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tower.html
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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">
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<title>David McPhee's Personal Homepage</title>
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<div class="main">
<div class="bTitle"><p><u><strong>Toddler Tower</strong></u><p /></div>
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/thumbnail.jpeg" alt="Thumbnail for Toddler Tower"></img>
My daughter has started to become interested in what is going on in the kitchen, however all of
the counters are too high for her. The solution is to build a toddler tower to bring her to our
level. Since she has been growing like a weed, the platform that she stands on must be able to move
down over time. I built this project over the course of a week with my father-in-law (Josef) in my garage.
<div class="bSub"><p><b>Planning</b><p /></div>
Josef is a carpenter and has many tools which would make this project take much less time, but we will work with
what we have: a chop saw, jig saw, and sander. We first need to make an outline of the sides of the tower and get
the angle is correct. I figured we did not need an angle at all but Josef said that without one, it would be very
unintuitive which way is which. We try 3, 4, and 5 degrees, settling on the 3 degree angle. The tower is planned to
be 85" tall so even a degree or two at the base will be noticeable at the top.
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img1.jpeg" alt="drawing the outline"></img>
<div class="bSub"><p><b>Variable Height</b><p /></div>
After the frame has been planned, we need to cut the grooves for the platform to rest in. We make 4 different heights
that will hopefully last a handful of years. Since we have no router, we make due with the chop saw by only sawing about
half way through the wood. The result is a little messy but given our circumstances, it works.
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img2.jpeg" alt="grooves for variable height"></img>
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img3.jpeg" alt="cutting the grooves"></img>
To stop the platform from sliding out the back, we need to add stoppers from scrap pieces of wood. Again with a router we
could have left these in. Later we can add wood glue and filler to make it smooth.
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img4.jpeg" alt="stoppers added in the back grooves"></img>
We have the four main supports cut out and now we need to join them together. We start with the cross bar because
the plan for the side handles is to add a miter which should be done near the end. At the end of the first day we have
the main supports are cut and screwed together with each other.
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img5.jpeg" alt="planning for adding the crossbar"></img>
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img6.jpeg" alt="end of first day"></img>
For each of the screws, we use a 1/2 bit to bore a hole big enough for the screw head. Then the screw is screwed in and we
can add a plug to the top using wood glue. The cap is then sanded down so it is smooth. It is important to match the grain of
the caps with the wood so it looks good. If we were in Josef's shop we could have used either better matching caps or a dark
cherry cap as an accent.
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img7.jpeg" alt="plugs"></img>
We create a bottom step for the tower but we need to use screws that are shorter than we currently have. Josef uses a grinder to
grind down the ends of about 16 screws for us to use (I just watched this part, it looked pretty dangerous).
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img8.jpeg" alt="tower adding bottom foot step"></img>
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img12.jpeg" alt="Joe grinding down some screws"></img>
For the side railing we planned to make a miter. The miter is used so we can add many screws to make it secure. The angles can
be traced using a piece of wood placed on top of the main supports. After some sanding the result looks very clean.
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img10.jpeg" alt="miter 1"></img>
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img11.jpeg" alt="miter 2"></img>
After all the pieces are put together, we need to take it all apart and add wood glue. The wood glue is vital because in many
cases, it is stronger than screws. We use clamps to correct any misalignments whilst the glue is drying.
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img13.jpeg" alt="using clamps whilst the glue is drying"></img>
Once the glue is dry the tower is complete (for the most part).
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img14.jpeg" alt="completed tower"></img>
We still need to do hours of sanding and 5 rounds of lacquer. We use 60 grit to get any of the major dings and caps off and then
switch to a 120 grit. It is important not to use the 60 grit for too long because it is easy to take off more than you want with
that stuff. After the 120 grit we add wood filler into the voids as well as the inside of the miters. Again more sanding.
We apply the lacquer and let it dry for about 15 minutes before sanding lightly with 320 grit and then applying lacquer again.
The lacquer evaporates on the wood, hardening it. The spurs from the rough wood surface then stick up which is what we sand off.
After a couple of rounds of lacquer and sanding, the smoothness is very noticeable.
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img15.jpeg" alt="Lacquer station"></img>
After 4 days and nights of working with minimal tools, the tower is complete. My daughter can now use it to cook with Mom and
Josef and I can take a load off.
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img16.jpeg" alt="Use of tower"></img>
<img class="bImg" src="/includes/projects/tower/img17.jpeg" alt="relaxing"></img>
</div>
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david.mcphee3@gmail.com | MIT license unless otherwise stated
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