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I start by ripping the wood frame to size. I use3/4-inch material and rip it 1 inch wide. I make the frame 1 inch high
so when a ¼ inch piece of plywood is rabbeted into the bottom it will leave a depth of ¾ inch for the corks.
This leaves the corks just higher than the frame so any hot pans will only ride on the corks.
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With enough lumber ripped to make the frame I cut the sides at a 45 degree miter. I cut the sides 8-1/2 inches to the
long point of the miter. This gives me 7 inches square on the inside.
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I set up a stop block so all the pieces will be cut exactly the same length. With the first miter cut, I flip the piece
over so the long point is facing out and slide it to my stop block and cut the other end. I can cut all the sides this way
without moving the saw.
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The pieces are glued and nailed together with 18 gauge one inch long brad nails I put one brad nail in each corner
to hold it in place while the glue dries.
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The plywood bottom is ¼ inch thick and needs to be rabbited into the sides so the edge doesn’t show. Here
I set the depth of a rabbet bit to the depth of the plywood.
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Then with the surface that I want to be on the bottom I rout the inside with the rabbeting bit to receive the plywood
bottom.
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I put a little wood glue around the edge of the rabbet and nail the plywood bottom in place with some 5/8-inch brad
nails.
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I will dry fit all the corks in place to check how they fit. When I am sure I like the pattern I will remove them to
another surface keeping them in the same position. I put a liberal amount of wood glue on them one at a time and place them
back in the frame. I give each of them a little turn to make sure the glue is spread around a little.
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Sometimes there will be a cork that is a little bit longer than the rest making it hard to fit it in without messing
up the pattern. Rather than throw it out I will trim a bit off on the band saw.
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To keep the trivet from sliding around I drill a 5-mm hole with a stop collar for some small rubber bumpers that I normally use for cabinet doors.
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The rubber bumpers simply get pushed into place and the trivet is finished. You can add a finish if you like. I usually
use a spray on lacquer and spray corks and everything.
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