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82K views 262 replies 73 participants last post by  ChicoWoodnut 
#1 ·
Time to start the execution phase

Well I think I am finally done with the design of this piece. I made a change last night which is actually a regression to an earlier model. I like this change. I have reversed the rails and stiles on the door construction making the stiles be the horizontal member. I read an entry on this site the other day regarding this technique. Sorry I can't remember who to credit it to. Anyway, Here are two jpeg exports to compare. I think the new arrangement gives the table a low and wide look which is more appropriate for a G&G peice.
Here are the exports to compare.





It looks kinda busy around the joinery areas but that is just a Sketchup artifact. The lines where things come together will be much less pronounced once executed in wood.

So later this week I will be going over to the lumber store to buy a pile of Mahogany and hopefully get started after about a week of letting it sit stickered.

Merry Christmas!
 
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#2 ·
Great design. I agree the second one looks shorter. It's interesting on how a subtle change makes that difference.

Take lots of construction photos.
 
#3 ·
I got over to the lumber store to look at some mahogany last Thursday. Friday we had the storm of the century here in Northern California. Knocked down my lemon tree and a good chunk of fence in the back yard so I got diverted from this project cleaning up stuff. I did get some time to make a rendering of how to use the boards I am going to get tomorrow. I took the components of my sketchup model and layed them out on some 10" x 8' boards. Doing this, I got to think out the way the grain will be.


Here is the full sized jpeg

Looks like I will need about 30 bd ft to do two of these. The 8/4 Mahogany for the legs is kinda pricey since it comes in 12' lengths. I am trying to see if I can get them to sell me half of one, otherwise, I think I will use it eventually.
 
#5 ·
EDIT: went to your web page, you're all over it! Good stuff! Keep us updated on progress.

Scott,
This is really nice and I'd love to get your SU file. Just offering a design thought…

It appears that your leg design is using the "quirk" detail from the Thorsen table, is that correct? I did that also on the table, but then read Pearts book that shows how to make the Blacker house leg. I don't have a finished pic from the desk I just finished, but the leg looks like this at the bottom:

The jig for making this is really simple:


Having done both, I find I like the Blacker style better, as it is more obvious from across the room - there is clearly a detail there to attract your eye, but it doesn't detract from the overall design. On my Thorsen table, the leg quirk is difficult to distinguish from across the room.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the input Robb,

I have darrells book (signed by darrell). I am assuming that by your EDIT you mean you got the SU file. If not, just let me know cuz I'm happy to share. There are a lot of files in that directory. Older models, a cutlist and such. I am also playing with the overhang of the table top (again). There are 15 revisions. This one shortens the overhang.



Not sure if I like it "better" yet. It looks kinda butch.

BTW, I have been toying with the blacker leg. Thanks for the input. That's what makes a forum a forum!

Scott
 
#8 ·
Storm pause

I got over to the lumber store to look at some mahogany last Thursday. Friday we had the storm of the century here in Northern California. Knocked down my lemon tree and a good chunk of fence in the back yard so I got diverted from this project cleaning up stuff. I did get some time to make a rendering of how to use the boards I am going to get tomorrow. I took the components of my sketchup model and layed them out on some 10" x 8' boards. Doing this, I got to think out the way the grain will be.



Looks like I will need about 30 bd ft to do two of these. The 8/4 Mahogany for the legs is kinda pricey since it comes in 12' lengths. I am trying to see if I can get them to sell me half of one, otherwise, I think I will use it eventually.
 
#15 ·
Cutting up boards

I bought 35 bd ft of Hondo Mahogany. It's been stickered for about a week. I cut it all up and now it's ready for the next phase. Knife hinges are on order and some ebony from e-bay. I'll let it all sit till the weekend and keep my fingers crossed that none of the sticks will warp. I have been planning this way too long.

Here are all the boards. They are about 11" wide. There is an 8/4 piece in the forground.



Here are all the sticks



and a rare shot of the evil red eyed shop dwarf.

 
#27 ·
Milling Legs

The weekend here in Northern California has been extraordinary. Spring is in the air. A pesky mocking bird has been trying to imitate my router.

Although I had indicated that I would start making templates for the cloudlift panels, I decided to start milling the legs this weekend. There were two reasons.

1. It was the right place to start.

2. I had to buy a 1/4" slot cutting bit for the panel grooves. The local supplier (Western Tool) had the bit and arbor but not the correct bearing for the 1/4" slot. It is on order and won't arrive til Thursday. I could have ordered it via the internet but I like to help keep the local guy in business because he is the only one north of Sacramento carrying a large supply of woodworking tools. I detest the borg and won't shop there for anything substantial.

Laying out the legs was quite an excercise. Since the legs are essentially the stiles for all of the panels (save the doors) they each need to be accurately milled on two sides to hold the rail mortices and panels. To make matters worse, they are mirror images of each other. Luckily I did a similar project with my wine rack and I had this figured out already.

First I jointed, planed and cut all the legs to their exact width and length. Then I arranged all the pieces til I liked the way the grain matched paying special attention to the front legs. Once I liked th arrangement, I marked the top of each leg so I could keep track of the pieces during the milling operations.



Above you can see the pieces are stacked as they will be encorporated into the cabinet. I drew arrows on the corner that faces toward the middle so I would always be able to arrange them the same way. The labels are from the perspective of looking at the cabinet from the front. Thus LR, RR = Left Rear, Right Rear. Since I am making two of these, I added the number "1" in front of the label on this set so I could keep the legs as a set. I also drew "corner rounds) to indicate where to run the 1/8" rounding bit. The dovetail markings are for the top front stretcher.



Above you can see how I layed out the legs for marking the layout lines. The two front legs are in the foreground and the two back legs are behind. The tops are facing the left and right. This gives me a good reference for marking all of the legs. I reference the marking gauge from the front of the front legs and the back of the back and I don't get (too) confused this way. Since the panel grooves and the mortices are all the same distance from the "Outside" of the leg, I can set the marking gauge once for the outside edge of the grooves then once more for the inside edges. If I start getting mixed up, I just stack them all together the way they were in the first picture and lay them all down again.



Next I cut the mortices in all the legs with my hollow chisel morticer. One setup of the fence cuts all the motices that are aligned with the panel grooves.



The mortice for the drawer stretcher was a little different. I set a stop block on the fence and cut them by moving the fence out for each plunge. A little time consuming, but the drawer stretcher will definitely be perfectly horizontal.



Next I cut the panel grooves. To do this I set up my router table with a 1/4" straight bit raised 1/4" above the table (plus 1/32). Since the existing mortice matches the location of the panel groove, I used one of the existing mortices to establish the location of the fence.



To cut the slot, I held the leg above the spinning bit being careful to keep it against the fence.



Then I lowered the leg into the bit. The bit starts in an existing mortice. Feed the leg until it exits into the mortice on the opposite end. You will hear the bit stop cutting. Now lift the leg out of the spinning bit being careful to keep it against the fence.

I am going back out to the shop now to cut some tenons. Hope to have them all done by the end of the day.

Cheers!
 
#33 ·
Progress

I figured i would post a quick progress note. I have cut all the tenons for the case and fitted them. Here is a shot of the dry fit. I still need to lay in the dovetailed stretchers on the top. That will be tomorrow.



I won't bore anyone with making tenons.

It's coming along pretty well. I'll be shaping cloud lifts by Saturday.
 
#39 ·
Templates and Cloudlifts

Last night I made the master template. I have been thinking for a long time about how to do this. I thought I would need to chuck up the drum sander on my RAS but it turned out to be much easier than that. I started out with two pieces of hardboard the same width and length as the front lower stretcher. I could have chosen any rail. That was a random decision. I didn't have the camera last night so here is a little after the fact photography.

I marked the first hardboard piece using my sketchup model as a reference. All of the cloudlifts on this project are 3/8" deep but the length and direction varies.



I marked a 3/8" line with my marking gauge along the hardboard then made another line where the center of the cloudlift will be. I drew a "fair" curve there with a pencil.



I set up the fence 3/8" from the router bit. The bearing is above the work so it doesn't touch. Then, starting from the left, I routed the dip out til I got to where the lift starts.



When I got to the fair curve I lifted the right side from the fence still moving left to right and trying to follow the curve. It worked! I was very happy with the appearance of it. I didn't need to fiddle with it at all. Yipeeeee!

I don't have a picture of the next step but here is the idea. Now that I had defined my lift. I needed to get it's mirror image on the other side of the hardboard. To do that I carpet taped the piece I had just shaped to the second piece I started with. Then I duplicated it. This left me with two pieces that had only one fair curve. Next, I simply flipped them, re-duplicated them and that completed the master. The rest of the pieces were made by taping the master in various positions on more pieces of hardboard. Here are various shots of that operation.



The rectangle is where the waste will be removed.



Line up the mark from the master with the one on the part you are making. Tape them together and rout one side. Then do the other.



Here is the bottom cloudlift. Just flip the master.



Here are all the finished templates.



And here are the finished rails dry fitted.

Thats enough for today. I think I'll have a beer. I deserve it <o>
 
#47 ·
Ebony - how do I tool it?

I bought five pieces of gabon ebony from e-bay. It arrived today. I
have never worked with ebony before and I have a couple of questions.

I intend to cut the pieces with the band saw. I this the best way to
size it?

I have Darrels book. I am making some ebony splines for a table. Will
the ebony machine well with a router? I am worried that it might
splinter or shatter.

The ebony is coated with what appears to be wax. Is this common?

Any tips are welcome. I want to start miling it this weekend.
 
#48 ·
Chico,
It is a great material to use and yes you can bandsaw it. It is very dense and I'd suggest using very sharp blades and bits. Take your time and set up your cuts on cheaper wood first… Compared to ebony, I think all other woods are cheaper…

Tom
 
#59 ·
Cloudlift panels

I did a little work cutting panels tonite so I thought I would update.

I cut the panels to match the cloudlift rails. I probably could have saved myself a lot of trouble by routing the slot deep but I thought it would be less likely to warp if I followed the detail with a 1/4" slot cutting bit and a bearing. That required shaped panels. I used the same templates to draw lines on the panels and then used a router table and fence set out at 3/8" to cut the panels. I will add more pictures later. Here is the nightstand with the bookmatched panels fitted.





 
#75 ·
Laying in the front top stretcher

This is part nine in this series. If you havn't already seen them, don't forget to browse the other eight by clicking on the "Part" links above.

I was distracted in March with three birthdays (including my 50th) and a lot of other things that spring brings around. My family visited from the four corners of the earth and in keeping with the Chico tradition we had a big party. So there is a big blank space in this series but not to worry, there was nothing to miss!

So on Sunday I layed in the top stretchers with a dovetail. Here are a few photos of the series of events.

I didn't get a picture but I started by cutting inside the lines with my sweet little back saw. Then I chopped out the waste with my new AI chisels.



I chopped and pared and chopped and pared. . .



I missed the photo where I cut the dovetail on the stretcher but here is the finished result.



The camera makes this stretcher look like it is a way different color. It is different but not that bad. I will have some color matching to do when I finish the piece. I will likely use an aniline dye.

I hope this wets your appetite Robb! I will start getting busy again.
 
#76 ·
Scott:
looks good .. i am impressed….
I've started on the Gamble entry table , scaled down for my class project this quarter
I'll send pict as I progress.. Using Lyptus instead of Mahog…..
I's a look alike but much cheaper and sustainably farmed as I understand.
 
#84 ·
Laying in the bottom

Here is number ten of my Greene and Greene inspired nightstand.

I put the bottoms in today. It took me a while as I was very nervous about screwing something up at this late stage in the game. Also, since the bottom holds everything in place, I wanted to make sure it was the right place :)

So I started by running a 3/4×1/4 dado around the inside of all the bottom rails. I referenced the cuts from the tops because I want the center stiles to have no ugly spaces where they meet the panel rails.



I took a piece of scrap plywood and roughly cut out the corners to reference against the legs. I used this to draw lines on the legs where I needed to remove material for the cutouts.



Now that I had the lines on all the legs, I dissassembled the piece and drew two more lines 1/4 inch down from the edge. This gives me a reference for the depth.



Another job for my sweet little english back saw.



The first cut.



And the second. (My 8 year old left me a birthday present on the bench)



I chopped out the waste.



Here it is all finished.



All finito (Times eight) Note the piece of scrap in the mortice. That is to keep from blowing out the back with the chisel (I learned this the hard way. Not much damage though)



Here is one of the side panels assembled.



And the birch plywood bottom all tucked in.



I am really happy with the way it turned out. Getting close to glueup time. (But it's beer time now)
 
#100 ·
Dust Panel construction - Thinking out loud

I am ready to start constructing the dust panel for this project. Having never made a dust panel I am trying to think through the joinery. Who knows, maybe I'll answer my own question while writing this post.

Here is the exploded drawing of the dust panel from my SU model. You can click on the image to see the whole thing but this end is just like the other :)



Here is a cutaway jpeg of the dust panel in the case.



What I am unsure of is how to join the drawer runners to the legs (both front and rear). Right now I am thinking pocket joinery. I suppose I could lay them in with M&T but that seems like overkill for a piece that will not bee seen. It might also complicate my glueup. (Although I do intend to start by assembling the sides)

The other problem I am having is how to join the dust panel back and sides. After I assemble and glue up the sides of the case, I will need to assemble the case back and dust panel in the next step of the glueup. But how do I attach it?

Looking for input. (Dang, I didn't figure it out yet)
 
#108 ·
Dust panel solution

I thought about this problem and came up with the following solution. This is one side of the dust panel. I will cut a shallow tenon on the end of the runner and an accompanying mortise in the leg to accept it. This will capture the runner when I assemble the side panel. The runner will have a long dado in which the dust panel will ride (with a long tenon). I started cutting it up tonight. The Sketchup model has been modified and I think I have all the joinery worked out.



Update

I completed both dust panel frames.
Here is the frame all cut up.



And the frame in the case.



It was much easier than I thought. Enjoyable too!
 
#119 ·
Reversing course - a Design decision

While making doors and sanding, I have been thinking about what to do with the bottoms of the legs for this project. I didn't really think about it too much while I was doing the SU model. I thought I would leave that part of the detail to the building phase. Well, yesterday I thought I would try cutting an indent detail like on the Blacker Chair Legs. Here is an example of them in this beautiful execution by Darrell Peart. So I spent the better part of an hour making a jig yesterday evening and thinking about coming home and cutting them all day at work today (while the glue dried).

Well when I got home I went out to the shop and cut one in a piece of MDF scrap and set it up along side the leg.



Then I sat down fo a minute and looked at it and decided it just doesn't look right. I don't like the way the indent intrudes on the rails. They are just too low on this piece for that detail. I tried re-arranging the jig cutting the indent so it is closer to the floor. Still no go. There just isn't enough room between the floor and the rails. So instead of trying to cram too many details into this piece, I think I'll just round/taper the bottoms of the legs so they flow to an end and be satisfied with that.

Now I am beginning to wonder if ebony plugs will overwelm the design. If I do go ahead with them, they will definitely be very small and unobtrusive ~1/4". I really like the lines of this piece and the mahogany grain is beautiful. I don't want to ruin it with too much detail. There is already a lot going on with all the curves and offset panels.

Here is a shot with the doors sitting loosely in place. I only need to cut hinge mortices for the Brusso knife hinges and I will be ready for a glue up.



Off to the shop, I have some more sanding to do.
 
#120 ·
wow…that chair on the link is insane!!! beautiful…I can see why the "indent" is attractive and something you would try…

before i read that you are thinkning of rounding/taper I was thinking slight taper…but once again i agree the leg is very short between the end of the case and the floor…thus its hard to do it…I think the idea of the test piece was a good idea…it really helps…to see…

this is my first look at your blog…IN TWO DAYS i will have a wee more time…and will try to check it out…this is a nice project so far…

CHICO BOUND AT THE END OF THE MONTH… :)
 
#133 ·
More on the fly design work. I'm happy - more pics too

After more thinking and feedback from the group I decided to have another go at the indent detail. I modified the jig so the indent appears only 1 1/4" above the bottom of the leg. I also adjusted the length of the indent by making the ramp steeper. The result looks like this in the scrap MDF.



I also made the curve on the bottom on this scrap so I could transfer it to the leg for further shaping.

Here is the first leg all shaped. I have a little more sanding to do but this shows the idea.



Here is a shot of the legs with the indent before adding the taper. I am glad I added this detail.



I have only shaped the curve on the bottom of one of the legs so this shot doesn't show it yet. I'll replace this shot with a new one once they are done.

I really appreciate the feedback I got on this phase. I made the jig exactly as described in Darrell Peart's book. When I was done I was a little dissapointed that it didn't turn out the way I expected. I lost sight of the fun of adapting techniques to work in the scope of a design (a lesson I have learned before LOL). That's why I don't build from plans.

Thanks. This is a great site and my work will be better for it.

UPDATE:

I finished sanding all the profiles. Here is a shot of one.



and a poorly lighted shot of the stand as it is.



I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I'm also getting antsy to finish this piece because I'm dreaming up some new projects. I'll be working on it all weekend.
 
#149 ·
Blacker indent summary - Lots of sanding on this detail

I decided to summarize the Blacker Indent detail.

I don't own a belt sander so I did this all by hand. I got a lot faster after the first couple.

First I cut the indent detail using a ramped jig. (sorry, I don't have a picture). This is outlined in Darrell Peart's book.



I marked a line 1/8" in from the edge all the way around the bottom and another line 3/4" from the bottom on all the sides.



I sanded the edge up to the lines with 150 and a big sanding block making a nice curve.



then I did the other side. I eyeballed the curves from the top to make sure they were fair and the same. I did the other two sides the same way.



After that I rounded over all the edges.



And here is what I was left with.



But this was the boring part. I had to sand 8×4=32 of these little details to round off the inside edges. The end grain part on the bottom was th most difficult. I wanted to keep it crisp.

I don't have any fingerprints left :(



Sure looks sweet though. All 8 legs are done.
 
#150 ·
Scott,

Looks really NICE… just like they wanted it to look…

Ever wonder how they did it? Maybe you KNOW… I don't know…
... just letting my mind wander…
1. Boil/steam the leg ends really good…
2. When ready, nice & soft, take an old Clamp, place it off angle, and clamp the h..ll out of it making it sink in…
3. Do it again & again for each lil design desired. :) :)

Do you know how they did it?

I get the impression you did it your way… (not knowing how they did it).

I never realized how much a small detail could make such a difference…

Looks G R E A T !!

Thank you.
 
#163 ·
Door glueup and Brusso knife hinges

I glued up the doors and set in knife hinges this week. Here are a few photos of the process.



First I glued up the doors. I sometimes have problems getting my panels and doors to glue up square so I came up with this simple jig to help with the process. It is nothing more than a couple of jointed sticks clamped square to the bench to keep the assembly square.



Once I have the jig all square and secure I put two strips underneath to keep the sqeeze out from making a mess of the panel.



Put on some glue.



and clamper up.

The jig keeps everything square and all it really is is some jointed sticks. Perfect!



So then I set the knife hinges into the top and bottom rails in the door opening. Here I am measuring the bottom rail (the one with the bottom glued on to a rabbet). the hinge sits back 1/4" from the front and 1/16" from the edge of the tenon. The tape was intended to keep the router from blowing out the front (more on that later)



Then I routed between the lines with a 1/4" straight bit.



It still blew out on the tenon side :(



Then I chiseled out the waste to the line.



Here is the hinge in place.



On the top rail I tried another idea. I thought if I cut in the front of the mortise with my little hack saw blade it might not blow out.



It still blew out on the tenon side only this time it was a little worse, because the blowout started at the back of the saw kerf. Dohhhh :(



So I'm thinking that it was really unreasonable for me to think that I could get away with leaving a little 1/16" sliver over on that side. I will just trim it out with a chisel and leave a little gap. I don't think it really looks bad. Here is the case with the knife hinges installed. I still need to mortise hinges in the doors tomorrow after the glue up sets. I'll post more pictures then.

UPDATE



I got four perfect ones on the second nightstand. The secret is start on the inside and come out very very (very) slowly with the router bit. I wonder whose side of the bed this one will go on. Hmmmmm.
 
#177 ·
Glue up + fitting and hanging doors

In my last entry I mortised Brusso knife hinges into the case. The next step is glueing up the case and then fitting/hanging the doors. Here are a few photos of that process.



First I cleaned off the bench and layed the back and two sides out in sequence. The sides were already glued up in my last entry. The back has a center stile so it needed to be glued in place. That is why the back is dissasembled.



Glue on the back stile tenons, rail tenons and left side mortise. Push it together.



Glue the dust panel and bottom on. This includes the two stretchers which are attached as an assembly.



Glue for the left side, clamp it up and wait about 45 minutes.

Something to note here. I put the knife hinges in place for this glue up so the little sliver on the tenon side would have something to hold it tight against the leg.



Here is what it looked like after the clamps came off and the glue was all cleaned up.



I used pieces of laminate to shim the doors in place. I used my jointer to fit the doors taking very small amounts off (~1/64") in a pass.



I clamped each door to the front of the bench so the router would have plenty of surface to rest on and routed out the hinge mortises. Then I fit them with a chisel.



This is what the doors look like closed.



And open.

I am extremely happy with the way this turned out. The knife hinges were a little intimidating but they turned out not to be much harder than butt hinges. I would recommend them to anyone wanting a nice clean look. I couldn't really find any good instructions for installing them on the internet except on some premium sites. Maybe I will blog a real how to after this project is complete.

Off to the shop again. I have one more set of doors to fit.
 
#178 ·
That's really NICE!

Very good pics & description.

Those hinges look good too… yes, a How To would be nice. It's good your bench allows you to clamp right up to the top like that!

Thanks for keeping us updated…
 
#191 ·
Making Drawers

I have been building the drawers.



Here is a jpg of the model.



I started with some layout.



Then I cut the fingers with a jig I made.


I was left with this.


I ran a rabbett down the drawer side.


The drawer side fingers were left proud. I pillowed them with sandpaper.


More Pillowing


I was left with this.

A glueup.

I didn't get a picture but I ran a dado on the sides for the backs to sit in and another all around for the drawer bottom.


Here it is with the bottom in.

I glued the beading to the top and bottom of the drawer face.


And it looks like this with some mineral spirits wiped on for effect :) They still need to be fitted some.

I am really happy with the way these turned out. I learned a lot making them too.
 
#192 ·
Nice looking drawer!

I've often wondered about making Custom Box Joints like that, but never have done it.

Now that you have shown me it can be done, I'll give it a try someday… for fun…

Did you make the bead on the router table? It looks cool!
 
#210 ·
Making Lots of Ebony Plugs

I have been making Ebony plugs for the nightstands. There are 96 plugs in this project (48 per nightstand) so I needed to make a production run out of it. I decided to do a little "how I did it" for those who might need this in the future.

The plugs will be set into their square holes with the edges flush to the surface. The tops are pillowed ~1/64" making them sit proud. Each plug must be polished to give it a beautiful sheen.



I started with 6 1/4" X 3/4" X 3/4" ebony pen blanks that I bought off of ebay. They were pretty reasonable and high quality pieces. Ping me if you want the source.



Next I cut them down to 5/16" squares with the band saw. If you make 5 sticks you can do both ends at the same time and make 10 plugs at a whack.



I use this jig to turn them into perfectly square 1/4" stock. Actually they are ~1/64" over 1/4 so they will fit into 1/4" holes tightly.



This is done with my #4. Plane two opposite sides until the plane takes no more shavings, then the other two sides leaving smooth square stock.



I made a jig using Darrell Peart's model from his book "Greene & Greene - Design Elements for the Workshop". I won't reveal the dimensions out of respect for Darrell but the general idea is to spin the stock in the hole rounding off the end. The Worksharp actually works pretty good for this because I can use finer sandpaper than a disk sander (which I don't own). I highly recommend Darrell's book if you want to make furniture in this style.



This is what the end looks like so far.





I used my Jointer push paddles with 220 sandpaper to further sand the ends round and smooth. The foam padding makes this pretty easy. It takes about 20 seconds to get each end ready for the next step.



I loaded up a polishing wheel with green polishing compound and buffed the end of each stick. The wheel is actually spinning in this picture. The camera froze it pretty well ;) I will not use the green stuff again. I would rather use jewlers rouge or diamond paste but I couldn't source it where I live. I'll be ordering some on line for next time.



I had a hard time getting a good shot of the polished end. It has a nice warm black sheen. The green stuff is hard to clean off.





Next I cut off the 1/4" plugs from each end. I tried to use the bandsaw but it was a little scary when the plug tried to get jammed in the table plate and came shooting back at me. It was just as easy to use my back saw.



A cornucopia of ebony plugs.

It wasn't a lot of fun but not too bad. It takes about 15 minutes to do 10 plugs (five sticks x 2 ends). Now that I have it worked out I will be more productive in the future.

Next step, making square holes and setting plugs.
 
#222 ·
Setting Ebony Plugs

I spent some time today setting the ebony plugs I made in my last entry. It was pretty easy really even though I was pretty apprehensive about drilling holes in an assembled piece.



Start by drilling some holes. These plugs are 1/4" so the drill bit is a little smaller at 3/16". I drilled a little over the depth of the plugs at 1/4"



I bought a very cheap 1/4" hollow mortice chisel. I flipped the bit upside down and used it to center the chisel over the holes.



Then I squared the bit.



I drove it home with a wooden mallet. I take two passes at this. The idea is to keep the sides well defined. When you pull the hollow chisel out you don't want to rock it. Pull it STRAIGHT OUT. That keeps the hole from enlarging or deforming.



Here is what I was left with. Clean up the bottom a little with a small chisel. I used a 1/8" because I don't want to meddle wth the definition of the square hole or crush the sides.



Dab a little glue in the hole to coat the sides. No glue on the plugs. I don't want any squeeze out.



Chamfer the plug just a little starting about 1/16" from the bottom. Don't start the taper up too high, you only need a little bit to get it started. Press the plug in with your finger.



Tap it in with a small mallet till the edges are JUST FLUSH with the face. The effect is that the plug is proud because of the pillow, not because it is sticking out of the hole.



As you can see, these are not perfect. For my first run I put the plugs on the back of the case. I think the bottom plug should be a little further to the right to separate them a little more. Also, they are not perfectly squarely aligned. Ah well, it is a good start and I have the process worked out.
 
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