Blackbutt Entertainment Cabinet

Claw Hama · #1 2nd Jun 2009, 10:02 PM

My latest commission is this Blackbutt entertainment cabinet. The timber is 60mm thick, 685mm wide and the unit is 2100 long. This is the bigest mitered joint I have done, getting it spot on over 685mm to a perfect knife edge is tricky when the slab weighs around a hundred kgs. I had to use my little overhead hoist to lift the joint apart, shave a little out with the block plane and drop it down for another fitting. Then up again to dowel the joint, test the fit, up for glue and down again. Finaly got a nice fit.
The left hand side is cut out where the cabinet will wrap around a large column in the house. I will cut the end of the slabs out just before it goes into place, I want to keep it in tact for the time being so the arms don't start to wander off with the changing weather. I mounted the cabinet on 4 - 140kg castors so I can move it around the workshop and then wheel it straight into place on site when it's finished, it will weigh around half a ton when finished. The other photo is a fire place hearth in the same room, it still has to have a large bookshelf on the left side. I will post more pics as things progess.

Lignum · #2 2nd Jun 2009, 10:58 PM

Wow what a big slab to haul around and cut. How did you cut the miter? Looking foward to seeing this take shape

Claw Hama · #3 2nd Jun 2009, 11:55 PM

Hi Lignum, 235mm circular saw set with the bed on 45, thats why I had to tidy it up a little with the block plane. Only just made the depth of cut at about 80mm on the 45. I need to get a better blade in my saw for these cuts. I have a new Dewalt saw, the dewalt blade was crap so threw it away and put a Blu Mak (Makita) on which was immensely better but I will pick up a Flai at the Sydney wood show. You can't buy anything much in Newcastle.

Waldo · #4 3rd Jun 2009, 12:06 AM

Pretty much like Lignum wrote.

The mitred joint, is it just glued alone or is there something like a domino involved etc.? To tackle that 45º cut with a circ' saw, I'm impressed.

Claw Hama · #5 3rd Jun 2009, 12:14 AM

Hey Waldo, glued and 4 - 10mm dowels to stop it moving around, once the internal frameing etc goes in it will all help to keep things stable. Not many choices with the miter, as I said 80ish mm depth of cut on something you cant just slip through the band saw or table saw. Most of my slab furniture is done with the circular saw.

Claw Hama · #6 3rd Jun 2009, 09:41 PM

Todays effort, installing back/front

(not sure, this side faces the lounge room) panel, Tallowwood t&g boards.

Rookie · #7 3rd Jun 2009, 10:02 PM

Half a tonne!!! Not sure which will be holding up the house. The column or the unit. You are certainly in the right forum.

I can't imagine even attempting a mitre like that but from the photo, it certainly was the only joint you could have entertained (pun intended). Looks great so far.

Although I guess it's just a case of get one little bit right before doing the next bit, and sooner or later you have a half tonne unit, but are you always conscious of the potential for the wood to move and therefore feel the need to "hasten slowly"?

Sorry. Long winded question but it's the first thing I thought of if I was going to tackle something like this (if I ever would). I'd have a permanent case of "muscle tightening" until I got it all done.

Claw Hama · #8 3rd Jun 2009, 10:20 PM

Hi Rookie, I would like to get a coat of finish on this as soon as I can to stabilize it. I am a little worried about the thin ends of the miter spliting, the thing in my favour at the moment is all the wet weather and hi humidity around Newcastle at the moment

. Movement isn't too bad with this thickness of timber once you get over 50mm it dosn't move as much as thiner wide boards.

Tackling big jobs isn't that big a deal, as in most big things you just have to break it down. A big job is just made up of lots of little jobs, just do them one at a time.

Originally this monster was to be cantilevered off the column

but I managed to talk them out of it. It was to have a steel suport frame that conected to the column but I am sure it would have eventually bent the column as it is only made out of a cluster of pine timbers.

Rookie · #9 3rd Jun 2009, 11:01 PM

Thanks for that. If the weather fines up just keep put an evaporative cooler in the workshop to keep the humidity up, shut the doors, and work quickly.

Christos · #10 10th Jun 2009, 04:37 AM

Very interesting start to a big project. I like the way you are thinking. One task at a time.

Claw Hama · #11 10th Jun 2009, 07:52 AM

Hi Christos, it's all mind games realy.
Next lot of photos, this cabinet has to fronts, one side faces the lounge room the other faces the kitchen family room. Timber paneling is tallowood floor boards.

Claw Hama · #12 13th Jun 2009, 09:52 PM

Latest phase, the pesky battons, about 50 - 20x20 batons on plywood panels. Once the cabinet is installed the panels will be put in place around the end to cover the fixings to the column.
Next phase will be the 3 doors.

Harry72 · #13 14th Jun 2009, 09:15 PM

Looks good CH.

Al B · #14 14th Jun 2009, 10:14 PM

nice work CH, looking forward to seeing the cabinet when its been finished. Well done.

Claw Hama · #15 14th Jun 2009, 11:06 PM

Thanks guys, I started on the doors today but found the timber I had set aside had a bit of twist in it so I only ended up with enough for one out of the three. I will go to the building site tomorrow and get a few more left over pieces of the t&g flooring (thats what the back panel and doors are cut from)(180wide Tallowwood) I then have to cut them down to 140 and re-groove (so I have the right width boards to fit the door width. Fiddly but all good.