Order of finishing?

[city17]

Hi all, I'm working on a small cabinet, which has one specific design feature, namely a floating/fake top. This is a 6mm sheet of plywood, which gets glued on the structural top of the cabinet.

I've just finished the main glue up and I'm wondering how to continue. Had two main questions, maybe someone here has a good suggestion on how to handle these?

1. Which order of glueing up and putting finish on? (Was thinking of finishing the body except the top, then glue the floating top on, and then finish the floating top, then give everything a second coat)

2. How to evenly put pressure on the whole floating top when glueing it on? It's a bit like putting a very thick veneer. Maybe using batons and clamps (along the short side)? The size of the top panel is about 1100 x 400 mm.

Here you can see the same concept on a similar cabinet, top is 6mm plywood, below is 18mm plywood slightly raised for a shadow gap.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

[yetloh]

I have solved similar clamping probles by planing a lengths of softwood so that they have a convex form over their length length. These are then clamped at each end with the convex surface downwards so that pressure is applied along the whole length by straightening the curve.

So far as finishing is concerned a lot depends on what finish you intend to use and how you intend to apply it. If it had been me I would have pre- finished the inside by careful masking off, but iti's too late for that now!

Jim

 

[Molynoox]

I have solved similar clamping probles by planing a lengths of softwood so that they have a convex form over their length length. These are then clamped at each end with the convex surface downwards so that pressure is applied along the whole length by straightening the curve.

So far as finishing is concerned a lot depends on what finish you intend to use and how you intend to apply it. If it had been me I would have pre- finished the inside by careful masking off, but iti's too late for that now!

Jim

Why waste time planing wood to be shaped like a banana when you can just pop to jewsons and pick some up.... It's their speciality.

 

[city17]

I have solved similar clamping probles by planing a lengths of softwood so that they have a convex form over their length length. These are then clamped at each end with the convex surface downwards so that pressure is applied along the whole length by straightening the curve.

So far as finishing is concerned a lot depends on what finish you intend to use and how you intend to apply it. If it had been me I would have pre- finished the inside by careful masking off, but iti's too late for that now!

Jim

Thanks Jim, will try the convex shape. I was thinking of also adding a sheet of plywood between the batons and the top as well, to distribute the pressure even more.

 

[yetloh]

Sounds like a good idea.

Jim

 

[city17]

Seems to have worked out well! Practically no gap, clean glue line.

 

[Deadeye]

I would have turned it over and put heavy things inside...