Breadboard Project - Tips/Advice Appreciated

[jwshale]

Hello,

I'm new to these forums, but they look like a good place to come for a bit of advice on a project I have planned!

My aim is to make a nice breadboard for my parents with two parts - a slotted top and a 'tray' base. The slots in the top should allow the majority of the crumbs to fall through and be collected. If all goes to plan, I'd like to do some little dovetail joints on the corners of the box. I've attached a couple of images of what I'm envisaging.

Now I've bought some nice bits of timber - some beech for the top and base and some zebrano (!) for the sides, but I have not got a great deal woodworking experience (and haven't done much at all for a few years). I've got a good selection of hand tools, and also a planer/thicknesser, bandsaw, router, sander and a few other usual tools. No table saw though...

I was wondering if anyone had any tips / opinions / pitfalls to avoid before I get going?

In particular
- what glue do people recommend?
- are little dovetails like this best done carefully by hand?
- any tips for jointing the wood without a table saw? I can get one flat face on the planer ok, but getting the edges perpendicular is a little tricky - could I do this with the router and a straight cutter?

Hope I've not broken any forum etiquette...

John

 

[nathandavies]

nice design

looking at your design and how modern and simple it is, I personally would like the corner joints to be butted or mitred.

Have you used a planer before? do you not have a fence on it at 90 degrees to your bed to get your perpendicular face? before thicknessing

nathan

 

[riclepp]

What are you going to finish it in? Some finishes can be harmful to humans.

For a small piece like this handcut dovetails will be nice. In regards to flatness, I would do this by using a handplian and straight edge, as it is a one off. You can do it on a P/T if you skim rather than taking mills off.

HTH

 

[jwshale]

Hi Nathan,

Perhaps you're right about the joints. It would keep the design nice and clean...
As for the planer, it's not a great one (one of the generic 204mm ones), and the fence seems a bit "all over the shop". I see that putting your planed face against the fence and running through ought to work, but the fence is so flimsy that it bends/moves when I try this. I'll have a go with a bit more patience tomorrow.

HTH,

I admit that I haven't even thought much about finishes, although I would have erred on the side of caution either leaving it plain sanded or a food-safe oil... I guess the tray could be different to the top cutting surface too. I suspect for this small project that hand-planing may well be a good route. Bit of patience is what I'm lacking

John

 

[AndyAntoniou]

Seems like a really nice project, I would also like to hear peoples input to making something like this!!

Good luck with it!!

 

[RossJarvis]

Can't offer advice but welcome to the forum , hope you have fun making your project (hammer)

 

[jwshale]

Thanks for all the comments everyone!

I'll try to take some photos of my attempts so you can all observe how much of a newbie I am

 

[AndyT]

Hi and welcome. I'll try and answer your specific questions, but most woodworking questions have several right answers.

Glue. This is a small project which won't need great strength or go outdoors so almost anything would do. PVA would be fine. If you do dovetail it, Titebond Liquid Hide Glue is what I would recommend. It stays open a bit longer, which is good if you need some extra fiddling time, and is very easy to clean up, as you can wipe it clean with a damp rag, or if you let it set, it will sand off nicely, being about as hard as the wood.

Joints. Dovetails would be ideal. I'd just do one on each corner and do them by hand. If the base board is ply you could glue it to the sides all round and just have butt joints at the corners.

To get your pieces sized and straight I would use a hand plane. Easier and safer than machinery for bits this small.

The inset tray is definitely one for the electric router but is mostly just a question of getting the slots parallel. You could probably make a jig where a batten fitted into the first slot and so provided the fence for the next one.

 

[jwshale]

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the advice on the glues! I have got myself some Titebond.

I tried some hand-planing last night, and must admit that it was quite a satisfying experience once I was getting it right (or some approximation thereof). I think I may need to redo the bevel on my plane blade as there's a little nick, but oherwise was getting some nice thin shavings off a bit of oak offcut

I was originally just going to clamp a guide/batten one slot at a time, but I guess a little jig would be a better idea! I was thinking even just two battens either side (perpendicular to the cuts) with a series of holes at the correct spacing - then I could just put a dowel/drill into the correct hole either side and butt my guide against that. That said, your idea guarantees equal spacing which is nice.

Regards,

John

 

[jwshale]

Well, I never really have enough time for the projects I set out to do, so I have yet to get properly stuck into this yet.

I did however sharpen my plane iron...

...get some Zebrano planed (not perfectly mind you)...

...and made a couple of coasters for our office secret santa

Not much, but at least I'm started now

I also produced a large sack of planer shavings!

I do have a question about planing though - what do I do if I have planed one face flat and two edges perpendicular to that, but the opposing face is at a slight angle? I took quite a while to get there and feel it may have been more luck than judgement!

More updates to follow.

 

[jwshale]

Right - progress still a bit slow trying to fit it in around work and training...

I've now cut most of the pieces to size, and should be able to start with piecing together the box

In the meantime, here's a photo of a finished coaster:

Simple and a little rough, but looks and feels quite nice

John

 

[MickCheese]

I like your coaster.

Re the fence on your planer. Just clamp a piece of 2 X 4 for a fence as long as its faces are at right angles.

Mick

 

[jwshale]

Good idea - thanks! Hadn't thought to just make a better fence...

 

[RossJarvis]

I do have a question about planing though - what do I do if I have planed one face flat and two edges perpendicular to that, but the opposing face is at a slight angle? I took quite a while to get there and feel it may have been more luck than judgement!


More updates to follow.

I'm not a planing expert, but if you're talking about hand planing, in this sort of instance, I mark along the side which is deepest/longest, a line where the face should be (parallel to the opposite edge) and plane a bevel from the slopey surface down to this, so there's a ridge along the slopey face. Then, trying to hold the plane as flat as I can, remove the ridge to the line.

I'm not sure if that actually makes any sense, so hopefully you can understand what I'm thinking if not what I'm writing.

Ross

 

[jwshale]

Hi Ross,

Think I get you - like this (red arrow area off first)?

Sounds like it's largely a case of practice makes perfect

 

[RossJarvis]

Hi Ross,

Think I get you - like this (red arrow area off first)?


Sounds like it's largely a case of practice makes perfect

Yep, that's it, sorry I didn't have time to draw a piccie. I try and get the ridge a bit closer to the middle if I can. I find by adjusting the lever on the plane and having the iron/blade/sharp bit at the angle you want to take the material off (just a bit) this helps. With each pass of the plane the angle of the bevel gets a bit steeper, as it cuts wedged shavings. Then centre the iron and flatten. As with too many things it's practice which gets you there.

 

[SteveF]

I don,t wish to criticize as I like the design

But , should you consider some handles in the design

I see slots to remove tray , but not to pick the whole lot up


Steve

 

[jwshale]

That's a very good point! Perhaps some subtle grooves along the end faces? I don't think it will get moved too often, so they wouldn't need to be large carrying handles.

Thanks,

John

 

[SteveF]

maybe u could mirror the inside handle holes and put the same profile on the bottom of each end

not explain easily, not really a handle , but somewhere to grip

it is your design so not want to critic

Steve

 

[jwshale]

Well... I made that rather stressful - only left myself three days for this project and a couple of other bits Some of you guys might have managed, but with my limited experience it was a bit interesting.

Nevertheless, I did finish it, albeit with a couple of simplifications:
- no dovetails, since I hadn't done them before and my practice ones weren't good enough...
- no handles on the ends

Here a couple of build snaps (didn't take more sadly)

And the finished board (tray oiled, beech top left plain)

Thanks to everyone for their advice - much appreciated