Popular Post Chestnut Posted December 28, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 This request from Megan has been on the table a long time. The only reason that it has been put off as long as it has is because other furniture was determined to be more important. Now that all the more important functional furniture is completed I'm getting started on this project. I plan to add quite a few new firsts to my arsenal. Notably is going to be hand cut dovetails, second is home swan veneer and applying said veneer. The final sort of fist is going to be a very complicated final case glue up. The design will have 2 sides a center divider and 6 or 8 horizontal dividers depending on how you look at it. So yeah this one is going to be fun. I did some other sketches to arrive at my plans but they have changed to make the dresser taller as requested and to add some some additional space. Below are my shop plans they are very sophisticated. My cultist is probably more detailed but i only use that to buy lumber and those dimensions usually change once i get to cutting. It always seems blasphemous to cut the edges off slabs but i'm not a slab fan and this walnut was chainsaw milled and air dried so it has all the awesome colors. This is one place i think commercial walnut has it wrong. The steaming gets them more yield but it ruins the color. I'd pay more for unsteamed walnut. Instead i paid less and got it from Cremona in slab form. I always save the shims from cutting tapes on legs and such they always seem to find a use. All of the doors i install are shimmed with cherry or walnut. I also use them to stabilize wood so that cuts don't get scary. Got those ugly bark edges cut off. Sawed 5 panels accidentally. I meant to get 4 but i guess i minimized losses and got 5 1/4" panels out of a 1.75" thick board. Pre finished the panels so they are ready for the side assembly glue up. The color and depth the air dried walnut has doesn't quite come through in the picture. I also am going to do a slip match instead of book match. Why, because there were a couple gouges and defects i could hide this way and I liked it. Milled the leg and frame material the usual ways. Cut to length and laid out joinery for the domino. Sides as you can see will be frame and panel construction. This is the same or similar style to other furniture in the bedroom. I used the router table to route the groove in the pieces. This all takes a lot of organization. I Made sure that i only used white pencil on the show face and used regular pencil on the back side. This helped me avoid mistakes beings that the whole assembly isn't centered anywhere. I have the panels inset futher back than center to add some depth and the back side of the side needs to be flush for the drawers. After all the joinery was cut it is time to do the pre-finishing. I went through all the grits of my #4. Finish prep took no time at all, best of all there was no dust everything is perfectly flat and I didn't need hearing protection. The other side benefit is the amount of money saved on not having to buy sand paper other than 180 grit has paid for this guy and then some. Edges were softened with a slight chamfer using a block plane. I use the bench and try and cut on the same spot of the iron to make sure that all the angles are similar. They don't need to be close as none of them are going to meet at a corner. I used this to add a slight detail as well to the vertical divider that might be more visible in later pictures. Keeping everything organized is key the white part descriptions were transferred from the front to the back before finish prep. This records the part which side its for and it's orientation as well as center marks. Because this is all on the inside i will leave it for someone to find years down the road. Any time i can leave my notes on hidden surfaces i do. On pieces that i do as gifts i generally hide my plan sheets somewhere inside as well to be found later. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 That is some nice looking walnut Drew! Look forward to following along 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wtnhighlander Posted December 28, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 I'm digging this, Drew! You're right, the walnut looks incredible! Anyone else see an Area 51 style alien in that first slab pic? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmac Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 Couldn't agree more in regards to air dried walnut, beautiful stock. Also great to hear you will try a few firsts in this project, always good to add to your skill set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodbutcher Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 Great looking project so far. "All the grits of my #4." I love that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan G Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 That air dried walnut looks awesome!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeslayer Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 I'm in as always Drew, that is going to be a great looking piece for many generations to come, well done sir! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 Total face palm moment but keeping the offcuts from tapers for shimming is a great idea. Definitely going to pack that one away in the mental trick box. Thanks and definitely interested in this one 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Spanky Posted December 29, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 5 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: Anyone else see an Area 51 style alien in that first slab pic? Wtnhighlander do you have one of Coop’s glasses in your hand with ice in it? 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjeff70 Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 Are there any disadvantages to re-sawing slabs like this? It seems this would be a cost effective advantage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 3 hours ago, Brendon_t said: Total face palm moment but keeping the offcuts from tapers for shimming is a great idea. Definitely going to pack that one away in the mental trick box. Thanks and definitely interested in this one. You're stuttering. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanky Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 Man you and bmac use more lumber, than a hardworking sawmill man can cut and kiln dry. I wish, I was your lumber guy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted December 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 i think i have all my reciepts for the year i should see how much i bought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 Looking good. Good design choices. I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 3 hours ago, sjeff70 said: Are there any disadvantages to re-sawing slabs like this? It seems this would be a cost effective advantage. I'm not sure there would be any advantage. Slabs are getting stupid expensive. Last year, I paid $1600 for 4 oak slabs (because I needed the thick, wide pieces), which yielded less than 150 BF of usable material. This year, I paid $187 for 100 BF of 4/4 oak, half FAS and half #1C. Pretty sure resawing those slabs wouldn't be worth it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjeff70 Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 8 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: I'm not sure there would be any advantage. Slabs are getting stupid expensive. Last year, I paid $1600 for 4 oak slabs (because I needed the thick, wide pieces), which yielded less than 150 BF of usable material. This year, I paid $187 for 100 BF of 4/4 oak, half FAS and half #1C. Pretty sure resawing those slabs wouldn't be worth it. I was thinking if you had your own chainsaw it would be cheap to mill this way just for veneering purposes. Is there a disadvantage as far as the stability in the veneer cut this way vs. the traditional ways of doing it? I just haven't seen it done this way before. Very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 12 hours ago, sjeff70 said: Are there any disadvantages to re-sawing slabs like this? It seems this would be a cost effective advantage. 8 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: I'm not sure there would be any advantage. Slabs are getting stupid expensive. Last year, I paid $1600 for 4 oak slabs (because I needed the thick, wide pieces), which yielded less than 150 BF of usable material. This year, I paid $187 for 100 BF of 4/4 oak, half FAS and half #1C. Pretty sure resawing those slabs wouldn't be worth it. However, resawing thicker material into thinner panels or sheets of veneer does generally lead to cost savings compared to buying material at the thinner dimension. The problem with buying slabs is that they ‘are so hot right now.’ The price has been driven way up on slabs. You can buy same thickness lumber in higher grades for less. Unless you are buying from someone like Cremona, who doesn’t seem to care about the market price of slabs. However, if you want to buy, put together, or rent a mill of some sort and cut your own slabs, it is a great way of sourcing your own material and you can make it to whatever thickness you want. You just have to be patient enough to let it dry. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 Looking great so far! Will enjoy watching this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 14 hours ago, RichardA said: You're stuttering. Usually when I'm attempting to consume my body weight in Gin, but not sure about now .. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted December 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 15 hours ago, sjeff70 said: Are there any disadvantages to re-sawing slabs like this? It seems this would be a cost effective advantage. There is more waste. To get good flat pieces you should joint between each cut on the band saw. Then there is the flattening and clean up of each panel. In general i can only get 2 1/4" panels from 4/4 lumber. Other disadvantages are you are exposing the middle of the slab so if your lumber isn't dried perfectly you can run into movement issues. 12 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: I'm not sure there would be any advantage. Slabs are getting stupid expensive. Last year, I paid $1600 for 4 oak slabs (because I needed the thick, wide pieces), which yielded less than 150 BF of usable material. This year, I paid $187 for 100 BF of 4/4 oak, half FAS and half #1C. Pretty sure resawing those slabs wouldn't be worth it. Yeah for typical slabs it's not worth it but slabs around here are cheap compared to other places in the country. The going rate for smaller slabs is less than lumber from a yard. This slab was 46" x 10" x 1.75" rough. I think this slab was $3.25 a BF. 3 hours ago, JohnG said: However, resawing thicker material into thinner panels or sheets of veneer does generally lead to cost savings compared to buying material at the thinner dimension. The problem with buying slabs is that they ‘are so hot right now.’ The price has been driven way up on slabs. You can buy same thickness lumber in higher grades for less. Unless you are buying from someone like Cremona, who doesn’t seem to care about the market price of slabs. However, if you want to buy, put together, or rent a mill of some sort and cut your own slabs, it is a great way of sourcing your own material and you can make it to whatever thickness you want. You just have to be patient enough to let it dry. I guess it depends on your lumber source. Buying from box stores or Woodcraft prices are sky high for thin material. Buying from a lumber yard 4/4 is king and is the cheapest way to go. Buying thicker is always more expensive per BF. Where i shop 4/4 walnut is $7.40 and even up 1 size to 5/4 the price jumps to $9.80 8/4 is $10.50. So even if i could get 5 panels out of an 8/4 board it would still be more expensive at $4.20 per panel foot vs $3.70 per panel foot. Yes i just created my own measurement. I can't buy thinner than 4/4 from the yard i shop at. I probably can but then i'm paying them to do the resaw and clean up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanky Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 One reason 8/4 lumber cost more money kiln drying, twice the time to kiln dry. Most 8/4 lumber needs to come out of bigger logs that cost more money. If it takes 10 days to kiln dry 4/4 it will take 20 days on 8/4. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmac Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 4 hours ago, sjeff70 said: I was thinking if you had your own chainsaw it would be cheap to mill this way just for veneering purposes. Is there a disadvantage as far as the stability in the veneer cut this way vs. the traditional ways of doing it? I just haven't seen it done this way before. Very interesting. This is exactly one reason why I chainsaw mill and I mill thick stock. This is also why I edge my slabs also because I really am not using a chainsaw to acquire thick live edged slabs. I want thick stock and then I have so many options for there use. But yes, you need to be patient. Since I don't kiln dry I really need to be patient. Stock 8/4 or 10/4 takes a few years at least to dry, I have stock that is years old now so I just rotate that stock into my shop to acclimate and restock my stash with the chainsaw mill. Once you've waited out the first 2-3 years you are set as long as you dedicate some time to milling each winter. Also if your stock is 10/4 it's possible to three 3/4 boards out of it or 2 nice 4/4 boards out of it. Book match like Chestnut did with a 16" wide board and an 8" jointer and you can make a really nice panel or table top. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjeff70 Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 So go this route if u don't mind waiting for it to dry and you're getting the tree or log for free. If there's more waste then it's a little less stable compared to 'traditionally' milled boards. How thick do you cut the veneers from slabs compared to a 'traditional' 3/16" veneer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmac Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 37 minutes ago, sjeff70 said: So go this route if u don't mind waiting for it to dry and you're getting the tree or log for free. If there's more waste then it's a little less stable compared to 'traditionally' milled boards. How thick do you cut the veneers from slabs compared to a 'traditional' 3/16" veneer? I have access to free logs so it's great for me. There is more waste in chainsaw milling but you minimize the waste when you mill thick and resaw. I think there is no difference in stability than from traditional milling. Stability is based more on the log (leaner, knotty, crotch, etc) you mill than your milling technique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted December 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 1 hour ago, sjeff70 said: So go this route if u don't mind waiting for it to dry and you're getting the tree or log for free. If there's more waste then it's a little less stable compared to 'traditionally' milled boards. How thick do you cut the veneers from slabs compared to a 'traditional' 3/16" veneer? I guess sawing veneer you can get more benefit but i just saw solid panels. Waste doesn't matter if you are milling yourself as well. If i milled my own stuff I'd go mostly 10/4 though it doesn't take as long for me as some. I can get a 4/4 board dry in 4 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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