How close together do I place the slates before I apply the contact cement and canvas. Also what is best way to hold slates in place once they are positioned for applying the canvas? Is it possible to get the slates too tight so the tambour won't easily roll?
- Richard
Tomahawk, WI
Our Expert
When gluing tambours strips to the canvas backing it's important that each strip make contact with the adjacent strips; otherwise you'll see the canvas when the tambour is closed. The shape of each slat allows the tambour to flex and slide through the curved track. The tambour slats should be beveled or rounded along the edges to prevent binding.
I suggest that you use white glue for gluing the slats to the canvas.Contact cement will allow the slats to work loose over a period of time. White glue is very strong and a tambour constructed with white glue will last many years. In fact, the cloth back will wear out before the glue fails.
When gluing a tambour, I make a clamping jig which is simply two pieces of 3/4" thick plywood which I use to sandwich the slats and canvas. I tack strips of wood around the perimeter of the plywood that forms the lower half of the sandwich; the strips will create a "tray" to keep the slats in position.
I start by ironing the canvas to remove all wrinkles. Then I position the canvas in the tray and apply white glue with a stiff, wide brush. Next, I quickly and carefully position the slats side-by-side on the canvas. Then I apply the second piece of plywood over the slats and apply pressure with clamps and cauls.
After the glue has had a half-hour to set I remove the clamps and carefully remove any glue squeeze-out from between the slats. After 30 minutes the glue will be firmly set but the squeeze-out will be soft enough that you can peel it off with a sharp chisel.
Over the years, I've made a number of tambours this way. It's a very tedious process. I suggest that you try Amana's Tambour Bit Set. This unique router bit set shapes tambours that interlock like a ball-and-socket joint. And unlike the glue and canvas method, making a tambour with the bits is quite easy; after shaping the tambour slats, they just slide together.
