How to Build a Food Dryer
(Page 4 of 8)
February/March 1993
By John Vivian
Try folding the three hinged panels into a three-sided box. Folded flat-side-in, the hinges will stop, making each corner a tight 45 degrees. If inner ends of rails meet and prevent full closure, file or saw their inside corners off.
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The Base
The box rests on square-stock rails attached to the inside of a base of 6"-wide lumber. As your final box size may vary depending on hinge design and placement, build the base (as well as the top and door) around the three-sided box. Set the box square and perfectly centered in the 25" x 27" plywood bottom panel. Trim the two 27" x 6" boards (one of 1"-thick lumber, the other of 2") the width of the back plus 1/8" inch. Center the 1" x 6" on edge 1/16" from the back. Center the 2" x 6" flush against the front edges of the side panels. Trim the 23" 1" x 6"s to box the front and back boards. (For a sturdier fit, cut a 3/4"-wide, 3/8"-deep notch at the inside ends of the 2' x 6' front board so the nominal 1" side boards will snug into it. It also looks best to trim the back and side boards at 45 degrees to make a mitred joint. Just be sure the box has about 1/16" of clearance from back and sides of the base.) If the plywood base panel extends beyond the baseboards, draw around outsides of the latter and trim the plywood to size.
The box rests on four rails of square stock fastened to the inside of the base boards. On each base board, draw a line three inches down from and parallel to the top edge. Center two 22" lengths of square stock on the side boards and the two 19" lengths on the front and back boards with their top edges along the bottom of the drawn lines. Fasten the boards with glue and screws.
Replace base boards carefully around the box, maintaining the 1/16" clearance at back and sides. Remove the box and, on the plywood base, draw around insides of baseboards. Removing and replacing one board at a time, apply glue to the bottoms and to the edges of joints and set into place inside the drawn lines. Weight corners with bricks. Then pilot drill and fasten ends of side boards to front and back boards with two 1 1/2" screws or three 1 1/2" finish nails per joint.
When glue is tacky enough to hold, flip base over and put 3/4" screws every four inches through pilot holes in the plywood and into the base boards. Flip again and, for added strength, cut four 3"-to-a-side triangular gussets from scrap 1" x 6" lumber and drill a 1/16" pilot hole in the center of each. Coat one flat side and the two 45 degree edges with glue, press one gusset hard into each corner, and screw to plywood with a 3/4" screw.
The Top
Now frame the top with a dual row of square-stock rails arranged around the edges so the box will nest into it. Place the three-sided box on the base and put the 22" x 26" plywood top panel on top so that it extends 1/16" more than the actual width of your square stock beyond the back and equal distance out from each side panel (you want the front to extend out a bit). On the underside of the top panel, draw carefully around the outside of the three box panels. Remove top, measure, and trim one 21" and the two 26" lengths of square stock to fit in a box-top-opening size "U" shape with their inner edges just outside of the lines just drawn. Draw around the outsides of rails, and trim outer edges of the back and sides of the plywood even with the outer edges of the rail "U." Tack-glue the three frame boards onto the top panel and screw-fasten.
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