Locating The Screw Holes - Side Pieces & Middle Cross Member

Locating The Screw Holes On The Side Pieces
In locating the screw holes for the side pieces, we follow the same procedure as we did for the end plates - with an added exception.  The side pieces will be sandwiched between the end pieces when we assemble the wood.  This will add an extra 3/4" that we have to account for when locating the screw holes for the side pieces as shown in the photo below.
To account for that extra 3/4", we make use of one of those extra pieces of 1"x 2" that we had cut with our cross member in one of our earlier blogs.

1) - Place the side piece "Top" down on your work surface and "Out" facing towards you.

2) - Place the piece of 1"x 2" alongside one end of the side piece (it actually measures 3/4"x 1 1/2") and draw a vertical line.

3) - Place your 2" (or 1 1/2") block of wood alongside one end of the side piece.  Draw a straight line along the edge about 8-9" long.

4) - Place the marked gusset on top of the block and draw a line along the top edge and the side edge of the gusset.  (You have now roughly located where that gusset will go.)
5) - Transfer the locations of the screws from the marked gusset into the lines marked on the side piece as shown below.  

6) - Complete the location of the screw holes by drawing a line mid-way between the two long lines as shown below.


You don't have to be exact to the 1/64", 1/32" or 1/16"of an inch in locating the screw holes.  The accuracy will be in locating the gussets which will be covered later on.  We've now completed locating the screw holes for one end of the side piece.

7) Place the marked gusset alongside the end of the side piece as shown in the photo below.  Transfer the locations of the screws from the marked gusset into the end and the line marked at the end on the side piece as shown below.   Complete the location of the screw holes by drawing a line mid-way between the line and the end as shown below.


8) - Repeat Steps 2 ) to 7) for the other end of the side piece.

9) - Repeat Steps 2) to 8) for the side piece.

10)  Your side pieces should resemble those shown below.

Our next step is to locate the screw holes for the cross member(s).

Locating The Screw Holes For the Middle Cross Member(s)

We've been spending some time locating the screw holes for the various pieces of wood.  In reality, the whole process takes less than an hour.  Imagine how fast we'd be moving if we were building a whole bunch of modules!  Zoom! Zoom!  Those modules would be built, ready to install the track in no time flat.

But.....  we've got one more set of screw holes to locate -the ones for the middle cross member(s).  If we're building a 4' module, we'll want one middle cross member.  If we're building a 6' module we might want two middle cross members.

1) - Place the side piece "Top" down on your work surface and "Out" facing towards you.  Using a tape measure, mark the mid-point of the side piece as shown in the photo below.  For a 6' module we will mark the 2' and 4' points of the side piece. 


2) - Place your 2" (or 1 1/2") block of wood on either side of the mid-point mark that you just drew on the side piece.  Draw a straight line along the edge about 5-6" long.


3) - Place the piece of 1"x 2" wood on top of the 2" (or 1 1/2") block and line it up in the middle of that mid-point mark.  Draw a line along the top edge and both side edges of the 1"x 2".  (You have now roughly located where the middle cross member will go.)

4) - Divide the rectangle just drawn into thirds.  Mark each third with a vertical line as shown below.  This marks the location of two wood screws that will hold the middle cross member in place. 

5) - Complete the location of the screw holes by drawing a line mid-way between the two long lines as shown below.


You don't have to be exact to the 1/64", 1/32" or 1/16"of an inch in locating the screw holes.  The accuracy will be in installing the middle cross member(s) which will be covered later on.  We've now completed locating the screw holes in the side piece for fastening the middle cross member. 

6) - If you're building a 6' module, repeat Steps 2) to 5) at the 2' and 4' mark on the side piece.

7) - Repeat Steps 1) to 6) for the other side piece. 

The side pieces should now be marked up as shown below.  

Next up, we drill the screw holes

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