I thought I would get back to a project that I started about 2 years ago. When I last worked on it, I was making the drawers. But now I see that the desk drop lid has warped and twisted. There does not seem to be anything that I can do but make a new desk lid.
First I start with a flat 14 inch wide piece of cherry from that same batch that I have made all of the other chest parts. It is important so the color will all be the same.
I am using a dado set to cut 1 1/8 inch tenons on each end. The tenons are 5/16 inch thick.
Now that the tenons are on, I marked out 1 inch from either end and each of the 3 tenons will be 2 1/2 inches wide.
I cut them out with a coping saw, leaving a 1/4 haunched tenon over the entire length
Now I am cutting a 5/16 inch dado down the center of the bread board ends.
Using my hollow chisel mortiser, I put a 1 1/8 deep mortise 2 1/2 wide to match the tenons on the bread board ends.
After planing off a little bit of the tenons, I dry fit the bread board ends.
Now I drilled 1/4 inch holes in the ends of the bread board and tenons. I made 1/4 inch cherry pegs to hold it in place.
I applied glue to only the center tenon and glued the pegs in all three holes.
Gluing and pounding in the pegs after compressing the ends with clamps.
After the glue dried, I trimmed off the pegs with a flush cut saw and paring chisel.
Then I added a 7/16 x 1/2 inch dado around 3 sides of the lid. Notice that I stopped the cut on the lower corners and cut the lid at an angle so that it hides the gap on the side of the lid.
The I added a 1/4 inch round over with a fillet all the way around the lid.
Time for a dry fit. I did have to plane the dado a little to make the lid fit well.
I need to add the hinge mortises. I used a knife to mark where the hinges should be and then I used my router plane to cut out the mortises.
I used a self centering drill bit to pilot the holes for the hinges and then put in the screws.
Swing the lid closed and it fits pretty good.
Now I have to take it off and sand it. Hope this one doesn't warp. Now on to the drawers.
Here is today's video:
