Cherry Blossom Sideboard Part 5

Hi Everyone!

The sideboard is really taking shape!

I have cut the grooves into the front edges of the top webframe and the bottom and these grooves will act as the sliding tracks for

the frame and panel doors.

After I dry assembled the cabinet, I measured the length for the

bottom front curved stretcher as well as the back stretcher. The

function of the stretcher is to basically support and evenly

distribute the weight of the cabinet.

To shape the curve on the front stretcher I made a template out

of 1/4" thick mdf (medium density fiberboard) first. Using a

template is a great way to get a uniform look to any piece. It is

especially handy when you have to make multiple pieces with the

same shape. One thing to keep in mind is that you have to make

sure your template is perfectly smooth, because any bumps and

dips found on your template will ultimately be transfered onto your good piece. One way to get is smooth edge is to use a drum sander with various diameters to sand the piece smooth as seen in the first photo.

I then took the template and used double sided tape to adhere it to

the 3/4" thick maple stretcher piece. Then with my palm router

which was equipped with a flush trim router bit, I routed the exact

profile of the curve onto the stretcher.

Next I layed out the location of the notches for the ribs that will bridge the front curved stretcher with the straight back stretcher. To make the notches I routed out the bulk of the material with my palm router and used a chisel and mallet to clean

up the corners and edges of the notches. Notice the fantastic

handmade mallet in the background, which was a gift from a very

talented fellow woodworker and a dear friend. He makes all his furniture by hand with reclaimed and recycled wood...even branches!

To cut the notches in the ribs I simply used a dado stack in my table saw with the aid of a miter gauge. A dado stack is basically a bunch of saw blades stacked together to cut grooves and and dadoes of various thicknesses.

The last photo shows the assembled stretcher assembly dry clamped to the bottom of the cabinet.

We are almost in the final stretch! Next would be to build some doors and cut a slight bevel on the edges of the top to finish off the top nicely.

Come back next time for part 6!

Thanks for looking!

Roshaan