The project I've been working came to a halt the other day. The first
drawer - which was verified to be square and straight - would not close into
the carcase. A little "forensic investigation" showed that a series of
accumulated errors in the carcase caused the drawer runners to be out of
square sufficiently to cause the drawer to bind.

The "fix" in this case is a new carcase. This time instead of everything
being dependent on one component, I will build a series of subassemblies,
the accuracy of which I can verify before the final assembly. It'll be
about $40 for the new materials.

Did I get off easy?

"Chuck Hoffman" wrote in message
om...
The "fix" in this case is a new carcase.

It'll beabout $40 for the new materials.

Did I get off easy?

Sell the old one on ebay, you may just come out ahead yet.

Kevin in Bakersfield

That's a good thought...thanks...but the carcase is for a custom 3-drawer
unit that fits under a cantilevered fireplace hearth...five feet long, 15
inches deep and ten inches high. Somehow I don't think there'd be much
action on that - especially since it's out of square.

"Kevin" wrote in message
...

"Chuck Hoffman" wrote in message
om...
The "fix" in this case is a new carcase.

It'll beabout $40 for the new materials.

Did I get off easy?

Sell the old one on ebay, you may just come out ahead yet.

Kevin in Bakersfield

"Chuck Hoffman" wrote in message
news
That's a good thought...thanks...but the carcase is for a custom 3-drawer
unit that fits under a cantilevered fireplace hearth...five feet long, 15
inches deep and ten inches high. Somehow I don't think there'd be much
action on that - especially since it's out of square.

You haven't seen all the crap on ebay? I'm totally serious. The more
creative you are in telling everyone what a (unfinished) piece of crap it
is, the better...

Kevin in Bakersfield

Kevin wrote:

You haven't seen all the crap on ebay? I'm totally serious. The more
creative you are in telling everyone what a (unfinished) piece of crap it
is, the better...

Especially if it belonged to your ex wife.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 01:56:37 GMT, "Chuck Hoffman"
wrote:

That's a good thought...thanks...but the carcase is for a custom 3-drawer
unit that fits under a cantilevered fireplace hearth...five feet long, 15
inches deep and ten inches high. Somehow I don't think there'd be much
action on that - especially since it's out of square.


How badly out of square is it? Even if you do make use of your lessons
learned, you aren't necessarily going to get perfect. Can you tune the
drawer or runner?



"Kevin" wrote in message
.. .

"Chuck Hoffman" wrote in message
om...
The "fix" in this case is a new carcase.

It'll beabout $40 for the new materials.

Did I get off easy?

Sell the old one on ebay, you may just come out ahead yet.

Kevin in Bakersfield






+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

I've always been told that the mark of a really good finish carpenter is how
well he/she hides the mistakes......


"Mark & Juanita" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 01:56:37 GMT, "Chuck Hoffman"
wrote:

That's a good thought...thanks...but the carcase is for a custom 3-drawer
unit that fits under a cantilevered fireplace hearth...five feet long, 15
inches deep and ten inches high. Somehow I don't think there'd be much
action on that - especially since it's out of square.


How badly out of square is it? Even if you do make use of your lessons
learned, you aren't necessarily going to get perfect. Can you tune the
drawer or runner?



"Kevin" wrote in message
.. .

"Chuck Hoffman" wrote in message
om...
The "fix" in this case is a new carcase.

It'll beabout $40 for the new materials.

Did I get off easy?

Sell the old one on ebay, you may just come out ahead yet.

Kevin in Bakersfield







+---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----+

If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough


+---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----+

Yes, I could "tune" the carcase but close investigation revealed that it is
full of small flaws that total up to a poorly built piece. And the design
was not well thought out to begin with. I started with one dust frame which
measured almost perfect (the operative word being "almost"), attached a
couple face frames (each of which had its own tiny errors).and added
supporting structure. Everything was referenced to the dust frame. Ergo,
all of the errors of each step (a 16th here, a 32nd there) accumulated into
an angle being off by a couple degrees and an opening being significantly
out of square.

I'd rather redo it. The new design is based on several smaller
subassemblies, the accuracy of which I can better control individually. In
final assembly, I can make allowances for any errors rather than allowing
them accumulating to become a major misalignment. That will give me
additional practice and -- hopefully -- the final result will be a better
drawer unit.

I'm not seeking absolute perfection...just much better than I achieved on
the first try.

"Mark & Juanita" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 01:56:37 GMT, "Chuck Hoffman"
wrote:

That's a good thought...thanks...but the carcase is for a custom 3-drawer
unit that fits under a cantilevered fireplace hearth...five feet long, 15
inches deep and ten inches high. Somehow I don't think there'd be much
action on that - especially since it's out of square.


How badly out of square is it? Even if you do make use of your lessons
learned, you aren't necessarily going to get perfect. Can you tune the
drawer or runner?



"Kevin" wrote in message
.. .

"Chuck Hoffman" wrote in message
om...
The "fix" in this case is a new carcase.

It'll beabout $40 for the new materials.

Did I get off easy?

Sell the old one on ebay, you may just come out ahead yet.

Kevin in Bakersfield







+---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----+

If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough


+---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----+

On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 18:41:18 GMT, "Chuck Hoffman"
wrote:

Chuck.. the $0 was a good investment, because it seems that it helped
you realize that you've reached the "next level"...
I think I hit that about a year ago... can't remember what the project
was, but I remember thinking something like "the difference between
now and a few years ago is that I have the patience to go back and do
this right instead of mickey mousing it"...

Yes, I could "tune" the carcase but close investigation revealed that it is
full of small flaws that total up to a poorly built piece. And the design
was not well thought out to begin with. I started with one dust frame which
measured almost perfect (the operative word being "almost"), attached a
couple face frames (each of which had its own tiny errors).and added
supporting structure. Everything was referenced to the dust frame. Ergo,
all of the errors of each step (a 16th here, a 32nd there) accumulated into
an angle being off by a couple degrees and an opening being significantly
out of square.

I'd rather redo it. The new design is based on several smaller
subassemblies, the accuracy of which I can better control individually. In
final assembly, I can make allowances for any errors rather than allowing
them accumulating to become a major misalignment. That will give me
additional practice and -- hopefully -- the final result will be a better
drawer unit.

I'm not seeking absolute perfection...just much better than I achieved on
the first try.

"Mark & Juanita" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 01:56:37 GMT, "Chuck Hoffman"
wrote:

That's a good thought...thanks...but the carcase is for a custom 3-drawer
unit that fits under a cantilevered fireplace hearth...five feet long, 15
inches deep and ten inches high. Somehow I don't think there'd be much
action on that - especially since it's out of square.


How badly out of square is it? Even if you do make use of your lessons
learned, you aren't necessarily going to get perfect. Can you tune the
drawer or runner?



"Kevin" wrote in message
.. .

"Chuck Hoffman" wrote in message
om...
The "fix" in this case is a new carcase.

It'll beabout $40 for the new materials.

Did I get off easy?

Sell the old one on ebay, you may just come out ahead yet.

Kevin in Bakersfield







+---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----+

If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough


+---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----+




mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

"Chuck Hoffman" wrote in message
om...

The "fix" in this case is a new carcase. This time instead of everything
being dependent on one component, I will build a series of subassemblies,
the accuracy of which I can verify before the final assembly. It'll be
about $40 for the new materials.

Did I get off easy?



Every time you make a mistake and learn from it you have made a wise
investment. In the future you are wondering if you could save a little time
and cut a few corners you will remember the $40, the second trip, and the
time you had to spend doing the project over.


--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.

It is amazing how finicky some of these things can be. On the project I am
doing how, a 6 drawer table, I thought my stock was fine until I had trouble
with some of the dovetails. The bad pieces were a hair cupped, and that
just isn't good enough.

Live and learn. Yeh, a $40 lesson is really cheap.

"toller" wrote in
:

It is amazing how finicky some of these things can be. On the project
I am doing how, a 6 drawer table, I thought my stock was fine until I
had trouble with some of the dovetails. The bad pieces were a hair
cupped, and that just isn't good enough.

Live and learn. Yeh, a $40 lesson is really cheap.

They may have cupped after you jointed and planed them. That's what wood
does, sometimes.

Makes you really appreciate the old stuff that survives.

Patriarch

Ahhhh yes..."Fine Firewood"...made several pieces myself.


Chuck Hoffman wrote:

The project I've been working came to a halt the other day. The first
drawer - which was verified to be square and straight - would not close into
the carcase. A little "forensic investigation" showed that a series of
accumulated errors in the carcase caused the drawer runners to be out of
square sufficiently to cause the drawer to bind.

On Mon, 24 Jan 2005 21:46:15 GMT, Pat Barber
wrote:

oh... doesn't every one have jigs made of expensive hardwood? lol

Ahhhh yes..."Fine Firewood"...made several pieces myself.


Chuck Hoffman wrote:

The project I've been working came to a halt the other day. The first
drawer - which was verified to be square and straight - would not close into
the carcase. A little "forensic investigation" showed that a series of
accumulated errors in the carcase caused the drawer runners to be out of
square sufficiently to cause the drawer to bind.



mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 23:04:00 GMT, "Chuck Hoffman"
wrote:

The project I've been working came to a halt the other day. The first
drawer - which was verified to be square and straight - would not close into
the carcase. A little "forensic investigation" showed that a series of
accumulated errors in the carcase caused the drawer runners to be out of
square sufficiently to cause the drawer to bind.

The "fix" in this case is a new carcase. This time instead of everything
being dependent on one component, I will build a series of subassemblies,
the accuracy of which I can verify before the final assembly. It'll be
about $40 for the new materials.

Did I get off easy?

I'd figure that $40 is pretty cheap for the education involved...
and the old one will probably provide some good scraps for jigs and
things..



mac

Please remove splinters before emailing