Laminating curved arch

**Tav** · 14th March 2011, 01:48 PM

Hey everyone I hope this is in the right section and makes at least some rambling sense.

I'm hoping to build a jukebox cabinet with an arched top and so far my only woodworking experience is a simple arcade cabinet and bookshelves, both done in mdf.

The base of the cabinet will be around 600mm x 600mm and about 1.6m - 1.8m high. I've added a quick pic as well and yes my google sketching is right up there with my woodworking

.

I'm trying to get my head around doing the arched top and thought laminating might be the way to go?

I've a heap of questions but will start with the simple ones:

Is laminating the best option?

What would be best to use? At this point I'm thinking about painting the whole cabinet but if it's possible to laminate with a nice timber that I can stain later I might look at that as well.
If I do laminate I was thinking of doing the whole side panels as one piece so as not to have to match up laminate edges with the lower panels if I use something like solid mdf sheets. Does this sound ok or should I do the arch and lower side panels seperate?
I'll have the back panel to attach the sheets to and can add a second (possibly temporary) one. would this be enough to clamp to while glueing or should I be trying to get a solid inner frame to clamp to while laminating?

I also want to angle the top section back (at the horizontal line on the front face). I was thinking that because each layer will change the dimensions of the arch that I will have to cut it back once I've laminated the arched section. Does this sound right?

Lots of questions but really I'm just looking for any advice on how best to make the arched structure at this point and what I need to be further researching.

Thanks

**Oblong** · 15th March 2011, 01:31 PM

While not being particularly experienced in this sort of thing, I have made a curved window at Tafe, try looking up plans for that. We took 400mm lengths of 90x45 pine and cut them into curves (so using the depth of the 90mm gives you about 35mm piece), we then laminated this into a curve. Maybe something along the lines of that would work?
We cut some templates out of 3ply, then the linnisher got a work out when it was all laminated together.

**Harry72** · 15th March 2011, 05:27 PM

You can get bendy ply to do the outer you will need to make a curved frame to bond it too

**malb** · 15th March 2011, 08:05 PM

Re laminating the curved frames, there are two general ways to arrange the laminations.

With strip laminations, you laminate a number of thin strips around a former and clamp the stack while it dries. This is a common technique for complex shapes, but normally involves some springback (Finished article trying to revert to straight).

The other option is to block laminate, where you form a blank to cut the fnished part from by making a two or more layer lamiation of short segments, With this technique, you arrange the segments and joints so that each joint in a layer falls within the central portion of the segments in the adjoining layers so that the joints (potential wak spots) are supported by the solid parts in the next layer. (Sounds difficult but it's easy when you see how). The current New Yankee Workshop Online video episode 511 Redwood Arbour (online till Thursday/Friday 18th ) shows this being done form front and back arches for a large arbour, but the technique is quite applicable to your project.

Either technique needs access to a reasonable range of tools, the first involves a lot of ripping to generate the thin strips, and something to cut the former and drill clamp holes, and a lot of clamps. The second could be achieved with store bought stock, a bevel guage and a hand saw for the buildup, and a router, template guide, bit and MDF template for trimming. Norms technique uses nails in the waste sections to fix the segments during glueup, so is nowhere as clamp dependant as the first technique.

**malb** · 20th March 2011, 03:46 PM

New yankee video previously linked now changed to this weeks episode.

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