Looking for information on a hand crafted footrest for classical guitar - CLICK HERE.
July 2, 2002 - Today I completed the cherry curio cabinet that the LOML has been so patiently waiting for. Though I have been woodworking on and off for several years this project was a major project for me and initially quite intimidating. That is one of the contributing factors in why it took so long to start the project. The lumber was purchased and stored in the shop for over a year. The design is from issue #130 of Woodsmith. There were only a few changes from the plans as presented by Woodsmith. The size of the top was reduced to have a 1" overhang instead of 2" and the front corners of the top were rouned over to soften things up a bit.
Rockslide competed in the 2002 Battle of the Bands for a chance to open for Sammy Hagar at the Dixon May Fair. We were runner up and so instead of being on stage before the Sammy show I decided to pour myself into the curio cabinet project. So I started processing the stock on Saturday May 11, 2002. Things were moving along much quicker than I had expected and the main carcass was completed in about 4 or 5 days time spread out over about 3 weeks.
The Fisch mortiser performed well and I was amazed at how quickly one can turn out several mortises. The following is a series of pics that show the process of constructing the cabinet.
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As I mentioned, things had been progressing rather smoothly. That is, until I started working on the doors. The M&T joints came out good and both doors were flat after glueup. The problems started after routing the recess for the beveled glass panels. While squaring the corners with a chisel I cracked the inside stile of the left door. The reason was twofold. First I covered my workbench with carpet pad too keep from marring the surface of the doors. And secondly, I was using a dull chisel. Between the give in the carpet pad coupled with having to use an additional amount of force with the hammer to chisel out the wood ………….BAM ….. one whack too many and the stile split at a piece of figured grain. Not only was it cracked but also the wood fibers were torn beyond repair.
My initial thought was to replace the stile with a new one, which I did. I cut the damaged one off with the TS and then joined a new stile with a single biscuit joint. That worked pretty well. The next thing that went wrong was when I routed the mortises for the hinges. I got terrible chipout. At this point there was no choice but to start over and build a new door. So off to the lumber store I went.
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When it came time for the finish I wanted to use Watco Danish Oil. I had heard good things about it so I thought I would give it a try. The initial coat of Watco Natural turned the cherry a frightening orange color. I wasn't ready for that and like the fool I am I did not test it on a scrap piece first. I started right out on the top. After I completed the first coat of Watco on the entire cabinet I consulted with one of the participants of the WoodNet forums, Howard Acheson, regarding the use of the danish oil finish. I had explained to him that I usually use a product by Minwax called Tung Oil Finish. He suggested that if I wanted I could finish the job with the tung oil finish and I did so based on the "go with what you know" concept. After applying the first coat of tung oil finish the cherry started to turn a golden color which is more what I was hoping for. I put a total of 3 coats tung oil finish and applied the second coat using 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper. A couple of coats of Johnson's Paste Wax topped off the finish. This was a great project. Thanks for visiting my site.
Here is the Pendulum Clock featured in issue number 89 of Woodsmith magazine. This was supposed to be a Christmas present for my wife but it never quite made it in time. I had the privilege of having my sister and niece come from Michigan to spend Christmas with us so I put off the finishing touches until after the New Year. Here are a few pics starting with the completion of the case and upper and lower moldings.
The Quartz Movement was purchased from Klockit and I was able to get the Clock Face from Woodsmith mail order. They had discontinued the hardware kit but happen to have one dial left. The brass knob and hinges were purchased at Rockler.
The cherry stock was purchased at Higgins Hardwoods in Sacramento and after picking through the entire stack I found a couple of real narrow boards with some nice figured characteristics. There wasn't enough to build the entire project out of so I got enough to use for the inner and outer doors.
The clock is mounted to the wall using hanger plates attached to the back and wall anchors. I knew I would only get one chance for the holes in the wall to mate up so I drilled the counterbores in the back of the upper molding with a 1/2' forstner bit. I then put 1/2" dowel points in the holes and aligned the case on the wall (as it looks in the first pic) then tapped the edge of the upper molding with my hand and transferred the locations to the wall. I installed the wall anchors and crossed my fingers and got lucky. It fit like a glove. Was much easier without the added weight of the doors and movement.
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Another inexpensive product I purchased from Rockler was Rockler Screw Lube. It really made a difference when installing hardware with small brass screws. I broke a few off when I built the curio cabinet but not this time. The bees wax makes the screws slide right in.
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If you will recall, when I split out one of the stiles on the curio cab, Steve had a piece of cherry laying around that fit the bill. Well I heard him out cleaning his truck and thought I would share my mishap with him. And wouldn't you know.......he had about a 24" x 24" panel laying in the shop. I don't know if my guardian angel's name is Steve but someone was looking out for me. A quick run to Lowes for a glass cutter and I cut a new piece.
The finish I used was Antique Oil Finish by Minwax. I applied a total of 4 coats, wet sanding the 3rd coat (400 grit), and applying the 4th coat with 0000 steel wool. I do plan to put a coat of Johnsons paste wax but I will wait until the finish cures a while. This was an extremely fun project. If you have any questions feel free to drop me an email.
Night Light w/scroll sawn panels
Here is a few pics of the night light. The top removes to allow any one of four removable panels to be dropped into place. The pics show 3 of the 4 scenes available. It is made from cherry scraps (yes I still have an abundance of cherry scraps) and has 3 coats of Antique Oil Finish by Minwax. I plan on making another one down the road and this time I am going to take a crack at designing one or two different patterns for the panels. Since we usually make a trip to Kauai each year I am thinking about a palm tree of sorts.
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The plans for this rocker called for using plywood for its stability. However, I thought it would be very difficult to apply the veneer edging to hide the plys. Since I knew that the recipients room was white I chose to use poplar as it takes paint well. Her crib is white and the rocker should look right at home. Here are a few picks. My wife was kind enough to do the painting. Didn't hurt my feelings one bit (LOL).
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Looking for information on a hand crafted footrest for classical guitar - CLICK HERE.
If anyone has any questions about any of these projects feel free to EMAIL me.