That’s an exercise in frame-and-panel construction, possibly without the panels. Are you looking for the cloth to pass light/be translucent? If not the easy way to do that is to wrap the fabric over some thin plywood to make panels and set those panels into rabbets the way you’d build glass cabinet doors.
Alright, thanks for the jargon ! No, I mean yes, without the panels. I was picturing a hollow frame with some cloth stapled over it. No need to make it heavier than necessary, and I don’t want it to be completely opaque either, just not see-through. Also wood is very expensive over here, so I want to keep material to a minimum. My main concern is managing to find sapine bars straight enough. Sapine ? bars ? I have no idea if I’m using the right words. I’m loosely translating from french
Google translates “sapine” to “fir” so I take it you either mean fir or cedar wood or softwood in general? “bar” you probably mean “board.”
Concerned about finding fir/cedar/softwood boards that are straight enough? I feel that. Softwoods don’t like to stay straight even when properly dried and milled. Perhaps a hardwood like birch or poplar (depending on availability in your part of the world) might be easier to work with.
In case you’re more used to British jargon, what us Americans call a “rabbet” the Brits call a “rebate.” A groove cut at the edge of the board.
Ah yes, sapin is indeed fir. I assumed since pin is pine, sapin must be sapine… but it’s never that simple. 😁 When I said bar, I meant a piece that’s usually 240cm long, with a square-ish section about 4*4cm. The french for it is tasseau -google says “cleat”, but an image search doesn’t exactly return what I’m trying to convey. Anyway…! yes, for a freestanding screen I would go for a more stable wood, but there’s only fir and red wood, and the latter is unaffordable… it’s okay though ! as a complete amateur, I accept the risks. I am also not equipped to cut a rabbet (!), looks like I need some special equipment. Thanks btw, I just learned a lot !
Lots of ways to cut a rabbet, they make router bits for it, you can do it with a table saw (Americans often use a dado blade but it can be done with a standard blade in two cuts) or you can accomplish it with nothing but a chisel.
I’d have to go the manual route I think, given my lack of proper equipment. I’ll consider rabbetting for my screen, I always feel kinda bad using screws 😁
I made some panels like this this summer, to block the sun coming into our apartment, without blocking the light completely.
The canvas was more expensive than the wood, I must say. I just made squares, not divided panels, because I wasn’t sure how we would arrange them. I used lap joints for the corners and I just wrapped the canvas over the frame and stapled it at the back. I put a couple of feet on each one so that the canvas wouldn’t be touching the ground and get dirty.
So, nothing fancy at all, but they’re actually very pleasing to look at - the sunlight coming through them, especially. I can really recommend this as a project!
You will hear voices out there who will tell you it’s wrong or improper or lowly to use metal fasteners rather than traditional joinery in furniture projects. Those voices are dumb and bad and wrong. Pocket screw joinery–done correctly–is strong enough for projects like this, inexpensive and easy to make, and accessible without a lot of tools. If it holds the project you want together what’s the problem?
Yea, well said. I have a tendency to never be satisfied with my work, but I try hard for it not to extend to my hobbies. I recently completed a dish cabinet, mostly using brackets (after a failed first try with glue and gudgeons!). Ultimately I am very happy with it, like you said, it does the job. Thanks for the wise words
If you don’t already have fabric you’re intending to use, you might also consider paper as an option. Paper of the type used in Japanese shoji screens, that is, not office bond paper.
That’s an exercise in frame-and-panel construction, possibly without the panels. Are you looking for the cloth to pass light/be translucent? If not the easy way to do that is to wrap the fabric over some thin plywood to make panels and set those panels into rabbets the way you’d build glass cabinet doors.
Alright, thanks for the jargon ! No, I mean yes, without the panels. I was picturing a hollow frame with some cloth stapled over it. No need to make it heavier than necessary, and I don’t want it to be completely opaque either, just not see-through. Also wood is very expensive over here, so I want to keep material to a minimum. My main concern is managing to find sapine bars straight enough. Sapine ? bars ? I have no idea if I’m using the right words. I’m loosely translating from french
Your English is certainly better than my French.
Google translates “sapine” to “fir” so I take it you either mean fir or cedar wood or softwood in general? “bar” you probably mean “board.”
Concerned about finding fir/cedar/softwood boards that are straight enough? I feel that. Softwoods don’t like to stay straight even when properly dried and milled. Perhaps a hardwood like birch or poplar (depending on availability in your part of the world) might be easier to work with.
In case you’re more used to British jargon, what us Americans call a “rabbet” the Brits call a “rebate.” A groove cut at the edge of the board.
Ah yes, sapin is indeed fir. I assumed since pin is pine, sapin must be sapine… but it’s never that simple. 😁 When I said bar, I meant a piece that’s usually 240cm long, with a square-ish section about 4*4cm. The french for it is tasseau -google says “cleat”, but an image search doesn’t exactly return what I’m trying to convey. Anyway…! yes, for a freestanding screen I would go for a more stable wood, but there’s only fir and red wood, and the latter is unaffordable… it’s okay though ! as a complete amateur, I accept the risks. I am also not equipped to cut a rabbet (!), looks like I need some special equipment. Thanks btw, I just learned a lot !
Lots of ways to cut a rabbet, they make router bits for it, you can do it with a table saw (Americans often use a dado blade but it can be done with a standard blade in two cuts) or you can accomplish it with nothing but a chisel.
I’d have to go the manual route I think, given my lack of proper equipment. I’ll consider rabbetting for my screen, I always feel kinda bad using screws 😁
I made some panels like this this summer, to block the sun coming into our apartment, without blocking the light completely.
The canvas was more expensive than the wood, I must say. I just made squares, not divided panels, because I wasn’t sure how we would arrange them. I used lap joints for the corners and I just wrapped the canvas over the frame and stapled it at the back. I put a couple of feet on each one so that the canvas wouldn’t be touching the ground and get dirty.
So, nothing fancy at all, but they’re actually very pleasing to look at - the sunlight coming through them, especially. I can really recommend this as a project!
Cool, do you have pictures ? I’ll have to look up some of the jargon you used
You will hear voices out there who will tell you it’s wrong or improper or lowly to use metal fasteners rather than traditional joinery in furniture projects. Those voices are dumb and bad and wrong. Pocket screw joinery–done correctly–is strong enough for projects like this, inexpensive and easy to make, and accessible without a lot of tools. If it holds the project you want together what’s the problem?
Yea, well said. I have a tendency to never be satisfied with my work, but I try hard for it not to extend to my hobbies. I recently completed a dish cabinet, mostly using brackets (after a failed first try with glue and gudgeons!). Ultimately I am very happy with it, like you said, it does the job. Thanks for the wise words
If you don’t already have fabric you’re intending to use, you might also consider paper as an option. Paper of the type used in Japanese shoji screens, that is, not office bond paper.
Ah, like rice paper ? that’s a good idea. Not sure it would fare well here, it’s very humid. But I do like the looks, let’s see if I can find any
Cheers !
I looked it up and it’s not made with rice. www.eshoji.com/faq/shoji-shoji-paper-rice-paper-everything-you-need-to-know