Simple techniques can produce elegant results.

I recently was commissioned to build this bowed front, corner cabinet. It is designed to house the customers media components.  The challenge of building a piece with a bowed front, excited me, and  I decided to document the process so I could share some of the techniques I used.

While building furniture with a bowed front may seem intimidating, with the use of a couple simple jigs and techniques, it is a task that can be accomplished by any ambitious woodworker. 

Where to begin

One of the biggest keys to building this cabinet effectively is to start with a full size layout, that lays out all the arcs, from the front edge of the top to the ribs that support the curved panels. I drew the arcs using a homemade trammel, made from a piece of 1x2 with a screw in on one end and a pencil  in the other.  This layout is key, because when cutting out the arches it provides a guide for setting up the router jig.




 A Simple Way to Cut Perfect Arcs
To cut the arcs I make a simple trammel jig for my plunge router.

I start with two plywood rips 3/4" x 4" of equal length. The length

will be determined by how big of an arc you are looking to make.

For the purposes of this project I made them about 32" long. 

 I drill a 1/2" hole in the end of one piece to receive a 1/2" teflon bushing.

The teflon bushing is the key to this otherwise simple jig. It allows the

jig to rotate smoothly and consistently.

 I then drill a 3/4" hole on the opposing end of the second piece to 

receive the 3/4" bushing on my plunge router.

With the pivot end (the teflon bushing) of the jig screwed down to the

pivot point on the full size layout, I overlap the two pieces, and  line up

the bit on my router with the layout line of the arc I want.  I then screw

the two pieces of the jig together.

Once I have determined the pivot point on my cut table, I screw 

down my jig with a screw through the teflon bushing.

I then secure the piece I want to cut to the table and I am ready

to cut. For this project, I used a 3/8" spiral cut router bit.

I make my cut with series of about 4 passes, each one 

subsequently deeper than the previous one.

Voila!, a perfect cut arch.  I go back to my layout to adjust my

router jig for each different size arc on this project.

The flush cut bit is the workhorse on this project.

One of the most important bits in my router bit case is this Freud 50-501 top and bottom bearing. It doesn't give as nice a cut as a spiral bit with a bottom bearing, however the versatility this offers with both a top and bottom bearing makes it invaluable.

On this project whenever I had multiple arcs of the same size, such as the ribs for behind the curved panels. I would only cut one with the arc cutting jig. I would then use that one as a pattern to mark the subsequent ones.Once they were marked I rough cut them on the bandsaw, making sure to leave some stock next to the line.






I then clamp my original piece to the rough cut one
and I use the flush cut bit to flush it up. I used this technique for the ribs behind the panel, for the second layer of the top and the for the ribs behind the curved skirt, which I will show later.








The front edge glue up.

 I start by marking the angled sides of my top, however, I will

wait to cut these until later.

 I cut a series of notches, making sure to stay outside my final cutout.

I end up with something that resembles a stealth bomber. The purpose

for the notches will be apparent in a moment.

For my front edge, I rip 4 pieces of cherry, 2"x 3/16". I leave them

extra long and at 2"wide they are oversized by about 1/2".

I thoroughly cover the one side of each cherry strip with Titebond

Extended Set glue. I use a roller to make sure I have good coverage.

I clamp the strips to the front of my top, using the notches I cut

earlier as clamping cauls.  I don't worry about trying to flush up the

strips with the edge of the plywood. I like to leave the strips proud of 

the plywood by about a 1/4" or so.

I use a similar glue up for the nosing on the front edge of the floor of 

the cabinet. For this nosing I use 2 strips 1/8" x 1".

Once the glue ups dry overnight, I use a flush cut bit in a palm router

to flush up the edging. I then follow that with a sander.

I then rip the front edge of the top to width on the tablesaw.....

                   





  ....and  router the profile on the  

                           front edge.

Sizing the top and the floor.

Cutting the angled sides on the top and floor may seem intimidating, but I come back to my trusty router and flush cut bit to make it simple.

I first rough cut my top on the bandsaw, making sure to again leave

some stock between the line and the blade.

 I then clamp a straight edge on the line, and with my top bearing 

riding on the straight edge, it gives me a perfect cut.

 I stop my router short of the nosing, so as not to blow it out, and I

finish it off with a belt sander.

Once the top is cut to size, it is time to cut the secondary top,

and the floor.

I take the secondary top and clamp it to
the underside of the top I just sized.







I flip the top over and mark the secondary top

Instead of cutting it to the line I remark it a 1/4" short of the line so that the secondary top will be a 1/4" smaller on both side to receive the 1/4" backs.  I then use the same procedure that I did to cut the top to size.

I then use the secondary top for my pattern to mark and cut the floor. Notice that the front of the floor is stepped back from the front of the top. This is to account for the overhang of the top.






Making and veneering the curved skirt and panels.

The word "veneer" may make the inexperienced woodworker break out in a cold sweat, but with some of the new products out there and with a couple simple tricks it is something anybody can do.

The Skirt

I make the structure of the curved skirt from 3/4" plywood  that I cut with the arch cutting jig when I cut out all the other arches.

 I glue and staple bending plywood onto the ribs, leaving the plywood over sized to be trimmed after it is veneered.












I use a cherry veneer that is PSA backed (pressure sensative adhesive). Better known as "peel and stick".
 I know some people don't trust the adhesive qualities of PSA, but I have found, if applied right, and if used in the right applications, it is very reliable.

The application is simple. Just peel off the backing and and lay it onto the plywood. I used a roller apply pressure  to the veneer, setting the adhesive permanently.  I then rip it to width on the table saw.  Since you have to cut it face down, it is important to have a sharp blade and set it as low as possible so as to not get tearout.











The panels    

Similar to the skirt, I glue and staple bending plywood onto curved ribs....          

    .....add the veneer..

 

                                        ...Use the roller to add some
                                           pressure..

       

                                     .....and trim it off with a
                                          laminate router....

The Leg
The legs are made from 1-3/4" square cherry. The legs need to be notched to receive the panels and the skirt.

 The corner legs are notched 3/4"x1" and the center legs are notched across the entire width and 1" thick.

I use the table saw and miter box to cut as much of the notch as possible. The rest of it is removed with a chisel.

 I set the corner leg on the layout to mark the angle cut on the side

of the leg.

 I use the table saw to cut the angle on the outside of the corner legs and then I sand off the saw marks.

 





 

Notching the nosing for the legs 

There is a nosing on the front edge of the floor and at the bottom of the skirt.
They both need to be notched to receive the legs.

After going back to the  layout to determine the positioning of the legs, I notched the nosing by hand, using a dovetail saw, and chisel.

Once the nosing on the floor is notched, I clamp it to the nosing for the bottom of the skirt. I use a marking knife to transfer the layout to the second piece.

 With the notches, cut I dry fit the legs to make sure everything fits.

 

  The inside dividers

The dividers fits in behind the center leg. The back and front edges have to be cut to match the angle of the front and back of the floor. 

I use a simple jig to drill the peg holes for the adjustable shelves. I take a piece of plywood and drill a series of 1/2" holes at the spacing I want my peg holes to be. I set my router up with a 1/4" spiral down cut and a 1/2" bushing. This produces very clean cut holes that are completely square to the side, something that is hard to do with just a drill bit in a drill.

Assembly

Now for the fun part!

I start by fastening the skirt to the bottom of the floor. I drill a 1/2" hole through the plywood rib behind the skirt to allow me to screw the skirt in place.

I fasten the bottom nosing onto the skirt with a little glue and some brad nails.

 Next I attach the dividers with screws from the bottom and a couple pocket screws near the front, where the skirt underneath would not allow me to get screws in underneath.









I then attach the secondary top with pins and screws.















To attach the center legs, I put a little glue on the dividers, a screw in the top....

...and several screws through the back of the skirt and into the legs.

To attach the panels I nail and screw the ribs to the top and bottom of 

the cabinet. I also put some screws from the back of the panel into 

the center legs.

To attach the corner legs, ran some screws through the back of the panel, the skirt, and a screw through the top, similar to the center legs.













I needed to attach some nailer blocks for the 1/4" backs.

 The rear legs are just attached with some glue and a couple pocket screws.

 When I cut out all the arcs in the beginning of the project, I forgot to cut out the shelf, so I used the front of the floor as a guide to mark the shelf. I then rough cut it on the band saw...



.....I use the belt sander to take it down to the line....

 ... and finish it off by edge banding the front edge.

Once everything is assemble, except for the backs, which

I leave off for ease of finishing, it is ready for some stain.

After espresso stain, and several coats of lacquer, I fasten the top to the secondary top.










I attach it with a couple screws from underneath, in the void between the panel and divider.

The center back is made from 3/4" plywood with a 2" hole in the center for component cords. The side backs are 1/4". I fasten them with several pin nails.

The Finished Product

I hope you enjoyed this blog and were able to learn something from it. If some parts of it seem confusing, I would remind you that this isn't intended to be a step by step how-to, as much as just a highlight of some of the methods I used in building this piece.

As you can see, although it doesn't hurt to have some expertise and skill when building this, the techniques are fairly simple, and it can be built with the most basic of shop tools. My encouragement to all you woodworkers is to always be trying new things, using new techniques, and have fun doing it.

Till next time,  keep your clamps tight.