wtnhighlander Posted April 1, 2015 Report Share Posted April 1, 2015 I like the overhang, and the profile. On with the finish! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted April 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2015 Got some work in last night, but no pictures. I ended up shaving 1/4" off both dimensions of the top and then redoing the (same) profile. This leaves a 5/8" overhang, slightly more than the base, which I think looks much better. I also sanded everything up to 180. I will probably also sand the "show" surfaces with 220 (drawer fronts, case sides, base, and top) before I finish. Speaking of which, I've made a decision on finish. Going with old faithful, Arm R Seal. The biggest reason is that I still have a ton of non-woodworking things to do before the baby comes, and I simply don't have time to mess around with a whole new finishing process, not to mention the added steps of putting a dye on. I'm comfortable and confident with Arm R Seal, and I like the idea of letting the wood do the talking. Haven't decided on a sheen yet, but I have some time, as I'll probably build the first couple coats with gloss anyway. Tonight I have a little more sanding to do, then I'll probably bring everything into the house and hope to get a coat of finish on tomorrow night, and then spend the weekend doing 2 coats a day until it's done. I'm leaning toward putting one coat of ARS on the inside of the case and drawers, and then sealing it with shellac, though I might just do shellac and be done with it. It's the inside, after all. I do still have to deal with the case back, which will be shiplapped soft maple, but I can bang that out in a day this weekend (I would've done it already but I ran out of soft maple and can't get to the lumber store until Friday). Next picture will probably be of the first coat of finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted April 2, 2015 Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 Looking good Brian! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted April 2, 2015 Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 Brian, that top looks like one solid board. Great grain match! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted April 2, 2015 Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 Holy crap that's nice I didn't realize those dovetails would be visible on the base piece - that looks so cool. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted April 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 Thanks guys! Did some touch up last night on a few things and my buddy is coming over after work to help me move it into the house so I can start the finish process. Hopefully get the first coat on tonight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted April 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Taking advantage of Good Friday to get some work done. First I moved all the drawers into my glue up/finishing room. I then set up the case raised up on a couple of 2x4's, shut the doors and opened the windows. I decided to put one coat of ARS on everything, including the inside of the case and insides of the drawers, just so that the color would be uniform. Then I will apply seal that in with a couple of coats of shellac on the inside of the case and insides of the drawers. Everything else (i.e., the show surfaces) will get just ARS. Seeing this figure pop was an awesome reward for all this work: Apologies for the horrific lighting. I'm doing the first two coats with gloss because I'm finishing up a can that I want to get rid of. I haven't decided what sheen to go with for the final couple coats, but right now I'm leaning toward semi-gloss. I usually use satin but I also usually work with open pored woods and I think I might want a little more glossiness for this one. Now I'm heading out to the garage to build the shiplapped back. I got lazy this morning and went to the local lumber place with the ridiculous prices to buy some s4s soft maple instead of driving 45min each way to my hardwood dealer and milling it myself. I won't even tell you what an obscene markup I paid. But at this point time is very valuable so I held my nose and paid. Hopefully I'll check back later with a finished case back. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Nice! I've been waiting to see some finish on this. I think I'd also go with semigloss, but that is always my 'go-to finish'.... . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Soon you'll be tiptoe'ing into the nursery just to look at your little angel...even give a little kiss and a whisper <shhhhhhh...sleep tight...I love you>Then if you have time, look at the baby too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Then if you have time, look at the baby too. Awesome! More of a reason to go with satin or semigloss. Gloss would just show the lip marks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted April 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Soon you'll be tiptoe'ing into the nursery just to look at your little angel...even give a little kiss and a whisper <shhhhhhh...sleep tight...I love you> Then if you have time, look at the baby too. Hahahahahhaha. We are definitely on the same page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Jimerfield Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Beautiful. The kid will use that for his/her whole life, and then on to the grand kids. Well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted April 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 As I said in my last post, yesterday I worked on the case back, which is shiplapped maple. While it's pretty straightforward in terms of building, it actually took a lot more thought in terms of measurements than I had expected. In order to get the boards equal width and have equal reveals on the shiplaps, it actually requires a pretty good amount of math. I ended up having to draw a picture to make sure I was getting it right. It's only the case back, but I still wanted to make sure it looked decent. I was very very conservative about wood movement because it's been so dry around here (< 25% humidity in my shop). So I left the laps pretty wide, wider than I would've wanted aesthetically. But again, it's the case back. I cut the laps using the table saw with a dado blade and sacrificial fence, then I cut spacers to aid in assembly. Here it is all laid out: I eased all the edges with a block plane, sanded them up to 180, and then put a coat of ARS on: Today I'll put a coat of shellac over this and then call it done. Easy peasy. Meanwhile, I put a third coat of ARS on everything else, and for this one I went with semi gloss. I'm having a hard time deciding what sheen I want for the final coat. Originally I had been leaning toward satin, but I kind of like the semi gloss. I'm really on the fence though, because it does kind of have that plasticky look. Not nearly as bad as gloss, but still. Here is the top and the two top drawers in natural light, in the room where the dresser will be. Probably hard to tell in photos, especially crappy iPhone photos. But anyone who happens to be reading this today want to weigh in here? I realize it's a matter of taste, but still, I'm happy to hear opinions. I will probably put the last coat on tomorrow. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 Love that figure. Looking good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 I think it looks great. I'd be calling 'er done and having beers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 I like the semi gloss a lot. You can always scuff it back if it's too much. I'm ready to see the token 'feet up' shot on this thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewyo Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 Yeah...it looks good to go to me. Great job and a wonderful piece of furniture. sign and date it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 Hey, that's my line ! <grin> A note from his father might be appreciated one day. A few notes about the Finish process could help with future repairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted April 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 Thanks guys! I think I will stick with the semi gloss. Going to sand out the dust nibs and then do one more coat thinned 50/50 with mineral spirits. Still gotta shellac the inside of the case and turn some drawer pulls so no beers yet. Still work to be done! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 From the photo, it looks like your shiplaps have square edges. Might be too late now, but adding a chamfer to those edges creates a shadow line that really helps disguise any gaps from wood movement. And the finish looks terrific, by the way. I tend to like a little more gloss that some - those photos look great to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 Going to sand out the dust nibs and then do one more coat thinned 50/50 with mineral spirits. Stick with your tried and true of course, but thinning with Naptha on that last coat will help it flash off a bit quicker. You just can't sand as aggressively before that last coat. You mentioned having a 'finishing room', so it sounds like you have the dust pretty under control anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted April 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 From the photo, it looks like your shiplaps have square edges. Might be too late now, but adding a chamfer to those edges creates a shadow line that really helps disguise any gaps from wood movement. And the finish looks terrific, by the way. I tend to like a little more gloss that some - those photos look great to me! Thanks! I did end up sticking with the semi gloss, as I do think it looks really nice with all this figure. Like I said, a matter of taste, but I do like it here (even though I hate it on open pored woods like walnut). On the shiplap, I actually did chamfer the gaps, but it's only a slight chamfer and not noticeable in the photos. Stick with your tried and true of course, but thinning with Naptha on that last coat will help it flash off a bit quicker. You just can't sand as aggressively before that last coat. You mentioned having a 'finishing room', so it sounds like you have the dust pretty under control anyway. By "finishing room" I mean my basement that we are in the process of ripping carpet out so I can be as messy as I want. But it's actually pretty good in terms of dust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted April 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 So I ended up leaving the finish at 3 coats. The finish is far from flawless, but I think it looks pretty good, and I feel like this is a case where the more I try to mess around with it the more likely it is that I'll make a mistake and make it worse. If you look at the flat surfaces with an intense raking light you can see a very small amount of streaking, but in any reasonable light it's not noticeable at all. My wife couldn't even see it even when I pointed it out (and believe me she would be the first to tell me if there were a problem), so I'm considering that good enough for me. I'll let it cure for a few weeks and then buff it out with some high grit pads. I actually ran into another issue when I went to put the drawers in yesterday. Apparently using QS stock for the runners wasn't enough, because we got a burst of humidity this weekend and the drawers weren't gliding as smoothly as I wanted. They weren't stuck, and they would go in and out, but not as smoothly as I wanted. Thankfully the runners were only screwed down, so I took them out and took one swipe off each side with a block plane, then I put some paste wax on there and the drawers are silky smooth. Here's a pic of the finish in some horrible lighting. I'm absolutely in love with the figure on these drawer fronts. It's even better than I expected. This is two coats of gloss ARS and one coat of semi gloss. I plan to screw the back boards in this afternoon and should have it up in its natural environment tonight. I'll post a pic in its final resting place. I still need to make a decision on drawer pulls. I actually did go through the exercise of turning my own, and I will post the process here below, but SPOILER ALERT: I'm not going to use them. It was a good exercise for me and I'm reasonably happy with how they turned out, but they just don't look...right. I thought shaker pulls would fit the piece well, but they just don't. Part of it is the color just flat out doesn't match. I don't know why, part of it is that it's all exposed endgrain I guess, but they just don't look right. So I'm going with commercial pulls. My wife wants something in grey or muted steel or something, so I'm gonna do some searching online today and give her a few options. But since I did turn some pulls and took some pics, might as well post them here. I'll spare you much commentary other than to say the big challenge was that I don't have a lathe chuck, so I had to get creative about turning them in the blank and then using my crosscut sled to cut them free and then hand shape them with a rasp and sandpaper. Wasn't too big a deal but a lathe chuck is definitely in my future. Three pulls marked out on a blank: Results (from a previous blank): With a coat of oil. You can see the color is way off here. I did one more coat and then bailed. Like I said, a good exercise I suppose, so not a total waste of time. Next pics will be from the baby's room! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted April 6, 2015 Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 That is a stunning piece of work, Brian. That maple is beautiful and I see nothing but top-notch craftsmanship. An heirloom that will be treasured long after you're dead meat. Fantastic job. Just a thought...IMO there would be no more elegant solution for your pulls than small, simple, turned...ebony. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted April 6, 2015 Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 Damn, Brian. That's a beautiful piece of furniture...and THE GRAIN...wow! Now go fill it up with expensive baby clothes that your kid will wear once. Post an update when it's covered in magic marker. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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