Two projects from a relative novice

[simeond]

Hello all. I am brand-new to this forum and fairly new at being a more serious woodworker. The first piece is this free-standing cabinet - inspired by the maple for the doors, and by a recent introduction to James Krenov - is one of my first projects really taking on design and some challenging techniques. The doors are maple, all sliced from the same block and book matched (so you can see the change in the wood decend down the four sets of doors). The case was a "mystery" wood that I found in the barn of the house I just recently purchased (so excited about the unfolding shop space). I've now discovered that the wood is plum.

Some elements of the piece:

1)I had some trouble determing how to hinge this so I ventured out to make my own. The hinges are half-round plum and drilled through. The extremely thin metal dowel extends into the maple door 1.5". One of the initial problems is that the only way to attach the hinges to the carcuss is glue. But I didn't attach until after I finished the piece (tung oil), so it ain't holding well. Suggestions?

2) Having an exposed carcus, I chose to use thru-splines for the shelves, which are maple. The problem is, my side panels are floating, but the splines actually run through them about 1/8" - they aren't clued to the panels, just the frame. Will I see issues with this?

3) The legs are maple also. I was limited by what I had - which was not that figured and actually had significant color variations. Given that the doors highlight many color variations and the carcus highlights beautiful (i think) imperfections in the plum, I thought these may add to the overall look - but that's an item up for debate. THoughts?

4) My original design had a 1.5", 45 degree chamfer molding on the top of the piece. I decided against it. Bad choise? Should this be less "boxy" at the top?

The second piece is still in progress and was inspired by the stained glass window I picked up at a garage sale. The wood around the window is primarily plum, with cherry panels on the sides and then a cherry windowsill and framing for the drawers, with plum drawerfronts (the drawers aren't done yet). That is, on the upper part, I have plum with cherry accents and on the drawer portion, I have cherry with plum accents. Not sure if this "flip" will work visually once its finished. Before the finished, the plum and cherry are very similar in color and even grain pattern. HOwever, the plum becomes VERY dark with even a clear finish, which the cherry stays the same color, just with more sheen. The contrast is very pretty....

There will be two plum doors covering the shelves on either side of the window ( 3/4" solid - not paneled - to be flush with the top of the piece), but I am having an issue of twist in one of the solid doors (any suggestions???). The top portion is plum face-fram with figured maple panels. I chose this piece of maple because it looked like a rising sun, rays of light eminating outward - to mirror the effect of the sun coming through the stained glass.

I'll be the first one to point out the myriad flaws, but wanted an honest critique from an experienced audience - of craftsmanship (which is wanting) and of design.

Thanks all.

[ChetlovesMer]

Dude, you have a great eye. You really "see" things. If that makes sense?

Anyway, I love the window cabinet. Do you really need doors? Sometimes less is more.

The tall cabinet I have mixed feelings on. Since you are new to the forum, I want to let you know that everyone I've met here, and myself as well, try to give useful feedback without attacking your work. That's what I'll try to do here. I love the cabinet part. But I just don't like the legs. To me, I would have preferred the cabinet to have a simple base and then be placed on the floor or hug at the same height it is now. Additional doors extending downward, lengthening the cabinet toward the floor would also have worked for me. I think the doors are so interesting that the legs add too much, and my mind is over-loaded when I look at it.

Anyway, that’s my critique. I think you do beautiful work and obviously have a great eye. The joinery and construction looks top-notch. But the design of the legs on the taller piece bothers me, but not so much that I am not impressed with your work.

[Beechwood Chip]

Charles Neil had a YouTube video on fixing twist in a door, but I can't find it now. As I recall it involved spraying the door with hot water and then clamping it.

[simeond]

Chet:

Thanks for the constructive comments. I actually have reservations about the legs too. I wasn't thinking there shouldn't be any (though you may have a point), but that perhaps the relative dimension to the cabinet or something. They seem a bit short relatively, but the cabinet is already so tall that it would make the whole piece ridiculously tall. Maybe you're on to something. I was just so set in having

a standing cabinet with the slightly curved legs (something I hadn't tried before) that I didn't question the assumption as the piece came together.

Chip:

Thanks for the lead. I did find a post by Charles Neil on

fixing a twist, but didn't mention hot water. I'm going to

mess around with the jointer, allowing the rise in the twist

to float, rather than compressing it against the blade. I'll let

you know how it comes out.

P.s. The finish is not tung, it's teak oil.

[duckkisser]

I disagree about the legs i love them but as it is the piece looks like it seting on the legs rather then being part of the legs. I would sugest that you cut a slot in the top of the legs so that the legs over lap the base of the cabinet and the cabinet is nestled into the legs.if it dint have legs like chet sugested then it would just be normal cabinet with realy cool doors. But your still on the fence then take a big piece of news print cover up the legs and look at it without the legs. If you think the legs are to short then add a piece of maple on each top corner creating a floating crown that will bring the legs color and line to the top. As for the boxy top i like it. Those lines mirror the strait lines of the leg braceings. Plus you cross pieces on your legs are very dark almost black so that color matches the black void created on the doors. Over all a great balance of line and color. As for the inside shelves without looking at them i have no input..

I dont think you should put doors on your widow i think it would make it look heavy and a stain glass window is anything but heavy

I have a hard time thinking of you as less then a serous wood worker since these are great. you had to have had at desighn or artistic background that enabled you to have a history of planing and balance.

and i love james work would have loved to have met the man. Its a shame that he passed.

[Vic]

Phenomenal..GREAT use of the maple in the Krenov piece!

[simeond]

I disagree about the legs i love them but as it is the piece looks like it seting on the legs rather then being part of the legs. I would sugest that you cut a slot in the top of the legs so that the legs over lap the base of the cabinet and the cabinet is nestled into the legs.if it dint have legs like chet sugested then it would just be normal cabinet with realy cool doors. But your still on the fence then take a big piece of news print cover up the legs and look at it without the legs. If you think the legs are to short then add a piece of maple on each top corner creating a floating crown that will bring the legs color and line to the top. As for the boxy top i like it. Those lines mirror the strait lines of the leg braceings. Plus you cross pieces on your legs are very dark almost black so that color matches the black void created on the doors. Over all a great balance of line and color. As for the inside shelves without looking at them i have no input..

I dont think you should put doors on your widow i think it would make it look heavy and a stain glass window is anything but heavy

I have a hard time thinking of you as less then a serous wood worker since these are great. you had to have had at desighn or artistic background that enabled you to have a history of planing and balance.

and i love james work would have loved to have met the man. Its a shame that he passed.

Duckkisser:

Thank you for the constructive comments (yes, I have some artistic background in painting and drawing, but I simply fell in love with wood as a medium a few years ago). I agree there is a bit of a "floating" feel with the cabinet seeming to just "sit" on the legs. Actually, the base of the cabinet is inset into the top of the legs about 1/2", with a 1/2" reveal of the top of the legs on two sides... I'll try to post a picture of what I mean. But I am still on the fence about the legs generally. I'll try the newspaper trick.

Thanks again.

[duckkisser]

Duckkisser:

Thank you for the constructive comments (yes, I have some artistic background in painting and drawing, but I simply fell in love with wood as a medium a few years ago). I agree there is a bit of a "floating" feel with the cabinet seeming to just "sit" on the legs. Actually, the base of the cabinet is inset into the top of the legs about 1/2", with a 1/2" reveal of the top of the legs on two sides... I'll try to post a picture of what I mean. But I am still on the fence about the legs generally. I'll try the newspaper trick.

Thanks again.

Just buy paper from news paper as end roll they will know what your talking about p.s. Very cheap. Oh and fromwhat i hear fruit wood is some of the best to work with if you have any left you might want to try you hand at turning it. Lots of turns that i have talked to love it and plum has a nice matching with the rest of the wood.

[Tobbe Arnesson]

That cabinet...

The doors are like Rorschach-blobs and the legs are quite Tim Burtonesque. Kind of dark and intriguing with the warmth from the wood keeping it a hair from scary. I just love it!

Making the top part tilting out from the rest would throw off the balance even more for an even more looming look, I'd like that! But it would be kinda hard to make the angle between the actual cabinet and the bigger top nice, it needs an expanding but gentle curve I suppose. Kinda hard to really say not seeing the piece IRL judging the size and what not.

The other piece with the stained window don't speak to me, sorry to say.