Don'cha Hate to Move? Need Advice.

[David Root]

Here's a pic. The hutch is on the floor. in front of the buffet. which is in the alcove. After I get the hutch molding cut back I will have to hire a couple of gorillas to lift it up and slide it in on top of the buffet..

For a comfortable fit I need to take off 1/2" on each side. This will just impinge on the staple you can see at the molding joint. The molding is screwed and bolted to the hutch top.

This furniture is about 40 years old as my wife bought it B.D. (Before David). Believe it or not that old Fenderesque 2-pin plug still made a connection even with all that crud on it.

Somehow I think I'll have to try the plane, or buy a flush cut Japanese saw and tack a guide on top of the molding. There is a Woodcraft store in this town so I can get a good one.

[eniam rognab]

sorry, i cant help, never moved anything in canada, i imagine its quite different

[David Root]

Not really, just watch out for the bears.

[cbass]

take the sides off then just nib the front piece I dont think you will really be able to see much

[Phil_S]

cbass is bound to be along sooner or later, and others too, who are real cabinet makers. I qualify as an amateur, so take it with a grain of salt.

If this was my cabinet and I saw those screws, I'd be inclined to remove the whole thing (all 3 sides) and then fashion a new one that is narrower. I know this is a lot of work, but it has a couple of clear advantages. Problems I can think of:
-When you shave the sides 1/2" the miter joint will be all wrong and you will expose the side rail at the front. It will look like sh*t.
-If you have to remove the staple, the miter will be quite weak and might fall apart.
-If you shave that much while it is attached, your chance of making a mistake is, IMHO, worse than 50/50. I think you will be very lucky if you don't damage the cab.

On making a "new one" that is narrower, if you can remove it, you may be able to take it apart and this only needs to be done on one side. If you can do that successfully, you can trim the front piece, retaining the 45 degree angle, and remove 1" all from one side. This is a swift cut on a table saw. If you are good with a circular saw and trust yourself, it could be done with that. I might even see if this fits in a mitre box and cut it by hand. Reassemble and reinstall. You'll have some minor finishing work if you do it right. You might get away with just a bit of stain applied with a q-tip.

I would not attempt to remove 1/2" from each side while it is attached to the cab.

For removal, remember that heat, used carefully (hair dryer, not heat gun) is your friend.

[Phil_S]

take the sides off then just nib the front piece I dont think you will really be able to see much

I am such a windbag...

[tubeswell]

take the sides off then just nib the front piece I dont think you will really be able to see much

I was just about to say the same thing

[David Root]

Thanx again guys, I will try to remove all three pieces of crown molding and see if I can shorten the front piece in a miter box.

UPDATE: I'm just going to take about 3/8" or so off each side piece, bought a nice double edged flush cut saw and some Minwax walnut stain at the local Home Hardware. It's a dark stain so I think the joint line won't be too visible.

[David Root]

Tried a flush cutting saw, this wood is too hard, looks like beech, would take forever, sooooo......I checked my router bits from when I built my first (and only) solidbody, and found this one, see pic.

I tacked a 1/2x1/2 section piece of wood in place on top edge of the molding already, after I pulled out the staple..

Looks like it would work. Could I get an informed opinion? Any helpful tips in operation? It's been a good 10 years since I've used a router.

[Regan]

Hi David, glad the move went well!
Is the trim still on the cabinet? if so you want to be as high as physically possible but still on a solid perch- thats a big router you have and doesn't have a soft start so you don't want to be routing at head level.
I would tape another piece of wood onto your template piece as a stop to keep you from routing too far forward, this will leave you with a nice clean round out the diameter of the bit and will be easy to finish. I would also use a bigger template piece so the router has something flat to ride on and can't tip easy.
Take light cuts!you can always move the template a couple times but if your not used to a router it can bite in really fast so maybe limit yourself to 1/8" at a time, you should never have to force it.
Wear ear, and eye protection, and make sure you are able to stand solid and squared with the workpiece.
Regan

[cbass]

What kinda saw did you buy?When I think of a flush cut saw I think of a little saw used to cut off dowles and such.A big hog Japanese saw should go through it with a little work You'd probably want one with biggish teeth since your cuttin with the grain kinda

Looks like you're goin with the router.Should work nice if you get settup good good luck and be careful

Would the sides not come off?I mean really you could save the sides and not destroy them.Just cut some off the front piece Then put them back of and fill the corners if you ever moved it or moved or whatever.

[Jana]

You guys are over thinking this and making it way too complicated. You need to cut the house in half and then add one more 2*4. This will give you an extra inch and a half so you have a quarter inch to play with on each side of the hutch.

I just moved into a house and I'm up to my elbows in projects. It seems like every time I find one project to do (I don't have to look hard to find one), I uncover two more projects that need to be done first.

Oh, the hot water heater lasted a whole 13 days after I bought the house. I do know that the floor drain in the basement works!

[Leo_Gnardo]

I just moved into a house and I'm up to my elbows in projects. It seems like every time I find one project to do (I don't have to look hard to find one), I uncover two more projects that need to be done first.

I moved in here 28 years ago and guess what? Way over my head with projects of all sorts. The fun never ends. Hope yours don't slow down your amp building much.

[Phil_S]

Router if you have to...Set up a reliable fence that will keep the router both level and straight. Assume you are standing in the front. The bit turns such that you want to push on the right side and pull on the left (hope I got that.) It is best not to work the router backwards. On the pull side, be very careful (whatever that means) not to splinter the front edge. You may want to push the router from the front on the right side just little bit to get it started and then pull from the rear. There will be sawdust everywhere!

You only get one chance to get this right. Take your time. Plan your work. Work your plan. Good luck!

[Regan]

Sorry have to step in on that one, never a good idea to pull a router towards you because if its climb cutting and you lose control it can come at you and if its going proper direction it will be throwing chips straight at you. Always go left to right, unless you can't
Regan