# American Black Walnut Drawer Unit



## Lord Nibbo (22 Sep 2007)

*American Black Walnut Drawer Unit*

I'm going to build a copy of this pic out of American Black Walnut, it won't be an exact copy mine will be longer and lower.






Here are my drawings for the unit using sketchup.





Here's the stock of 25mm boards of American Black Walnut that will be used.





Starting this afternoon I used the worst boards that were twisted or warped badly for the ends of the unit as the finished lengths will only be 16" The pic below shows the ends cut to approximate length of 19" the finish length will be 16" all the pieces have been planed flat and one edge jointed using the jointer in the background of the pic, they are all thicknessed to 3/4" using the thicknesser positioned behind the jointer.


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## Fecn (22 Sep 2007)

I do love WIP threads. Looks like it's going to be a good project - You've got some nice looking boards there.


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## OPJ (22 Sep 2007)

The grain does look fascinating in the original photo and you've also got yourself some nice grain patters in your boards.

I'm aware that American Black Walnut isn't exactly cheap, so can I get an idea of just how much you've had to pay for what is essentially a _very small_ project?

The amount you have seem to match the kind of offers you can find going on eBay?


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## Lord Nibbo (22 Sep 2007)

OPJ":1330whoy said:


> I'm aware that American Black Walnut isn't exactly cheap, so can I get an idea of just how much you've had to pay for what is essentially a _very small_ project?




Ordered it from Atkins & Cripps, I needed 20 board ft so I ordered 35ft = 3.5 cu ft x £44.50 per cu ft. thats for boards 25mm thick. My last project boards 65mm thick were £60ish cu ft.


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## Lord Nibbo (22 Sep 2007)

Sometimes I have a problem with spectators and no amount of persuasion is gonna move them,
Here I am trying to shift them. 






All the boards were thicknessed and the side nearest the fence was jointed, here I am just squaring the other edge before jointing it.






No amount of persuasion was going to shift him, so I have to work around him.  






I'm sorting the boards for best sides and edges, Bosun decides he might move.  






All the boards sorted glued and clamped up.


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## Lord Nibbo (22 Sep 2007)

Fecn":16tameby said:


> You've got some nice looking boards there.



I've used the worst warped & twisted boards first as they are some of the shortest in the project. The better boards will be used for the top and front. So far I had no sap wood at all :shock: Maybe I should keep my trap shut :lol:


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## Paul Chapman (22 Sep 2007)

Looking nice, LN.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## ByronBlack (22 Sep 2007)

I love your bears/dogs, I wish I had the space/time to keep dogs, i could do with some company in the workshop, unfortunately my cats show no interest at all - more interested in eating my mrs' shrubs.


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## Slim (22 Sep 2007)

I bet its a nightmare getting sawdust and other foreign objects out of their coats. Everytime I take my springer for a walk, he comes back with hundreds of seeds/twigs/cleavers etc. knotted into his coat. It takes me about half an hour a day to brush him.


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## Lord Nibbo (22 Sep 2007)

Slimjim81":1ny1pqfk said:


> I bet its a nightmare getting sawdust and other foreign objects out of their coats. Everytime I take my springer for a walk, he comes back with hundreds of seeds/twigs/cleavers etc. knotted into his coat. It takes me about half an hour a day to brush him.


 Otto the younger one loves being brushed, infact he'll push in almost saying "Me first" :lol: Bosun hates being brushed, loves sitting/laying out in the rain, exploring in the shrubs, generally getting matted up, he also stinks :roll: no matter how often he gets a bath he still stinks :lol: so because he won't stay around to be brushed I attack him with scissors and just cut the clumps off him, I filled a carrier bag up only yesterday and that was just off his front legs :lol: We still love him though


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## devonwoody (23 Sep 2007)

Another nice looking project coming along, you seem to work on the other end of the size scale to me.


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## Lord Nibbo (23 Sep 2007)

devonwoody":topowg9i said:


> Another nice looking project coming along, you seem to work on the other end of the size scale to me.


 I don't think size is important, Or is that what everyone used to say? :lol: 

Would have liked to be doing some more today but swmbo insisted being taken out for lunch, so the workshops a no go area today. :lol:


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## devonwoody (23 Sep 2007)

I have a workshop delay as well, sorting everything around again and making table saw accessories.


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## Alex (23 Sep 2007)

Wow thats some shop you've got there. The way the sun reflects of that beautiful jointer i thought that was the subject in the pic, didn't even notice the wood laid out to show grain.  . or was that a subtle GLOAT :mrgreen: :mrgreen: 
The project coming together nicely just one question, how are you planning on joining face frame to sides? Mitre joint, thats one long mitre across the front! But hey what am i on about you've got that beaut of Jointer!!!
I'm so jealous space is such a premium in my shop i couldn't fit any of that. I'm enjoying the WIP, carn't wait for the next installment.
Cool New Founderlands. 8) 

Regards Alex


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## Lord Nibbo (23 Sep 2007)

devonwoody":1cm261br said:


> making table saw accessories.



You got the Axminster up and running then.... :lol: :wink: \/


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## Lord Nibbo (23 Sep 2007)

Alex":2tz3nrsn said:


> The project coming together nicely just one question, how are you planning on joining face frame to sides? Mitre joint, thats one long mitre across the front!
> 
> Regards Alex


 
Every face will be mitred to the adjoining two faces (three faces regarding the side/end. panels) and every edge will have a micro chamfer. Which means the top will need to be about a 64th of an inch over size on every edge, I'll explain why later with pics of my cunning way doing a chamfer on a mitred edge without cutting into and exposing the mitre. :lol:


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## devonwoody (24 Sep 2007)

Lord Nibbo":1yrueboc said:


> devonwoody":1yrueboc said:
> 
> 
> > making table saw accessories.
> ...



Funny thing I'm missing my triton, all I seem to be doing is finding things to make like pressure fingers, false tables, now wanting a mitre sled.

Have you got a mitre sled?


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## motownmartin (24 Sep 2007)

devonwoody":3iqpiat3 said:


> Lord Nibbo":3iqpiat3 said:
> 
> 
> > devonwoody":3iqpiat3 said:
> ...


I use the sliding table  :?


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## devonwoody (24 Sep 2007)

I'm wanting to cut mitres on 3" lengths and dont like my fingers that close to the blade also need some hefty clamping setups to stop any creepage and I have got some sled ideas.

Apologies to Lord Nibbo re posting above on his thread.


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## Lord Nibbo (24 Sep 2007)

devonwoody":9vy0kvh4 said:


> Apologies to Lord Nibbo re posting above on his thread.



No problem DW, glad to find you got your saw sorted.

Oh! and many thanks for the email about the pics in some shots looking pink, twas the flash. :lol:


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## Lord Nibbo (24 Sep 2007)

Well got back to it this morning.

Thicknessed and jointed all the boards for the top, heres a pic of them sorted to look their best.







But this board gave me something to think about, do I leave the knot in of rip the board down and remove it?





Well I decided to cut it out, It would be my luck to fall out when the unit is moved into the house.

Here's the final selection of seven pieces ganged together and marked for biscuits.






Glue up in three sections first





Final glue up of drawer unit top. Devonwoody emailed me that the colours on the pics looked a little pink, I now realize that using the flash is changing the colour, so I've taken these without the flash turned on.


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## devonwoody (24 Sep 2007)

You are a brave man, I have had a black walnut board on the floor under the bed for 3 years, want it well seasoned. (the wife moans a bit tho. )

Are you not concerned about cupping etc?


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## Lord Nibbo (24 Sep 2007)

devonwoody":av3f5skx said:


> You are a brave man, I have had a black walnut board on the floor under the bed for 3 years, want it well seasoned. (the wife moans a bit tho. )
> 
> Are you not concerned about cupping etc?



I suggested to swmbo that the wood should be kept in the living roon but she wasn't have any of it, and never in a thousand years would she allow it in the bedroom :lol: 

Re cupping: Thats why I took so long sorting which board should go where, but unlike when Norm does it on NYW I had no real obvious grain direction to do the curve up curve down trick, I just hope using so many boards I'll get away with it. :roll:


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## Lord Nibbo (24 Sep 2007)

Well all the parts were roughly sanded and put through the saw to cut the mitres then all the faces except the short ends of the top were run over the planer I had to plane the ends of the top by hand as it was just impossible to hold them on the planer.






In an earlier post I mentioned about making the top slightly over size because I wanted to put a micro chamfer on every edge but I didn't want to cut into the mitre, this pic explains more.





In this pic although hard to see the top has had the treatment explained above as have the sides of the end panel.





Now with the top laid on these four clamps each clamp is not done up tight but just snug they are to stop the end panels from spreading which will become obvious in the following pic.





Now the real job of clamping is done with the vertical clamps not the horizontal clamps as already said they are there only to stop the panels from spreading





And here both ends are fitted, the only problem doing it this way it's almost impossible to clean off any glue so that will have to be removed once all the clamps are off. I've not used any biscuits in the mitres as I feel they impede getting a perfect fit.


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## devonwoody (24 Sep 2007)

Its nice to have the confidence in glues these days.
I reckon this is going to be another clean and pleasant looking piece of furniture.


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## Lord Nibbo (24 Sep 2007)

devonwoody":pzczia0i said:


> Its nice to have the confidence in glues these days.
> I reckon this is going to be another clean and pleasant looking piece of furniture.



Well it does say on the bottle "Stronger than the wood your gluing" :lol: 

It wont be left just like that though, I'm going to glue in a fillet the length of the joints to help strengthening it


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## devonwoody (24 Sep 2007)

I'm going to glue in a fillet the length of the joints to help strengthening it
_________________


I dont.


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## Lord Nibbo (24 Sep 2007)

devonwoody":20i8omhi said:


> I'm going to glue in a fillet the length of the joints to help strengthening it
> _________________
> 
> 
> I dont.



Ah! but I do. :lol: :wink:


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## Paul Chapman (24 Sep 2007)

That's looking very nice, LN.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## ByronBlack (24 Sep 2007)

LN - could you not have used a spline along the mitre? Would a fillet not alter the look of the piece - sorry if i'm being dim here, just trying to visualise it.


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## MooreToolsPlease (24 Sep 2007)

I was thinking some sort of spline, or maybe a mitre lock joint could have been used?
Looks great though, nice setup you have there


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## mailee (24 Sep 2007)

Looking very nice Your Lordship. Nice looking workshop too. I could do with a couple of those dogs to keep my workshop clean too. :lol:


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## Lord Nibbo (24 Sep 2007)

ByronBlack":356e2qmz said:


> LN - could you not have used a spline along the mitre? Would a fillet not alter the look of the piece - sorry if i'm being dim here, just trying to visualise it.



You wont see it Byron, the front face will be 2" wide around both ends and along the top. The back will look much the same but will have panels in it rather than draw fronts. 






The illusion is to make it look like solid wood 2" thick but it's not so there is plenty of room inside to add strength such as fillets.


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## Lord Nibbo (24 Sep 2007)

MooreToolsPlease":1et9dpf1 said:


> or maybe a mitre lock joint could have been used?
> Looks great though, nice setup you have there



I did give some thought to a mitre lock type joint, but I ain't got no cutters, swmbo would go off on one if I order any more tools :lol: :wink:

The main problem though with so many long mitres on such big panels I feel doing it my way I can get a higher degree of accuracy.


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## ByronBlack (24 Sep 2007)

Lord Nibbo":8zzykxi5 said:


> The illusion is to make it look like solid wood 2" thick but it's not so there is plenty of room inside to add strength such as fillets.



Ah, I understand now, I didn't realise you were putting a face frame on it, but then that makes complete sense because I was wondering to myself how you were going to achieve the 'chunky-ness'  

Also, you mention you didn't want to use biscuits because you could get a better fit without them - I was considering using size 0 biscuits on my small mitred table top - what issues are there in terms of fitting, I was under the impression that biscuits would be a good idea for mitred joints - should I reconsider and use splines or keys instead?


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## Lord Nibbo (24 Sep 2007)

ByronBlack":1et58w1f said:


> I was considering using size 0 biscuits on my small mitred table top - what issues are there in terms of fitting, I was under the impression that biscuits would be a good idea for mitred joints - should I reconsider and use splines or keys instead?


 
They are a good idea for a mitred joint in such as a mirror frame or picture frame even a face frame if it was flush to what it was being fixed too, but my face frame is mitred on two planes at least, three planes if you look at the end panels. Splines or keys can be very decorative and would enhance your table even more arts & craft style, yes definitely the way to go.


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## Lord Nibbo (25 Sep 2007)

Added a fillet to add strength to the end panel.






Then I added a temporary base so I could work with the unit the right way up.






View of the end panel with the glue cleaned off.






Fitting the top face rail on.






Fitting the right hand face stile.






All the clamps removed and glue cleaned off. The left and right uprights still have to be cut to length





Just the lower face rail and three stiles dividing the four drawers to do on the front face.


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## ByronBlack (25 Sep 2007)

Thats coming along nicely, it seems to be quite a glue-up intensive project, my nerves would be shredded by now!


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## Lord Nibbo (25 Sep 2007)

ByronBlack":3jzd8it6 said:


> Thats coming along nicely, it seems to be quite a glue-up intensive project, my nerves would be shredded by now!



Yes, unlike :norm: not a brad to be seen..... Ah I forgot I did brad the fillets on :lol: at least using pva type glue instead of polyurethane my hands won't be black for a month. :lol:


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## Philly (25 Sep 2007)

Very Nice, L-N! =D> 
I'm enjoying this,
Philly


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## motownmartin (25 Sep 2007)

Very clever, Looks good too =D>


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## MooreToolsPlease (25 Sep 2007)

Are those fillets glued in? would this be a potential problem with the movement of the parts?


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## Lord Nibbo (25 Sep 2007)

MooreToolsPlease":rlqau2lr said:


> Are those fillets glued in? would this be a potential problem with the movement of the parts?



Oh Jesus! forgot about movement, with the grain of the sides running the same way as the top I had got it in to my head everything was ok. Many thanks for spotting it. I'll attack it tomorrow with a jigsaw or chisel a v and cut it in two three separate pieces. :shock:


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## Shultzy (25 Sep 2007)

Its going to look spectacular when its finished. You certainly have an impressive array of clamps.


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## MooreToolsPlease (25 Sep 2007)

One way to do it would be to keep the fillet square, and screw from both sides in a slotted hole.
I have seen a router cutter that makes a counter sunk slot, would be perfect for this application
http://www.wealdentool.com/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Slot_Countersink_161.html


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## Lord Nibbo (26 Sep 2007)

MTP (Moretoolsplease) pointed out I had a potential cross grain problem so this morning I cured the problem by chopping out the fillet and making it three fillets, this was done to the other end as well. I had to compromise where I made the gaps because the boards on the top are not the same width as the boards on the end pieces.








The face frame for the back panel has to have slots cut to house loose panels, here I am cutting a 6mm wide slot and with two passes will be 7mm deep. (sorry about the focusing)







Top rear face rail done. But not without a mishap 







The mishap, I dropped the board on the floor and broke off a great chunk right on the corned of the mitre  It took me more than half a hour to find the missing bit, boxxxxks anyway I did eventually find it, I just hope it blends in when the finish is applied.







Rear face end pieces fitted both with a stopped housing/dado, dunno which it should be called, going more senial every day. 







Front face lower rail fitted. this one is fitted using just glue and two pocket screws each end.




:lol:


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## devonwoody (26 Sep 2007)

Good job you lost it in your workshop, it would have taken much longer in mine. 

Coming along nicely.


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## ByronBlack (26 Sep 2007)

Thats looking nice, i'm sure once it's sanded and finished you won't even see the mistake - I have a few small ones like that on my table leg to repair after they blew whilest chopping the mortices, now they are glues it's quite hard to see them unless you are looking specifically for them.


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## Lord Nibbo (27 Sep 2007)

The stiles that divide the drawers were fitted this morning so the front face is done. They are fitted using two pocket screws at each end.





Back face rails and stiles routed out with a 6mm groove and will be fixed to the unit using floating/loose tenons.





With the tenons glued to the carcase all the parts are dry fitted to check the sizes for the panels.





I had to Rip two boards down so each panel can be bookmarked. There was quite a lot of stress relieved after doing this and it was a close call if there was going to be enough thickness to get them flat, I managed it but only just.











A quick scrape 






I ripped off the sapwood and here i'm using my small panel sledge to cut them to size 






All four panels fitted with no glue, just a good sand and scrape off tomorrow then I can fit the draw guides, with that done the body is finished.... Just four draws to make. 




:lol: 

A question about the drawers, I've built this with a mind that the draw fronts will be flush with the face, but I'm mulling over the fact that I could make them a little bigger and have them protruding out the thickness of the front, or I could even leave them the same size as the opening and let them recess say about 1/4" so they look much like the back panels. What does the forum think?


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## devonwoody (27 Sep 2007)

I can see you had a busy day, late posting your lordship. 

Giving the drawers some thought.


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## Slim (27 Sep 2007)

Really nice LN. I wouldn't recess the drawers, it might look like they are badly fitting. If it were me, I would fit them flush.


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## woodbloke (27 Sep 2007)

LN wrote -


> A question about the drawers, I've built this with a mind that the draw fronts will be flush with the face, but I'm mulling over the fact that I could make them a little bigger and have them protruding out the thickness of the front, or I could even leave them the same size as the opening and let them recess say about 1/4" so they look much like the back panels. What does the forum think?


Usual practice is to set the drawer fronts back around 1 or 2mm from the front surface to create a shadow gap, but it all depends on the type of effect that you're after - Rob


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## DomValente (27 Sep 2007)

Boy you work fast LN, wanna job  

I would leave the drawers flush on this piece, I feel it would work better, but only if you can get them dead flush.

Dom


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## Lord Nibbo (27 Sep 2007)

DomValente":1gkdqpzy said:


> Boy you work fast LN, wanna job
> 
> I would leave the drawers flush on this piece, I feel it would work better, but only if you can get them dead flush.
> 
> Dom



No problems with that I had intended to make them about 1" short then screw a stop behind the drawer, I could even make that adjustable and try woodblokes sugestion.

Another question what wood for the drawer sides and back?


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## Jez (27 Sep 2007)

looking great so far


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## devonwoody (27 Sep 2007)

Another question what wood for the drawer sides and back?

I usually go to my offcut box. but traditionally dont they use any seasoned timber available for these parts and the least expensive


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## Lord Nibbo (27 Sep 2007)

devonwoody":3pw8bw3n said:


> Another question what wood for the drawer sides and back?
> 
> I usually go to my offcut box. but traditionally dont they use any seasoned timber available for these parts and the least expensive


 
First thoughts were tulip/poplar, what is the most common used? 

edit.... 

Just had another thought about the fronts, which way should the grain run? they are nearly square, the rails are obviously running horizontal but the uprights the grain is vertical, everything tells me it should be horizontal but I'm not so sure.... :?


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## MooreToolsPlease (27 Sep 2007)

I would go for horizontal, then you can have a continuous grain running across the piece


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## devonwoody (27 Sep 2007)

aren't sides and back always horizontal


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## woodbloke (27 Sep 2007)

Lord Nibbo":7j0l01pe said:


> devonwoody":7j0l01pe said:
> 
> 
> > Another question what wood for the drawer sides and back?
> ...


LN - almost any timber can be used providing it's hard wearing and stable (not prone to movement) Generally quarter sawn oak is used about 8-10mm thick for the sides and a little thinner for the back. A better colour match for the ABW might be some hard maple if you've got any in stock. The drawer front grain should I think be horizontal, this would also give scope to make some half-lapped d/t's for the front joints - Rob


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## ByronBlack (27 Sep 2007)

Wood choice for the drawers: I think any nice contrasting pale timber would be a nice. I've been working a lot with sycamore this week and it's really nice to work and looks lovely. I would use cedar for the drawer bottoms and possible the backs.


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## Lord Nibbo (27 Sep 2007)

woodbloke":193xxxm4 said:


> The drawer front grain should I think be horizontal, this would also give scope to make some half-lapped d/t's for the front joints - Rob



Never thought of it like that. Of course it make sense to do it horizontal because of the dovetails. Many thanks. :lol: 



Byron Black":193xxxm4 said:


> I think any nice contrasting pale timber would be a nice. I've been working a lot with sycamore this week and it's really nice to work and looks lovely.



I've got a local supply of Oak, Chestnut or Tulip, dunno if he got any sycamore though, I'll have to find out if he got any.


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## ByronBlack (27 Sep 2007)

LN - I got a cubic foot of sycamore (in a single large board) from Scottish Hardwoods (Paul Conroy) on ebay delivered within 24 hours for £36 - might be an option if you wish to use this wood, alternatively you could pop over and grab some of mine, but not sure if you need it quickly or how far you are.


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## Lord Nibbo (27 Sep 2007)

Nice offer BB, but your about 20 or 30 miles from as far east as you can go before you fall into English channel, I'm near Polperro in Cornwall and only about an hours drive from as far west as you can go. :lol: I'm sure I'll get something local. Again many thanks for the offer.


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## devonwoody (28 Sep 2007)

Actually I read somewhere that it pays to use softwood for sides and back because hardwood wears, whereas softwood does not cause damage to runners and front stringers, or something like that.


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## woodbloke (28 Sep 2007)

devonwoody":znrax9yz said:


> Actually I read somewhere that it pays to use softwood for sides and back because hardwood wears, whereas softwood does not cause damage to runners and front stringers, or something like that.


DW - all timber will wear to a lesser or greater extent. Better quality pieces will have for instance runners, kickers and sides in hardwood so minimising wear. If a piece is made with hard (oak) runners and kickers and then drawer sides are made from something soft (say pine) then the sides will wear away at an alarming rate...this is why repairing drawer sides is one of the commonest forms of repair in the antique trade. Softwood sides running on softwood runners maybe the worst case as both will wear away quickly - Rob


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## Lord Nibbo (28 Sep 2007)

A better view of the back face panel with clamps removed and sanded. As a matter of interest when I clamped up for gluing I forgot to put some protective spacers in the jaws and it left some pretty deep grooves in the end panels. So I nicked swmbo's steam iron and with a dampened tea towel steam ironed the area for about ten seconds. Hey presto no more grooves.  







Adding a rail front and back the full length and using the actual draw supports to get the positioning perfect. (note the colour of the old and new pine) the front rail (the one at the top in the pic) was positioned first and fixed using glue and 18g brads.
The rail at the back (the lower one in the pic) was carefully positioned to make the draw support exactly 90deg to the face frame. 






A better view of the draw supports. Each one is .5 mm higher than the lower front rail, so when the draw is opened or closed it will not hit or rub on the rail. 






Jig for positioning the guides. Using this jig as a mock up of a drawer it was simple to glue and brad the draw guides. 






Draw guides in place. 






Just need to fit some timber above each draw opening to stop the draw from tipping forward when pulled out then a good sanding, the front and sides have not been sanded yet.





Do you think I could patent the draw jig? :lol:


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## spadge (28 Sep 2007)

Looking really good and love the panelling at the back.

But I think you should have finished the panels before you assembled the carcass because now there is the danger of having a narrow unfinished strip around the outside of any panel that shrinks.

Not being critical, just passing on my experience because I did exactly the same thing with a chest of drawers that had floating panels for the back and sides. It was made of pine and I assembled it completely before staining and waxing it to match some existing furniture. After a few weeks a narrow white band of unfinished wood appeared round the edge of each panel as it shrank slightly in the centrally heated room  Touched it up with a paintbrush but even though you had to look hard to see the repair I knew it was there. :x 

Your panels are small and hopefully the wood is better seasoned than mine (and it will not have a dark stain) so it shouldn't cause a problem. Just be prepared to do a bit of refinishing if they do shrink.

Cheers

Grahame


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## Lord Nibbo (28 Sep 2007)

spadge":2zjnpwus said:


> But I think you should have finished the panels before you assembled the carcass because now there is the danger of having a narrow unfinished strip around the outside of any panel that shrinks.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Grahame



No problem there Grahame, the panels aren't fitted very tight at all inffact they are about .5mm thinner than the groove and as the first coats of finish will be cellulose sanding sealer followed by danish oil it will be easy to let it soak well into the grooves.  Or thats the theory :?


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## brianhabby (29 Sep 2007)

Fantastic piece, really enjoying this post. Good WIP pics too.

Looking forward to seeing the drawers

regards

Brian


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## giacomo (29 Sep 2007)

brianhabby":29g4nxz8 said:


> Fantastic piece, really enjoying this post. Good WIP pics too.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing the drawers



bye


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## motownmartin (29 Sep 2007)

:shock: :? Whats that all about  :shock: :?


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## Gary M (29 Sep 2007)

Very nice LN, a lot of work, but by the looks of it , well worth it =D> =D>


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## RogerM (30 Sep 2007)

What a great thread to get stuck in to on returning from holiday - and pinching lots of your ideas on how to use chamfers LN. This thread reads like a novel - a real "page-turner"!


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## Lord Nibbo (30 Sep 2007)

I'm going to pick up the wood for the draw sides, back and bottoms in the morning. Although he does have some cedar for the draw bottoms it is only about 3" wide, he does have plenty of chestnut. He agrees that cedar would smell great but chestnut will kill moths, not that it would be of any benifit but is that true?

The sycamore he has is again only about 4" wide so I might be in for a lot of glue up before I get to cut any wood up. He did suggest maybe using beech for the draw sides & backs but I'm not so sure at only 1/2" thick it won't warp badly. Whats every else suggest as alternatives? :lol:


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## Lord Nibbo (1 Oct 2007)

Draw fronts cut and just balanced in position, sorry if the pic is difficult to see but I had a complaint from one of the moderators that my pics were too big, if you want to see bigger pics just click on the Pics link at the bottom of my post.






A closer view of the chamered edges, hard to see but all three edges in the pic have been chamfered.






The Drawers
Ash planed & thicknessed to 20mm. I'm leaving them overnight to see if there was any stress left in them then I might re-plane them. Final thickness will be 12mm but this will be done after the boards are glued up nearer to their finished sizes.


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## Fecn (1 Oct 2007)

That's looking very good. It's going to look amazing when you get the finish on.


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## devonwoody (1 Oct 2007)

I would put the drawer sides through the bandsaw, might be less stress on the timber as well as the neighbours.  

If anyone wants larger pics. the can always touch the 100% box on the toolbar at the bottom of the thread and increase it up to 200%, dunhalf show up any faults tho.!


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## ByronBlack (1 Oct 2007)

i'm with DW 8mm seems like a lot to take off with the thicknesser - and a waste of wood! Anything over 4mm I use the bandsaw as i always seem to find use for the off-cut.


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## Lord Nibbo (2 Oct 2007)

Took the advice of Devonwoody & Byron and cut the boards down to thickness before planing to thickness, infact I used the offcut for the draw bottoms.





The panel on the left is one of four for the sides and backs. The middle and right panel are the draw bottoms made from the offcuts.


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## Lord Nibbo (3 Oct 2007)

Tried a test cut doing blind half dovetails using my Leigh D4 but I've never done half blind dovetails before only through dovetails, and they came out rubbish, so I ended up doing them by hand. It took over an hour, If I had the confidence to use the leigh I'm sure it would have been less than five minutes. Anyone care to give me some lessons on how to do half blind dovetails using a Leigh D4?











Here's the finished side unglued of course, one down seven more to go.


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## Fecn (3 Oct 2007)

Nice looking dovetails Nibbo - I'd never have the confidence to tackle them by hand (and have no clue about the Leigh jig either)


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## motownmartin (3 Oct 2007)

Fecn":1vk2hgml said:


> Nice looking dovetails Nibbo - I'd never have the confidence to tackle them by hand (and have no clue about the Leigh jig either)



Lovely detailed dovetail =D> =D> =D> 

Fecn, it sounds as though you could do with one of those incra thingy's :lol:


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## brianhabby (4 Oct 2007)

They're nice dovetails LN, I doubt the Leigh could do better although I take your point it might be quicker.

regards

brian


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## woodbloke (4 Oct 2007)

Your Lordship - nice looking joints, well cut =D> Had I been doing the joints I might have altered the spacing so that tails and pins aren't the same width. End of the jour tho', it don't make a lot of odds, it's just the way I'd do it - Rob


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## Paul Chapman (4 Oct 2007)

Who needs a Leigh when you can do them as nicely as that by hand? Very good, your Lordship =D> 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## Lord Nibbo (4 Oct 2007)

Well I sat last night and watched the Leigh video *three times* I thought I had it cracked. So this morning I thought I'd set it up for drawer number two but use several scrap pieces. Now if you have seen the video they make a big point about not lifting the router *upwards* when removing the router  :? :roll: You only get one guess what I did.......... It broke two of the fingers on the leigh and took off one of the tips on the dovetail cutter, so boxxocks to it. It's going to be all hand cut, perhaps next time I might try again or when I've replaced the parts... :lol: :roll: 

edit..... Finished draw one I'll pop some pics of it later.


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## Lord Nibbo (4 Oct 2007)

First draw finished & sanded, three to go....





It needed a little adjusting to get it to fit, i've only allowed 1mm at the sides and top so it is quite a tight fit.





What it should look like, I couldn't resist damping it to see what it will look like  As soon as I finished this draw I tried using the Leigh D4 on some scrap to see if I could master it, I totally screwd up the dovetail bit and managed to nacker two of the fingers  So it was back to the chisels and this afternoon I have managed to get #2 draw glued up and all it needs is a sanding down then on to number three.


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## devonwoody (4 Oct 2007)

Have another good day tomorrow LN.


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## woodbloke (4 Oct 2007)

LN - drawers look good. Might I suggest, you living by the big blue briney, that the fit of the drawers ought to be _slightly_ on the 'slacker' side rather than the tight side, or else you _may_ find that they'll bind. I think tho' that when you get the unit indoors there may well be an element of shrinkage so I think you'll have to 'suck it and see' :wink: and adjust fit where necessary.
Drawer pulls? - Rob


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## Lord Nibbo (4 Oct 2007)

woodbloke":3cc7izmc said:


> LN - drawers look good. Might I suggest, you living by the big blue briney, that the fit of the drawers ought to be _slightly_ on the 'slacker' side rather than the tight side, or else you _may_ find that they'll bind. I think tho' that when you get the unit indoors there may well be an element of shrinkage so I think you'll have to 'suck it and see' :wink: and adjust fit where necessary.
> Drawer pulls? - Rob



I have given the movement some thought, but as you say it's just a matter of keeping a watch on them to see what happens...  

Ah yes draw pulls/nobbs. I've got strict instuctions from swmbo that they got to be big and chunky and made from the black walnut and position exactly in the centre of each drawer :? :roll: so I aint got much say in it :roll: but I'm open to other suggestions :twisted:


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## woodbloke (4 Oct 2007)

LN wrote:


> Ah yes draw pulls/nobbs. I've got strict instuctions from swmbo that they got to be big and chunky and made from the black walnut and position exactly in the centre of each drawer so I aint got much say in it


Mr C made an interesting comment to me regarding drawer pulls when he said that they _ought_ (again, personal preference) to be positioned a fraction _above_ centre height so that when looking down on the unit from standing height, the knobs appear to be in the centre of the drawer. If they are positioned in the centre to start with they may well look to be slightly lower when looked at from a standing position...might be worth an exploratory 'discussion' 8-[ with your SWIMBO before a final decision is made...or has it been made already and out of your hands  ? - Rob


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## Lord Nibbo (5 Oct 2007)

Nearly finished :lol: 

All four drawers are done. The fourth one on the right still needs sanding. I've got to make the knobs next and I still haven't fitted anything to stop the drawers from tipping and I need to put a stop behind each drawer. 





After I've done the few odd jobs it'll be time for a light sanding then off to the finishing room :norm: :lol: \/


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## Lord Nibbo (6 Oct 2007)

Well the woodwork is *Finished*

Just the finish to apply and it's finished. Draw stops done, kicker done, Swmbo's chunky draw pulls done. :lol: Woodbloke was right about the draw pulls they are fitted 1/4" high of the centre and it looks right. 

I'll post a pic with the finish applied but this is the last pic of WIP so please forgive me for posting a big pic, I don't want to stand in the corner with Senior or Mr Grimsdale :lol:





:lol:


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## Fecn (6 Oct 2007)

That's looking great now. The chunky drawer pulls aren't what I'd have chosen myself, but I'm not the one you made them for. Can't wait to see it with the finish on there.


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## devonwoody (6 Oct 2007)

the picture doesn'tlook oversized to me :roll: 






Looking forward to seeing the finish applied and shown again.


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## Paul Chapman (6 Oct 2007)

Very nice, your Lordship =D> I must get some machinery then maybe I'll be able to work as fast as you  

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## woodbloke (6 Oct 2007)

LN - nicely done, agree with others that drawer pulls are not of my choice but then its an individual issue, chunky is good but not necessarily square. How you going to finish it...oil and wax finish would look good - Rob


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## Lord Nibbo (6 Oct 2007)

woodbloke":bq0dtw0f said:


> How you going to finish it...oil and wax finish would look good - Rob



One coat of cellulose sanding sealer (edit applied with a cloth) then when dry cut back with 0000 wire wool, then danish oil, it's suck it and see as to how many coats of danish oil but it will be finished off with black bison neutral wax again using wire wool to apply it. The wax is being applied with wire wool cos swmbo wants a satin finish not a high gloss.


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## Lukey (6 Oct 2007)

How come you use wire wool to apply it? Surely by doing this you are prone to bits of wire breaking off and contaminating the wood, or the sanding sealer?

Would it not be better to apply with cloth, then cut back with wool when dry?


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## motownmartin (6 Oct 2007)

Lukey":25dko8d4 said:


> How come you use wire wool to apply it? Surely by doing this you are prone to bits of wire breaking off and contaminating the wood, or the sanding sealer?
> 
> Would it not be better to apply with cloth, then cut back with wool when dry?



I tend to use the plastic/nylon abrasive pads, they seem to do the job.


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## Lord Nibbo (6 Oct 2007)

Lukey":ezvax4u0 said:


> How come you use wire wool to apply it? Surely by doing this you are prone to bits of wire breaking off and contaminating the wood, or the sanding sealer?
> 
> Would it not be better to apply with cloth, then cut back with wool when dry?



Oooops! A senior moment :lol: Sorry the sanding sealer is applied with a cloth. One thing I've learnt over time is when applying it is to only do about a six inch square at a time and before it has time to start going tacky is to wipe it off with a nice clean cloth, doing this makes the cutting back so easy and quick because there are no thick layers to get flat. I've just done the sealer. Tomorrow I'll take a pic of it before and after I've wire wooled it.


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## jasonB (6 Oct 2007)

Looks good LN but not sure I would have gone for those handles.

BTW The Leigh works for me see here and here and through just follow the book and make sure the cutter suits the timber thickness.

Jason


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## TonyW (6 Oct 2007)

LN - This is looking really good. Enjoying following your progress

Cheers  
Tony


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## Bean (6 Oct 2007)

I am not sure the drawer pulls are to my taste but i can see why you used them. One thing is certain though its Looking very good.


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## Lord Nibbo (7 Oct 2007)

jasonB":1dqe0baj said:


> Looks good LN but not sure I would have gone for those handles.
> 
> BTW The Leigh works for me see here and here and through just follow the book and make sure the cutter suits the timber thickness.
> 
> Jason



I did follow the book :? and I've watched the video four or five times now. How many times did you have do trial joints before you got the cutter depth correct?

edit.... mind you until I get some replacement fingers and a new dovetail cutter the jig is out of action.  Is Brimarc the only place I can get new fingers?


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## Lukey (7 Oct 2007)

A few people have made comment on tha handles.

I believe the idea of the original poster was to recreate the drawer unit that SWMBO had seen in a magazine, correct?

Now, if this is the case, this is quite a good old copy, including handles:


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## Lord Nibbo (7 Oct 2007)

Lukey":17awkhpx said:


> A few people have made comment on tha handles.
> 
> I believe the idea of the original poster was to recreate the drawer unit that SWMBO had seen in a magazine, correct?
> 
> Now, if this is the case, this is quite a good old copy, including handles:



You've just gone on Swmbo's favourite list Lukey :lol: 
Your absolutely right, as I said right at the beginning I had no choice but we did discus at some length and did a trial & error with odd sizes as to how big bearing in mind where this piece is finally going to be placed. I must say now that I think they are right for the piece. My final pic will be showing it in it's resting place. 

Meanwhile back in the pit..... :lol: 

This morning after applying sanding sealer this is what it looked like.











Then after using 0000 wire wool it looked like this.










Then after one coat of Danish oil it looks like.









Couldn't resist a big one. :lol: :lol:


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## paulm (7 Oct 2007)

Hi LN, looks terrific !

The idea of using a cellulose sanding sealer before the Danish oil is new to me, I've always used the oil straight on the wood. Does this limit the penetration and mean fewer coats ?

Thanks for all the wip pics, great to see !

Chee  rs, Paul.


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## Corset (7 Oct 2007)

Looks ace, I think it is much harder to copy something as you have to follow that design even when it feels wrong. Top Marks
Owen


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## Lord Nibbo (7 Oct 2007)

chisel":3a4qbhe2 said:


> Hi LN, looks terrific !
> 
> The idea of using a cellulose sanding sealer before the Danish oil is new to me, I've always used the oil straight on the wood. Does this limit the penetration and mean fewer coats ?
> 
> ...


 
Yes it does mean fewer coats, but in my experience it also gives you a much smoother base and evens out the oil for it's first coat, but remember I intend it to be a satin finish not high gloss.


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## promhandicam (7 Oct 2007)

LN - I've just worked my way through all your WIP pictures and just want to echo what others have already said - you've done a really great job! It really helps numpties like me to understand how 'tis done to see the progression of the piece from beginning to end so thanks for taking the extra time and effort to post the pictures. 

Cheers, 

Steve


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## Paul.J (7 Oct 2007)

Been watching all the way through LN.
Just have to say what a fantastic job you've done.Love the Walnut,great Dovetails.Great all round job 
Paul.J.


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## Lord Nibbo (7 Oct 2007)

Paul.J":331prgr7 said:


> Been watching all the way through LN.
> Just have to say what a fantastic job you've done.Love the Walnut,great Dovetails.Great all round job
> Paul.J.



Many thanks Paul and to everyone for their comments which helps a lot in keeping your feet on the ground. :lol: 



Paul.J":331prgr7 said:


> great dovetails



H'mmm I thought when I started this project I would be competent or get competent in using the Leigh D4, little did I know I would be doing them all by hand again. Still on the brighter side it keeps you in practice. :lol: on a plus side I did manage to put the LN chisels to hard work. :lol:


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## newt (7 Oct 2007)

I like the drawer pulls, different, nice job.


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## motownmartin (7 Oct 2007)

You've done a top class job your Lordship, the wood really comes to life when the Danish oil is applied =D> =D> =D>


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## Woodmagnet (7 Oct 2007)

I too like the drawer pulls L.N., mind you i love solid/chunky looking
things. :wink:


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## Karl (7 Oct 2007)

That is one seriously good looking piece - well done.

How many coats of oil do you intend on giving it?

Cheers

Karl


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## p111dom (7 Oct 2007)

Lord Nibbo great looking piece. Please can you tell me...

What brand of sanding sealer did you use and how did you apply it? 

I also usually apply danish oil directly to the wood. I always thought a sanding sealer would do just that and seal the pours of the wood. Would this not stop the oil from soaking in? I generally use good quality J Cloths to apply oil. They're lint free, disposable and cheap. What did you use?


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## Lord Nibbo (7 Oct 2007)

karlley":3gvkep6s said:


> That is one seriously good looking piece - well done.
> 
> How many coats of oil do you intend on giving it?
> 
> ...


 
I did a second coat this afternoon, but I will wait till tomorrow to decide if to cut it back again with 0000 wire wool and then give it another coat, looking at it this evening it has quite a sheen on it but Swmbo wants a satin finish so a wax finish put on sparingly with wire wool will be the final touch so to answer the question definitely two maybe three coats. 



p111dom":3gvkep6s said:


> What brand of sanding sealer did you use and how did you apply it?


 
It's Briwax Cellulose Sanding Sealer, and the cloth I use is just old cotton tea shirts or an old table cloth (damask type) the table cloth I'm using at the moment is probably over 40 years old :shock: How I put it on is much like doing shellac as it dries very very quickly, so I pour the sealer into a small dish that I can dip a rubber (think shellac) then with rubber in one hand and another clean cloth in the other hand I load the rubber and do a very small area about 5" square no more than that, and as soon as I feel it going tacky I use the clean cloth to wipe off any surplus immediately, I then repeat this doing small squares until I've finished. Applying it like this means I end up with a nice coating with feathered edges with no nasty overlaps and no lines visible. :lol: 

edit... the cloth you use to wipe it off with might need changing several times because the surplus your wiping off dries on the cloth which makes it unusable to remove all the surplus, as I have already said once you feel it going tacky you have only seconds to remove it or you'll end up with thick overlaps. :lol:

2nd edit... The Briwax cellulose is very thick (hence the way I apply it) compared to other makes I've seen, I suppose it's down to how much cellulose thinners is in it, some makes are quite fluid. Perhaps someone who knows would care to comment.


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## Fecn (7 Oct 2007)

I thought this piece was going to look fantastic with the finish on, and I was right. Thanks for taking the shots of the finishing work - Nobody ever takes shots of the finishing stages.


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## p111dom (8 Oct 2007)

Thanks for the info Lord Nibbo. In the past I have used General Finishes wipe on Poly for many projects. All their stuff is specifically sold as a wipe on product and does tend to be very thin which helps to get an even coat. They don't seem to do a cellulose sanding sealer but do a water based version.

http://www.generalfinishes.co.uk/index.cfm?page=store&CID=29

Have you or anyone else had any experience of this product? I need to start thinking about a finish for the clock project. Any suggestions?


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## Lord Nibbo (8 Oct 2007)

This is what it looked like this morning after the second coat of oil. 










After cutting back with 0000 wirewool, and cleaning off with a tack rag this is what it looked like. 





Then the third coat of oil was applied. 















So I think the three coats will be enough. I did intend to do the drawers insides and with lemon oil but I ain't got none  
Maybe late today it will get a coat of wax and taken into the house.  

So there will be only one more pic and that will be of the drawer unit in the house. Many thanks for all the encouraging comments from everyone they certainly are appreciated. :lol:


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## Lukey (8 Oct 2007)

What would the lemon oil inside the drawers do?


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## Lord Nibbo (9 Oct 2007)

Lukey":3371vmja said:


> What would the lemon oil inside the drawers do?



Make it smell nice Lukey, using danish oil could hold the smell for quite a while.

Lemon oil is really used for cleaning, as a protection for the wood it is totally useless and it is not really an oil as it's usually loaded with spirit. :?


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## motownmartin (9 Oct 2007)

Lord Nibbo":1qnkx5mr said:


> as a protection for the wood it is totally useless





A bit of a Lemon then :? :? :?


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## Lord Nibbo (9 Oct 2007)

*It's Finished and in the home
*
*The Final Pics*

Swmbo wanted a satin finish so this morning with the Danish oil well cured I applied Black Bison Paste Wax with 0000 grade wire wool then when totally covered I wire wooled it again quite harshly so no area was at all shiny then after a good clean I waxed it again and then buffed it up. I must say I did quite like it a very high gloss but on finishing it I'm pleased with the outcome of the satin finish. 




















*The final pic.... a big one *






:lol:


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## motownmartin (9 Oct 2007)

That really does look superb =D> =D> =D>


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## Sawdust (9 Oct 2007)

It looks fantastic in-situ, another fine piece of furniture

Mike


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## Fecn (9 Oct 2007)

Excellent work LN - If I could knock things out with your speed and quality, i'd be a very happy chappie


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## Slim (9 Oct 2007)

Lovely work LN, I love the chunkyness. Walnut is definately my favourite wood.



Fecn":2ocllkfx said:


> Excellent work LN - If I could knock things out with your speed and quality, i'd be a very happy chappie


Says the guy who just 'knocked' out a CNC router in his spare time! :roll:


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## Fecn (9 Oct 2007)

Slimjim81":35k3fh4l said:


> Fecn":35k3fh4l said:
> 
> 
> > Excellent work LN - If I could knock things out with your speed and quality, i'd be a very happy chappie
> ...



That's not quite the same thing though.. I'm far better with technical than I am with technique - I would have destroyed a lot of wood if I'd attempted to do the dovetails by hand like LN did... and it would be many weeks before I managed to knock out a set which looked as good as LNs.


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## Lukey (9 Oct 2007)

Brilliant. Just showed my SWMBO and she said, and I quote




> Thats gorgeous, tell him to make me one. For free.



On a serious note though, something that I have just spotted now that the finish is applied. It all looks really really chunky, but the illusion is slightly shattered by the feet of the unit as you can see that it is boards instead of solid slabs of wood.

If you look at the big pic, the bottom right of the unit.

I suppose this could be improved in the future sometime by glueing another piece of walnut along the inside of the unit....? Thoughts


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## woodbloke (9 Oct 2007)

Your Lordship, _excellent_...doffs cap  - Rob


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## brianhabby (9 Oct 2007)

Absolutely fantastic LN and I don't think I've seen a thread last nine pages before either - must be all them big pics   

regards

Brian


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## Philly (9 Oct 2007)

Fantastic, LN!
Congrats,
Philly


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## Lord Nibbo (9 Oct 2007)

Many thanks to everyone. 
I'm really glad it was appreciated. 







brianhabby":38i9awhe said:


> Absolutely fantastic LN and I don't think I've seen a thread last nine pages before either - must be all them big pics
> 
> regards
> 
> Brian


 

Brian I got a long long way to go to equal Byrons Workshop build HERE 

:lol:


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## Chris Knight (9 Oct 2007)

Just magnificent!


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## Gary M (10 Oct 2007)

LN,
Very nice indeed,
=D> =D> =D>


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