The deal with for the dressing desk/pc desk got here on a spur of the second. I positively didn’t wish to purchase one thing in, and I didn’t wish to flip them on the lathe, although that’s all the time an choice.
I noticed a few strips of offcuts on my benchtop left from the drawer help rails. In a flash of inspiration, I took certainly one of them and rapidly formed a deal with I assumed would work nicely, and we went with it. It’s actually a ten-minute mission to make with out turning on a machine, and all of us have too many scraps on the finish of a mission we both burn or throw away.
My wooden is 14.6cm (5 3/4″) x 14mm (9/16″) x 11mm (7/16″) oak. Any wooden will work for this.
I take advantage of signal plastic for 95% of my sample templates as a result of they’re really easy to make, however principally as a result of they final and take up so little room. I prefer to hold all of my patterns for reference or making one other later. The 1mm snaps to a knife-cut line or form bang on, and you’ll airplane, file and sand an edge to even out something that appeared to deviate if wanted.
I reduce a number of the plastic to the general measurement of my deal with, so 14mm (9/16″) in width after which the 146mm (5 3/4″) size. This plastic is 1mm (1/32″) thick.
Utilizing the knife works nicely to chop the floor and doesn’t must reducing via because it readily snaps to the road lifeless on.
One bend snaps cleanly and sq. to the face.
Discover the centre of the piece.
Measure 25mm (1″) either side of the centre.
I aimed for one thing of 1 / 4 elliptical form and pencilled the form I needed onto one finish half solely. You need symmetry, and the next steps are the most effective methods to get the precise reverse you want.
Transfer the road in some way till it fits your eye.
A wider chisel works nicely for taking off the waste. I used the chisel hammer. Preserve the chisel low and flat in order that the inventory removing stays as parallel to the highest face as attainable and comply with the strains however leaving the road in.
Refine the curve with a rasp or file.
A flat file provides a easy floor.
Now take the half you created and place it onto your clean. You possibly can simply use this one quadrant and flip finish for finish or . . .
. . . flip the wooden finish for finish and create the second half on the identical template.
Snap to the reduce strains.
I often use a spokeshave or a airplane to refine the movement of the curves, and many others.
Putting a file on the bench and pulling the template into the tooth of the file additionally helps to refine the sting.
How your template will look. I often write the mission identify onto the templates I make.
Now you need to use the template as many instances as you want on the handles you’ll make.
That is the brand new finish of the deal with.
A flat-bottomed spokeshave is helpful for refinement. Use a shallow setting for this.
Again to the ten″ single-cut flat file for optimum refinement.
With the deal with within the vise, now you can use the identical template to mark the curve on the other face. The wonderful thing about the thinner plastic is you’ll be able to bend it onto the curved face to attract round.
Prepared now for the chisel work.
A one-inch chisel once more works greatest for the preliminary shaping.
Adopted by the file.
You possibly can refine the floor with the file resting on the bench prime and pulling the clean into the reducing tooth of the file.
For carving a scallop on the underside of the deal with, I went 32mm (1 1/4″) both aspect of the centreline . . .
. . . I used my finger as a information from the again edge to get a parallel line to work to. . .
. . . and did the identical on the entrance underside.
A gouge took care of the scalloping reduce all through. Begin on the center and . . .
. . . work both aspect, understanding in the direction of the ends.
I filed the nook to a spherical on certainly one of my cupboard scrapers and this, with out making a burr, refined the within of the cove.
Getting ready the deal with for set up
I used two screws to carry the deal with, however one with glue would work too. I didn’t need my deal with completely glued.
Working both aspect of the centre of the deal with, measure 32mm (1 1/4″) for the width place after which the centre of the thickness for the crosshairs.
Use an axe to kick-start boring the 2 pilot holes and forestall slippage.
Apply the end of your selection earlier than set up.
And safe to the mission.
That is my newest mission for Sellers’ House. You possibly can be a part of us right here and make yours alongside ours. Whether or not it’s your dressing desk, pc desk, drawing or writing desk or a multipurpose one is as much as you.