Step 11 - Final Assembly
All thumbnail pictures can be enlarged by clicking them.
 Once the lacquer on the base is good and dry, I use a ruler and masking tape to identify the reveal - or amount that will show -- of the sides and back on the base top. The design of this desk does not line up either the legs or the upper rails with the sides of the upper case.
 After placing the upper case upside down on a padded work table I place the base upside down on the bottom of the case and align them using the tape tabs I placed on the tops of the legs. I insert the table top clips into the grooves cut in the rails and use a pencil to mark where the holes in the clips will be. Then I remove the base and the clips and use a center punch to mark the centers of each hole.
 I need to drill pilot holes for the screws that will fasten the clips to the underside of the case. There are two ways to size the bit used for a pilot hole. (Actually there are more than two, but these are the most common) One is to use a plate with holes matching common drill diameters. The thin metal ones (that are next to impossible to find anymore) are better than the thick plastic ones because the thick plate often can not get between the threads of the screw to give you an accurate read of the screws diameter at the BASE of the threads. The other is to hold twist drills up next to the screw and sight across them until you find the drill that is the same diameter as the shaft of the screw. The goal here is to drill a hole large enough that the shaft of the screw does not act as a wedge entering the wood and split it, yet small enough that the threads of the screw get a full bite in the wood to hold securely.
 I mount a stop on the bit to prevent drilling through the case bottom and drill all the pilot holes. Then I put the base back in place, put the clips in place and insert the screws. Using these clips will allow the base to expand and contract without damaging the joinery of the base.
 And it's done!
If you are interested in having a desk like this one made for you, surf on over to the Portfolio Posting for this piece and check it out.
| 
