Category: desk

Fitting the doors and adding hinges

First I trimmed the doors to fit in the case using spacers.
The hinges were used as spacers along with anything else I could find of the same width.
Chamfering the edges on the fit is complete.
I made a spacer to align the hinge with the top of the rails.
Then pre-drilled the holes.
Hinges will permit some adjustment.
I made a second spacer to place the hinge on the case one hinge with taller.
Case spacer to ensure the doors are one hinge width above the bottom of the case.
Then I installed the hings on the doors first then the case.
Hinges installed.
Bi-fold door 1/2 open.
Bi-fold doors all the way open with support bar still in place.

I used Marc Spagnuolo plywood wall cabinet no mortise hinge installation video as a guide for what I ended up doing.  I tried to photograph most of the steps.  

I was able to use the hinges to create even space around all door edges.

Then I cut two different spacers.  One spacer placed the hinges at the same location on the doors (in line with the rails).  Then I cut a second spacer that was a hinge space taller to place the hinge on the case side.  This ensured that the door doesn’t drag on the case bottom and left a hinge width space.

As usual, you can right click on the pictures to see them in larger size.

Finishing up the doors

Door parts.
Planed to final thickness and smoothed.
Marked the bevel lines.
Beveled the edges.
Fit the beveled edges in to the rail and style grooves.
Finished beveled panel ready for glue up.
Glued panel.
Case with door set in next to the top with its final coat of finish.

Above are the steps I went through to finish up the doors.  Again the doors are simply set into place using the hinges as spacers.  I thought I was going to be able to get to the hinges today, but no luck.

Next hinges, 3 more drawers, the pull out shelf, the key board shelf and then on to assembly.  

Many miles to go before I sleep.

The doors

I used my winding sticks to make sure I remove the twist.
I used my fore plane to go corner to corner to take out the twist.
After making the grooves, I used my looong paring chisel to clean things up.
Making haunched tenons.
And then finally fitting the doors using the hinges a spaces.

This weekend I got a little bit of time to work more on the doors.  Frames are made of the straightest grain cherry I could find.  I used haunched tenons so that I could run the grooves from end to end of both the rails and the styles.

I can’t wait to see how the curly cherry panels look in these frames.

(As always you can right click on the pictures to make them bigger)

The top .. after the first coat.

Top before finish.
Another shot of the top before finish.
After the first coat.
Close up of African Mahogany with finish.

This top and it’s quarter sawn wood gave me fits with, as you can imagine, tear out.  I can’t say that I’m really very happy with it, but it’ll have to do.

I’m sure you know the situation.  As a maker of the top, all you tend to see is the mistakes.  There’s tear out, a tiny gap I had to fill and some plane tracks.  And after a lot of attempts to fit all of that, I wasn’t able to get them all out.

I wet sanded this first coat of Pro Fin and the top looks better than I thought it would, but I can still see the imperfections.  Chalk it up to a good learning experience.

If I had to do it over again, I’d use some nice old cherry or just oil the 1/4 sawn instead of trying to finish it.