Bonnet Top High boy Tutorial

[Dave Diaman]

Hey guys, I have had so many people request that I post the highboy tutorial I put together I am going to give a tutorial one more shot. Based on how much interest there is we can go from there. This is enough info to make about a 250 page book (several hundred photos and 25-30 pages of text) so it will take a little while to get everything up. I do want to get a little feedback on the format. I would like to get a consensus on if you want me to just keep updating this of start new posts for each. Both have benefits and drawbacks.

I also want to touch a little on my building style. I love to use hand tools. That being said I also need to make a living so hand tools aren’t always the smartest way for me to do things. In some cases hand tools are faster and in others there is just no substitute. I build everything as close to period correct as I can but sometimes use untraditional methods to create the end result. My methods may not always be the best way to do things but it is how I have become efficient at doing them.

Looking at this project as a whole can be a little intimidating but it can be simplified when you break it down into its smaller parts. In its smaller parts the piece starts to look much less complex. I also want to point out that you don’t need a huge shop with all the best equipment money can buy to build this piece. I work out of a modestly equipped 20x20 shop. When I think about how these pieces were built in the 1700’s I realize how lucky I am.

Here is a photo of the piece I will be building. I worked from an original that I had access to but Glen Huey has drawing and cut lists for a very similar piece in his book “Building Period furniture”
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild013-6.jpg

We need to start out with the legs. You will need 12/4 stock milled to 2 7/8” squares I cut these to a finished length of 35 1/2”. Once the legs are milled and cut to size you will need to lay out your pattern. There are tons of places to get patterns but I prefer to work directly from a photograph of an original. One thing to pay close attention to is the grain orientation of the legs when you lay them out. I like to have the QS grain on the knee. If you oriented the grain the other way you will end up with a bulls eye formed by the grain on your knee which is I don’t like. Once again this is just a personal preference and the main thing you need to pay attention to is that the grain orientation on your legs are the same on the front and sides. In the photos below you can see how layout the pattern.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/Secretary001.jpg


Now you will need to define the knees. For this you will need to set the depth on your tablesaw blade and set up a stop so they are all cut the same.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/Secretary003.jpg


Once you have the pattern transferred and the knees defined you will need to move to the band saw and rough them out. Notice that when I cut I don’ cut the piece all the way off. You can but if you do it will be necessary to reattach the piece with hot glue or tape and this is just a lot faster.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/Secretary004.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/Secretary005.jpg

Once all the legs are roughed out you will need to move to turning the feet if you are doing pad feet. This can be done by hand also but is much faster on a lathe. You will need to chisel away the area on the back of the ankle as you are turning to keep it out of the way.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/Secretary007.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/Secretary008.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/Secretary010.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/Secretary012.jpg

Now that the feet are turned it’s time to start shaping the leg. There are two ways I have found to hold the leg that work for me the first is using a clamp (a pipe clamp works best). The second is to just clamp the block into the vice.

Once you get your leg clamped you will need to start working the leg into shape. This is done using a combination of rasps, a spoke shave and a hand plane. Start working the ankle round and smoothing from the top down. You will want the ankle to be about 1” diameter when you finish. Pay close attention to the knee area. Be very careful not to remove any material where your knee block will glue. It is also important to pay close attention to the direction you remove the material so you don’t end up with blow out where the knee block will attach. Work you way around the leg until the shape is uniform.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/Secretary014.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/Secretary019.jpg

Now that the leg is shaped you will need to cut the upper leg to size. Be sure to keep these cut-offs because they will be used later for your knee blocks. Once the excess is cut off it will just take a little work with a sharp hand plane to clean up the top. You will also need to go back and clean up the knee. Once one leg is complete use that as a visual guide to shape the remaining three.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/Secretary021.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/Secretary022.jpg

[Bruce Page]

Dave, let me be the first to say that I am looking forward to this!

I don't think I'll ever have your natural ability but I still love to learn.

[Jeff Considine]

Athough my skills are woefully inadequate, I find these tutorials to be a great way to learn new stuff, some of which I can even apply to my humble projects.

Speaking for myself, I'd love to see the rest of the project and really appreciate your time, effort and willingness to share techniques and methods I might never get to see any other way.

One of the many things that keeps bringing me back to this group - so many folks willing to share so much.

Thanks again,

Jeff

[Jamie Buxton]

You're going to post the equivalent of a 250-page book on SMC? From the initial post, it is all going to be something I'd want to read and re-read, and stash in my library for the time when I get a chance to tackle one of these masterpieces. That won't be easy if the content is spread over lots of SMC threads. You might consider publishing the book in one big downloadable document. It might be easier for you, and for your readers. I'd cheerfully pay money for such a document.

Comments about the publishing format aside, that sure is a pretty highboy.

[Dave Diaman]

You're going to post the equivalent of a 250-page book on SMC? From the initial post, it is all going to be something I'd want to read and re-read, and stash in my library for the time when I get a chance to tackle one of these masterpieces. That won't be easy if the content is spread over lots of SMC threads. You might consider publishing the book in one big downloadable document. It might be easier for you, and for your readers. I'd cheerfully pay money for such a document.

Comments about the publishing format aside, that sure is a pretty highboy.

I think I will try to keep everything in this post for the build. I will just update it every day until I get it finished. Hopefully you guys will get something out of this. I have started to document every one of my builds now although I go in to even more detail now. My goal is to some day put them together and try to publish them but right now I am too busy cutting dovetails. :o

[Wes Billups]

Dave, I've followed your builds on another forum site. I wanted to say your ability to break these very intricate projects down into step by step procedures makes me think I could accomplish them some day. I do hope to try my hand at these types of projects in the future but right now everything I build is utilitarian due to three small kids.

Thanks for taking the time to document this and sharing it for all of our benefit.

Wes Billups

[Rod Upfold]

Thank you - Dave...appreciated


Rod

[Joe A Faulkner]

As others have said, thanks for posting this project. It is a pleasure to read.

[Stephen Ash]

Thanks for posting, Dave. This is great stuff -- I'm really looking forward to it!

Regards,
Steve

[Dave Diaman]

Once all the shaping is complete on the legs it is time to move onto building the lower portion of the piece. You will need to get the side panels and the back panels glued up along with the piece that will be used for your apron.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild006.jpg

I usually start out by cutting all my mortises while my panels are drying. To lay out the mortises I mark the centerline for with a marking gauge for all the mortise locations. I do this because due to the shape of the legs I have to reference off the back of the leg. No matter how hard I try my legs blocks are never exactly the same size so this is what I do to make sure the panels are flush in the front. There may be a better way to do this but I haven’t found it yet.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild001.jpg

The sides back and front apron all get M & T joints but the drawer dividers all get dovetails. I start with the top which gets a socket dovetail and then go to the center divider which gets a sliding dovetail. You can see in the photos how I use the tablesaw to make relief cuts to make everything easier to lay out and fit tighter. I also use a forstner bit to hog out some of the waste from the socket.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild011.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild012.jpg


http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild013.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild014.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild017.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild015.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild016.jpg

Next it is time to cut all the tenons and get your apron ready. I cut all my tenons on the table saw using a dado blade. This method is demonstrated later. You will also need to cut the tenons to match the mortises you cut. The side and back panels have 3 es 3 ½” tenons.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild018-1.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild020.jpg



After the tenons are cut you can go ahead and layout your apron and profiles for the sides. For this I take a photo of an original and blow the photo up to scale to get my proportions correct. From there with a few basic drafting tools I lay out the apron profile. I only make a template for half and just use it for both sides.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild003.jpg


http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild007.jpg

Once the rough shape it cut out at the bandsaw it’s time to move to the router table and use the pattern you made with a pattern bit. I like to secure the pattern to the back of my pieces using nails. It is a lot less likely to break the pattern than double sided tape is when removed. Once complete at the router table it will take a little more work with a sharp chisel to clean up the inside corners.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild008.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild009.jpg

[Dave Diaman]

Now it is time to move onto the sliding dovetails for the center drawer divider. This can easily be done by hand or using a router bit with a bushing and a guide jig as pictured.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild002-1.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild003-1.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild004-2.jpg

Now that the sliding dovetail is cut assemble the front to get a final measurement for your length. I have found that it is best to wait until this point to cut this since this measurement will be determined by the depth of your dovetails. Once the divider is cut to length you need to add the dovetail to each end. This can be done on the router table using the same bit used for cutting the dovetail or by hand. Since this is only one divider I am going to do this one by hand. For the upper case dividers I will demonstrate how I use the router table.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild005-2.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild007-1.jpg

Define the shoulder with a dovetail saw

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild008-1.jpg

Remove the waste with a chisel working front to back
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild009-1.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild011-1.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild012-1.jpg

Now that the divider is fit and installed the whole front case should be dry assembled. The only thing left to do before adding glue is to add the vertical dividers for the three lower drawers. These are also dovetailed in.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild013-1.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild014.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild015-1.jpg

A little work with a hand plane gets everything flush

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild016.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild017.jpg

[Mikail Khan]

Thanks for posting Dave.

MK

[Joe Leigh]

Thanks Dave, I really appreciate the time and effort it takes to post a tutorial this way. Beautiful work....

[Dave Diaman]

Now the piece is to a point where you can start the glue up process. This needs to be done in stages. If you glue up the whole lower unit at once you will not be able to get your drawer runners and kickers in. I like to glue up the front and back first. I also glue the sides into the front but leave the back joints for the sides dry fit. While the glue is drying you can start taking your measurements and cutting the pieces for your drawer runners and kickers. I will also add that it is usually necessary to go back with a sharp hand plane and make sure the sides and back are flush where the M&T joints meet.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild022.jpg

I like to laminate a piece of secondary wood to the front drawer divides to support my runners. I have found that this method is much easier than cutting all the mortises into the dividers, apron and back. It is much faster because it only requires one set up. The lower set of runners is a mortise and tenon frame. The upper is mortised into the front and nailed in the back. There are tons of different configurations for period pieces so unless you plan to build an exact reproduction find one that works for you and go with it.


http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild025.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild026.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild032.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild028.jpg

This is the center drawer kicker

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild027.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild029.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild030.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/highboybuild033.jpg



The last thing for the interior is to add the kickers for the top drawer and add guides for the drawers to the runners. Use a router bit to cut slots for the kickers and just glue the guides in place. This completes the interior structure.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild014-1.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild015-1.jpg

[Dave Diaman]

Now it’s time to add the last few finishing touches to the lower portion of the chest and move onto the top. First the knee blocks will need to shaped and glued in place. This is where the cut-off from the legs come back into play. Be very careful that the grain matches up or it will stick out like a sore thumb. I rough cut them and get a portion of them shaped while attached to a block. Once that is done they will need to be glued into place and blended into the leg. I do this using a hand plane, some rasps and a little sanding.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild006-1.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild007-1.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild009-1.jpg

The curve at the bottom of the knee still needs to be blended a little but it is just about complete

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild010-1.jpg

Next add glue blocks where the drop finals will eventually go. It is easiest to use your pattern to finish these off after they are rough cut at the bandsaw.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild016-1.jpg

The last thing you will need to do for the base is the first portion of the waist molding that the upper chest will sit on. I cheat a little here and use #20 biscuits in the front for the miters and then a M&T joint in the back.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild001-1.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild002.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild003-1.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild005-1.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild012-1.jpg

Now the lowboy portion of the highboy is done with the exception of the drawers and finals.

[Dave Diaman]

I’ll let everyone digest this and ask questions and add another installment either this evening or tomorrow morning.

[mike holden]

Dave,
What was the reasoning behind cutting the joints on the legs after shaping?
Most instructions have you putting the joints in while the leg blank is square.
Mike

[Dave Diaman]

Dave,
What was the reasoning behind cutting the joints on the legs after shaping?
Most instructions have you putting the joints in while the leg blank is square.
Mike


Because you place your mortise joints relative to the leg block size. Since these are shaped by hand the leg blocks will not all be identical no matter how hard you try. If you put your mortise in the wrong location relative to the outside of the block you will be doing a lot of work with a hand plane. It is much faster to just locate the mortise joint after the leg block is formed.

[gary Zimmel]

This thread will be bookmarked for sure.
Thanks for taking the time to do this.
With only a couple of posts there already is a ton to absorb....

[Prashun Patel]

I'm humbled by yr work - and equally by yr detail to documenting!

[Jeff Monson]

Fantastic Dave, you should really write a book, with your talent and the detail of the tutorial...I'd be a subscriber!! Also its great to see your tools in the pics also...it gives me some hope....I have alot of the same tools, but my project outcome is slightly different.

[John Thompson]

Your tutorial is extremely well organized Dave, so your talent goes well beyond the build itself IMO. I am a decent mechanic after 39 years but have picked up a few goodies here and there as the one mentioned about locating the mortice location after the fact. I design and mainly do A & C so there are few instances that have hand shaped legs as most is rather straight forward design.. so I would probably have over-looked the fact the legs won't be exactly the same in a hand made situation. Even though that is obvious if you give it thought.

Keep up the outstanding tutorial and BTW, I'm not close to top notch by any means but... I take great pride in my joinery and from what I have seen your's is most definitely first class from the "git-go".

Regards...

[Michael MacDonald]

this is great dave... thanks for sharing your trade secrets... I think you will get a lot of followers from this tutorial... I know that I will stay tuned.

[Brent Ring]

Awesome Thread Dave !! I am learning tons as I go. Thanks for the effort.

[Mike Zilis]

Dave,

I'd like to echo the others here who have thanked you for posting your work and so much detail about how it comes together.

If you're willing, I'd love to hear about how you source your materials - local hardwood supplier, mill or some other established relationship? Are your boards picked by hand for the various components of your project or do you decide later how you'll harvest each piece? With so much of your work using highly figured wood, not only must the up front cost be immense but the selection of quality pieces in the lengths, widths and thicknesses you need could be a challenge. Do you "store" quite a bit of choice material or do you purchase just what you need project to project?

Thanks,

Mike

[Sean Nagle]

Great thread. The Queen Anne Bonnet Top Highboy is my pinnacle project. Someday I hope to be so skilled.

[Dave Diaman]

Dave,

I'd like to echo the others here who have thanked you for posting your work and so much detail about how it comes together.

If you're willing, I'd love to hear about how you source your materials - local hardwood supplier, mill or some other established relationship? Are your boards picked by hand for the various components of your project or do you decide later how you'll harvest each piece? With so much of your work using highly figured wood, not only must the up front cost be immense but the selection of quality pieces in the lengths, widths and thicknesses you need could be a challenge. Do you "store" quite a bit of choice material or do you purchase just what you need project to project?

Thanks,

Mike

Mike,
I typically buy from a few select sawyers and tend to stay away from big mills. When I buy material I buy flitch sets in most cases so I know all the material will match. Everything in my storage is color coded by tree as well as dated and numbered so I can put the log back together. On occasion I will buy big batches of material 500-1000 BF and cherry pick it for the best of the best and sell the rest at my cost which usually ends up being a great deal for someone. I am really picky about the material I use and only keep the absolute best figured and widest material. I have some tiger maple sets with boards up to 24” wide and some Honduran mahogany up to 40” wide. I always have around 2000 Bf at any one time. I buy when I find something worth buying. When you are picky about the material you use you have to buy it when it is available so you don’t end up scrambling at the last minute looking for something. When that happens you will usually pay a big premium and in most cases you will not get the best material..

[John Keeton]

Superb tutorial!! Dave, I know this takes a tremendous effort and and an immense amount of time, and it is appreciated. Your skills are well honed, and you have the ability to convey your processes - not an easy task.

Well done!! I look forward to future installments.

[Don Jarvie]

Dave,

This is great stuff. Can you talk about how you prepare to build the piece, what type of research of any, what type of wood, how you are laying out the wood to match the grain, etc.

[Mark Stutz]

Dave,
Another thanks for taking the time to do this, since this is time you would normally spend making money! It will be a while before I can tackle this...hoping to finally unpack my tools and set up shop in another month. Period furniture has long been a goal of mine, but having a map always makes an unknown journey easier.
I'm assuming the dimensions are such that the lowboy could be used as a finished piece by itself. Any changes that should be made for that application? Thanks.

Mark

[Dave Diaman]

Dave,
Another thanks for taking the time to do this, since this is time you would normally spend making money! It will be a while before I can tackle this...hoping to finally unpack my tools and set up shop in another month. Period furniture has long been a goal of mine, but having a map always makes an unknown journey easier.
I'm assuming the dimensions are such that the lowboy could be used as a finished piece by itself. Any changes that should be made for that application? Thanks.

Mark

Mark
Actually the lowboy is not designed to be used as a stand alone piece. Lowboys were typically much smaller. This piece would stand 36” tall and a typically lowboy usually stands right around 30”. It obviously could be scaled down fairly easy though.

[Dave Diaman]

Dave,

This is great stuff. Can you talk about how you prepare to build the piece, what type of research of any, what type of wood, how you are laying out the wood to match the grain, etc.

For preparation for this one I took photos and measurements off an original. In many cases I don’t have access to an original. Since some of the pieces I have reproduced sell for well in to the millions I’m sure you can imagine why. In that case I rely on photos and any information I can find on the original or pieces made by the same person. I have collected a pretty extensive library over the last few years and can just about tell you the page where I can find an example of any one piece. I am very interested in furniture history and read everything I can get my hands on.

As for the material, a lot of that just goes by eye although I feel working from one tree is important. You will notice as you read through the tutorial where I point out a few things on wood selection that will help.

[Dave Diaman]

Now it is time to move on to the upper case. This is basically a big dovetailed box with a bonnet top added. I like to cut my pins first and I typically cut the pins in the top and bottom unless the joint will be seen and then I reverse it. One thing I want to point out here is while these joints need to fit well and be strong they are only structural so don’t waste a lot of time trying to make them the prettiest joints on the piece.

For this piece I milled the sides and top to ¾” and the bottom to 5/8” this is done so the waist molding will cover up the dovetails. For this piece I resawed a thicker board and book matched it for the sides since I didn't want to use a single wide board.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild011-1.jpg

A little work with a hand plane and the panel is ready to go. You can ignore the finger in the shot :o

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild013-1.jpg

Once all the panels are done I start by laying out all the pins on the top and bottom. This is done using a wheel marking gauge, a pencil and a shop made dovetail layout tool. Once this is complete use a hand saw to cut to the score line created with the wheel marking gauge.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild018.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild019.jpg


Once all the hand sawing is complete there is a lot of material to remove. I like to hog out the bulk of the material one of two ways. Both have their benefits. The first is to use a router with a stop set up and a straight bit. This is slower and much easier to make a mistake doing. The advantage is there is very little clean up after you finish with a chisel. The second is A trick I learned from Glen Huey. I use a jig saw to cut the bulk of the material out. When you get to the pin just rock the saw back until the piece falls off. This requires a lot more cleanup but this is the method I prefer since it seems a lot faster. Remember the joints need to fit well but don’t need to be pretty.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild020.jpg


http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild021.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild022.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild023.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild025.jpg


Once the pins are done it is time to mark the tails and get them cut. Notice the relief cut I made in the pin socket. This makes it a lot easier to remove the waste.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild001-2.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild002-1.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild003-2.jpg

Once all the dovetails are cut and fitted the dados for the drawer dividers and the rabbet for the back boards need to be cut at the tablesaw using a stacked dado. The dados are 1/8” deep. The rabbet in the back is 5/8 deep and 1/2" wide. these steps can be interchanged with the dovetailing. I just prefer to cut my dovetails first.

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[Dave Diaman]

The dados and rabbet are in so now its time to cut the dovetail sockets that the drawer dividers will slide into. This is done using a simple router jig with a ¾” guide bushing and a ¾” dovetail bit. Once the dovetails are routed out clean up the edge with a hand plane

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There are still a few things that need to be done to the case but I like to do that later after I make the bonnet top. At this I dry fit the case together and square it and get my measurements for the drawer dividers and drawer runner components. I cut the dovetails for my drawer dividers using the same ¾” dovetail bit I used earlier and just move it ti the router table.

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You will need to cut all the M&T joints in the drawer dividers and the drawer runner components. There are also additional dovetails cut for the top drawer dividers. Two things to take notice of is the space between the drawer runners and where the back boards will be. You will need to leave about ¼” for seasonal movement. The other is the split tenon for the top center drawer. This is done due to the dovetail that needs to be added.

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Next it is time to move onto the bonnet top. Making the template is a place where you should spend a little extra time. Making a good template will save you a lot of time in the future.

Make your template and layout the profile on the top scroll board. Notice that this is two boards glued up but the bulk is one board. The top 2 ¾” will be covered by the gooseneck molding so there is no point in wasting a 17” wide board on it. I personally think that a single board for the section not covered by the molding is a must. This part of the piece really draws the eye and a glue up will really take away from the piece.

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Move to the bandsaw or use a jigsaw to rough cut the top. After the rough cutting is done move to the router table with a pattern bit. Once again I like to nail my pattern to the back. Be very careful here. Due to all the grain direction changes it is very easy to get in a hurry and ruin your 14” wide board here.

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Now that the scroll board is cut I take a measurement off the ends and the top of the case will need to be notched to accept the scroll board. Once this is done I glue up the whole case minus the scroll board which still needs a little work and is just dry fit at this point.

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Cut the dovetails and make the drawer dividers for the top three drawers

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It is also best to install the runners for the secret drawers at this point before the scroll board goes on. They are just a basic wooden L bracket joined with some glue and reproduction nails.

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[Dave Diaman]

Now it is time to put the finishing touches on the scroll board before it is installed.

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Now that all the carving is done you can glue the scroll board to the case. This is attached using glue and screws in the locations where the molding will cover. You will also need to attach the drawer dividers to the scroll board. This is done using glue and a few ¼” dowels. The scroll board should sit a little proud on either side and will need to be trimmed flush with a hand plane. The same can be done with the drawer dividers to make a nice joint.




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[Jason Strauss]

Dave,

This is excellent! I can't believe how manageable you make this process look - lots of practice, I'm sure.

Out of curiosity, how long (in days or hours) have you spent on this piece to get to this point?

[Dave Diaman]

To this point is about 5 days

[Sam Layton]

Hi Dave,

Thank you for the tutorial. It is very interesting. I look forward to each section. Do you do your own finishing? Also do you mind sharing the finishing schedule?

Thanks again, Sam

[Dave Diaman]

Sam,
Yes, I do all my own finishing. This is a complete step by step tutorial and I will cover the finish I used for this particular piece near the end. I think I have covered about 125 pages of the document I made so far so I am about at the halfway point right now. With some of the build I go into a little more detail which requires a lot of photos.

[Michael Handrinos]

Well done Dave! I'm glad you decided to go ahead with the tutorial. I have a better understanding of the process of building such a piece. Picked up some tips along the way too. Thanks

Mike

[Tom Welch]

Dave,
Great job, thanks for posting this. You have inspired me to try a build. Again thank you.

[Sam Layton]

Thanks Dave. It is very interesting seeing how the project is broken down into sections. Thanks for your work in sharing with all of us.

Sam

[Dave Diaman]

With the scroll board in place the rear portion of the bonnet can now be made. This is done by tracing the front scroll board profile onto the back piece. I then like to use my template at the router table again to make sure the two profiles are exactly the same.

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You will now need to cut the piece that joins the front and rear pieces. I put this in place and transfer the profile from the scroll board. I then move to the jointer and hog the majority of the material off that needs to be removed. After all the bonnet top pieces are glued and screwed in place you can then complete the profile with a hand plane until it matches in the front and back.

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The last thing to be done before moving onto the molding is the blocking for the center final and the returns. Once again I use the pattern to shape the blocking for the scroll board returns.

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[Dave Diaman]

Now it is time to start on the gooseneck molding. Before you start this you need to plan to spend the better part of the day at the router table. Up to this point everything you have seen represents 5 days worth of labor. The gooseneck molding takes me at least half a day. This is a place where there is no fast way to work unless you have a $600 set of custom router bits. Slow and careful is the way to go because if you get hasty and make a mistake you will more than likely have to start over from square one again.
You want to start by making a pattern for your molding from your scroll board template.

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For this piece I milled 8/4 stock down to 1 3/4” thick. I use my template to create the bottom profile for the molding and leave the extra material on the top for support. Remember you will need a right and a left along with enough for your sides and returns. You will want to leave enough material at the top and bottom to allow you to clamp the pieces for mitering. You will need to start by sketching out the rough profile of the molding on the end of one of your molding pieces. This will be the piece you use for positioning as you remove material

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This is actually molding for a different bonnet top piece but it will give you the idea.

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I made a guide that attaches to my TS fence to allow for easy adjustment. For cutting the cove I use a 2 ¼” cove cutter. This step takes many passes. The final passes should be very light cuts to make sure they are a clean as possible.

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Cove cut. It tool A LOT of passes to get to this point.

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Next is an ovolo bit to do the top round over.

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The final cut I did with a ¼” round over bit. There are obviously many different profiles that can be made using a huge variety of bit configurations and sizes.

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Once all the routing is complete the rest is done with hand tools. A gooseneck scraper and carving gouges will help you smooth out the profile. After everything is smooth cut the molding to its rough shape at the bandsaw. The final shaping of the top profile I like to do using a hand plane, scrapers and rasps. This could also be done with a OSS.

Now we move on to attaching the molding. Be VERY careful here. If you mess this up there are no second chances. First clamp the molding in place and secure it with screws to the scroll board. Remember that the molding will need to sit 1/8” proud at the top to allow for the bonnet hood later. The screws will help you relocate it in the exact same place once the miters are cut. Mark the molding with a marking knife. I would advise against using a pencil for this step as it just isn’t accurate enough. I cut my miters at the miter saw. If the fence is tall enough you can clamp directly to the fence. If not you will need to make a board to attach the molding to while you cut it. This is where the extended sections of the molding will make your like easier for securing it parallel to the miter saw surface.

I completely forgot to take photos of this step. What can I say I was a little busy . Anyway I will try my best to explain how I cut the miters. You will need to use the extra length you have on the molding to secure the molding in the parallel to the miter saw table to cut the miters. I have a pretty tall fence on my miter saw and am able to clamp the molding directly to that. If you can’t do that you will need to attach the molding to a piece of plywood to hold it in place. You will need to notch the ply so you can cut the molding with the saw.

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[Dave Diaman]

For the bonnet hood I like to use the same secondary wood I use for the rest of the piece. In this case I use poplar. A two board glue up works well here. This material will need to be milled down to 1/8” thick. Using a sled on the planer will make it go a little easier.

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You can reinforce the piece by contact cementing a piece of fabric to the back or using some reproduction monofilament tape J A little trick I picked up from Chuck Bender is to wet the board prior to putting it on. This will cause the board to cup and fit to the profile. If you wet the wood properly on opposite sides the board will cup to the profile you need from the water alone. I secure the hood using reproduction nails. I do pre drill all the hold to avoid splitting the thin wood.

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[Dan Friedrichs]

Astounding, Dave. What I would do to have 1% of your talent...
Thank you for taking the time to write this up - as others have said, you make it look so easy and present it such a clear manner. If you ever wrote a book like this, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Your writing has that simple clarity that makes it look so easy.

[Dave Diaman]

Now we will move onto the drawers and finish up with the carving. The first thing to do for the drawers is to mill and cut all the drawer fronts to size. For this piece I mill the drawer fronts to 7/8” This is to allow for the carving to be done later. The drawers will all get a 3/16” round over on all sides and a rabbet on three sides (top and both sides). You should have 1/8” clearance total on the sides and top so the drawers slide easily. The sides will be cut based on the size of the drawer front. The back will be cut to width based on the front but the height will be ¾” less than the sides to allow for the bottom to slide in. All the sides are milled to 1/2” thick

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Now I will go over how I cut my drawer dovetails. There are tons of ways to do this but this is the way that has worked the best for me. I use a combination of hand tools and power tools to make the process go as quickly as possible while still maintaining the hand cut period look.

First I will start out with the tools you will need. You are going to need a marking gauge (I like a wheel style), a dovetail or Japanese saw, a dovetail layout tool (mine is a shop made 12 deg), a small square , a sharp pencil, a mallet and some sharp chisels. You will not need every size chisel known to man. I rarely use anything other than a 1/4” and a 5/8”. I do like to have a paring chisel though because Japanese chisels can do a number on your hand if you are paring with one all day a fishtail chisel will also make cleaning the tail sockets easier but isn't a "have to have tool".

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I layout my pins on my drawer back using the drawer sides as a guide for the pin depth. I then cut the drawer back pins with a dovetail saw. I then move to the drill press and using a forstner bit hog out the bulk of the waste. Two things you will need to ensure here are that your score line is deep and that you have a backer board behind the drawer back to keep the bottom from blowing out. You will also not want to get too close to the score line or you may still end up with blowout on the back.

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Once the bulk of the waste is hogged out the cleanup is done with chisels and a mallet.

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I then move to the drawer front. The process is basically the same. The one thing I will point out is the overcut. This is seen in most period pieces. If you look at just about any antique the dovetails are almost always overcut to make clean up easier.

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Once the drawer front and back are cleaned up they are used to make the pattern for cutting your tails. I mark the back tails first. I do this because it is easy to tell where the top of the drawer is after this is marked. It just makes it a little less likely that you will make a mistake. If you mark the front first it is a good idea to mark the top of the drawer so you don’t get it turned around when marking the back. I just use a sharp pencil to mark the tails.

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[Dave Diaman]

Once the front and back are marked I like to use the bandsaw to cut out the pin sockets. A hand saw can be used also but the bandsaw is much faster for several reasons. The bandsaw has a much larger kerf so less waste is left in the pin sockets. This makes for much easier clean up since a hand saw has a much smaller kerf. Using the bandsaw also keeps you from extending the marks across the end of the board since the saw is already at 90 deg to the work piece. This may not seem like much but when you are cutting hundreds of dovetails it really adds up and can save you hours.

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Now all that is left to do before glue up is to cut the dado that the drawer bottom will slide into. Once the drawer is glued up and square go back and trim the dovetails flush with a hand plane and it’s time to make the bottom. This drawer is just dry fit and still needs to be glued up and cleaned up.

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The bottom is made from a 5/8” thick solid wood panel. It is chamfered on three sides to slide into the ¼” dados that were cut into the drawer. I will cover the drawer bottomas a little later in the build.

[Dave Diaman]

Now I will move onto the carving. This is one of the most basic carvings out there so don’t be intimidated by it. This is very simple and requires minimal tools.

I will start out by covering the carving tools you will need. There are many different good quality tools out there so I will just give you the basic profile and size you will need. For starters you will need a V grooving tool. Second you will need a large gouge something like a #2 or #3/20 for removing the bulk of the material. You will also need a small back bent gouge and a chisel (3/4” will be good).

Here is how I layout the fan. The size of the fan is based on the original I am working from. I blew it to full size using a photo program and got the large dimension. From there I wing it using basic drafting tools. You can see in the photos the sequence I use to layout the fan.

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The bottom fan actually extends down into the apron. Later I will show you how I remove the material from the apron to make this blend together. For the top fan the drawer front it set in place and marked to get the depth of the bottom of the fan.

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Once you have the fan drawn on the drawer it is time to start removing material. I start by establishing the depth at the lowest point on the shell. I do this either with the drill press or with a 1/8” drill bit and a stop. I drill holes around the shell to the maximum depth that the fan will be carved to. I then move to the bottom. I have found that this step is easiest to do using a router. I hog the bulk of the material out using a ½” straight bit and clean it up with a chisel. These two steps are interchangeable as you will see in the photos.

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I then move to the fan and start removing the bulk of the material from the fan. I define the boundary for the center and remove out from there working my way down to the bottom of the holes I drilled. The key to carving tiger maple is to pay close attention to the grain direction and keep super sharp tools. If the tool will not pop the hair off your arm any longer it needs sharpened. If you get an area that is particularly difficult you can wet the wood a little and that will help.

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Once the rough shape is formed you will need to smooth the area out. It is best to do this using a scraper. If you chose to use sand paper make sure the blow the piece off using compressed air. If ant grit is left it will destroy the edge on your carving tools and you will spend more time sharpening than carving.

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[Dave Diaman]

Now use the layout lines from earlier and redefine the rays. Use the v tool to carve out the divisions. Once all the divisions are carved go back with the back bent gouge and round the edges of each division.

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Use the v tool once again to define the outer edge of the fan. Then carve the concave portion at the end of each blade of the fan using a large gouge (I used a #5/18). Finally blend the edges of the bottom of the fan using a gouge and clean everything up using files, scrapers and sand paper.


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[Dave Diaman]

Now we will move onto the finials. This starts out as just basic spindle turning and finishes up with a little carving. There are tons of patters available online or from books to use. I took a basic design and tweaked it until it looked like the photo I was working from.

You will want to start by making a story stick from your drawing.

This starts with a 2 ¾” square piece of stock. Make sure you gave plenty of extra length and turn the piece round. Once the piece if round use your story stick to turn the divisions of the spindle to diameter using a caliper.

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Once all the divisions are defined start roughing the spindle out. I use a gouge for all my concave areas and a skew for all the convex areas. Everything here is done by eye with the divisions you already defined with the calipers to guide you. Make sure you leave a large chunk at the tail end of the piece. This will be used later to mark the swirl pattern. I also use a ½” wrench to turn the tenon to size so I know it is exact.

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]

Sand everything smooth and use this as a guide to turn the two remaining finials.

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Now it is time to start marking for the carving. Use the center lines to break the spindle into four segments. I can cut a small saw kerf at the end of each line to lock the piece in place. I typically just push my tool rest against it to hold it and draw a division line using the tool rest as a guide.

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Once the flame part is broke down into for equal segments it will need to be divided by the number of times the flame spirals.

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When that is done use a piece of cardboard or plastic to lay out the spirals for the flame.

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Take a hand saw and clamp a depth stop on it and cut at the center of each division to get the depth for the spirals.

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Use a carving gouge (I use a #8-10) to remove the bulk of the material the use rasps, files and sand paper to smooth the spirals out.

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http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild037-1.jpg

Nothing high tech here

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild036-1.jpg

Trim the base and top off with a saw and use a gouge to cut the final to a point at the top. Once again use the files and sand paper to extend the spirals to the top.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild038-1.jpg

Turn the drop finials in the same manner.
Next will be the finishing touches and the actual finishing

[Dave Diaman]

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild040.jpg

[Jeff Monson]

Dave this is such a great thread, thanks again for taking the time, the center portion of the gooseneck molding, are those both small mitred returns or did you profile the end of the molding?

[Dave Diaman]

They are small mitered returns. The just extend to the back of the blocking added in one of the previous steps.

[Ben Hatcher]

Great stuff, Dave. Thank you for taking the time to put this together.

[mreza Salav]

I enjoy watching it! and have bookmarked it just in case I dare to build one of these. Thanks for the step-by-step photos!

[Dave Diaman]

Hey guys, I have one or two more posts to go to finish everything up. As soon as I have time to get all the photo links in I will get the rest up. It has been a little crazy trying to make a few deadlines the last few days so I am falling a little behind.:o

[Van Huskey]

You have my complete RESPECT!!! The tutorial is great. The piece is beyond great.

[Dave Diaman]

First I will go over how I make the drawer bottoms. I like to put the drawer bottoms in after I dye the drawer fronts. I do this because no mater how hard I try I always end up getting some dye on the drawers. Having the bottoms off makes it easier to clean the dye off.

I cut all my drawer bottoms to size and use a panel raiser to bevel the edges. The bottoms only get beveled on three sides. This step can also be done on the table saw by tilting the blade to 15 degrees.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild009-8.jpg

Once the bevel is complete a saw cut needs to be added to the back of the drawer to allow a slot for expansion and contraction. The slot will need to be the thickness of the back of the drawer and the width of the TS blade.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild010-8.jpg

Slide the bottom into the drawer and secure it with a reproduction nail. Glue the bottom into the drawer front so the movement happens at the back.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild011-8.jpg

Add a little wax to the bottoms of the sides so the drawers slide easily. I like to use paraffin or a product called slideze (sp)

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild012-7.jpg

For the bottom drawer you will need to remove some material from the apron. This is done with a router and carving gouges using the drawer to define the right and left borders and depth of cut

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild011-7.jpg

Hog out the bulk of the waste with a router.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild012-6.jpg

Finish the clean up with some gouges and scrapers.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild013-7.jpg

[Dave Diaman]

Now the blocking and holes for the finals.

Here are the blocks with the holes for the finials

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild003-7.jpg

The top beading is made using a ¼” beading bit.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild005-7.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild007-5.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild008-5.jpg

The blocks will need to be cut to match the profile of the top. Once again use the template for the scroll board to get the profile and clean it up using hand tools.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild002-6.jpg

You will need to clamp these up in a vice and clean them up with a hand plane to remove any shoulder.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild004-5.jpg

Now you will need to drill the holes for the center finial and the two drop finials. I like to use a black with a ½” hole drilled at the drill press as a guide to make sure the hole is drilled in the proper orientation.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild009-7.jpg

Finials in place

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild010-7.jpg

The last thing before the finish is the waist molding. This needs to have about a 1/32” gap around the top to allow the top to slide on and off easily.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild022-4.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild021-5.jpg

[Dave Diaman]

Time for the finish

For starters I use a spray bottle to spray the whole piece down with water to raise the grain. This is to prep it for the aniline dye. And if you are not dyeing the piece this step can be skipped. After the piece dries I go back and give everything a light sanding with P220 to knock off the fuzzies. Don’t over sand or this is a wasted step.

I dye the drawers by hand with a foam brush and soak the piece down making sure I get everything well soaked. I keep the piece wet for about 5 minutes then remove the excess dye with an old t-shirt.

Once dry I move onto the oil. I use a blend of tung oil and varnish and flood the piece again keeping it wet for about 10 minutes and the removing the excess.

After waiting 24 hrs I lightly sand the piece and then spray it with a 1 lb cut of dewaxed shellac. I usually put on at least 3 good coats sanding between.

For this piece I added a glaze because it just needed something to highlight the carving. This step was done after 2 coats of shellac. For the glaze I just used a can of walnut Minwax gel stain I had. When you glaze the piece you will cover the whole piece with the stain but really pay attention to all the cracks and crevices and make sure you get plenty of dye in them. Work in sections so the dye doesn’t dry on you and muddy the finish.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild003-8.jpg

Before

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild001-6.jpg

After

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild004-6.jpg

The difference is much more dramatic in person.

After the glaze is on add another coat of two of shellac. At this point the piece can either be rubbed out with steel wool or a top coat of lacquer can be added. This piece gets a coat of satin lacquer.

The final step is to add the back. The back is made of 5/8” poplar that is ship lapped. I leave a space the thickness of a nickel between the boards to allow them to expand and contract. I normally install the back boards on site when I deliver the piece so the piece is easier to move. Here is a picture of the back of a different piece so you can see how it is attached.


http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Furniture/WMHighboy012.jpg

After you add the hardware it is all done

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild013-6.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild014-5.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild015-5.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild016-5.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/eoddave/Highboy%20build/highboybuild017-4.jpg

[Mikail Khan]

Wow. Fantastic work. thanks for the tutorial.

MK

[Michael Handrinos]

Great looking piece Dave. Thanks for sharing.

Mike

[Stephen Ash]

Spectacular! Thanks for posting this tutorial...

Regards,
Steve

[mreza Salav]

Very very nice! Once again, I appreciate all the step by step photos. It's a great service to this community.

[Dan Lee]

Awesome. Why hasn't this thread got a 5 star rating. I voted

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Fascinating thread, Dave. I am in awe!

[Dave Diaman]

I am glad everyone seem so be getting something out of this. Where are all the questions though? My instructions can’t possibly be that clear.

[Michael Arruda]

Dave,

Great tutorial! Thanks so much for all the great info. I will be implementing some of what I have learned on other projects- and some day, perhaps, a highboy.

2 questions-
1. For the gooseneck molding, wouldn't it be so much easier and faster to grind some slip knives to run the profile on a shaper?

2. I can't carve my way out of a paper sack. I know I'd lose "street cred," but what do you think about doing the drawer carving work on a CNC? I have one of those. :)

I know after reading through it again, I'll have more questions for you, but, aside from being there, I think your explanations were plenty thorough.

-Michael

[Shawn Russell]

As a beginner, this is a great thread.. I see so many of basics that I am now practicing coming together in one piece. Many thanks for taking the time to take pictures and the doing the write up.

[Dave Diaman]

Dave,

Great tutorial! Thanks so much for all the great info. I will be implementing some of what I have learned on other projects- and some day, perhaps, a highboy.

2 questions-
1. For the gooseneck molding, wouldn't it be so much easier and faster to grind some slip knives to run the profile on a shaper?

2. I can't carve my way out of a paper sack. I know I'd lose "street cred," but what do you think about doing the drawer carving work on a CNC? I have one of those. :)

I know after reading through it again, I'll have more questions for you, but, aside from being there, I think your explanations were plenty thorough.

-Michael

Michael,
It would be a lot easier to cut the gooseneck molding on a shaper but I don’t own one. You could also get a set of custom made router bits but they are about $500-600 a set. Glen Huey demonstrates how to cut gooseneck molding with custom router bits in one of his books. He also demonstrates how to cut the molding using a hand held router. Personally I have found that I have much better control when moving the molding v/s the router but it is all about what you feel comfortable doing.

As for the carving, it could be done on a CNC but you would defiantly lose some cool points on a period piece. A carving done on a CNC would stick out like a sore thumb to someone who knows what they are looking. I actually have access to a CNC router but part of the character of this pieces is the hand carved accents. This carving really isn’t that hard. I have only been carving for a little over a year. I started by buying a basic set of carving tools and reading a few Fine Woodworking articles. I do use a router to hog away some of the waste to save some time but I carve the last 1/16” by hand to maintain the hand carved look.

[Ben Hatcher]

Dave, I like your style of hogging out most of the material with power tools and doing the last bits by hand. Seems to be the perfect balance of speed and detail.

[Jeff Monson]

Dave, could you recemmond some carving tools to get started? A good set or a few good choices?

Thanks

[Sam Layton]

Dave, thanks again for posting this tutorial.

How long does the build take from start to finish? Also how long does the finishing take?

Thanks again Dave. I have enjoyed this thread. Sam

[Dave Diaman]

Jeff,
I would avoid buying carving sets. I have found that you will come out a lot better buying tools as you need them based on what you are carving. For the fan you can probably get away with a v tool, #3/12 and a small back bent gouge. I think after every carver starts carving more and more you will start to develop a style you feel comfortable with and will start to notice you have several “go to” tools you always use. One thing I would caution you against is buying cheap tools. I would also suggest you get something you can hit with a mallet and avoid the palm carving sets and the Flex Cut tools. I personally buy Pfeil but that is just because that is what is available at Woodcraft and they generally have a good selection. There are a lot of good tools out there though. One of the best ways to learn to carve is to just go through some back issues of FWW or Popular Woodworking and look for carving projects. Nora Hall also has a really good DVD on carving a Newport shell. Generally each of the articles or DVD’s will give you a suggested list of tools and you can build your collection from there.

Sam
That piece took me about 7 days to build and probably another full day of labor to finish although that was broken up over several days. I have become pretty efficient at building highboys and can get through one fairly quick as long as I don’t hit any major snags.

[Sam Layton]

Thanks David,

That is amazing, it would take me more than 7 days just to think about it...

Great job, Sam

[Bruce Bosse]

Thanks Dave, I found this useful when I made mine. For a video of making the bonnet top one might try Matt Cremona on youtube or use this link for a 2nd video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8xXEk3iASo

[Jerry Olexa]

Exceptional work...VERY well done,,,Great attention to the details!!!!

[woody dixon]

Dave,

I just came across this thread. Great stuff. One thing I couldn't figure out on the first page was your method of marking the leg mortises. Could you explain how you "mark the centerline of the mortise" . I just finished a project where I had to do a lot of adjustment to get the sides flush with the legs so I would like to be able to avoid that in the future. Thanks.

Woody

[Robert LaPlaca]

Woody, I am not Dave, but I have built two highboys similar to the ones detailed int this tutorial.

What I do is saw the leg posts fat, for instance if the leg posts are to be 1 1/4” square, I saw them 1 5/16”, the mortises are marked out from the two inside faces of the leg post as if the leg post was cut 1 1/4”. The extra 1/16” on the outside of the leg post is flushed up with a sharp plane after the legs, sides, back and front are glued up.

Hope this helps..

[Ron Brese]

This is great stuff Dave!

Ron

[Charlie Jones]

I am totally impressed. It would take me a lot longer than 7 days. When ever I work with figured work I keep getting tear out.