Step 8 - Build Sub-assemblies
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  The majority of my time today will be spent sanding, by hand, the parts that will be much more difficult to finish sand after they are assembled. Hand sanding is one of my least favorite things to do, but if a good finish is to be obtained, it must be done, and it must be done well. I can't rush through it just because I don't enjoy it.
 After the sanding is done, the gluing starts. Using a small artists brush I apply a liberal coat of glue to the inside of the mortise, some of this glue gets soaked up by the wood. With a larger, stiffer brush a very thin coat of glue is applied to the tenon -- just enough glue to wet the wood, for any excess will get scraped off as it's pushed into the mortise and pile up in the panel groove. The glue must be kept away from the panels, these must be allowed to float freely in their groove so they can expand and contract. Especially if it's humid when I assemble these parts and the panels are expanded; if they get glued in at the corners the panels will split when the wood contracts due to drier weather.
 Once all the joints are glued up, clamps are applied to draw them tight and hold them until the glue tacks up. I measure across the diagonals and make sure the assembly is square. Out of square assemblies will throw everything out of whack. If the assembly needs adjusting, a clamp across the longer diagonal to pull it in a bit will square the whole thing up -- assuming that all the parts were cut to the proper lengths to begin with.
 Only one needed any adjustment; it was out by 1/16", so it just took a nudge to pull it into square. The others were all within 1/32" of perfection.
Once the glue tacks up, I remove the clamps, sand the completed assemblies with a random orbit sander and 100 grit paper to knock off any ridges or glue pips. Then it's time to start putting the pieces together. Placing the sides into their rabbets in the back, and holding them in place with clamps while I drill countersunk screw holes and install the screws. No glue yet, we may need to remove these parts to install other parts.
 It's starting to shape up now. You can see the dados that will support the surger shelf, and the rabbets at the top and bottom of each cabinet that will house the stiffeners.
That's all we've got time for today. time to put away the sanding equipment and clean things up a bit.
| Man Hours: | 7 ½ |
| Materials: | 12 #8 x 1¾" F.H.W.S. |
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