Blanket Chest

[gee-dub]

I use the usual suspects to fair the curve at the bottom of the front and rear panel assemblies after removing most of the waste at the bandsaw.

I leave the rail "tip" a bit proud so that I can fair it into the leg at the junction as a unit.

To fair the lower rail into the leg I use these files that I have had since Moses was a boy.

Never underestimate the usefulness of a ratchet-style tie-down strap for holding odd shapes together during dry fit.

And this is the stance I was after.

[Tom King]

I especially like the progression of the panel sizes.  Did you use dividers to get them to their relative sizes?  It looks good enough that I would guess you did.

[treeslayer]

Just want to say I’m really liking this build, excellent work all around, I’m going to steal that design for my next blanket chest

[roughsawn]

The step by step really helps me picture how to do techniques that I've never done. Thank you!

I can see I need to get better about using templates, instead of always freehanding and hoping for the best...

[gee-dub]

With the curved legs I will want a matching caul to allow me easier clamping. I found some pieces nearly the perfect size in a pile of free wood I scrounged somewhere along the way. I get a lot of offers from people for junk wood that I do not want. About half the time the offer is for something that can be useful. These are pre-cut blanks for something in a cabinet shop.

These only need to match the curve closely, they do not need to be perfect. I gang them together with tape and cut them out at the bandsaw.

And they will be used like so . . .

Some painter's tape holds the cauls up long enough for me to get the extended clamps on.

Twenty floating tenons, two sets of curved legs, and using extended clamps (they are a little wobbly) seemed like a road to unhappiness. I decided to do one end, break for an early lunch and then come back and glue up the other end.

[Coop]

On 6/30/2023 at 3:23 PM, Tom King said:

I especially like the progression of the panel sizes.  Did you use dividers to get them to their relative sizes?  It looks good enough that I would guess you did.

Not wanting to high jack but can someone direct me to a link that explains how dividers can be used for this? I’ve seen them used to layout dt’s but I don’t understand all I know about them. 

[gee-dub]

Not too much done today. I selected and milled the planks for the top. A tie-on seat cushion will cover the top of this thing 365 days a year so I wanted decent looking cherry, not boards from my premium stock. I went with more numerous narrower boards in order to use up some generic material. I glued the top up in sections.

Years ago I took a piece of scrap, drilled a row of 5/8" holes in it with a Forstner and ripped out a bunch of cauls designed to help hold board ends even during panel glue-ups.

I got a can-o-them.

I cover them in packing tape and they work like so.


The tape lasts for years. At any rate I got the whole top in the clamps.

I was having some trouble running a shave across the leg to rail joint that is supposed to meet in a nice fair curve. The change in grain direction was being a pain. A large drum sander in a drill motor took care of the rough work.

The point being to not let yourself get hung up on things. If you have a better way to get to where you are going, go for it . I will obviously have to clean this up a bit by hand.
I usually pre-finish parts or sub-assemblies that can be difficult to get to following larger assembly.

This casework is pretty open so I am having no trouble shellacking the interior at this stage post glue-up.

[pkinneb]

Another great tip on clamping cauls! Thanks

[gee-dub]

Another short day as we are having folks over for the Fourth. I smooth the top.

I use light pencil marks to point out areas that need a bit more work.

The casework is all final sanded / scraped / planed, and ready for finish. All interior surfaces have been sealed with shellac. I will be using an oil based finish on the balance of the piece and don't want the smell of that finish trapped inside with the bedding. Once the shellac is a day or two old it doesn't transfer any odor.
The top is still just a blank. The surfaces are leveled out but it has not been cut to final size, shape, or edge profiled. I ran out of time but wanted to flip the carcass right side up and set the top-blank on to show LOML the general idea.

So far she still approves

[Chestnut]

Great build. I love the curves and agree the panel size progression is very pleasing. I'm going to have to borrow that design element in the future.

I also think it's interesting that the assembly of different design choices in different manners can lead to such drastically different over all styles.

[gee-dub]

The front and ends of the top will have curves. I lay these out, jigsaw off most of the waste, and sand up to the line at the edge sander.

I failed to take pics but used a spoke shave to fair the curves. I use a method I read about somewhere to test the curves. When your eyeball says it's right, rock the curve on a flat surface. The movement should be continuous and without any bumps or stops at flat spots. Here's my first look at the shaped top on the case.

I have never used these Rockler hinges before so let's see how this goes. Their calculator says I need four "60 pound" hinges.

I attach the hinges to the top per the instructions. I then use some clamps and a caul to cobble together a third hand to help me hold things still while I percolate.

The hinges as designed leave a really big gap since they are essentially "no mortise" hinges and quite thick. The top of this chest will be used as a seat for putting on shoes or whatever at the foot of the bed. I want the top to be fully supported by the frame so I will "mortise" the hinges . .. sort of. I put together a quicky jig to assure the hinge mortises are sized and positioned well.

This is a good job for the little plunge router. Let's test this thing out . . .

That's what I'm after.



Due to a curved inside corner I will need to provide a relief on the case. I just mark this with a striking knife and use a chisel to remove a bit of material.



While the top was temporarily in position I marked one side of each hinge with a striking knife.

I can put a chisel in this strike to register the hinge jig.



Once all the router work is done I put the top back on and add all the hinge screws







The hinges definitely have enough friction to hold this 29 pound lid at any angle. I guess the Rockler calculator works because any less friction would probably be borderline. Tomorrow I will take the top back off, cut the slots for the tie-on cushion, profile the front, sides, and start on the bottom of the case.

[Mark J]

11 hours ago, gee-dub said:

When your eyeball says it's right, rock the curve on a flat surface. The movement should be continuous and without any bumps or stops at flat spots

Woodturners "roll" the curve on a ruler to look for flat spots.  I imagine you'd need a longer straight edge for furniture.

[gee-dub]

There will be a cushion on top of this with fabric ties. I will use the Domino to make the slots for the ties. This could be done with a router as well. I do the layout and put a reference line on a scrap, top, one face, and bottom.

I line up the reference line and the edge of the block with the layout.

This acts as a positional stop for the Domino and acts as my center-line to position the tool.

Ta-da.

I really like having the router table attached to the tablesaw. This expands the working surface of both tools.

I was working around the case sealing things with shellac and thought I'd take a pic of the leg structure.

And the Dance of the Finishing Elves begins.

This is a base coat made of a thinned version of the main finish. It will act as a sealer. I also touch up any color variations that are distracting rather than attractive at this stage. Then I leave it till tomorrow.

[Ronn W]

Looking great.

[pkinneb]

Wow that really pops with the finish!

[Von]

Looking great! And anytime I put anything on painter's pyramids like that, I feel like I'm playing Jenga when I'm finishing! I assume you have a light touch.

[gee-dub]

It will take some time to get the cushion made but for all intents and purposes, this is the finished product.  With and without flash.
I wish I was a better photographer

 

[wtnhighlander]

Looks awesome as usual, @gee-dub! This is another great illustration of how attention to little details can turn a relatively straight-forward project into an outstanding piece of furniture.

[treeslayer]

Once again @gee-dub, WOW, I wish I could see it in person that grain is awesome as is the whole piece, well done !

[Coop]

I too like the way the grain flows across the panels. Did I miss what kind of hinges you used?

[pkinneb]

Another stunning piece @gee-dub !! Thanks as always for taking us along and providing great tips along the way!

[gee-dub]

On 7/10/2023 at 7:26 PM, Coop said:

I too like the way the grain flows across the panels. Did I miss what kind of hinges you used?

Rockler torsion hinges; shown in last Wednesday's post a few posts up this page.

Thanks to all for the kind words.

[Mark J]

Beautiful piece.  

[Chet]

The finish really brought the grain to life.  A really, really beautiful blanket chest.

[RichardA]

You just keep knocking it out of the park. Excellent trip and the final destination is beautiful!