Lucky you, Christmas arriving early and all. I may jhave to add one to my list of 'things to buy' when I move into the new house.

A small project but I took forever to finally get building this prototype but it is finally done. It is a pine version of a plantstand that I want to make in hardwood now that I know it works. I didn't have a design to go by, just a picture in my head of a picture I once saw in a magazine so I built the first one out of cheaper pine rather than waste some nice hardwood.

The top has 4 section "sandbox" if you will. The idea is that you fill the squares under the glass with sand and add seashells, starfish or whatever.



One part I'm having trouble with is joining the dividers. I temporarily tacked these in but I suck at carving odd shapes where they join in the middle. Any suggestions for my HW version to improve the join there, other than 'take my time'?

^glue and wood filler

Here's my genius answer: Use a router on a solid piece of wood.

Start with a square of wood of the right dimensions and thickness.
Mark the dividers, choose a router bit with the desired profile, and then route around those divider lines.

Ta da! No joining necessary.

Filler, Ha! Actually, I already did that on the above but the picture was from before.

Peter, are you suggesting that I route the divider as one solid cross out of a large piece of wood? Hmmm, that would make it look awesome. It would take some very imaginative clamping near the end though so as not to accidentaly break it while routing. Great concept though, I might try it just for the challenge if nothing else.

Or, if cheaper is needed for hardwood, use 4 arms with V cut at ends to form center of the +. If not load bearing, it should hold with glue.

Then if you're feeling extra dextrous, chisel out the radiused corners...

Seems like Peter's idea might be a bit impractical--and expensive, for a piece of hardwood of the right dimensions.

I assume that you want the dividers to have that curve to their tops? Otherwise it would be quite simple... Just chisel out slots the width of the opposing piece in the bottom and top of the respective pieces. You might even be able to do that with the curved dividers.

yes, they need some kind of curve on the tops or they look too 'stickish' in there.

Yes, a large block of hardwood would be expensive, unless I had a use for the resulting four smaller squares. I find I always find a use for my scraps eventually.

V cuts could work.

I admit suckage at hand carving or chiseling.

You guys are just full of great ideas, as always.

Edit:
Err Wait. Peter, I think I now understand that you meant that the solid piece would actually be the entire top piece of wood. Thus not using 4 pieces for the outer frame.

That was actually my first design choice for the hardwood version but I always run into trouble routing inside edges in big pieces of joined pine so I did it this way for the beta. I think I still envisioned having to add dividers after routing out the big center square but I certainly could do it in 4 smaller sections.

It would mean rounded outer corners where the glass sits but i gues that could be corrected afterwards. Except I'm back to my suckage at hand chiseling again.