Project - "Making a Blanket Chest using the New Jessem router table and the Akeda Dovetail Jig"

     We have dry fit the two sections together and they have a pretty tight seam, but one that needs jointing to make a good looking and strong blanket chest.

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    Beth uses the jig we had made and sees that the joint is almost exactly how she wants it.

   Holding the jig she made over the tails, Beth sees that she has about 1/16" to remove. That should allow enough to be cut to have tight fitting joints all the way around.

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   This section has not been glued together yet. Our usual practice is to joint one side at a time using that jig to make the four pieces fit together. Beth thought that she could work on the whole unit easier.
   She places it on the sliding carriage I made a couple of weeks ago.

   The clamping system was designed for flat boards. She is clamping a Clamp-It® to the slide base.

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   From the other side, we see that Beth can use her fingers to adjust the board to be trimmed. She will do both long sides and then the shorter ends.

     If you recall, we are using a 1/2" pattern bearing bit, but in this use, the bearing isn't used. Beth removes it so that the chest rides on the sled without the sides coming against this bearing.

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     Like the other end, the clamps do not work with the chest itself. Beth was clever and found a corner that we had made when we first tested the Akeda Jig. The corner is clamped tight against the chest and will keep it from shifting back and forth. We still have to figure a way so that the chest does not move front to back.

   This is the answer: Beth found that by taking very small "bites", she can hold the chest as she moves it slowly across the router bit. It worked very well.

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   Beth and I knew that the sides would work alright but were uncertain how well the ends could be routed. Beth found it surprisingly easy. It may look cumbersome, but all the weight is on the sliding jig, so Beth clamps the sides just as she did before.

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