Thread: Chest of Drawers (Tall-boy) made from Tassie Blackwood

Cheers ajw, are the side panels blackwood ply, veneer or solid? Cabinet looks great.

Side panels are Blackwood veneered to mdf. Top is the same, framed in solid timber.

I have two 2400 x 1200 sheets, so I use it where I can. On some projects I use solid timber panels. Depends on the look I'm going for.

cheers,

ajw

Nice work. The colour is beautiful and I can imagine what the timber looks like in person. Only thing I would say is that I prefer solid timber tops as they last better and I would have used burnished oil for the final coat. Though veneer makes that difficult.Regards,Rob

I might change the top to a solid timber one. I agree that they last longer and I also think they look better. I used the veneered mdf because I had it available, and I'm trying to ration my limited supplies of solid Blackwood for another project.

i will go over the WOP finish after its had some time to settle and dry. will probably use some traditional wax.

thanks for the comments.

ajw

Very nice ajw....Looks beautifully made.Steven.

Originally Posted by ajw

I might change the top to a solid timber one. I agree that they last longer and I also think they look better. I used the veneered mdf because I had it available, and I'm trying to ration my limited supplies of solid Blackwood for another project.

i will go over the WOP finish after its had some time to settle and dry. will probably use some traditional wax.

thanks for the comments.

ajw

I wouldn't do that. Veneers onto recycled substrate make good use of valuable old growth forest timber like Blackwood, and the engineered timbers such as MDF are very good these days: no warping or gluing up from narrower stock. I prefer plywood to MDF myself, but there is nothing really wrong with your choice. I have also used laminated pine boards. High quality ones that can be used as furniture tops can cost $$$ but there are some that are made from 19x42 off cuts with sawtooth joints joining the ends of the off cuts. They look like huge kitchen cutting boards... and they are a cheap, dimensionally stable alternative equal or better than MDF, plywood and chipboard.

I am not a big fan of chunky, heavy, table and desk tops made from solid timber... They do look very nice, but they are an extravagance that should be used sparingly. When you think about it your eye really sees only the first few microns on the surface.

I've also used high quality pine for some of my pieces and stained them various colours. I don't understand why there is so much derision of this timber as furniture timber... I find it cheap, beautiful and easy to work with, and the fact that it comes from plantation timber and available at the big Hardware stores in abundance is a bonus, I reckon.

I enjoyed looking at this piece... well done!

Jorge

I've never been able to stain pine successfully. It always goes blotchy, even when I use a pine sealer first. I agree it is easy to work with, but I can't get excited about using radiata pine for furniture construction.

ive left the top unchanged, so that I don't waste the timber I've used, and can save the remainder of my stock for other purchases.

cheers,

ajw

Originally Posted by ajw

I've never been able to stain pine successfully. It always goes blotchy, even when I use a pine sealer first. I agree it is easy to work with, but I can't get excited about using radiata pine for furniture construction.

ive left the top unchanged, so that I don't waste the timber I've used, and can save the remainder of my stock for other purchases.

cheers,

ajw

I don't mean to argue... I think that some of the native timbers are very beautiful... and hope to use some one day. But can I persuade you? I have used Victorian Ash/Tassie Oak on several projects. I took to using pine mainly as a challenge (what could I do with cheap pine shelving material available form the big hardware chains?)... Here are three of the results.

There is always an element of challenge to every project that take on - a novel joint type, a different sort of stain, a timber I have not used before... keeps things interesting...

Keep on keeping on!




Wall Unit (S).jpgW 3.JPGIMG_6314 - Copy.JPG

Originally Posted by GarciaJ

I don't understand why there is so much derision of this timber as furniture timber... Jorge

Hi Jorge,

Whilst i agree with you on the conservation of old growth timber I'd have to agree with others about the lack of excitement when it comes to using pine, especially plantation timber. The main problem as i see it is that it's too soft for a durable finish (think stools or table tops that dint or gouge easily). I also find it easier to make mistakes when handling it as it's so soft, drop almost any tool on it and it leaves it's mark. Of course that can be avoided or fixed with the right techniques.

I do like your work but i'm sure if you had cheap hardwood alternatives you would have chosen them instead. I get a most of my timber supplies from a recycling warehouse (timber zoo in Moolap, Geelong) but i realise that's not always an option for everyone either. With recycled timber you're getting old growth timber without the need for more felling.....and i do like the look of the close grained timbers the best. Better to recycle it that have it end up in landfill or worse...being burnt.

that's my 2c.

Cheers
Mat

Originally Posted by Lplates

Hi Jorge,

Whilst i agree with you on the conservation of old growth timber I'd have to agree with others about the lack of excitement when it comes to using pine, especially plantation timber. The main problem as i see it is that it's too soft for a durable finish (think stools or table tops that dint or gouge easily). I also find it easier to make mistakes when handling it as it's so soft, drop almost any tool on it and it leaves it's mark. Of course that can be avoided or fixed with the right techniques.

I do like your work but i'm sure if you had cheap hardwood alternatives you would have chosen them instead. I get a most of my timber supplies from a recycling warehouse (timber zoo in Moolap, Geelong) but i realise that's not always an option for everyone either. With recycled timber you're getting old growth timber without the need for more felling.....and i do like the look of the close grained timbers the best. Better to recycle it that have it end up in landfill or worse...being burnt.

that's my 2c.

Cheers
Mat

I don't disagree on any particular point... Horses for causes as they say... As I posted earlier, I chose pine for the jobs above partly to set myself the challenge of using cheap shelving timber from the local hardware superchain (kind of like the pallette challenge elsewhere in the forum). The type of furniture I used the pine for do not see as heavy use or knocks as table tops , etc, so I've found the finishes to be durable... Also, I like the the look of pine - and so do my "clients" (my family) ... sometimes I go out of my way to put a knot on a drawer face or a side of a wall unit.

I've learnt something from every project, and none of them is perfect but they are good enough to display and keep.

I have a backlog of projects... a desk for my home office... and a buffet for our "TV room" ... I think I will make them out of hardwood... That Blackbutt looks pretty nice...

Jorge