Shane Jimerfield Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Today I finished a cabinet project for a friend/client. He had a bunch of reclaimed old-growth Douglas Fir that I used for the face frames, doors and drawers. I was able to resaw most of it to get vertical grain. I tried to avoid big problem areas in the reclaimed wood, but he did not want me to avoid them all. So there are a few nail holes and even some beetle cavities. The boxes are made from a vertical grained D. Fir veneered plywood. They are finished with hardwax oil. Next step is to install them and make the counter tops. He has some 8/4 local black walnut slabs that I will be using for that. (it will be fun dealing with cross grain connections and seasonal expansion) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 A track saw is your friend working with those slabs. I used my domino to join the corners I had to make.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Those really look sharp Shane! I agree with Steve about the domino and track saw if you have them or have access to them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Good job Shane! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Those are seriously nice cabinets. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Jimerfield Posted December 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 A track saw is your friend working with those slabs. I used my domino to join the corners I had to make.. yeah, don't have either of those. I've created a guide that I use for my skil saw and use a good blade - I get decent results with that. I've been eyeing a track saw for a while and just haven't made the leap. The layout is mostly as shown in the photo, except there will be a stove on the left side separating that first double door base cab. So, I'll be dealing with a U shape. I'm planning to screw the three main counters down hard in the front and let the expansion move toward the walls/back under the splash boards. I'll use slotted screw holes for additional fasteners. Where the three pieces join - left and right sides of the sink base - I plan to use two 1/2" dowels on each side in the front and put a loose 1/4" thick x 3/4" wide spline down the joint to keep things even. Sound reasonable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Jimerfield Posted December 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 I wonder how well the Grizzly track saw would cut through 8/4 walnut? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 I bet the Griz would do better than a skil saw and a straightedge. You could look into Tite Joint fasteners . It's installed in from the underside with 2 holes and a hole drilled from the edge for the bolt that connects them. http://www.rockler.com/tite-joint-fastener Search around you might find a better price. Use the link from WoodTalk to show a little support. A miter joint is going to move at a similar rate on each side. A butt joint is going to have the greatest range of movement, the long grain edge won't move much at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 The cabinets look phenomenal. I'm not familiar with hardwax oil - what is it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Jimerfield Posted December 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Hardwax oil = oil and wax, usually some kind of hardeners involved. i used Unearthed Paints for this project. It is a linseed, tung oil and wax mix with their hardeners - customer spec. I like using wax-oil, but Unearthed is expensive. It's low VOC, but at $118/2.5 L, hmmm...not a huge deal in overall expense of the project, and it is a super nice product. So, one would have to weigh the pros/cons. Steve: I noticed on the Grizz saw that it is only 9 amps, and the Dewalt, Makita are 12 amps and the Festool 55 is 10amps and their 75 is 13amps. Wondering if the Grizz is under powered for this particular application. My Skil Saw is 13 amps and I know it would feel the density of that wood. One of the Grizz adverts shows the saw sitting on 8/4 maple, hmmmm... I'm skeptical. I might need to do a poll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Crawford Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Shane, I was in Medford Tools yesterday and saw they have a MFT with saw marks in it so maybe they would let you try a TS55 and/orTS75 on a scrap of your wood. If not I have a TS55 and your welcome to come over and give it a try. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdjms1 Posted December 4, 2014 Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 Reclaimed Lumber Cabinets… You are my hero. lol. Great job! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted December 4, 2014 Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 Can't wait to see these slabs! Great work so far 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Jimerfield Posted December 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2014 Shane, I was in Medford Tools yesterday and saw they have a MFT with saw marks in it so maybe they would let you try a TS55 and/orTS75 on a scrap of your wood. If not I have a TS55 and your welcome to come over and give it a try. Tom Thanks for the offer Tom. I think I am going to just use my new table saw for this project. It has 54" capacity and I think I can keep these heavy wide pieces square to the fence for an excellent cross cut with my Woodworker II. The Makita track saw seems to be getting good reviews, so I may go that route. The problem with most of these reviews is that they just sue the stock blades - it seems a better review process would be use a the same quality blade with each saw. Any way. Cheers. BTW, did you get over to the Siskiyou Woodcraft Guild show last weekend? Some very nice pieces on display. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Jimerfield Posted December 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2014 Thanks for all the kudos. I picked up the walnut slabs yesterday - they are now acclimating. They are lovely. Air dried and full of figure and colors. It's going to be fun. Power planer, jointer, clamps, hand planes, drum sander and scrapper will be tools for this one. I'm thinking of finishing them with General Finishes, Enduro-Var Urethane Varnish. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 6, 2014 Report Share Posted December 6, 2014 I haven't used that finish yet. Take a look at the ease of spot repair/ touch up finishing. Enveloping wood in plastic isn't the solution . I've tried that many times and it always fails. A finish that's as much in the wood as on it, that moves with the board and is easily repaired is the best long term choice. Easily repaired is the key thing to look for. Wood counters need some attention every 6 -12 months to stay looking great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Jimerfield Posted December 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2014 so, this client will not be maintaining the counter every 6 - 12 months, more like 6 - 12 years. it's just not their style. so, I need to give them a good start by creating a hard, durable finish. what would you use? please don't say "tile." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 6, 2014 Report Share Posted December 6, 2014 I think Particle Board has use this finish before and may have some better advice. The issue with hardwood counter tops is that they do require maintenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 6, 2014 Report Share Posted December 6, 2014 6 -12 years ? Granite takes more maintanence that that ! Corian would probably be the only thing that might meet that lack of maintenece level. Wood works as a countertop material 2 ways, either with a constant level of attention or an acceptance of a decidedly rustic appearance. Walnut is a nice richly colored slightly soft hardwood. It's gonna wear down and dent, show knife marks etc. Without regular care your gonna see a steady decline. Weathered walnut turns a gastly grey tone . Trying to encase wood in any sort of plastic is futile, lord knows I have tried and seen each attempt fail ! Ignore experience at your own risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Jimerfield Posted December 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2014 i'm not ignoring your experience...i'm asking for it. what would you finish it with? i can't force these people to do maintenance, only suggest it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 6, 2014 Report Share Posted December 6, 2014 Just level with the client, some sort of salad bowl finish( an oil varnish mix) is going to be the easiest to maintain in the long run. It's not much different than the Hardwax oil you used on the cabinets. That is gonna need some renewing from time to time as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted December 6, 2014 Report Share Posted December 6, 2014 I personally would not finish any counter top for money. Liability is a issue. Counter tops needs UV so I would sub out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Jimerfield Posted December 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 Started in on the counter tops yesterday. Started with 8/4 rough sawn black walnut slabs. They came from a tree that fell in the client's in-law's yard. Lots of hand planing before they were put through the power planer (which equaled sore muscles this morning). They are still in a bit of a rough stage, but I want to get them all in this stage before determining final thickness. I had to deal with some serious cupping on two of the slabs - so I ripped them to minimize the amount of material that needed to be removed. Ultimately these will wind up at about a 5/4 to 6/4 thickness. Since they all came from the same tree I was able to get some nice bookmatching. One of the counters has a small wrap-around on an end wall, so we are going to have a bit of live edge on that side. stay tuned for that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 10, 2014 Report Share Posted December 10, 2014 Bookmatch adds a nice touch ! You've got your hands on some nice material ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Jimerfield Posted December 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Been chopping away at the counter tops. Hand planing out the twist and cupping was fun. My shop is still covered in shavings, which are great for starting fires in the wood stove. I was able to keep the counters at a robust 1 11/16 - you could park a car on the counter overhang (the counter would be fine, but the cabinet would probably collapse). Did I mention that I dovetailed the drawers? No? Hmmmm. Here are a few more photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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