# Blanket Chest - Finished!! (Photo's on page 8)



## OPJ (18 Jan 2009)

This is a job I've agreed to do for big soft moose (Pete) - and, on top of that, it's also my first commissioned piece of furniture!  I've started this thread mainly to keep Pete up-to-date but, also, because I know I'm gonna need a little bit of advice along the way... :roll: :wink: 

Here's the design we agreed on. It'll be made from Scandinavian redwood and finished with an oak stain, to suit both Pete's bed and his budget. Dimensions are 1200mm long x 500mm deep x 800mm high.







It's a simple leg-free frame construction, with T&G boards in between the fill the panels. Ignore the odd-looking detail at the corners, I only drew this one up quickly and haven't bothered to draw in the joint detail!  I also need to play around with the layout of the boards a bit, particularly the two outer panels.

I collected the timber yesterday morning from Bristol City Timber. Cost was about £80, including a half-sheet of 12mm hardwood ply (for the base). Generally, I'm satisfied with the overall quality and their service - although, one of the guys there couldn't understand why I didn't want to buy PAR and save myself a lot of work! :roll:






I ordered the timber in the longest lengths I could fit in my car, so that I could then get the back home and start cutting to approximate lengths. I started by cutting the timber for the T&G boards down in to 2'6" lengths, which I could manage more easily on when it came to deep-ripping them on the bandsaw.






I've been playing with a new thin-kerf 5/8" x 4tpi blade from Dragon Saws recently and it surpasses the one Ian sent me six-months ago! In all honesty, it was a little too fine for this kind of work - skip-tooth blade with deep gullets are better for clearing the gunk out of gummy softwoods. It wasn't until the 17th board (out of 20!) that it started to struggle (you'll see why shortly...). Where some of the timber has shakes and splits, I could see smoke escaping at times - from the colour though, I'm pretty sure this was from all the sap inside! :wink:






I haven't built anything in softwood at home for a while - and yesterday, I was reminded of why I used to hate working with the stuff! The blade, wheels, tyres, drive belt, guides and pulleys were all caked in a thick layer of resinous gunk!! :x The saw was vibrating like crazy as I neared the end of my stack! :? 






The finish was excellent, by the way and, I was happily using a feed rate of just over 1m/min. :wink:






This was the material that I bought, cut down in length. 32mm would have been plenty, they only had 38mm thick.






Fortunately, I bought a bit more than I needed. So, I should be able to discard most of this ropey-looking stuff... Failing that, I can use it to set up the router table or rip them down in to narrower boards for the outer edges.






You'll hear me complain about the size of my workshop at times but, that's nothing compared to my bedroom in its current state... All I can say is that I'm glad I'm not doing this full-time right now!! :shock:  











(You must be glad now that you didn't decide to tackle this one yourself, Pete! :wink

I'll leave it stacked here for about a week before I commence further maching, which is usually plenty of time for kiln-dried softwood to settle down. Not sure how long I can stand the strong smell of resin though, I felt ill when I woke up this morning! :? 

-----

*Question Time:*

If I finish the rails at 20mm thick, how wide should I rout the grooves for the T&G boards? I was gonna go with 5/16" for an 8mm board but, can't decide whether 3/8" (5mm either side) would be too much? There's plenty of waste for planing either side.

Where can I source some brass chain for a reasonable price? Screwfix only sell ridiculously long rolls that I'd never get through.


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## big soft moose (18 Jan 2009)

OPJ":2atr1uag said:


> (You must be glad now that you didn't decide to tackle this one yourself, Pete! :wink
> 
> .



too right - i'm not set up for it. I have a lathe , small rexon bandsaw, dust extractor and extremly ropey mitre saw (B&Q). Basically i make round things - and coffee tables etc , i'm not up to big furniture (as my bendy bookcase episode proved)

its all looking good in your capable hands though - look forward to more WIP pics once the wood has stabilised.


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## MikeG. (18 Jan 2009)

That looks like an awful lot of wood, Olly! Are you sure you got your cutting list right?  

As an aside, I quite like the look of bandsawed timber, and I would seriously consider using it unfinished in the right circumstances. I don't know, but I reckon you could probably get a high-build finish that would even leave it feeling smooth but looking sawn.



> If I finish the rails at 20mm thick, how wide should I rout the grooves for the T&G boards? I was gonna go with 5/16" for an 8mm board but, can't decide whether 3/8" (5mm either side) would be too much? There's plenty of waste for planing either side.



A classic of its type!!!! This is just what the other thread re Imperial or Metric was suggesting.....a complete mix! Anywqay, to answer your question, I wouldn't be doing t&g boarding myself. I would be making the panels out of thinner timber, maybe down to 7 or 8mm, and I would use half-laps between the boards. As for the groove to take them, I would go closer to the back (inside) edge of the panel.........say 3 or 4 mm, leaving me room to take a stop chamfer out of the outside edge (which would be about 8 to 10mm wide if my maths is correct). I also don't get too hung up on 20mm............if I can get more out of the boards set aside for the job, I would get as much as I can.

When you rout out the groove for your panels, you will use a wing-style cutter, won't you.......rather than stand the board on edge and try and use a straight cutter?

Something I would always do, without fail, is set the "legs" part of the frame forward of the rest of the frame (in both planes........ie it would be the same in the front panel and the side panels). I would make this at least 4 or 5mm, but up to 12 or 15 mm in some cases, particularly as I would also want a chamfer.......the bolder the better on the legs. If you leave the legs flat with the rest of the panel, it doesn't really read as a leg..........it just looks like an extended panel stile.

Incidentally, I would probably not cut mortices either. Depending on your groove dimensions, I would probably just cut a mortice to suit the groove.

Right, that's too much typing!!!

Incidentally............I like the dust mask. I reckon it's that Trend Airshield thingy, isn't it? Do you use the optional visor? I am about to do some fibreglass work, and so a decent air-filter is an absolute necessity.

Keep up the good work!!

Mike


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## wizer (18 Jan 2009)

Mike Garnham":lx0ap9x7 said:


> As an aside, I quite like the look of bandsawed timber, and I would seriously consider using it unfinished in the right circumstances. I don't know, but I reckon you could probably get a high-build finish that would even leave it feeling smooth but looking sawn.



Your crazy Mike, but I like you


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## big soft moose (18 Jan 2009)

Mike Garnham":1mplz8x4 said:


> As an aside, I quite like the look of bandsawed timber, and I would seriously consider using it unfinished in the right circumstances..



My swimbo would probably kill olly (and you) if he takes that suggestion to heart. we have an ikea leksvik bed which is pine (or more likely spruce or similar) finished with an oak stain, and the requirement on the blanket box was for a finish to match the bed.


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## MikeG. (18 Jan 2009)

BSM,

 

It was only an aside.........not a suggestion for Olly!! 

Please don't kill me!!

Mike


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## MikeG. (18 Jan 2009)

wizer":3udhitme said:


> Mike Garnham":3udhitme said:
> 
> 
> > As an aside, I quite like the look of bandsawed timber, and I would seriously consider using it unfinished in the right circumstances. I don't know, but I reckon you could probably get a high-build finish that would even leave it feeling smooth but looking sawn.
> ...



Who was that.........._"Oooooh, you are awful, but I like you".......?_

Anyway....

I reckon a kitchen done with a bandsawed finish could look brill, in the right place (say, a barn conversion)..........so long as it didn't feel rough at the edges.

Mike


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## wizer (18 Jan 2009)

Sure Mike


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## Jake (18 Jan 2009)

Very Tate Modern, Mike...


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## Mr Ed (18 Jan 2009)

If you're looking for bandsawn furniture you want to look at the work of Roy Schak;











http://www.royschack.com/

He was featured in F&C 99.

Cheers, Ed


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## Paul Chapman (18 Jan 2009)

Impressive work, Ed. Thanks for the link.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## Neil Dyball (18 Jan 2009)

Mike Garnham":251odxx2 said:


> wizer":251odxx2 said:
> 
> 
> > Mike Garnham":251odxx2 said:
> ...




Dick Emery?


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## TrimTheKing (19 Jan 2009)

Neil Dyball":340z7cgo said:


> Dick Emery?


 :shock: 

That sounds seriously painful!!!!



Mark


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## OPJ (19 Jan 2009)

Erm, thanks for your replies, guys! :shock:  

Mike,

I actually agree with your point on the "legs", though I would probably give myself only 2 or 3mm extra on the outside (it has to be flush inside). I can't believe I overlooked this!! I'm reluctant to buy any more timber now, I'll see what I can get from this 1" stock, otherwise I'd have to buy 1½", which would be very wasteful...

What you've suggested with the boards is actually what I intend to do - rebated edges, I don't know why I keep referring to them as T&G! :roll:  If I cut the grooves with a slot cutter, I'll have to do it in two passes. I think my largest size cutter is ¼" ? I know you like your chamfers :wink: but, I want this to remain somewhat in keeping with the design of their Ikea bed.

Dust mask is a Trend AirAce. which cost around £30. I really like it and you only have to change the filter every three months (cost approximately £3.50 each?). I do have the optional visor but rarely use it, mainly because it's a faff to remove and refit when it comes to storing the mask in the plastic case. I really should try and use it more often though, as I hate wearing over-specs over my glasses when I'm not wearing contact lenses!


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## MikeG. (19 Jan 2009)

OPJ":eyhynpnj said:


> Mike,
> I actually agree with your point on the "legs", though I would probably give myself only 2 or 3mm extra on the outside (it has to be flush inside). I can't believe I overlooked this!!!



I would laminate Olly, if you haven't got enough thickness left after planing. Don't buy any more wood!!! You've got enough there for an extra blanket box already!

Mike


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## Benchwayze (19 Jan 2009)

TrimTheKing":3snu6gso said:


> Neil Dyball":3snu6gso said:
> 
> 
> > Dick Emery?
> ...



The old ones are the best!


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## OPJ (19 Jan 2009)

Mike Garnham":3nddhdcr said:


> Don't buy any more wood!!! You've got enough there for an extra blanket box already!



Honestly, Mike, I know it looks like a lot but I really haven't bought that much extra!! :x  I made sure I had an extra long and short rail for the top and bottom, an extra couple of legs/muntins and a few extra boards for the panelling... That's it!

I can show you an example of what happens when I buy too much wood though - take a look at the photo' below, which I picked up back in November for my drop-leaf table at college. I've sorted out all the components for the legs, rails and frame but, most of the 1" boards are still there! :roll:  (The top itself, which is elliptical, will only be around 890mm x 660mm, if I remember correctly.)


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## MikeG. (19 Jan 2009)

OPJ":3m5vxh5a said:


> too much wood



That is an oxymoron, I believe!!!

Mike


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## Benchwayze (19 Jan 2009)

That's absolutely true Mike. 

Like workspace and cramps We can NEVER have an excess of timber! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## big soft moose (20 Jan 2009)

Benchwayze":vach3rhr said:


> Like workspace and cramps We can NEVER have an excess of timber! :lol: :lol: :lol:



you can if you dont have an excess of workspace


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## Benchwayze (20 Jan 2009)

Well BSM, 

I don't have a lotta workspace, but a fair amount of storage for timber. (I find the nefarious among the local residents don't find sawn timber attractive, so I can leave it in the garden on trestles! ) Suitably protected of course. 
:wink:


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## Derek Willis. (20 Jan 2009)

Olly,
There has been a survey running on the site, you are obviously an IMPERIAL man, thouigh why I cannot understand.!!!
Derek.


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## OPJ (20 Jan 2009)

Hi Derek,

It's probably because I used to work in a timber yard while I was doing my A-levels at school (...and then for the next five-years after that!!). Even when they went "metric", we were still talking in feet and inches with the customers and staff!  :wink: 

Mike, I admit I had to look that word up :roll: but, I do agree with you! :wink:


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## OPJ (21 Jan 2009)

Okay. I'm looking to start making this on Monday but, I'm having "last-minute" doubts over my choice of corner jointing...

This is how I have it planned out at the moment, having taken in to consideration Mike's idea of emphasising the "legs" slightly.







I was gonna go with a rebated joint, as per below but, the grain is running the wrong way (short grain!) and there are no overlapping fibres.






I may simply go with biscuit-jointing at 90º... But then, I'm concerned the mating edges will appear too obvious, even if I add a large chamfer...

I have considering offsetting the joint slightly, like the "legs" but, I feel it would be too much with a double-step on the ends, if you get what I mean.

I'd appreciate any thoughts on this - what would you do in this situation?


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## Mr Ed (21 Jan 2009)

This is jointed with biscuits at 90 degrees and worked fine;






My son sits on it several times a day to put his shoes on and its holding up so far...

Cheers, Ed


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## OPJ (21 Jan 2009)

Hi Ed and thanks for your reassurance, I think I know what I'm going to do now!  

It wasn't so much the strength I was concerned about (what, with modern glues and all), I was a little worried it might look a bit odd, that's all... You appear to have a very good grain match for the two mating pieces on your piece (very, _very_ nice, by the way! :wink. I'll have to look closely at the boards I have once they're planed up.  

I'm also thinking of using cascamite/urea formaldehyde (for the corners), due to its creep resistance over PVA.


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## The Shark (22 Jan 2009)

Hi Olly,
I used to work in a timber yard too. I must say it is a lot warmer indoors at this time of year, but I miss driving the big side-loaders :lol: 

Malc


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## Mattty (22 Jan 2009)

OPJ":1ny0bzp2 said:


> Okay. I'm looking to start making this on Monday but, I'm having "last-minute" doubts over my choice of corner jointing...
> 
> This is how I have it planned out at the moment, having taken in to consideration Mike's idea of emphasising the "legs" slightly.
> 
> ...



Hi mate,

I don't quite understand you saying to much short grain in the bottom picture, surely its long grain and much more surface area so a better gluing surface. Thats assuming i haven't misread your drawing on page 1.

FWIW i don't see any improvement in the step in the leg either. This is a panel box construction and your still making it in that style. The step is something i would do if i was making a leg of a bigger square section and either having framed panels attatched to these legs, or just a standard leg and rail construction.

Ed's chest shows how good a flush rail and leg joint looks in a panel style box. 

Thanks for posting your project, it's great getting the opportunity to discuss the details.


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## OPJ (22 Jan 2009)

Thanks for your thoughts, Matty.  

Yeah, "short grain" wasn't really the term I was looking for, was it... :roll:  I'd still prefer to have a joint where there is some overlap of fibres so, I'll go ahead and biscuit-joint it. :wink: I might do a mock-up of this joint actually... Just to see whether or not a stop chamfer would expose the biscuits holding it together! :shock:

I'm sticking with the idea of making the "legs" thicker and slightly proud. If I don't like the way it looks later, I can always plane it flush!  :wink:


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## OPJ (26 Jan 2009)

I decided to make a start on the blanket chest proper today, as I noticed several days ago that the timber had already begun to show signs of movement and cupping. If 'felt' a lot drier too; it didn't seem as sticky as it was when I bought it in!  

Here are the frame components all planed up. I'm pleased I was able to get a finished thickness of 22mm for the "legs", finishing the rest at 19mm (I still had to make a note on the end-grain, just to stop me from putting the wrong boards through the thicknesser! :wink. One thing I don't like about my AW106PT is the dust extraction. Because of its 'inefficiency', some of the timber had dents from where shavings built up around the rollers (I only ever take light cuts). This normally doesn't bother me much, when I'm working with hardwoods. Softwoods do mark much easily though. 






I'm going with the 'tongue and groove' joint idea where the leg/corner pieces meet at 90º. It's not quite something I've done before so, I'm looking forward to it. I don't think it will be much more hassle than getting out the biscuit jointer, to be honest. Here, I'm setting the cutter and fence in line with one of the 22mm components.






In the end, I chose a 3/8" straight cutter, which would leave a good 12mm of timber outside the groove. I made the cut 12mm deep (just over half-thickness) in several shallow passes.






...And it made a lovely mess inside my newly-'shop-made router table!! :shock:  






It wasn't entirely necessary for me to cut these grooves first... But, there was little chance I'd be able to chop my mortises too deep this way! :wink: Back to the router table, I fitted a ¼" slot cutter to cut the 11mm deep grooves which will eventually house the boards/panelling. I decided 8mm thick boards would be best (just over one-third the 19mm thickness). So, I set my mortise gauge to the width of my 5/16" hollow chisel and scribed a groove on the timber. In order to complete the cut, I had to raise it slightly, making sure I was always working off the same face. Normally, if all components were the same thickness, I'd centralise the groove by setting the cutter once and working off both faces.






These grooves would now give me somewhere to set the 5/16" chisel on my mortiser. The depth would already give me enough for a haunch at either end. Had I cut these joints before routing the grooves (as I have done once before...  ), then I would've probably ended up with tenons that are 11mm narrower than their mortises!! :shock:  






Looking good. That trick with the mortise gauge payed off really well! :wink: There's a couple of inches waste at either end that I'll saw off after the glue-up. Otherwise, I _know_ I'm gonna drop something on the floor and break it! 






And finally for today, cleaning up the mortises by hand, using a set of cheap chisels and the awesome mallet I made at college last year.  






Tomorrow then - tenons, cutting things to length and, hopefully, I'll also have time to look at shaping the bottom rails (provided the dry-fit goes well). I was planning on planing up the boards for the panelling tomorrow but, looking at the size of that stack again (forty boards...!! :shock, it can wait 'til the weekend!!


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## OPJ (27 Jan 2009)

Another day of good progress today. With all the mortises cut, I was ready to tackle the tenons. Steve Maskery's router table jig is still my preferred method for ex. 1" timber. This should give you some idea of how it works, in case you haven't seen it before...






It was more awkward than usual, having to cut rails that were almost 1200mm long. They just about cleared the freezer and that sheet of OSB, though I had to run them over the cutter again when I realised I wasn't applying enough downward pressure to compensate for the overhanging length (in short, the tenons came out too thick). :roll:  






I used a 25mm twin-flute straight cutter for this, which isn't bad... Except, it always leaves this 'fluffy' edges on the shoulders. It's nothing that can't be cleaned off with a sharp chisel but, I reckon I should one day invest in one of those cutters from Wealden, which are designed for this sort of work! :wink: 






Once I'd cut all the rails to length, I realised I'd probably made too much of an allowance for waste... Oh well, these will come in handy when it comes to staining!  






Haunches were all done on the bandsaw, using the mitre guide and then rip fence.






I was ready to assemble the frames and take a measurement for the shoulder lengths of the vertical rails (Muntins? Mullions? I forget!)... Until I realised (again!!) just how little room I have to work in. I managed to get it all done on the drive before the rain came over!  :wink: 






Tenons were cut the same as before.






And then, I was ready to chop the mortises in the longer rails. Thankfully, both router table and mortiser were already set for these last two operations.  






I still need to shape the bottom rails but, I decided to finish off the joint where each frame will meet at the corners. To start with I used one of the female components of the joint to set the cutter height.






I completed the width of this cut in two passes, leaving the cutter set at about 12mm... :? In an ideal workshop (lots of space!), I'd have trimmed these boards by sticking them back through the thicknesser. In my small space though, it's a real PITA to have to go back to the planer thicknesser for a five-minute operation.






I knew I was chancing it with that depth of cut and it was all going fine, until the last one, where this happened... :shock: 






Unfortunately, this will be visible on the outside. Looks like I'll have to machine up another one in the morning!  You can't really see it in this photo' but, the grain was a bit gnarly on this one length.

The rest were trimmed on the bandsaw.






This is how the joint goes together, in case you weren't sure. I still need to trim the tongue a bit but, it's looking good.  






I was hoping to crack on with the shaping in the morning but, it would be best to get this extra leg out of the way while some of my machines are still set up. I knew I should've planed up a spare one!! :roll: :wink: After that, I won't be starting on the panels until the weekend, due to college.


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## OPJ (28 Jan 2009)

So, I decided to crack on with making this replacement corner-leg-thing before going any further. Although I was able to work around the pith by planing the board to finish width (as you'll see in the photo' below), it wasn't long before I cocked things up on the router table! :x 






Basically, I left the fence set to cut a 22mm wide rebate, as I was doing the previous day, with the timber still over-width. I started cutting before I realised what I was doing but, the damage was already done and it would again be visible on the outside! :roll: So, I had to drag the router table out of the way, bring out the planer thicknesser again, etc, etc...

But, I got there in the end and was able to make a start on the templates for the relief detail on the lower edges of the bottom rails.











I was gonna attempt to cut these with a router but, as the material is removed (and it's a pretty big cut, which _has_ to be done in one!), there wouldn't be anything left to which I could rest the side fence. I did think about doing it on the router table but, again, it's a bit hairy using a ¾" cutter in one bite... :? 

So, I cut the waste away on the bandsaw and began cleaning the corners up with my bobbin sander. I'll do the rest of the work with spokeshaves, giving me a consistently clean edge for a bearing-guided router cutter.











This is sadly as far as I got today as I've been out since lunchtime. I won't be able to resume until the weekend, due to college.  :wink:


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## OPJ (1 Feb 2009)

I haven't made much progress over the weekend but it's left me ready to start working on those forty boards in the morning (weather permitting! :shock.

I started by cleaning up the two templates, using a combination of flat spoksehave and, ahem... _Auriou_ rasps (more on these in a future issue of BWW!). :wink:











Once I was happy with the shape, I used each templates to mark out the cuts on the rails and removed most of the waste on the bandsaw, which should save my router cutter a lot of work.











Here, I'm trimming the rails against the template using a Tornado bearing-guided cutter from Rutlands. It was nice and sharp so, no hint of breakout going against the grain!  I stuck the templates on with double-sided tape, which worked okay... It did move slightly when shaping one of the smaller rails but, it's barely noticeable and, it's not like they'll be anywhere near each other in the finish piece anyway. :wink: I'm also pleased to say my 'shop-made guard works _really_ well.






Just to ease off the bottom edges, I decided to use "_a portion of a ¼in. round-over cutter_", to quote Norm!! :norm:  I didn't want the full round-over effect as I thought it might look a bit out of place. A 1/8" cutter would've been ideal otherwise.






I've had my oil-filled radiator on for the first time today and it does make a bit of a difference. Although you need to stand near it, it's much more effective than my old halogen heater as it also vents/radiates upwards.


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## OPJ (3 Feb 2009)

I haven't had as much time in the 'shop this week as I'd have liked. Not so much because of the weather but mainly because I'm operating almost as an unlicensed taxi driver right now, with people breaking their feet and being unable to drive themselves! :roll: 

I found some time yesterday to plane up those forty boards for the panelling on all four sides of the blanket chest. I'm pleased to say it only took my about two hours - planing a face and edge, ripping the waste away on the bandsaw, thicknessing to 90mm wide and then finishing at 8mm thick - and I was done just in time for lunch! :wink: I have run out of bags for my extractor though... :shock: 






The one currently in place is now full and it's started overflowing in to the top filter bag!  

This morning, I've managed to rebate all the edges on the router table as well. After sorting through everything I've got though, I calculate that I am now twelve boards short, because of all the rubbish timber (most of which can be ripped down and used on the outsides)! :x 

Here are the ones I definitely can't use (they did come in handy for setting up the machine):






And these are the ones where I should be able to rip them down and work around any splits and dead knots:






So, I'm gonna have to buy some more timber.  While I'm there, I think I'll also change over some of the boards I'm saving for the top. I try to avoid using pith in joinery work so, I won't even consider using these in a piece of furniture! There is a chance it may plane out... But, you can never be too sure of what lies beneath the surface and I probably wouldn't be able to return it if I did any more to these.


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## OPJ (20 Feb 2009)

Right, where was I?  

I tried to exchange some of the timber back at BCT last week, they got really funny with me and, to cut a long story short, I ended up going somewhere else to get what I needed. The quality of the stuff I picked up from Staddons was excellent, although they are slightly dearer... They cut the boards for me there and then while I waited, even 1¼" thick so, I didn't have to buy 1½" and lose all that waste! :wink: One other thing I noticed was that their timber was a lot drier and it barely moved in the eight days I had it stacked indoors. Didn't stick to my router table like the other stuff either! :wink: 











Spent some time in the workshop yesterday machining the stack of boards on the left. Fortunately, they came out of the thicknesser at _PRECISELY_ the same thicknesser as the first batch so, I didn't need to touch my router table! 8)






Chamfers were also cut on the table. I have just re-ordered a V-groove cutter from Wealden (and a tenon cutter to try out). As I didn't want to wait for it to arrive, I had to use one from my cheap Charnwood set... It's okay. I didn't get some bad breakout down some of the edges but, that's probably got more to do with the timber (and my feed-rate...  ). First cut is made as below. Second is with the bit just inside the fence to cut the opposite edge.






Here's how the join between two boards will work. I haven't yet take a photo' of this with the chamfers on. :roll: 






I've spent some time today trying out different stains. Mailee's tip of applying a thinned sealer coat seems to work really well (thanks, Alan! :wink. I'll have some photo's soon - and, just for Pete, some samples in the post to see which looks best. :wink:

I noticed the other day that some of my tenon shoulders weren't perfectly straight. When routing them on my table, something kept interfering with the fence and caused a kind of 'bump' along the shoulder's length. :x I don't put this down to the design of Steve's jig at all; it's probably down to my fence being out of true, particularly where the two sliding fences meet (this is why I've used an MDF false fence for the rebates and tenons).

So, I had to spend some time with my small Stanley shoulder plane to clean them up again.  Just to ensure they pull up tight on the outside, I undercut the inside shoulders slightly. :wink:






Tongues for the corner joints were trimmed - I do love these never-ending, curly shavings you get from pine!  






And finally, this is how the corner joints will go together, with a 1mm gap to allow for glue and expansion.






I've now got to get myself ready for staining. There's an awful lot of sanding to be done... Which is why I've just bought myself a Bosch palm sander!! :roll:  I thought about going for a ½ Sheet Sander but this is a good compromise with greater versatility.


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## Chems (20 Feb 2009)

Fantastic Progress Olly, you'll have that done in no time.


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## MikeG. (20 Feb 2009)

OPJ":1u7e2l30 said:


> So, I had to spend some time with my small Stanley shoulder plane to clean them up again.  Just to ensure they pull up tight on the outside, I undercut the inside shoulders slightly. :wink:



I have neither a shoulder plane nor a shooting board (or whatever you call this posh bench-hook)........so this observation is out of curiosity and ignorance, rather than because I know anything about it!

Surely a shoulder plane is the wrong plane to use here because you will be removing the guide edge of the shooting board just as quickly as you are removing wood from your workpiece? Don't these things only work because of the distance between the edge of the blade and the edge of the sole on a normal plane.......this being the bit that leaves the guide edge un-planed and therefore straight?

Does any of that make sense?

Mike


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## Paul Chapman (20 Feb 2009)

Mike Garnham":1siihtx5 said:


> Does any of that make sense?



Yes, except he's trimming the shoulders, not shooting them on the shooting board.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## MikeG. (20 Feb 2009)

What did I miss, Paul? I can't see any tenons, or shoulders.....are you saying that the plane is only a little narrow thing....an inch or so? I can't find my glasses...!

Mike


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## Joints (20 Feb 2009)

Mike Garnham":31hezrrn said:


> What did I miss, Paul? I can't see any tenons, or shoulders.....are you saying that the plane is only a little narrow thing....an inch or so? I can't find my glasses...!
> 
> Mike



Its all going pearshaped!

Nice work Olly. Great photos of your project, I will have to post the fat stack off timber + designs I just got for this shelving job. I'm sure ill be coming here for some advice soon!


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## TrimTheKing (20 Feb 2009)

Mike Garnham":floischs said:


> What did I miss, Paul? I can't see any tenons, or shoulders.....are you saying that the plane is only a little narrow thing....an inch or so? I can't find my glasses...!
> 
> Mike


Yep, if you look again Mike you can see that the plane is sitting on the top of the tenon (you can see the gap between the back of the plane and the floor of the shooting board.

Cheers

Mark


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## MikeG. (20 Feb 2009)

Yep, you're right........I should have gone to Specsavers!!!!!!!!


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## OPJ (20 Feb 2009)

Mike, I'm glad you got it in the end!  I'll take some responsibility in admitting that the photo' may not be that clear; the plane is obscuring most of the tenon. I don't think there was anything wrong with the description though! :wink:

I could've done this on an ordinary bench hook but, my shooting board is larger and therefore more comfortable to use.

George, I look forward to seeing what you're up to!


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## Ironballs (21 Feb 2009)

Blimey Olly, that's a lot of wood and joints, glad you seem to know what you're doing though. How have you found the Tornado cutter, I have a template one that's been routing through maple, ash and mahogany with ease. Seems pretty good


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## OPJ (21 Feb 2009)

Thanks, Damien.  I've been building up a collection of the Tornado router cut sets over the past four years; I think they're excellent for the money. Only time I've been let down with them is when I forced a ¼" cutter too deep in one pass. Not that I think a narrow cutter on a ½" shank is ideal anyway... Which is why I've just replaced it with one from Wealden on an 8mm shank. :wink: 

Wealden also do an excellent range of cutters, if you didn't already know.  I've just bought one of their 50mm Tenon Cutters, which is a frightening piece of router tooling to look at, almost like a spindle moulder block!! :shock: This one has an upward and downward-shear blades, which should leave a much cleaner edge on the tenon shoulders than what I've been getting from my straight cutters. Don't worry about the cost, they gave me a 20% disscount are cocking up my last order!! 8) :wink:


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## OPJ (23 Feb 2009)

I started off with a couple of stains from the Chestnut range, which I bought several weeks ago. One on the left is 'Golden Oak'. On the right we have 'Mid Oak'. Before applying the stain, I wiped on a thinned-coat of shellac sanding sealer.







I tried applying one full coat and one thinned of each stain... And, to be honest, there isn't much of a difference! :roll: Diluting with the thinners did give a slightly 'washed' effect (just as they said it would on the label! :wink but, after a coat of Liberon Beeswax, you can barely notice it between the two.

Chestnut don't have a 'Light Oak' stain in their range, so I ran out to Toolstation this morning and bought this one.






At the end of it all, we have three _very different_ colours! :shock: I hope one of them closely matches Pete's bed... :? (I'll pop them in the post for you tomorrow, Pete).






I'll try and get most of the tedious sanding done in the next couple of days, if I can. That should leave me with some time to stain what I need to over the weekend, before gluing the frames up. I might start working on the top early, so that I can weigh it and order the correct hardware from Rockler, first time. I know that could take a god ten days to arrive...

Hopefully then, this will all be done within a fortnight!  :wink:


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## Chems (23 Feb 2009)

Those colours look very nice on that pine. Is the Chestnut stuff sprayable, I suppose it is if you can thin it?


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## big soft moose (24 Feb 2009)

hi olly

the middle one looks pretty close to me - but best to see them in the flesh i agree


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## OPJ (24 Feb 2009)

Hi Chems. According to the labels on the bottle, you can spray it on. It probably is a good idea to thin it slightly though. I reckon you'd have to be pretty good at spraying though, otherwise you might end up going over areas you've already covered - I've found this stuff works best when you brush it on, leave it alone and wipe off the excess. I'm really pleased with how these samples have turned out (although I did rush them... :shock. I hope it goes this well when it comes to the real job! :wink: 

Pete, these samples are now on their way to you. Looking at the photo' on Ikea's site, I'm a little surprised you think the Golden Oak finish looks like the closest match... I'd have said it was Mid Oak but, I guess that's the thing about staring at a photograph through a monitor!  I look forward to hearing what you think.


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## shim20 (25 Feb 2009)

looking good, nice little project, dont u love the smell of pine :lol: , keep up the good work.


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## OPJ (25 Feb 2009)

Hi Shim. The smell is nice - particularly when you have four large bags of shavings in the workshop and a big stack of timber to freshen up the house indoors!!  

I was hoping to make some good progress today; getting all the boards sanded up nicely with a coat of sealer applied, ready for staining at the weekend once Pete has decided which stain to go for.

I bought this Bosch palm sander last week as my random orbital is too large for these narrow components. I quite like it, although the paper I cut has a tendency to vibrate loose (at the front) during use. I spent most of this morning swearing at the damn thing and carefully re-fitting the sheets via. the instructions - thank God I had my mask on or the neighbours would've heard!! :shock: :wink: Anyway. I tried to pack it out with some masking tape in hope that the front cramp might hold on a bit better... Well, it did. But, after ten minutes of sanding, I realised something had gone horribly wrong - the cramp itself had broken free and rendered itself pretty much useless!!






Actually, the cramp itself is fine - it's the "casting" (dare I call it that...) inside which has given way. This close-up shot may give you a better idea...






First thing I did was to come online and register the sander for an extended three-year warranty! :wink: It is still usable, I just need to get hold of some velcro-backed sheets (sigh, more money spent at Axminster! :roll. Once I've got the blanket chest sorted, I'll see what Bosch can do in the way of repairs/after sales service.

I do not believe this is something I have done. The paper has been slipping ever since I first used it; today, it just happened to give way. I used it to knock together an MDF cupboard for someone last week. One of my former employers had this same tool but, didn't suffer with it in the same way that I have.  

Anyone else have any experience with this sander?

I should be able to pick up from where I've left off over the weekend (I don't have much of a social life!! :roll: :wink. Back to college for the next two days.


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## big soft moose (25 Feb 2009)

OPJ":3dd8qepq said:


> Pete, these samples are now on their way to you. Looking at the photo' on Ikea's site, I'm a little surprised you think the Golden Oak finish looks like the closest match... I'd have said it was Mid Oak but, I guess that's the thing about staring at a photograph through a monitor!  I look forward to hearing what you think.



they arrived today - in the flesh you are right the mid oak looks a lot closer - to me anyway - swimbo is at the gym tonight but i will wait for her to get home and make the final decision (under the thumb , who , me ... I'll have you know i make the decisions in this house........... its just that ive wisely decided to let swimbo have final say   )

bad luck on the sander - you can borrow my axminster R.O.S if you need to - its bigger than that palm sander but still fairly small as they go


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## seanybaby (25 Feb 2009)

Olly, I think I'd send the sander back for a full refund and maybe get the makita version. I witnessed one fly across the workshop at college and hit the floor :lol: It was fine and college had had them for years. I bought one a couple of years ago and use it all the time at home. Had really good experience with these, also use them in the job i'm in at the moment and they have been there for years.

Nice work BTW


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## OPJ (25 Feb 2009)

Thanks, guys.  

Sean, I've just looked at the Makita on Axminster's site and the clamping mechanism looks similar to the Bosch one... :? As I said, I can still use this tool but it means I'm restricted to buying velcro-backed sheets. I really like the microfilter box on this one as well, where the Makita only seems to have a cloth bag. I'm gonna put an order in for some of the preforated Hermes sheets, which I'm hoping will cope better with the gummy softwood than standard aluminium oxide.  

Have you got any close up photo's of the clamps?

I've got to ask you though... How on Earth does an orbital ¼ sheet palm sander manage to fly across the workshop??? I could understand if you were talking about a belt sander!  

Pete, thanks for the offer on the ROS. I do own a 6" Metabo, which is great for larger surfaces. I think even a 5" ROS would be a bit of a challenge on narrow stock as the disc would be overhanging both edges and trying to run all over the place.... :?


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## seanybaby (26 Feb 2009)

OPJ":2wbow2b6 said:


> Have you got any close up photo's of the clamps?
> 
> I've got to ask you though... How on Earth does an orbital ¼ sheet palm sander manage to fly across the workshop??? I could understand if you were talking about a belt sander!



I'll take a pic later if i get time.

:lol: Someone lobbed it!


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## MikeG. (26 Feb 2009)

Olly, Pete.....

with regard to the colour, don't forget that it will change over time. If you are trying to match to an existing piece of furniture, you have to ask how old the existing piece is.........

If it is relatively new (a few weeks or months), then go for a colour that is quite close, but if the existing piece is a year or two old it will be darker and more orange than when it was new. You have to try and get your new piece of furniture to the colour that the existing one was when it was new......in other words, allow for the darkening process. It is a really difficult job!

Towards the end of my time working in pine I got into the habit of writing exact details of the finish down on the back of the piece of furniture so that repairs or matching were made easier.

Mike


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## big soft moose (26 Feb 2009)

olly - swimbo agrees mid oak

mike - the ikea bed is about a year old , but hasnt changed much over time so far - and we dont mind if it isnt an exact match (nothing else in the room is) so long as its relatively close


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## OPJ (26 Feb 2009)

Okay, thanks for that, Pete; *Mid Oak* it is then.  

I still have to order these sanding sheets from Axminster so, I'll add another can of this stain and hope that it arrives Saturday morning (it should small enough for Royal Mail, though I've still managed to build it up to £70-worth of stuff!! :shock:  :roll: )  :wink:


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## motownmartin (26 Feb 2009)

OPJ":a2c1a8nd said:


> (it should small enough for Royal Mail, though I've still managed to build it up to £70-worth of stuff!! :shock:  :roll: )  :wink:


Tis a long and slippery slope Olly :lol:


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## MikeG. (26 Feb 2009)

Martin,

as a matter of interest, and hijacking the thread completely, what is the white wood in the box in your avatar? Was there a thread covering the construction?

Mike


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## motownmartin (26 Feb 2009)

Mike Garnham":1rv0tddg said:


> Martin,
> 
> as a matter of interest, and hijacking the thread completely, what is the white wood in the box in your avatar? Was there a thread covering the construction?
> 
> Mike


Hi Mike, believe it or not the white wood is Ash, if I didn't know I would have guessed at Sycamore :? I did do a thread, have a look here, prepare to be suprised though, its an warts an all thread


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## MikeG. (27 Feb 2009)

Thanks Martin.......

what an interesting thread that was! How does that ash look now? I'd be amazed if it looks quite so blonde....

Lovely work!

Anyway........back to Olly's box....  

Mike


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## OPJ (2 Mar 2009)

I picked up my latest Axminster delivery from the Post Office on Saturday morning Plenty of sanding sheets, some more stain and, er, that spare set of knives for my planer I've been meaning to buy for over a year now!  

After a couple of hours sanding on Saturday, I'm pleased to report that the velcro-backed sheets from Hermes held on very well. I still managed to get through three of them at 80g but, they've got more stamina than the aluminium oxide stuff, that's for sure.

I then a applied a thin coat of sanding sealer (50/50 with thinners) to each board and the inside edges of the frame components. Got back in to it today and spent another couple of hours applying a coat of Mid Oak stain, after Pete and SWMBO's confirmation. :wink: 







(That white MDF box/cupboard is another job I'm doing for someone else...)

This second shot will show you just how stuffed I am when it comes to finding space in my workshop to let things dry! I wasn't able to do any other work around it.  Fortunately though, this stuff dries within ten minutes, just like they said it would.  






Oh! This is how the boards join together with the chamfers, if I haven't shown you already... I've hand-planed 1mm off the tongues to allow for movement (and, to ensure a tight fit on the face side :wink.






What I didn't realise until I'd already started staining was that my sander had left some tiny little swirls on the surface which weren't visible before. :shock: They're not noticeable unless you get _really_ close. There are a couple of scratch marks too. Hopefully, I'll be able to hide the worst offenders round the back... Sorry about this Pete; it's probably not as bad as it sounds but, I hope it doesn't cause you any bother...  

I probably did get a little carried away with that 80 grit paper - there was plenty of evidence to show that my planers knives aren't in great nick (_no pun intended!_ :shock and the boards aren't as tight a fit in the grooves as they were fresh out of the thicknesser.

Knotting came next and was applied to all the dead knots. I almost made the mistake of applying this _before_ the stain - until I read the label on the side of the bottle; that's not what you're supposed to do! :roll:  I guess it would show through if you applied the knotting first? Anyway, it's looking pretty good, if I do say so myself. 






I'll apply a final coat of sanding sealer tomorrow. I won't be waxing all the boards as I did with the samples. I'll wax the top and maybe the outside faces of the frame... Otherwise, I'll never get this done!! :wink:


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## OPJ (4 Mar 2009)

Got that last coat of sealer on yesterday although I couldn't find the time to get much else done (running around, and all that...). I managed to sneak back out there in the evening, under the deafening rain of hailstones above my head, to get the two sides glued up, finishing just before eight o'clock!






I've been working on the front and back this morning. Initially, I was thinking of a board layout like this: (Don't worry, Pete, these are only scrap pieces! )






But, no. I decided it just looks too narrow at the outer edges and have tried to keep things looking more even.

After my final dry assembly, I dropped one of the vertical rails on the concrete floor and noticed this: :x Five-minute PVA came to the rescue! 






As I only have enough long cramps to glue up one, I'll leave the front until the weekend. I do have some of those cheap aluminium Record cramps but, while they measure 1200mm long, they're capacities are actually a lot less! :roll: I didn't have the space to do this indoors so, thankfully, it didn't rain. 






It's all starting to come together now! :twisted: There's still a bit of sanding and staining to be done. Which reminds me, I need to buy some more sanding sealer! :roll: (Don't worry, I'll try avoid Axminster this time! :wink Don't have any more time on this today as I'm doing a quick job for someone later.

Oh. In case you're wondering, the strips of masking tape are there to remind me which board goes where. :wink:


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## The Shark (5 Mar 2009)

Hi Olly,
It's starting to come together nicely now,

Malc


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## frugal (5 Mar 2009)

seanybaby":qdspco8k said:


> Olly, I think I'd send the sander back for a full refund and maybe get the makita version. I witnessed one fly across the workshop at college and hit the floor :lol:



Did the lecturer run out of chalk to throw at the students who were not paying attention?


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## OPJ (9 Mar 2009)

With all four sides now glued up and ready for staining, I'm nearing the end of this build and am starting to think about working on the top. This is where I think I've shot myself in the foot a bit with my design... :? 

As it stands, the back rail is set-back 3mm from the outside face of the stiles (it's flush on the inside). Hopefully this drawing will help:






I'd like the top to be flush with the back edge (meaning the stiles) but, this is obviously gonna give me some problems when it comes to fitting the hinges... What do you think I should do?

I could simply plane the rails back flush. Or, I could glue on a strip 3mm thick, although I'm not sure that'll work out too well when the screws go in...

What does the forum think? Any thoughts are appreciated.


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## chris_d (9 Mar 2009)

Hi Olly,

I actually like the inset nature of the rail since it gives the piece visual depth that enhances the aesthetics. I don't think that the overhang of the lid/top to the rail will cause a problem with the hinges if you use a cranked type - furthermore, the overhang would actually help to hide the pivot point of the hinge and keep the focus on the woodwork and not the ironmongery!

Look forward to seeing finished piece.

Cheers,
Chris


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## OPJ (9 Mar 2009)

Hi Chris, thanks for your reply.

I'm glad you like the rail/stile offset! :wink: I should've mentioned that I'm hoping to use three 50mm butt hinges... :?

My other thought was that I could chop them in to the back rail as normal but bring them in from the back edge of the top slightly, if that makes sense... Would that work? This way, the back edge of the top would remain flush with the face of the stiles (not back rail).

Or, if I set the top flush with the back rail, I could try to 'disguise' the end-grain of the stiles by chamfering them.... It won't be seen, whatever I do!

Are these the hinges you had in mind?


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## chris_d (10 Mar 2009)

Hi Olly,



> My other thought was that I could chop them in to the back rail as normal but bring them in from the back edge of the top slightly, if that makes sense... Would that work? This way, the back edge of the top would remain flush with the face of the stiles (not back rail).



Yes that is exactly what I was thinking but I suggest that you use cranked hinges so that:
1. The lid sits level with top face of carcass on all four sides;
2. The there is greater support to permit the 'protrusion of the pivot point' without creating excessive stresses.

I've sketched a diagram of the configuration (see below) to accurately convey my suggestion:






Hope this helps,
Chris


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## Chems (10 Mar 2009)

Looks great Olly, really coming along quick. What do you use to fill holes and gaps then in the wood, 5 minute PVA? What will happen to that when you stain it?


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## OPJ (10 Mar 2009)

Thanks again, Chris. That diagram makes it crystal clear! I haven't placed my order with Isaac Lord yet so, I may have to add some of those hinges to my basket! :roll: :wink: 

Hi Chems. I only used the five-minute PVA (Wudcare, from Axminster) because I didn't have any super glue (cyanacrylayte) to hand, which would've been ideal... As I'm using a fairly dark stain though, the glue line doesn't really show. I'm not trying to fill lots of holes and gaps - my joints aren't that bad!!  This was to repair the damaged edge on one of the rails.

I've bee cleaning up the four assembled frames today and managed to get a coat of stain on this evening. Leaving my sander in its box, I cleaned the pine up with my scrapers and smoothing plane, before hand-sanding. It went a lot better than the last time, I'm pleased to say! 

Hopefully, I'll be able to get the top glued up tomorrow and, if I can find the space, I'll also assemble the frame...! :shock:


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## Chems (11 Mar 2009)

Thanks Olly, super helpful as always. I ask only as I am working with Pine at the moment and its so prone to break out or chipping that I have a few little bits I'd like to fix.


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## OPJ (11 Mar 2009)

I've got to the stage now where all four sides are pretty much ready to be glued up. Only trouble is, most of my sash cramps are in use as I've spent today machining, biscuit-jointing and gluing up the timber for the top! :roll:  I have been gathering cheap sash cramp heads via. eBay in recent weeks; all I need now is a load of beech or similar to make some wooden bars... :wink: 

Here's yet another shot of my eternal fight against space in my small garage/workshop! I left the sander behind and went at the frames armed with my cabinet scrapers and smoothing plane. I did mange to fit the narrow end frames on the workbench... Just about!  Seriously, I'm gonna have to bump my workbench build right up to the top of the list once this chest is finished!






Finally, I have something _good_ to say about working with pine - when your iron is sharp, it takes lovely end-grain shavings!!  






I did manage to find _some_ space indoors to store the near-completed frames... Although it's far from ideal!  






Originally, I planned to use five boards at 100mm wide to give me a 500mm wide top. Allowing for 5mm overhang all round, I forgot to consider that the back edge will have to be flush for the hinges when I made up the frames - so, my top is currently 495mm wide, made up from five 99mm wide boards...  :wink:

Either way, I had to buy 5" wide timber for this. Instead of throwing away the 20mm-or so square strips, I've thicknessed them to 18mm² and I'll use them to fix the plywood base later. :wink:






Yep, another glue-up on the drive way!!  I used some more of those strips from the 5"x1" boards to protect the edges of the panel - it was easier than sticking individual bits of ply between the cramp heads. :wink:






Here we are again then, at the halfway point in our "working" week! :wink: College again for the next two days (it seems to come around _very_ quickly! :shock, I'll pick up from here over the weekend.


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## big soft moose (11 Mar 2009)

looking good mate - swimbo's loving the work in progress pics  even if i do have to do a certain ammount of explanation of what the woody words mean


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## OPJ (17 Mar 2009)

There's only so-much I can do on this project right now as I'm waiting for the lid stays to arrive from Rockler in the US. I ordered them on Monday and they reckon it could take one-to-three weeks... :roll: I would've bought them sooner but I needed to glue-up the top so that I could weight it and buy the _correct_ stays. Turns out I require the largest size anyway!

After bringing the top back indoors following the 'problems' I encountered with my random orbit sander, I realised that the whole board has cupped! The sawn boards were stacked indoors for several weeks and I also alternated the growth rings!! :x 

Therefore, I'm gonna leave the final flattening until I've got _all_ the hardware and can screw the cleats to the underside, which will hopefully keep it flat... :? I don't want to do this now and realise later that I've put them in the wrong place, leaving exposed screw holes and all! :wink: 

In amongst the DIY I'm starting now the warmer weather's coming in, I did manage to get the main frame glued up today, using Polymite glue (a modern form of cascamite).











Once again, I managed to deplete my supply of sash cramps for this one job!  I did check it all for square but, to be honest, it's still quite flexible and probably will be until I can at least fix the ply base... :? Using the OSB sheet as a base allowed me to slide the unit back in to the workshop afterwards! :wink: With the current temperatures, it should do nicely.






Before all that, I found some time to drill countersunk holes in the cleats which will secure the base from underneath. Nothing exciting here!  






Now we play the waiting game... I couldn't believe the international shipping charge - $40 on top of the $6 or so that Rockler also asked for, for a couple of tiny bits of hardware!!! :shock: :evil: 

Sorry Pete, I don't think this will be ready before_ The Big Day_...  :wink:


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## shim20 (17 Mar 2009)

looking good, thats quite a big one


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## big soft moose (17 Mar 2009)

OPJ":2syxr9ro said:


> Sorry Pete, I don't think this will be ready before_ The Big Day_...  :wink:



no worries mate - you'll gain a few weeks as we arent back until after easter , and stretching imto april has the advantage of another paycheck being in the bank (sigh this wedding larks expensive - good thing i'm only going to have to do it once  )


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## OPJ (25 Mar 2009)

Good news! I collected my Rockler order from the post office this morning!  It actually arrived yesterday morning but, I was out. Considering that it was only dispatched last Tuesday (that's seven days...), I think that's bloody good, considering I payed for the cheapest overseas shipping option at "one to three weeks". 8)






They even supply the screws to go with them! Forget about those shelf support pins; I may or may not use them for workshop storage in future... I read someone else (Lord Nibbo, I think?) say how much cheaper there were in the US recently and, well, I couldn't resist; you know how it goes!!  :roll: :wink: 

*Securing the Base*

I cut two strips of MDF (one long, one short), 40mm wide, on to which the cleats could rest for securing the base - that should (and did!) help to keep them all level.






In order to drive the 25mm screws home easily, I screwed some scraps of MDF in place around the perimeter to give me some 'resistance' to press against.






Fitting the base required a little more ingenuity... And I found it by wedging a length of 4"x2" between my bandsaw cabinet and the ply base!  











This is how it's looking with the base in place. I still need to decide whether or not to stain it to match the rest of the unit... Any thoughts? Whatever I do, I'll finish it with a coat of beeswax for that pleasant smell.  






So, I'm now about ready to crack on with the top... But, not before the weekend, due to college. I won't get much time to work on it before the Yandles show next week either (it's my birthday on Tuesday! ).

Pete, I hope the wedding goes well and everything. This should be ready for when you get back. :wink:


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## shim20 (25 Mar 2009)

coming along now, i like how you got round doing things on your own  , i often do this i think it make you work better in the long run, if that makes sense :?


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## chris_d (25 Mar 2009)

Hi Olly,

The piece is looking very impressive, well done! At the very least, I'd elect to stain the inside of the base .

Regards,
Chris


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## big soft moose (25 Mar 2009)

yep - i think stain the inside of the base to match - the outside isnt going to matter because no one can see it.

looking very good , swimbo cant wait to see the finished product ( she says she will bake you a cake by way of a completion bonus  )


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## Chems (26 Mar 2009)

I've watched this one with Great interest, its really a testament to what a skilled craftsman can do in a small space with limited machinery. Its almost harder to get a good result with softwood than it is with a hardwood in certain respects and you've got such a lovely item there. Very inspiring build!


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## The Shark (26 Mar 2009)

Hi Olly,
I too have been watching this build with interest, the box is really coming on well, and I am anxiously awaiting photos of the finished item.
IMHO I would stain the bottom to match.

Malc


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## big soft moose (26 Mar 2009)

Chems":10teiiy0 said:


> I've watched this one with Great interest, its really a testament to what a skilled craftsman can do in a small space with limited machinery.!



it certainly is - its also a testament to the wisdom a decision taken by an unskilled halfwit (that is me) in an even smaller workshop with very limited machinery - ie to log onto ukw and hire someone of olly's calibre to build it for me rather than promising swimbo i could do it myself and winding up screwing five pieces of mdf together.


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## OPJ (30 Mar 2009)

All was going well this morning. With the top flattened, cleats screwed in place and the thought of 'finishing' growing in my mind, this happened... :shock:







And I have absolutely no idea why!! :x 

My chamfering cutter is almost brand-new from Wealden; the grain's running in the right direction; I used a slow feed-rate, router on full speed and travelling in the correct direction...  I used to do a lot of stop-chamfering on softwood in a previous job and I _never_ saw anything like this happen!

I guess the best thing to do would be to plane 1mm off each end, re-cut the chamfers and just hope... :roll:  Fortunately, I did cut the top a couple of mill over length (I was just going to leave it slightly long). Anyone have any other suggestions?

First thing I did (after *lots* of swearing...) was to come in a short while ago and have some lunch; clear my head and all that. :wink:


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## motownmartin (30 Mar 2009)

Bad luck Olly, I would trim a mm or 2 off then re cut but taking off a little at a time, its always a bit risky cutting too much off the end grain.


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## OPJ (30 Mar 2009)

Thanks, Martin, I did exactly that - planed a bit more off the ends and re-cut the chamfers. Admittedly, they ended up 10mm wide where I would've preferred to have kept them a little closer to 6mm... But, the damage is now gone!  

Back to this morning and this is how bad the top was looking after five minutes with the random orbit sander. :? It had also started to cup since bringing it back indoors - leaving a heavy weight on top (an out-standing project from November... :wink for a few days seemed to cure it.






Adding a couple of 25mm cleats to the underside will also help, I'm sure. This was after flattening with the belt sander and hand-sanding to 240g (my finest belts are only 120g). Scraping didn't seem to go very well this time, only producing dust, even after a fresh sharpening. :? The top was 19mm when it came out the thicknesser and has ended up about 18mm thick before staining, which is acceptable, I think.






With my router out (it lives indoors!  ) for the chamfers, I fitted a straight cutter and cut out some small recesses on the underside of the top, at the rear edge, for this knuckles in these hinges - as detailed by chris_d on another page.






Here's the top after staining and a dash of knotting solution. 






And this is the hardwood ply base, which took the stain really well without needing a coat of sealer or anything.






I still plan to add a final protective coat of something - if I go to the Yandles show on Saturday, I might grab some of the Acrylic Lacquer... :-k Then, I'll add a coat of wax.

It feels so good to reach this point in the build (_no more staining!!_  :wink and I'm pleased with my progress today. As it's birthday tomorrow (24) though, I doubt I'll get much done! :wink:


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## Chems (30 Mar 2009)

Thats looking great. Really top piece. No idea what that tear out was about I'm not as learned as your good-self, par for the course with softwood wouldn't you say? 

I have used some Chestnut Lacquer on softwood dye this week and it comes up lovely, like really really nice. Its brushable as well so I didn't have to do all the spray gun cleaning. Takes a few coats I think to build it up, but maybe it needs a sealant or something inbetween? I didn't bother thou as it drys in 5 minutes or less.


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## wizer (31 Mar 2009)

Coming on nicely there Olly.

Would you need to wax over the Lacquer? I think it'll be fine with just a couple of coats of lacquer on it's own.


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## OPJ (10 Apr 2009)

Before I get in to the troubles I'm experiencing with the lid supports I bought from Rockler, here's where I am in terms of progress. I haven't had much time on this at all lately; believe it or not, I've been working for most of the past two-weeks :shock: (though, technically, I'm still unemployed! :roll: :wink!

Bits of sealing and staining here and there. I bought the acrylic lacquer from Yandles last Saturday but instead opted for the melamine lacquer, purchased at the same time. Lid has now had a couple of coats and the finish is building up well. Still needs some more work.

When I was staining the top, I thought I'd be clever and try to save space by using the carcase as a 'finishing bench'... A scrap of ply went on top to protect it - it was plenty wide enough but, about 2" short... Anyway, after the photograph below, you can see why I ended up scraping off this layer and re-staining it! :x 






The base has been given a couple of coats of beeswax and it's come out quite nicely. That's now fixed in place and there's nothing more to be done, there!  Today, I wanted to crack on and get those hinges fitted. I started by screwing them directly to the underside of the top (no recess). Then, I could centralise the middle one, chop out the waste and from that, mark out and chop the other two in to the back rail.











A scrap of MDF here prevents breakout. :wink:






This part went well and, I'm very pleased to say, the hinges sunk in neatly first time. 8)

However, I've wasted several hours this afternoon fiddling with and re-positioning these lid supports from Rockler. I've been following the instructions, working off the pivot point of the hinges but, I just can't get them to work without lifting the hinges, as this next photo' will show:






Thank God I only used short screws to hold these in place - had I found any longer ones, I'd have ripped the back rail to shreds by now!! :shock: My first reaction was that I'd miscalculated and bought the wrong ones; there felt like an awful lot of resistance, until I realised what was happening with the hinges... :? :x

I'm using the side-mounted hinges. Perhaps I would've been better off with two back-mounted ones? Could it be the hinges; should I have stuck with butt hinges?

I can see the appeal of using these Cranked Hinges; I can fold the lid right back to 180° before it feels as though something wants to give. If it's any consolation, these lid supports do appear to work - I've only got one fitted here and there's no hint of any strain or struggle. 






I really don't know what to do right now and would greatly appreciate any advice.


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## dennis (10 Apr 2009)

Olly,

How free was the lid working before putting the support on, as it may just be the photo, but it does look as if the hinges are housed too deeply and will bind.

Dennis


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## Night Train (10 Apr 2009)

Olly,
Is the back edge of the lid catching on the corner posts given they protrude further then the rails?
Perhaps flushing in the inside tab of the hinge will move it back a bit if that is the case.

Good build up though, just sat and read the whole thread.
Well done.


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## OPJ (10 Apr 2009)

Thanks for your quick replies.  

Dennis; I can understand what you are seeing in the photo' but the lid folds free and easily without the stays. No binding or anything like that.

However, on another forum, the question has been raised about the quality of these hinges... They are, after all, only thin bits of steel. Would anyone happen to know where I might be able to get hold of some thicker brass hinges, as close to identical to these as possible?

Night Train; thanks for your comments and for reading through the whole thread - not an easy task for a Friday night, I'm sure! :wink: I've checked the corner posts/stiles and they do not foul the back edge of the lid.


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## Russ (11 Apr 2009)

My guess is that they are too small. I'd reposition them (if possible) and just flush-mount them to see if it solves the problem.

Russ


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## dennis (11 Apr 2009)

Olly,

Have you got the correct strength supports as it sounds as if you intend fitting 2, according to the instructions if you have the correct size for using 2, then the 1 that you have fitted would not support the lid on its own as it appears to on your photo.

You could try packing under the hinges with cardboard just to make sure that this is not the cause, and if it is, it would be a case of either a filler piece, thicker hinges or plane the top edge of the chest down.

Dennis


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## Mr Ed (11 Apr 2009)

I reckon its the quality and type of hinge thats the issue - they appear to be bending under the force of the lid support. Why do you need a cranked hinge? I just used standard butt hinges on this chest and they worked fine;






I think if you change to a more robust hinge that will fix it.

Cheers, Ed


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## enecosse (11 Apr 2009)

Olly,
Are all the hinges lifting, if not, the pic of the hinge you have shown looks to be the opposite end to the fitted support, looks like the support causing a twisting effect, which will be countered by fitting the other one.
hope you get a quick fix.
Just a guess never fitted anything like this before.


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## OPJ (11 Apr 2009)

_Right._ Dennis, you're on the ball with this one... :wink: I got it wrong at the checkout when I bought a pair of the strongest hinges (giving a combined counter-torque of 190-250 inch-lbs). When I weighed my top (on the bathroom scales...   ), I calculated it to be roughly 160 inch-lbs (if not slightly more). What I need to do now is to buy one of the lower-rated stays to complement one of the stronger ones I have, which would give me a counter-torque of 140-180 inch-lbs. I could possibly get away with the smallest size and 130-165 inch-lbs of torque.

I feel like a right berk!! :x :evil: 

Oh, well. At least by placing another order with Rockler I should be able to import some better-quality, solid brass hinges. I thought the Isaac Lord ones were a bit cheap... :shock:

Ed, I do think you have a point also with regards to the quality of the hinges. Why did I used the cranked type? Well, I blame chris_d (Look back through the thread)... Nah, only joking, Chris!!  You offered me some sound advice and it was my decision in the end. I'm not keen on now replacing these with butt hinges, which was also my original plan... There are enough screw holes as it is and, I fear now that anything I try to do to hide some of the existing recesses is going to stand out. :?

I'm still not sure why the hinges are bending with only one stay fitted. This provides insufficient torque, which should mean the lid falls down... It starts to but, then, I can feel the hinges starting to bind, which is what is actually keeping the lid up. I think this only supports Ed's comments on the hinges. 

enecosse, yes, just for the record, I have this morning tried packing out the recesses with scraps of laminate left over from my router table build. Sadly, it didn't seem to improve things. If anything, I think it made the pivoting action slightly worse and put more strain on the hinges...  :wink:


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## OPJ (11 Apr 2009)

Okay. I've decided to take Ed's advice and will revert back to my original idea of using butt hinges. :roll: Obviously, this will leave me with some working to do; filling all the little holes and patching up the mess I've made.  

Hinge recesses can easily be filled (if necessary) with scraps of veneer-thickness stuff cut on the bandsaw; no worries there. Most of the screw holes (<3mm diameter?) should be hidden once the stays are re-attached but, some will remain visible... Any thoughts on how I can hide or fill these?

I've tried using hot wax with a soldering iron at college. All I learned there was that I have a terrible eye for matching grain colour!  

Any other suggestions?


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## OPJ (15 Apr 2009)

Found some time to get the new hinges fitted today, after patching up the recesses and filling the screw holes. To be honest, I don't think my mix of sawdust, glue and stain has don't a great job at hiding the screw holes...  I'll give it another two coats of lacquer and have a look then.

Any holes I wanted to re-drill were filled with 6mm dowels. This went well. 







My Veritas Apron Plane made light work of cleaning everything up. Grain match isn't perfect but, it doesn't really show.






When it came to attaching the hinges, I decided to use my Japanese marking knife to try and un-fold one of the more stubborn ones that didn't want to pivot (they were already fixed to the top at this point)... Well, have a look at what happened... :roll: :x 






It was only the other week that Steve Maskery was talking about breaking the tip on his knife as well... It was the first tool to hand and, well, I sorely regret it now!   I will attempt to regrind it during the coming days although, I'm not sure whether or not that'll actually work with the hollow back...? :? I suppose I should blame Steve really, for setting the thought deep inside my subconscious...!!  :wink: Well, I guess it's the price you pay when you're trying to rush things at 8.30pm...

Rockler have sent me an e-mail to confirm that my latest order has been shipped. I weighed the top again and it requires 142kg of counter-torque. As this is on the fence between the small and medium sized stays then, I ended up buying one of each, just in case! :roll: No, actually, make that _one pair_ of each!  

Oh, well, at least I can't get it wrong this time! :wink: I did find time earlier to quickly fit one of the strong stays and, even with the butt hinges, the screws were starting to lift... :? I have only got ½" screws fitted though, that could be a problem. They're all I have in the workshop; will have to pick up some longer ones soon.


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## woodbloke (15 Apr 2009)

OPJ":1xez14qa said:


> When it came to attaching the hinges, I decided to use my Japanese marking knife to try and un-fold one of the more stubborn ones that didn't want to pivot (they were already fixed to the top at this point)... Well, have a look at what happened... :roll: :x



Olly - if you _insist_ on using these Oriental imports :lol:... >> outa here! - Rob


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## dennis (15 Apr 2009)

How much pressure did you use on the lid when the screws lifted Olly.

Owing to stays being so short and so close to the pivot point, if the stay is over strength this will put immense pressure on the hinges if any force is used.

Hopefully this will be cured with the correct strength stays, and longer screws in the hinges.

Dennis.


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## Mr Ed (15 Apr 2009)

Yes, I think you're pushing it with 1/2" screws into softwood to hold a lid that big. Up the screw length and I think the problem will be fixed.

Cheers, Ed


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## OPJ (20 Apr 2009)

How's this for service... Placed my order with Rockler last Tuesday, receiving an e-mail confirming dispatch on Wednesday and, despite paying for the cheapest one-to-three week shipping, all arrived safely this morning! 8) 

I now have the stays to finish the job (and longer screws!) but, one appears to be indistinguishable from the other. I can tell the left from the right, obviously but, as I bought both the smaller sets to err on the side of caution, I don't know which is which! :? I've sent an e-mail to Rockler; hopefully, they'll have an answer soon.

Bought a couple of other little goodies as well. :roll: My card reader/USB port's playing up so, I'm unable to upload any photo's right now (it takes too long to do it direct from the camera!). 

If I can get the hinges and stays sorted in the next two days and clean it all up over the weekend - maybe, _just maybe_, it will be ready for delivery this time next week...! :shock: :wink:


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## Dalboy (20 Apr 2009)

OPJ
Are the springs a different colour in the stays


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## OPJ (21 Apr 2009)

You are indeed correct, Derek. Also, I noticed unique five-digit number of the back of each of the bags, which corresponds with the item number as given on their website. So, to avoid any further confusion, I've labelled each one with a strip of masking tape and a marker pen. :wink:

Further more, I'm very pleased to say that I've got the stays _working_!!  All I needed to do was replace _one_ of the 95-125 stays with either of the weaker ones (I've tried both the 35-40 and 45-50; there's no real difference, they both work well). I also fitted some ¾" screws and the hinges aren't going anywhere! :wink:

I'm back on to finishing again, with the finish line in sight. 8) I still want to add a couple more coats of lacquer to the top but, I should have it all completed over the weekend.  I'll admit haven't done a great job at hiding all the screws holes and the staining is a little patchy in places, though I think this is more to to with the grain and how it varies from board to board. Most of the bad stuff is on the inside so, it shouldn't show anyway. I'll try and take some photo's... :?


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## Dalboy (21 Apr 2009)

Another little problem sorted hope you don't have any more you've had your fair share in this chest. Fingers crossed you don't have any more. So the end must be very close


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## BradNaylor (21 Apr 2009)

OPJ":5f86k34u said:


> This is a job I've agreed to do for big soft moose (Pete) - and, on top of that, it's also my first commissioned piece of furniture!



Olly,

I see from your profile that you are studying cabinetmaking at college, presumably with a view to following this as a career.

There's nothing wrong with what you've done with this box, but if you are going to do this sort of thing professionally you need to be able to knock out a simple job like this in a couple of days from start to finish.

You've been at it for 3 months...

Get a move on man, we're beginning to lose the will to live out here!!!

:lol: 

Cheers
Brad


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## big soft moose (21 Apr 2009)

to be fair he's only working a couple of hours a day and fitting it round other commitments and all round me and swimbo are happy satisfied clients and dont have any problem with the timescale. 

If i'd wanted it boshed it up in an afternoon using mdf and screws (or biscuits if feeling posh) i would have done it myself but swimbo wanted a decent piece of furniture and as i dont have anywhere near the craftsmanship that olly shows i'm more than happy with our choice to ask him to make it and what he's done.

and i'm the client - and the clients always right


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## OPJ (21 Apr 2009)

Hi, Dan. Don't worry, I'm fully aware of what I would need to do if I was to make something like this for someone later in life. I've learned a lot a long the way (always important!  ) and I know that there are several things here I would've done differently, mainly to save time and money. For example; using biscuits to join the carcase instead of the bare-faced tongue I went with here.

Pete's right as well, even when I'm not at college for three-days each week, I still seem to find myself busy with other things even though, technically, I'm unemployed.  My workshop is also small and very cramped - actually, inefficient is the word I like to use (there are some photo's on my Blog that help to illustrate this! :shock I have no intention to try 'going it alone' on my own until I've at least found a new home for the household junk and reorganised my work space. Even then, I'm realistically looking to go at it part-time around another nine-to-five job with a guaranteed income. I think this is a sensible way to slowly build up a reputation without putting everything on the line and, I haven't even mentioned the *R*-word yet! :shock:  (That's enough about business - we've all read plenty about that in the other forum!  )

I was aiming to get this out within two months but, well, you know the rest... :roll: I'm grateful for the patience Pete has shown - as he is also, for the fact that I'm not charging an hourly rate!! 

Put another coat of lacquer on the top this evening and it's looking good.


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## Joints (22 Apr 2009)

Unlike me, all out madman!!


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## big soft moose (22 Apr 2009)

on re reading my previous post i feel that i should perhaps also clarify that my refference to "boshing it up in and afternoon using mdf" was in regard of my own craftsmanship- or rather lack of it

it was not intended as a jibe at brad or indeed anyone else who regularly turns mdf into gold ...

in my hands it just turns into substandard furniture


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## OPJ (28 Apr 2009)

At long last, the Blanket Chest Saga is over. In truth, I actually finished this almost a week ago - I've just been waiting for some clear weather so I could take some half-decent photographs. In actual fact, it started raining this morning as soon as I had finished the last shot! 






I did have a sheet of Formica which I was going to use as a background for these shots but, erm, I cut most of that up a few days ago for several other jobs...  






Yes, this is how it _should_ work, with the correct stays!  I highly recommend these things; they're excellent when you get it right.






This is a shot of the right-hand side, where the timber I used for the panelling wasn't quite as clean and tidy as on the other three. Still, I think it looks okay.






Looks quite good inside as well (if a little dusty still... ). You can probably see those un-stained edges around the panelling. I have the same problem on the outside as well and I really don't know why this has happened. I spent some time the other day painting over them with a thin brush but, it didn't make the slightest bit of difference.  Same with the top edges; you can see where the end-grain has gone almost black but, the rest is very light in comparison. It's baffled me! :?






Top looks good though - it was, without question, certainly worth buying that extra timber! In all, I think I applied four coats of Chestnut's Cellulose Lacquer, de-nibbing it in between coats and dulling it slightly with 0000 steel wool. All that lacquer has given the top a slightly 'yellow' tinge... I only used two coats on the sides and they seemed to remain darker.






Yeah, this Chestnut Lacquer is really great stuff! 8) :wink:

There are a few dents and scratches in places which I couldn't remove... They shouldn't be too easily noticeable. There's also some breakout on top of two of the stiles that I couldn't hide (it will be hidden most of the time anyway).

Assuming I can figure out how to get this in the back of my car on my own then, it's off to Pete's in the morning for an "early" delivery - I really hope you like it, Pete. 

Staining aside, I've actually quite enjoyed making this and I'm still manage to learn and pick up a few tips along the way. I cannot wait to get back in to some solid hardwoods though. Once the cheque is cashed, I should be on my way to see Interesting Timbers about some beech for that workbench I've been meaning to build...! :wink:

Thanks to everyone who's just about held on long enough to see this one through with us until the end!!


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## wizer (28 Apr 2009)

Very Well Done Olly. Brave of you to do this warts and all WIP and hopefully Pete learned a few things for when he tackles his next furniture project.


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## Chems (28 Apr 2009)

That looks great olly. Lovely job, I hope my pine furniture turns out even half as good as that.


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## big soft moose (28 Apr 2009)

wizer":3vyrasab said:


> Very Well Done Olly. Brave of you to do this warts and all WIP and hopefully Pete learned a few things for when he tackles his next furniture project.



and if not i certainly know who to call if i want anything elsemade - top job allround i'm very happy with that and i'm sure swimbo will be likewise.


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## newt (28 Apr 2009)

Great job Olly I bet your well pleased. I thnk the colour is just right.


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## Night Train (28 Apr 2009)

Great job and a nice honest piece.


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## Paul Chapman (28 Apr 2009)

Well done, Olly. Nice job and an interesting thread.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## The Shark (28 Apr 2009)

Hi Olly,
Excellent job!
And thanks for the time and effort you have spent in writing it up

Malc


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## TrimTheKing (28 Apr 2009)

Great post Olly, and fine finished product. Nice to see you prepared to hang yourself out there, cock ups and all, very honest and great looking chest, ooooeeerrr


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## chris_d (28 Apr 2009)

Well done Olly, your patience has finally paid off!


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## motownmartin (28 Apr 2009)

Thats turned out rather nice Olly, it was worth the wait


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## big soft moose (28 Apr 2009)

ive just shown the pics to swimbo and she is very very impressed with the whole thing - nice one.

there'll be one more pic for this thread after delivery showing it in situ and in use.


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## MikeG. (28 Apr 2009)

Finished?

Ye ha!!

Its taken so long its an antique already!!!!!    


Just kidding Olly.......looks a fine job. The proof of the pudding will be in the "in situ" photo!!

Well done..........you're a professional woodworker now! (Taxman!!!)

Mike


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## OPJ (28 Apr 2009)

Many thanks to everyone for their comments.   :wink: 

Pete, sorry, but I have _two more_ photos to upload first... :roll:

Just about managed to get it in the back of my car, all by myself. Again, I used that faithful sheet of OSB to slide it out on to the drive. With a couple of battens on the floor, I carefully rolled it on to its side (at 800mm tall, it wouldn't fit in upright! :shock. With a sheet of 18mm MDF in the boot as a sled, I was able to lift and drop the chest on top and slide it in without damage. 8)







It was surprisingly lightweight, for something this size. Then again, it isn't made of oak... It's just a mid oak stain! :wink: I've packed it out all-round with sheets of bubble wrap - I've been stashing this stuff from eBay purchases for the past four-years; I knew there was a good reason for it!! 






Even found room for the parcel shelf, to stop the chest shooting through the front windscreen - I don't always approach corners and bends with the greatest care... 

So, Pete, look out for a partially-beaten up Ford Escort in the morning! I've found a couple of 3" brown oak offcuts you may be interested in for turning, I'll bring them with me.


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## OPJ (28 Apr 2009)

Mike Garnham":18t9duv7 said:


> Well done..........you're a professional woodworker now! (Taxman!!!)



If he really wants it, Gordon Brown can come down to my house himself - as long as he doesn't do that weird "smiling" thing he was doing on YouTube recently! :? I won't mention figures but, I've underestimated the overall amount I needed to spend on this build. I'm still making a profit, it's just not quite as much as I was thinking initially... Oh well, there's that sharp learning curve again!


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## big soft moose (28 Apr 2009)

olly - lesson in tax speak - you arent making a profit , what you meant to say is that the money you have made from this job has covered the cost of the timber, your overhead, and the depreciation on your equipment. any left over and above that is being reinvested in a buisness asset aka your new workbench - therefore you havent made any "profit" and have no tax to pay 

i'll look out for the motor - ring me if you get lost , i'm expecting axminster power with my new toy at arround 10am tommorow too so it should be a busy day.


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## JonnyD (28 Apr 2009)

Looks Good Olly. 

Just a word of warning if the lacquer is still a little soft the bubblewrap can eat into the finish and leave circles on the surface. I had to refinish quite a few kitchen doors because of this phenomenon. 

Jon


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## OPJ (29 Apr 2009)

Thanks for the heads up, Jonny. Just as Chestnut claim though, it does dry very fast within ten minutes. I put the final coat on towards the end of last week so, it's had plenty of time to dry. :wink:

Rubber routing mats though, seem to leave tiny 'bubbles' on any surface and I'm beginning to lose patience with them! :x I noticed the Wood Whisperer uses _bubble wrap_ as non-slip matting purely because of this. He also says the rubber ones are impregnated with oils, which causes the marking.


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## big soft moose (29 Apr 2009)

well the blanket chest has landed - with impecable timing olly managed to get here just as my new toy was also being delivered.

the chest is in situ now , but i'll wait for swimbo to put stuff in it etc before i put the final photos up.


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