Day 75 - Shoulder slats

In my previous entry, I briefly described that I had cut some 1/2" MDF lengths for eventual shoulder slats.  I got up on Easter Sunday and spent the morning cutting those to length on the table saw: thirteen long pieces at 24cm each, four pieces at 14cm each, and the wide slat also at 14cm.  Note that these sizes are longer than in the plans—this is because my shoulder section wound up being slightly taller than normal.

I didn't have a band saw for this next part, so I improvised.  I kept in mind the eventual addition of both 4.5mm HDF side pieces when locating where to cut these lines, basically subtracting 4.5mm from each side, and still having a 3cm middle section to cut out.  To get that middle section of each slat removed, I first cut lines on the table saw, raising the blade as high as it would go to get as "straight-on" of a cut as I could.  I also placed a mark on the wood roughly 4cm from the top, and a corresponding line on the guide (in photo).  I flipped the slat over, made another guide mark on the wood like before, and cut the other line.

Then, using the cut lines themselves as a guide for my ruler, I drew the line the rest of the way with a pencil, and made a corresponding perpendicular line 4cm from the top.  I took each piece to the scroll saw and cut the groove to that line.

Next, I took the slats to my drill press, and bored two holes on each interior side, so that I could return the piece to the scroll saw and finish cutting out the middle, which I then did.  This gave me the 3cm space in the middle of each slat to place a slanting length of HDF board.

I cut up a bunch of HDF into the correct width, and dry-fitted them into the slat grooves.  A minor bit of sanding was necessary, but soon I had all the pieces I needed.  I decided to try them out on the short lengths first, including the wide front slat.  I used a sponge brush to apply some Liquid Nails glue on the HDF, used my fingers to slightly pry the sides of the slat (being careful not to snap them off), then slid the HDF piece into place, angling it as necessary.  Then I clamped it tight.

I took a long break and allowed some time for the pieces to dry before continuing.  Once dried, I chopped the remaining length of the HDF off with the miter saw.  Satisfied with my experiment, I glued up the rest of them, clamping them overnight to dry.  I will finish trimming them with the miter saw once they're set.  Looking at the picture, I'm not too happy with the length of the wide slat, so I may trim it (and the other short ones) down 5mm or so.  Hmm.

One thing I will also need to do is glue a reinforcing piece of HDF onto the lower back of the slat in order to accommodate the countersunk hole I'll need to drill for the attaching bolts.  There's room in the middle of the groove to put another 4.5mm piece in there, so I'm not too concerned.