Flag case
rn honor of my dad, who was a military veteran, I made a case for the flag presented to our family at his interrment ceremony.
These flags are 9-1/2' x 5' and when folded, fit nicely into the case.
These flags are 9-1/2' x 5' and when folded, fit nicely into the case.
The design
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I drew up a sketchup model of the case and built it out of 3/4" thick hardwood. With lots of maple in the shop, that was the material of choice. The front has a piece of picture glass, and the back, a piece plywood.
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The case is a simple frame with 45 degree miters and splines holding it together. The glass and back sit in rabbets and are held in place with trim pieces. There is also a french cleat on the back that allows it to be mounted to a wall.
The flag is put into the case by removing the rear trim pieces, which allows the back to come off. |
The build
First, the case...
I started by jointing, crosscuting, ripping, and planing the main case pieces to final dimensions.
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Then, 45 degree angles were cut on all 3 pieces bringing them to their final length.
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I had a few options to cut the dados for the splines on the sides and decided it would be easiest to do it on the table saw by tilting the blade 45 degrees. Without changing the blade, it took 2 passes to get the 1/4" dadoes.
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The table sawn dadoes left a bit of material between the 2 cuts that needed to be cleaned out...
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Once, the side dadoes were cut, spline stock was milled to fit.
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To locate the dadoes for the bottom piece, I lined the sides up on my bench, clamped them down, and marked where the side dadoes intersect with the bottom. Then, the table saw was used to cut them.
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The gap in my split top roubo style workbench came in handy for clamping on this project.
Time for the glue up...
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A bit of wax paper was laid on the bench and the pieces were masked before glue up. It would have been hard to clean the glue squeeze out because of the acute inside angles, so I masked...
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Ready for glue.
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Clamps, 45 degree cauls, and the bench being used to secure everything...
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Trim pieces are next...
Trim stock jointed, crosscut, and ripped to size...
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...and the ends mitered at 45 degree angles to length.
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Rabbets are cut on the router table. The depths were determined by the thickness of the back and glass. For the bottom, I did not route to the ends as those would be exposed on the final piece.
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Here you can see how the bottom trim wasn't routed all the way across the piece. I finished it up with a chisel and mallet.
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The back was cut from a piece of 1/4" plywood and fits nicely into the trim rabbets.
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The rabbets for the front and back trim pieces were done exactly the same way, except they were a little shallower for the thinner glass.
Glass...
Tools for glass cutting: straight edge, glass cutting tool, tape measure, sharpie.
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Cuts were marked with a sharpie before being scored.
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After scoring, it's snapped by supporting the main piece with the score line just hanging over the bench edge.
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Cutting glass is pretty straightforward. It's a matter of scoring and snapping it to size - similar to sheetrock. I used a simple inexpensive glass cutting tool. The key to scoring the glass is to apply enough pressure - it should produce a ripping sound when done right.
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The base...
A long piece of wood was cut in half and glued up to form the main base piece.
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Then, another piece was glued on to make a lip on the leading edge.
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I like the look of these cases with a nice big piece of wood used as the base.
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Final steps...
I squared up the sharp 22-1/2 degree corners on the main case by taking 1/4" off each side via the edge sander. Then, I cut the base piece length to fit. Any surfaces that needed it were then cleaned up with hand planes and pertinent edges were chamfered. Evenly spaced countersunk holes and brass screws were used to attach the trim to the case.
At this point, I removed the trim, did a little sanding and applied 2 coats of water based polyurethane.
I squared up the sharp 22-1/2 degree corners on the main case by taking 1/4" off each side via the edge sander. Then, I cut the base piece length to fit. Any surfaces that needed it were then cleaned up with hand planes and pertinent edges were chamfered. Evenly spaced countersunk holes and brass screws were used to attach the trim to the case.
At this point, I removed the trim, did a little sanding and applied 2 coats of water based polyurethane.
After finish, I attached the case to the base with 2 countersunk wood screws.
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Rest in peace, Dad...
| shigshop_flag_case.pdf |
Disclaimer...
Upon the purchase or use of Shigshop.com plans, please do not distribute or copy them in any manner - they are only for the personal use of the original purchaser or user. Shigshop.com does not authorize the manufacture of products for sale using these designs without consent of Shigshop.com.
Although a big effort has been made to ensure these plans will produce a good safe machine or other project, Shigshop.com cannot assume any liability as a result of any usage of the plans or machines/shop accessories/projects built with them.
Building with these plans should only be attempted by those experienced with the tools and techniques necessary to produce the project described in the Shigshop.com plans and instructions. When using woodworking and metalworking machines and tools, always ensure safety devices are properly functioning and appropriate clothing, glasses and ear protection are worn.
Be careful and proceed at your own risk - adhere to standard safety practices and you should be ok.
Upon the purchase or use of Shigshop.com plans, please do not distribute or copy them in any manner - they are only for the personal use of the original purchaser or user. Shigshop.com does not authorize the manufacture of products for sale using these designs without consent of Shigshop.com.
Although a big effort has been made to ensure these plans will produce a good safe machine or other project, Shigshop.com cannot assume any liability as a result of any usage of the plans or machines/shop accessories/projects built with them.
Building with these plans should only be attempted by those experienced with the tools and techniques necessary to produce the project described in the Shigshop.com plans and instructions. When using woodworking and metalworking machines and tools, always ensure safety devices are properly functioning and appropriate clothing, glasses and ear protection are worn.
Be careful and proceed at your own risk - adhere to standard safety practices and you should be ok.
