Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Shaker nightstand pt. 3

With the stock for the legs and apron cut and dimensioned I could start with the joinery. My experience cutting mortise and tenons by hand is limited at best, but after making eight of them for this table I feel more confident with the procedure.


The mortises were cut first, using an 8mm drill bit (first with the eggbeater, and later with the cordless) to hog out most of the material, and then cleaned with a chisel. I don't have an 8mm chisel, but made due with my 1/4" and 1". I kept them well clear of the end of the board to avoid chipping out the ends, since I didn't intend to cut these further to length.

The shoulders for the tenons were knifed in, then cut with a dovetail saw. The cheeks were cut with the same saw, and then pared down with the 1" chisel. All the tenons held well, but by the eighth they were nice and tight, without any gaps on the shoulders.


To make the top and bottom of the drawer openings on the front of the table I had to rip down the last piece of my apron stock, the ugly one with a resin pocket in the middle. I did this at the bench, standing on a stool to gain height.


Then I edge planed them with a try plane.


And planed them to the same thickness on my bench hook/shooting board.


While the bottom of the drawer opening is mortised in place, the top is held by dovetails.


The completed bottom, ready for its legs to be tapered.

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