Chuck Melton Posted March 24, 2015 Report Share Posted March 24, 2015 Maybe like 10 drops in 10oz of Shellac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted March 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2015 Thanks Chuck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted March 24, 2015 Report Share Posted March 24, 2015 I hope he appreciates that walnut usage! When is dday around there anyways? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted March 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2015 I hope he appreciates that walnut usage! When is dday around there anyways? April 30. Really sneaking up on me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted March 24, 2015 Report Share Posted March 24, 2015 Awesome. How much dye did you put in the shellac? Just a few drops? I will go back and watch Marc's video as well. http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/pop-goes-the-maple/?as=pop%20goes%20the%20maple&mode=posts&ap=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted March 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2015 Had an hour or so last night so I finished up the base. I added corner glue blocks and mounting strips. Quite honestly the glue blocks probably aren't really necessary anyway, given the dovetails in the front and dominoed miters in the back, but I prefer belt and suspenders anyway, and it gave me a chance to try a technique that I'll probably use in the future. It also gave me a chance to use the micro adjust feature on my incra miter gauge to dial in the angle perfectly. I've had this thing for over a year and haven't used it for anything but 90* cuts so it was nice to use more of its capabilities. Here was my setup for cutting the corner blocks: Then I cut a few pieces of poplar for mounting strips, drilled mounting holes (oversized ones in the side strips), then it was back to the glue up room. In true Norm fashion, I used "a coupla brads, just until the glue dries" to fasten the corner blocks. I left the mounting strips a bit proud and I will bring them flush with the base edges with my LAJ. Next up I'll attach this bad boy and cut some mouldings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Melton Posted March 24, 2015 Report Share Posted March 24, 2015 It's looking great man! Every time I see the photos of that joinery, I get a little close to buying that Leigh dovetail jig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted March 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2015 It's looking great man! Every time I see the photos of that joinery, I get a little close to buying that Leigh dovetail jig. Thanks! Yeah the leigh jig is sweet. It takes a while to get the hang of it but once you do setup is very quick, especially for through dovetails. Half blinds are a bit more finicky but still fairly quick, especially if you're doing a lot. I'm also a sucker for well written instruction manuals, and this one is among the most thorough and well written that I've ever seen. It's expensive but worth it if you're cutting a lot of dovetails. Their customer service is also very pleasant and responsive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted March 24, 2015 Report Share Posted March 24, 2015 Brian, This is looking great. Mucho attention given to detail and stability!! This should serve a couple of generations of young'uns! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted March 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2015 Brian, This is looking great. Mucho attention given to detail and stability!! This should serve a couple of generations of young'uns! Thanks I hope so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted March 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2015 Had a few minutes last night so I went ahead and attached the base to the case. It actually was a bit more involved than I anticipated. Getting the thing just right, with the same reveal on all sides, was a challenge, even with clamps. Had to take my time drilling the pilot holes too so that the screws didn't pull it out of position. I got it on and then flipped it right side up on my table saw. To my absolute amazement, it sat nice and flat, no tipping or rocking: And I couldn't resist the chance to pop the drawers in and see what this thing looks like: At this point I feel like I'm so close and yet so far. So many little things left to do. Mouldings, top, a ton of sanding and cleaning up/breaking edges, etc., test boards, actual finishing...oh and potentially turning drawer pulls. This is always the worst part of the project for me. When the finish line is so close and I'm so excited to see how it will turn out but there are so many little tedious things left to do. Gotta keep plugging away. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 25, 2015 Report Share Posted March 25, 2015 Looks great man. This is the point where I start hating my project. Tedious details. All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted March 25, 2015 Report Share Posted March 25, 2015 It's going to come alive when you get some finish on that curly grain. The dovetails in the base catch the eye and give you a clue that a craftsman spent time to build something to last for generations. I would sign it and date it plus add some notes about the finish process, that could make future repairs easier . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted March 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2015 Thanks guys! Now if either one of you wants to fly to Boston to do my sanding for me, I'll provide all the bud lite you can drink and all the wings and burgers you can eat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted March 26, 2015 Report Share Posted March 26, 2015 Looking great man. Don't fret about getting too crazy with your methods of finishing...with the figure on that lumber you could rub a piece of garlic bread on it and the grain would pop into the 4th dimension. I'm impressed that your 'end of project intuition' is to stay focused on the same project...even if it is a bit of 'project creep'. By now, I would have moved it to the island of misfit projects and started something else. You're officially not allowed in the 99% Club with the rest of us slackers. Great work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted March 26, 2015 Report Share Posted March 26, 2015 I hope you realize Vinny is Posting from vacation and probably under the influence of relaxation...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted March 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 Looking great man. Don't fret about getting too crazy with your methods of finishing...with the figure on that lumber you could rub a piece of garlic bread on it and the grain would pop into the 4th dimension. I'm impressed that your 'end of project intuition' is to stay focused on the same project...even if it is a bit of 'project creep'. By now, I would have moved it to the island of misfit projects and started something else. You're officially not allowed in the 99% Club with the rest of us slackers. Great work. Haha, don't give me too much credit - it's not done yet! Seriously though I agree about the finishing. Generally I live by the KISS policy, and I think in this case I can let the figure do the heavy lifting all by itself. Test boards will help me sleep at night though... Enjoy vacation. Have a cocktail for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted March 27, 2015 Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 I hope you realize Vinny is Posting from vacation and probably under the influence of relaxation...... If I get busted for possession of 'relaxation' you'll be my one phone call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted March 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 As I said in one of my updates last week, this is my least favorite part of every project. I feel like I'm so close to the finish line, but there are SO many little tedious details that all take a lot of TIME. Breaking edges is a great example. There are so many edges on this project, given that there are five drawers, tons of internal structure, etc. I could probably leave the internal structure alone, since nobody should be sticking their hands in there anyway, but honestly my OCD would drive me wild and going that extra mile on all the unseen details makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Anyway, I got six straight hours in the shop on Saturday, which was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it allowed me to get most of that annoying stuff done, but a curse in that it was six hours of pure hell. So. Much. Sanding. This is the last project I'll sand with my Bosch ROS. Honestly it's not a bad machine, and I think it's probably among the best non-Festool non-Mirka options. But I remember in a Festool sander thread on the forum someone said something to the effect of "sanding is so brutal, I'll pay whatever it takes for equipment that will make it any less brutal." That rings true for me. This is a long way of saying a 150/3 and CT26 are my next tool purchase. Honestly the sander price isn't that outrageous for me. It's the CT that's the tough pill to swallow. Guess I'll just have to hold my nose. Anyway, before sanding I took care of the moulding for the base. This actually turned out to be more of a project than I thought it would be, mainly because I sought my wife's input, which led to my having to produce nine different samples for her to inspect: We rather quickly decided we didn't like any of the options in the "roundover" family. It came down to a cove or simple chamfer. In the end the chamfer won out. I went with a 37* angle which allowed the chamfer to reach the edge of the base (1/2") while only extending up 3/8". Used some high school trig to get that angle. Arctan(3/8 / 1/2) = 37*. Boom. Anyway, here's a side view: Installation was fairly straightforward, but I ended up having to use a few 23 gauge pins to pin it to the base. Not sure exactly what to do with those. They're barely noticeable, and in a darker species they'd all but disappear, but they're screaming out at me right now. I suppose my only option is to use a nail set to drive them a tiny bit deeper and use filler or sawdust to fill the resulting hole. Haven't decided yet if I'll bother. Once the the strips were glued to the base, I glued the front of the base and the first 1-2" of the sides to the case, leaving the rest to float with the side and bottom movements: And a final pic of the installed moulding. I like the simplicity. I didn't want any fancy profiles distracting from the wood itself. The entire rest of the day Saturday and part of the day Sunday was devoted to sanding and cleanup. No pics of that because I'd rather not commemorate the process. Sunday afternoon I started on the top. Had three very nicely figured boards that I saved for this. Here they are dry arranged: Glued them up last night and will probably put the panel through the drum sander tonight and cut to final size, and perhaps get a few test boards done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 Really looking great and appreciate all the detail in your project journal. I have the same Bosch ROS. With the stock pad, I've never been able to avoid the extra sanding on the edges...user error I'm sure, but the hell it puts on my wrists isn't worth me using it very often. Amazing how different the dust collection is between the Bosch and my FT half sheet (granted the half sheet is a slower process). Great work and glad to see you're in the home stretch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 Looking really good! I hope you have time to get this all finished before that baby drops! Im sure your very pregnant wife really wants it finished as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted March 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 Thanks guys! And yes, she's very ready for this baby to come. And she finally asked the "when will the dresser be done" question. I think she's getting worried that the baby's room is gonna be empty. Really in the home stretch now though. Should be applying finish by the weekend, barring any disasters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 That's looking great. Hope your finish doesn't take too long to cure, else the Mrs. will be very disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted March 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 Home stretch time. Got to work last night on finishing up the top. I took it out of the clamps and brought it out to the shop to put it through the drum sander. I'm absolutely in love with that tool. You're telling me one single tool can take care of glue lines, tearout, and (minor) flattening simultaneously while I twiddle my thumbs? SOLD. Can't say enough about how much I love my Supermax. Anyway, 2-3 passes on each side at 80 grit and then another 2 passes on each side at 120, and the panel was all set. Dead flat, no tearout, nice and clean. I then sanded it to 150 with the ROS (dropped down to 80 to make sure the grooves from the drum sander went away since this will be a highly visible surface). Before I cut it to final size, I cut a few sample edge profiles on the underside to run by the wife. I don't know why, but I always seem to obsess about edge profiles WAY more than I should. I always end up making a ton of samples and then going with the one I originally intended anyway. Here I decided to go with a 1/2" roundover on the underside and a 3/16" roundover on the topside. Given that this is a fairly traditional design, I thought doing something too fancy wouldn't quite look right. I like the simplicity and softness of this edge. It will also make the edges appear thicker since it's such a soft curve, which will expose more of the beautiful figured side grain. So I cut the top to "final" size and took a few pics with it on the case. It kind of looks like a little too much overhang to my eye, so I might take another 1/4" off each side and recut the profiles. Gonna sleep on it for a couple days before I make a final decision on that. Got a little more sanding to do, and will probably do some test boards tonight. Might even get started with finishing the inside of the case and drawers, since I'm just using shellac for that, might as well get it done. I'm gonna need to find someone to help me move this thing into the house first though. At some point I'll also have to take a break and put together the crib that my wife ordered and just arrived yesterday. Finish line is in sight! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 Cant wait to see this thing with finish on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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