fitted with a depth stop to make the holes. Find the centre of each leg by scribing a line diagonally from corner to corner and drill the holes so that 1/4" of the dowel stands proud of the surface. Transfer the location of the holes in the legs onto the roof frame using dowel centres, then drill matching holes on the underside of each rafter and attach the roof assembly to the legs with glue. A finishing nail driven through the rafter into the leg will act as a clamp until the glue cures.
Glass and copper
I finished the project with a couple coats of tung oil. The glass panels were purchased and cut at a stained glass supplier and are held in place with glazier's points. After laying out the roof panels on my copper stock, I cut them out using tin snips. The roof panels require a bit of fiddling to friction fit them into the saw kerfs'the copper panels are larger than you need, so they bend in a graceful curve which not only looks good but stiffens each panel.
Read more in Woodworking Projects and Small projects
0 Comment