Hidden cupboard, crouching worktop

[PerranOak]

I want to fit a worktop in an alcove, three sides.

The side walls are not square and the rear wall is a very knobbly granite wall: it's a converted barn.

How do I do this? I can get the worktop into the alcove to scribe the back!

Argh.

 

[Wildman]

why not chisel out a groove and cement it in

 

[nev]

Scraps of play or stiff card Tec.
Piece across the back, piece for one side, hold in place and screw together. Other side on, screw together.Piece across the front for stability.
Voila one template.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

What is the intended use?

 

[PerranOak]

Cheers all.

It's really just the top of a cupboard but SWIMBO had the idea of using it as a work surface.

Can't really chisel it, it's granite and I only do wood!!!

Template! Hmm, I might be able to do that!

 

[bugbear]

There a technique where you lay a board in the middle of the space, and use a straight stick
to mark on the board where each "key" point in the work is; you just put the point
of the stick in each corner, and mark the position and angle of the tail of the stick on the board.

You then remove your board and stick, fix the board to your
sheet of material (out in the open), and use the marks and stick to recreate each point
on your sheet-goods.

I've heard this called "spiling", but googling for that term has not given useful results,
so that's clearly not the universal term for this technique. :-(

Whatever it's called, it works.

BugBear

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You might be able to reproduce the shape exactly, but will it actually go in? If your walls are very irregular, you could cut your top to the exact shape, but 10mm - 15mm (or a bit more) smaller all round (if the back is irregular as well), mould the edges and mount some fixings under the top to carry it. It would appear to be floating. I've done this before and it looks quite neat. It also allows you take it out relatively easily if it ever needs refinishing.

 

[Graham Orm]

Once again here ya go BB

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L6irGUUKUE

 

[blackrodd]

Scraps of play or stiff card Tec.
Piece across the back, piece for one side, hold in place and screw together. Other side on, screw together.Piece across the front for stability.
Voila one template.

+1 for the above, fit to another odd piece, as you're first full template, but then you may have to nibble around a bit, or undercutting, depending if you have problems with fitting from above or from the front.
Can get a bit tedious, but it's great when finished!
Regards Rodders

 

[PerranOak]

Cheers all!

 

[Billy Flitch]

The method that bugbear describes is called tick sticking, take a look, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeVgByMnAqM

I do it a little different than the guy in the video when laying the shape off I mark both sides of the point on the stick it gives me a point to work to. Like the guy in the video I use two different lengths of stick but I don't notch them I just put different splays on the end of the stick.

Its really important that if the template moves when you are picking the shape up or laying it off that you must start again.
It helps if you can make it fast with a pin in the template.

Just in case anyone would use this method in the bow of a boat just like the guy in the video.remember because of the sweep in the hull that the bulkhead would have a forward and a after side. Two different shapes.

 

[PerranOak]

I love that spiling and am deffo going to do it!

My situation is two-fold. The alcove has two sides that are irregular but smoothly so. Therefore, spiling is ideal. The back wall is irregular but it's erratic and varies over a small distance. That is, I have to do the spiling every couple of mm. That's where a more traditional scribing would be better. However, the scribing tools/twchniques all seem to assume an untrue but very smoothly varying surface.

Hmm.

 

[Billy Flitch]

P O you could use a compass or a set of dividers to scribe off the wall or you could fit a splash back to cover the joint between the work top and wall.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Why not make a template in two halves with approx a 6 inch overlap and each slightly deeper than the intended worktop.

Mark worktop height on the wall around the alcove. Cut template to each side independently. When both sides have been done separately support in position and clamp the two halves together. Mark the overlap and cut one of the template halves to fit. Template could be joined with a batten and final size checked. Then cut off the front edge so the total template depth is as required.

Above is how I would try it and should work!!

Good luck

Terry