The color rendition on this photo is a little off by the way. The inner faces are not nearly as orange as they look here. More of a reddish brown.
Go get a bow saw. Traditional one, not the modern.
If you had one, you only want a bigger one. DAMHIKT
AAMOF, I wish I had two, and a couple of more table saws, and a shop big enough to put them in, but ...
ITMT, I took a look at your photos and you're doing great with what you have. Keep dancing with who brung you, you're well on your way to be an accomplished woodworker ... all the signs are there.
Paganini didn't learn to play his Les Paul in a day. ;)
curve of the top rails across the piece.
One of my favorite Leon pieces is a Texas Desk he made for a client a few years back, he really needs to post some photos of it.
Hint, hint ...
So educate me here. If I were to try something like that, I imagine I'd draw a continuous curve as long as the whole unit, meaning, including where the stiles and other gaps would be. Maybe I'd use a bendable object like an electrician's snake. Then I'd mark off the rails and the center arch where they would fall on the curve. Now if I did that on actual wood I'd have some waste, but it could be done first on paper instead. I further imagine that I'd mark off only two of the rails, turning the template over for the other two to make them identical mirror images. Is that anything like what you did?
raw a continuous curve as long as the whole unit, meaning, including where the stiles and other gaps would be. Maybe I'd use a bendable object like an electrician's snake. Then I'd mark off the rails and the center arch where they would fall on the curve. Now if I did that on actual wood I'd have so me waste, but it could be done first on paper instead. I further imagine th at I'd mark off only two of the rails, turning the template over for the ot her two to make them identical mirror images. Is that anything like what yo u did?
That's a good point to question Leon about. One would think, right off, ma rking/making the arc is easy, but after thinking about it, a bit, there are likely some nuances, in the process, first thoughts would miss. I've erre d that way, before.
I'd further suggest/guess, for a first time attempt, as would be in my case , cut the rails ~~1/4" longer than the finish products, do some rough dry f itting to make sure all is on par, before cutting the rails to final finish length. Unless one has further exacting help from SketchUp, or similar, t o be more/most sure with those first cuts, a little extra length may be adv isable.
Inspect your board well, initially, as best you can, to make sure there are no defects that may cause problems at the cut sites. I've erred in that d epartment, before, as well.
Sonny
Sketchup is your friend ...
Thank you for noticing! That arch was what inspired me to do the top they way I did.
You know, we all started off knowing nothing. I have been doing this seriously as a hobby since 1979. I have been being paid for this type work since 1997ish. Not until, wait for it, I started using Sketchup did I really start to build this big stuff with more attention to details and design.
Sketchup and I have barely nodded at each other as we pass in the street. But let's assume we were better acquainted; the idea would be to draw a continuous curve that spans the whole unit, including the gaps, right? And if Leon did it that way, what sort of curve did he use? As gentle as it is, it might not matter a great deal if it were an arc of a circle or some other curve, but inquiring minds want to know. :)
Most importantly, suppose I were to take Sketchup to lunch a few times, maybe to a ballgame, introduce the wives and kids, lend him some tools, etc. I'd still have to transfer the curve from my good virtual buddy to the stock. How does one do that? Smaller pieces might be printable, if laser printers can be trusted, but what about the middle arch? Does one repair to the nearest large-format print shop?
the tools or the skill to build something quite as nice as that. Should I just chuck it and take up knitting instead? Nah.
finishing a project within a time limit.
possibly want/need, that this design feature is applicable for? Build it with the resources you have. Doesn't matter that it wouldn't be absolutely perfect.
You think Leon's, or anyone's, first project was perfect?
Exactly!!!!! Don't even think that this one is perfect. As you get better you still make mistakes but you learn how to hide them better. ;~)
He's already mentioned possibly tweaking this project's design, so you learn by doing and improving on your previous work.
(nuances?) to learn about making projects with curved features.
Leon notes he had to pay close attention to making the curve feature. Most of my custom chairs have curved features. I don't always get them exactly right, the first attempt (dry fit). Sometimes, parts have to be remade to better/best fit.
Actually the curve part was the easiest, the hard part was keeping the parts in order. LOL. Seriously, the arced rails were easy, they were cut to the top rails after the door parts were cut out and fitted. Sketchup provided me with a 1:1 scale drawing template that I "glue sticked" to the rectangle top rail.
resources you have, and don't forget to show us some pics.
Those curves could just as easily have been cut with a jig saw. I smoothed the curve out with an oscillating spindle sander and that could easily have been done with finish sander too.
Nice book matching on those back panels!
Now learn Sketchup, it will let you look at your drawings from every point of view! Deeing 3D really helps you see if the joint is going to work or if the design feature will still look good from a side view.
You are well on your way!
Exactly! In Sketchup I drew the top unit and added an arc starting at the bottom of the left door top rail and ended it at the bottom of the right door top rail. Then in Sketchup I erased the parts of the ark that were not actually touching cabinet parts. I then built the doors and top center rail with no arc. I printed scale drawings of the arc's, to glue to each piece, to guide me while cutting the arc's.
Maybe I'd use a
See above. ;~)
a continuous curve as long as the whole unit, meaning, including where the stiles and other gaps would be. Maybe I'd use a bendable object like an electrician's snake. Then I'd mark off the rails and the center arch where they would fall on the curve. Now if I did that on actual wood I'd have some waste, but it could be done first on paper instead. I further imagine that I'd mark off only two of the rails, turning the template over for the other two to make them identical mirror images. Is that anything like what you did?
marking/making the arc is easy, but after thinking about it, a bit, there are likely some nuances, in the process, first thoughts would miss. I've erred that way, before.
cut the rails ~~1/4" longer than the finish products, do some rough dry fitting to make sure all is on par, before cutting the rails to final finish length. Unless one has further exacting help from SketchUp, or similar, to be more/most sure with those first cuts, a little extra length may be advisable.
All rails top and bottom were cut as if they were going to be rectangular. so all the tenons and groves for the panels were cut precisely to the finished size to begin with. Full scale paper templates were then glued to the top rails and cut out on the BS. I then smoothed out those arcs and then cut the curved groove for the panel with a slot cutter on my router table. Really a very simple process.
defects that may cause problems at the cut sites. I've erred in that department, before, as well.
And that is exactly where I had to pay attention too. I wanted all the rail pieces to flow so they all needed to be used in the same order that they were cut from the same board.
curve of the top rails across the piece.
I love people stealing my designs, No better complement!
Greg Guarino wrote in news:kjmk8f$lrt$1@dont- email.me:
*snip*
Norm once talked about the "squares" method. Say your drawing is on a
1/4" square grid and you need to enlarge it 4 times. Draw a 1" square grid and copy each mark from the drawing to the larger grid.As for getting Sketchup to do it, you may have to draw the grid yourself.
Puckdropper
Hint taken. ;~)
Humor and the truth! ;~)
Thank you again Robert!
Hey only 8 months to go. LOL Of course you are always welcome if you are in the area.
a Texas Desk he made for a client a > few years back, he really needs to post some photos of it. > > Hint, hint ...
Yep, that work is pretty darn (tootin) good, too.... ..... for a Texas dude! :)
Sonny
And the center arch? Too big for a home printer surely, unless you somehow printed it on several sheets with registration marks. Is that how you did it?
Exactly
And if Leon did it that way, what sort of curve did he use? As
It was an arc, a partial circle. After drawing the doors as if there would be no arc then I added the continuous arc starting on either side and extending to the opposite side. The line/ark was then pulled up to a desired amount. All very easily done with Sketchup.
Print to scale, and there is a trick to that so ask one of us how to do that. Simple to do when you know what has to be done. For larger pieces like the center arc you simply continue to print to scale but tape the pages together where the lines start and stop.
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