Help with assembly sequence?

[patrick conroy]

Help!

I could use some advice on the best sequence of assembly steps please. The picture below shows the top to a hall table. The top is a simple frame made up of 1 1/4" thick, 2" wide pieces of mahogany. It's not solid - there's going to be an veneer inlay in the middle.

[ Pix only on ABPW ]

The joints are 45* miters (mitres) and I'll probably use biscuits to reinforce them. I don't want to use splines for aesthetic purposes.

I plan to put some strong bevels on the top's frame. I'm wondering how most of you would sequence the steps:

- cut the bevels and then glue up the frame?

- glue up the frame and then cut the bevels?

I'm tempted to cut the bevels first and then glue up

• I won't have to wrestle the big frame through the table saw to cut the bevels

• I won't have to worry about exposing a biscuit while cutting the bevel

- But I won't have nice, large 90* corners to grab with band clamps and clamps

- There's probably a good chance the bevels on the miters will be off a smidge

So - if I want to make the miters nice and snug, seems to me I'd be better served by gluing it up first. The clamps will have nice, big, non-beveled edges to grab onto. But then I'd have to wrestle the pretty good sized frame through the table saw. But I could fashion a nice large and high fence.

Which one would you guys/gals do? Bevels and then assemble? Or assemble and then bevels?

[Knothead]

Do the cuts first then clamp, make opposing angle shims when you clamp it so you still get a good 90 at the clamp

[Gordon W]

I'm doing a similar thing at the moment. I'll post a pic on ABPW. I cut the bevels and miters and rounded the edge. I didn't reinforce the miters. The frame is doweled to the table top. The frame was stained to look like Teak and glued to the top. I used thin cord/rope and cardboard padding under the rope instead of clamps. HTH. Gordon