# Walnut Plane storage cabinet wall mounted



## markturner (4 Sep 2013)

Hi everyone, I have not had much time lately to make anything of any note, but the arrival of my new Felder CF741 Pro universal machine has filled me full of enthusiasm and made me put aside some time as often as possible to crack on make this project, which I have been planning for some while. Its going to be a little bit of a cheat, in that when I made the cabinet for my swords, I made a set of doors the wrong size, so this project will use them and save me time making. It does however mean that superficially they will look quite similar, although this project will much more complex in terms of the joinery, as you will be able to see all of it and it will be free hanging on the wall. Also, it will be pretty darn heavy and will need all the internal storage cubby holes etc, something the other cabinet did not have. I have been scouring this forum for previous projects threads, for ideas and solutions, and was pretty impressed by some of them, like Wakas's....

I wanted to make some drawers for the bottom of the cupboard, current plan is to use some pillow maple I have as a bit of contrast for the frontals...what do you think? 

So, I made up a plan using CAD software to help me visualize how it would work and all fit together. It was not a complete design and cutting list, but it was enough to get started. 






So, my first step was to make the face frame from solid walnut that would mount on top of the cabinet carcass and the doors would hang from. Then I could make the carcass to suit. I ran down the stock on the new saw..awesome to use and so much easier with a sliding carriage...it would be slightly bigger all round than the carcass and I decided to have a recessed vertical bar between the doors, for them to shut on to, rather than between them. Here is the frame being sized around the doors before glueing up:





I dominoed the mitred corners together then went over the joints with a low angle block plane before some sanding. Here is the completed frame next to the doors I made last year....the wrong size..  





Frame complete, I could now start thinking about the cabinet itself. I realized that hanging on the wall, the sides would be visible, so screwing together would not be good.....despite the strength advantage Instead, I chose to use an idea from F&C magazine of dadoed solid corner pieces, which would mean no visible fixings and also give me chance to see what the new saw could do...! 





And here they are dry fitted to the rebated cabinet sides:






I wanted the whole cabinet to look nice, even the back, which would normally be against the wall, so I lipped all the rear edges of the plywood making up the sides, here being glued on:





Then I had to sit down and think long and hard about how I would glue it together and how the back and dividers would all attach. I decided to use french cleats to hold it to the wall, so the back had to be substantial, so I used beech veneer 18mm MDF. The centre divider which would be seen in the finished article was of course from walnut veneered material. In the end, I decided it would have to be glued up in stages, from the bottom up, with the back panels sliding done in dado's in the cheeks and the top going on last. So I glued the two bottom corners to the bottom, then the next day, was able to carry on dry fitting and trimming all the components to fit perfectly in advance of the final glue up.

I also had to consider how the french cleats would attach, so came up with the plan to fix through from both sides of the back panel, which would not be seen in the completed project and to also make them wider than the back so I could recess them partly into the side panels, thus letting them carry a lot of the weight.

To be continued.......


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## MickCheese (4 Sep 2013)

Looking interesting. 

A good start. 

Mick


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## Tierney (6 Sep 2013)

Looks good, keep 'em coming.

DT


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## markturner (8 Sep 2013)

OK, another installment..........

I managed to make sure it all fitted and got it glued up and then mounted on the wall. I don't have pictures of the back, as I hung on the wall before I took them, and I am using it wall mounted to do the rest of the build, so will post the pictures of the back and the french cleat mounts when I take it off the wall next, which will be after I have made and fitted all the dividers to form the cubby holes. here is the carcass going together:






The corners glued:





And hanging on the wall, with the finished face frame:






The dividers is the next job, I am making them from 12mm ABW veneeed MDF with solid lippings. There is quite a few to make and I have started although its slow work as each needs about 6 clamps to be made and I only have enough clamps of that size to do 2 at a time......I need to make 12 pieces.


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## the_g_ster (8 Sep 2013)

Look forward to see more of this...


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## markturner (14 Sep 2013)

OK< I now have the cubby holes made and fitted, but not complete....bit of a mission, I decided to route out dado's for the horizontal dividers, and slot it all together. I rounded the lippings so they appear nicely smooth from the front on the router table. so:

Dividers ready to be lipped up:





The dividers lipped and shaped:





The slots for the horizontals being routed:





Time for a test run to see how they all fit: 





Time to glue up and get them fitted in:





You can see here I am starting to cut and test fit the angled ramps from 12mm MDF that the base for the planes to sit on will attach to:





Both sides completed and fitted, one set of 6mm MDF bases made:









Time for a test run to see how the planes sit: 







Now got to make all the bases and work out bets way of holding planes in position. Have been getting some advice re magnets in the general forum.........


Cheers, Mark


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## markturner (25 Oct 2013)

Ok, time for another update.......

Been working on the cubby hole bases and the solution to the potential problem of the planes overbalancing on the ramps. Which possibly could happen on some of the smaller ones. I decided to look at the bases of the cubby holes, did some forum reading and cork seemed quite popular, so I did a test piece and it seemed ok. So started gluing on the cork sheet to the bases, then tried out one with the Magnets....no good really and the cork was too thin really. 

So had scrap the bases I had glued up and start again. Tried some Alcantara I had left over from a box base first......looked OK, but I was not sure: 





I spent quite some time experimenting with magnets and came up with the solution that they really only work with no wood between the metal. I mounted the magnets on some blocks, angled to match the ramps:








I also dominoed up the face frame and dry fitted it over the carcasse, which you can see in the photos.


I was also not happy with the alcantara, so did some hunting on ebay and found some great textured, recycled leather in a nice dark chocolate brown. Was only £12 for enough as well........

It worked brilliantly with the magnets, I had to forstner bit away a 20mm hole right over each Magnet and then evo stikked the leather over the bases and wrapped around the back. It looked very nice:









So, away I went, there were few to do and it took several days, a few hours here and there, which all I get to do this....

I could not resist putting a bit of oil on to see what it will look like finished:





I am very pleased..........

So, ready to think about the drawers now


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## Glynne (25 Oct 2013)

Looks very impressive - keep the pictures coming.


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## Graham Orm (25 Oct 2013)

You've got too much time on your hands. Nice job though. =D>


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## AndyT (25 Oct 2013)

You seem to have left out the photos of the planes being used to make the cabinet...but 
I'll keep watching!


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## Andy RV (26 Oct 2013)

Lovely, can't wait to see it finished!


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## Waka (29 Oct 2013)

Excellent plane cupboard, I bet you're pleased with the results.


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## tobytools (29 Oct 2013)

Wow, excellent 
TT


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## markturner (4 Nov 2013)

The next stage is the drawers....... there will be 4 slim drawers at the bottom, I have been debating whether to use traditional method - I have not done this before and the whole point of all the stuff I do is to learn new methods and techniques. But the design of the unit does not make it easy to use this method. The face frame overhangs the cabinet sides and I have decided that I will leave traditional drawer construction to the next project I have lined up, a desk for the wife. However, I will make all the drawer boxes with handcut dovetails. 

With some help from forum members, I have found some ball race double extension runners the correct size, which should work well.

I decided to use some nice maple I had - we removed a kitchen form a job that had solid maple shaker doors, and thought they might come in handy one day ...that day is now! The stiles of the doors are all 18mm and approx 80mm wide, so great for box making and in this case, small drawer sides. So I started ripping down the doors and removing the panels, leaving me with some decent strips of solid maple. I had to dimension these to about 12mm thick and 60mm high. Once I had it all dimensioned, some obligatory handplaning to smooth all the surfaces and we are ready to dovetail.......













It's been approx a year since I last did this and the first one was not great......but I had a few to do, and over the course of 2 weekends, I managed to complete them all. I have experimenting with different saws, and find my japanese dozuki gives the best results. 














I did the last set of tails using the bandsaw and a simple taper jig - these were very tight and I may use this method in future. If it's good enough for David Charlesworth, it will do for me! Although, if I don't practice using the handsaw, I wont improve....

Phew....all done......







One thing I did find...I have had to start wearing glasses for close up stuff a solid day of working on dovetails has made me very sore in the back and have a bad headache..using the glasses does not agree with me, when I look up, its like I am drunk, so I have ordered a nice magnifying worklamp I can use instead. I also treated myself to the components of a Moxon vice, from Benchcrafted.com, to raise the working height on bench another 6 inches or so, as bending over was killling my back.....


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## markturner (12 Nov 2013)

So, the next stage is the drawer frontals. I made final adjustments to the fit and then started to install the drawer boxes into the cabinet:









I made some push fit drawer bottoms, covered in the same textured leather I used for the cubby hole bases:





I had decided that I would try and incorporate something new into each new piece I make, and for this , it would be veneering. I visited capital crispin and came away with lovely burr walnut sheets.





I made up the drawer frontals from more 18mm birch ply and lipped them all round with solid walnut:





Then planed them all up to fit in the opening.





As this was my first attempt at veneering, I had to make a few purchases, such as a bag press kit, veneer saw and also make up some platens from some spare corian I had. Also had to invest in some special cold press glue - was given some great help on all this on the main forum, so thanks.

After careful laying it out, I cut the veneer to fit each frontal. I was ready to try the veneering. I mixed up some glue and tried some test pieces first, just to get an idea of how long it stayed workable etc. Then it was time to bite the bullet and try the real thing. once you start, you are committed, so it was a bit nerve racking. in the bag with the frontals, seal it up and turn on the pump..........then a very tense 6 hour wait.

Final batch of pictures and the finished result next installment.........


Thanks to everyone who has commented kindly on my efforts.


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## Graham Orm (12 Nov 2013)

Stunning so far =D>


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## Charlie Woody (12 Nov 2013)

That looks wonderful .... looking forward to the next instalment.


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## Karl (12 Nov 2013)

That's going to be a great cabinet when it's finished.

One question - the rail/stile arrangement on the doors - why? I did read through your post, but couldn't see an explanation. 

Cheers

Karl


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## MickCheese (12 Nov 2013)

I love it. 

Well done. 

Mick


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## tobytools (12 Nov 2013)

Excellent,
Better than LN rack 
Good job 
"No offence LN"
TT


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## doctor Bob (12 Nov 2013)

Great build, looks very professional. 
I have to echo Karl though, whats going on with those doors?


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## markturner (12 Nov 2013)

Well, when I made them , a little over a year ago, I made a mistake in the dimensioning, hence having to make them that way. I could not face starting again and wasting the wood, so made them anyway.

To be honest, I had not given it a second thought since then.. But yes, they are not strictly right are they. I will call it artistic licence and pretend they are supposed to be like that! Its all a learning curve, I find each piece I try - this is the 6th thing I have made since I started teaching myself this 2 years ago ( I have made 4 boxes, another cabinet for my swords and my workbench) and each has some mistakes in it. Each mistake is a lesson learnt and part of the process I think. 

I am glad you all like it, I am very proud of it I must say - it was a real challenge to design and build it. But hugely enjoyable. 

cheers, Mark


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## doctor Bob (12 Nov 2013)

markturner":34vcwxpp said:


> Well, when I made them , a little over a year ago, I made a mistake in the dimensioning, hence having to make them that way. I could not face starting again and wasting the wood, so made them anyway.
> 
> To be honest, I had not given it a second thought since then.. But yes, they are not strictly right are they. I will call it artistic licence and pretend they are supposed to be like that! Its all a learning curve, I find each piece I try - this is the 6th thing I have made since I started teaching myself this 2 years ago ( I have made 4 boxes, another cabinet for my swords and my workbench) and each has some mistakes in it. Each mistake is a lesson learnt and part of the process I think.
> 
> ...



Good honest answer, if this is only your 6th item then you are doing very well. The proportions look great as well as the execution.
I think the doors stand out a bit to me as I make them day in day out.
Keep up the good work.


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## Peter Sefton (12 Nov 2013)

Mark the cabinets look great, your admittance to your prior mistake was very honest, if you had told us it was a homage to the Krenov school of furniture design we would have been none the wiser! 
Cheers peter


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## rdesign (12 Nov 2013)

awesome cabinet!! wouldn't even notice the doors! had to go back to see what they were talking about! if i had a few more planes I might make one  
great work and i love ur justification for buying new tools 
nice workshop set up for 2 years at it!
Regards Rick


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## markturner (13 Nov 2013)

> nice workshop set up for 2 years at it!



Thanks, although I am a carpenter and kitchen installer of over 30 years, so I have collected a lot of the stuff along the way, I am lucky enough for my main business to be able to fund this as an offshoot of the activities. The furniture making is new to me though, I decided to teach myself as I really missed making stuff on site ( I sit behind a desk a lot of the day now.....) I just extended our mezzanine floor and built the workshop you see a few months ago, so its still pretty new. There is a thread and a video tour in this forum earlier if you are interested. 

Cheers, Mark


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## markturner (22 Nov 2013)

OK Folks, here it is, the final installment..........

Despite the worries, the veneering went pretty well.....If anything, I probably used slightly too much glue, as you can see below from the shots when they came out of the bag:









i was a bit unsure how best to deal with trimming the frontals, without damaging the fragile veneer overhang, but figured out using a chisel on the bulk of it and then a plane and then my trusty festool laminate trimmer to clean it up properly. I also had to decide whether to leave the veneer flush with the edge , but decided in the end to put a very small champfer all around: 





So, with the frontals cleaned up and profiled, I was ready to fit them. The bottom two were easy, as I could align and clamp from above, then screw fix from behind. But the top two were trickier, as there was no way of clamping them in position when shut. In the end, I decided to use contact adhesive and let them dry in position, then screw through. it worked fine. 

I then applied the finish, i always ues the Festool surfix one step oil, its really nice, does not dry sticky, and gives a beautiful smooth silky sheen, it also smells really nice and does not stick to your hands! Anyone who has not used it should try it, they do 3 types, heavy duty, outside, for furniture, the one step is the one to use. You can add wax over the top if you like as well.

I then added the knobs for the doors and drawers, just some simple small solid brass ones that I thought went pretty well with the overall design. 

And finally, it was done!! here are the pictures:































I am chuffed to bits with it, and it was a great learning experience, I hope you all enjoy the finished result as much as me, 

Thanks, Mark


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## marcros (22 Nov 2013)

I would put that in the dining room!

Great job.


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## rspsteve (22 Nov 2013)

Fantastic work =D>


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## RossJarvis (22 Nov 2013)

Yep, I'd say a lovely looking job anyone should be proud of =D> =D>


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## tobytools (22 Nov 2013)

That is a real masterpiece,
Bravo, I can't wait to see your next piece, 

I'll show the misses this 

TT


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## Graham Orm (22 Nov 2013)

Absolutely spectacular! Beautiful work. I'd have been tempted to do the drawers in a high gloss finish as a complete contrast as they are already so different. Great work, what's next?


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## MARK.B. (22 Nov 2013)

Bloody hell Mark i can only dream of being able to plan and make something as good as that =D> =D> =D> 
If dreams come true i might get some of those little gem's inside as well :ho2 

Regards 

Mark


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## Karl (22 Nov 2013)

Top work Mark. 

My earlier comment re: doors. I think they look great, cock up or not. Something a bit different.

Edit - the only thing which I think detracts from the overall piece is the use of side mount drawer runners. Just lessens the workmanship. 

Cheers

Karl


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## MickCheese (22 Nov 2013)

Wow

I really really like that. 

Mick


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## Graham Orm (22 Nov 2013)

Just been back fro another look. The piano hinges look good, they have an effect of their own.


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## markturner (22 Nov 2013)

Thank you very much for all your kind words, its gratifying when fellow enthusiasts and professionals are so complimentary. In answer to "whats next?" Well, it was supposed to be copy of this desk: http://www.darestudio.co.uk/products/ta ... akana-desk 
which was going to stretch me a little further, including my first try at a traditional drawer without modern runners, however, swmbo has insisted it has to a piece of built in furniture for the impending reorganisation of our lounge. 
Not quite as exciting, but it pays to keep her sweet!!
However, I will start deconstructing the desk design and working out how it would be made....its quite a challenging piece.

thanks again, Mark


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