Tree Feller (Cody) did a nice job of describing his walnut rocking chair build. I mentioned that I was going to build a cherry blanket chest, and he suggested that I detail the process as we all can learn from each other's successes and not-so-successes :). So, here goes.
The chest is being made from cherry that I sawed on the LT15 and air dried. The chest is 42" long by 20" deep by 20" high. First, I planed and then glued up the panels for the 4 sides of the chest from some of the cherry that has a little curl in it. They are 3/4" thick.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0928.JPG)
Then I made the chest bottom out of eastern red cedar. The bottom is 1/2" thick. I used biscuits to join the edges, not for strength, but because they line up the boards, making the surface smooth so that you do not have to sand your butt log off to get it flat and smooth.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0924.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0925.JPG)
Then, I cut the panels to size, 42" by 20" for the front and back and 20" by 20" for the two sides. I have the simplest little cross-cut sled, many people would laugh at it, but it cuts dead square. Since the sides will be joined by through dovetails, the panels must be exactly square. This is very very critical, or you will drive yourself crazy because the panels will not go together right. Did I say that this is very very important? If you do not get this right, you are in big trouble :-\.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0929.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0931.JPG)
Now it was time to cut the dovetails with the Leigh D4R dovetail jig. You can do a 24" wide panel with this jig which makes it a great tool for this type of application. I use a 3 1/4 HP Makita router. There is a technique that you have to learn so that you do not get chip-outs or tear-outs on the dovetails.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0935.JPG)
You cut the tails in the front and back first, then cut the pins on the sides. You use a test board for the pins so that you can creep up on the right fit. Here is a test fit. Good to go!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0938.JPG)
Looking good, WDH! Did you use the cedar for air freshening qualities?
:) :) :)
This is gonna be a fun build. Nice dovetails, BTW. ;)
OK, the dovetails have been cut and a test run has been done.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0939.JPG)
Well, I made a rookie mistake. I cut the groove for the bottom to fit in before the test fit was complete, and since the panels only go together one way, I cut the groove on one of the panels on the wrong end, so the groove is at the top of the chest, not the bottom ::). I had to cut a spline and repair the groove and re-cut the groove in the right end :-\. I bet that I am the only one that ever does anything bone-headed like this :(. Oh, well, I fixed it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0940.JPG)
There are no pictures of the glue-up because it is much too stressful.
You have to practice the glue up before you apply glue because you have eight dovetailed sides to apply glue to, and you have to put the bottom in, and it has to all go together at the same time. It will make your hair turn gray. Getting the glue on all dovetails without slopping it all over the inside, then getting the bottom in and all sides mated up before the glue sets up is harrowing. I got my wife to help apply the glue so that the sides could have glue applied twice as fast as doing it myself. I used a total of 14 clamps for the glue up. I regret that I did not get a picture of all the clamps bristling all over the place.
Here is a post glue-up pic. Also one showing the inside with the ERC bottom. The trick to keeping glue squeeze-out from getting all over the inside of the chest is to use masking tape on the inside edge of all the dovetail joints. Any squeeze-out gets on the tape and not the wood. Once the carcass is clamped, you remove the tape.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0941.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0942.JPG)
Okra,
Yes, ERC for the wonderful aroma. This chest will have a sliding tray that will also be ERC.
I know it's a harrowing process, but you make it look so easy!
So the "mistake" (done that before too) you could dado out the other three panels and inlay a dark wood like walnut so it looks intentional. ;)
But we know now, so carry on with the cherry spline. ;D
Invariably, the dovetails will not all fit just perfect after you finally manage to get all the sides glued together. There will be some little gaps in some places.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0945.JPG)
To fill these, I took some glue and added cherry sanding dust to make a dough, kinda like a biscuit dough. This moistened dough is rubbed in all the little gaps to fill them. The sawdust matrix will then have the same color as the cherry, and it will even darken just like the other wood will. Here are some pics of the process. You put a glob of glue on the sanding dust, then mix by hand to make a dough.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0943.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0944.JPG)
Then you mash the moist dough in all the little spaces that need to be filled.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0947.JPG)
Once dry you sand it all off, and that cleans up the dovetails nicely.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0948.JPG)
Now it is time to sand, sand, and sand some more :)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0949.JPG)
Here is the chest after the first rough sanding, and also a pic of the two top boards glued together. The top will be 7/8" thick and will have breadboard ends joined together with a sliding dovetail joint.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0953.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0954.JPG)
More to come tomorrow. (after a lot more sanding, sanding, sanding :)).
BT,
DanG! Why did I not think of that :-\. What a capital idea ;D. An intentional mistake as a new design element :D.
Wow You get a lot done in a day. I would still be waiting for the glue to dry. ;D
Very nice craftsmanship...
Quote from: WDH on November 18, 2012, 10:03:40 PM
BT,
DanG! Why did I not think of that :-\. What a capital idea ;D. An intentional mistake as a new design element :D.
:D Actually, I am so accustomed to making mistakes, that every time I make one, I immediately am thinking about how I can make it look like I did it on purpose!
oohhh. Now I understand.
:D :D :D
Wow. Good work. I like the dove tails. Are you pleased with the jig?
You craftsman make it look so easy!
I look forward to the rest of the build.
The jig is awesome. Some find it too complicated to use, but if you read the user's manual (actually a small spiral bound book :)), just follow the instructions. With this jig, you can vary the spacing of the pins and tails to your heart's content. Pricy, though, but worth every penny. I have made a whack of blanket chests and half-blind dovetailed drawers with it.
Great project you have here as always. Inspires me to step away from the sawmill and start making some products.
How did you cut the groove in the bottom of the chest?
The groove for the bottom was cut on the router table with a 1/2" straight cutting bit. Don't cut all the way through the front and back tail boards or you will see the groove on the end. If you did that, the trim would hide it, but I still don't like to let it show.
Quote from: Okrafarmer on November 18, 2012, 10:08:58 PM
Quote from: WDH on November 18, 2012, 10:03:40 PM
BT,
DanG! Why did I not think of that :-\. What a capital idea ;D. An intentional mistake as a new design element :D.
:D Actually, I am so accustomed to making mistakes, that every time I make one, I immediately am thinking about how I can make it look like I did it on purpose!
I like your take on mistakes, I think I will have to adopt that attitude!
Clark
Is it safe to say there's a BIG hug coming at the completion of this project? :)
I'm just along for the ride and enjoying it too. Another fine build by Dan. My wood working skills just about stops when the tree hits the ground. :D
I am enjoying this build. It was refreshing to read about your "cover up" spline. Jeff's clock has one. ;D
Lookin' good, lookin' good... :)
QuoteYou use a test board for the pins so that you can creep up on the right fit.
Danny, this is where you and I differ on opinion. Ya see, I do all the testing on the project stock. 8) 8) I like to live life on the edge, baby! :D
When I saw your "mistake," I thought you put that dado there for a till drawer runner. ;D
"Don't cut all the way through the front and back tail boards or you will see the groove on the end. If you did that, the trim would hide it, but I still don't like to let it show."
This is the type of thing I do and then have to cover the mistake by thinking of things like trim. ::) What you can fix you feature! :D
I appreciate you and others sharing your projects and showing/explaining the tips and tricks to make it happen!
Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on November 19, 2012, 08:02:04 AM
Is it safe to say there's a BIG hug coming at the completion of this project? :)
Now David are you looking to be giving that hug... ;D 8) :D
I'm enjoying the build, Danny. I've made a bunch of blanket chests but all mine are frame and panel construction. Some day I want to make one with dovetail joints and this thread will be a very good guide.
A hug from the #2 daughter I hope ;D. Dana, tell David that he can go hug a tree :D.
There is a till drawer in the works. Why could I not think of a till drawer runner dado and act like it was planned from the start ??? :). I need to get more creative :D. Chris, next time I am going to throw caution to the wind and work without a test board :D.
MM, one day someone will say that they wish that they had a piece with the highly desirable "cover-up spline feature". Hey, we may have started a whole new style movement ;D.
Sam, I am going to keep quiet from here on about the mistakes creative features ;).
This is nice, Danny. What kind of glue do you use for the sawdust/glue mix?
Are you going to breadboard the top?
Dan,
Titebond III. Yes, I am going to breadboard the top using a sliding dovetail. Not must progress today as I had to tend to domestication type activities.
Do you use the Leigh for the dovetail?
Do you have any concerns of the glue impacting your finish?
Yes, the Leigh is used to cut the sliding dovetail on the top, and the dovetail slot in the breadboard is cut on the router table.
The "glue-sawdust" dough needs to have as much sawdust as it can hold and still be like a dough. It will finish like the surrounding wood and not show like a "glue spot".
Very nice project. I can even see the curly grain in the grainy pictures. Your pictures are fine, just a little poke. ;) Very nice cherry and you did a fine job biscuiting them and the cedar evenly. ;D I sure would like one of those jigs and I like the table saw sled idea to, something I have never done. I take things slow as well, takes me weeks to make a chest or most anything of size. A little bit each day. ;D I've also done the glue dough a time or two, works fine. I also have a wood filler that is wood based for lighter woods.
I actually need a new fence for my saw. I want to replace it with a more accurate one with square tubing. My fence broke where it bolts together, just cast aluminum. I guess I have to wish a gift from Santa. :-\ I've not gone into the shop yet, it's not cold enough yet to keep a fire.
All these blanket chests on here, and no blankets? smiley_headscratch
You are right about the poor pictures :).
I had an interesting experience with a colored wood filler and cherry. I matched the wood filler perfectly to the cherry to fill any little dings and such. Finished it with oil and varnish. Perfect.
Well, the cherry darkened with age as it always does, but the wood filler did not :-\.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0957.JPG)
I prefer not to use any wood fillers, but the more you handle a piece before it is finished, the more likely you are to ding it up. With these long dovetail sides, you have to test fit and dry fit and test fit and dry fit. There is a lot that can go wrong.
Yes, cherry is a dark wood and not a good candidate for the wood based filler. I only use it on maple and birch, but it's a perfect concealment because yellow birch tends to have a very light pink cast believe it or not. The glue dough is certainly a good alternative for dark woods.
Danny,
Have you tried the extended open glue that Titebond makes? I used it on the last chest I made like yours and it was helpful lowering my anxiety level.
On those dovetail "cracks" you can also make thin wedges. That is my way and I'm sticking with it.
I can visualize Jeff giving that clock a lookover searching for that spline. :o ;D
This is coming along nicely, Danny. The cherry you picked out is awesome! Building blanket chests is always one of my favorite projects. I've done two so far, both in eastern red cedar. If I do another, it will be in a species that doesn't tear out and split like crazy, like cherry or walnut. Either that, or I will have to get David to send me some of his fabulously clear South Carolina cedar :D. I like the idea of building the internal components of cedar where little bits of tearout wouldn't be a big deal.
As an aside, I have 3 antique blanket chests in various stages of repair - all over 100 years old - and it's amazing how similarly they are constructed. All of them have shiplapped and nailed-on bottoms. The plinth covers the edges of the shiplap. It seems to be a very straightforward method of building the chest. No need to worry about seating 4 dovetailed corners AND making sure the floating panel bottom stays in place. No need for splines, either ;) :D
David must have the corner on the high quality South Carolina cedar-- I usually get the octopus-shaped variety around here. Once in a great while-- wow. A round one.
I know Okra, I hate fluted Cedar too! >:(
We need to come up with a trade-name for it and sell it like it's special! Maybe-- Star Cedar, or something like that?
Maybe intensive pruning may help. Probably those fluted logs have limbs to the ground. ;D
It looks great, WDH. I'm jealous of that sander you have. :-[ I did the 2yr Building Construction program at the local community college a few years ago. We used those sanders in the cabinet and stair construction parts of the program. I was amazed at how much better it preformed compared to my 'standard' random orbit sander. I keep meaning to pick one up but have yet to do so. :(
Thanks showing the build.
JM
Quote from: Okrafarmer on November 20, 2012, 07:51:28 PM
We need to come up with a trade-name for it and sell it like it's special! Maybe-- Star Cedar, or something like that?
They make great walk ways.
Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on November 20, 2012, 08:26:15 PM
They make great walk ways.
Meaning you see them and walk away? ;)
Quote from: SwampDonkey on November 20, 2012, 08:00:34 PM
Maybe intensive pruning may help. Probably those fluted logs have limbs to the ground. ;D
Yes, or they did earlier in their life, or whatever. A majority of the red cedar I come in contact with is in people's yards, and they simply whack off whatever branches are in their way. Sometimes leaving stubs. Sometimes they hit the tree with their lawn mower, or car, or whatever. They have no sense of the fact that someone might some day wish to sawmill the tree. The tree might grow out in the open and get that bushy, open growth complex. Yay. Octopus-shaped cross-section. The ones that grow in the woods, in the shade of the loblollys, usually are better-formed. The woods-grown ones are also very slow-growth, and have some of the closest rings of most any of our southern trees. Sometimes 10-15 rings per inch or more. Therefore, finding a nice forest-grown red cedar of millable size is difficult. I did have one nice one once, about ten inches diameter, and very nice and straight and well-formed, and circular in cross-section. Still have some of that wood, I think.
Chris,
I am a nervous wreck, and no, I have not used the extended open time glue :). Now, maybe I will be able to sleep at night :-\.
Dodgy, what? No creative splines in the old chests ???. Must be a more modern design element :D :D.
I did a little on the chest today until domestication activities got in the way. Things have slowed down with family coming in for the holidays.
Actually some of the old stuff had the craftsman put more work into fancy engravings and turnings than in complicated assembly. I inherited my great grandmother's maple dining room table and the leg attachment is less complicated than in many things I've constructed. She died 50 years ago at aged 90, so the table is well over 100. It was even in one of grandfather's hunting camps for years. The apron is a carved ivy vine all the way around and the end legs reinforced with cross members, but in such a way you can be seated at the ends without the knees up against the cross. Legs mounted to a hardwood board and screwed underneath. Who looks under there anyway, except babies. :D
John,
I really like the 6" Bosch random orbit sander. Moving from 5" to 6" makes a huge difference in the area that the sander can cover, especially on big tops or panels like on the blanket chest.
Quote from: WDH on November 20, 2012, 10:18:58 PM
Dodgy, what? No creative splines in the old chests ???. Must be a more modern design element :D :D.
Yes, I used the modern "spline design" in the cradle that I made for Ellery. It was planned, though - One of the wide walnut boards that I used for the sides had the pith wandering in and out along its length. I wanted to use the board without cutting it down, but wasn't really crazy about the appearance of the pith, so I cut a shallow groove where the pith appeared, and glued in a spline. Voila, no pith! :) No one else has ever noticed it. But I'm sure if any of you guys show up at my house, now you will :D
Quote from: Okrafarmer on November 20, 2012, 10:18:06 PM
The woods-grown ones are also very slow-growth, and have some of the closest rings of most any of our southern trees. Sometimes 10-15 rings per inch or more. Therefore, finding a nice forest-grown red cedar of millable size is difficult.
Okra, among the first trees that I sawed into lumber was a small, dead, forest-grown eastern redcedar. It was not much more than 12-13" in diameter, but I counted 125 rings. That's about 20 per inch! Very slow-growing stuff for a southern tree. Several years after I cut the tree, I found the stump and took a picture. Flip-flop for scale :)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15533/cedar%20stump%20with%20flip-flop.jpg)
Quote from: WDH on November 21, 2012, 07:52:24 AM
John,
I really like the 6" Bosch random orbit sander.
I've been coveting a 6" ROS for a while now. I just haven't been able to overcome my innate cheapness yet and get it.
They are definitely a different breed from the 5" ROS when it comes to stock removal.
Try a card scraper - it's cheaper and faster than any sander ;)
Dodgy, I'm happy to get any 12-13" cedar I come across, especially if it's dense growth like that. ;)
Quote from: Dodgy Loner on November 21, 2012, 10:52:01 AM
Try a card scraper - it's cheaper and faster than any sander ;)
I have and use a card scraper but it's not faster than a 6" ROS at stock removal. It is cheaper and a whole lot quieter...burns my thumbs sometimes, though.
A Stanley-Bailey No. 5 jack or a No. 4 smoother is what I'm using now for removing a lot of stock but I'm an incurable electron burner. ;D
If you do a lot of sanding, it sure is nice.
Quote from: WDH on November 18, 2012, 10:01:01 PM
Invariably, the dovetails will not all fit just perfect after you finally manage to get all the sides glued together. There will be some little gaps in some places.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0945.JPG)
To fill these, I took some glue and added cherry sanding dust to make a dough, kinda like a biscuit dough. This moistened dough is rubbed in all the little gaps to fill them. The sawdust matrix will then have the same color as the cherry, and it will even darken just like the other wood will. Here are some pics of the process. You put a glob of glue on the sanding dust, then mix by hand to make a dough.
I tried this new to me trick for the first time today on some dovetailed drawers. Works great. Easier and faster than epoxy wood putty.
I wonder how it works on bigger cracks or even holes?
Thanks for the tip WDH. :)
It works OK on holes if they are not too big, but you might have to fill the hole in two applications since I found the first would shrink a little after the glue dries and not be flush with the surface. However, on larger holes, I am not sure how it would match the surrounding wood. For cracks, I would think that you would have to work the dough all the way through the crack.
Try it and let us know what you find out.
An update. Routing the sliding dovetails on the end of the top. A black plastic guide is inserted into the guide fingers on the Leigh jig to guide the router.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0962.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0965.JPG)
Completed dovetail on one side of the end of the top. A matching groove is cut in the breadboard and this is slid over the dovetail on the end. Here are pics of the completed joint.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0966.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_1010.JPG)
I also dovetailed the plinthe or bottom trim, rounded over the top edge with a bead, and made a sliding tray out of ERC.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0989.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_1002.JPG)
The breadboards have been attached to the top, glued only at the miter joints at the two front edges and for only an inch or two along the breadboard end. This allows expansion or contraction of the top along the sliding dovetail. The top has been in the house for about a week acclimating. It lost 1/2% moisture in the first week.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0988.JPG)
Boy, you sure have all your clamps in a row!
Gotta love all those K-Bodies. :)
Great stuff, Danny. I've built several blanket chests but I'm really enjoying seeing your methods.
Nice update. That sliding dovetail joint is slick! Much cleaner than the nailed-on edging that they used on all of my old chests :)
Oh how I wish I had a shop!
Thanks for the pics and updates. Very inspiring!
A small fortune in clamps. ;D Nice dovetails. Gotta love that Leigh jig. :)
Quote from: OlJarhead on December 05, 2012, 12:07:26 PM
Oh how I wish I had a shop!
Thanks for the pics and updates. Very inspiring!
Jarhead, I did a lot of woodworking out front of a small storage shed for many years. A shop is nice but not nessesary.
The Leigh D4R jig is very versatile. It is the only dovetail jig that I have, and the only one that I need. You could not make a 20" long sliding dovetail on a big panel with most jigs.
The K-body clamps are worth every penny. They clamp square, unlike pipe clamps. If you can cut square, and if you can clamp square, you can make just about anything. If things are not square, it is very frustrating, so BE SQUARE :D
Cody, I do not like the Revo Bessey clamps. They are bigger and bulkier, and they sit higher up than the old K-body clamps, making it hard to use them together. I would like to get some more K-body clamps, but I do not think that they are made anymore, are they?
Woodworking is a lot like sawmilling. You really need good basic equipment. Or, you can hew out boards with an axe. Nothing wrong with that, but you won't be able to produce the same kind of products.
I find keeping panels that wide flat to be a bit of a challenge.
I do a rough milling, let it sit a bit, then attempt to do final milling and joinery on the same day.
Looking great,as usual Danny!
I cut sliding DT's on My router table,8' is My limit,4" is the min. width I feel safe making.
If draw supports are needed to be 1 1/2",I'll DT a wide board and rip to finished width.
I know Ya have domestic duties so I will keep checking back for the finished project,PICS.
Jim
Yes, I have multiple projects going, one is another kitchen work island. It is coming along as well. Also finishing up an oak night table. They all have to be done by Christmas :).
Nothing like a hard deadline to keep a man working hard. :)
There is something super motivational about those hard deadlines when you have three women to please :).
(No, I am not having multiple affairs. I am too old for that. It is a wife and two daughters :-\. No gas for you, David :D.)
You do beautiful work Danny, wish you lived closer so I could get some lessons from you. :)
Quote from: WDH on December 06, 2012, 09:13:15 PM
There is something super motivational about those hard deadlines when you have three women to please :).
(No, I am not having multiple affairs. I am too old for that. It is a wife and two daughters :-\. No gas for you, David :D.)
I always was the Black Sheep. :'(
Quote from: WDH on December 05, 2012, 08:18:24 PM
I would like to get some more K-body clamps, but I do not think that they are made anymore, are they?
No, Bessey doesn't make the original K-Bodies anymore. Keep an eye on Craigslist. Occassionally someone will list a few for sale there...usually as part of a larger sell-out of woodworking tools. I have quite a few but am always on the lookout for more. Clamps are like stickers...you can never have too many.
I'm mentally kicking my backside for passing on a Leigh D4 jig that was in the East Texas Craigslist a while back. :(
I only have 18 bessey clamps. You would think that that (RIP Tom) is enough, but it is not :).
you can never have too many clamps.
;D
Yes, I am on the look-out for used bessey clamps.
I have a set of Jet parallel clamps that I like pretty well.
I'm not sure why Bessey changed their design.
I've used mainly pipe clamps over the years. And I should add that not all pipe clamps are the same. Some are better left on the shelf. ;D
pipe clamps are nice because they are cheap and can exert a lot of force. parallel clamps are much easier to use (but a lot more expensive).
Pipe clamps will not clamp square like the good quality parallel clamps.
I clamp edge to edge two or three boards as a time, it's as square as it's gonna get. ;D I also use a couple record vices on the board ends. I use oversized stock as well, and run 12" sections through the planer, then final glue up. ;D
Those thick plastic clamp-it-squares at Rockler are well worth the money. I find a myriad of uses for them like checking the inside of drawer boxes for square, etc.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10113&site=ROCKLER
Lee Valley has a set of right-angle assembly clamps to. Might be the same idea.
item # 50K38.01
Well, I think that I might make it by Christmas :). The chest has two coats of varnish, but the hinge for the top is not fully attached and I have to put on the lid stops, but that will not take a whole lot of time. Two more coats to go! Applying the finish is always a tricky and stressful part of the process. The varnish really brought out the curl and quilt figure in the cherry. It really pops. This is the most awesome wood that I have ever worked with. The good thing is that I have more of it that I will save for a special project.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_1040.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_1044.JPG)
This wood is why I saw lumber and build furniture smiley_really_happy.
Awesome wood indeed!! Wow!
Quote from: WDH on December 20, 2012, 09:29:01 PM
Well, I think that I might make it by Christmas :). The chest has two coats of varnish, but the hinge for the top is not fully attached and I have to put on the lid stops, but that will not take a whole lot of time. Two more coats to go! Applying the finish is always a tricky and stressful part of the process. The varnish really brought out the curl and quilt figure in the cherry. It really pops. This is the most awesome wood that I have ever worked with. The good thing is that I have more of it that I will save for a special project.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_1040.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_1044.JPG)
This wood is why I saw lumber and build furniture smiley_really_happy.
Wow, WDH!! Looks great! Curious how you apply the finish; foam brush, spray, wipe on, other?
JM
And another heirloom is created. :) It looks great.
I really like the beadwork and also admired it on your kitchen island project. 8)
Oh my :o
It is a natural choice, to use "quilted" wood for a blanket chest. Good job, WDH! :)
:snowman:
I knew that the wood had some figure and curl. You could see that in the rough lumber. But, I never suspected (or hoped) that the figure would be this good. Serendipity strikes again.
John, I simply used varnish in the can. Minwax Fast Drying Satin Polyurethane. It gives a nice light subdued sheen, but has more protection than say Danish Oil. I love the look of Danish Oil on cherry, but the finish is not too durable.
Normally, I apply varnish using a foam brush, but I went with the spray this time because of ease of application and it is turning out really nice. At about $8 per can and about three cans to do the whole job, that is about $24. The foam brush applied varnish would be less than about half that, but application is much more tedious. This wood deserved the extra $. (Plus, I was on a deadline :)).
Okra, nothing like quilted wood to hold quilts ;D. (Well, only a little bit is quilted, but that will still do nicely.) This is the same wood used for the drawer fronts and the door panels on Mrs. Customsawyer's hutch.
Special wood for special people.
Dodgy, remember? You helped me pull the stack on this wood (over a Christmas Holiday in the past I think.)
Really nice job and beautiful wood! Thanks for sharing this build! :christmas:
Wow, that figure sure does pop out with the finish applied. That chest is surely a one of a kind masterpiece. Nice beading work to. Routed or beading tool? ;)
Router table. The bit that I use can leave up to three beads, but that is a little much for most projects. A simple little bead creates a nice visual detail.
Wow!!!!
Since you only have daughters have you considered adopting a son...I'm even housebroken. :D
Quote from: Norm on December 21, 2012, 09:27:12 AM
Wow!!!!
Since you only have daughters have you considered adopting a son...I'm even housebroken. :D
You to late Norm....I've already been adapted.
Very nice work you did there WDH. :snowfight1:
Quote from: WDH on December 20, 2012, 11:07:36 PM
Dodgy, remember? You helped me pull the stack on this wood (over a Christmas Holiday in the past I think.)
Oh yes, I remember it well. I had been eagerly awaiting pictures of the projects from that lumber ever since. You have done it justice and then some. That chest will end up in a book about early 21st century furniture 200 years from now. An absolute treasure.
WDH, nicely done! thanks for all the tips! :christmas: I wish you and your family the best, david
Mighty fine, Danny. My hat's off to you! :christmas:
That is gorgeous! Love that cherry wood.
It really did finish great. Applying finish is very tedius and a bit apprehensive trying to get it on and leave a nice finish without over burshing or leaving it too thidk. The spray did a great job!
Sam, you are right on the money. When the wood looks wet, that is enough. Just quit and walk away. Just walk away :).
Very nice. I can't wait till I retire and can come play in your wood shop. I love the way you matched up the grain in the boards.
Excellent,as always!!
Very lucky Girls ;)
Jim
I know if you realize it or not, but my adopted son in SC has a LT40SH and is a master bench builder :D :D :D.
Looks like I need to adopt another one in Iowa ;D.
Thanks for all the kind comments.
Walk away :o
But that is so hard, just one or two more strokes of the brush and it will look better, I am sure...... Oh no too much, the finish was tacky and now I have brush strokes! Should have walked away....
:(
I hate it when that happens.
Danny, that chest is outstanding. Beautiful wood together with superb craftsmanship is always a winner. Thanks for sharing the build with us.
Thanks for documenting your work! This is why I LOVE the forum! Great looking chest.
Quote from: WDH on December 22, 2012, 07:51:23 AM
I know if you realize it or not, but my adopted son in SC has a LT40SH and is a master bench builder :D :D :D.
Looks like I need to adopt another one in Iowa ;D.
??? How many kids are you going to adopt? Pretty soon people will stop making fun of me for my five kids when they start totaling yours up! ;D
Not bad WDH :)
Beautiful work, Danny! That is something to be proud of and will be cherished by your daughter for many years.
So...Did you make it? :)
Yes. I finished everything at 3:50 p.m. on Christmas Eve. We had a family get together here at my house starting at 4:00, so I had time to come in and change clothes :). The chest really glows with 4 coats of varnish.
Very nice build and beautiful wood, thanks for sharing.