Mahogany Writing Table: Beginning

This is a gloat, I scored some nice old mahogany from a guy clearing out his dad's garage shop. Looking at the stuff he tinkered with, I'm flabbergasted at what he might have used this nice stuff for. Mostly though, I want to hope that he was saving it for me. There was a 12 foot board of heavy 4/4 about 8 1/2 inches wide. This will become the apron parts, drawer fronts and some levels and other glitzy little things/tools. There was a 7 1/2 foot board of 4/4, 10 1/2 inches wide destined to become a two board top...I didn't realize until I cut the boards for the top, but this is quarter sawn. Excellent.

Here is a shot of the wide QS offcut, I've planed it a bit to see how it looks. I'm a happy camper. There is about 4 foot of the 8 1/2" wide behind it along with some other scraps.


Here is a scrap piece trued up with the jack and jointer (I broke down and brought my #7 down to my apartment, I just couldn't keep working without it) very smooth, very shimmery. This particular scrap will become a brass bound level.

Here is the 1/4 scale mockup of the desk... I'm borrowing heavily from Mario Rodriguez's Providence Writing Desk, I'm not sure if I want to do the same edge or moulding details he has, and I'm going with inside taper legs over his sabers. For reference the top will measure 20x33. I will also be using this as part of my model making class. We do a project on scaling dimensions from a photo, and building a scale model. This will be my teaching model. I have drawings and calculations to show along with the model. I like building a new piece for every class as it keeps me from getting bored with the same piece semester after semester.

The underside, showing the rudimentary web frame and drawer, it's only really important for my purposes to have one drawer actually function, I build both webs before I decided to do one drawer so, oh well.

Yes the drawer opens, you have to push it from inside, making small pulls that look worth anything are difficult to do, so I draw details like that on with pencil or fine pen depending. I have samples of a lot of things built in chip board, full drawer boxes and drawers, sliding panels, raised panels made from corrugated cardboard etc. They all go into a box as display samples for this one project.

Making Progress: Key Cabinet Door

Today I got some more walnut, The bit I or board I had left from cutting the case has too much sapwood to look nice. I milled it and ran grooves for the glass. Sorry I don't have a picture of that setup, but basically you dial in the fence to cut the groove you want in two passes, on both faces. What results is a really nice groove perfectly centered in the stock.

The first photo is cutting the tenons in the stile for the top rail. The sled I'm using only has one fence, the tenon is 1/8" thick, 1 3/16" long and 1 5/8" wide.

A slight trip with my new to me Record #073 (1 1/4" shoulder plane, Jeff), results in a perfect friction fit.


Clean.


With all the joints cut I had to mock up the door. I've been asked two things consistently with this piece: why are the rails and stiles "backwards", and why are they such interesting dimensions? The rails & stiles are backwards because there is going to be a shelf, I didn't want the stiles to "cut" into the shelf visually, as the shelf will go about 5/16" below the top of the bottom rail. The widths of the components are such that they are co-planar with the frame parts of the back.

The pine strips are just to mock up the muntins, I'll do another post about the various arrangements I'm considering, this one is winning so far.


For all the careful considerations above, I've goofed here and there. I cut the top and bottom a little close to the case sides and also a bit to tight in the front. This means I'm loosing out on the opportunities I gained by doweling the case, which in turn makes me wish I'd thought about that a little more or dovetailed the case. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled with the project, but it's not as refined as I could have gotten it. Perhaps that comes from working alone, I have no one to call me on these things, I'll do a debrief and post-design the things I think this should have had. I'm so close to glue-up...

1. Cut and fit muntins
2. Fit lights
3. Glue door
4. Install shelf
5. Trim, fit and hinge door
6. Glue case, then back onto case
7. Make and mount hangers

Keepsake Box: Dovetail Excersising

After building a bench on bench to make the crappy Horror Freight "workbenches" my landlord loves (don't ask why) into something passably useful for serious cabinetmaking, I couldn't wait to dovetail. I was positively itching. I had some scraps around and Googled "dovetailed box" for some inspiration. I found some in a box by Rob Cosman. I think his are way overpriced, along with his ridiculous solid surface saw totes, but the box looks alright.

The woods are spruce and butternut for the case, poplar bottom and a spalted beech lid. Finish is (surprisingly, hah) shellac and wax.





I've also build a plywood drawer box to practice building and fitting drawers into. I'm excited to get on that, but my first order of business will be to work on the door for the Key Cabinet. The order for antique glass should be here any day, and I don't want to waste any time on the cabinet I've been building since March .

Finished Blanket Chest

Here is it, shellaced, waxed and full of stuff.

Bench On Bench

After brushing on the last coat of shellac, and getting ready to wax and assemble the blanket chest I started a very important thing, thinking about the next project of course.

After working on a real bench for a whole week, getting used to the bench on benches at PFW I really felt I needed to invest in some serious benching to progress further. While I'm still stuck with my landlord's "benches" I can at least tackle dovetailing and other workholding with this...


Okay, it's not as sexy as the bench on bench at the bottom of THIS page, I want. But it will do the job admirably. I've also started thinking of new projects, and ordered the piece of antique glass I want for the Key Cabinet, so after today I feel great. I'm also in touch with Mike Wenzloff about trouble-shooting my assembly of the backsaw kits I bought a while back. I really need a this fine dovetail saw and cross cut backsaw for some of the work I have planned.