Day 115: Making a Square Hole

According to Mr. Miller's eBook Most Excellent, one of the steps in finalizing the case sides is to cut a "Register Escape Window" into the spine. This will allow me to remove the register in the likely event I need to effect future repairs upon it. The window is nothing more than a small, rectangular hole that butts up against the pinblock. Along with cutting the window, I will be making a door that's mounted with a couple of screws that are easily removed to get the register out and onto a bench.

I drilled the hole with several shots from a 3/8" Forstner drill bit, hacked away at it with a 1/2" chisel, and did a final cleanup using a couple of small files. I'm sure I will need to file it a bit when I make the door, which will probably happen tonight.

Along with this, I cleaned up the errant 3M 90 contact adhesive I used when tacking a small piece of veneer to a some junk pine. The secret is to cover both the wood and the paper back of the veneer and let them sit for a minute or two until they become tacky before pressing them together. Unfortunately, the surgical gloves I was wearing made me a bit clumsy and I managed to get some of the adhesive on the oak surface of the veneer. I cleaned it last night with isopropyl alcohol and it came right off. My only concern is how the alcohol might affect the final finishing of the veneer. Frankly, my Plan A is to not get any of the adhesive on the surface to begin with.

As you can see, it cleaned up nicely. And, as I've said in a previous post, they'll be selling snowcones in hell before I veneer another harpsichord side. But, now I'm committed, so veneer it is.

Until next time...