Chest of drawers WIP

**Tomazelli** · 4th January 2016, 07:49 AM

This is my last serious woodworking project. A chest of drawers that I named Sakura.

The wood is know here in Brazil as "freijo", Cordia goeldiana. It is made all of wood, except bottom drawers and other things that can be easily replaced.

The panel top is made bookmatching the boards. Same for the drawers fronts.

It has 130 x 90 x 50 cm.

Dovetailed drawers. The four top drawers are made in traditional form. The two bigger drawers in the bottom are dovetailed but they use a false front that covers metal slides.

A well fit drawer do not have lateral play, but have a vertical play for seasonal movements.

Instead of making a central drawer, I make only a panel where I carved two sakura flowers, that is the name of the furniture.

The sides are in 3 cm thick wood.

Top drawers slides are made with mortise and tenons.

Dividers use slinding dovetail joinery to carcase.

Top and bottom dividers also use dovetail joints to carcase. Bottom is made of MDF and can be easily replaced.

The top before gluing.

Frame uses spline to reinforce miter joints.

The panel has a rabbet that fit a frame grove, and each panel board use a spline too.

After glued, I first use a #7 to make the top flat, only then I sand the surface.

Making the drawers, I saw first tails in a half-blind joint, then I saw two sides at a once.

A lot of drawers sides!

Before glue up drawers, I plane the inside of the pieces.

After glued, planed, sanded an with a first coat of danish oil, it looks better.

Sorry for so few WIP. I worked in a concentrating rate that I forgot to take pictures. My english and nomenclature is not so good too.

**IanW** · 4th January 2016, 08:25 AM

A nicely-crafted chest, Tomazelli, and it's good to see woods that are unfamiliar to us. I had never heard of 'freijo' before, but have seen its 'cousin' bocote mentioned a lot. It seems to be a good wood to work with...

Cheers,

**Tomazelli** · 4th January 2016, 01:22 PM

Freijó is a nice wood to work, easy with hand tools. The front of two bigger bottom drawers are a little harder and darker, probably is from another tree or even a variety. Brazil is so rich in species that much woods that are know by a common name are, in fact, more than one cousin species.

The wood of drawers sides is "Caixeta", that means in Portuguese small carcase or small box, Tabebuia cassinoides, a lighter (in color and weight) cousin of "Ipê". Ipê is one wood that are, in really, some similar species instead of only one.

Cheers!

**Christos** · 4th January 2016, 02:51 PM

Thank you for sharing your work. Very nice chest of draws.

**spokeshave** · 4th January 2016, 04:23 PM

Nice work Tomazelli.

Looks like a very solid well built unit. The top looks interesting with the grain running front to back instead of the 'traditional' side to side, hopefully this wont have any long term issues with movement.

Very nice timber too...

Steven.

**Gestalt** · 4th January 2016, 04:34 PM

Agree with the rest. Very nice work. How many hours do you think went into building this unit?

**Tomazelli** · 5th January 2016, 08:57 AM

Spokeshave, if you look has a space between the panel and the frame, for seasonal movements. This construction is common in Chinese traditional table tops.

Gestalt, I think about 65 hours to complete the chest, about a week and a half of work. Unfortunately the hour price here is not so good, but work with wood is my love.

**spokeshave** · 5th January 2016, 11:21 AM

Hi Tomazelli.

Just out of curiosity and for future reference (I think it looks nice and may use this technique in the future), where did you apply the glue to the panels.

Did you apply glue only between each piece and then leave all the outside of the entire panel free of glue to move within the frame?

I want to make a hall table some time in the future and think this may be a good look for it.

Look forward to your reply.

Steven.

**DaveTTC** · 5th January 2016, 11:41 AM

Love the post. Nice work on the unit. Ill pour over this again tonight

Dave TTC
Turning Wood Into Art

**Tomazelli** · 5th January 2016, 03:56 PM

Spokeshave

I apply glue, of course on the frame miters and their splines, and between each board of the panel (and their splines), but don't use glue between the panel rabbet and the frame groove. The panel is free to float and move.

But, as I don't like the panel playing side to side, I apply a point of glue only in the center, between rabbet and groove.

Look this picture, I make green points where I put a bit of glue, to maintain the panel centered on the frame. I am in my phone now and do not know how to put pictures in the message, click on the link below:
https://goo.gl/photos/SM1SVMxYrxcKzfjn9

You can use, instead of glue, two screws or nails, under the panel, of course, to center the panel.

You can use panel boards running across the width, like I have used, or across the length of the panel, the choice is yours. The only thing that you need is make sure that the gape to movements is in the width of panel boards, in the length a gape is not necessary.

The length of panel boards, and their thickness, will determine if you need or not reinforcement braces under the top. Those braces are sliding dovetails that runs across the width of panel boards and maintain the flatness but leaves the boards free to movement. In this case, as I have used boards running across the top width, I do not use reinforcements, if I had used boards running across the panel length, probably I would use one transversal brace on the middle. Look at this.link below, it shows the Chinese traditional construction:

Classical Chinese Furniture: Joinery and Construction

If I did not explain well, let me know.

**spokeshave** · 5th January 2016, 04:15 PM

Thanks Tomazelli for taking the time to explain and for adding the link and photo's, very much appreciated.

You explained very well, thank you.

Steven.

**Tomazelli** · 5th January 2016, 04:22 PM

Complementing the above message, a cousin who lived in China for many years brought many antique furniture, and I see more panels running across the length of top, and this way is more ease to glue up if you use dovetailed braces under the top. But it has no problem to use the panel boards running front to back if you use them in the correct way.

Regards.

**GarciaJ** · 6th January 2016, 01:34 PM

Wonderful work
.. Thanks for posting.

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