Day 122: Gluing Up the Case Joints

Now that the bench is in its final throes, I can get back to the instrument in earnest (no pun intended, Ernie). As you probably know, I dry fitted the case joints using screws as recommended in Mr. Miller's eBook Most Excellent. In the end, I made something of a mess of it and will probably take this path in the future without the assumption that fully screwing the joints together will make everything fit perfectly. It won't. Instead, I found that properly placed blocks inside the case along with only partially seated screws worked great.

The two photos above are the bentside/cheek and the bentside/tail joints. I ended up choosing to use Garrett Wade Gap Filling Glue because it has an interesting property: the glue that squeezes out of joints simply chips off once it's dry. I know, it's weird, but that's how it works. I also have not taken the time to become comfortable with my new hide glue setup. I wasn't willing to experiment with the case and felt the need to get on with things after a four-month break to work on the Roubo-style bench. As you can see, the joints work. In the (unlikely?) event they weaken later, I can explore my options then.

The photo above is the spine/tail joint. Along the way, I chose to position the case in some strange ways, a luxury I was afforded by the assembly table I put together many moons ago.

Most of the time, I found that using a syringe to squirt the glue into the joints provided the control I was seeking during these awkward glue-up sessions.

I had originally purchased syringes with several "needles" for an Arduino-related project (another story for another time) and I think Random Roger Green was a little surprised when he asked me if I had syringes for one of our bench glue-up sessions and I responded, "Yeah, I do. I'll be right back," and returned with a baggie of kits. It's a great way to shoot glue where you want it to go, not where it wants to go.

On a related note, I was able to pick up a nice bag of remnant leather at the neighborhood craft store. I ended up facing the bench and chop for the leg vise and both holdfasts with some of it.

All that's left to do on the bench is to oil it down with some Watco Danish Oil and let it cure for a couple of days. This will prevent me from using the bench, but I can live with that knowing it will be 100% complete once it dries. It's been a long time coming and I can't wait to be done with it.

Until next time...