Eric. Posted March 9, 2013 Report Share Posted March 9, 2013 I call it that because of the lumber I'm using for this project...wenge, bubinga and bird's eye maple...inspired by Marc's beautiful Dogon bed he recently finished. The combination and contrast of those colors worked so well, I had to have a taste. Extravagant, yes. But I've had these boards for some time now, and I'm ready to use them. What good is lumber when it just sits on the rack? It shall be a nerve-wracking build from start to finish, lest I spoil a piece with carelessness...I have very little spare material. Patience will be critical, and that's part of the reason I've decided to document my progress...I think stopping to take pictures now and then will force me to slow down and help ease my typical furious pace a little. I tend to go a hundred miles an hour once I get into a build, anxious to see the next step completed. I want to add more time for contemplation in my work, and this is an attempt to do that. Still, I can't promise that I'll document every step. This cabinet will be modest in size, approximately 12 inches wide, 34 inches tall, and about 7 inches deep. And it will be simple. One rectangular carcass and one flat, solid door on knife hinges. A few shelves inside and a couple drawers. I'm thinking I'll forego dovetails on the case, and instead use loose tenon or dowel joinery. I'm a little tired of dovetails right now, and I think leaving a little profiled overhang on the top and bottom will add some character and softness to this otherwise straight-lined box. I would really love to cooper the door convex...something I have never done before, but I don't have the appropriate planes to shape the inside. I'm sure there are other ways, but I guess I'll save that for another cabinet when I have the right tools. I spent last evening and this morning studying the boards and laying out for the parts, and I think I've settled on a decision. I have some ideas where I want this piece to go, but no details are set in stone. We'll see where it takes me. Should be fun! I plan to rough cut everything and do the first round of milling today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pghmyn Posted March 9, 2013 Report Share Posted March 9, 2013 Wow. How wide is that bubinga board? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted March 9, 2013 Report Share Posted March 9, 2013 Great stuff Eric, Looking forward to this one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2013 Wow. How wide is that bubinga board? Started off almost 20 inches. She's in three pieces now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pghmyn Posted March 10, 2013 Report Share Posted March 10, 2013 Started off almost 20 inches. She's in three pieces now. Goodness. That thing was beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted March 10, 2013 Report Share Posted March 10, 2013 20"? Nice. You're a better man than me. I would find it hard not to save that for something where I could take full advantage of grain continuity. My next furniture build is goin to be Black Limba and Wenge. Almost the entire piece will be shop veneers, so I can keep the continuity. Looking forward to the build. Any design sketches you can post? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2013 No, no sketches...nothing I can post anyway. I'm not much of a sketchup guy. Usually just doodle a bit on graph paper and I'm off to the races. I don't have the patience for sketchup...I'm too antsy to get out there and build. That bubinga board has been my buddy for about a year now, and I've had many plans for it, but always stopped short. The reason I didn't mind cutting it up is because it's really more like two boards in one...about 12 inches or so is flat sawn, and about 8 inches or so is rift sawn (see first pic). So while it would have been nice to use the entire board in a single project, there honestly wouldn't have been all that much continuity to work with, at least along the width. I ripped the flatsawn 12" off, then crosscut it in half. The two boards are nearly identical...one will be the door and the other the back panel. Should be pretty neat to open the door to see the same grain pattern on the back. Not sure if I'll work tomorrow or not. We'll see if the boards move any overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted March 10, 2013 Report Share Posted March 10, 2013 Sure is nice to see a stack of parts stickered up and the patience to wait and see if they move. Some of the basic skills are the most important as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2013 It's a rainy and lazy day here in St. Louis. I took my coffee out to the shop this morning to check on the parts, and found good news and bad. Most of the boards have remained dead flat or very close to flat, with the exception of the top and bottom parts. Both had a significant cup...by significant I mean perhaps 1/16" over about a 9" width. Why, I don't know. They were cut out of the same board as other parts that have remained flat. Doesn't matter...it's my first lemon and I intend to make lemonade out of it. I could probably just move forward and hope that I can clamp the cupping out during glue-up since the case won't be dovetailed. But the thought of that makes me a little queasy. Or I could mill the pieces again and hope they stay flat next time. But they had a bit of twist before the first milling (should have been my first clue), and by the time I had them jointed flat they were pretty close to as thin as I want them. I envision them a bit thicker than the sides with a nice, soft profile just to add some interest. If I mill them again they'll be too thin for the look I'm going for. So I decided, since I have one more spare piece of wenge that would work for the bottom (which is basically dead flat before any milling), I'll go ahead and sandwich the two cupped pieces together and create a more substantial top, which I'll add some subtle curves to. Obviously this isn't ideal, and in a perfect world I would have a piece of 8/4 for the top instead of laminating two pieces. But I don't, and neither does my lumber dealer. So this is the solution. Fortunately, I cut the pieces out of one board and they were right next to each other, so the end and edge grains match up just about perfectly. I think it will be next to unnoticeable when finished, especially on a very dark wood like wenge. I don't like making exceptions in my work, or doing things that feel like I'm cutting corners or settling, but I don't really see an alternative here. I glued them up and I'll give them 24 hours before I proceed. On the bright side, the thicker top will open up more design possibilities, and I think I have a couple decent ideas. I also went out and bought the hinges today. The humidity is cranked up super high around here. I'm gonna try to practice as much patience as possible and give the boards as much time as I can muster before final milling and starting the joinery. Could be a couple days before I have more to report. Stay tuned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 I always reserve the right to shift the dimensions of a project to accomodate the variable nature of the medium in which we work. Wood moves and thus should the expectations of the worker in wood! Looking good so far, give it your best. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 Nice Eric, Good photos too. Are they form a camera or just a smart phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 I always reserve the right to shift the dimensions of a project to accomodate the variable nature of the medium in which we work. Wood moves and thus should the expectations of the worker in wood! Looking good so far, give it your best. Indeed! It's a pain in the ass when it does, but it's a small price to pay to work with the finest medium that exists. Nice Eric, Good photos too. Are they form a camera or just a smart phone. Thanks, I'm not much of a photog, but that doesn't stop me from trying. Pics are taken with a Nikon DSLR...on "stupid mode." I made a little progress today...very little, but progress all the same. I milled the two sides and top and bottom a second time down to final dimensions. Nice and flat, good to go. Then I started thinking about the joinery. Initially I'd planned on doing something different...dowels. The Master used dowels, and if they're good enough for him, they're certainly good enough for me. But man, I still just can't get into it. I don't know if it's the association with cheap furniture that turns me off to them or what, but they don't do it for me. So, since I'm still a poor, pathetic non-Domino-owning loser, I decided just to go with regular good ol' mortise and tenon. Fast, easy, and we all know they're strong. Made some marks, got out the router and got down to business. Setting up for mortises... Tenons with the dado stack... Everything nice and square. Check it once, then check it again... Rounding off the tenons... Nice tight joints... First assembly. Doesn't look like much...yet... ...but it's square... And that's it for today. Light through a sliver of wenge end grain. Thought it was cool looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBaker Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 Lookin' good Eric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 Today I had to jump ahead a little bit to think about how I wanted to hang this thing. I like using French cleats whenever possible, especially on heavier items. This cabinet is fairly small, but wenge and bubinga are heavy woods, and after it's loaded up we're looking at enough weight to make hanging a priority. I thought for a second about using those brass keyhole plates that you inlay into the back of the sides, but thought again. Not enough strength there I think. Plus it's always a pain to get things level. Also this cabinet is only twelve or so inches wide, so I wouldn't be able to hit two studs, and maybe none at all if I want to put it in a certain location. So French cleat it is. But there are some considerations on this particular cabinet that you might not have to worry about on others. First, the back panel is solid wood, so I can't just glue a cleat on the back like you normally can when using ply for the panel. Also, the cleat is typically glued on just below the top, so that the top can help support the weight and we're not relying totally on the panel to bear the weight. This is great if your case is dovetailed, because the joints are inherently resistant to gravity. But this cabinet is not dovetailed...the top and bottom are joined to the sides with mortise and tenon. So while it's still plenty strong to hold itself together under normal circumstances, I wouldn't want the top to bear all the weight of the cabinet, for fear that it will eventually start to pull itself apart. It took a little thought, but I arrived at what I thought was a pretty clever solution. I decided to integrate the cleat into the case by making what looks like the top piece of a frame and panel. It will have tenons that will go into mortises in the sides of the case, so now the sides are bearing most of the weight instead of the top. The cleat will also have a groove that will receive the panel, which eliminates the concern about wood movement. This may or may not be a technique that is used, but I've never seen it. Here's how I did it... I milled a piece of wenge about 2" or so wide and 1-1/8" thick. Then I routed a 3/8" groove to receive the panel... Then I set up the table saw at 45* to make the cut for the cleat... And ended up with this... I made mortises at the top of the cabinet sides, leaving about 7/8" of material above them, so there's plenty of meat to take the weight. Then I cut the tenons, and sliced off a bit of the flat side of the cleat, opposite the 45* angle, leaving about 1/4" to support the panel on the inside of the case. Here's the finished cleat... While I was mortising the sides of the case, I also routed the grooves all along the sides and bottom to receive the panel, cut the panel to size and milled it down to thickness... From the inside, the cleat just looks like the top of a frame and panel. I'll put some kind of profile on the edge of it eventually, maybe round it over, haven't decided. There will be a few shelves and two drawers at the bottom of the case, so I think they will balance out the look of the cleat once they're in. The eye is kind of drawn to it now because it's otherwise empty. And here's a view of the cleat from below on the back side. You can see that it's flush with the sides and top, leaving a 1/2" 45* space to receive the wall cleat... Shop is closed for the night. Time for a brewski. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted March 14, 2013 Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 Sweet work indeed Eric. Keep the updates coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Finley Posted March 14, 2013 Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 Looks great! One question: have you thought about putting a matching rail on the bottom of the back panel to mirror the cleat rail you have at the top? My eye wants to see that symmetry top-to-bottom. Of course, the interior layout may end up covering that part, so perhaps I'm just creating problems ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 Looks great! One question: have you thought about putting a matching rail on the bottom of the back panel to mirror the cleat rail you have at the top? My eye wants to see that symmetry top-to-bottom. Of course, the interior layout may end up covering that part, so perhaps I'm just creating problems ;-) Thanks James. There will be two drawers at the bottom, so how's that for symmetry? Another rail down there wouldn't be seen and it would get in the way of the drawers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted March 14, 2013 Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 Mr Krenov would be proud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatworks Today Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 Beautiful! Really looking forward to seeing some finish on there to really make the piece POP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 Beautiful! Really looking forward to seeing some finish on there to really make the piece POP! Me too! Can't wait...that's my favorite part of every project. Dados for the shelves... Squared off... Notching the corners of the shelves... Everything's looking good... Hinges are probably next...wish me luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CessnaPilotBarry Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 Lookin' good! I've never used wenge... You've peaked my interest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 Lookin' good! I've never used wenge... You've peaked my interest! Well Barry, it's beautiful, but to be honest, I hate working with it. Splintery as all get out and doesn't machine all that well. It's almost...flaky. Hard to describe. You have to be really careful about backing up cuts because it'll tear out long, brittle fibers if you're not. Almost like shards of glass. But...it is beautiful. I usually only use it for accents or small projects because it's about $20/bf around here. I like bubinga better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 Good work Eric, really like how everything in you shop looks so neat and tidy. Look forward to seeing the hinges on, I had never seen them before until you had recommend Krenov's book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Procrastinated the hinges as long as possible, and did a little scraping and 80 grit sanding to remove the mill marks... Then I had no choice but to dive in. Carefully laid them out and scribed the lines with an X-acto, and prepared for wood surgery with the router and an 1/8" spiral bit... A little clean up with a chisel, and voila... The other one looks almost as perfect. The edges of the top and bottom of the case will be profiled, which means where you see the open-ended mortise at the round end of the hinge will be gone and moot. And I believe that's what I'll be working on next...shaping the top and bottom. Glue is rapidly approaching my near future. Glue makes me nervous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pghmyn Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 I really would like to work with some Wenge; but at $21.90/BF, might not be in my immediate future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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