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52K views 112 replies 24 participants last post by  motthunter 
#1 ·
Restart

I guess it's been so long since my last entry on this blog that I have to begin the series again. The New Blog entry page didn't give me this title as a choice again.

I was sidetracked with the Thorsen Table challenge and a couple of furniture repair jobs that came to me. (This is a commission that said, "Whenever you can get to it." That's not a good thing to say to me.) But, I worked most of the day yesterday on the chests of drawers and hope to post a few pictures of something resembling a chest of drawers case a little later in the day.
 
#9 ·
"Commission" . . . that was kind of a "professional" word, and a bit overstated! Some time ago, someone on Lumberjocks mentioned having some benefactors/friends that found things for him to make for them and he implied that he knew it was thier way helping him out rather than just handing him cash for milk and Wheaties (my words).

Well, at this point in my life, I don't build things for milk and Wheaties (some day maybe?). But, these follks appreciate my ministry in the church, and this community (Habitat for Humanity, etc) and they know woodworking is a regenerative, soul-enriching activity for me. So, they find things for me to build for them. He has given me "birthday gifts" (not necessarily on my birthday) like a PC Bisquit Joiner and the Kreg Pockethole Jig system which I don't recall even wishing for in his presence.

They're taking care of me and while it is technically a "commission," - they're actually taking "care" of me in a different way than financial. (I roll the cash over into the shop, the kids college funds and woodworking classes.) So, while pocketholes and screws weren't my first thought for installing the drawer dividers and the chest top (I first thought of dowels or bisquits), I am going to use them. It's their "commission" and I think it will please him to know that I used the pockethole jig he gave me.

So, take the word "commission" with a grain of salt. Believe me, regardless of how decent the pictures of my projects look, I see up close the quality of my finishing and how tight my joinery is. These folks have additional purposes than just gaining some well-built funriture.
 
#10 ·
Dry Fit and Partial

Whenever I draw up the plans myself instead of working from a published plan, I stop and dry fit often (probably too much) but I seem to catch errors in arithmetic and design faster this way. Here's a couple of pics of the dry fit from yesterday. Click the thumbnail pics for a larger view.





Here's the way it looks with the frame and panels for the sides glued up and the back dry fitted and clamped in place.





Now, I'm pondering how I want to fix the draw dividers in place . . . dowels . . . bisquits . . . pocket screws . . . hmmmmm. I'll have to reread the pockethole jig owner's manual (a b-day gift from a friend) and make sure I have the right size screws for this application, but I'm leaning in that direction. What do you think?

Worship this morning. Nap and newspaper to the present mid-afternoon. Drop daughter at the movies and groceries next. Maybe I'll get to work on it some tonight. For sure I'll be at it tomorrow on Memorial Day.
 
#16 ·
Top and Dividers Installed

Had a little time today. I used the pocketholes and screws for the first time. Pretty neat. Think I would have needed more hands for other attachment options (dowels, bisquits). Click the pics for larger images.





On to the carcase of it's twin and then . . . dovetailed drawers (another first)
 
#23 ·
Finishing Advise

I should be able to post pictures of the twin in the next couple of days and then start the drawers (I cut a bunch of rough parts for the drawers yesterday), but I'm starting to think ahead to finishing. I'm concerned about the solid red oak taking the stain differently than the red oak ply. Any advise?

1. I plan on testing it out with a scrap of each first.
2. Experience or advise on fillers for porous oak? I haven't tried fillers before.
3. When I stopped by the Rockler store yesterday to pick up some more oak plugs for the pocketholes, I picked up a can of wood conditioner. I've read that it's harder to get a dark stain with conditioner though. I plan to experiment on scraps, but will conditioner be necessary?
4. Or will sanding well help the red oak and the ply take the stain similarly?
 
#24 ·
I do alot of work with red oak ply and solid red oak. I just finished this entertainment centre a few months ago. This is red oak ply with solid wood accents and edging.



I use varathane gel stains when I mix ply and solid red oak. This one is Early American. I don't use any pore fillers.

Cheers!
 
#26 ·
Three Steps Forward, At Least One Step Back

I "completed" the carcases and installation of the drawer dividers on the "twins."


click for larger image

Things were going so well, I guess I was feeling frisky and got ahead of myself. I installed the dividers before attaching the side drawer guides on the twin. But hey, I'm a pockethole "expert" now! So, I'll just drill some pocketholes and attach the side drawer guides without taking the dividers back out. On number eight of 10 side drawer guides, the driver bit slips and I put a neat little hole through the 1/4" side panel! After a few non-profane exclamations, I compose myself and install the last of the side drawer guides before turning the case off it's side to survey what it looks like on the outside. Well, it's a neat little hole on the inside. But, it's an ugly splintered mess on the outside . . . in a futile hopeless effort, I push some glue in the hole and try to push it back together . . . yeah, right . . . so I took the advise of an article I read recently. I put a few things away. Took a few pictures for the blog and called it a day. No use in making it worse by trying to fix it while I'm upset.


Click for larger image

Well, at least a couple or three drawer dividers will be coming back out after all. I'm going to have to remove the back half of the panel dadoes in the stiles, punch the damaged panel out and try to spring a new replacement panel into place. Of course the grain pattern won't be a continuation up the side anymore. Planing, sizing and dovetailing the drawer parts into drawers will have to wait.


click for larger image
 
#30 ·
Repair Complete

Along with another little repair on a different project that was brought to me, I used a shop session last night to fix the hole I accidently punched in the chest carcase. (a "session" is two or three hours after supper on a weeknight - I get maybe one or two a week.)

Thanks for the key inlay suggestion, but with 1/4" ply material for the panel, that's not possible - the material has to be thicker.

Took a couple of drawer dividers back out and I did manage to cut out the back half of the dado cheek top/bottom from the inside of the carcase and punch out the damaged panel. I found another piece of oak ply with a grain pattern that continued the bottom panel grain very well, carefully cut and tested until I retained as much width as possible but could still spring it into the side dadoes. It actually looks real good from the outside. Of course the insde doesn't look real great anymore with replacement glue blocks holding the panel, but after the drawers are in, it will rarely be seen. Re-installed the drawer dividers and went to bed.

Trying to stop being frustrated with such a bone head mistake and the lost time that could have been used for real progress.
 
#37 ·
Drawer Construction Prep

Lots of other things going on, raining a lot in Texas (anybody have plans for an Ark? Oh yeah, I have a description in the Bible!) - so I stacked up the garage to get a car in more often & was gone for ten days of vacation, so haven't accomplished much over the past three weeks.

I did "unstack" and get back into the shop some today after cutting the grass (just before it started raining again). I spent 3 1/2 hours planing poplar drawer sides and backs to 1/2" stock and sizing all the drawer fronts to their openings.

Everything is set to review the dovertail jig instructions again and get after building drawers.
 
#43 ·
Drawer Dovetails

It's the 4th and isn't freedom a blessing! Went to the community parade this morning and free to make wood dust this afternoon!

Well, after doing some thicknessing and sizing the other day, I got out the PC dovetail jig and router today. Red Oak drawer fronts and poplar secondary. Click the images for a larger view.

After messing with some practice pieces for about 20 miuntes, I started cutting the real thing. Here's a view of the last of 24 drawer sides still in the jig after routing.



A little closer:



Trial fit:



A little closer:



A pile of dovetailed drawer parts:



I cut the dado for the drawer bottoms in line with the bottom tail on all the drawer sides/fronts and called it a day after 2 or 3 hours. Time to get ready for holiday festivities and fireworks!
 
#51 ·
Had just an hour

Not much time this week - this will probably be my only blog entry - maaaaybe one other evening this week I will have a bit of time back in the shop? Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to get anything ready for the summer challenge :(

Sized all the drawer sides to length

Practiced on scraps with the PC jig (4212) on through dovetails for the drawer sides to back joinery. It's a little more complicated on through dovetails (more steps, flipping template, switching bits from dovetail to straight - wish I had two routers with 1/2" collets), but it should be okay if I work deliberately again and make sure my pieces are set tight against the guide & turned the correct way.

Practice on Poplar scraps - bit needed to be set a tad deeper - 1/16" to 3/32" - but pretty nice otherwise (click for larger view):



Set up the jig and made ready to cut tails on the back of first drawer side. But then, shut off the lights to move to the next task for the evening. It will be ready to go the next time I get out there.
 
#54 ·
Drawer cases assembled/glued

I thought I would pop in to let you know I'm still slowly plugging away. I've only had eight hours in the shop this month (July). Today (first free Saturday), I may be able to nearly double that total for the month.

It's killing me that I can't participate in the summer challenge but July was a bad month for me and I agreed to build these chests about a year ago! So, it was about time I put them at the top of my list.

Send an extra positive prayer/thought my way. I'm attempting a tighter tolerance on the drawers fit in the chest case than I ever have before. Hopefully my pencil has been sharp and my corners square!

Here's where I am. I have the drawer cases assembled. Lots of sanding (drawers and chest case), as well as cutting and fitting the drawer bottoms is the order of the day.







 
#62 ·
Back to the Chests after 2 Month Diversion

Gosh, time flies. Projects that I've outlined in other blogs piled up and I needed my space back to work on these chests. Didn't get a whole heck of lot accomplished after the flea market and yard sales today.

Purchased manufactured maple drawer guides. Made a mistake and left a 5/8" inset to the drawer bottoms and the guide was 3/4" high. Fortunately, I was able to take 1/16" off each half of the guide by running through my table top tickness planer to make them 5/8" high. The other option was to inset each drawer guide 1/8" into the drawer dividers. I knew it was doable but since the drawer dividers were already mounted in the carcase, there would be limited room for working with chisels and creating a 1/8" inset. Certainly couldn't get a router in there. That was probably the correct option instead of planing the guides but glue and screw on each end . . . they aren't going anywhere.



After planing, cut to length and center mounted a guide for each drawer. Slid the other half onto the mounted half, placed the drawer in the opening - center with shims and mark to the bottom of the drawer. Got just two drawers marked and the other half of the guides glued to the bottom. Wish I had a brad nailer to tack the guides to the drawer bottoms, too.

If the nice weather holds, I may take a couple of vacation days next week and try to get a ways down the road on finishing up these chests.
 
#64 ·
Drawers In

1. Mounted the center guides on all the drawers - sanded, planed, etc. for stick free slide on drawers - still have quite a bit of fine tuning to do.
2. Made and applied crest? to chest tops
3. Lots of sanding now in my future.



What do you think? Round knobs? Square Mission Knobs and Pulls?
 
#86 ·
Spray Finish



Not much new to show. I'm not well pleased with my sanding which was revealed by the stain. Sorry, I'm too ashamed to show close ups. You can see enough at this distance. I really thought I had gone over it extremely well. errg!

I picked up a Rockler HVLP unit at the after thanksgiving sale ($60) and am pretty well pleased with the results. Sprayed Minwax Satin Polyurethane

I need to order the knobs, finish to match and finish up this three piece project.
 
#94 ·
Finished

I posted some dusty pics under my projects. And these pics aren't great additions, but they're too heavy for me to move around by myself (and risk banging up) for better pics. I did get a lttle of the dust off the chest at least/

Click pics for larger view



Full size bed frame
 
#95 ·
Very nice project. I hope you don't have to climb any stairs because the pieces look pretty solid. If you do, get plenty of help.

By the way now that the bed and chest are completed I assume that nightstands and possibly an armoire are also in the picture? After all I would hate to see you get bored.

Thanks for sharing.
 
#100 ·
Gift to Friends

Two church members, church elders and great friends know that woodworking is emotionally, spiritually and psychologically therapeutic for their pastor. So they have commissioned me to build five pieces of craftsman/arts & crafts furniture for them over the past six to eight years (Chair, couch, bed frame and two chest of drawers). All the pieces are pictured in my projects or blogs. They're moving away to Iowa in August :(

I plan to have this bookcase done for them as a going away present. It's based on a Stickley design found in Shop Drawings of Craftsman Furniture vol.II

 
#102 ·
Bookcase

Not a lot of progress, but the plan calls for lead glass panes in the three small square openings of the door. I decided not to search out and commission someone to make the leaded glass and rather opted to make wooden cross panes. I've seen examples of Arts and Crafts bookcases with this arrangement. Simple lap joinery for the cross pane and small lap joints inset into the glass rabett.

 
#104 ·
Glass Door Bookcase

Was able to swing by Rockler this week to pick up some hinges, a cupboard key latch and a shelf pin hole jig. & Finally had a chance to put in some decent time on the bookcase today.

1. Sanding
2. Installed lapped slats in the back
3. Drilled the adjustable shelf pin holes
4. Mounted the door with the hinges
5. Installed the cupboard key latch.



(click on pics for larger view)

More sanding and move on to finishing. installing glass, etc. Need to get on the stick. My friends are moving in three weeks.

You can see my uneven gap at the top of the door. I need to pull the case about an 3/32" -1/8" to square. The disadvantage of the slats is that they didn't hold the case square when I took the pipe clamp off the diagonal (like a solid back would have) after installing the slats. Any ideas? I was considering a diagonal brace across the back but really don't like how that would look. (even though it would be up against a wall and rarely seen).
 
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