| Project by loupitou06 | posted 10-26-2009 07:11 AM | 3200 views | 6 times favorited | 16 comments |  |
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Hi fellas,
I’ve been posting for a long time and that’s re reason, when a slow guy undertake a large project like this one…well it takes time.
This project will be (one day) a two part buffet/hutch with glass-windows top. Right now you are looking at the bottom part :)
I bought the wood (Jatoba and Curly maple) in May this year and after ~15 days of acclimation to my shop I started the rough milling. As usual I went unreasonably complicated for the joinery (double mortise and tenon for the legs/horizontal stretchers and dovetails everywhere else). This has made the assembly process a bit hairy but I love the result. The benefit is that during dry fits, all these interlocking joints held the piece together tight without clamps.
I turned the handles on the lathe and used pens brass tubes to hide the bolt running from the doors to the insert in the handle.
This is my first attempt at re-sawing and book-matching (doors, side panels and top) but I’m very satisfied with the results.
Jatoba (Brazilian cherry) is extremely hard to plane (at least at my level and with my tools) without tear out so I often resorted to my cabinet scraper and scrape forever !
The dovetails are all hand cut, except the front of the drawers.
The drawers are the first ones I make without slides and they seem to work good for now (well the one on the left needs a bit of persuasion to close).
The top looks really good (to me at least) but it is bowed on the two ends, I hope the weight of the top piece will help correct that.
The finish is 2 coats of shellac followed by 4 to 6 coats of varnish and wax.
List of my main mistakes:- why use double mortise/tenons >
- stop cutting raised panels on the table saw, it’s too dangerous and the results are so-so
- When re-sawing, don’t be greedy and leave room for planning.
- When undertaking projects like this, break it down into small tasks to help keeping the motivation.
Thanks for watching and please be patient, I swear you’ll see the buffet completed…one day
-- 100 fois sur le metier remettez votre ouvrage
16 comments so far
ellen35
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2749 posts in 4486 days
#1 posted 10-26-2009 12:13 PM
This is just incredible! What a piece of art as well as woodwork.
You should be very proud of this piece.
Ellen
-- "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Voltaire
Dan Hux
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577 posts in 4428 days
#2 posted 10-26-2009 03:36 PM
Great Work…I like it..It’s very well done,,
-- Dan Hux,,,,Raleigh, NC https://whitdaniel.com
RexMcKinnon
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2593 posts in 4249 days
#3 posted 10-26-2009 04:05 PM
Beautiful buffet. I know what you mean about raised panels on the TS. I just did 2 of them. Currently I don’t have a router strong enough to turn a raised panel bit so I am stuck until I upgrade. If you take your time and have a good setup it is not that dangerous but there is a lot of scraping/sanding involved after.
-- If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail!
woodbutcher
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592 posts in 5220 days
#4 posted 10-26-2009 04:20 PM
loupitou06,
Very nice buffet, indeed. Your top seems to have bookmatched very well. Great contrast with your choice of the Maple and Jatoba. I can certainly empathize with you where the Brazilian Cherry is concerned, in regards to its’ hardness and difficulty in planing and finishing. Congratulations on an excellent build, again.
Sincerely,
Ken McGinnis
-- woodbutcher north carolina
a1Jim
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118161 posts in 4631 days
#5 posted 10-26-2009 05:43 PM
Hey Loupitou
This is an excelant piece well planned with outstanding woods and great details. great from top to bottom.
-- https://www.artisticwoodstudio.com/videos
dustyal
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1322 posts in 4529 days
#6 posted 10-26-2009 05:54 PM
stunning… heirloom already. The value is in the extra detail you put in the joinery. Reminds me of fine craftsmanship you find in quality antique furniture pieces. Yours has that more updated modern look…excellent piece.
-- Al H. - small shop, small projects...
Derrek LeRouax
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129 posts in 4348 days
#7 posted 10-26-2009 06:11 PM
What a fantastic piece!! The color combination looks great, and the craftmanship is absolutely top notch!! I hope to achieve this level of success one day, but until then I will have to keep looking at projects like this…
Great job!!
-- Derrek L.
shopmania
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702 posts in 4236 days
#8 posted 10-26-2009 07:25 PM
Beautiful piece!! I love the contrasting wood, and he finish. The contrast on the inside too is spectacular!
-- Tim, Myrtle Beach, [email protected] Just one more tool, that's all I need! :)
shavins
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105 posts in 4213 days
#9 posted 10-26-2009 07:29 PM
great work and a helpful post. thanks very much..
-- shavins
Bob A in NJ
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1347 posts in 5053 days
#10 posted 10-26-2009 10:34 PM
Very much a “Fine Woodworking” project. Design, construction, grain selection all A+ work. Excellent.
-- Bob A in NJ
loupitou06
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170 posts in 4380 days
#11 posted 10-26-2009 11:34 PM
Thanks everyone for the kind words. I was a bit “running out of steam” at the end of this project because the finish was very long and monopolized the vast majority of my shop space and resource. However with all these comments I’m starting to envision starting the top part soon :)
Thanks again
For anyone interested, I have a sketchup model available, you can send me a message.
-- 100 fois sur le metier remettez votre ouvrage
Beginningwoodworker
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13345 posts in 4727 days
#12 posted 10-27-2009 03:04 AM
Beautiful buffet.
Jim Crockett (USN Retired)
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852 posts in 4787 days
#13 posted 10-27-2009 03:20 AM
That is one beautiful buffet! And I love the wood choices and the joinery – great job. When people see this, they are going to want to commission you to make one for them :-)), Can’t wait to see the rest of it when you get done.
Jim
-- A veteran is someone who, at one point in his/her life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including his/her life".
KWDRIVER
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16 posts in 4190 days
#14 posted 10-27-2009 12:03 PM
Very nice work, I especially like the Jatoba and Maple combination.
cabinetmaster
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10873 posts in 4612 days
#15 posted 10-29-2009 03:18 AM
Wow What a combination. I love the woods you used. Fantastic job.
-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps
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