Thread: Periodic Table Display Case

I know its more work but I reckon it would look better if you went at least up to Atomic number 92 (U) this would then cover some common interesting heavy elements like lead and gold which are safe to display in Elemental form. Even elemental U is safe in a jar. If you can't find a safe sample just display a card with a suitable picture and the relevant data on it. This in itself raises some interest - why is there no actual sample for that element.

Originally Posted by jack620

The lower part of the table (with the elements that kill you) won't be displayed..

FWIW there are plenty of elements in the top half that can kill you just as easily.
To get around this its common to display compounds but then it's technically not a periodic table of the elements.

Despite this - good project.

If any data is intended to be displayed I recommend using the official Internationally accepted data at this website.
https://iupac.org/what-we-do/periodi...e-of-elements/ as some web data on the periodic table is way out of date.
All other websites get their their data from that site - if they show something else it's wrong or out of date.
The most out of date one I saw a few years back was dated 1984!

Good job for a CNC. No need for glue if the half slots are oriented the right way. Then the fastening of the unit to the backing board holds all in position.

Depends upon which tool you want to buy next. Which do you want more? A compressor with a pin nail gun or a dado blade.

First 9mm plywood is probably too thin for a dado type construction. 12 or 13 is probably better.
Second, shooting nails will be difficult to keep things aligned.

Here is the way that I would do it. Cut your sheet good so that you can get 10 horizontal shelves, the 2 end pieces plus 12 saw kerfs from the piece. The piece will need to have extra length about 6 or 8 compartment widths. Set this piece aside. It would be best for construction that the compartments are true cubes. (i.e. L=W=D) Else you may have to purchase a second piece of sheet goods. Rip 21 pieces of sheet good that are equal in width to the compartment interior width. Trim these pieces to the width of the piece set aside.

Clamp or screw two of these 21 pieces to the piece set aside, one on each side. Make sure that these pieces are perfectly aligned with each other and square with the long edge. These pieces are now a temporary fence for your router. Make sure that the router bit exactly matches the sheet good thickness. Hold your router against the fence and cut the first dado. Take another of the 21 and place it against the fence. Masking tape should hold this piece in place. Hold the router against this piece and cut the next dado. Repeat this process until you have enough groves. Flip the sheet good over and repeat the whole process. Use the shim pieces in the same numerical order. You will need to do the 4 end pieces with possibly a different spacing. Do the top and bottom separately as they will need dadoes only on one side. Also, I would number the spacers so that top and bottom dadoes are aligned. Yeah I know that they should be but this is woodworking and not CNC.

As you assemble and clamp, use short pieces of the 21 to help square up and align everything.

Remember that without pictures, it didn't happen.

Originally Posted by BobL

I know its more work but I reckon it would look better if you went at least up to Atomic number 92 (U) this would then cover some common interesting heavy elements like lead and gold which are safe to display in Elemental form.

Thanks Bob. I'm doing this free of charge, so I'm not inclined to make it harder than it already is!

Originally Posted by BobL

FWIW there are plenty of elements in the top half that can kill you just as easily.

I don't think these will be displayed either.

Originally Posted by rustynail

Good job for a CNC.

No doubt.

Originally Posted by rrich

Depends upon which tool you want to buy next. Which do you want more? A compressor with a pin nail gun or a dado blade.

I already have a compressor and brad gun. However, I made a little mock-up today and the brads split the MDF every time. Scratch the brad idea.

Originally Posted by rrich

First 9mm plywood is probably too thin for a dado type construction. 12 or 13 is probably better.

I'd like to persist with the 9mm for now as I think it looks better. However I'm open to 12mm. I might have a 12mm router bit too.

Originally Posted by rrich

It would be best for construction that the compartments are true cubes. (i.e. L=W=D) Else you may have to purchase a second piece of sheet goods.

I'm buying a 2400x1200 (8x4) sheet, so I will have plenty. I think I might go with 75x75x75 "cubes" anyway, as the 55mm wide opening looks a bit cramped with jar in it.

Originally Posted by rrich

These pieces are now a temporary fence for your router. .....Repeat this process until you have enough groves. Flip the sheet good over and repeat the whole process

I'm not sure I follow you. Is this what you are proposing for the horizontal shelves? If so, I have a Festool router and guide-rail which I would use to cut the dadoes instead. It's less disaster-prone than having the router constrained on only one side by a straight-edge. The strips of timber could still be used to set the guide-rail position.

Something like this rrich?

I made a few pigeon-hole cases a while back at work in 6mm ply using a headless pin gun (22 or 23 ga. I think) and it didn't split as long as it wasn't too close to the end (about 40mm back is safe)

The internals were half-checked together and the 4 sides and back were all trenched out 2mm to locate everything; easy to do on a CNC, doing it manually might be a bit of a pain though. Glued and pinned, they were surprisingly rigid.

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

I made a few pigeon-hole cases a while back at work in 6mm ply using a headless pin gun (22 or 23 ga. I think) and it didn't split as long as it wasn't too close to the end (about 40mm back is safe)

Thanks Elan. For my project that would only give me one brad in the middle- wouldn't be much help. It also occurs to me that I would only be able to shoot a brad into one end of each vertical piece, as the other end would be blocked by the vertical piece below it.

I would do option 2.

If you use a kerf jig, like the one I’ve attached, then doing the 9mm slots is a breeze.

You shouldn’t need glue, just a gentle tap into place above each slot.

Google kerf jig or kerf dado jig.

I used to do this a lot with a table saw sled with a kerf jig built into it. It was a bit different to the one shown. I used to mill up all the timber, cut off an offcut, move one slider to compensate for blade kerf, and move another slider which captured the offcut so it functioned as a critical distance spacer.

And yep, there is a lot of room for stuffups so cut extra.

B7D97E85-5A57-4023-9C8C-3BF2F3295F27.jpeg

Thanks Arron. I had a look at a couple of YouTube videos on kerf jigs. It is something I will definitely be making for my table saw, but I can't see how it would be used to make multiple evenly spaced kerfs as I need to make. Am I missing something?

Originally Posted by jack620

Thanks Arron. I had a look at a couple of YouTube videos on kerf jigs. It is something I will definitely be making for my table saw, but I can't see how it would be used to make multiple evenly spaced kerfs as I need to make. Am I missing something?

Maybe.

Say I was making a grid 12 pieces by 12 pieces.

I’d mill up the timber.
Cut off an offcut to use as the spacer.
Set up my jig for the kerf of the blade currently in situ.
Deciding to do the horizontal stock first, cut them all to same length.
Used a simple computer program (actually just an excel sheet I wrote), plugging in the total length, width of slot required, and the number of divisions - which gave me the lhs edge of each slot to be cut.
Mark these dimensions on one of the horizontal stock pieces.
Stack all the horizontal stock in the sled, with the first mark on the stock lined up with one on the sled. Usually I would wrap tape around all the stock, stop tiny movements occurring.
Slide the jig into place.
Cut through all horizontal stock - so you have the lhs of the slot done.
Manipulate the jig to cut the rhs side of the slot (using the spacer). It was a bit more complicated then s8mply sliding the spacer in, but you get the drift.
Move the stock over to the next mark.
Slide the jig into place
Etc.
If you have some number of stock pieces that require a lesser number of slots, just remove them at the appropriate time. That’s the bit I very often forgot. Otherwise, very reliable, accurate process.

If that make sense, great. Otherwise I have misinterpreted your question so sorry.

Yep, got it now. Thanks.

Originally Posted by jack620

I'm not sure I follow you. Is this what you are proposing for the horizontal shelves? If so, I have a Festool router and guide-rail which I would use to cut the dadoes instead. It's less disaster-prone than having the router constrained on only one side by a straight-edge. The strips of timber could still be used to set the guide-rail position.

The whole point of affixing the fence top and bottom is to insure that your dadoes are aligned when the pieces are cut out of the sheet.

A great idea!
I wouldn't mind a display case that to display my minerals & a few metals as a periodic table.
A quote from anyone interested would be good.

Euge

Originally Posted by rrich

The whole point of affixing the fence top and bottom is to insure that your dadoes are aligned when the pieces are cut out of the sheet.

Yep, thanks. I will still use the guide rail but use a top and bottom fence as you suggest to reference off.