68 - Our All-New Router Jig, страница 29

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as a frame made up of a pair of stiles (A) and three rails (B, C). Note: The upper rail is narrower to provide a larger opening to the lower shelf and make it easier to attach the top later with shorter screws.

With the frame pieces sized, you can turn your attention to the tongue and groove joints that hold the frame together. You can see in Figure la that the centered grooves are sized to fit the VV MDF side panel (D). Then you can cut the tongues on the ends of the rails to match the grooves.

Assembly - With the joinery complete, you're just about ready to glue up each side assembly. But before you do that, it's a good idea to drill a set of three holes in each upper rail for mounting the top later (Figures 1 and lb).

To glue up each frame, I started with one stile and fit the bottom rail in place. After adding the side panel and center rail, slip the upper rail in place so it's flush with the end of the ¹ stile. All that's left is to add the other stile and then clamp up the assembly so it's flat and square.

Filler Strips - To fill in the open grooves on the inside face of the stiles, I added some filler strips (E), like you see in Figure 1.1 like to size them so they're a bit proud. This way, I can sand them perfectly flush once they're glued in place.

Shelf & Bottom Panel - At this point, you can set the frame and panel

FIGURE

TOP

(22" x 3OVz" - MDF)

EDGING

(%" x ³/4")

#0 x 2" Fh SHEET METAL SCREWS

STILE

SECOND;

ATTACH OUTSIDE CLEAT SO ITS FLUSH WITH STILE

assemblies aside and turn your attention to the shelf and bottom panel. These two pieces join the side assemblies together to form the base of the cart.

The shelf md bottom panel (F) are made from ³/4^!l MDF and are wrapped with ³/V'-thick edging (G), as in Figure 2. Here again, I find it easiest to glue edging in place so that it's a bit proud and then sand it flush.

As you can see in Figure 2, the bottom panel fits into a rabbet cut along the lower inside edge of each side assembly (Figure 2b) and the shelf fits into a "rabbet" cut along the top inside edge of the center rail (Figure 2a). A dado blade in the

FIRST:

CENTER MIDDLE — CLEAT UNDER TOP

table saw makes quick work of cutting both rabbets, as illustrated in Figure 3.

Before you can assemble the cart, there's one last thing to do. And that's to cut dadoes in the side assemblies, shelf, and bottom panel (Figure 4). These dadoes trap in place a -''A" MDF divider (H) that separates the drawer compartment from the storage area at the back of the cart (Figure 2). Note: You don't need to cut the dadoes in the upper rails.

Assemble Base - Once the dadoes are cut, you can assemble the base of the cart by gluing the shelf and bottom into the side assemblies, trapping the divider in place as you do this (Figure 2).

Top - Like the shelf and bottom panel, the top (I) is just apiece of ³A" MDF wrapped with edging (G). Since I was a bit worried about the MDF top sagging over time, I "beefed" it up by screwing a set of lV^'-square cleats (f) to the bottom side, as seen in Figures 5 and 5a. After positioning the top on the base of the cart, I screwed it in place (Figure 5).

Casters - Finally, to make the cart mobile, I added casters to the bottom. To provide solid support, they're attached to caster plates (K) that are glued and screwed to the bottom of the cart (Figures 6 and 6a).

No. 68

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