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woodezine - Volume
III - Issue I - January 2005
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Feature
Sponsored by Klingspor
Jointer Station, Page 3
| The Cabinet Back The back of the cabinet is a straightforward frame and panel construction. Cut the stiles (pieces 10), rails (pieces 11) and panel (piece 12) to size, then create a groove in the inside edge of each stile and rail using the same technique you used on the cabinet ends. These grooves also are 1/4" wide by 3/8" deep. Mill tongues on the ends of the rails to match, then dry assemble the back to check the fit of all of the parts. Assemble it with glue and clamps, making sure everything is square and flat. Set your table saw blade to 19 degrees and, after the glue dries, trim the top and bottom edge of the panel to this angle. Note that the cuts are parallel, moving upwards as they travel to the inside face of the subassembly. Tongues on the ends of the cabinet back are designed to fit into grooves that you milled earlier in the cabinet ends. Set the table saw blade height to 1/4" and the angle to the standard 90 degrees, and lock your fence in position to create these tongues. |
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The last milling operation to be performed
on the cabinet back is to plow a through groove near the bottom of the
inside face. This 1/4" deep by 3/4" wide groove will accept
the back edge of the cabinet bottom. Set the table saw blade to 19 degrees
and nibble away until the groove is complete (Figure 11). Define the
edges first, then remove the center. (Because of the angle, a dado head
won't work here: it would make one side of the groove deeper than the
other.)
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I used 3/4" MDF for the bottom, simply because I had some on hand. Plywood would work, too. It's a good idea here to cut the 19 degrees angle on the back edge, then clamp the cabinet together and slide the bottom in place. You can then mark the front edge and cut it for a perfect fit. Glue the cabinet ends to the cabinet back, slide in the bottom and check for square as you apply clamps. |
| The Face Frame & Swing Arm
After cutting the face frame stiles (pieces 13) and rails (pieces 14) to size, use the now familiar nibbling technique to create tenons which are 1/4" x 2" x 3/4" long. Chop matching mortises in the inside edges of the two stiles. If you don't have access to a mortising machine, drill out most of the waste and square up the edges with a sharp chisel. Assemble the face frame with glue and clamps, making sure it's square and flat. After the glue dries, attach the face frame to the cabinet with biscuits and glue (Figure 12). Make sure the top edge of the frame lines up perfectly with the tops of the cabinet sides. After the glue dries, install the casters (pieces 15). I used two swivel casters on one end and two fixed ones on the other. Four swivels will work fine, too, as long as they all have a locking mechanism. In a smaller shop, four swivels will allow for more maneuverability, but there may be a little play as you use the jointer. It's a trade-off. |
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| Place the casters as close to the corners as you can, given that the angled shape of the cabinet will somewhat restrict access with a wrench. Secure them with their supplied nuts and washers. Now you're ready to attach the deck to the cabinet with a continuous hinge (piece 16). This is also known as a piano hinge. Begin by placing the deck (with the jointer attached) on top of the cabinet. Set the front edge of the deck flush with the front of the face frame, then slide it forward another 1/16". Secure the piano hinge to the back edge of the deck and the top edge of the back panel. Pre-drill for the screws and use a gentle clutch on your drill, so the screw heads don't strip out: this is hard oak, and the screws will probably be soft brass. After chamfering its ends, attach a cleat (piece 17) to the front edge of the deck with glue and screws (pieces 18). As this is a shop project, I just countersunk the heads. However, you could dress up the project a little by counterboring them and plugging the bores with hardwood dowels. |
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Now that the deck is in place and hinged,
you need a device to lock it in at any angle so you can access the bottom
of the jointer. The answer is an oak swing arm (piece 19), with a slot
plowed along its length. Rip and crosscut the arm to size, then trim
the corners at 45 degrees to prevent snags. Plow the slot in several
passes (Figure 13), using a 3/8" straight bit chucked in the router
table.
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| By marking the slot's location on the top surface of the swing arm, you can visually stop and start your cuts at the correct locations. Next, you need to drill a stepped hole 1/4" deep with a 1" Forstner bit, then complete the hole with a 3/8" bit. It's located 1/2" from the other end of the swing arm. Move to the band saw to resaw the swing arm according to the dimensions shown on the drawing. This leaves a 3/4" thick head around the hole, and a 1/2" thickness along the slot. Attach a small oak cleat (piece 20) to the deck at the location shown in the drawing. This is mitered to length on both ends, then screwed in place with two 2-1/2" screws (pieces 21) driven up through the deck into countersunk, pre-drilled holes. It's a good idea to glue this, too: such a small part shouldn't have any problems with cross-grain gluing. Install a threaded insert (piece 22) in the cleat, following the manufacturer's instructions. Use a matching star knob with a 1" stub (piece 23) to secure the swing arm to the cleat. Line up the swing arm so it's parallel to the front stile on the cabinet side and mark the location of the second threaded insert. Install this insert and use a second star knob to secure the swing arm to the cabinet side. You will probably need a washer (piece 24) here, to keep the swing arm parallel to the cabinet end. It depends on how much your deck overhangs the edge of the cabinet. |
