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Well, I had
quite a surprise waiting for me when I put the top in place to be mortised. I had not
realized that the spalted maple was about 1/16" higher that the frame. This meant
that the Hinge Wizard could not rest flat on the assembly. I could shim the template up,
but then the router depth would not work.
Even though the panel had already been finished, it was time to do the only
thing that made sense...
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...pass the top
through the thickness sander until the spalted maple was the same height as the walnut
frame.
Now a question for you. No one would know if I just skipped this picture...so
why tell you of the error?
My philosophy is that errors are a part of life. I can laugh at my errors and
perhaps, more importantly, I can learn from them. If you can learn from them also, great!
I do make errors.
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I use a clamp to hold the
jig in position to the top. The inset shows a piece of tape I have applied to the
adjustment screw. This becomes a "flag" so that I can count 3 turns that I need
to adjust the screw to get the right mortise width. It worked fine, but having the mortise
exact in one cut would be much better.
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To do the other two
corners, I flip the clear template so that it is mirror image.
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And I move the guide block to a set of holes on the opposite side. These two changes
take about 1 minute and you are back in business ready to mortise the opposite corners
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Remember, I have to route it once
and then move the assembly by 3 turns of the screw and rout a second time.
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Finally, I route for the top hinge.
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I have cut a couple of small blocks to
hold the lid to be level with the box. With the lid open and in place, I can put the hinge
in place. I use a self-centering punch to accurately mark the the screw holes.
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I pre-drill the screw holes.
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And carefully, seat the screws. Brass screws
are relatively weak. It is important to drill the proper hole, and then screw the soft
screws in by hand.
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This photo says a lot. First, it shows
how nicely the hinges work. It also shows the re-finishing job that awaits me. By the way,
the blue inside is a layer of plastic I taped in place to protect the velvet bottom that I
had already put in place.
There are just a few thing more to doon the next page.
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