Build Dilemma

[algale]

At eight feet long that is going to be very difficult to manouver down halls/through doorways etc.
It might be better to make it in three parts: the two end cabinets and the open bridge in the center, and then assemble them in place.
That would also solve your problem with cutting the mitres on the ends of really long boards.

True. But it is being put literally on the other side of the door to the wood shop, so not a big issue moving it. She really wants an uninterrupted top, too.

[reible]

Perhaps a lot of strips could be used, you know with a canoe style look to it to match something else you have.........

Ed

[algale]

Perhaps a lot of strips could be used, you know with a canoe style look to it to match something else you have.........

Ed

Good one, Ed!

[algale]

Making progress with SWMBO on design compromises. Solid wood is now an option as is ditching the mitered corners.... Stay tuned, I will post a few pics once this gets underway. Unfortunately, she wants to paint the interior of the center section.

[Jack Wilson]

Al,

Find a friend with a Festool track saw. I have one; but I am a little too far away from you now.

Jack

[algale]

If only you were still here, Jack!

[garys]

Many years ago I built a tall gun cabinet and wanted mitered corners on it. Rather than trying to handle the large pieces of wood to run them across a saw, I made up a jig out of a piece of 1x4 pine. I screwed the pine board to the bottom of my circular saw and tilted the blade to 45 degrees. The board acted as a rip fence to position the blade exactly where I wanted it and the blade cut a perfect 45 along each edge that I needed mitered. It worked great, and instead of wrestling the wood, all I had to do was move the saw along each long edge.

[algale]

So, as a sort of dry run, I decided to build a cabinet that is similar in shape to the TV stand but only 4 feet long versus 8. This will become an under-Shopsmith storage cabinet.

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A couple of lessons. First, you can't bevel the edge of a piece much longer than 4 feet long with the tilted table. The floor will become an issue unless you put the entire Shopsmith up on blocks. Suffice it to say, there's no way you are beveling an 8 footer. I doubt five feet is even possible.

Second, it is really hard to get 4 corners to come together like this. I spent a lot of time making sure I had the table set exactly to 45 degrees. And an equal amount of time
making sure the opposing sides were exactly the same length. But with eight 45 degree bevels coming together to make four corners, any tiny deviation or user error is going to show up. Two corners come together pretty well.

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You can see the accumulated error in the other two corners.

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I haven't glued these up yet and will try to burnish the joints closed when I do. How do cabinet makers get these joints to meet up so perfectly on big case pieces???

[BuckeyeDennis]

I think you did darned well for a first attempt! The bevel angle looks like it needs to be a tiny fuzz more acute, but the edges are very straight. What did you use to guide the long panels for the end cuts?

Without the ability to tie into the aux table on an angled cut, the SS table can and will flex a bit in the "roll" axis, throwing off your calibration and causing repeatability challenges. A pro would make these cuts on a more rigid machine.

Also, I've seen advice to err on the side of a slightly over-acute angle, as a tiny gap on the inside of the joint is not nearly as noticable as one on the outside.

[algale]

Hi Dennis,

Actually this was a second attempt. The first was way off and I recut all the bevels after recalibrating my 45 degree stops.

For the shorter pieces which are 17 long by 14 wide, I just guided the short edges on the rip fence set on an floating table which was fairly close to the main table.

For the long pieces which are 48 x 14, I did notice the flex issue which was worse with all the weight supported on the rip fence which was almost to the floor on my first attempt. You are right that there's no good way to support this. I tried the adjustable legs that come with the 520, but they didn't really make a difference because I couldn't get them close enough to the low end to do much good. Ultimately, when I recut the bevels on the longer pieces, I switched to my Incra Miter 5000 sled (thanks again, Jack Wilson) and extended the fence and stop to support the bottom corner and clamped the piece firmly in place in two places along the long edge.

I like your tip on cutting slightly over acute. Maybe next time. Or a Festool.