I woke up today rarin' to go, went to Lowes and picked up a 3/4"x12"x4' engineered board (no idea what its actual name is) and a 1x3 to build the end-panels. First I built the frames...
...using some scrap 2x4 pieces because of course - one 1x3 wasn't enough. After building the first frame I tested it for fit and quickly realized 1x3 was waaay too big for the little space around the end of the radiator. So, I ripped the 1x3 and 2x4 pieces down to a more manageable size, re-built the frames and cut the end caps...
What a joy to have a modern compound miter saw! Made for quick, easy and accurate cuts, even on a 12" wide board! A far cry from the old chop saw I used for years!
Anyway, after re-sizing the frames for the end panels, I got so excited I glued and nailed the first cap to the frame. When I headed for the dining room I noticed I had affixed the wrong panel to the frame I made for the left end of the radiator! I was able to remove the cap from the frame, but left a gluey mess. Nonetheless, I persevered and got all the pieces put together correctly, and set them in place for a dry fit.
It looks okay from the outside but good grief, it still wasn't right! Actually, it was right, but it just wouldn't do. Here's why...
The problem is, everything is so jamb-packed in that once everything is assembled, there would be no way to remove the cover if needed without dismantling it. Bummer! Worse yet though - I misfigured somehow and the ends were way too wide, creating a gulf between the cover and the radiator...
That just won't work! So, tomorrow I will scrap the end panels and start afresh. I have no one to blame but myself - this is the product of building a la carte instead of making a plan! As a matter of fact, here's the sum-total of the planning (on paper anyway) I did for this project:
So far, NONE of those numbers were right! Well, tomorrow's another day!