Uploaded August 2018 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The next step in the walnut sideboard build is to make the top. You might think that I'd want to start rough-cutting the different components to make the carcass or case of the piece, but I wanted to get the top more or less ready to go for a few reasons: wood movement and wood availability.
First, I made the top early in the build process to give it time to stabilize after I plane and saw away material. So, I took precautions after planing and gluing it up to make sure it stayed as close to flat and true as possible.
Second, because the top is 58" long, and I don't have a lot of pieces of walnut that long, I wanted to make sure that I had enough longer pieces for the top before proceed to cut the up to be used for other things. Also, I wanted to designate certain longer pieces (and offcuts) to be used for the moulding/trim later on.
As far as the process of making the top goes, it's rather simple.
1. Go over the boards, quickly, with a scrub plane to see what kind of grant, defects, inclusions, stability issues (like cracks and checking) you have and need to work with or around.
2. Decide how you will use each board and start to process them.
3. Strike a chalk line to establish one straight edge, and then cut that piece with your rip saw. Clean up the cut and make that edge good and straight using a joiner plane (I used my #8c).
4. Use a panel marking gauge to lay out the width of the board, referencing off the straight edge you just created (I did not show this in the video).
5. Cut or plane way the waste on the other side.
6. Glue up the boards to create a single wide panel. For gluing, you want to make sure you get a really good fit, and a lot of people employ certain methods to help keep the pieces aligned perfectly: dominoes, biscuits, dowels, etc. I don't have those things, so I use cauls on the top and bottom.
7. Once dry, flatten the panel. There is no single way to go about this--oftentimes you have to adapt your method to the piece in front of you. I start by making sure my piece sits without rocking or teeter-tottering. Then, I use a straight edge to mark high spots, and I bring those down first. From there, I like to use my Stanley 5c with a scrub iron in it to go across the grain and bring it into flat. To secure the piece, I use a batten board clamped to my workbench.
If you'd like to stay up to date on the real-time progress for the sideboard, check my instagram account, below. There, you'll see that I'm actually moving along at quite the pace, considering I'm not using any electricity except for lighting and heat (ha!) and since I've got a family and a full-time job!
---
I really do hope you have enjoyed this video. Please feel free to check out my other social profiles.
Instagram: instagram.com/thehandtoolery
Facebook: facebook.com/TheHandToolery
My Etsy Shop: etsy.com/shop/TheHandToolery
Thanks!
Andrew
The next step in the walnut sideboard build is to make the top. You might think that I'd want to start rough-cutting the different components to make the carcass or case of the piece, but I wanted to get the top more or less ready to go for a few reasons: wood movement and wood availability.
First, I made the top early in the build process to give it time to stabilize after I plane and saw away material. So, I took precautions after planing and gluing it up to make sure it stayed as close to flat and true as possible.
Second, because the top is 58" long, and I don't have a lot of pieces of walnut that long, I wanted to make sure that I had enough longer pieces for the top before proceed to cut the up to be used for other things. Also, I wanted to designate certain longer pieces (and offcuts) to be used for the moulding/trim later on.
As far as the process of making the top goes, it's rather simple.
1. Go over the boards, quickly, with a scrub plane to see what kind of grant, defects, inclusions, stability issues (like cracks and checking) you have and need to work with or around.
2. Decide how you will use each board and start to process them.
3. Strike a chalk line to establish one straight edge, and then cut that piece with your rip saw. Clean up the cut and make that edge good and straight using a joiner plane (I used my #8c).
4. Use a panel marking gauge to lay out the width of the board, referencing off the straight edge you just created (I did not show this in the video).
5. Cut or plane way the waste on the other side.
6. Glue up the boards to create a single wide panel. For gluing, you want to make sure you get a really good fit, and a lot of people employ certain methods to help keep the pieces aligned perfectly: dominoes, biscuits, dowels, etc. I don't have those things, so I use cauls on the top and bottom.
7. Once dry, flatten the panel. There is no single way to go about this--oftentimes you have to adapt your method to the piece in front of you. I start by making sure my piece sits without rocking or teeter-tottering. Then, I use a straight edge to mark high spots, and I bring those down first. From there, I like to use my Stanley 5c with a scrub iron in it to go across the grain and bring it into flat. To secure the piece, I use a batten board clamped to my workbench.
If you'd like to stay up to date on the real-time progress for the sideboard, check my instagram account, below. There, you'll see that I'm actually moving along at quite the pace, considering I'm not using any electricity except for lighting and heat (ha!) and since I've got a family and a full-time job!
---
I really do hope you have enjoyed this video. Please feel free to check out my other social profiles.
Instagram: instagram.com/thehandtoolery
Facebook: facebook.com/TheHandToolery
My Etsy Shop: etsy.com/shop/TheHandToolery
Thanks!
Andrew
