Eye candy for Allen

Well you requested it in off topic so I shall comply for you. This is a desk that a friend of mine is helping to build as he wants to learn about cabinet making and wood working. It's built from cedar that his brother had cut on a sawmill. He wanted it very simple with plain glued up sides but told him I didn't feel like dealing with expansion and contraction issues so he agreed to the raised panel ends. I even used sliding dovetails for the upper part. This was my first time trying this type of joint and the pc dovetail jig worked perfect for this. This is also the first project that I used a router to cut dado's for the dividers that are going up top and to make a rabbit for the back.

did you read my mind?

I was practicing sliding dovetails on a 12 inch wide piece of poplar this morning, since I want to make a small table using them.
I made the first cuts with the table saw, dado, then put the piece over the router bit on the router table.

I dont have a sliding dovetail attachment on my PC, I dont think the 24 inch comes with one. Or maybe I should look better.

Do you apply a finish over that cedar, or just leave it be?

It's going to get a finish. A gloss finish as that's what they want. I set up 2 routers and one dove tail bit in the router table. I used a 1/4" bit in a small trim router to cut the relief groove and then followed it up with the dove tail bit in another router. The ends of the boards I did on the router table standing on end. It went very fast doing it that way.

dont take this the wrong way, but I hate you dude, you always make everything seem so easy, technique wise.

Expect me to contact you over the next 7-10 days when I start my next project and need some quidance.

And save me the measurments for that desk, cause Im losing my finish room end of this year and need a simple desk and dresser for in that bedroom.
I like the raised panels as it will match the headboard and the radiator cover Im going to make.

I'll make sure the drawings I have reflect the changes we made.

As far as making it look easy I don't know. It always looks easy on tv or in the pictures but a little thought went into it before any wood was cut. By that I mean the best way to do this with the least amount of steps and set ups. That's why I used 2 routers and the router table.

Larry and I got a lot of great advice from the people we visited. One bit of advice was don't be afraid to modify a tool or machine to fit your needs. That's when I remembered I had another 3/4" collet but it was to long for the jig so I marked it and took it to the grinder. I set the straight bit first and then adjusted the depth of the dove tail bit to that and then proceeded to adjust the dove tail bit in the router table to match the slot. It's not a tight fit but with enough slop that the glue will take up and allow you to assemble it easily with out a hammer.

It's amazing how you can do stuff like this for a long time but finally realize that a little careful layout before you cut pieces goes a long way to avoiding mistakes.