iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

New project - walnut cupboard

Started by pigman, November 12, 2008, 09:06:10 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

pigman

I went to customer's house tonight to inquire about a piece of furniture she wanted built. Turns out she wants a reproduction of this 100 year old walnut cupboard. The thing is 8 ft tall and of course made all of solid wood. This should be a fun project. I will have to learn to hand cut half blind dovetails and use big old fashioned wood screws.  I have made several piecies for her and her husband and they are easy to please and the check never bounces. The room the cupbard will be located has about a 20ft high ceiling, so it will not overpower the room.





While I was there I took a picture of the pine table and 8 chairs I built for them a couple years ago. All the wood in the table and chairs came from an old tobacco sales barn that was once owned by the family.



Things turn out best for people who make the best of how things turn out.

HOOF-ER

Pigman,Cupboard looks similar to a piece I have my heart set on making. It was a massive 3 corner glass door cupboard made out of cherry. Not very fancy but simple sometimes is beautiful. Wish I could get some work like that. I like the table nice job!
Home built swing mill, 27hp Kawasaki

metalspinner

My first reaction was "Wow, that's big."  Then you confirmed it with the measurements. :o  That is a really neat piece.  Will you keep us updated with the process?

That pine table looks like it's glowing.  Looks to be about 10'?  It seems tables can never be too long.
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

Roxie

Great workmanship on the table and chairs!  Can't wait to see the walnut cabinet!   :)
Say when

zopi

nice! you have some talent there...
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

OneWithWood

That ought to keep you busy for a spell...or until the witch puts the hex on ya!  :D
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

pigman

After giving some thought to this project, I think it will be difficult. My old pig building- woodworking shop- has an eight foot ceiling. I suppose I will have to assemble and finish the cupboard on it's back or side. They want the new cupboard to look like the old piece as much as possible. I think I might just build it and drag it down my gravel road to put a little a lot of distress in it. This morning I have been drawing up some plans and making a cut list. Most of the material is 7/8 inch or 1 inch thick material including the drawer sides and back.That thing will be heavy. :o
Things turn out best for people who make the best of how things turn out.

Dodgy Loner

Good luck on the project.  That is a very fine piece of country furniture, and I'm sure it'll be fun and challenging to reproduce :)
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

bck

If that cupboard turns out looking as good as that table and chairs they should give you a bonus, nice work.  8)

WDH

This will be a fun project to follow.  We will need many pics ;D.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

DanG

That table is gonna look really good with a big ol' turkey on it next week! 8) 8)
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

WDH

I'm gonna have to have the Pigman build a table like that for me.  Pigman, can you have it ready by Thursday week ???.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

pigman

WDH, if you help me get that table out of their house you can use that one in the picture. I will have to warn you though, the lower level of the house is full of elk, deer, bear and other stuffed animals. I think he must have a big gun somewhere in the house.
Things turn out best for people who make the best of how things turn out.

Mooseherder

That sure is a Pretty Table and Chairs.   Some people got alotta talent. :)

WDH

Quote from: pigman on November 17, 2008, 06:20:43 PM
I think he must have a big gun somewhere in the house.

Discretion is the better part of valor, Pigman.  Looks like I will just have to be jealous for a while ;D.  That is a fine table, I am envious.  That cupboard will make me jealous too :).  I might just have to build one myself :D.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

oakiemac

Hey Bob, you do good work! Nice looking table. I would like to see some pics of the cupboard when finished.
Mobile Demension sawmill, Bobcat 873 loader, 3 dry kilns and a long "to do" list.

pigman

Well, the air dried walnut lumber has been in the heated shop for three weeks now, time to get to work on the cupboard.




I rough plane boards, rip, joint and then glue up panels. This is one of two side panels after glueing and clamping.





After a couple hours I use a scraper to scrape off the glue squeeze out. After about three hours I remove the clamps and run the panel throug the planer to bring it down to the correct thickness.





I use the same steps to prepare the five shelf panels for planing. I will remove the clamps and finish planing tomorrow.





The walnut boards have a lot of character, should match the old original  well. ;) :D
Things turn out best for people who make the best of how things turn out.

metalspinner

Gotta love that big planer for those panels! 8)

What thickness are those panels going to end up?
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

pigman

On the original all the parts were 7/8 inch execpt a few parts 1 inch. If some of the boards don't plane out to 7/8 inch I will cheat a little and make then a little thinner. ;D  When I sawed the walnut several years ago I planned on using 3/4 inch material. ::) 
Things turn out best for people who make the best of how things turn out.

WDH

Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Left Coast Chris

Hi Bob,

Great work!  I have a honey do coffee table in process and need some advise on what finish to use.  It has a top and bottom shelf out of white oak with legs and trim of Claro Walnut for contrast.  I stained the white oak to bring out the grain.   What finish did you use on the table and chairs and what finish do you plan on using on the cupboard?
Home built cantilever head, 24 HP honda mill, Case 580D, MF 135 and one Squirel Dog Jack Russel Mix -- Crickett

pigman

On the pine table I used solvent based poly.  On the walnut cupboard I was going to ask the people on the forum what I should use. ;D  I am not sure what the original cupboard was finished with, but it looked like it could had been refinished with shellac. I will ask the customer if they know what finish is on the cupboard and try to use the same on the reprduction since they will be in the same room.
I am finishing challenged. I do fairly well on the building, but get flustrated with the finishing and just slap on something. :(
Things turn out best for people who make the best of how things turn out.

Dodgy Loner

You probably already knew this, but you could test to see if the original finish is shellac by dabbing a little alcohol on an inconspicuous spot.  If the spot is sticky, it's shellac.  Shellac is my favorite finish :)
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

beenthere

Quote from: pigman on December 03, 2008, 07:46:18 AM
On the pine table I used solvent based poly.  On the walnut cupboard I was going to ask the people on the forum what I should use. ;D  I am not sure what the original cupboard was finished with, but it looked like it could had been refinished with shellac. I will ask the customer if they know what finish is on the cupboard and try to use the same on the reprduction since they will be in the same room.
I am finishing challenged. I do fairly well on the building, but get flustrated with the finishing and just slap on something. :(

I'd vote for natural Watco Danish oil.
www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/oil_finishes.pdf

I use it almost exclusively for finishing wood. Easy to apply, easy to care for, and can add additional coats as well as use wet/dry sandpaper to get super smooth wood using the oil as a medium to remove "dust".   After wiping down, can touch the pieces within an hour (polymerization takes longer to set up for permanent finish).

I particularly like the Watco oil on oak. Have used it on all the oak panelling and trim in the house, and did not use any sealer ahead (as suggested in the attached pdf file). Get a bit of bleeding out the pores of oak, but minimal problem wiping them off. Refinishing with additional oil works as a wood cleaner as well as refreshes the original oiled finish. No stripping, just reapply.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

pigman

I got in a little shop time today. I cut all the shelves to size, sanded the side panels and shelves, and cut all the mortises dados in the sides for the shelves. I sometimes cut the mortises dados on the table saw with a dado blade, but with the size of the side panels I decided to use a router with my homemade dadoing jig. When I got the jig set to the width of the shelves I descovered that my short pattern bit I use for mortising had a bad bearing :(. I then attached the guide bushing to the router and had to readjust the jig. ::) 






Edit: I think I must have almost been brain dead last night. ::)  What I was calling a mortising jig is actually a router dadoing jig. I know that the woodworkers here knew what it actually was, but I did not want to confuse any new  woodworkers.
Things turn out best for people who make the best of how things turn out.

Thank You Sponsors!