Shopsmith Forums

Okay, with out a pic/drawing, going out in the rain to get pic, so JPG can be happy!!! I made a case/box to go under my new work bench, it will have 4 drawers on the left side of the center divider and on the right side a door with 2 pull out shelves. it is 48"wide, 16" deep. and 18" high.
When assembled, the left side vertical is square to the top and bottom, the center divider is square to both also, on both sides of it, the right side is out of square from bottom to the top by 1/8th", wide/to the outside. I used 3/4" ply for all, with a rabbit joint on the top and bottom for the sides to fit in. From the divider to the right side vertical on the top and bottom are the same width. Top and bottom are exactly the same length. From the left side vertical to the divider is the same dimension on the top and bottom. From the left side vertical to the right side vertical it is the same top and bottom. SO WHY IS IT OUT ON THE RIGHT SIDE???????

All I can suggest is to remeasure everything. If it isn't square, something didn't come out the way you wanted, and that means there has to be a difference in the pieces somewhere. If the top and bottom are exactly alike, and the corners are assembled exactly the same, it has to end up square. Since it isn't, I'd go back to measuring again.

Your third image shows the side to be off about 1/8" (I think) measured at the top of your corner square. The corner square appears to be about 8" tall. An error of 1/8" at that point will be more like a 1/4" at the top.

Are you all glued up or is this a dry fit? If you are all glued together, this is the time when I would suggest a face frame. The face frame doesn't make it square but it might make it appear square.

I have done a lot of carcasses that come out this way. I theorize that this sort of error in mine were all caused at glue up. If not that, minor errors in dimensions of the individual pieces. Remember, a small error magnifies as the distances become larger.

Example: the 1/8" error at 8" becomes a 1/4" error at 18" (not mathematically exact).

Good luck with the "coverup".

Just a guess... the top is just a hair longer than the bottom?

rbursek wrote:Okay, with out a pic/drawing, going out in the rain to get pic, so JPG can be happy!!! I made a case/box to go under my new work bench, it will have 4 drawers on the left side of the center divider and on the right side a door with 2 pull out shelves. it is 48"wide, 16" deep. and 18" high.
When assembled, the left side vertical is square to the top and bottom, the center divider is square to both also, on both sides of it, the right side is out of square from bottom to the top by 1/8th", wide/to the outside. I used 3/4" ply for all, with a rabbit joint on the top and bottom for the sides to fit in. From the divider to the right side vertical on the top and bottom are the same width. Top and bottom are exactly the same length. From the left side vertical to the divider is the same dimension on the top and bottom. From the left side vertical to the right side vertical it is the same top and bottom. SO WHY IS IT OUT ON THE RIGHT SIDE???????

Are your squares square? If they are slightly acute, that could explain things.

Take a measurement corner to corner. From top riight to bottom left and again from top left to bottom right. They should be the same. If they not the same then it is out of square.
Bill V

BD, thanks, did not check the squares. As far as you others, all measurements are equal, as far as a diagnally measurement that shows it is not square.
I can live with it, BUT just driving me nuts on the why. As a friend said, "It's the "foibles" -- whenever research has numbers that don't make sense, or don't add up, or are strangely similar to numbers in a totally different set, or are just simply wrong -- that's a "foible" -- we dismiss them to errors in the planetary numbering system (especially now with Pluto demoted and St. Christopher no longer the protector of travelers) and dissimilarities in gravitational pull typically found on calendar dates having 5's or 7's in them. You did it on the 15th -- Wa-Laa! Your Answer! Use a blunt-force object and bang into shape."

BTW is is not glued up just screwed, I am not going to glue it at this point, it needs to fit in between the upper and lower horizontal supports on the work bench and only gave myself 1/16" clearance. I like a tight fit!!!!
Dusty, ya your right on that 1/4", and nothing is out by a 1/16" even.

In the past I often experienced this kind of problem.

That is when I went to story sticks instead of measuring.

Everything could be off 1/16 and you would not notice it depending on the measuring device. Example a tape measure with the tip stuck so it does not retract it's thickness on inside measures. A steel rule that is read slightly wrong do to parallax vision.

Also did you check each corner angle that you used to measure square with as being square? Did you have a light behind them so you could see even a slight difference?

Is a diagonal measure between the left side and the center show it to be square? My guess it isn't perfectly square and you have a 1/16 that is being compounded over and over until you get to the point you are at and find it 1/4" out.

Make a story stick and lay it on the box, I will guess you will instantly see the problem.

Ed, I did a story stick in the right side "box" on the top and bottom, front and rear. the same!!! Mind you, it was not the $300.00 Incra set, still waiting for my order to ship!!! NOT