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Thread: Jarrah and Kauri Babys cot -WIP
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7th May 2008, 11:01 PM #16Senior Member
- Join Date
- Mar 2008
- Location
- Sydney
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Advice from someone who has 2 kids with another on the way.
Do NOT fall asleep in the birthing suite while the wife is in labor! You will never hear the end of it. Trust me. Drink lots of coffee and get a few slaps in the face to stop you from falling asleep, but do NOT fall asleep.
DL
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12th May 2008, 03:35 PM #17
progress has been made
dlim, advice noted and stored for future reference! thanks for the tip.
I finally got a chance to continue work over the weekend, so here's an update
IMG_0001
Following on from last weekends work, I chiselled off all the loose bits to make the tennons. Pre-sawing cuts in them made getting final
thickness nice and simple. You can still see the saw marks on the tennon. I didn't bother trying to chisel them down to perfectly smooth, as
I'm claiming they will add more 'bight' to the join when glued (well, that's my story, and seeing as it doesn't impact on the strength of the
joint, chiselling down to remove the scratches is a bit pointless in my opinion.)
At the same time I marked out the mortises in the legs. They are only drawn on in pencil because I don't have a marking guage (but will
probably get one soon, as all that manual ruling and marking was a pain).
Attachment 73324
IMG_0002
The legs were then clamped in the drill press and a speed bore used to drill holes to set the depth of the mortise, and remove the bulk of the
waste
Attachment 73325
IMG_0003
Deciding that power tools are there to be used, I thought I could use a 1/2 inch router bit in the spindle moulder on the Felder to route out
the full mortise, and then I'd just chisel out the corners.
Attachment 73326
IMG_0005
It's a bit hard to see in this shot, but a test pass resulted in the mortise being wider than it should have been. Thank goodness I didn't set
the bit to route the full depth, or it would have been one sloppy joint! And I would have been one very frustrated person! I changed the bit to
a narrower bit (6mm) and tried again. The first few cuts were fine, till lack of caffeine and an early morning start (trying to get as much
woodwork in the weekend as possible) conspired against me, and I routed a bit in the middle of one leg, a loooong way from where it should have
been. SO VERY NOT HAPPY!!!!
Attachment 73327
IMG_0007
Deciding that hand chiselling the mortises would be safer than trying to continue with the spindle moulder, I hand cut all the mortises in the
legs, for the ends of the cot. This shot shows a test assembly of the 2 ends. They still have some detailing work to come, and all sharp
corners to be rounded off, but this was just to get some accurate measurements for the slats, and to see if my first mortise and tennons since
high school, were any good. I was very happy with the results. They'll be glued together a bit later on, when the slats are ready (more on this
in a minute).
Attachment 73330
IMG_0008
Next were the two verticals per side (drop down and fixed). As per the ends, they would be using mortise and tennons, so I cut grooves on the
table saw to define the tennons.
Attachment 73328
IMG_0009
Once all the grooves were cut, I just knocked the loose bits off with a hammer, and then chiselled smooth. Precutting the grooves made this
step an absolute breeze, and the tennons were made in quick time.
Attachment 73329
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12th May 2008, 03:41 PM #18
cont.
IMG_0010
Not wanting to repeat my earlier mistake, the mortises were hand cut. This shot shows the top and bottom rails for each side, and their outside
verticals ready for test assembly.
Attachment 73331
IMG_0012
The sides were test assembled to take measurements for the slats, and check the mortise and tennon joints. You may notice that the tennons fit
into the top and bottom rails, rather than cutting the tennons on the long rails, and mortises into the verticals. From a strength point of
view this isn't the best way to do it, but from an asthetics stand point I thought it'd look much nicer to see the top rail as one full length.
It does mean that when raising the drop side of the cut, if lifting from the underside of the top rail (as most would do) you are in effect
pulling the mortise and tennon joint apart. Seeing as there will be 13 slats glued in as well, to both top and bottom, I'm hoping this provides
enough hold, and that the joints don't fail. Worst case I can do a blind dowel and plug through the mortise and tennon, from the insides, to
add strength, but I'd rather not do that. I'm hoping gluing all the slats in will provide all the strength I need.
Attachment 73333
IMG_0013
This very unfocused picture shows the difference in length between the 2 sides. The fixed side has been cut to the same length as the mattress
base rails, and will be bolted through the legs. The front side (the drop side) needs to be shorter to allow space for it to be raised and
lowered without binding on the ends. I've cut it 4mm shorter. That'll be 2mm per side, and I'm hoping that'll allow enough clearance. I don't want it sloppy so I'm hesitant to make it any shorter, but I'm a bit worried 4mm might not be enough. Anyone got any experience to share here? Should I take more off before I go and glue it up?
Attachment 73332
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15th May 2008, 12:01 PM #19
mock-ups made
IMG_0014 - IMG_0018
These were a couple of samples that I made up from offcuts (see earlier post on the 6th, and IMG_0024).
I wanted to see how my idea of cutting slots along the full length, and then back-filling sections, to make the mortises would look. My original thought would be to use Jarrah offcuts for the filler pieces. But as you can see, trying to get a perfect colour match in the Jarrah will be near impossible. Alternatively I thought I could use offcuts from the Kauri used for the slats as fillers, making a nice contrasting strip. So I made up these mock-ups to show people to get opinions as to which would be best. If I could get a perfect colour match with the Jarrah, I'd use that, but seeing this sample, and how pink the centre strip looks, so far it's been a universal opinion that the Kauri strip looks much better. Oh yeah, and the gaps between the slats will be bigger, this is just a sample. Any thoughts?
Attachment 73556 Attachment 73557 Attachment 73558 Attachment 73559
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19th May 2008, 01:24 PM #20
progress over the weekend
I managed to get 1.5 days work in over the weekend, so have made some decent progress.
IMG_0022
Having drilled the holes in the mattress base rails, and oiled and waxed them, this shows the fixing method I'll be using to join them to the ends. Fairly standard for cot construction, but I've posted this here as I've had a couple of PM's asking what fixing method I was planning on using. Purchased from Bunnings, cost $2odd for the bolts and the same for the nuts.
Attachment 73749
IMG_0024
Now that I've been able to test assemble the frames, I can accurately measure the required finished length for the slats. Mortise and tennons will be used, as per previous test mockups I made. All tennons cut on the sliding table of the panel saw.
Attachment 73750
IMG_0025
To save running them back and forth over the 3mm blade on the panel saw, I decided to use the spindle moulder with a 1/2 inch router bit. The pinus-crappus was used to prevent the slat moving away from the fence as the spinning router bit would have thrown it out, had the pine not have been clamped there.
Attachment 73751
IMG_0027
Once the tennons were finished, I changed the 1/2 inch straight bit for a 6mm roundover bit, to make the slats have nice rounded ends. As the slats are only 10mm thick, and I wanted the maximum curve from the 6mm bit, it meant the bearing would end up running along the previously rounded part on the 2nd pass. To get around this I used the fence from the spindle moulder as the guide, rather than the bearing.
Attachment 73752
IMG_0028
All the slats finshed, and ready for sanding. Tennons all cut, and edges all rounded over.
Attachment 73753
IMG_0029
As the consensus from the mockups I made was to use the Kauri as the insert between the slats (and was my preferred solution as well) I went with that. Top and bottom rails for the ends, and sides were grooved on the panel saw, and then strips cut from the left over Kauri. These were then thicknessed down to fit neatly in the grooves. They were left wider though, and will be shaved down after they've been glued in place.
Attachment 73754
IMG_0030
Kauri strips cut to lengths to separate the slats to right spacing as per Australian Standards, and then glued into place. They weren't clamped as the glue dried, as they didn't seem to move about.
Attachment 73755
IMG_0031
All rails were then run through the thicknesser to the finished height.
Attachment 73756
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19th May 2008, 01:48 PM #21
con't
IMG_0032 & IMG_0033
I test assembled one end and laid out for SWMBO to inspect (and approve ) work so far. When we were at Bunnings recently we picked up some painted stars in the craft section that I thought might look good recessed into the slats (or Jarrah frame, whichever worked better). Here we just sat them on one end, in random locations to see if they'd work or not. If they did, I'd planned to recess them in, before gluing the ends together (in case I messed one up, I could easily swap that slat with a spare). SWMBO decided they didn't really work, and as this is planned to be kept in the family for many, many years (hopefully if I do a good enough job ) any time re-oiling or resanding was required, these would be a real problem. So, we agreed it was a bad idea, and will stick them to a cupboard or something instead.
Attachment 73757 Attachment 73758
IMG_0034
one of the ends, test assembled before gluing (without stars ). You can see the Kauri strip between the slats. This makes a nice highlight, without overpowering the natural timber look. At this point in time I'm quite happy with it. It'll be interesting to see if it still works, when everything is fully assembled.
Attachment 73759
IMG_0035
One of the sides test assembled pre-gluing. This still needs to have the top rail moulded, but I just needed to make sure all went together OK. I will probably glue it together and then mould the top, as whilst it's still square in section, it's easier to clamp without bruising the timber. There is however a chance I won't like the shape the top rail gets moulded to, and then it'd be too late to change. I think I'll have to do some test pieces before attempting any moulding...
Attachment 73760
IMG_0036
Having previously posted on the forums looking for ideas for the mechanism for the side that can be raised/lowered, and not liking options from regular suppliers, this is what I came up with. The die cast insert is screwed into a 9mm hole about 25mm deep. I've got some high tensile 6mm bolts that are the right thread to suit the insert. I plan to loktite the bolt into the insert, and then just cut the bolt leaving about 15-20mm hanging out. A matching groove will then be routed into the insides of the legs, to allow the bolts to slide along in them. If there was an issue with the bolt, I can always get a pair of vice grips onto it to break the loktite seal, and undo them to remove them. The inserts can then just be unscrewed should it be necessary.
I chose high tensile bolts so that this will be a long term solution that shouldn't wear. Only the routed grooves will eventually wear over time, but seeing as they are in Jarrah which is nice and hard, the wear factor should be minimal.
Attachment 73761
IMG_0038
The pine slats were countersunk and screwed to the now completed base rails.Due to the angle this was taken at, the base looks slightly shorter than the mattress, but it isn't. You can see the colour difference of the oiled & waxed Jarrah, compared to the rest, which is still raw.
Attachment 73762
IMG_0039
I thought the legs being left square section might make the cot a little too block-looking. Only wanting something understated, I decided to run a couple of V-grooves down the outide face of each leg. This shous up in the light and creates a slight shadow depending on the viewing angle, which just breaks it up a bit, without being too garish. The grooves were done on the spindle moulder, with a 45 degree V-bit.
Attachment 73763
IMG_0040
This shows the 4 legs with V-grooves in them.
Attachment 73764
Next it's onto sanding....(groan). But we're getting there. At least it's starting to look like more than just lengths of timber!
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20th May 2008, 04:57 PM #22Skwair2rownd
- Join Date
- Nov 2007
- Location
- Dundowran Beach
- Age
- 76
- Posts
- 694
Looking really good!!!
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2nd June 2008, 07:42 PM #23Enthusiatic Amateur
- Join Date
- Jun 2007
- Location
- Toowoomba
- Posts
- 108
G'day T/N,
I'm ex Triton -(Lots of Triton gear for sale) - now Hammer - what a difference!!! Your image 009 interested me because on the Triton if one did what you showed in that image, it is very likely that one would have worn the smaller cut off. I suppose its got to do with where the fence 'ends' on your Felder? No risk of the smaller section becoming a ballistic missile? The second question is - did you have a router spindle fitted instead of the moulder? Or is it easy to interchange on the Felder? The Hammer requires a certain amount of trickery to achieve this.
Dovetail
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3rd June 2008, 10:33 AM #24
Hey Dovetail,
Yep, I'll bet you notice a massive difference between the Hammer and the Triton! Welcome to 'the Felder Family' as they call it.
Image 009? I checked, and if you are referring to the cut I made in the Kauri Pine to make the slats, then yes, there is a small risk of the skinny length being thrown back through at the operator. I'm still very much a novice with this saw, and so am VERY cautious with every cut I make. I do test passes before turning the saw on, just to make sure I know exactly where my hands will be, and no chance of any accidents. The job takes a little longer, but better that, than slipping up (you don't get 2nd chances with this thing, and I don't want to learn the hard way)
One of the things I liked about the Felder (and the Hammer too for that matter) was that you can adjust the rip fence relative to how far in front/behind the blade the fence finishes. Depending on what I'm cutting I constantly move it to provide either support, or clearance as required. Much better than the cabinet saws that have a fence running the full length of the table no matter what.
For this cut I wanted to make sure the thin offcut had somewhere to go and not get jammed between the fence and blade, so the fence stops JUST past the start of the blade. As the timber gets cut, it naturally peels away from the blade into free space. The length of the Kauri also meant that I could get a push stick on top of it as it came out the back past the blade guard to hold it down so it wouldn't fly up and over the blade back at me.
It pays to think the entire cut through before turning the saw on. I use feather boards extensively and count myself as OVER cautious, but happy to be that way.
The Felder I have is the KF700. The 700 Series have a 'quick release' mechanism for the moulder spindle specifically to make change-over easy. I bought this with just the router spindle, but intend to buy the 30mm moulder spindle once I'm comfortable (this thing still scares me sometimes ). The quick changeover is not an option for the 500 series Felder, or the Hammer. Hence one main reason for my choice to go up to the 700 Series.
Having said that, the Hammer is still an awesome machine, and one I would have been happy to own. I'm sure you find it such a joy to use, compared to the Triton.
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4th June 2008, 11:56 AM #25
a bit more work done
Have managed to get more done last weekend, but as it was (mostly) sanding there aren't many pics (what's the point of a pic of me holding a ROS??).
IMG_0041
The tops of both sides (fixed and sliding) still had to be moulded into something more pleasing than just a rectangular section. Before deciding on the shape I ran some test passes using pine off cuts I had sitting around. The only criteria I had was that the top edge of them had to be a 20mm diameter half round, as I know I can get a suitable clear, hard plastic cover that shape to go over it when the little tyke gets up to teething, and starts chewing everything in site (including the sides of the cot, which is common apparently). I'll get one of those covers when the time comes, but as long as I make it the right shape that's all I need right now. I'm not a huge fan of putting a clear plastic protector over the timber (as it's starting to look so nice), but better that than teeth marks I guess. Anyway, as long as I make it a suitable shape, I have the option, and can decide later.
The top rail was turned upside down, and passed over the saw to get desired shape. I used a crosscut blade instead of a ripping blade, as it was still sharp and produced almost no saw blade marks on the sloped side, reducing sanding once glued together.
Attachment 74679
IMG_0042
Next I used a 10mm roundover bit to round the top edge to the required size. After that I used a v-bit to cut a groove to define the transition from slope to curve (but don't have a pic of that available).
Attachment 74680
IMG_0043
Having completed shaping the top rail, I could finally glue the sides together. I'd previously oiled and waxed all the slats in the preceeding weeks, so they were already finished prior to assembly, as finishing afterwards would be more difficult.
Attachment 74681
Since then there has just been a lot of sanding (I hate that bit) and many coats of Orange oil (chosen cause I already had it and I have confirmed with the manufacturer that it is food-grade safe, so can't harm the little one). This just leaves cutting grooves in the ends to allow the side to slide up and down, and oiling then waxing with Ubeaut Traditional Wax, which I hope to complete this weekend.
Then finally I can post some pics of the project in it's completed and assembled form.
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10th June 2008, 02:44 PM #26
construction completed. only finishing to come!
Work continues -
I'm getting towards the end (finally). Here are the last of the construction steps.
IMG_0044
As per image 0036, I planned to use high tensile bolts cut off, running in routed grooves, for the side that can be lowered. This image shows the template for the router, that I made out of melamine, and my first test pass. Well, the first test pass was the left hand ,one and the template moved, so the groove went awry. So I moved the template over, and the 2nd attempt shows the groove I needed. It's in the shape of an elongated 7. This will be the top groove so to drop the side, you lift, tilt back, and drop down. The groove then angles back to end up the same distance from the outside edge, so that when the side is fully lowered, it'll be straight up and down, not sitting at a slight angle. The bottom groove will just be a straight channel.
Attachment 75189
IMG_0045
This shows the template in place, clamped over the leg, ready to route. The pine clamped in place defines the end of the groove.
Attachment 75190
IMG_0046
The first groove cut (a very nervous moment, as there was nothing to stop the router running inwards, away from the template, aside from me maintaining a constant outwards pressure). Had the router run off I'd have been a VERY unhappy person, as that could have potentially wrecked an entire end, wasting many hours of work. I'd thought of precutting these grooves before assembling the ends, JUST in case this happened, but I needed them assembled to get accurate measurements to line up the groove. Luckily there were no mistakes.
Attachment 75191
IMG_0047
Top and bottom grooves completed in one end.
Attachment 75192
IMG_0048
The high tensile bolts cut to length to match the 17mm deep grooves.
Attachment 75193
IMG_0049
Bolt screwed into the die cast insert in the drop side. The plan was to assemble the cot and if it all worked fine, and the side raised and lowered properly I'd remove the bolts, and lok-tite them in place so they couldn't undo during use.
Attachment 75194
IMG_0050
I assembled the cot - with mixed results. The side raised and lowered exactly as planned, however testing showed that if the side was raised, and pressure put on the top of that side, and the end, you could expand the gap between side and end. Not enough for the side to pop out, but possibly enough for the youngster to jam a finger between the 2. It'd be very difficult to do, but technically possible. The boss and I discussed, and agreed that a design modification was necessary. Whilst this end looks the same, it now has 2 x round holes at the mid points of the grooves, and the slots are now T slots (done with dremel as I couldn't source a keyhole cutter for the router over the weekend).
Attachment 75195
IMG_0051
The cut off bolts were replaced by 40mm galvanised cup head bolts with the tops ground down a fraction. These would then go into those round holes mentioned above, and then slide inside the T-slots just cut. Hence, once assembled, the side and end could no longer be spread apart. Modifying the slots took nearly 1/2 the day, but in the end, better extra work now, than little jammed fingers later!
Attachment 75196
IMG_0052
The only remaining construction was to fit the top plates to the ends of the cot. I didn't want to screw them down, and don't have a buscuit molder (or domino ) so dowels were the best option. Not having any dowels at home, but owning a lathe, I decided to make the dowels. I doubt they'd be a commercial success, but they worked for me, and saved another trip to Bunnings. I just cut up some old pine lying around, cut grooves up the sides to allow glue to escape from the finshed dowels, and turned on the lathe. Custom dowels - would I bother again? Probably not, but I guess they add to the 'personal touch'.
Attachment 75197
IMG_0054
Here you can see the 2 ends with the top plates dowelled and glued and clamped in place.
Attachment 75198
From here on it's just sanding, oiling and waxing, then final assembly. Hopefully I'll have fully completed pics here next week.
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10th June 2008, 06:00 PM #27
Wow that will certainly be a family heirloom
Lotta work there nut - but the result seems to reflect good taste and proportion. Hope the bub doesn't bite it to bits like ours didCheers
TEEJAY
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"
(Man was born to hunt and kill)
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10th June 2008, 06:06 PM #28
hey TeeJay, thanks for the vote of confidence. It's amazing just how much work has gone into it. I'm hoping to have it finished by next weekend at the latest and (finally) be able to post some fully assembled pics. Surely by now you guys are sick of WIP pics, and waiting to see the finished product??!
I agree - if the bub starts chewing on it, it better be the top rail that I can put a protector on. If they chew on the slats- well, bummer. But hey, it's built to look nice (and yes, be a family heirloom, I hope!) but ultimately to be functional, and I don't think the boss will like me rousing on the bub for chewing it so I'm preparing now, for that possibility
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10th June 2008, 11:04 PM #29
Lookin good TN!
....................................................................
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16th June 2008, 11:37 AM #30
Finally Finished !!!!
The cot is finally completed. The finish is 4 coats Orange Oil, EEE, and Traditional Wax. The finish was chosen to ensure it would be food grade safe to ensure the young tyke won't have problems if/when they start chewing on it . Looks like I beat the November deadline! SWMBO is pleased with the result (as am I). Hope you enjoyed the WIP.
Timbernut.
Attachment 75581 Attachment 75582
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