Apothecary chest


derekcohen

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Its a lot of extra work but you won't start cutting corners now !  It takes a great deal of focus and some test/ practice to figure out the procedure you are going to follow then work your way through all 24 drawers. The thing I find intimidating is sequence matched fronts means at least 4 fronts to redo if a mistake ruins a front.  I always try to have an extra section of matching wood as a precaution if possible.

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2 hours ago, wdwerker said:

Its a lot of extra work but you won't start cutting corners now !  It takes a great deal of focus and some test/ practice to figure out the procedure you are going to follow then work your way through all 24 drawers. The thing I find intimidating is sequence matched fronts means at least 4 fronts to redo if a mistake ruins a front.  I always try to have an extra section of matching wood as a precaution if possible.

He has the grain beautifully matched on those drawer fronts.  Pray there's no errors.  Starting again would be a beach.

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Published? Do you mean books? If so, no. I have featured in several magazines, such as Fine Woodworking, Popular Woodworking, and the Australian Wood Review, both for furniture and tool building, and have a website. None of this means that much these days.

Regards from Perth

Derek

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2 hours ago, wtnhighlander said:

Derek, do you clamp a support block next to those pin boards to help the router stay level while wasting out the tail sockets? 

No. I just white-knuckle it! :) 

The issue is that the side of the board is angled, and this makes it difficult to create a support platform. It is more of an issue laterally. The depth can be controlled with a fence I built on the router. So I hold the router very carefully to ensure that it does not drop to one side. Fortunately it is light and small. So far there has not been a mishap (touch wood)!

Regards from Perth

Derek

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I made a not-so-short video this weekend. I do not recommend watching it late at night, unless you are seeking a cure for your insomnia. 

This is the first time I have done anything like this - I thought it would be a good challenge. 

I do hope that you get something from it. There are a number of techniques that I demonstrate that may be new to you. 
 



Regards from Perth

Derek

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Derek thanks for sharing!

Definitely clarified a few things for me. I was trying to figure out how you were using the blue tape as a stop for marking thinking it would be difficult to get it straight but cutting it with the marking gauge cleared that right up. I also like your use of the clamp prior to using the kerfing tool I have had them blowout before so I will be stealing that one.

I do have one question what is the hinged piece on your moxon vise for?

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Here are a few more videos to illustrate some of the strategies that were used. These precede the video presented earlier:

Rebating the pin board ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rft-mY_4JL0

Preparing the sockets ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WnCX08eTX0&feature=youtu.be

Clearing the sockets ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUFUGYsG-t0


Regards from Perth

Derek

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Having completed the dovetailing of the drawer sides into the drawer fronts, the next step is to shape the outside bow to match the chest.

This is the drawer to be demonstrated ...

image.jpg

The drawer blade has been removed, and receives a final tweaking to match a template. Every drawer blade receives the same treatment, and there is a template for each vertical row ...

image.jpg

The drawer blade is returned to the chest, the drawer is fitted, and the profile of the drawer front is traced ...

image.jpg

Below, the markings may be seen on the drawer front ...

image.jpg

The drawer is pulled apart. The grooves for the drawer bottom have been completed. The drawer sides received a 3mm deep groove, while the groove for the drawer front is about 8-9mm deep. The extra depth here is to allow for the inner curve to be later shaped, and that this will remove approximately 3-4mm at the centre.

image.jpg

Now the end of the drawer front is marked ...

image.jpg

Blue tape is added, and the excess removed ...

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The tape is added to the upper and lower faces, and the template (from the drawer blade) is now used to mark the curve ...

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Once removed, the cut lines stand out clearly ...

image.jpg

10a.jpg

The rasping may begin. A start is made with a Shinto, which has roughly 10 grain on the coarse side (this is a Japanese rasp made from hacksaw blades. The other side is about 14 grain).

11a.jpg

In turn, after the 10 grain comes the fine side of the Shinto, and then a 13 grain Auriou followed by a second cut file.

The surface is refined with a scraper ...

13a.jpg

... and 120/22/320 Abranet mesh. You will ask why sand after scraping? The reason is that the sanding removes any scratches left by the rasps and scraper, creating a uniform surface. The final result is fairly polished. It is possible that I may go over this with a cabinet scraper prior to finish ...

14a.jpg

This completes the drawer at this stage. The rear of the drawer front will next receive a complimentary curve. I hope to get to this during the week ...

15a.jpg

16a.jpg

The run out from cutting away the ends of the boards is noticeable (to me at any rate) ...

17a.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek
 

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It looks fantastic. The run out is noticeable but it still maintains some cohesion and still looks great. There are some boards that look like they handled the run out better than others. Having now done this and experienced how the grain change from run out would you make different board choices the 2nd time around? The middle 2 rows are the only ones that appear to have changed substantially as far as  grain continuity.

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