Popular Post wnaziri Posted September 24, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 24, 2016 I feel like starting a project journal, even though I am sort of in the middle of the project. This project started out as a possible cabinet for my son. He appears to have appreciation for fine furniture but has no interest in learning woodworking. After looking at tons of designs, I started with just a couple of principles: I really didn't want the piece to be hefty / thick; I wanted to do a combination of drawers and shelves. I wanted the piece to be placed in a hall / foyer. Needless to say that I don't have a printed plan. I am figuring this out as I go along but I have a pretty good idea of what I want it to look like. I think the end product will be called a hall cabinet. The size will be 40" wide, 16" deep, and 30" for high. I elected to use QS sapele for this project. I finally decided on two drawers at the top and two shelves. I should also mention that I am using my Domino for this project. I milled the components for the frame and let them sit for several days. I had to touch up the pieces due to movement in humid NC weather. I then resewed some secondary wood for the back that is shiplapped. As you can see from the stripes on the QS Sapele, I did not do a great job of selecting my pieces to match the two sides but the mismatch does not appear that horrendous. Side panel assembled snd in place. I have become a big fan of pre-finishing. I sanded all parts to 320 and applied two coats of dewaxed shellac, then glued the side panels. On to dry fitting the parts that are done so far: Up next: -Mill and glue up the two shelves - Divider between the two drawers 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephThomas Posted September 24, 2016 Report Share Posted September 24, 2016 Did you mean "pre finishing"? Win shellac be the only finish, or are there additional steps in the schedule? That wood looks super awesome. Nice work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galturner Posted September 24, 2016 Report Share Posted September 24, 2016 can't beat that wood for pretty. nice pics, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted September 24, 2016 Report Share Posted September 24, 2016 Nice clean modern lines, great looking material. Always a pleasure to ride along. Thanks for taking us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnaziri Posted September 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2016 6 hours ago, JosephThomas said: Did you mean "pre finishing"? Win shellac be the only finish, or are there additional steps in the schedule? That wood looks super awesome. Nice work Yes, I did mean pre-finish. I did not catch the auto-correct last night as I was typing (and falling asleep). I really haven't decided on the final finish. I am tempted to whip out my HVLP and just do spray shellac for the final finish. I just worry about the durability of just shellac for the top of the cabinet. If I can't make up my mind, I will probably fall back on my usual finish which Satin ARS. I would appreciate any other thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 24, 2016 Report Share Posted September 24, 2016 Nice design you have going. Sapele is rivaling walnut as my favorite wood, in the appearance catagory, at least. I haven't worked with it yet. Regarding the finish, I did a shaker side table a couple years back, finished with shellac, with an added top coat of poly, just on the top. The finish has held up quite well under daily use, with and without coasters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted September 24, 2016 Report Share Posted September 24, 2016 Darn. Thats looking good . Love the Sapele. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnaziri Posted September 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2016 1 hour ago, wtnhighlander said: Nice design you have going. Sapele is rivaling walnut as my favorite wood, in the appearance catagory, at least. I haven't worked with it yet. Thanks. As for sapele, it is rally a nice wood with a couple of provisos. It is significantly denser than actual mahogany. So, it can be a bit hard on your tools. The biggest issue for me is that the QS sapele is a BiT@& to hand plane. The beautiful stripes you see in the pics are areas with reversing grain. I pride myself on having really sharp planes but I still have a very hard time with my hand planes. At this stage, I have given up on trying to hand plane the QS sapele. I have a Festool ETS 115 with 2mm stroke and it is getting lots of use. I am actually thinking of getting myself one of the new ETS EC sanders with 5 mm stroke, thinking it might a better job. The reason I am using Sapele so often is that I have a big stash of it. I bought some really high grade 8/4 QS though an auction. I also bought 8/4 and 12/4 QS sapele from a local woodworker for $3 a BF. So, I will be using the lumber for while. I really love the straight grain and when finished, it has a very deep, beautiful luster and depth. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wnaziri Posted September 30, 2016 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted September 30, 2016 I have had some quality shop time this week. I was able to make a little more progress on this project. The glue up proved to be very anxiety inducing. In the end, with some persuasion, it all came together nicely. The case is nice and square. Once the case was glued and dried, I fitted some 4/4 drawer fronts. Next came the doors that will go below the drawers. Found a nice sapele board wth straight grain that I re-sawed for the panels. Once again, I used the Domino. After this weekend, I will start thinking about the top of the cabinet. I am considering a veneered center using pomelle sapele veneer surrounded by QS sapele. Pomelle sapelle will match the color exactly. I think 5/4 or 4/4 might look good. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted September 30, 2016 Report Share Posted September 30, 2016 That's looking great! Very nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephThomas Posted September 30, 2016 Report Share Posted September 30, 2016 Looks awesome. Not sure if I missed it, did you dye the sapele, or is that the natural color? Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonPacific Posted September 30, 2016 Report Share Posted September 30, 2016 Absolutely gorgeous. On the grain difficulties. Have you tried a high-angle on the Sapele? I've had good luck with my low-angle jack plane (using a 50 degree total angle) on highly figured woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxdabroxx Posted September 30, 2016 Report Share Posted September 30, 2016 I was having a tough time planing some figured birch until I really closed up the mouth tight and set the cap iron a C hair away from the cutting edge. This requires very light passes, but the end result was much more acceptable. Cabinet is looking really nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wnaziri Posted October 3, 2016 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted October 3, 2016 I did not have as much shop time this weekend. My day job required my attention more than usual. Oh well. With the few hours I did spend whittling on wood, I was able to build the two front doors. I used flat panel construction, using my Domino to do the hard parts. That machine is my favorite tool of all time, this week. When I pulled the trigger on the Domino last year, I felt very guilty and questioned my judgment. However, I no longer regret my decision. I would highly recommend it if it fits in your budget and workflow. Back to our regularly scheduled programming: Here is the current state of cabinet I have not made up my mind about the top of the cabinet. I had considered veneering but I am beginning to think just QS sapele would look more classic and less contrived. I am not going to rush it. I am hoping a moment of inspiration will hit me. On 9/30/2016 at 10:57 AM, JosephThomas said: Looks awesome. Not sure if I missed it, did you dye the sapele, or is that the natural color? I did not use stain on this piece. I used blond, dewaxed shellac followed by satin Arm-R-Seal . 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted October 3, 2016 Report Share Posted October 3, 2016 I don't' know why your on the fence. This project looks great and is making me want to try and find some QS sapele. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted October 3, 2016 Report Share Posted October 3, 2016 Coming along wonderfully. I would do a solid top, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkrusen Posted October 3, 2016 Report Share Posted October 3, 2016 Gorgeous cabinet. Can't wait to see the final product. Sapele is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. My vote goes for a solid QS sapele top. Oh and I'd love to see a shop tour. I see some awesome machinery in the background of your pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wnaziri Posted October 8, 2016 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted October 8, 2016 My goal for this week was to get the two drawers done. I initially did the drawers with pine as the secondary wood because I had some milled and ready to go. After I did all the work, I did not like it. So, I went back and milled some birch and re-did the drawers, which I like much better. As a side note, I have to say that I have become a real fan of quality handsaws. I bought the Veritas saws a while back and love them all. But, out of curiosity, I also bought the Lie-Nielsen tapered dovetail saw so I could determine any differences between high quality hand saws. Well, I can definitely tell a difference and LOVE my Lie-Nielsen saw. I did these dovetails using the Lie-Nielsen saw with lots of chisel work. The pics below are just dry fit components. Family obligations (and bad weather with the hurricane swirling around us) kept me from completing the two drawers. As you can see, I am a big fan of Pekovich with ever-present blue tape. Using blue tape has really helped me in allowing me to saw precisely. I am also using a couple of jigs that help with alignment. I had planned to use 1/4 BB for the bottom of the drawers but I have now decided to mill some more solid birch and do it right. After glue up, planing, and some sanding, these drawers should look pretty tight. For the top, I have milled some 5/4 solid QS sapele. All I need now is this darned hurricane to leave the area so I can get to the serious work of finishing this project . 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted October 8, 2016 Report Share Posted October 8, 2016 Those dovetails look awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted October 8, 2016 Report Share Posted October 8, 2016 This is a great looking project and those dovetails are killer! I can't wait to see it completed and nice selection of woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wnaziri Posted October 12, 2016 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 A little more progress with end in sight. I was able to finish the drawers, and fit the drawers and doors. It took some planing and sanding but the fit is pretty nice and snug. I am going to leave it pretty tight because I suspect there will be some shrinkage the rest of the year. I had earlier posted that I had a difficult time planing sapele. Well, I went back and tried the suggestions given. I re-sharpened my LN No. 4 and closed the mouth nearly shut----success! In the pic above, the drawer on the left has been sanded to 320 and the one on the right, planed with No. 4. What a difference. The one on the right almost looks three dimensional. It shimmers. I went back and planed the other drawer. For the top, I resewed some sapele. I used a LAJ for the edge treatment. I have not attached the top yet. The whole piece has now had seal coat of shellac and at least one coat of Satin ARS. Next step, Brusso. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elroy Skimms Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 11 hours ago, wnaziri said: In the pic above, the drawer on the left has been sanded to 320 and the one on the right, planed with No. 4. What a difference. The one on the right almost looks three dimensional. It shimmers. I went back and planed the other drawer. Can you help educate an ignoramus like me as to why a planed surface looks so different compared to the sanded surface? The cabinet is coming along great, absolutely beautiful. -E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephThomas Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Did the 2 surfaces rest for different amount of times after being worked? Sapele will change color and sheen after a new surface is exposed to the air for a while. Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnaziri Posted October 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 3 hours ago, Elroy Skimms said: Can you help educate an ignoramus like me as to why a planed surface looks so different compared to the sanded surface? The cabinet is coming along great, absolutely beautiful. -E I will let others who are far more knowledgeable explain the reason why the planed version looks lustrous compared to the sanded version but the differences are fairly obvious to the naked eye. It obviously has to do with mechanism establishing a smooth surface ( grinding with abrasion vs. sharp "scalpel"). However, I do agree with Mike: once you apply finish, there is not as much of a difference in the appearance between planed vs. sanded. 12 minutes ago, JosephThomas said: Did the 2 surfaces rest for different amount of times after being worked? Sapele will change color and sheen after a new surface is exposed to the air for a while. Nope. The two drawers were done within minutes. As you all know, I am new to woodworking, I wanted to see if there WAS in fact a difference between a planed surface and a sanded surface. When I listen to Mike Pekovich and Matt Kenney, they always wax eloquently about planed surfaces. Since I have an "enquiring mind", I wanted to see what the heck they were talking about. Well, I guess they know what they speak of! I am sold on planed surfaces now. I just have to learn how to be good and efficient at planing now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elroy Skimms Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 1 hour ago, JosephThomas said: Did the 2 surfaces rest for different amount of times after being worked? Sapele will change color and sheen after a new surface is exposed to the air for a while. Was the sanded surface cleaned with spirits before taking the picture? -E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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