The Woodshop Shed

Kennel Topper

Furnished content.
(from Lumberjocks.com)


One of the newer trends on a popular internet DIY site is custom pet kennels and kennel toppers. A friend of ours asked if we could make a topper for her dog kennel. Last spring we made a FarmHouse Desk for her and she asked for a kennel topper to match the wood of the desk.Nothing fancy here. No ornate routing or jointery. Just a flat board measuring about 45×31 inches. The top is made of thirteen each 3 and 4 inch boards glued up alternating the grain to resist warping. We made the top 3 inches wider and longer than the kennel. Then, centered 3/8 inch larger than the kennel dimensions, we routed a 1/4×1/4 inch dado into the bottom side. Into the dado was glued a 1 inch x 1/4 inch strip of wood extending down as a 3/4 inch skirt to keep the top in place should the topper get bumped into, or the dog were to get rowdy inside.Breadboard ends were installed to cover the end grain of the topper. The breadboards are secured to the top by four pocket hole screws installed from the top into each breadboard. (Breadboards are typically not glued in place to allow for different rates of expansion between the top and the breadboard. This way they can expand at their own rate without cracking or breaking anything. There are several typical methods used to secure breadboards, screws being one method).A 1/8 inch round-over bit was run around the top edges to break the sharp edges.As with the FarmHouse desk, the new owner will complete the finish sanding and apply a finish to match the FarmHouse desk.First time to do breadboards. Thanks for looking.

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