Accidental Woodworker

 

empty

I barely had enough shellac in the empty can - what I did have I poured into the front can. Surprised that I blew through an almost full can so quickly. I'm happy with how the  shellac laid down and looks. No hiccups with  5-6 coats I have laid down so far.

before I forgot

Used this carbide scraper to clean up any glue squeeze out in the rabbets. Wash, rinse, and repeated for the other door.

almost

Got three coats on the shelves and one more to go. That one went on after lunch.

one more

The base has 9 coats and the interior has 4 right now with one more to be applied. That means the carcass will get a check mark in the done column today. 

last two

These are going to be a PITA to do. It isn't the brush work but avoiding getting shellac on the vertical walls of the rabbets. I need them to be bare so the glue has something to grab on. I have to be picky doing the glazing bars too. I will need to avoid getting shellac on the outboard edge and the miters.

accidental woodworker

sneak peek

The door astragal came out better than I anticipated it. It doesn't stand out or command any attention. To my eye it is subtle and blends into the background. On the flip side of the coin, it hides the gap on the latch side of the doors perfectly.

hmm......

The shelf that I flattened twice is good. No stupid wood tricks overnight. However, the other shelf felt like it was not getting any love. It cupped a little and too much to ignore.

sigh

Flattening it didn't take up much time. I got full shavings across the width by the third planing run. Stopped there and called it done. The hump on the opposite face I just knocked down. I didn't go nutso getting full width shavings. I didn't want to thin the width anymore than necessary.

????

Not sure what this is. It is soft and squishy but it doesn't look/feel like a pitch pocket. It doesn't smell like pine pitch neither. Clueless as to what it is but I will remove it and put a dutchman in.

squirrel grain

Got some ugly looking blowout when I flattened this face. The grain reversed on itself 3 times where the blowout happened. Got some on the opposite side too. I will rip this off and glue a filler strip on.

too thin

The first strip I ripped was too thin. I had zero wiggle room with it so I ripped another one. Made that one twice the thickness of the first one.

glued and cooking times two

Filler strip on the edge and the dutchman glued and cooking.

done

Happy with how this dutchman turned out. It is almost invisible. I don't mind doing these types of repairs/fixes because this is a shelf. For the most part it will never be seen - the dutchman or the filler strip on the back edge.

sigh

The notches for the shelf pins didn't line up. The width of the two shelves were dead nuts on. Not a big deal, made the notches a few frog hairs wider.

fingers crossed

Everything else I can cross I am doing too. I don't have much more to do before the oohs and aahs commence. Still need to get at least two more coats of shellac on the carcass. After that all that is left to shellac are the shelves and the doors.

So far the bookcase has consumed almost one quart can of shellac. Glad I have three more in backup.

done

This is the finale for me in the year 2025. Four coats on the top and I'm calling this done.

Yikes

It is toast. I vacuumed the area around the desk and I pushed the computer away with my foot and paid the toll. The hard drive connector snapped off and it won't stay on. If I didn't have the fans on order already I would have given this free introductory flying lessons. 

temporary set up

I have gotten used to the size of the monitor and the display on the laptop ain't making the cut anymore. While I wait on parts and fixing the desktop I'll use this - might even configure a two monitor setup.

dead weight

The platform stand looks good and raises the computer up from the floor. Of course the laptop power connection is on the left side so the cord runs across the desk over to the power strip on the far right.

17 years old

The SATA hard drive in the computer is 500G and this one is 160G. This is more than adequate for me as I don't save or run any programs that need this much space to run. I had 21 hard drives and 20 of them were IDE - this is/was the only SATA drive I had. Still in its original packaging, unopened. I'll bring the two drive to a computer shop and have them mirror the 500G unto the 160G hard drive. 

I wasn't expecting to piss away two hours playing with the computer trying to get the hard hooked up and working again. I was a bit frazzled and frustrated and I didn't want to go to the shop and screw up something there. Stayed upstairs and calmed down. I'm just applying shellac but no reason to risk doing something stupid and boneheaded. There is no time line on getting this bookcase done. 

accidental woodworker 

 

squeezed in one more

This is a teeny table for my desktop computer. It is now the last project of 2025. The top is bowed a wee bit but I was able to clamp it flat to the base when I glued it up.

hmm.....

The shelf I flattened yesterday did have stupid wooden tricks still up its sleeve. This end of the board cupped across the width again. The opposite end is flat - ish. The center of the tree is about 4" in from the far end of the board. That is what is causing the cupping.

still cupped

I had planed the hump on the underside of the board first. It made that flat but did nada to top side. Took it back to the bench and planed directly across the board just on the right end. Stopped once I got full width shavings.

sigh

When planed the molded edge again, I got some tear out along the top edge of it. Used the small record plane to remove it. I had to do it at a slight angle but you can't see it unless you eyeball it up close and personal.

looks better

The top shelf is the one I flattened. From six feet away it looks flat to the eye. It still has a wee bet of cup - there is light under a straight edge but it isn't too bad. I'll evaluate it again tomorrow.

computer table banding

Nailed on the banding using butt joinery. The nails didn't pull the bandings tight to the edge so I had to use clamps.

door astragal

Thought about this and decided to glue the astragal on before applying any shellac to the door. I clamped a board spaced 3/4" from the door's edge. That was to keep the astragal from shifting when I clamped it. I covered it with wax paper because these clamp pads will mar and leave their imprint on the shellac.

getting there

First coat on the carcass. I have four coats on the base and I will apply more shellac to the base as I do the carcass.

almost done

 3 coats on the base and I'm calling it done. With any luck I'll be able to get 3 coats on the top before tomorrow.

the fix

The tapered filler is visible but only up close. Standing directly in front I couldn't see this.

smaller fix

The bottom left corner tapered filler is smaller. This one disappeared even more than the top right one.

accidental woodworker 

 The end is in sight now.  The only woodworking step left that I can think of is gluing the glazing bars in the rabbets. Shellac went on today. It is going to take a while to get the shellac on this bookcase. The doors are going to take the longest followed by the bookcase. The shelves will be easy but they will hog a lot of real estate while they get the finish applied. It is going take a couple of days to get it done.

hmm.....

I was sanding this when I noticed the ends were wonky looking. I shot the ends on the shooting jigs just enough to clean them up and get them back to square.

almost an 1/8"

This shelf cupped on me. I could see it no matter where I stood to eyeball it.

test pieces

I applied shellac on the face and edge. From how it flowed and its liquidity, I would guess the cut was around 2lb. 

flattening the shelf

I didn't go nutso on this. I basically flattened it by eye. I was only going to do the top face but I could see the hump on the opposite face. I planed most of the hump away - stopped when it looked good to my eye with it in place.

done

Smoothed both sides with the #3 and called it done.

looks flat

There is still a wee bit of a cup but to my eye it looks flat. I'll check it again in the AM to see if the shelf has any stupid wood tricks up its sleeve.

two coats

About 15 minutes after the first coat I put on the 2nd one. First coat dried and the 2nd one laid down over it without any hiccups. I was happy with whatever pound cut I had mixed.

ouch

Went to the House of Glass and got my 8 pieces of glass. $59 and change to walk out the door. Glad that I don't have anymore frames I can use for doors.

nailed it

The glazing bars weren't too thick. With the glass installed the bars were flush with the door. If they hadn't been flush I would have planed them flush after the glue had set.

last re-mix

I transferred shellac from the full can into the empty one until they were roughly the same level. I started first with a cup and 1/4 of alcohol to see how it laid down.

first coat

The 1 1/4 cups of alcohol were ok. The first coat laid down about the same as the two test pieces. I now have  4 quart cans (mostly full) of shellac. I shouldn't have to mix any for quite a while. 4 cans should be more than enough for 6 months.

hmm.....

I like this putty a lot. It is a good color match for pine and it is easy to apply. I got a tube of it when I stopped at the paint store to get my empty quart cans.

first coat

The plan is to do the bottom and back first - 4 coats. After that I'll do the rest of the bookcase. Along with this I am also doing the door astragal at the same time.

the true last project

Making a raised platform for the computer. This should help with how much dust gets sucked up into the the computer.  The base is 1/2" plywood with poplar legs and pine rails. I used dowels to connect/secure the legs to the rails.

I will glue the plywood to the base and cover the plywood edges with pine bandings. That will happen in the AM.

door astragal

This has 4 coats of the final mix of the screwed up shellac. Coverage is good and it is shiny. I am happy with the shellac and how this looks. I'm calling it done.

blurry pic of my computer

The computer is running a little better than before. One fan is still making an occasional noise. It is not constant but comes and goes. The fans I ordered are coming from England and they shipped with delivery scheduled for Jan 5th. Until then I'm going to leave the side panel off.

accidental woodworker 

2 down, 6 to go

Things were going slowly today. Yesterday I got a pain in my shoulders and it hasn't gone away but it has diminished a wee bit. Doing the glazing bars wasn't stressful and while doing it I didn't feel the pain in my shoulders. When I am idle I definitely can feel it. Better to keep busy.

done

I like the repetition of this work. Rough saw the miters, shoot the miters until it fits, then move on to the next glazing bar. There is satisfaction to the rhythm of the work 

hmm......

I gotta fix these divots. The doors should look good from either side and this would stick out like a neon light.

one down, one to go

With all the glazing bars I made I couldn't find one that matched the color of the door.

glued and cooking

Time to go fill the pie hole. I finished this after lunch.

made a command decision

I have been eyeballing the backstop for a couple days and something kept nagging me about it. Dawned on me this morning that it was too high.

much better

This is what this should be. Small, unobtrusive, almost like it isn't there. I like this look. Just high enough to stop things from falling off at the back but also like you have to look twice to see it was even there.

glued and cooking

Glue only, no screws or nails. The only woodworking left is the two shelves. I think that is it.

boo boos fixed

Planed them flush and you can see them. They don't stand up and slap you, but they are noticeable if you look.

shelves are next

The shelves final width is 9 1/2". Kicking myself for not gluing up stock to get a wider width. However, this would still work for 60% of the books I have. 

my favorite molding plane

I have been molding this profile on all the shelves I've made in the past 2 years. It is a Preston plane and the profile is an ogee?

done

I had to trim both shelves to fit the opening. The front to back was slightly out of square. It was wider at the front tapering in towards the back. I planed a small taper (a strong 32nd) on each end. No problems with the shelves fitting in any of the positions. I chopped four mortises on the bottom of each shelf for the shelf pins.

hmm....

The shellac on these two sticks is thick. Way thicker than what I see after one coat with my normal mix. I had gone out before lunch to the grocery store intending to stop at the Dollar Store to get measuring cups but I forgot to do it. Went and got a red set just before quitting time.

need one more can

I took half of the contents of one of the shellac cans and filled the empty one. After that I put a cup of alcohol into both cans. I'll repeat the same for the other shellac can. The paint store they should have quart cans in stock on monday. I guess-ta-mate that I have roughly a 2lb cut now in these two cans. I'll be trying it out on some scrap to check that out.

accidental woodworking 

 Last night my desktop computer finally gave up the ship and sank. The intake fans were noisy, the CMOS battery voltage was low, and the knife in the heart was the keyboard stopped working. Since the desktop isn't heavy enough to be a boat anchor, I now had a big ass paper weight.

dust bunnies

See the pile of dust bunnies above the light spot? This was just one of several inside the computer. All told I think I sucked up about 9 pounds.

yikes

The silver and copper thing is the CPU cooler. The black thing in front of it is where the intake fans are. I wasn't expecting to see this much and it is mostly my fault because I have only cleaned out the computer once in the last 4-5 years.

hmm....

The outlet side was clogged shut - very little air was moving through the grill. There are two fans there. One blows air across the CPU cooler and the other blows air across the memory sticks. There is no fan on the CPU cooler.

took a while

A search on line said there was a fan on the CPU cooler. It ain't so boys and girls. The fins on this were full of dust bunnies too.  I got the board clean after 30 minutes of brushing and vacuuming.

silent

Both fans are working with no noise coming from either one. Neither one wobbled and both seemed to spinning freely.

CMOS battery

These button batteries last for a long time in computers. This battery is common and I got a replacement at CVS.

the noise maker

One of the fans started to make noise and this was the cause. This explains why I heard the noise off and on. I thought it was the bearings in the fan being toast.

I got two replacement fans on order for $19 each. I got them from Amazon and they had the same fan for a low of $19 all the way up to $59. Same maker, same specs, so why the discrepancy in the pricing? I should have them the week after xmas. I'll limp along with what I have for now.

sigh

This is where I found out the top keyboard was toast. I changed the batteries first and nada. My spare board worked. The computer booted up and loaded with no problems. Home page came up and YouTube worked perfectly. Other than one of the fans making a little noise all was well again in Disneyland.

battery leaked

Changed the batteries again and nada again. I saw this and said ok, problem found? Cleaned it and tried the batteries again. Keyboard working again. This is something I check frequently, usually once a month. I also check my flashlights for battery leaking. I've lost 3 of them in the past few years.

back to the bookcase

Started finishing up last bits of woodworking. Glued and nailed the quarter round to the base starting with the right short side.

done

The left side short quarter round was last. It took 6 plane the miters and checking before it fit. I am happy with miters, all four corners are gap free.

hmm.....

Sneak peek at the astragal. I like that it doesn't stick out or over power the simplicity of the doors. 

huh....

This I don't understand. I had already trimmed and leveled the tops of the doors. The first time it was the left one and now the right one is a wee bit high.

last thing for today

Just before this I had nailed the cove molding in the top back. I glued toothpicks in the screw holes. I had put in and taken the doors off so many times the holes were enlarged and the screws weren't biting anymore. I am going to try and wait before I put the doors on for the final time.

Didn't get as much done on the bookcase that I thought I would. Getting my desktop computer back up and running again ate up a lot more time than I expected. One of the last things to do is to glue on the back stop on the top of the bookcase.

came today

If memory serves me still, Stanley was called the Rule and Level company in the 1850's. I was a history major until I switched to business. I like reading the histories/biographies of companies and people. This author also wrote a book on Stanley planes which I have in my library.

eye opener

I got this book a few years back and it blew me away. I had assumed that rules were just inch scales etc. I was wrong, so very wrong. I couldn't believe how many different types of rules were made. Each industry had their own needs that went beyond simple measuring rules. It was eye opening and interesting. I've read and skimmed through it several times since I first bought it. 

accidental woodworker

sigh.....

This is my main computer that lives besides my desk. It is a Dell T3500 which means it is obsolete. Lately the fans have been acting up. I've lost 60% of my hearing and this AM I could hear the fans laboring while I was in the bathroom with the door partially closed. Time to pony up and fix it.

After searching on line for a while I found out that there are 2 fans in the computer. One on the CPU cooler and two intake fans. I have always hated Dell computers because they purposely make replacing any parts almost impossible. You either buy from them or you have a big ass paper weight. Fans are available still on eBay and I'll have to open the computer up and see which fans are acting up. I have a laptop I can use in the interim. Tomorrow, maybe because it has been almost 20 years since I've played computer tech.

door stop

Found 4 of these buried in the black hole and I am using one as the top door stop. I think I had made these a few years ago when I rehabbed a bead molding plane.

marking

I hung the doors, closed them, and marked the backside of the stop molding.

hmm....distracted

I could have sworn that I had a gap here yesterday. I'll add some veneer in the carcass mortises to increase it.

going slowly

I clamped boards from the back holding the door stop where I had marked it. Taped it in place and checked it with the doors closed. Both doors when up against the stop, were flush on the front.

glued and cooking

I double, triple checked the door stop was on the layout lines on the back of it. I won't have any chances to adjust once the glue has set. Fingers crossed that all will be well in Disneyland tomorrow. Just glue to secure this, no nails or screws.

door astragal

Glued the two parts together. I'll hold off gluing it to the right hand door until the last moment.

quarter round molding

The short right one is fitted. The other three are over length. Once I get the right one glued and nailed, I will secure the two long ones followed by the short left one.

door astragal

This is ready to be glued on. I sawed 45's on the ends and then sanded them started with 100 grit ending with 220.

gap filled

This is the back and I could have let it go but I couldn't. Glued in a piece of veneer.

securing the back

I clamped two boards so I could push the back up against them. This allowed me to secure the back with screws and Miller dowels while ensuring the back was flush.

top

Used five 1 1/2" screws to secure the top.  No glue, just screws. The top stop will hide the screws. 

Miller dowels

Both sides got 5 Miller dowels each. The bottom is free floating. No screws, nails, or Miller dowels for it. I didn't want to unscrew the base to get Miller dowels or screws into the bottom.

no gap

Back frame assembly is in and secure and the light leak I know I had yesterday is gone. I'm still going to put the cove molding here but now it will hide pencil marks I didn't bother to remove. I'll glue and pin nail it in place.

another gap

I can't believe I hadn't noticed and addressed this hiccup already. Same treatment as the back - I glued in a piece of veneer.

glazing bars

I went nutso on this and made double what I needed. Used up most of the waste and off cuts from the bookcase build.

one done

These glazing bars are on the thin side. They aren't thick enough to nail through. I will glue them in place with hide glue. I did one just to check the depth and to ensure that I can fit a pane of glass in the rabbets along with the glazing bars.

I'll survive the brain fart

 A couple of days after my mixing hiccup, both cans are liquid still. No clumps of undissolved shellac in either one. The right can I shook before opening it and the right I didn't shake first.

it is thick

I usually mix a 1.5 to 2 pound cut and the shellac on these stir sticks is pretty thick. Much more so than what I see with my usual mix. I plan to transfer half of each of these two cans into another one. I'll then add alcohol until it looks and feels like my usual mix ratio.

look what I found

I had an empty quart can all along. I had seen this on the cabinet but I assumed it had shellac in it. I was wrong. Tomorrow I'll go to the dollar store and buy a cheap set of measuring cups so I can transfer from the full-ish cans to the empty one. 

accidental woodworker 

done

Got the 2nd attempt on fitting the back panel done. Got the first 3 sides fitted and the last one was a cake walk. This pic was snapped with me standing about 6-7 feet away.

this will work

On the back side there isn't a gap but in the interior there is a tiny sliver of light visible along the top edge. This cove molding is small, unobtrusive and blocks the light.

reusing the mistake

I needed stock for the door astragal and I used this boo boo. I sawed it into four pieces and used one to get the door astragal.

thin or thick

The thicker one is 3/8" thick and it was my first choice for the base. The thinner one is about 3/16".

my hinges

This is an unswaged hinge. There is a healthy space between the leaves when they are parallel.

hinges flat against each other

With swaged hinges the two leaves lay flat against each other when they are closed. Makes it a bit harder to mortise. Hope this helps Frank.

left one done

I chiseled the hinge mortises a little deeper and then evened the four of them with the router.

won't close

I closed the gaps between the hinges and the side of the carcass. But the doors won't close - the right one over hangs the left one about 1/8". This is the uncertainty I have with these hinges. I wasn't sure how deep to make the mortises so I did a little and checked it. Wash, rinse, and repeat until done.

I made another chisel/router run making them a wee bit deeper. That along with planing the latch side of the right door, the doors closed and opened. I got the gap to a 16th. I can make it wider if necessary because I can hide it with the door astragal.

hmm....

This is the right side door and the hinge margin is zero. It is closing ok but I like having some daylight between the door edge and the carcass.

insurance

I put a #4 screw in the ends of the muntins. Probably didn't need it but it is giving me a warm and fuzzy. Muntins are usually mortised into the stiles and rails.

changing lanes

The door astragal on the left is history. The base under the 1/2 round is 1 3/4" wide and it would eat up too much real estate and not leave sufficient room for the knobs. The right base is 1 1/2" but I couldn't find a smaller 1/2 round for it. I found a scrap of pine 3/4" wide by 3/8" thick.

back to thick or thin

I don't like the 3/8" thick base for the astragal. I think it is too heavy looking for the doors. I am going with the thinner base - the size of it doesn't overwhelm the scale of the doors.

sneak peek

Looking like what I envisioned it to be. There isn't much left to do woodworking wise. I'll have to get the glass for the doors and that should be the last thing I have to order/wait for.

fixed

The top of the left door was about a 16th higher than the right. Marked it and then planed it to the line.

door astragal

Rounded over the outside edges on both pieces and sanded them smooth. I'm holding off gluing the two of them together for now. Once I have it cut to length, I will saw the ends at a 45.

the ends

I think leaving the ends at a 45 (which I can saw, plane, and sand) it a better choice than trying to round over the end grain ends.

better

Got a gap now. Before it was a little bit hinge bound at the bottom. Something I hadn't noticed before. I had to add a shim in the carcass side mortise to get this gap.

hmm.....

The shelf width will about 9 1/4". I was shooting for something at 10" or more. Maybe I should have glued up to get wider stock.

accidental woodworker

 

fitting the back panel assembly

I laid the pattern on the back, adjusting it until it looked ok and I marked where I had to remove and where I had to add. I had to add fillers on two opposite edges.

haircut day

It still surprises me with how much dark hair I still have on the roof. I have some distinguished gray at the temples but the rest of the rest is black. It is winter so I cut my hair to a 1/4", the other 3 seasons I mow it down to a 1/8".

ready to plane

Fillers cooked and I laid the pattern on the back and penciled its outline onto the it.

sigh

 One side of the coin has the back fitted. It is a snug fit with no large gaps, a few teeny slivers. On the other side this is a boo boo. This side should be facing into the interior.

the brain fart

I hadn't thought this all the way through. The pattern fits the back perfectly but the rub is I penciled the the pattern the wrong way. I should have penciled the pattern on the back of the panel assembly.

fitting the back

I was oblivious to this  being wrong at this point. All my OCD attention was focused on fitting this. Started by getting the bottom first, then the right side, followed by the top, and finally the left side. 

found out my boo boo

This is the unfinished side of the plywood panels. It doesn't look that bad. There is one white spot on the right panel that I could paint/blend to hide.

this is a no no

This splintered edge is not what I want to see. It looks like crap. I now had two choices, make a new panel assembly or start over from square one with this.

chose option two

I double, triple checked this a bazillion times. I checked that I was laying the pattern correctly on the back face several times before I committed to tracing the pattern on it.

two more fillers

I had two large gaps on the frame - at the top right and the bottom left. My plan was to fit the bottom, right side, and top first. After I got them fitted I would glue the final filler on the left side and fit it.

gotta love McMaster Carr

They are wee bit expensive but they are worth. Ordered these yesterday and got them at 1320 today. These will be used for hinges mostly. A hundred screws in each box for about $10 each.

3 sides fitted

It took a while but I found it relaxing sneaking up on the fit. And I got it correct this time.

last one

I think, at least for me, this was the way to do this. Trying to get all 4 in one shot would too much. The large gap at the top is a frog hair shy of a 1/4". The right side large gap was just shy of 3/16". 

maybe tonight

Got the last filler strip on and I'll let it cook until whenever. I might come back to the shop after dinner to fit but that depends. If not I'll finish this up in the AM.

It is looking like this will be done probably before xmas. I might be able to squeeze in another last minute project to close out 2025.

accidental woodworker 

 

came yesterday

I was tempted to start on these last night after dinner but I didn't. That aside, these 2" hinges will do the job. Nice touch with brass and steel screws but I won't be using either of them. Both are philips head screws and I don't like them. For nice brass hinges like these I want slotted brass flat head screws.

sweet

These hinges cost $34 a pair and they are well worth it. Ball tips are the cherry atop the sundae.

fitting the panels

Laid out the pencil line and planed down to it.

hmm......

The center stile wouldn't align with the dry fit tic marks. However, it is square, on both sides, at the top and bottom. I got both panels dry fitted and I'm happy with how it looks. Forgot to snap a pic of it for proof.

dutchman glued on

I had seen on a YouTube vid where he applied yellow glue to one side and superglue to the other side. No attempt to have clear spots for either glue. I decided to give it a try and see what shook out.

planing the waste

I didn't want to risk sawing any of the waste off. It would have been a awkward working around the clamp and sawing with my non master hand. There didn't seem to be any headaches or hiccups with the mixing of the two glues.

done

This repair will be at the upper left corner of the bookcase. It doesn't look that bad this close and once it is in the bookcase it will be invisible.

glued and cooking

I got the tic marks on the center stile to align. The right side stile ended up a bit proud though. It won't be problem because I still have to plane this to fit the back.

hinge layout

I have come a long way with installing hinges. They don't fill me with dread anymore. I just treat as another step to complete the build.

not perfect yet

The leaf wasn't flush on the left side. Flush on the right though. A piece of cherry veneer brought it up flush.

needs a #5 screw

Not only were the supplied screws philips head, they were too long. They would have been ok in the carcass but not on the door. They were a few frog hairs longer than 3/4" (metric ?) - they would have poked through.

 I didn't have enough screws for the 4 hinges. Blacksmith bolt were I usually buy my screws didn't have any #5x5/8" in stock. I ordered them from McMaster Carr and I should have them tomorrow.

sigh

I blew out the back twice. I only waited the first time a few minutes (used super glue) but this time I let it set for over 30 minutes.

insurance

I clamped a backer at the back and it worked. I didn't blow it out again.

one down, one to go

Left door swings easily in/out. The margins aren't even, the bottom is thinner than the top. They are parallel and consistent though.

nope

The bottom is beyond snug. There is no way this will close. Glad now that I didn't go nutso fitting the doors earlier.

done

Both doors swing in/out freely. No hang ups top or bottom but the doors won't meet/close on latch side. The right door overlays the left one about 1/8".

why they won't close

The gap on the hinge side of both doors is too wide. That is because the hinges aren't swaged. The hinge leafs don't lay flat on each other. I knew that going into this and I expected this. I will break out a router and use it to increase the depth of the mortises on the door and the carcass.

yikes

I was playing around with fitting the back when I stepped away to get something off my workbench. The back fell out of the carcass and on the floor (failed the bounce test). This corner broke. I glued it back together and I'll let it cook until tomorrow.

for tomorrow

Fitting the back into the carcass is going to be a huge PITA. The back is out of square by a 1/4". These glue ups will be used to facilitate making the fitting a wee bit easier.

accidental woodworker

dipped below 60F

It has been cold for the past couple of weeks, especially the past week and the start of the current one. Through it all the shop temp has hovered between 61F and 63F. I haven't seen 62F at all. The shop is still ok - ish to work in, I'll start wearing sweatshirts if the temp dips any lower. 

setting pin sleeves

This gizmo sets the shelf sleeves with a tap from a mallet. I got it from Lee Valley and it sets 4 different size sleeves. I have 3 of the four. I secure my sleeves with super glue.

done

Before I make the shelves I will get the back installed and the doors hinged. Those being in place will determine the width of the shelves.

brain fart time

The shellac I had ordered a few weeks ago finally came in. I made a stop at the paint store to get 4 empty quart cans but they only one. That was all I needed to mix enough shellac for the bookcase.

the huge brain fart

I can't mix a quart of shellac - the can is too small. So what I usually do is mix three batches. The mistake I made was using way too many shellac flakes - I used 9 ounces instead of 4.5 ounces. 

Ran out of alcohol but I did have enough to get the mountain of shellac dissolved. I have no idea what pound cut of shellac I have. The plan is to get two more cans and distribute the shellac I mixed into the four of them. I'll add more alcohol, guessing what looks good, and go from there.

road trip

The only 6mm birch plywood was a 5 foot square panel that had smashed corners and was warped. So I got these two plywood panels - 2' x 4' with one face prefinished for $19 each. That is cheaper than the Lowes.

hit or miss

I picked up a bag of these 1/4" dowels for my Dowel Max doweling jig. I have bought 1/4" dowels before and they were too loose. It is a crap shoot IMO because the pins will swell and shrink and you have to deal with it.

hmm......

Both of the openings are not square. The left side top right is out. The right side is out of square on the top and bottom corners on the right. I'll make the panels to the size of the larger measurement, and plane them to fit.

story stick

There is over a 1/8" difference at the top and bottom.

yikes

Didn't expect this to splinter out like it did. The face veneer is thinner than a piece of paper.

panels rough sized

Did better with the splinter BS on the right panel. On the right one I knifed the cross cut line. Even the waste side of the cut, which I hadn't knife, came out splinter free.

hmm....

Labeled the joints because I sized the panels to each opening. Both of them are slightly different. What I don't understand is the out of square but all the shoulders lay up gap free.

sigh

This is supposedly a 1/4" panel and the groove is 6mm wide a 1/4" deep. 6mm (0.236) is less then a 1/4" (0.250). The plywood is loose in the groove. There is a healthy gap that I wasn't expecting. I plan to glue the plywood in the grooves so it won't be a problem.

future fix

This was the result of sawing the stile to length. This will be facing into the interior of the bookcase so I'll have to dutch it. I'll do that before I glue the frame and panel up tomorrow.

 

not that bad

The left side frame joints are all tight. The right side and the top of the center stile aren't seated. This is looking like it is going to be a fun plane and fit exercise.

accidental woodworker

first snow this year

This is what fell over night, maybe a little more than an inch. I didn't go to Woodcraft today because of it. Wimped out but maybe I'll bite the bullet and go monday or tuesday.

hmm......

I have enough of this plywood for the panels but I'm not crazy about the grain pattern on it. The opposite face is white. IMO, neither one compliments the pine. So I'll wait to get the birch plywood from Woodcraft.

doing piddly things

Filling time in the shop doing little things. Made a new drilling block for the shelf sleeve for the pins. I don't save these because they get trashed - the hole gets enlarged and eventually won't drill plumb holes.

done

Got the remaining 6 screws installed. I couldn't think of any reason that I would have to detach the base from the carcass.

last set of holes

Got smart this time and added a 3/4" scrap on the edge - the thickness of the back frame ass'y and the doors. Missed doing this on past drilling ops and it interfered with the notches for the shelf pins on the underside. 

ugly gaps

Filled in the few gaps I had with pine sawdust and yellow glue. I got a pretty good color match which surprised me. When I mix pine sawdust with hide glue, it always comes out dark. 

sigh......

The gap is/was filled with hide glue. I tried to dig some of it out with a pick but it wasn't working in my favor. I filled what I was able to pick out with pine sawdust and yellow glue. Of course this is the top and regardless of the homemade putty, they will still probably pop like neon lights.

yikes

I thought I had a huge hiccup on my hands. Initially I thought this gap was due to the 6 screws I installed to attach the base to the carcass. Made me regret that I had planed the doors to quasi fit yesterday. Turned out to be favorable to me.

happy face on

I had the doors switched, L for R, and the door was also upside down. Didn't notice that in the above pic. Got the fit I had yesterday so the screws hadn't pulled or twisted anything.

hmm......

Not entirely thrilled with this back stop thing. The curves at the ends match the cutout in base. I used the cutout from the longest one to make this. I wonder if anyone would even pick up on the match between the two.

prepping the knobs

The tenons on shaker knobs varies a lot. One of these is a 64th plus over 3/8" and the other is a 64th under 3/8". The first step is drilling a hole in the tenons so the wedges don't split the tenon.

holes drilled

2nd step it sawing the slot for the wedge. I have tried to do this with a handsaw but the results have always sucked pond scum for me. 

bandsawing the slots

Doing the slots on the bandsaw works the best. The only headache I have with it is making the slots in the right orientation. This time I got it right.

done

I started wedging shaker knobs years ago. I have had too many of them fail and fall out. I haven't had any problems since I've been doing it this way. The only problem I have with knobs is chips breaking off around the rim of the knobs.

3 times is the charm

Made one extra wedge - used cherry because it was the only hardwood I had scraps to get wedges from. The first two sets I made were too small or not wide enough.

accidental woodworker

fitting the doors

With the back I moved on to fitting the doors. Not 100% - just fitted them loose and get an even margin on the top, bottom, and hinge sides. Started with the left door by fitting the bottom first, then the hinge side, and finally the top. Took a while because I was fighting the urge to take just one more swipe the entire time.

done

Fitted the right door next and then planed the shim on latch side of the right door. There is roughly a 16th gap on the top and bottom on both doors.

This is all I got done today. I didn't feel like driving to Woodcraft today and I'll do it tomorrow.

came today

I ordered these off Etsy and they came from England. I assumed they were coming from the USA but I was wrong. They came surprisingly quick considering they came across the big pond. These would have been a better fit for the chest I made for my sister.

Spent most of the day reading. I made a small dent in the pile of books awaiting me, finished one and continued another I've slogging my way through for a couple of months now.

accidental woodworker

sigh....

The thing I was worried about happening, happened. While tapping the tails home with a mallet it split from the base of the tail outward to the cutout. Forced glue into the split and clamped it. I'll be putting this facing the back. 

I've noticed in the past with case hardened stock that it splits along the grain easily. I got lucky with only one hiccup to deal with.

hmm.....

The ends are short and I was thinking of skipping bearers there. The bearers are set down from the top of the base a 1/8".

sneak peek

I like the height of the base. It will make it easier to access the bottom shelf contents. Potential problem is the carcass and the base aren't laying flat against each other.

option one

Cove molding - don't know the size but it looks appropriate.

option two

I am pretty sure that this is a 1/4", quarter round. Don't like this as much as the first one.

option two on the front

There is a margin between the quarter round and the top of the bottom of the shelf. 

option one on the front

There isn't much of a margin with the cove molding. This one is the loser. Option two is the winner with the wider margin.

changed a wee bit again

I screwed the carcass to the base. No more misalignment, or any twist between the two is gone too. The door fit changed a wee bit but overall they were still square in the opening. The left one got snugger at the top left corner and the right one a wee bit looser. I will make any final adjustments/fitting once I get the hinges installed.

Speaking of hinges I ordered them today from Horton Brasses. I ordered two sets of 2" hinges for $75. I wanted the 2 1/2" hinges but the 2" were $5 cheaper each.

thinking ahead

I only have 4 screws holding the carcass to the base for now. I'm not sure if I'll have to take the carcass off again. I am also rethinking the back for the bookcase. I am mulling over 3 options. Option one is to rout a rabbet and put in a 1/4" plywood panel. Option 2 is rout a rabbet and use 1/2" or 3/8" thick solid wood boards. Option 3 is a frame and panel, with the panels being 6mm birch plywood.

door astragal layout

Three sizes of shaker knobs for the doors. All three will fit without looking crowded with an astragal that is 1 1/2" wide. Top and bottom knobs are maple and the middle ones are cherry. The bottom ones are the winners so far

and the winner is....

Option 3 won the brass ring. I like the options 1 & 2 because they protruded less into the bookcase then option 3. However, I like the look of the option 3 more than the other 2. Plowed a 6mm groove in the rails and stiles.

fitting the rails and stiles

Sawed the shoulders with a dozuki, split the tenons with a chisel, and fitted them with the rabbet block plane.  

dry fitted

I had to use a center stile because I can't get 6mm plywood large enough to fit the opening. I like the center stile and the two smaller panel openings. All the joints line up pretty good but I will have to plane them flush after it is glued up.

Road trip to the Walpole Woodcraft tomorrow or sunday. Most likely sunday because the traffic will be less.

better choice

While working on the bookcase I saw a boatload of 1/2 round maple stuck in the joist bays.It is 7/8" wide and I will using it as the astragal. This will also blend in with the 1/4 round on the top of the base.

door catch

This will go on the bottom inside of the left door. The right door will have the astragal attached to it and it is the door that you open first.

accidental woodworker 

 Today I had my post hospitalization check up. I still have the cough and the snot locker filling constantly but I do feel a lot better. The bitter, biting cough I had before is gone. The one now I feel in my chest with hacking up phlegm by the bucket. The cough is gentler and I don't feel like putting a gun to my head when I do cough.

The doc gave me a Rx for a cough suppressant and something to help with the phlegm. On the 29th I have a pulmonary function test and on Jan 9th I have another MRI. That is the one I'm anxious about because it will reveal whether I had pneumonia or lung cancer. The important thing in my mind is that I had an improvement in my condition be taking the pneumonia antibiotics. Fingers crossed till the tell tale MRI.

happy face on

The base stock behaved over night. I was expecting to see the long ones to be curled up like pretzels. The right long has a bit of bow to it but I can easily work around that.

new template

Not much difference in them. The bottom one is only an inch taller than the top one. 

one down and one to go

I put the tails on the short ends so the from the front the view will be square - ish tails vice triangular pins. This is where I killed the lights to go to the VA. New traffic patterns/construction on RTE10 made that a fun ride. Glad that I left early.

filler on the latch side

This had been cooking in the clamps for two days. Unclamped it and sawed the ends flush. I will leave the shim full width until I get the hinges installed.

hmmm.......

Both doors would not lay in the opening square. Penciled the shim overlay and it was tapered. Realized that I had fitted the doors to fit with the carcass in a specific orientation this way wasn't it. Flipped it 180 and both doors laid up square in the opening. The gap on the latch side was now parallel top to bottom. Labeled the top/bottom along with the L and R.

last three

No surprises chopping the pin waste. Another thing I was bit apprehensive about due to the case hardening I saw when ripping the stock.

fits

This baser is snugger than the first one I did. It was a frog hair or two too snug but I managed to get it on. The length has about a 1/8" of wiggle room while the width has none.

base cutout done

I double, triple checked this before I bandsawed out the waste. I have done this in the past with one leg cut out in the wrong direction. Tends to suck the wind out of the sails in a heart beat.

tricky cut out

I couldn't bandsaw the waste in one continuous cut. However, I could gang them together and rasp the cutouts even and smooth.

different op for the long ones

I ganged the two long ones together and rasped the ends together. The long straight run between the ends I did individually.

one more dry fit

I sanded the insides of the base with 80 grit and that helped a wee bit. It was still snug but was easier to get it started. Glued it and put it back on to cook in place. The clamps are there to keep it from sliding down.

Tomorrow I'll get the bearers installed and eyeball how the bookcase looks with the base attached. I should be able to finish this before the new year shakes hands with me.

accidental woodworker 

came too late

Whenever I see these I usually buy them, especially the war time publications. This one is packed with wood characteristics, plans, and repair procedures. I wish I had gotten it before I started the last project for this year.

look familiar

What struck me was the door stop detail at the top and the bottom. The top stop is something I haven't seen before and it would have worked perfectly for my two door bookcase.

after dinner

I went back to the shop, chopped the pins, dry fitted the base, and checked the fit on the carcass. It was a little snug on one corner but I moved the opposite corner until it slipped over the carcass. I didn't bother squaring the base - I used the carcass to set the fit.

template

None of the templates I already had looked good to my eye. Once I'm done using it I'll put with the other templates.

done

Got all four cutouts done with one continuous saw cut on the bandsaw. After cleaning the saw cuts with planes, spokeshaves, and 100 grit sandpaper, I was ready to glue it up.

big sigh

Got the base glued up and all the tails fully seated. The plan was to use the carcass to hold the base as it cooked. However, it dawned me here that I had done a huge brain fart that still the smell still lingers in the shop. I made this base way too big. If fits in this orientation but it is the wrong one.

This is without a doubt one of, if not the #1 bone head me-steaks I have made in the shop ever. I don't know how I hadn't seen this the previous night. I only saw it after the base was glued and on the carcass and I was thinking of the doors. That is when the bells started to ring and echo in the brain bucket.

I don't think this me-steak is something I will be able to recycle into using on something else. But just in case I will stow it in the boneyard after it has cooked.

new base

After the base screw up I left the shop. I got all my xmas shopping done and everything wrapped and ready to go. Stickered the new base stock but I don't have a good feeling about it. The pine seemed to be case hardened a wee bit. I had a devil of time ripping the long pieces. The blade pinched on the kerf for the first 1/3 of the rip cut. Got it done and I'll find out in the AM if this had stupid wood tricks up its sleeves.

one of the first base cut offs

Cleaned up and ready to layout for the shelf pins.

layout done

Didn't plan it this way but it worked out in my favor. The last position on the drill guide is 7" from the bottom and the top one is 7 1/8" from the top.

almost 6"

One good thing about the screw up is the base is now almost at the 6" I originally wanted. I will have to make a new template as the original is 4 1/2". 

Found some brass hinges from Horton Brasses that I like -$83 shipped. I'll dig into my wood stash $$$ and buy them probably next week. But now I have the problem of knobs for the doors. The added headache is I will have to work around the door astragal. There isn't a lot of real estate to play with between the astragal and the knob size. 

accidental woodworker 

 At 0730 I tried to start my truck to go to the grocery store. The temp was 15 F - 9C then and the truck would not start. It coughed briefly and then the starter continually clicked. The truck had been hard starting for a few days but I assumed it was because of the cold temps lately. The voltage meter on the truck was barely above 10 volts, hadn't noticed before. Not enough to turn the engine over. 

A new battery was $161 to replace the one I had bought barely two years ago. The fun part commenced when I removed the old one and put in the new one. There was a shitload of battery acid residue all over the battery terminals and the clamp. Cleaning that up ate up a ton of time and calories.

The fun part was dropping the nuts for the battery clamp. Dropped them twice and both times I had to remove the new battery to find them. Took me over 30 minutes to find the 2nd dropped one. Did I mention that I was doing this in my driveway with the temp at 18F  -7.7C. It was #()%&@#)%*#@_)% cold and I was not a happy camper. I had to make a bazillion trips to my shop to get tools - tons of headaches trying to find metric wrenches. Ended up using combination wrenches and slip joint pliers. Eventually I got it done and voltage meter was reading in the normal range. 

The truck started up without a whimper several times as I checked it and the voltage meter each time throughout the day. Tomorrow I'm bringing the truck into the shop to have the alternator checked. I want to eliminate that not working at 100%. That was almost 2 hours I'll never get back.

last night after dinner

Before dinner I had the long and one short glazing bar glued. After dinner I glued on the last one.

2nd door

I glued on all three glazing bars on the 2nd door. The doors will be done come the AM.

flushed

After eyeballing the glazing bars I decided to flush them. The end of one of them got squished a wee bit and that drove flushing them.

hmm......

The right hand door tapered gap is the same. I thought that maybe the glazing bars might have been a magic fix. 

good sign

The vertical muntins in spite of the gap, are still aligned L to R and R to L. The left door is snug and the right one also is loose fitting along with having a gap. I need two sets of hinges but that may take a while. A decent hinge set runs about $30 or  more. Might have to wait until after xmas before I buy them. 

penciling the gap

The gap at the top is just shy of 3/16". I lined the rule on inboard edge at the top and at a tic mark at 1/8" inboard at the bottom. I want to sneak up on the fit by taking as little as possible off the hinge side of the door.

happy with this

It took three plane and checks before I was happy with the fit. It isn't perfect but I still have to fit the hinges. They tend to move the door a wee bit and I'll make any final adjustments then.

even gap

I was glad to see the even gap (top to bottom) on the latch side of both doors. I wasn't sure if correcting for the tapered gap would show up here afterwards.

flushing the tails/pins

This setup worked well for this planing operation. I had to move it 8 times to plane the corners but no hiccups doing it.

shim glued and cooking

The first shim I couldn't use because it wasn't wide enough. Didn't notice it when I sawed it out. This one is twice the thickness needed but it gives me a lot of wiggle room for adjusting. It will also be hidden under the door astragal yet to come. Can't think of one that fits in with the overall Shaker look of this bookcase.

base stock

My original plan was to make this 6 1/2" high but nixed it. That would have used up two 6 foot 1x12's. Instead I made it 4 1/2" high and got it all out of one 6 foot 1x12.

ready for dovetailing

The four small pieces are the bearers that the carcass will rest on. They are 3/4" x 3/4".

sawing the tails

Joining the base together with through dovetails. I thought of doing half blinds but went with through. I don't mind the look of seeing the tails and pins.

stayed late

Tails are done and I got the pins sawn. Stayed in the shop until 1530 to get them to that point. In the AM I'll chop the waste and dry fit the base. I made it a 16th wider and longer for wiggle room. I will cover any gaps with a cove molding.

accidental woodworker

disappointed

I paid $60 for this book and it isn't what I thought it was. I expected it to be history of plow plane makers in the United States. Other than a couple of paragraphs on the first page there was no other verbiage on companies making plow planes. However, the book was still an interesting read.

Instead of a history in words, the author did it with pics of plow planes and captions. He did it by state and makers. There were more Rhode Island plow plane makers then I knew. There were 6 of them and I didn't recognize any of the names. 

All in all it was a good read - I learned more about plow plane characteristics then I imagined existed. I learned the history of them and the makers in a different way. If I had known this before hand I wouldn't have bought the book.

hmm.......

I was not expecting the pinch rod to be on the workbench. The opposite diagonal was snug but the pinch rod fit. 

square

The four corners read square with Mr 18" Starrett. The diagonals were off a frog hair over a 16th.

left side door

This side continues to cooperate - the door fits snug and square.

sigh

The right side still is acting like the red headed, stuttering step child. As a twist the tapered gap is reversed now. The large end is at the top tapering to nothing at the bottom. I am leaving this as is and I will plane this right door to fit the existing conditions. I'll make up for the gap by gluing a shim on the latch side of the right door.

muntin work

Started with the left door doing the half lap on the muntin bars.

happy with this

The half lap is snug and I had to tap it together with a mallet.

glazing bar notch

I made the notch 1" long. That should be sufficient for anchoring the ends of the glazing bar. It will also be glued to the muntin.

dry fit

This looks good to my eye. The glazing bar is centered top to bottom and the ends fit snug in their respective notches.

short glazing bars

I went back and forth on the short glazing bar(s) on whether or not to half lap the long and short bars. I went with two separate short glazing bars. The muntins are 1" wide and are half lapped so that point is secure and strong. The short glazing bars will be secured by the notches and being glued to the muntin bar.

dry fit

All looks well on the back side of the door. After is glued up I might flush the glazing bars. I kind of like them being proud of the door frame. Right now I'm thinking of chamfering the outside ends and leaving them as is.

hmm......

Some router mishap crappola. I plan on leaving the bookcase natural with a shellac finish. Not sure if I'll leave this boo boo or fill them in with a dutchman. It is the back side of the door and won't be seen when the doors are shut.

one down, one to go

Left door is dry fitted and awaiting glue up. Before I do that I will get the right door dry fitted too.

sigh

Took one more swipe twice and twice I ended up with the muntin loose fitting. I want and need this muntin to fit snug. I had to make a new muntin to play with. This time I didn't give into making just one more swipe.

ta da

Three times was the charm. Long muntin fits snug and is self supporting. It even survived me shaking the door like a wild eyed idiot.

right door muntins

Had to measure for the short muntin. I also placed the doors in the carcass opening to check the alignment of them Left and Right.

if it looks straight......

The right door is a few frogs off center on the long muntin. I couldn't see it looking at the doors in place. I was more concerned that the short muntins lined up visually straight across each other.

right one dry fitted

Doing this went much better than I anticipated it. Other then the long muntin bar boo boo on the right door, everything else went smoothly and fell into place.

partial glue up on the left door

I glued the left door muntin half lap while I did the right door. I glued the long glazing bar in the notches and glued that to the muntin. I'll do the short glazing bars after dinner. I should be able to get at least one door glued and cooked today.

accidental woodworker

hmm.....

This is where I left off with this yesterday. The left door fits snug and square. The right door at the lower right corner isn't square. New battle plan was formed in the brain bucket.

before that battle starts

Before I forgot to do it again, I did it. I really like these chest handles a lot but they are getting crazy expensive.

toast

This is the board that I used to drill the shelf pins in the single glass door cabinet. I wanted to use it for this for the two door glass bookcase but not anymore. I'll have to make a new one.

new idea for square

It dawned on me while eating breakfast that maybe the inside isn't square. I spent all my time and calories trying to get the outside of the carcass square. What is more important to be square is the inside where the doors will be hanging. BTW, I still haven't glued this up - trying to get it square dry first.

found it

The outside diagonals are less than a 16th off. However, the inside diagonals were a 1/4" off. Problem solved.

big sigh of relief

Both doors are laying up square on the hinge side. No gaps anymore there but there is one on the joint line where the doors meet. Easier to deal with that gap then the tapered gaps I had yesterday.

glued and cooking

I used hide glue on this so I would have extra time getting the dovetails seated. The diagonals were both 42 11/16". 

scrap board

Found this in the scrap pile and it is long and wide enough to get the muntins and glazing bars from. I didn't have to use a 6 footer from my Gurney Sawmill stash.

done

I have to thin the glazing bars, they are too high as is at 3/4". They need to be 5/16". I made one extra long and short muntin board along with 2 extra glazing bars for just in case.

still agree

I was leaving for my post lunch stroll but before I left I checked the diagonals. I wanted to make sure it hadn't shifted on me.

yikes

When I got back from the stroll I checked the diagonals again. They had moved 3/16". I used my pinch rods to set the diagonals because I couldn't get a tape reading on the diagonal with the clamp.

double, triple checked it

I checked it three times to make sure it hadn't moved. I checked it again before I killed the lights. Not sure if this is going to work but I intend to let it cook as is until tomorrow. If it is off I'll try to reverse the hide glue and re do it.

hmm.....

I was playing around with the muntins and I decided on this placement. I centered the long muntin and placed the short one 8" down from the top.

long one fitted

The muntin is fitted snug, no glue or any other fasteners. The glazing bar will be glued to the muntin bar which will hold it in place.

half lap

I am going to do the half lap first and then I'll fit the short muntin to fit snug. I'll start that adventure in the AM.

accidental woodworker

pin layout

I knife the tails onto the pin board. I haven't used a pencil for a couple of years now. It seems like every few years I pick up a new method doing dovetails. 

the exciting part

Pins meshing with the tails off the saw. I had to trim one pin on the top board. It was snug but going together. However, it was also splitting the board.

hmm.....

Not quite what I was expecting on the door fit. The height is about an 1/8" shy but the length is over about the same. I was expecting both measurements to be on the short side.

this is ugly looking

The carcass is dry fitted and the diagonals were less than a 16th off. This gap is tapered too with it wide at the bottom tapering away to nothing at the top.

fussy time

Spent some quality time see sawing back and forth trying to get the diagonals to agree dead nuts. I got the back that way but the front I could only manage to get them to less than a 16th

aren't square

One of the doors is less than a 16th and the other is off by an 8th. But from my way of thinking on it, this isn't enough to cause the gap I have between the carcass and the doors.

Big Red to the rescue

According to Big Red this door is square all the way around. This is the one that diagonals were off less than a 16th.

hmm......

Big Red said the top two corners are square but the bottom two aren't.

head and butt scratching

I don't understand this headache. I thought that maybe the sides were bowed but they aren't. A straight edge laid on the outside and inside says they are flat and straight. Still have a tapered gap on both doors - the right one a wee bit more than the left one.

planing the doors

I laid the doors in the opening and penciled a line that I planed down to. I bought this Lee Valley jack plane about 12 years ago to be my main #5 bench plane. But after a couple months I changed my mind. I use it now 99% of time to plane end grain. This plane is phenomenal at planing end grain and the iron edge retention is the best of any plane I own. 

hmm......

The left door fits in the opening snugly. The tapered gap has shrunk a lot but it is still there.

right side door

The door is a looser fit then its left side sibling but the ugly, tapered gap is still there. I am at a loss to explain it. The door is square and the carcass inside corners are square - WTF?

door astragal

I plan on using an astragal to cover the the joint line where the doors meet. It will also serve another purpose. If I have to shim the doors, I can hide the shim under the astragal. This way I won't have to glue one on the hinge side of either door. I think the left door will be ok but I will probably have to add a shim to the right hand drawer.

needs a switch

Still haven't been able to locate a switch for this router. All I know about it that is it was made in England and no tool repair sites have a switch. All of them list it as without replacement. It wouldn't turn on when plugged in - I thought I had left it hardwired on but I hadn't. I need to rout a rabbet in the doors for the glass.

I've been thinking of buying another router and I'm leaning towards getting a plunge router. But I can't make up mind on cordless or corded. Maybe Santa is listening to me moan about it.

done

Rabbets routed and the corners squared up. I plan on using flush (to the front) muntins on these doors.

double checking, again

Big Red says this corner is kind of square. The bottom is square but it runs out with a gap of about a 16th at the top of the blade.

confusing

This is the back of the carcass and the left side has a gap. 3 corners are square and this one is toast. On the front 3 corners are square with the 4th close but no cigar.

Big Red Says

Not one photon is leaking by at this corner.

more confusion

The diagonals at the front are dead nuts the same. Both say 45" outside corner to outside corner. Big Red says the inside corners are square. The left door lays up square and tight on its side but the right still has a tapered gap. I spent my post stroll trying to come up with a reason why it is OTL (out to lunch). Clueless as to why. This will probably change too once I glue the carcass up.

Spent a lot of dead time in the shop cycling through checking the same things over and over and no light bulb came on. It was starting to be frustrating so I killed the lights and left the shop early.

accidental woodworker