Pennsylvania spice box build

[Chestnut]

2 minutes ago, Chip Sawdust said:

I’m always trying to find new ways to do things wrong  

After doing things wrong often enough I eventually learn how not to do it wrong any more! Sometimes I even figure out how to do it better *shrug*  

I wouldn't say doing it wrong. I routinely forget to wax my hand planes and then when i remember i fly across the room because it cuts that much easier.

[Ronn W]

Trouble is that there are so many more way to do something wrong than to do something right.

[Chip Sawdust]

On 12/9/2019 at 5:49 PM, Ronn W said:

Trouble is that there are so many more way to do something wrong than to do something right.

So true! And I hunt them down endlessly!  

[Chip Sawdust]

So a little work done this morning. Some of the dividers (partitions) and a few more minor adjustments to the plan that I didn’t think out fully. Not a big deal, most folks won’t think about it  (I hope). But progress nonetheless and I’m having fun this morning. 

[Chip Sawdust]

The vertical, well all the inner partitions that meet other partitions (in other words, don’t meet the box sides) are joined with a little V groove. The mating piece is vee’d on the end, the notch being about halfway through the 1/4” partition thickness. First for me, and I’d even bought a router bit.p for it. 
But what I hadn’t counted on is the fence on my router table not accommodating a groove nearly 5” from the edge. Most groves are in drawers etc only a small distance from an edge. So I looked around for a piece of wood, put tape on the edge to smooth its surface (it’s MDF, sort of coarse stuff), added a clamp to my bench and used my Kreg clamp on the other end. Hey, it worked  

[Chip Sawdust]

Worked the partitions yesterday and ran out of material. That said, I had a 1/8” piece left over from my original resaw of the other partition pieces so I glued a section together to make the last piece. Not ideal, but it’ll work. That goes in today. As cold as it’s been in the shop I let it set overnight before I’m taking the 127 clamps off it  

 

[Mark J]

That's a very good solution.

[Chip Sawdust]

So the Christmas push is on, and I have a few days off from work and Mama's projects

Got a few things done - got all the partitions done as well as the false top (not shown).

 

Made the back panel, which is 1/4" poplar (the plan called for ash, aint got) which has 1/16" splines and a couple battens with the little brass screws. After putting it together I remembered each piece is supposed to be relieved slightly at the joints but oh well. It will still function just fine.

 

[Chip Sawdust]

Ran into a layout issue; maybe someone can show me where I went wrong. The door panel has an arc to it and I've double checked my measurements but the 6 7/8" arc radius doesn't come out where it's supposed to. I used the drawing measurements and center, but the arc is about 1/8" shy of the top, and it doesn't match up with the sholders it's supposed to meet. Can anyone tell me where I went wrong? Hoping this picture will help...

 

If I raise the center to get the arc to the top of the wood, it comes up too high on the shoulders, and is already too high on the shoulders as marked. So it's a conundrum, and I figured OK I have a few bits being glued; they need time to dry while I think about it.

[Chip Sawdust]

Hmmm.. I guess I'll have to fudge it best I can.

The upper rail has the same curve so they have to match, at least. Then a little stringing and I'm going to insert a little clock I got from Rockler, should be nice. But I fear I won't get it done for Christmas. I worked several hours yesterday and I'm sore this morning! 

[wtnhighlander]

Did you try locating the arc center on the pattern with a compass and straightedge, to see if it really is 6 7/8"?  Maybe that dimension is a typo?

 

I like this method I found on stackexchange.com, as it works for circular OR elliptical arcs:

"Draw any two non-parallel chords with endpoints on the arc. For each of these, draw a second chord parallel to the first, also with endpoints on the arc. Construct the midpoint for each chord. For each pair of parallel chords, draw the line through their midpoints. These two lines will intersect at the center of the circle (or ellipse)."

 

[Tpt life]

The center line is marked on your pattern? That’s the only trick with arcs. Your focus must lie on that line if the arc is circular. With a pair of dividers you find a point that swings the arc with minimal trial and error. There is a super simple arc rise and width formula that I used to run trim on curved windows and doors. But why bother? Online calculators abound

https://www.mathopenref.com/arcradius.html

Remember, inside and outside edges will have different radius values from the same focus. 

[Chip Sawdust]

Thanks guys that’s awesome! 
There’s something wrong with the drawing perhaps. Here are two pics, one with the compass on the center point and curve apex, then moved to one side. They don’t match up. 

[Chip Sawdust]

The second center is for the inlay on the arc. I may have to trace it or just fudge it. 
Here’s the setup for the compass, aligned with the drawing. Just under 6-7/8” but close enough I wouldn’t otherwise bother. 

[Chip Sawdust]

So... I fudged it. Put the old 1/2” blade in the bandsaw and cut an arc. The top rail arc matches, with a little fudge for the shoulders. Now the votives, beading, mortises, tenons and oh yeah, some sort of inlay. Christmas is way too close. 

[Chip Sawdust]

Well Christmas is here and I missed the deadline. But I presented it to my wife anyway, with where it’s at, and she loves it. Now she wants it done  and that makes two of us. 

[pkinneb]

1 hour ago, Chip Sawdust said:

...she loves it. Now she wants it done  ... 

Ahh if I had a dollar for every time I heard that LOL

[Chip Sawdust]

So I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make a jig for routing a groove in a curved piece. Hadn’t done that before, and still haven’t come across the ideal solution. Spent a lot of time on that today as well as making a new fence for my roto to make the stringing grooves on the door panel.

i did manage all the beading on the rails and stiles for door. I used a scratch stock and did the curved piece by setting the scratcher on the second side, in other words where it is tapered. Scratch stock works well, it’s just slow. 

 

i used chalk to show where the bead was down as far as it needed to go, rather than a white pencil. It worked probably better than white pencil as it’s a wide mark tha you can see gradually disappearing.  
Where to curve meets the straight part I used a knife, a small chisel and patience to make them shake hands in a friendly manner  

[Chip Sawdust]

I got stuck with the challenge of a groove on the curved stretcher atop the door. Started making a jig, because the bearing on my slot cutter was way too small... never had a satisfactory answer to a jig, although I did start building one. Eventually I came up with the idea - because I didn’t want to drive into town and buy a bearing - make one of the bearings I had, bigger. Out comes the heater tape and 13 layers later I gave it a shot. Don’t try this at home... but it worked. 

[Chip Sawdust]

That solved, I was free to start to stringing on the door face. The previously troublesome arc was actually two arcs, so that presented a challenge but I got it done. 

 

[pkinneb]

I can honestly say that would never have come to me but a big thumps up, nicely done  

[Chip Sawdust]

There’s a sequence ro these things and I hope I’m getting it right! I cut the two circles and started the “leaves” just one side for now. Tomorrow will be the other sides. 

[wtnhighlander]

Chip, that's exactly the sort of solution I tend to come up with! For future projects, you might try cutting the inner radius of the arch smaller, by the offset between your slot cutter's full depth and groove depth you want. Route the groove, then re-cut the arc to the desired radius.

[Chip Sawdust]

On 12/30/2019 at 8:13 PM, wtnhighlander said:

Chip, that's exactly the sort of solution I tend to come up with! For future projects, you might try cutting the inner radius of the arch smaller, by the offset between your slot cutter's full depth and groove depth you want. Route the groove, then re-cut the arc to the desired radius.

Ah yes, but you see, you’re speaking from experience! This is the first such door I’ve tried to make so it’s all new to me  But that does sound like an elegant solution. Of course, I’d already cut my arc to the size it needed to be, no material left to play with.

[Chip Sawdust]

Made a little more progress today but not many hours spent, sadly. I won't make the second deadline but my wife is (sadly) kinda used to that...

It doesn't look like much but the next step is a triple layer string of holly, dyed black anigre and holly which will go around the perimeter circle. I also compassed the eight extra marks to match what's going to go in the center (I'll leave that for later if you haven't guessed).