| Blog series by shipwright | updated 06-10-2021 11:58 PM | 10 parts | 16259 reads | 145 comments total |
Part 1: Some Joinery Pictures
There seemed to be a lot of interest in my 18th century French joinery post so I thought I’d throw out some progress pics. They are fairly self explanatory if you have watched the video https://youtu.be/Ul-GsIzkjIY so I won’t add a lot of words but feel free to ask if you have questions. Trial curves to see what looked good. I chose the 2” oneStaves cutRub joints with HHG, no clampsSub-assemblies glued up with tape clampingCurve checkRough smoothing outside of curve .... and inside S...
Part 2: Some Pics of the Back, Legs and First Shelf
I’ve got a lot of pictures. Did I mention I love this joinery? Here are a few that set up the assembly.Again pretty self explanatory, ask questions if you like. A few clamps to aid alignment. ..... no biscuits! You have to zoom and look closely but this is the key to the whole cabinet, the story board with all the dimensions and shapes. Thanks for looking in,
Part 3: Wrap Up on the Basic Joinery
Here are the last few that should bring the construction up to date with my project post. I highly recommend that you try this style of joinery. It is amazingly rigid even without glue. I’ll post again when there is more progress. Thanks for looking in.
Part 4: First Stage Glue Up
A little video of the first stage of gluing up the 18th C. cabinet. The top, bottom, and back are assembled dry to assure squareness and fit. The top and bottom will be glued separately later. The back remains loose and can be slid in or out.I used Old Brown Glue for open time. Real time was ~30 min. https://youtu.be/FxEWUqYxcjY
Part 5: Ready for the Marquetry
It’s been a lot of fun and quite a learning experience but the construction part of this 18th C. kitchen cabinet is about wrapped up. I will be starting to cover it with marquetry in the coming weeks. Top and bottom glued in Veneering the legs and feet Drawers and doors Thats about it for the build. On to the decoration. Thanks for looking
Part 6: Side Panels ... Parquetry / Marquetry
Ive finished the Main parquetry / marquetry panels that will go on the sides of my cabinet …... finally. This iconic Jean Henri Reisener parquetry is amazingly dramatic but very labour intensive to build. It contains 96 individual flowers, each of which has eleven parts, all sand shaded. The marquetry medallions in the middle are the remaining two of four I cut when I made my desk so for this project they were “free”. :-) An eight layer thick packet of lattice that will be divide...
Part 7: Video of Curved Glueup
Here’s the video of the first stage of gluing up the curved side. In this stage the marquetry is not glued to the cabinet. It is laminated into a custom curved piece of plywood with two thin poplar veneers. This will be removed, trimmed and then glued to the cabinet in stage two. This will help stabilize the marquetry against forces in the cabinet and will facilitate accurate placement. https://youtu.be/0Gbk2X-vLpU
Part 8: Progress on the 18 C. Cabinet
Since the last entry I’ve made a good bit of progress. The side panels are now completely finished and ready to be mounted on the cabinet and the front door panel is well underway. I’m also including a few pics of the custom veneer press I made up to press the curved sides. This is what a finished side panel looks like. The front doors will carry an adapted version of this Jean Francois Oeben table top. The current state of that panel. ... and then there is the custom ...
Part 9: Summer Break
First, sorry about segments #7 & #8 being out of order (reversed). I’ve come to a place that is convenient to take a break. Sailing season is approaching and I have work to do on my boat to be ready. This cabinet will be put on the back burner for now and I’ll do the big front marquetry next winter. At this point both side panels are glued on, the transitions between them and the carcase veneer are complete, the drawer marquetry is done, and the lower front panel is well underway. W...
Part 10: Change of Plans, Front Marquetry
I know I said I was taking a break to get back to sailing for the summer but there was a surprise in store for me.On April 26th I had my boat hauled out of the water for bottom paint and a couple of quick maintenance issues. It was to go back in on the 28th …….. but on the 27th this happened. They dropped a big power cruiser and the accident got a stop work order placed on the Travel Lift until it was inspected, cleared, and re-certified. It’s a long story but all that matters here is ...
