Foundations of woodworking course question
WeganWoodworks
| Posted in General Discussion on
This may be the wrong place to ask this, if so I am sorry! New to woodworking, I just started the foundations of woodworking class. I am building the first project which is a wall cabinet. I completed the sides and dados and did the glue up. Everything went together tight, I clamped just as was shown. Checked and everything was square inside the shelves. The next day I removed from the clamps and the whole thing is twisted. what I mean is if you lay it on a flat surface the upper left side is off the table by a quarter inch. What did I do wrong, and can it be saved?
Replies
I am not familiar with the class or the project, but it sounds like you glued it up standing free as opposed to lying on the bench which provides a self-check for flat.
You can treat the whole case like a board that has some twist and plane the high corners back to be flat with the low ones. You'll have to do both sides of the case. You get a bonus project-within-the-project... adjusting on the fly is the most important lesson in woodworking.
See: https://www.finewoodworking.com/2021/06/01/handplane-a-twist-out-of-a-board
After this do a lot of measuring as you go forward, the numbers on the plans may not match what you have on the bench anymore.
First of all, congratulations for enrolling in the course. This sounds like a great way to get started in woodworking. Second, don't be discouraged by any setbacks, I've been doing woodworking for 40+ years, and have yet to have a perfect result. I used to beat myself up for small flaws that nobody else could even see, before realizing that small imperfections usually don't detract from the overall appeal of a piece, and are what sets it apart from "manufactured" products. I always learn more from my mistakes than I do from things that go right, and the process of figuring out a fix can likewise be instructional. MJ's suggestion is a great place to start. If the piece is wracked by 1/4" total, then some small adjustments should get it pretty close. Remember, most walls aren't entirely flat, so some small gaps aren't unexpected.
You guys are probably right. I did clamp the cabinet on the Table saw and made sure everything was flat, then moved it to the side, where it was not flat. So, more than likely it not completely dry here we are.. Thanks Guys!
Yes you should have clamped laying back on a flat bench.
Sometimes it is best to start over. You are not that far along. Cut out the top and bottom and recut the dado to salvage the sides. You can reuse the top and bottom, if you make the case narrower, or replace them.
Take a step back and do it right.
I am assuming your case pieces were milled straight and flat to begin with.
I'm in the process of taking the same course and experienced same problem of not knowing how to ask questions. As I can't find how to ask the instructor a question.
That being said the twist in the wall cabinet could be from a multitude of reasons. i.e. Clamping, Dado not clean, shelves not seated because of to much glue, to anything else you could imagine....
I hope you can determine what is causing the twist in the project and you let us know. I like learning from others.
Too much clamp pressure. Joints cut with twist in them. Twisted component(s). Needs to lie on a very flat surface, fully registered, when clamping up.
Shower-down pressure clamped the twist out of the project while in the clamps but as soon as they were released... twist.
Project dry fit with joints 3/4's of the way home should lie flat on a flat surface and stay square. Clamps just ease it together. Clamps will exert far more pressure than you'll EVER need making furniture. White-knuckle clamp pressure is always a mistake.