joint advice

[Tarkin]

Hi all,

After a hiatus in the workshop of nearly 2 years, I am finally able to make something again!

Anyway, I have a small design issue and I was wondering if anyone has any ideas. I want to make a coffee table, but one that is more like a merchants chest: drawers on one side and a trunk on the other. Pretty much exactly like this one:

I can see my way as to how to make most of it, but I'm stuck when it comes to making the bottom. I'm not a trained cabinetmaker, and am almost exclusively self taught, and picking up (useful!) tips and such from here. Here is what I have come up with:

The sides and front will be solid panels, joined at the chest side with through dovetails (they will be my first hand cut and in-full-view dovetails!). The mid panel, also solid since it's on show when the lid is open, will be attached into rebates in the sides. Forming the carcass around the drawers, I'll make frames with a secondary wood (probably ply since it'll never be seen), and this will all be joined into rebates, so that I end up with a pretty sturdy carcass. So far so good (or at least I think it is), but I have no idea what to do with the bottom. The one in the pic has a lip that sticks out all round, my guess is that the best way to proceed is to make a solid wood frame, say 4" deep that goes all round the outside, mitred at the corners, maybe joined into the carcass with buttons? and then add feet to that, but I'm not sure at all.

I suspect I'm suffering a "lack of experience and have just never seen it done" problem. So if anyone with some ideas wants to chip in (assuming my explanation was clear enough), I'd be grateful. Thank you!

Cheers,
Ewan.

 

[dannykaye]

I don't think the bottom has to be solid, just a frame of, say, 3" wood to stand the top on and fix the feet to

 

[Benchwayze]

Hi Tarkin,

Have you considered making the bottom of the chest removable?

I did this on a 'Hope Chest' for my daughter. (The chest was stolen from a Storage Unit, so sorry.. no pics.)

I framed a piece of ash with some walnut I had, and let the panel rest on battens screwed all round the inside of the chest. The base being removable made cleaning out the unavoidable fluff a doddle.


Good Luck
John

 

[Tarkin]

I don't think the bottom has to be solid, just a frame of, say, 3" wood to stand the top on and fix the feet to

Ok, well this is exactly what I had in mind (my explanation obviously wasn't quite up to it though) :lol:

I think this is what I will end up doing, as it's potentially the easiest solution. Thank you!

Hi Tarkin,

Have you considered making the bottom of the chest removable?

I did this on a 'Hope Chest' for my daughter. (The chest was stolen from a Storage Unit, so sorry.. no pics.)

I framed a piece of ash with some walnut I had, and let the panel rest on battens screwed all round the inside of the chest. The base being removable made cleaning out the unavoidable fluff a doddle.


Good Luck
John

I'm planning that the actual bottom of the chest will be removable and floating yes. It's how to interface the cabinet with the detail rim at the bottom, and the feet. But I think the frame is the answer...[/quote]