May 22, 2012

Some joinery for the kneeler

Cherry machines beautifully, even when cutting tongue & groove (T&G) joinery going across the grain. In the following photo I use a dry fit from which I derive the approximate size of the kneeler pad:

The following is an overhead photo of the tongues in two of the boards – the back board is now also visible:

Some outdoor duties beckon, but I will continue working on this for a special client in Tennessee.

Al Navas

A new prayer kneeler in cherry

The cherry acclimated in the shop for quite a while – it finally stabilized to the point I could start this project for a client:

The boards are now cut to final dimension:

It is now time to start on the joinery. The planned finish is Waterlox varnish; it brings out the beauty of cherry, especially after the cherry acquires a great patina.

Al Navas

Episode 27. The prayer kneeler – Part 2: Construction tips


In this episode I share some of the machining I did on the kneeler. In particular, I provide tips to allow you get better results from your project builds:

  1. How to get perfectly even spacing of the the folding legs within the upright legs.
  2. My preference of using a jig saw to cut the boards a little oversize.
  3. Using a cut list for your project.
  4. Matching grain during edge glue-ups, for best project appearance.
  5. Adjusting the router table fence to the router bit using a straight edge.
  6. Always dry-fit the project before any additional machining requiring free-hand routing, or routing assisted with an edge guide.
  7. Edge-gluing boards:
  • Pre-set the boards on the clamps
  • Line up the boards for best grain match, using a carpenter’s triangle
  • Tightening the clamps: Light pressure at first, always checking the edges for proper alignment, tighten some more, and repeat

If you have any comments about these tips, or would like to have additional explanation, please either 1) Post a Comment right here on the blog, or 2) Send me an e-mail at sandal_woods@bbwi.net . I will reply to you, using my best resources. Thanks!

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