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  1. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Camden, NSW
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    74
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    Default some observations on Chinese drawers ... and the meaning of life

    Chinese furniture is an enigma. It ranges from palace to regional to rustic. It can be exquisitely decorated inside and out or plain. The finest dresser I have seen was in fact an indoor chicken coop! However, in spite of this enormous range there is one thing missing ... it's what we would call fine furniture.
    I have looked closely at furniture in palaces in museums and, other than decoration, it is to the same design and form as the furniture I bought in quiet rural villages.
    The joinery is fairly standard but so beautifully designed and (usually) made that so much very old furniture has survived the years, tumult and enormous variations in temperature and humidity.
    The enigma to me however is that, inspite of this complex joinery making the structure so strong and elegant, the 'additions' such as doors and drawers look like they've been thrown on from a great distance and seldom fit!
    On my coffee table the drawers were obviously a much later addition and made by someone who roughly copied either the original drawers or some others close at hand.

    Attachment 208600

    Looking closely at the existing drawers and presuming they have some features of the original drawers, I decided to copy and improve rather than ignore. The interesting features are the depth of the front dovetails and the unusual joinery at the back to capture the drawer back and provide runners that guide the drawers into their housing.

    Attachment 208601

    I checked some of my other stored (= stacked under the deck!) furniture and found even more extreme examples of the deep front dovetails. The drawer opening is much wider than the drawer, there are traditionally no drawer runners and the drawer flops around until the drawer front nests into the flared drawer opening

    Attachment 208602

    These drawers also showed that the method of fixing the drawer back and providing a lead-in runner is quite common

    Attachment 208603

    so I figured a couple of thousand years of experience probably had the jump on what my Grandfather showed me so I made a 21st Century version of the drawer except I have made it to fill the opening and work with lateral guides so that the drawer front will sit inside the opening but a raised panel aligns with the front face

    Attachment 208606

    I slightly modified the back joinery as I found so many variations even within my own collection. I will now be making all of my drawer backs like this. With handtools only and virtually no marking out, it is very quick, very strong and self aligning ..... sorry Grandad

    Attachment 208607

    I hope to finish and mount the drawers on the weekend and then start the brackets between the aprons and legs. I may have found standard drawer joinery ... but the range of decoration is huge ... and it has meaning. I don't want to 'say' the wrong thing!
    fletty
    Last edited by fletty; 16th May 2012 at 09:58 PM. Reason: .... there's 2 i's in finish?

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  3. #17
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    North Of The Boarder
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    68
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    Default

    Thats some joint Fletty I think I see the use of the additional tail to give support on the back edge.

  4. #18
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Dandenong, Vic
    Posts
    2,029

    Default

    Does mean you can pull the drawer out all the way without it falling to the floor.
    Always annoying when I have to get something from the very back.

  5. #19
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Camden, NSW
    Age
    74
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    3,576

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by _fly_ View Post
    Does mean you can pull the drawer out all the way without it falling to the floor.....
    yup, AND it's easier to put it back in as well!

    fletty

  6. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Camden, NSW
    Age
    74
    Posts
    3,576

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by fletty View Post
    .......but I am about to try EEE 'cutting' wax next......

    fletty
    The UBeaut EEE worked a treat and the table is starting to look usable, it feels silky to the touch but it's history is still on display. The new drawers and drawer guides are fitted and I am very happy with the result.

    Attachment 209070

    Attachment 209071

    Half way through a job like this you start to forget the progress so I'll indulge with a few before and afters

    Attachment 209072

    Attachment 209073

    Attachment 209074

    Attachment 209075

    Attachment 209076

    I mocked up a couple of designs for the brackets between the legs and aprons but kept coming back to the first one I made. What makes it look good is that it is a traditional design and the 'cutout' reflects the same proportions as the drawer fronts BUT ... and there's always at least one ... I'll thin down the thickness of the timber and put on a radiused edge.

    Attachment 209077

    As you can see in the pics I have (temporarily?) fitted a couple of suitably distressed wooden knobs because only one of the original (?) drawer pulls has survived and it may take a while to find one exactly the same OR 2 similar. Wooden knobs are historically accurate but SWMBO will of course happily go back to China and trawl the antique markets in Dong Tai Lu to find replacements for the one that miraculously has survived...!

    Attachment 209078

    So, whats left to do? I'll make and fit the 8 brackets, sympathetically distress the drawer fronts ... and start searching for an extra drawer pull ....

    fletty
    Last edited by fletty; 21st May 2012 at 09:29 AM. Reason: finger trouble....

  7. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Katoomba NSW
    Posts
    4,770

    Default

    One of these may suffice Fletty
    http://www.chineart.com/Hardware/DoorKnobsNO.13.JPG
    I think you can order direct but I didn't read that far.
    Those were the droids I was looking for.
    https://autoblastgates.com.au

  8. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Camden, NSW
    Age
    74
    Posts
    3,576

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by NCArcher View Post
    One of these may suffice Fletty
    http://www.chineart.com/Hardware/DoorKnobsNO.13.JPG
    I think you can order direct but I didn't read that far.
    NC, you're blood deserves bottling .... provided it doesn't contravene any licensing laws!

    fletty

  9. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Camden, NSW
    Age
    74
    Posts
    3,576

    Default .... the journey done

    I decided on a design for the leg brace, cut some NSW scented rosewood into strip, set up my cross sled on the table saw with a thin kerf blade and zero clearance insert and a cross sled on the router table with a 90deg V bit. The geometry was simple BUT fiddly.....

    Attachment 211874

    I hand carved the curved ends on the raised bead

    Attachment 211875

    and then dipped them all in clear shellac

    Attachment 211876

    to check progress I temporarily mounted them all with hot melt glue

    Attachment 211877

    Attachment 211878

    the leg braces are slightly different for the long spans to the short spans to better match the tables proportions

    Attachment 211879

    and, although I'm happy with these, I know I have a loooong way to go!

    Attachment 211880

    ... and thus endeth the lesson,

    fletty

  10. #24
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
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    North Of The Boarder
    Age
    68
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    16,794

    Default

    No wonder no answer.


    Looks good love that joinery

  11. #25
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Sydney
    Age
    53
    Posts
    8,879

    Default

    Lovely work
    Visit my website at www.myFineWoodWork.com

  12. #26
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Albury Well Just Outside
    Posts
    13,315

    Default

    Not being able to catch up on my reading until now. Interesting.

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