I am attempting to build a large tray as a gift. It is 26 x 26 in sq. The center panel is 1/2 in thick. I am planning to window frame the panel as shown in the rough sketch. The material is Koa so I am leaving the margins on the dado very substantial to try and fight tear out. I would like to expose face grain as much as possible. My rough material is about 1 1/18 to1/1/4 thick.which is not enough to give the side depth i want. The sketch represents all i could come up with to accomplish what I want. Alternative ideas are greatly appreciated. Do not hesitate to tell me i have my head where the sun don’t shine, it won’t be new news or the first time.
Is the bottom of the tray the same material, you will have to rip strips and glue them together to make a panel Do you have a planer or belt sander?
You will have to rip strips for the sides and stack them to glue up to show face grain on top and bottom.
I don’t understand the problem with the dado. Are you cutting them on the table saw or with a router? If you use the table saw and don’t have a dado blade, or a box joint blade, you can cut them with your rip blade and step over after each cut. and get a nice tight dado,then clean up the center with a chisel. which I think is important. You can do the same with the router,even if the bit is smaller and make more than one pass.
The sides can be glued up with a wider piece w/45 top edge and the narrower piece square edge alongside from the 45 down to bottom edge.Then the flat top installed with the 45 on it.
If you are fighting tear out, try putting blue tape on the face before you cut dado.
Herb ,
Thanks very much for the reply. I do have a dado stack. I was fixated on the router and the problems it caused me. The Koa chips out easily, I can’t use my planer on it either once I get close to size. Using the drum sander for most of the fine stock reduction. It works great if I am careful with the skype. The top picture is the panel I am making. I resawed boards like the ones in the second pic and and book matched them to get 4 boards. I will glue these up to complete the panel. The wood is pretty spectacular when wetted, unbelievable glow to it… I had not thought about gluing up strips for the sides. That will make life much easier. Thanks again for the help. Just BTW i do have a fair amount of Koa left that has been stickered for 2 years. If you would like to play with some it would by my pleasure to share.
Bill
Great idea, Tim, I like that approach. that way it can all be done on the Table saw and a good tight dado can be formed, you want a dado that is snug so it is strong and doesn’t rattle.
This is a perfect example of what this forum is for, to trade ideas openly.
Bill the grain on that wood is spectacular. It will really pop out when You finish it.
Herb
I enclosed a cross section of the project that I was asking about earlier. Your suggested solution worked like a champ and was fairly easy to accomplish. Thanks again.
I made 4 sections like this and 45ed them for a frame
When I assembled the frame it shifted in the clamps and left me with a substantial gap on one internal corner maybe a 1/16 or so. I need to fill this and make it as inconspicuous as possible. Suggestions on a technique would be very welcome.
Thanks in advance.
At last the project is complete. My thanks to all of you for the advice. I have enclosed a shot of the tray with a lacquer finish and a shot of the backside with the laser engraved signature. I am pretty happy with the result since it it the first time I have ever tried anything like this. learned a lot.
