Cherry Oxbow Chest - Cockbeading the Drawer Openings - Step 5

Now that the case is glued up, it is time to start working on the cockbeading that is on the side of the drawer openings.

The cockbeading that is on the curved front drawer dividers I put on earlier when I was making them with a beading bit in the router table.

Next is to add the side beading and miter the corners.

The first step is to add a vertical piece to where the beading will be attached.  This is a 5/8 inch thick piece of cherry.  Once we add the 3/16 inch beading it will look like it is 13/16 just like the drawer dividers.

This vertical piece is held in with nails or screws to the drawer dividers.  It defines the space for the quarter columns.  If I measured correctly, there is 1 1/4 inch square space for the quarter columns.

With the vertical piece attached, I have to make the cockbeading that will be mitered and glued into the sides.

I have a piece of cherry 1 3/8 inches wide by 1/2  inch thick.  Using the 3/16 inch beading bit in the router table I create the bead on the edge.

Then I rip the 3/16 inch bead off of the stock with the table saw.  I got some burn marks but that is common with cherry.

Now comes the more difficult part.  I have to put a 45 degree miter on the beading and fit it to the drawer opening.  I have to be very careful not to ruin the beading on the drawer divider since it would be difficult to replace.
You want these miters to fit with out a gap.  I cut them with a miter saw in a home made miter box and leave them a little long.

Doug Moulder came over and built a miter trimming jig like one he had just used.  With it I could clamp the cockbead in the jig and sand the small miter tip so that they would just fit.

Below is a picture of one of the pieces ready to be fit to the opening.   Using a chisel or knife I would mark the matching miter on the drawer divider.  Then use a chisel to trim off the miter on the divider.

 Should be a good match if I am careful with the chisel.

Looks like a pretty good fit but not perfect.  The tiny gap will be filled.

Finally by the time that I finished, I got really good tight miters with no gaps.  Isn't that how it always goes.

I glued all of the cockbeading with hide glue and then filled the minor gaps with my wood filler.  I make my own filler by using sanding dust from the cherry and a little hide glue.  Since it is mostly wood dust it will take the stain and you can not tell it is there.

I need to add glue blocks to the back corner of the vertical piece, this will reinforce the rail with the quarter column and the side.

Putting a chamfer on the back of the glue blocks.  This is a 1 inch by 1 inch cherry stock that I am going to glue in to the corners.

I put two blocks in each of the drawer openings with a small gap between them.  I use hide glue and just rub the blocks to hold them in place.  No clamping.

So now I am done with the cockbeading and drawer openings.  The next step is to make the quarter columns and do the fluting.   That will be in the next post.

Here is today's video: