Greene & Greene End Table - #16 Drawer Divider/Guides Part 2 & Shelf Supports

Installing the divider/guide assembly is next.  Once it is flush with the spindle in the front and square to the front rails clamps are added to make sure it does not move while the front pocket screws get run in.  That’s when this photo was taken.  One last check is done to make sure it is still square with the front rails and the back screws get run in.  The same process is done with the other side divider/guide assembly.

Because the space between the divider/guide assembly and the side rail is less than 1½” there is no way I can get in there to do any staining or lacquering.   So, after both are installed, they are removed and stained.  That’s followed by giving them three coats of lacquer along with the surfaces in the 1½” gap between the divider/guide assembly and the side rail.  This is what the divider/guides look like ready to go back in the base.  I will wait a few days for the lacquer to harden before installing.

I am skipping ahead to after the divider/guides had cured for a few days and are ready to install.  However, before installing they get wet sanded with a 3,800-grit pad to remove any little dust nibs.  They are then slid into place, the screws run in and they are done.

While waiting for the lacquer to harden on the divider/guides I started on the cross supports for the bottom shelf.  The top drawing shows what they look like and the bottom shows where they go.  As you can see, they are black as an accent to the oak.

Black wood is not common.  Now while I do have some Ebony that is absolutely black with no streaks but at well over a hundred dollars a board foot it’s not going to be used here.  In other similar instances I have used “ebonized” cherry or walnut.  Oak does not stand in well for ebony as its grain is way too open and pronounced.  Good ebony has almost no visible grain which is why a closed grain wood like cherry or walnut is used.  Here I am going to use walnut as I have a piece the supports could be made from with very little waste.

Once the supports are cut to final length, width and thickness a recessed hole and slots need to be made so the shelf can be attached for reasons covers in Post #12 Routing Edges & Slotting Rails.  In short, the slots allow the shelf to move when its width changes due to humidity fluctuations.  The recess is so the screw head is hidden from view.  The process starts by making the recess.  First, the drill press fence is adjusted so the drill is centered on the support piece.  Second, a stop block is clamped to the fence for repeatable accuracy and last a depth stop is set so the holes are all drilled the same depth.  The top photo shows the setup after both ends of the recessed slot have been cut shown is the setup for the center.  The bottom photo is a closeup.

On the set of slots for mounting the top I drilled end and center through holes then using a chisel, Dremel tool and file finished the slots.  Here I tried something different that worked a lot better.  After drilling the end and center through holes I continued drilling more holes moving the support piece sideways a little at a time until I had an almost completed slot as the photo below shows.  A little touch up work with a file and I was done.

The ends of the supports get a small 45-degree bevel.  Using a scrap piece of oak, I tried 1/16” (left) and 3/32” (right) wide bevels.  To my eye the larger 3/32” bevel looked the best.

To make the bevels the dial calipers are set at 3/32” and a line marked on all four sides of the support.  A 12” disk sander is used along with a miter fence set at 45 degrees to make the bevels.

Because the disk sander has 80-grit paper on it the bevels are not very smooth.  They are smoothed out using 120 then 220 grit hook and loop sanding disks.  The 80-grit paper on the 12” disk sander grabs the hook and loop firmly enough that the bevels can be smoothed out by sliding the miter fence back and forth in the miter slot to move the piece across the finer grit disk.  You do NOT want to turn the 12” disk sander on while doing this.

Here is what the supports look like set into place.  The slotted and center holes are clearly visible.  After they get ebonized, they will be screwed in from the underside of the front and back rails. 

Last step before ebonizing is to sand all the surface with 400 grit paper so I have a very smooth scratch free surface to work with.  In the past my ebonizing has been accomplished a variety of ways with varying degrees of success.  So far, the best-looking result has been to use Super Black India Ink.  It gives a dense black, soaks into the wood and is light stable so it should not fade over time.  Also, the solvent is denatured alcohol so when applying it does not raise the grain.  The photo below has one support done and the other ready to do.

The alcohol evaporates quickly with the low humidity here so they could have been installed after a short drying time but it seemed like a good place to quit for the day.  The next day I screwed them in place using screws that fit in the recess.  

Next Up – Drawer Part 1