Sawing Boards

2013.11.26

I purchased two 1x12x8 yellow pine boards, and one 1x12x10.  I think the longer board is a different kind of pine, but it was almost knot-free which I wanted for the lid.  I marked out the six pieces and crosscut them.

Crosscutting pine for six board chest
Boards for six board chest

2013.11.29

The ends are notched to receive the front and back, so I marked and sawed those out.  Not all chests were notched this way, but it helps with one-man assembly and alignment.

Cutting notches in end board of six board chest
End boards of six board chest in progress

To create feet for the chest, the bottom of the end boards are cut away.  Historically this ranged from a simple boot jack notch to a half circle to more complex shapes.

Examples of cutout shapes on six board chest ends

I opted for a pair of ogees.  I didn’t trust myself with a coping saw for this task, so I used a jigsaw.

Laying out ogees for chest feet
Setting up to saw feet on six board chest

The radius was a little tight for the blade, so I periodically cut in to remove portions of the waste for clearance.  I faired the curves with a cabinet file.  It’s not perfect, but these edges will be down at the floor.

Sawing ogee for six board chest feet
After sawing with jigsaw, beginning to fair the curves with cabinet file

When one end was complete, I used it to trace the pattern on the other.

Marking one end board from the other
Six board chest end boards with ogee feet