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Homemade Screened Bottom Board Construction Technique

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Lesgold:
2x cleats per board are then cut to 406mm in length using the same method as mentioned above.

The Weathertex cladding board has a piece docked to 508mm and then strips are cut on the saw bench to a width of 20mm.

The end riser length is calculated and they are then cut using the same process. If using a jigsaw or portable power saw, a fence would be added to the saw to enable risers to be ripped.

Lesgold:
The mesh does not cover the full width or length of the bottom board so a shallow rebate is cut in the top surfaces of the sides and the back of the BB. This could be done with a router or even a portable power saw. (A jig would need to be made to cradle the pieces of timber to perform this operation safely). I used the saw bench as it was quicker. A piece of wood was cramped to the fence of the table saw after the blade was dropped below the table surface. The machine was turned on and the blade was slowly raised to make a cut like what you see in the first photograph. I could them adjust the size of the rebate to be cut so that the mesh would sit flush with the top surface of the timber. The second photo shows what I was after.

After recessing the sides and back of the BB, the width of the front piece had to be reduced by about 2mm to allow the mesh to sit over the front side at the correct level. The whole process looks a bit complex but only took about 20 minutes to complete for all 10 BB?s.

The rear side of the BB was then ripped into two halves. This would create an opening for the tray to slide in. The bottom half would be used as a sliding door to seal the tray in position. A jigsaw or power saw could perform this task but another jig would be needed to support the work. I used the bandsaw for this task as my table saw as a very thick blade.

Lesgold:
Now that all material is cut to size, the next step is to drill clearance holes for the cleats, risers and sides of the BB. If you were only making one or two units, you could mark them out all out and drill the holes. As I am making 10 at a time, I will construct simple jigs to improve accuracy and speed up time. The cleats will have a hole drilled in each end to secure them to the BB. One hole is marked out to help align the jig. It is constructed from waste material and holds each component in place while the hole is drilled. The holes will be 9mm in from the edge as the material I am using is 18mm thick. A 4.5mm drill will be used for all clearance holes. The first photo is self explanatory. The jig and drill bit are aligned to the mark on the cleat and it is cramped in place for the holes to be drilled.

One of the sides of the BB is marked out and the jig is then modified by having an extra guide fence nailed in place. The holes are drilled 15mm in from the top and bottom and 9mm in from the edge. There are two holes drilled at the front and only one at the back. (You will see this in a later photo)

IMPORTANT: each side of the BB will be a mirror image of the other side. Only drill half of the sides and then adjust your process to ensure that you mirror image the other side.  You will see what I mean if you mark out both sides of the BB and position all components onto a bench before drilling any of the pieces.

The risers can then be drilled. The end holes are 25mm in from each end with the long risers having 5 holes and the short risers containing 4. A simple fence is constructed to slide the riser along so that holes will be drilled accurately. Notice the pencil alignment marks on the fence. They were put in place during the drilling of the first set of holes.

Lesgold:
I should have said that all holes were drilled from the underside of the material. Any chipping out would occur on the outside or top surfaces which would be then cleaned up by countersinking the holes. A countersinkbit is then used to provide the tapered hole for the screw head. A large drill bit can be used for this process but be careful as the bit can pull in very easily and you can end up with a bad result. The pieces are now ready for assembly.

Ben Framed:
Hi Les,
Being a retired wood shop teacher, I suspect you have had many appreciative students throughout the years! Your work is top notch.

Phillip

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