Mother's Bell Jar
(Page 2 of 2)
Now set the six vertical glass sheets side by side on your table, and connect them with clear adhesive tape. (The tape will serve as hinges for the panels when you attempt to form them around the scrap wood hex.) Fit the tower to the template, with the five tape joints facing in, and tape the final joint from the outside. Then fill in the gaps between each pair of panes with a small seam of silicone sealant ... and lay a thin bead of the clear caulk on the upper lip of the tower before setting the hexagonal top glass piece into place. (Don't remove the tape until the silicone sealant is dry.)
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THE BASE
Use a top-grade hardwood to prepare the base of the bell jar . . . our woodworker chose walnut, but oak or cherry would also be appropriate. The inner 3/8"-thick hexagonal base piece should be cut out using the scrap wood as a form ... to insure that it will closely fit the glass tower. On the other hand, the larger 3/8"-thick bottom doesn't need to be sized with as much precision. The example shown in the photo happens to be formed from a circle with a 4-1/2" radius, but the piece could be slightly larger without creating problems.
Molding, prepared from 3/4" walnut, was used to close in the glass sides on our display case. While Emerson made his own trim on a shaper table, it's also possible to use commercial molding. (MOTHER's own router/shaper table was detailed in MOTHER NO. 61, page 160. See page 148 for back issue ordering information.) At any rate, the wood must be cut with a miter box so it'll fit around the tower. Set the miter angle at 30° and trim out six pieces that are 3-5/8" long on the inside. The resulting outside dimension should be about 4-1/2" for each section.
Sand and finish the wood before you assemble the base, and then glue and screw the two 3/8"-thick hexagons together (be sure the smaller one is exactly centered on the larger, by countersinking No. 8 X 1/2" screws from the bottom. When that's done, set the glass onto the base, and glue the molding around it. To complete the construction procedure (and to give, yourself a few moments for contemplation), trim away any excess caulk with a razor blade.
If you decide to produce numbers of the units, you'll no doubt be able to streamline the construction process by making up batches of each component and assembling several bell jars at once. In any event, we think you'll find that these unique display cases will look great on your mantel ... or on those of your satisfied customers!
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