Need Suggestions...

[Brian Riley]

Good Morning....

I am making some trays that have sliding lids. The lids have slots cut in them lengthwise and I would like to attach some fabric (most likely speaker grill type stuff) to the underside of the lids. However I need to make sure the edges of the fabric are completely fixed to the lid around the entire perimeter so as not to interfere with the sliding of the lid. And whatever I use can't be too thick otherwise it will keep the lid from sliding properly.

I was thinking of using hot glue but could use some other suggestions.

Attached is a couple pics of the trays....

[Bart Sharp]

Good Morning....

I am making some trays that have sliding lids. The lids have slots cut in them lengthwise and I would like to attach some fabric (most likely speaker grill type stuff) to the underside of the lids. However I need to make sure the edges of the fabric are completely fixed to the lid around the entire perimeter so as not to interfere with the sliding of the lid. And whatever I use can't be too thick otherwise it will keep the lid from sliding properly.

I was thinking of using hot glue but could use some other suggestions.

Attached is a couple pics of the trays....

If you want to go all out, you could put your fabric in like window screen. Find some 1/16" or so soft wire, like maybe silver solder. Cut a groove a little narrower but a little deeper than the diameter of the wire around the perimeter of the lid. Cut your fabric oversize, lay it over the lid, then push the wire down into the recess. That should pull the fabric taut, and if your groove is the right depth then the only thickness you'll be adding is the fabric itself. I would think hot glue would leave something of a buildup that may interfere with your lid. How's that for overkill?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Brian....how thick are the lids? If they are thick enough, could you rout a 1/8" deep and wide groove in the undersides and use welting material (twine) or a spline like that used to attach screening materials to screen windows or doors to hold it? With a spline of welting twine and a little hot glue they'd probably remain attached.

[Brian Riley]

Thanks guys.....

The construction is all made from 1/4" Spanish cedar. The assembly is done using 1/8" rabbets so the theory of cutting a 1/8" groove in the lid is not out of the question. The distance from the outside edges to the grooves is 3/16" on the sides and 1/2" on the ends. Now...what would be the best way to cut that groove?


Brian

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Brian....the distance from the edge of the grooves to the edge of the lid presents a problem. If it was a little wider....I'd take a lid and make a template out of say 3/8 plywood...scraps. Just place the lid on a piece of scrap plywood and nail the 3/8" scrap around the outer edges. Then I'd use a 1/8" veining bit and a template guide on the router to rout the grooves......by trying various size template guides you could adjust the distance from the edges..........However....3/16" distance doesn't allow a lot room for error.

You might be better off.....using a flat bottom router bit and rabbeting out say 1/8" though the entire field of the "grooves" and say 1/8" beyond the edge of the grooves. Then I'd just hot glue the cloth or fiberglass screening around the edges of the rabbeted area. This would also recess the cloth so it wouldn't drag on the outer edge of the box when the lid is opened.

I hope this helps......

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Nice work on the boxes by the way!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Brian.....mortising the entire area might be a better word to use than "rabbeting" as I stated above.

[Brian Riley]

Thanks much Ken.....

Both are great ideas. The boxes in the pics are basically prototypes I made for a buddy so the future lids can have some design changes such as the space between the edges and the slots. Also I imagine it would be quite a bit easier mortising the slot field before I actually cut the slots.

I think I'll give option #2 a try.


Thanks again,
Brian

[Bart Sharp]

Thanks much Ken.....

Both are great ideas. The boxes in the pics are basically prototypes I made for a buddy so the future lids can have some design changes such as the space between the edges and the slots. Also I imagine it would be quite a bit easier mortising the slot field before I actually cut the slots.

I think I'll give option #2 a try.


Thanks again,
Brian

Sounds like Ken and I were on the same page. What if you made a little scratch stock to cut the grooves? It wouldn't be hard to do, and there would be a lot less chance of blowing up a lid than trying to use a router.

[Brian Riley]

Hey Bart.....

I like the idea of having both the groove cut AND mortising out some of the lid so the material is countersunk. However you lost me on the "little scratch stock to cut the grooves". Would you explain a bit more please?

......and yes, these trays in themselves are overkill


Thanks,
Brian

[Bart Sharp]

Hey Bart.....

I like the idea of having both the groove cut AND mortising out some of the lid so the material is countersunk. However you lost me on the "little scratch stock to cut the grooves". Would you explain a bit more please?

......and yes, these trays in themselves are overkill


Thanks,
Brian

Mind you, I'm getting into the realm of things I've seen and read about but never done...

Picture a marking gage, but with a little blade the width if the groove you want to cut instead of a pin. Hold the fence against the edge of the lid and scrape the blade along to cut the groove. Clear as mud? I'm sure someone with more experience than I will come along and explain it better, or tell you why it's a rotten idea to begin with.

It's just if it were me, I'd be more comfortable doing a hand tool operation on lids that small/thin rather than trying to jig them up and go after them with spinning carbide. Seems like too much of a chance that something would catch or shift and boom!