When I started to build the chevalet from a few photos on the internet, I wasn't at all sure it would amount to anything at all so in many places corners were cut to quickly achieve a prototype that would serve to test the critical parts and determine whether more detailed work was warranted. The resulting saw, although quite functional and in it's own right a very usable tool, was a little rough around the edges and needed some refinement before I would be truly happy with it.

I have now completed most of the details that make this project more of a chevalet and less of a prototype chevalet …...... and here they are.

The first few have been touched on already but just to have it all in one place I'll briefly allude to them again here. They were the seat, the modified clamp jaws, and the new blade clamp design.

 

 

 

Next up was to redesign the tumblers to be more stable and easier to align. The key here is to make parallel dadoes by referencing the same side of the piece for both cuts and then shaping the tumblers from there. This would have been nice to do on a router table with a 1/2" straight bit and a 5/8" core box bit. I could not, however, find a 5/8" core box bit in Tucson and as my time in Az. is growing short, I did them with a dado set. It works as well but doesn't look as nice. The piece in the first photo makes all the parts. Other than that I think the pictures are self explanatory.

 

 

 

 

This one shows the new tumblers in place with the new, more robust saw frame.

 

The saw frame support has been made adjustable.

 

And an adjustment has been added to control the angle of the movable jaw to more precisely clamp varying thicknesses of veneer packets. The wing nuts are loosened and the shim is replaced to change the angle.

 

Lastly the front appearance was improved by adding a bit of marquetry, cut by the chevalet of course, to hide the nasty chipped out surface of the clamp front. The motif chosen was a Rising Phoenix to commemorate the discarded fir beam from which the chevalet frame was built and , just a little tip of the hat to my winter home in Az. The chosen bit of clip art was deliberately picked for it's many sharp points. It was cut in boulle marquetry style so there is no "waste side" and the sharp tips were all cut by turning on the spot and cutting back. I could never do this on my DeWalt scroll saw.

 

 

 

Time for a couple of finished shots out in the Az. sun.

 

 

Now that it's all finished, I'll be leaving for home on Vancouver Island next Wednesday and since Alaska Airlines isn't interested in letting me take it as carry on, I'll just have to build another one when I get home. I'm all signed up for Patrick Edwards' American School of French Marquetry course next February and I want to get lots of chevalet time in before I go.

Bye for now.

Paul