338 8
Eac h of t h e t e n on s is plan e d t o fi t snugly in its mortise. A batten across the
bench eliminates the need to clamp the parts while fi tting.BattenSetting the cutter above the table surface cuts a consistently sized tongue
on the back of the panels.Strips of clear packing tape across the joint let the miters fold together.
More tape and additional clamps provide a tight, strong joint. Rails and panels for the sides are slipped into the already-assembled back panel.Getting Ready to Assemble
I cut the veneered panels to their fi nal size, and then milled
a rabbet on the back of each panel on the router table. With
a slot-cutting bit set just under^3 ⁄ 8 " above the table surface,
I made a tongue that slipped in the grooves of the stiles and
rails. This is a good technique when working with plywood
panels of inconsistent thickness as the fi xed distance be-
tween the table and cutter will produce a consistent part that
matches the width of the groove. I then sanded the veneered
panels to #220 grit to prepare things for assembly.
Before assembling any of the panels, I cut 45° bevels on
the long edge of each leg that didn’t have the groove for the
panels. I glued pairs of legs together, clamping them with a
combination of clear packing tape and clamps. After letting
the glue on these joints dry overnight, I glued together the
front- and back-panel assemblies. The two end-panel assem-
blies are put together as the entire case is assembled.
With the back panel lying face down on the bench, I as-
sembled the rails and panels for the sides. Once they were in
place, I put glue on the tenons and dropped the front panel
assembly in place. I then set the chest upright on my bench
and clamped across the ends, checking for square.
After the glue on the solid parts had dried, I sanded the
outside of the chest with a random-orbit sander, working from
#100 grit up to #220, followed by a hand sanding with #280
grit. The top panel was then put together and sanded smooth.
Adding the Corbels
I made the^3 ⁄ 8 "-thick corbels by resawing some of the 1^1 ⁄ 4 "-thick
stock left over from making the rest of the chest. After planing
them to thickness, I stacked four pieces together with double-
faced carpet tape holding the layers together. I made a pattern of
the corbel shape from^1 ⁄ 2 " MDF, and traced the outline on the top
layer of the stack.
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