Thread: Tambour front book case

Looking real nice !
Have you got a veneer saw to try the cuts . You probably have if your into veneer work ? . The small handsaw type used for cutting veneer . Their pretty excellent at straight lines . Not to hard to make your own if you wanted , from an old blade . The teeth are filed straight across at 90 degree like a rip saw and no set needed . The teeth are like an equal two sides of a triangle forward and back . Not a close to 90 degree front ( or what ever it is ) like a rip .

More progress on the book case.

I've shellacked and lightly sanded the tambour slats, and made the bottom rail for the tambour. The next step was to temporarily fit the lock. I'm using one of Andrew Crawford's SmartLocks, inverted so that the lock is in the bottom rail of the tambour and the plate is in the bottom of the carcass.

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I also made the tambour lifting handles. They are of a design I've often used. It's quick and easy to make a batch of them with an offcut strip of timber, and then cut mortices for them. It's much easier to do this now than when the tambour is made.

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With everything made, it's now time to glue up the tambour. I use Titebond II, applied to the back of the slats and one side of the cotton duck fabric that will be the backing. I'll allow this to dry overnight, then stretch the duck over the clamped slats and re-activate the glue with a hot iron.

Gluing tambour-1.jpgGluing tambour-4.jpg

At last the carcass is complete. All I have to do is make the shelves and undercarriage (which I haven't designed yet).



Completed carcass.jpg

I didn't like the design I'd done for the undercarriage, so I did a re-design to make it taller and not so chunky.

undercarriage 3.jpg

I decided to do it in jarrah, so yesterday I dressed the timber and cut& dressed the legs & top rails. Today I cut the finger joints for the legs & rails.
There are a few different ways to cut finger joints. Some people do them on a table saw, others do them on a router table. I do mine on the bandsaw. First, I make a template the same width as the workpiece, and mark the fingers out on it. I use this to position the fence. I position it so the saw cut just removes the marked line on the template. The trick is to get into a rhythm to make the cuts in the right order. You do not want to cut the wrong piece at the wrong time. Damhikt.

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That bookcase and that marquetry is magnificent !! Well done Alex, and many thanks for sharing the progress photos

Originally Posted by AlexS

At last the carcass is complete. All I have to do is make the shelves and undercarriage (which I haven't designed yet).



Completed carcass.jpg

oh Alex, you have excelled yourself! Bravo.

Alex this is an amazing piece true Master Craftsman & Artist

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After a few unrelated delays I got back into making the undercarriage. After cutting the M & Ts I decided the legs needed tapered ends.



The lower rails will support slats to make a magazine rack, which meant cutting 20 mortices.

Lower rail.jpg

I finished them today and did the dry fit up.

Leg Assy.jpg

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This afternoon, I managed to final sand one pair of legs & rails and get a coat of shellac on them. The plan is to glue them up tomorrow and start sanding the next pair while the glue dries.

After lightly sanding the shellacked parts I was ready to glue up the first pair of legs. While they were dry fitted I put wax around all the joints to prevent any excess glue sticking.

Ready for glue-up.jpg

I mixed up the Techniglue epoxy with a bit of terra rosa tint to approximately match the timber. After thoroughly mixing the glue I spread it out on the plastic lid that I use for mixing. Techniglue is exothermic, and the heat it generates will make it set quickly. Spreading it out will allow the heat to dissipate and slow the setting down.

Mixing glue.jpg

I put a thin layer on all the mating surfaces and clamped them together. The clamp at the top is at a slight angle, to pull the assembly into square.
After the glue has been in place for 3-4 hours, it will be strong enough to hold things in place, but soft enough to peel any excess away.
This afternoon I sanded and shellacked the second pair of legs.

Gluing up.jpg Squeeze out.jpg

The picture on the cabinet is fantastic. I can’t wait to see the finished piece. I hope you can include a video clip of the tambour in action.

Thanks Shane. I have a video, will have to work out how to post it. It's on my FB page.

The next step was to glue the two pairs of legs to the top stretchers and the magazine rack slats at the bottom - easy when you say it quickly, but it's 22 mortice & tenon joints.
The other thing that has to be done is to ensure that the table is square, both vertically and horizontally.
Once the the glue had gone off I removed the clamps and cleaned off all the excess glue. The next step is to oil it and attach the cabinet.

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I finally got everything oiled and assembled. Here's a photo of it in position.

Book Cabinet-1.jpg

OK, time to make another one - this one's full.
The guardian is "Hyfrographer", by artist, sculptor, photographer and aviator Suzi Duncan OAM.

Book Cabinet-2.jpg Book Cabinet-1.jpg

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A fantastic piece there Alex, well done. I’ve been watching closely since the start and was eager to see the finished product; the wait has been worth it!