Biscuit Jointer And Groover
89 Timber being positioned prior to dovetailing 89 Timber being positioned prior to dovetailing Beading-bit two flutes Rounding-over bits Straight bits two flutes Veining-bit single flutes Dovetail-bits Straight bits two flutes Veining-bit single flutes Dovetail-bits Straight-face cutters Concave cutter Convex cutter 90 Portable router-cutters and operations. By courtesy of Black and Decker Ltd right up to the stop line. But for all through grooving and wherever any quantity is concerned, they...
Cutting scribes
The mortised piece is rebated rabbeted, shaped and cut back in the normal manner 168 1 7B , but the moulding is not mitre cut. The tenoned piece 168 17A is also moulded and rebated and the moulding mitred it is then pared away exactly on the mitre-line with a suitable scribing incannelled gouge so that it fits exactly over the other. When assembled the general appearance will be that of an accurately fitted mitre, except for the small offset at the base of the moulding where the cut will be...
Types of bits
Bits are probably the most abused of all woodworking tools, for too often the wrong type is chosen, or the bit is incorrectly or over sharpened. The general run of bits are supplied with either square taper shanks 69 1 for use in the armbrace, or parallel round shanks 69 14 for hand-drills. A few types are also available with parallel shanks turned down to 1 4 in 6 mm diameter 69 13 for use in the standard drill-gun, and with Morse taper shanks for lathe heads or specialized drilling-machines....
Mouldingplanes
Some types are still available although they have been almost entirely superseded by the spindle moulder shaper and high-speed router moreover the traditional flutes, reeds, ovolo and ogee mouldings are less used in modern work. When such work was done by hand exclusively it was usual for the cabinet-maker to have a half set of rounding-planes Figure 55 1 for working hollows, etc., and perhaps a few hollow-planes for working rounds 55 2 together with several beading-, ovolo- and ogee...
Diaperwork
Typical examples of these entrancing patterns of repeat squares, diamonds, lozenges and foliage in contrasting woods are shown in 300 and methods of construction in 301. The contrasts between the various woods should not be too abrupt except in very small sections, and strong figure markings rather than violent alterations in colour or tone, with a good play of light and shade as the direction changes from vertical to horizontal, should be used or the charm will be lost. A full-size plan should...
Chests
Chests, man's oldest furniture, continue to have a place in modern households, being used chiefly for the storage of blankets and linen, but not exclusively so, as the cedar one in 419 by David Savage illustrates. They often double up as occasional seats, and the contoured tops as used by David Savage and Alan Peters 421 help to facilitate this as well as to provide visual interest. 419 Chest in solid cedar by David Savage 419 Chest in solid cedar by David Savage 420 Chest in solid Scots pine...
Swivel chair
A typical swivel-chair action is shown in 485 1, together with 485 2 swivel metal chair action, and 485 3 matching metal settee support. This type of chair should have a fairly firm seat, and the foam padding can be placed on a plywood base. Sturdy cross-bearers are fixed under the seat to take the swivel arms. 476 Richard La Trobe Bateman dining chair in brown oak 476 Richard La Trobe Bateman dining chair in brown oak 477 amp 478 David Colwell folding chairs and matching foot stool in steamed...
Pressing Methods
Thin sheets or veneers can be pressed in simple male and female formers forms 321 3 , or over 322 Dining chairs by Robert Williams of Pearl Dot. The graceful backs to this design are tapered in thickness as well as being laminated 323 Finishing laminated shapes at the factory of Alesbury Brothers Limited. By courtesy of CIBA a male former only in a vacuum-bag press 321 7 . Square section laminations can be bent and pressed with metal straps terminating in screw bolts over a male former 321 4 ,...
Dimensioning
Apart from the setting out on the paper, putting on the dimensions is the most difficult aspect of technical drawing. Figure 330A illustrates some of the drawing conventions recommended. If should be noted that 1 Dimension lines are placed well clear of the part dimensioned. 2 The figures read straight down from the top, or from left to right. 3 Smaller dimensions are shown inside larger dimensions. 4 Except where unavoidable, no dimensions appear on the actual piece drawn. Three recognized...
Pad finishing sanders
Two types are available reciprocating straight-line , in which the pad moves with a backward and forward stroke to give true straight-line sanding with the grain orbital, in which the pad is rotated in a series of small orbits of about 1 8 in 3 mm to 3 16 in 5 mm diameter. In theory at least the reciprocating type should prove more effective, but in practice there is probably little to choose between it and the orbital type, for with the speed of the cut 4000 to 5000 orbits per min. there is...
Flutings Reedings Etc
Flutings can be worked with a scratch stock if small in section see Moulded legs, p. 209 , but wider flutings must be cut with a gouge or formed with a suitable round moulding-plane if available, and 312 illustrates a typical fluting worked cross-grain on a drawer front by the latter method. If necessary, battens can be cramped clamped across the face of the work to form a guide for the plane, but the example shown was worked entirely without guides. The flutes were laid out with pencil, the...
A 1
table without flaps, 385 2 the sectional elevation and 385 3 an isometric projection of the overall appearance. Figure 385 4 is the usual table with end flaps supported by swing knuckle-jointed brackets as in Pembroke tables, etc., and 385 5 an under plan showing the flap in the raised position. Constructional details are given in 386 with 386 1 the carcass framing, 386 2 leg details from which it will be seen that the side rail is bridled over the upright or standard, with the outer side of...
Stools
Fi gure 486 1, 2, 3 shows a low fireside- or dressing-stool, with foam upholstery on a plywood base pocket screwed to the framework which can be tenoned or dowelled together. In 487, one of a set of twelve stools, the solid seats out of 3 in 76 mm African walnut were dished by hand using spokeshaves and improvised wooden planes with curved soles. The foam padding was glued to the seat and the leather to the foam padding with rubber cement upholsterers' rubber glue , with the leather eased and...
Hand laying veneers
The veneers must be laid one sheet at a time, for built-up patterns taped together cannot be laid by this process, as will become evident. A fast worker could no doubt lay a sideboard top without using the heated iron, but the veneer sheet would have to be very amenable, and it is wise not to attempt large areas without the iron until proficiency is achieved. The usual practice is to coat the groundwork or substrate evenly with thin glue, swab the outer surface of the veneer sheet with hot...
Grooved and moulded frameworks
Grooved frameworks present no special features. The width of the rail tenons will be less the depth of the groove and also of the haunch, which is essential to fill the groove in the stile, worked afterwards. A typical example with raised panels is shown in 226 1. In rebated rabbeted frameworks with stuck moulding, i.e. mouldings worked in the solid and not glued on as separate pieces, the rebate is worked as before, followed by the moulding which must be to the same depth, while the cutting...
Advantages of manufactured boards
1 Plywood and laminboards, etc. have no natural line of cleavage and cannot be split across the length or width, as the grain direction of each alternate layer is opposed to the direction of the force. General stiffness and rigidity is also much greater, and a strip of plywood is Stiffer than a strip of steel of equal weight, and therefore thicknesses as opposed to solid wood can be reduced by as much as 25 per cent. Particle boards do not have the same high strength weight ratio and are...
Axonometric Projection
This is a variation of isometric projection, sometimes known as 'bird's-eye' perspective, as it gives more of a downward view 333 4 . The true plan is first drawn to scale at angles of 45 and 45 or 30 and 60 to the horizontal, and the verticals projected from it. This projection is chiefly used for interiors, and it is interesting to note that the base of the socket housing in the plinth only becomes visible with this method. Distortion is great and obvious. This projection is sometimes...
Fourpoint platforms
Another development of Pirelli is the resilient rubber diaphragm with triangular steel loops 493 4 engaged in metal bosses screwed to the 494 Detail of chair seat for loose cushion with resilient webbing straps secured by metal fasteners in grooves sawn into rails 494 Detail of chair seat for loose cushion with resilient webbing straps secured by metal fasteners in grooves sawn into rails framework of the chair 493 3 . They are used instead of webbing for loose cushioning, and the four-point...
Grain direction
Carcasses built up of solid wood boards must have the grain directions continuous, with the side grains vertical and the top and bottom grains parallel to the leading edges, so that all the shrinkage across the width of the boards is from back to front, as indicated by the arrows 186 1 . If the grain of the sides were horizontal, and the top and bottom from front to back as in 186 2, then a moment's reflection would show that any pronounced shrinkage across the width of the boards would lower...
Drawer rails runners kickers and guides
A typical carcass framing for a chest is shown in 243 1, with A the top bearer rails dovetailed into the sides, B the lower drawer rail twin stub tenoned in, C the central division, D drawer runners, and E kickers, whose function it is to prevent the drawer sides kicking up as the drawer is withdrawn. In solid work the drawer runners 3D are stub tenoned and glued into grooves in the front rail and housed to the sides, but the housing dadoes must not be glued, and the runners are secured by open...
Setting Out
Full-size drawings or rods are necessary for setting out the work, showing the exact dimensions and constructional methods to be employed. Normally, design-drawings do not show the constructional methods unless they are of an unorthodox nature, and it is generally assumed that the furniture will be made in accordance with established custom therefore the setter-out must decide the kinds of joint which will ensure adequate strength and rigidity in the construction, within the framework of the...
Border crossbandings
Various treatments are shown in 293 3-6 with 3 against an inlaid boxwood or ebony line, 4, 5 shaped bandings and 6 a shaped panel. In all handwork the central panel is laid first, trimmed back with a cutting-gauge or against a template, the inlaid line or banding fitted, glued and held in position with either cramping clamping blocks or veneer pins driven in alongside, and the crossband then cut, fitted and laid. If the crossband is fairly narrow the separate pieces cut from the veneer sheet...
Carcass dovetails
Where a side rail is grooved or tenoned into a leg or post as in a framed-up carcass, the shoulders of the two dovetails must be offset moreover in tenoned work the tenon and haunches must be set down by an amount at least equal to the depth of the larger dovetail. Figure 159 1 shows a typical assembly with front rail dovetailed into post and side rail. The side rail and post are assembled first and flushed off, the thickness of the front rail gauged in the post and pencilled in on the side...
Dovetailing attachment
Without doubt the most useful of all accessories for use with the 1 4 in 6 mm or greater capacity router. Accurate and tight-fitting machine lap dovetails can be cut at 3 4 in 19 mm pitch in hardwood up to 9 in 228 mm in width in any combination of thicknesses from 3 8 in 9.5 mm to 1 in 25 mm . Multi-pitch attachments are also available providing for additional pitches which enable the spacing of the dovetails to fit within any width of material without clipping off the end pin. No marking out...
Drawer and tray construction
Various types of drawers are shown in 238. Figure 238 1 is a sectional elevation of an orthodox inset drawer sliding on front drawer rail and side runners 238 2 an onset drawer which fits under the carcass top but over the side ends, with the drawer rails set back to give a flush front to the carcass 238 3 a rebated rabbeted and moulded drawer front for easy fitting, and 238 4 an inset drawer with set-back front rail allowing the bottom or top edge of the drawer front to overhang and act as a...
Rasps Files Etc
Cabinet-rasps are very coarse files but with single pocket-shaped teeth Figure 66A instead of the diagonal serrations raised by the stabbing tool in file-making they are used before the file for the preliminary rapid abrasion of the wood in shaped work. The usual sections are half round horse-rasps are flat , with one flat side and relatively thin edges, but their use has largely been supplanted by the range of familiar surform tools flat, half-round and round file, etc. in which the...
Veneered tambours
Tambours can be veneered over 249 1 2D , and if the slats fit tightly the effect will be that of a single sheet of veneer. Timber for the slats should be of approximately equal colour to the veneer they are finished to dimension, cramped clamped together faces uppermost, veneered with a single sheet or matched pattern, and then carefully knifed through from the back on a fractionally curved surface to open the joints sufficiently for the passage of the knife. Some veneers may need scoring on...
Tables and carcass stands and stools
Various forms of leg framing suitable for stands and stools are illustrated in 211. Figure 211 1 shows a typical carcass stand of four straight legs, front framing rail 211 1 A , back rail 211 B and side rails 211 1 C . The joints can have mortises and tenons either mitred as 211 2A, or halved together 211 2B which gives maximum length over half the width in each tenon. This form of construction with rails inset from the face of the legs allows the tenons to be placed in the best position, but...
Pullover Cross Cut Saws Radial Arm Saws
A heavy duty radial or swing saw mounted on a long wooden table is a regular item of equipment in most joinery workshops for the rapid crosscutting of squared up boards and timbers. It is less common in cabinet-making shops simply because waney edge boards are more commonly used. Many shops do have a lighter version, the radial arm saw, which has been particularly developed for the home craftsman and has a versatility that enables many processes from ripping to drilling to be accomplished on...
Knockup KU and knockdown KD fittings
Both are mechanical means of assembly employing a variety of metal or nylon fittings which replace standard jointing procedures. Knock-up fittings are those designed for the speedy erection of structures providing permanent fixtures which will not be dismantled knock-down fittings speed erection plus the ability to dismantle, i.e. knock down, at any time and for any number of times. In 'theory, at least, manufacturers can produce with these fittings standardized components which can be stored...
Barred Glass Doors
Traditional barred doors are illustrated in 229 1-3 and rely for their appeal on the delicacy of their treatment. Contemporary examples sometimes apply a cut-out pattern or jointed face mouldings to a single sheet of glass with Araldite or Durofix cement, but apart from the sham element the glass cannot be replaced without sacrificing the mouldings, and in the best examples the sash-bars are composed of a face moulding and a separate stiffening rib grooved in to form rebates rabbets for the...
Working procedures
The individual slats can be 1 4 in 6 mm wide for small delicate tambours, up to 3 4 in 19 mm wide for large carcasses, with V2 in 12.5 mm or 5 8 in 16 mm about the usual. Thicknesses of the slats can be from3 16 in 5 mm for small work, up to 5 16 in 8 mm for average shutters, with a 3 16 in 5 mm tongue on the latter running in a 1 8 in 3 mm or 3 16 in 5 mm deep groove. Total overall length of the slats will be the exact opening plus the depth of the two grooves and minus a bare V16 in 1.5 mm...
Sideboards
Sideboards can be tall and fairly narrow or long and low, dependent on the size of the room. Most types provide storage space for bottles, glasses, china and table linen, etc., with orthodox drawers or interior trays, adjustable shelves, fall flaps or tambours or side-hung doors. Attached legs or independent stools or stands are favoured, as there are obvious disadvantages in taking cupboards down to or a little above floor level on a shallow plinth. Reference should be made to Part IV which...
Wedge jointing finger jointing veneers
Short veneers which are merely butt jointed together end to end to increase the overall length show the joint as a hard line saturated with glue no matter how skilfully they are laid. While this is acceptable in matched curls 297 4 it can be objectionable in long runs of straight-grained woods. Finger or wedge jointing will, however, provide an almost invisible match 292 End jointing veneers with finger joint 292 End jointing veneers with finger joint with the grain of the separate veneers...
Electric Chainsaws
The lightweight electric chainsaws which have recently been introduced are a great asset to the furniture-maker. They are invaluable for roughing out large, thick boards to arrive at the sizes that can be manhandled on the normal workshop machinery. They are much safer and more versatile in use than the portable circular saws, although a little more wasteful of wood. Also, for those involved in sculptural work, heavy bowl turning or carving, they are very manageable aids to roughing out and...
Laying out framed doors
The stiles are first cut full in height, and the rails the full width including the width of the stiles. Assuming that the door is rebated rabbeted for a panel then the stiles are first gauged from the face edges with the width of the rebate, and on the backs with the depth of the rebate they are then cramped clamped together 223 1 and marked in pencil with the actual door height A , face width of rail AD , width of haunch AB , width of tenon BC and depth of rebate CD . They can then be...
Sculptured joints
The term sculptured is applied to jointed parts fitted together and shaped to a continuous curve unbroken at the line of the joint as if the whole structure were carved out of a solid piece although that is not the object of the technique, for the change in grain direction will always show, and the chief considerations are, or should be, flowing structural lines and smooth, unbroken surfaces with no sharp angles . This type of joint is usually confined to chair-work, although it has...
Double bevel dovetail joints
These joints are sometimes used for bevel-sided hoppers, knife-boxes, etc., and although rarely used are worth describing for the sake or the principles involved in setting or laying out bevelled work. A full-size drawing is necessary from which the true length A and the true width B can be obtained 158 , also the edge bevel in the thickness of each piece shown by the arrowed line c . All the bevels are marked and worked holding the bevel at right angles to the edges of the sloping ends and not...
Dustless belt sanders
Available in belt widths of from 21 2 in 63 5 mm to 4 in 101 mm , with belt speeds from 1000 to 1700 ft per min. 304 m to 518 m over a pad size or effective sanding area of about 6 in 152 mm long by the full width of the belt the 3 in 76 mm model is the best compromise between weight and power. The vacuum unit incorporated usually sucks about 80 per cent of the fine dust into the detachable bag, and therefore the cutting action is not impeded by the loose dust and is considerably faster in...
Cock beads
Any bead which stands raised from the surface as distinct from flush or sunk is known as a 'cock bead', but the term is usually taken to apply to small beads or edgings to drawer fronts and cupboard doors 241 9, 242 . The usual form is a raised bead 241 10A , but it can be square 241 10B . Both should be kept as fine as possible, say a bare 1 8 in 3 mm in width for a normal drawer, and fractionally above the carcass edge 241 10c . The top bead usually covers the thickness of the drawer top 241...
Saw Kerfing
This traditional method is not now used to any great extent in production furniture-making, but it still has an important role in smaller workshops, as it is often a more economic method in one-off work than laminating. In practice a series of saw cuts are run down to within about 1 8 in 3 mm of the outer face 319 1 according to the wood species, and the closer the cuts are the easier the wood will bend, with hard oak requiring a spacing of 1 4 in 6 mm or less. There is a tendency for the bend...
Oil polish
Linseed oil alone will give moderate heat and water resistance with high gloss if applied sparingly over a period of several months. Each separate application must harden by oxidization, and 5 per cent white spirits and 5 per cent terebene can be added for easier working, but at least 12 coats will be necessary. This method was often used for dining-table tops but it is much too slow for modern requirements, and sophisticated penetrating oils, teak oil etc., have been developed, incorporating...
Sandbag Veneering
If a vacuum-bag press is not available, shapes of double curvature can be veneered with the traditional sandbag techniques. Either a canvas bag or sandbox filled with coarse silver sand is used, and an example of the latter is shown in 293 7. Assuming that a bombe shape has been constructed either of segments, wood bricks, or, in the traditional examples of bombe commodes, a solid panel tongued to a jointed framework and shaped to the curves with plane, floats coarse files and scrapers, the box...
Matched cleated and battened joints
Traditional custom regards the tongued and grooved joint proper as having loose tongues glued in, and the 'matched' joint with tongues worked in the solid but the introduction of cheap tongued, grooved and beaded or V-jointed matchings for wall linings usurped the latter term, which is now used solely to describe solid-tongue boards which are dry jointed and secret nailed or screwed to supporting battens or frameworks. Matched boarding 137 1 has little application in furniture, although...
Dovetailing accessories
Where short runs do not warrant the use of a dovetailing machine, accessories can be obtained for most types of spindle moulding shaping machine and router including portable routers , incorporating suitable jigs or finger plates into which the single cutter is fed. Particulars of these can be obtained from the manufacturers concerned. For the handworker not completely wedded to hand dovetailing, and lacking sufficient practice to cut dovetails as speedily as the hardened professional, a...
Cutting and laying marquetrywork
A full-size drawing of the design is necessary, done with a continuous fine line and coloured to represent the actual veneers used. Working copies of the drawing can be prepared either by tracing through with carbon paper, or more accurately by the traditional method of closely pricking through the lines with a fine needle. Several copies can be pricked at the same time, or the design can be printed through the perforations with a pounce-bag filled with finely powdered asphaltum which must then...
Electric Drills
Possibly no single tool is more abused than the standard electric drill, and it is always surprising 97 3 8 in 10mm variable speed electric drill 97 3 8 in 10mm variable speed electric drill that it can accommodate such rough treatment. A multiplicity of types is available, from the 1 4 in 6 mm chuck capacity home model, with a chuck no-load speed of 2600 rpm, to the 11 4 in 32 mm capacity heavy duty drill running at 275 rpm. Drills over 3 8 in 9.5 mm chuck capacity are usually two-handed as...
Isometric Projection
Isometric is a simple and mechanical way of producing a pictorial representation. Orthographic projections of one kind or another make the most efficient type of drawing from which to work, but the final appearance of the completed piece is often somewhat hidden. This method gives a closer approximation to the visual appearance 333 3 . For normal work the sides are inclined at an angle of 30 using the 30 set-square, but the angles can be varied within wide limits, using, for instance, 20 for...
Movement And Shrinkage
Sound jointing techniques upon which the stiffness, appearance and general usefulness of furniture depend must take into account the natural movement of wood, and its propensity to shrink, swell and warp under fluctuating 12 Drying-oven for testing moisture content 12 Drying-oven for testing moisture content atmospheric conditions. It is, therefore, vitally important that the woodworker should understand exactly what kind of structural material it is which ceaselessly moves in sympathy with its...