Day 3 (Kamilla) - Box Progress: Learning Miters, Dadoes, & Rabbets

My workspace with the pre- and post-mitered Mahogany boards, with my initial 
measurements and design in the background

    The third day of the woodworking M-term was packed with new experiences. Mr. Grisbee gave us a lesson on how to start the walls of our boxes in the morning, and by the afternoon we were nearly finished! We were taught three very important wood cuts: miters, dadoes, and rabbets. Miters are a type of wood jointing techniques where 45-degree cuts are made and placed together to create corners. Dadoes are the grooves cut into the middle of a board--where our lid will eventually slide in and out. Rabbets are rectangular grooves cut into the bottom of the wood which, ironically, end up looking a little like rabbit feet and will soon be standing around the base. 
    We used the familiar table saw to create the miter and dadoe cuts, and with the rabbets, we introduced a fourth machine: the router. This tool can be used for a wide variety of cuts, and is especially helpful in wider groovs and edge cuts like the rabbet. 

Left: Image of the demo wood on the router machine with the dadoe and rabbet cuts clearly displayed. 

Right: Mr. Grisbee showing a proper miter cut 

  

    Although we learned a lot of new skills this morning, by the end of the day, we had only completed the 45-degree miter cuts for our box walls. This was because cutting two sets of perfectly identical trapezoidal prisms takes a large amout of precision in both measurement and technique. There is definitely a learning curve to woodworking, but I am confident that by the time our box is complete, my proficiency will improve drastically. I can't wait to implement everything I have learned in my final project as well! 

Image demonstrating how we use the table saw to cut a 45-degree miters

My box progress by the end of the day!