Thread: WIP Chest of Drawers

Finished cabinet, from the side. A friend who was visiting saw the side and asked how I cut it out of a single piece of wood. I thought about fibbing, but relented and told him he was looking at three book matched veneers.

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Front view. Very happy with the legs. Went for a squat leg with lots of movement in the leg and a flattish foot. I think it works.
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Close up to show drawer construction method (sorry, IanW).
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Originally Posted by John Samuel

....

Close up to show drawer construction method (sorry, IanW).
IMG20220921111123.jpg

Ah well John, whatever works for you. Someday I'll have to pay a visit to your shed armed with saws & chisels & see if I can convince you that cutting a few dovetails is easier than laying up veneer to the high standard you've achieved....

Looking at the legs, p'raps it would've been better aesthetically if you'd set the "ears" with the grain parallel to the leg grain. It would have made them look more like part of the legs than the base moulding. But it's a conundrum without resolution. Since you'll have a grain "mismatch" whichever way you orient the 'ears', it boils down to a matter of choice on the day....

In any case, it's a handsome piece, & I'll bet half a stubby no-one will ever notice which way the grain runs, let alone comment on it.

On to the next job.....
Cheers,
Ian

Originally Posted by IanW

Ah well John, whatever works for you. Someday I'll have to pay a visit to your shed armed with saws & chisels & see if I can convince you that cutting a few dovetails is easier than laying up veneer to the high standard you've achieved....

Looking at the legs, p'raps it would've been better aesthetically if you'd set the "ears" with the grain parallel to the leg grain. It would have made them look more like part of the legs than the base moulding. But it's a conundrum without resolution. Since you'll have a grain "mismatch" whichever way you orient the 'ears', it boils down to a matter of choice on the day....

In any case, it's a handsome piece, & I'll bet half a stubby no-one will ever notice which way the grain runs, let alone comment on it.

On to the next job.....
Cheers,
Ian

I agree bout the ears, shoulders or wings to the legs. The grain should have run vertically and matched the legs. Sadly, thumb in bum and mind in neutral at the time I made them. Before I fitted them to the cabinet I considered cutting them off and replacing them. Unfortunately, I used a floating tenon to make the joint and put a screw either side of the tenon to clamp the joint into place. But then I filled the screw holes and sanded it off to clean up the job. So, I needed to dig out the filler and expose/clean off the screw head to cut off the shoulders. Done this before. Not fun. Pass. I fitted them to the cabinet, because only woodies are likely to notice.

I love dowelled drawers, IanW. They are quick to make and I have never had one turn out badly. I've had them in service for many years and (touch wood) none have been an ounce of trouble. I know a lot of folk get off on dovetails ... I'm not one of them. My customers either don't care or are too afraid to pass comment. Either will do me fine. If I can get hoop pine at a decent price I'll buy some more for drawer carcasses. The white timber looks good against darker timbers like cedar or NG Rosewood, and if I stain the dowells they too look pretty.

Next pieces are likely to be a pair of Georgian bedside tables. My son wants to take the lead on this job because they are for him, so we'll wait and see when he can commit the time to make them. The good news is that they are not a big job.

I'm a bit keen on timber grain that jumps at you from across the room. I have several pieces in camphor laurel and walnut that have the light/dark contrast that creates this kind of impact.

But others, like my youngest son, prefer a more uniform colour, like the NG Rosewood. He already has an entertainment unit in this timber that I made many years ago and asked me for a similar effect in this piece.

Originally Posted by John Samuel

.... I'm a bit keen on timber grain that jumps at you from across the room.....

John, I like interesting grain too, but I think I've overdone it a couple of times so I tend to use it with more restraint now. I do have a weakness for bookmatched door panels, though:

Sideboard.jpg

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

John, I like interesting grain too, but I think I've overdone it a couple of times so I tend to use it with more restraint now. I do have a weakness for bookmatched door panels, though:


Cheers,

I agree, IanW. Too much camphor or similar in the one room can make one's head spin ... matters can get way too busy.

And I am kinky for book matched panels and doors. Here are two recent favourites.

Jinghua's Frilly Nickers cabinet.jpg

The inside of the doors match the outside on this frilly nickers cabinet.

Finished 2.jpeg

I love these doors. They are too bold or dramatic for some folk, but I do love them.

Not sure how I'd go with those last doors - they remind me too much of some CT scans I've seen......

Cheers,

I.... feel I should be flagging that somehow

Originally Posted by John Samuel

I agree, IanW. Too much camphor or similar in the one room can make one's head spin ... matters can get way too busy.

And I am kinky for book matched panels and doors. Here are two recent favourites.

Jinghua's Frilly Nickers cabinet.jpg

The inside of the doors match the outside on this frilly nickers cabinet.

Finished 2.jpeg

I love these doors. They are too bold or dramatic for some folk, but I do love them.