|
My front hallway is the most heavily traveled, and usually the most cluttered, space in my home. Keys are tossed here and there, notes are scattered and the mail keeps getting lost. Tired of misplacing small but important items, I found a decorative way to keep everything together and organized. No more misplaced bills and no more lost keys.
This hallway mirror presented me with the perfect opportunity to display some highly figured English sycamore I had recently acquired. The design is simple yet elegant, allowing the wood to shine. It is the first thing people see when they enter my home.
Materials and Construction
The frame is constructed with quick, easy biscuit joinery. Trim-head screws are used to attach the brackets, the lidded box and the cap piece on the frame. I chose these screws because their tiny heads are less visible and less prone to splitting thin parts, such as the brackets. Screws also allow the entire project to be disassembled for easier finishing.
Hidden barrel hinges give the box a clean, seamless appearance and allow the lid to double as a shelf. Solid brass pegs add beauty to the mirror and are perfect for hanging keys. The large mirror stands ready for a last-second glance before I walk out the door.
This project would also look great built with some straight-grained oak or pine, but I went all out and used figured English sycamore. The supplier requires a minimum purchase of $200 (roughly 7 bd. ft.). This is double the amount of lumber needed to build one project, so I simply decided to build two and give one as a gift. You can also combine your order for this project with other wood to reach the $200 threshold (see Sources, below).
Build the Frame
1. Lay out the project parts on rough lumber (Photo 1). The wood gets resawn so you only need to lay out pieces for one mirror to make two. Planning before cutting allows you to match color and grain patterns and maximize the yield, which is especially important on precious wood. Lay out the brackets together on a piece of wood large enough to be planed and jointed before you cut them out.
2. Cut and mill all the parts. I opted to use 5/4 stock because it minimizes waste and can be resawn into thinner pieces.
3. Enlarge the pattern (Fig. C, below) to full size and trace it onto the bottom rail (D). Rough-cut the pattern on a bandsaw and then smooth the final shape on a sanding drum or a spindle sander. Trim off the waste piece.
4. Mark and drill the holes for the brass pegs on the bottom rail using a drill press (Fig. A, below).
5. Make the decorative cap (L). Ease the cap’s edges and glue the cap to the bottom rail.
6. Join the frame pieces (Fig. A) using biscuits. Leave a 1/8-in. gap between the middle and bottom rails for cross-grain expansion. Offset the top rail slot so the biscuits hang out the top edge (Photo 2). Trim the biscuits flush after the glue has set.
7. Route a rabbet for the mirror around the back side of the frame. Square the corners using a chisel.
8. Attach the top (E) to the frame. Shape the front and side edges with a 1/4-in. round-over bit, and screw the top in place (Fig. A).
Build the Box
9. Miter the box sides (J, K) on a sliding miter saw or with a miter gauge on the tablesaw.
10. Glue up the box (Photo 3). As long as the miters have been cut correctly, the box will fold up easily and the tape will hold the pieces together. Place the box in a framing square to nudge the box square and use a clamp to tighten the joints, if necessary.
11. Attach the box to the frame (Photo 4, Fig. A).
12. Drill holes for the hinges in the box lid (Photo 5). Secure the lid in a hand-screw clamp to make sure the holes are drilled straight, and clamp everything to the table so nothing moves.
13. Cut the hinge rail from the box lid (Photo 6) by ripping a strip, through the holes, 1/2 in. from the back edge of the box lid.
14. Screw the hinge rail to the frame and the box bottom to the box sides and frame (Fig. A).
15. Shape the brackets (H) from the pattern (Fig. B, page 40). Rough-cut the design on the bandsaw and sand each bracket smooth. Screw the brackets to the frame and to the box bottom (Fig. A).
Install the Barrel Hinges
16. Install the barrel hinges in the lid first and then place the hinges in the holes of the hinge rail (Photo 7).
17. Set the hinges using thin spacers, such as playing cards (Photo 8). Place the cards between the lid and the hinge rail and lightly push down on the lid. Gently open the lid and tighten the setscrews. The lid should close tightly with only a slight gap between the lid and hinge rail.
Add the Finishing Touches
18. Disassemble the project and finish (Photo 9). After everything is finished, reassemble the project.
19. Add the mounting brackets and pegs and install the mirror (Photo 10). Hang and enjoy.
|