Shaker Style Cabinet Side with flat inner face

[drummerian]

A good idea, one question I had was actually why people around me can justify £1 a foot for a reclaimed board but they are that cheap new!

I wonder if this is what people are willing to pay or are the older boards better quality/thickness?

 

[thomashenry]

Why the need for the flat inner face? I made something VERY similar to this about 18 months ago, also with pocket hole joinery. I didn't make the inner face of the sides flat.

Actually, I used the offset between the frame and the panel to my advantage. The width of the shelf is the distance from floating panel to floating panel. I then cut out a squre from each of the 4 corners, and cut some stopped dadoes in the stiles of the side frames, and these acted as supports to hold the shelf. Everything slotted together very nicely.

 

[drummerian]

In the end that is the method I used, I made a jig for my router so I could repeatably cut the same corner shape out. I didn't get it perfect but I'm happy with it for a first piece.

 

[Benchwayze]

A good idea, one question I had was actually why people around me can justify £1 a foot for a reclaimed board but they are that cheap new!

I wonder if this is what people are willing to pay or are the older boards better quality/thickness?

It depends upon what species you're talking about. Old oak boards are not usually as expensive as new Oak. I have a centre board from an oak log in my shop. It's just over 1 1/2 cubic feet. It cost me £25 maybe twenty years ago. (I think I've finally found a project that will suit it!) The point is I doubt if it would cost me a mere £25 today. I wonder what a similar quantity of oak floorboards would cost me now? Probably a lot more than £25.

John (hammer)

 

[custard]

I'll make at least a couple of Shaker cabinets like this every year, Shaker furniture is a perennial best seller. Clients often ask for them built to specific sizes to fit in alcoves or in odd spaces within their homes, the relatively tall legs (giving a large amount of empty space underneath) fits well with today's fashion for wooden floors. If you can add a little taper to the inside of your legs it'll make your piece appear that touch lighter.

For your top I'd recommend American Cherry which is what I almost always use for Shaker style pieces (although I tend to push the boat out and source highly figured "Curly Cherry". Cherry was a very common Shaker timber where as Oak wasn't quite so common. You can buy kilned American Cherry in most timber yards at around £60 a cubic foot. It's relatively stable, takes glue and fastenings well, is kind on your tools, and patinates beautifully under a simple oil finish.

 

[woodbloke66]

It cost me £25 maybe twenty years ago. (I think I've finally found a project that will suit it!) The point is I doubt if it would cost me a mere £25 today. I wonder what a similar quantity of oak floorboards would cost me now? Probably a lot more than £25.

John (hammer)

Times and prices change John. When I was at uni a few moons ago now I bought a whole log of prime English Walnut for £70. All 50mm thick boards and all originally destined for Holland & Holland to be made into shotgun stocks - Rob

 

[custard]

I bought a whole log of prime English Walnut for £70. All 50mm thick boards and all originally destined for Holland & Holland to be made into shotgun stocks

Don't believe everything that timber yards tell you, they're worse than used car dealers!

Top end shotgun stocks are made from the below ground timber just above the roots of Walnut trees, which is where the best figure is to be found. The stump has to be dug out by hand and so has nothing to do with the regular log. I used to work around the corner from Holland & Holland's shop on Bruton Street, I popped in one day to talk about how they crafted their stocks and they were happy to make me a cup of coffee and chat for ages. I also seem to recall that their Walnut billets came from Turkey.

 

[woodbloke66]

I bought a whole log of prime English Walnut for £70. All 50mm thick boards and all originally destined for Holland & Holland to be made into shotgun stocks

Don't believe everything that timber yards tell you, they're worse than used car dealers!

Top end shotgun stocks are made from the below ground timber just above the roots of Walnut trees, which is where the best figure is to be found. The stump has to be dug out by hand and so has nothing to do with the regular log. I used to work around the corner from Holland & Holland's shop on Bruton Street, I popped in one day to talk about how they crafted their stocks and they were happy to make me a cup of coffee and chat for ages. I also seem to recall that their Walnut billets came from Turkey.

This was was over forty years ago Custard and I might have been slightly 'green'. In the particular yard I visited there was a whole pile of walnut that seemed as big as a house and this one prime butt was stacked some way from it. When I enquired, the chaps said that it had been spoken for by H&H but not paid for so when I asked if I could have it, they buckled. I know that walnut stocks now come from Turkey but they may not have done in the late 70's - Rob