In spite of the cold weather and the short days of winter, work on the wagon continues...
After working a short time in the semi-darkness of Siobhan's sleeping loft, we both decided it needed more light. So we got out our original wagon plans and modified them slightly, adding a small window to each of the side walls to match the window at the back. Both of the back windows previously installed were built by a local man who, to our dismay, kept them 7 months before completing them. Not wanting to go that route again, we decided to build these windows ourselves-- using antique stained glass panels and red oak to framing to match the others.
We purchased two antique stained glass panels (11" x 13") on Ebay, ordered two more sets of brass awning hinges, bought several lengths and widths of red oak boards, and headed for the shop to get started....
Now, neither of us have ever built anything with mitered corners, and we quickly realized it would be no easy task. We stained our boards and back to the house we went... We watched an online instructional tutorial on miter cuts, and again we headed to the shop...
Siobhan and I have always used a miter box and hand saw for making diagonal cuts, but this time we decided to try Liam's new Porter Cable miter saw instead--mostly because he was out of town (hah! hah!). The saw worked beautifully! In no time at all we had cut 4 pieces with 45 deg. angles and corners that at first glance fit together smoothly. But what next?! Back to the computer we go for more tutorials...
The next time we headed for the shop, we went with the idea of building a squared work frame from wood scraps, and clamping it to the work table to use as a guide for gluing and clamping. On our first try, we got the work frame right--square and clamped tightly to the table--and lay our first two frame pieces against it...And OH NO!!! The mitered corners fit together, but they weren't square!! Quickly we checked the others, and none were square. Back to the drawing board...
After more online research, we decided the fault had to lie with Liam's new saw. Everything seemed to be set correctly--locked in on 45 deg., and the laser guide fell directly on every cut edge. But when we placed a square against the saw blade we found the problem-- the fence guide wasn't straight ( not a true 90 deg. angle from the saw blade). It wasn't off so much as to be obvious to the eye, but it was enough to throw off our corners. We loosened the appropriate screws, and with a few minor adjustments and the help of two squares, we were able to correct the problem.
Next Siobhan and I re-cut every angle on all 4 pieces, and this time when we checked, the cuts were true 45 deg angles. We set them aside until the next morning, when Liam could saw a 1/4" recessed ledge on the back inside edge of each piece.
After Liam did our custom sawing for us, we placed the pieces within the wooden frame guide, clamping and gluing the frame's corners. While the glue was drying, we measured, cut, and mitered a 1/4" x 1/4" piece of hardwood into the necessary size pieces to fit into the recessed ledge. We drilled holes in the inner-facing side of each 1/4" piece, and stained them to match the rest of the frame.
After letting the glue dry overnight, we removed the clamps and inspected our work. The miters fit smoothly together, and the corners appeared to be tight. However, when one side was tugged gently the glue popped free. Once again, we were back to the drawing board (and the internet)...
After reading a few more how-to articles, we decided to try a different type of clamp and fasteners. We ordered both from a framing supply store, and as soon as they arrived, we went back to work on our project...
This time we had opted to use a strap clamp because it will adjust to a wider range of sizes than other clamps, and v-nails on the mitered corner joints for better stability.
Success at last! The strap clamp and v-nails did the trick--finally our frame was square and had nice tight corners. Next we gently placed the stained glass panel in the recessed opening, and fit the 1/4" x 1/4" pieces around the glass edges. We secured each piece with small brass screws, and the first framed glass panel was complete.
(I can't believe we did it...) Bring on the next window!
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