Folding Room Divider

8/8/2019 Folding Room Divider

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PHOTOS

BYSTAFFANDSCOTTJACOBSON

10 American How-To

Simple lines and keen

attention to detail

make this oak divider

a welcome addition to

any room. Coordinate

the removable screen-

ing fabric panel with

your own upholstery

for a truly custom look.

Todays popular residential floor plans empha-size larger rooms and more open space. Whilethese barrier-free designs are liberating, they cancomplicate furniture placement and make distin-guishing spaces for particular functions difficult.

This folding room divider project provides a sim-ple yet elegant solution.

When American How-To asked me to design a

divider that would work within various types ofhomes contemporary, traditional, eclectic Iturned to the Arts and Crafts period for inspira-tion. As for my choice of woods, I used red oak

because oak still is Americas most popular resi-dential wood for natural trim, floors and cabi-netry. However, you could use any hardwoodand achieve the same beautiful results.

Making the partsI started with 6/4 stock and planed it to a uni-form 1-1/4-in. thickness. This stock is readily

available from lumberyards that sell hardwoods.Begin by ripping the 1-1/4-in. stock to width

for the rails and stiles using your table saw andfence. Then crosscut both the rails and stiles to

length using the sawsmiter gauge, or use amiter box.

To keep this projectuncomplicated, I joinedthe rails and stiles with1/2-in.-dia. dowels.

Although dowel joints aresimple, aligning dowelsproperly can be difficultunless you use an accu-rate doweling jig. For thisproject, I chose to makemy own simple tandem

jig (see drawing) becausethe spacing betweendowel holes is the samefor all the parts.

To ensure jig accura-

cy, I made it from thesame 1-1/4-in. stock asthe rails and stiles. Ibored the holes using abrad-point bit mountedin a drill press. Then Iattached the 1/4-in. ply-

wood sides to the jig withglue and small nails.

Lay out and mark theposition of the rails onthe stiles. Use thesemarks to correctly locatethe doweling jig. Secure

Folding Room DividerTame an open floor plan to add privacy

WORKSHOPby NEAL BARRETT


2/5X American How-To

1-1/4 x 1-3/4 x

2-1/4" hardwood

1/4"1-1/4"

1/4"

7/8"

1-3/4" 1/2"1/2"

1/4"

Set in 1/8"

16"

1/4"

1/4 "

3"

1/2"

1/4"

1-1/4"

1-1/4 x 2"double-actionhinge(6 req'd.)

1/2"

1-1/4"

2-1/4"

2-1/4"

1-1/4"

No. 4 x 1"

brass fhws

No. 4x 3/4"brass

fhws

1/2" dia. x 2" fluteddowel (typ.)

Notch both ends

5"

1/4 x 2-1/4 x 3-1/4"plywood (2 req'd.)

1/2" dia.throughholes

Bore 1/2" dia. x 1-1/16"-deep dowel holes (typical)

42-1/2

Stops

Stops

Stops

GridScreenfabric

Grid

Screenfabric

Grid

SECTION VIEW

DOWELING JIG FRONT VIEW DETAILS

GRID MEMBERS F AND G

A

A

A

A

A

A A

B

B

B

C

C

C

D D

D

E

E

E

E

E

F

I

G

G

H

H

F

ROOM

DIVIDER

12 American How-To


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the jig to the stock with a C-clamp andclamp the stock in your workbench vise(see photos) before boring the holes.Indicate the correct drilling depth by

wrapping masking tape around thebit. Its a good practice to drill about

1/16 in. deeper than necessary to besure the joint can close and to allowroom for excess glue.

Be sure to leave the jig and work-pieces oriented in the same direction as

you bore the holes. Any minor inaccu-racies in the jig will be magnified if youchange its relative position from one

workpiece to the next. Test fit eachjoint with dowels before you glue (seephoto). If the dowels are too fat for theholes, you can pare down the dowels

with a simple jig. Drill a 1/2-in.-dia. holethrough a 1/8- or 1/4-in. steel plate,then drive the dowels through the hole

with a mallet.

The plywood panel of each frame fitsinto a 1/4 x 1/4-in. groove you cut inthe stiles and the bottom and middle

rails before assembly. Use a plungerouter to cut the groove with a 1/4-in.-dia. straight bit and an edge guide. Tohelp support the router base, I clampanother piece of stock in the bench visenext to the stile (see photo).

To cut the tongues on the edges ofthe plywood panels, use a router andpiloted rabbeting bit or make the cuts ona table saw. If you set a 1/8-in.-kerf blade1/8 in. from the fence and 1/4 in. high,

you can make all the rabbet cuts withoutchanging the fence position. Make thefirst cuts with the panel face against thefence, then make the cuts with the panelface down on the saw table.

Assembling the frameTo assemble a frame, apply and spreadglue on each dowel and in each dowel

hole. If you use polyurethane glue, as Idid for more open time, apply glue onlyon the walls of the holes. Do not gluethe panel; let it float free in the grooves.

Although theres no danger of the ply-wood panel expanding and contractinglike a solid wood panel, gluing it is

unnecessary and it can create a mess.Install the three rails in one stile;

then slide the panel into position. Alignthe remaining stile over the dowels,then clamp. Compare diagonal measure-ments to be sure that the frame issquare and adjust the clamps as needed.

Making the screensAlthough I made only one grid for eachdivider section, you might want to maketwo (so the fabric is sandwiched betweenthem) if you plan on using the divider ina spot where both sides are visible.

September/October 1999 13

SHOPPING LIST

25 bf 6/4 red oak

3/4 x 24 x 24 red oak plywood (1)

Double action hinges (six reqd.,

Rockler catalog No. 29041)

No. 4 x 3/4-in. brass flathead

wood screws

No. 4 x 1-in. brass flathead

wood screws

1/2-in.-dia. x 2-in. fluted dowels

Synskin fiberglass fabric

(2 yds.; see SOURCES)

MATERIALS AND CUTTING LIST

KEY NO DESCRIPTION SIZE

A 6 Stiles 1-1/4 x 1-3/4 x 66 in.

B 3 Top rails 1-1-4 x 2-1/4 x 12 in.

C 3 Mid rails 1-1/4 x 2-1/4 x 12 in.

D 3 Bottom rails 1-1/4 x 3 x 12 in.

E 3 Panels, oak plywood 3/4 x 12-1/2 x 16-1/2 in.

F 18 Vertical grid/stop strips 1/2 x 1/2 x 42-1/2 in.

G 12 Horizontal grid strips 1/2 x 1/2 x 12 in.

H 6 Horizontal stop strips 1/2 x 1/2 x 11 in.

I 3 Screen fabric 14 x 44 in.*

*Use the assembled grid as a template to trim to exact size; see

text and SOURCES.

DOWELING

To ensure that the joints fit well, keep the

jig and the workpieces oriented in the

same position relative to one another.

Secure the workpiece in a bench vise andthe jig to the work with a C-clamp. Mark

the drilling depth on the bit with tape.

Fit the frame parts together temporarily

and use a pencil to mark the location of

the groove for the panel.


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tions. Gang cut the joints on your tablesaw using a stack-dado blade and a slid-

ing table (see photo). A wobble-dadoblade will produce a cut thats toocoarse. The joints should fit snugly andbe flush on both sides. Youll probablyneed to make several test cuts beforethe joints fit just right.

Dry-assemble each grid to check forproper fit. For a fast set, apply yellow

glue to each joint andclamp (see photos). Whenthe glue has dried, sand

each grid with 220-gritsandpaper and apply aclear finish, such as var-nish or lacquer.

I used a translucentfiberglass fabric common-ly used as a shoji screenmaterial to cover the grid(see SOURCES). Otherfabrics or rice paper wouldalso work. First cut a pieceof fabric slightly larger

than the grid; then fastenit to the top, back edge ofthe grid with 1/4-in. sta-ples. Use a razor knife totrim the fabric flush withthe edge of the grid. Thefabric is stiff enough tostay put once you installthe grid against the stops.

Finishing upTo install the surface-mounted hinges, clampadjoining frames together

Make stock by ripping 1/2-in.-sq.strips on the table saw for the stops andscreen grid. Or, if you have a band sawand a planer, rip oversize strips on theband saw, then plane them to 1/2 in.

Whether you use a table saw or a bandsaw, be sure to use a pushstick and

keep your hands away from the blade.Cut the stops to length for the back

of the screen. Drill pilot holes andclearance holes in the stops, and fastenthem to the frame with 1-in. screws(see photo).

Next, cut the strips to size for thegrids and mark the half-lap joint posi-

14 A merican How-To

FRAME AND PANEL CONSTRUCTION

When routing the panel grooves, clamp an

extra piece of stock next to the work to

help stabilize the router.

Before screwing the stops to the frame, bore clearanceand pilot holes, then countersink.

To cut the half-lap joints,

make a sliding table with

runners for both mitergauge slots. Use a stop for

consistent cuts.

Attach the rails and panel to one stile; then add the second stile and clamp. Adjust the

clamps and check that the frame is square.

MAKING GRIDS

Extra stock

Assemble thegrid joints

with glue, tap

them together

lightly if

needed, then

secure with

spring clamps.

Edge guide

Screenstops

Stop


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with 1/8-in. spacers between them (seephoto). Position the double-actionhinges (see SOURCES) on the frameedges, then mark and drill pilot holes for

the hinge screws (use the screws provid-ed). Check that the hinges work correct-ly, then remove them for finishing.

Sand each frame section with220-grit paper and dust thoroughly. I

applied two coats of satin polyurethanevarnish, but you can use any clear fin-ish. Reinstall the hinges once the finishhas cured.

To complete the divider, drill andcounterbore pilot holes for screws inthe top and bottom faces of each grid.

Lay the divider on a padded table andinstall the grid panels with brass flat-head wood screws.

SOURCES

Abe Schuster Plastics, Oakland, CA

(510) 653-3588

Rockler Woodworking and Hardware,

Medina, MN, (800) 279-4441

www.rockler.com

Club member Neal Barrett is a profession-

al woodworker from Rochester, New York.

September/October 1999 15

1/8-in. spacers

To install the hinges, clamp the frames

with 1/8-in. spacers between them, then

mark and bore the screw holes.

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