Curly Pine Pantry Cabinet

[Lee Schierer]

Here is the curly pine pantry cabinet I just completed and delivered to my daughter in law over the fourth of July weekend. The pine was in the select pine bin at the local HD. I was concerned that the grain might not take the stain evenly enough to look good, but it worked out well. The grain isn't too apparent in the photos. My daughter in law came up with the design, which turned out quite well.

The pantry is 48" wide ( actually 47-3/4 so it would fit in the back of the Explorer for delivery), 80" tall and just 12" deep. I used clear pine for all the doors and exterior surfaces and #2 pine for the shelves and interior panels to keep down the cost. The raised panels were cut on my table saw, though the initial face cuts are done with a router. All the shelves are adjustable.

It is finished with Minwax Golden Pecan stain and Deft Semi-gloss clear wood finish.

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Looks great Lee! Do you find wood like this at HD often? I can't find nice boards, even in the select bin, at the one close to me. She should be very pleased with this!

[Fred LeBail]

Hey Lee,
Good to see somebody else working in Pine.
Nice job, finish looks great.
Fred

[Shelley Bolster]

Beautiful piece Lee. I agree with Fred, it's nice to see others work with pine. The finish looks great and with no pre-stain treatment. Have you stained pine before with Minwax?
I'm going to nominate you for Father-In-Law of the year award!:D
Shelley

[Lee Schierer]

I rarely shop either of the local big box stores for lumber. Their prices are too high. I get better wood and better prices from a local building contractor lumber supplier. They are however about the only source locally for pine and their prices are competitive with other local pine sources. I have seen some curly maple and curly oak at HD before. It pays to walk by their racks once in a while if they are your only source.

I work with pine once in a while, but prefer hard woods as they will generally last longer. Pine dents too easily.

Staining pine can be tricky. Normally I would use the Minwax prestain wood conditioner. This time, the sample pieces I stained seemed to turn out okay, so I didn't use it. I find that the pre-conditioner makes the color more uniform, but also much lighter in tone. This was two coats of stain with 48 hours dry time between coats.

[Lou Morrissette]

Real nice job Lee. Amazing how you can get lucky at HD on occaision.:D

[Phil Phelps]

... but I've come to expect that from you. A lot of folks are "surprised" when they stain pine. You are a good daddy 'n law.

[Jim Ketron]

Great Job Lee!
Jim

[Jim Becker]

Lee, that's a wonderful piece. I would never have guessed "pine" either without your description. Very nice work! She's a lucky gal!

[John Miliunas]

Great lookin' pantry, Lee! :) I'll bet your DIL is happy as can be! I know I would be. Heck, I'd be happy if I could even make something that nice! :D You done that Curly Pine justice, Lee! :cool:

[Jeff Skory]

Nice looking pantry Lee. That stain gave it a real nice color.

I'm curious about working with wood from HD. Do you still plane and joint it when you bring it home? And if so, what thickness do you end up working with?

[Ted Daigle]

Nice, Lee. You really did a great job on the finish, too. I use quite a bit of clear pine and it can be difficult to avoid blotching, especially on a piece that size.

[Rob Littleton]

Sweeeeeeet

[John Olson]

I IM the site to my daughter in the back room. I can here it now. Dad I love you, add that to the list of things to build me. GKar needs a new home first though.

[Terry Hatfield]

Lee,

Super job!!!! I really like it!!! I don't work much in pine either, but your cabinet makes me think that maybe I should.

Terry

[Terry Quiram]

Wow Lee

Thats some eye candy. Connie says she wants you to make her one and I agree. Super job.

Terry

[Lee Schierer]

Nice looking pantry Lee. That stain gave it a real nice color.

I'm curious about working with wood from HD. Do you still plane and joint it when you bring it home? And if so, what thickness do you end up working with?


Actually this wood was flat and required no millling at all. I used the boards at the thickness they were (3/4") and sanded to 220 before assembly. I did let the wood adjust in my shop for about 2 weeks before I used the wood, but it didn't cup, warp or twist. The #2 pine came from Sweden according to the label on the wood.

[Tyler Howell]

Hubba Hubba,

Very Nice Lee;)

[Steve King]

Lee,
That's some fine work, I like the stain and finish! Your daughter in law should be very proud.
Steve

[Jason Tuinstra]

Lee, great job on this one. The pine is stunning - unlike any that I see at my local HD. BTW, are those half-laps on the doors? I couldn't quite tell but it looks like it. If so, why this choice of joinery?

[Kent Cori]

Lee, I am not generally a fan of pine but your pantry looks awesome! :) Terrific work!

[Todd Burch]

Lee, I like it! It looks very nice, and I'm sure it is.

What do you mean you used a router prior to the tablesaw in rasiing the panels? Did you cut your vertical reveal that defines the edge of the flat field, then make the bevel cut on the TS to remove the waste? If so, I normally make that cut on the TS - one less tool to get out and set up.

Did you screw it to the wall?

Thanks for posting! Todd

[Martin Shupe]

Very nice, Lee. I would have never guessed pine either.

[Lee Schierer]

Lee, I like it! It looks very nice, and I'm sure it is.

What do you mean you used a router prior to the tablesaw in rasiing the panels? Did you cut your vertical reveal that defines the edge of the flat field, then make the bevel cut on the TS to remove the waste? If so, I normally make that cut on the TS - one less tool to get out and set up.

Did you screw it to the wall?

Thanks for posting! Todd

Yes, they anchored the cabinet to the wall, though it was pretty stable on its own.

I used to cut the face cuts on panels on my TS, but LOML didn't like the sharp edge it leaves and the little notch where dust accumulates. I use a 3/8" round nose bit in my router and make the face cut with it. This creates a smoother edge and makes it easier to clean. Here's a link that shows how I do it.
Raised Panels on a TS (http://home.earthlink.net/~us71na/raisedpanel.html)

[Steve Beadle]

I'm curious about working with wood from HD. Do you still plane and joint it when you bring it home? And if so, what thickness do you end up working with?[/QUOTE]

I, too, just bought some pine from HD this weekend, intending to get started on making three more pie safes. I'd also like to know what thickness you end up working with. My stock is now acclimating to the shop, as it seemed a bit moist when I selected it. I've had good luck so far with such pine stock from HD, but I'm careful to use only the straight grain portions for rails and stiles. The pie safes won't have any raised panels, however, just punched "tin" panels. There will be solid pine shelves and a top, though. My main concern is that the (4) rail and stile door won't come out true and flat. I have had some trouble with that. Glad to see such nice work done in pine! :)

[Daniel Rabinovitz]

Lee
Very nice - looks great.
Daniel :cool: