19th Century Clerks Desk - Drawers & Top - Step 7

With all of the holidays, I have not had much time in the workshop but I have made a little progress on the desk.

I milled some 5/8 inch figured maple for the drawer fronts and 1/4 pine for the sides, backs and bottoms.

Chopping out  the small dovetails on the drawer sides. Tails first is the way that I do it.

One side done.

Fitting them to the half blind pins in the drawer front.  I made through dovetails in the back.

Here is one of the drawers assembled. I put a 1/8 inch groove in the bottom edge.  I beveled the bottoms with a router bit so they would fit in the groove. Then slid the bottom in from the back.

I left the bottoms proud in the back so I could trim them so they would fit flush in the front.

Trimming the back of the bottom with a block plane and then test the fit.

All fitted and with little pulls.

The scalloped shape that I added to the top of the pigeon hole was from 3/8 in stock and cut out on the band saw, then glued in.

Not sure what to call it but I added a return piece to the top.  I guess that it to prevent pens and pencils from rolling off the desk.  I milled 5/8 inch stock and dovetailed the corners. I also scalloped the ends so that they would not interfere with the lid when it is open.

I thought it might be a bit fragile and could get knocked off, so I reinforced the mounting by using dowel pegs.  Then I glued it on using yellow glue instead of old brown glue.

Then I made a book stop to attach to the lid, this prevents books or papers from sliding off the slopped lid.

I pegged and glued it to the top.

I turned a wooden pull on the lathe with the face grain on the end. This was done to match the grain on the front on the drawer.  I mounted it with a single screw from the inside of the drawer.  But countersinking the screw was a problem since my electric drill would not fit.  So I used my eggbeater hand drill.

The construction is complete. Now to start on the finishing.  I will mount the desk on the frame and apply the waist molding after the desk has been stained.

Here is today's video:

19th Century Clerks Desk - Hinges & Gallery - Step 6

With the holidays I have not been able to get into the shop much but I did make a little progress on the clerks desk.

I hand planed the lid width to match the little top piece, then located the hinge mortises 4 inches from either end.

These brass hinges will be antiqued later with a darkening solution. I need to make a 3/32 inch mortise in the lid and the top.  So I am using my hand router to do this.  I like to use it better that chopping them out with a chisel.  Although I think it is slower, I get a flatter more consistent bottom.

Here is lid attached to the desk, I check to see that the space between the lid and the top is equal to the thickness of two business cards.

Next was to decide on what I wanted to do with the gallery.  I decided to make 3 drawers on the bottom and 4 pigeon holes on the top by dividing the space in half.
I milled some 3/8 inch stock and made the outside frame which will slide into the space in the desk. There are a number of ways to fasten the frame together but I chose to dovetail it.

After I dovetailed the frame, I slid it in place to check the fit.

Next was to layout where the dividers would be to make the drawer openings and pigeon holes.  This is where I would need to cut dados or grooves.

I put the dados in the sides first and then measured for the center piece.  The dados are a little less than 3/16 inch deep in the 3/8 inch material.

Then I cut the dados in the center piece and matched the lines on the top and bottom.

Cutting the dados on the bottom with a stacked dado on the table saw.

Inserting the vertical dividers. Long grain is exposed on the front of the dividers.

Test fit to make sure it still goes into the opening.

Gluing up the gallery, then on to making the drawers.

Here is today's video:

19th Century Clerks Desk - Breadboard Lid & Bottom - Step 5

I started preparing for the bottom of the desk by putting a 1/4 inch groove 1/2 inch from the bottom of the desk.  This will allow for the half inch material bottom.

Gluing up 1/2 inch poplar for the bottom.

I put a bevel on the edge all the way around to fit into the 1/4 inch groove.  The bottom is completely enclosed but is smaller then the opening allowing for expansion and contraction of the solid wood. It is just loose fit into the groove.  

Gluing up the frame with the bottom in the groove.  I used Old Brown Glue.  Made sure that the frame was square.

Next I made a story board for the bread board ends.  This is real helpful in layout, it allows me to see what I have to do and it means I only have to measure once. All the dimensions are on the board.

The lid is 16 inches wide so I have to glue up two pieces.  I'll scrape off the excess glue once it sets up but before it gets hard.

I cut two pieces to 16 inches long by 2 1/2 inches wide.  I put a 1/4 inch grove in the entire length.  Using the story board, I laid out where the 1 1/2 inch deep by 2 1/4 wide mortises need to be.

Then I used my hollow chisel mortiser to cut the 1/4 mortises into the end pieces 1 1/2 inches deep.

With the lid cut to size and the 15 degree bevel cut on the top side, I set up the dado in the table saw to cut away the material to leave a 1/4 tenon 1 1/2 inch long.  This will require multiple passes since the dado is only 3/4 inch wide.

I check the fit after the first pass.  The tenon is a little too thick but I can plane it down later for a nice tight fit.

Now that the 1 1/2 tenon is on both ends, I use the story board again to layout the cutting pattern.

You can see the 1/4 all along the bottom and then the x's marking out the waste.

Using my expensive $15 coping saw to cut out the waste.  I clean up the cutouts with a coarse file.

Using my hand plane to clean up and fit the tenons.

Dry fitting the breadboard ends on to the tenons, making sure they fit proper.  A couple of things that make this work well is to make sure the 1/4 groove is exactly in the middle of the end piece and that the mortise is straight in the depth.  If they are not, you are going to have trouble fitting and lining up the bread board end.  

Checking the size and fit after the dry assembly.  Looks good.

I pre-drill the bottom holes on the lid so that I can elongate the hole in the tenon to allow for movement of the pegged hole.

Elongating the holes.

Gluing up the lid and putting in the pegs. I clamp it to a flat surface to try to keep it flat during the clamp up.  Peg hole are drilled 11/16 deep from the bottom so they don't show on the top.

Now all I have to do is pare off the pegs and remove the excess glue squeeze out.  I check to see that the lid is still flat after glue up.

Looks good, still flat.  Now for the hinges.

Here is today's video:  I had to do  it twice because Youtube blocked the first video because of copyrighted music playing in the background on the radio.  So I deleted the audio from that section and did a voice over.  I guess I'll have to turn the radio off when I am filming.