A new project...

[Zach Dillinger]

Well, I'm finally ready to get back into my woodshop after a summer of car restoration.

I've been thinking about building this little hanging cabinet for a long time. It is basically the hood of a tall case clock but with a divided light sash door in place of the single piece of glass.


http://galootcentral.com/components/cpgalbums/userpics/10486/gooseneck_cabinet.JPG

So, I played a bit with Sketchup the other night (not my usual method but I wanted to get the unusual facade proportions as close as possible to the original). Here is my working model. What do you all think? Any interest in following along with a build of this thing? I'm aiming to have it ready to display with SAPFM at the Detroit Institute of Arts in March.


http://galootcentral.com/components/cpgalbums/userpics/10486/gooseneck_front.jpg

http://galootcentral.com/components/cpgalbums/userpics/10486/gooseneck_iso.jpg

http://galootcentral.com/components/cpgalbums/userpics/10486/gooseneck_rear_iso.jpg

[Chris Griggs]

I always have interest in your builds Zach! Nice work with the sketchup model. I use the program pretty frequently but often do a more quick and sloppy job than that. I would enjoy seeing how you do the sash work and molding/carving on the front in particular.

[David Weaver]

I think it needs exposed half blinds on the case and some long through tenons through the door stiles. :)

[Adam Maxwell]

I'd definitely be interested in how you build it; it'll probably be a 2-3 day project for you, right? The proportions of the piece are intriguing (in some cases, odd, to my eye). Are the muntins, rails, and stiles all about the same width? Was it originally a standalone piece just like this? I need a new bookcase at home, but sized more like a breakfront :).

[Jack Curtis]

The muntins in the photo seem too heavy relative to the rails and stiles and case size; whereas the sketchup drawing seems to have better proportions.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Love to see any WIP on this guy, but particularly how you tackle the curved moldings. Love to see any of how this happens.

[John Powers]

the size of the cabinet doesn't seem to justify the top. not sure it's proportion. like putting Lincoln's stovepipe on a dwarf. I lack the rhetorical gifts to really express what I mean. It seems to shout, hey, I'm a little cabinet with a big top. might need a clock under it.

[Mel Fulks]

It's an unusual piece,may be unique. Many unique forms are country pieces and that is the charm. I don't think he's wants
to improve the design, just copy it. I will certainly follow the build.

[Zach Dillinger]

Yup the proportions are a little funky, but that is part of what attracts me to it. I will for sure write it up as I go. I saw this piece in an antiques dealer's ad and I have never seen another like it. The original is in spanish cedar according to the dealer, so I will be using that to copy it. Should make the carving pretty easy. Hopefully I will be getting started this weekend. Will take plenty of pics.

[Federico Mena Quintero]

I'd love to see how Zach builds this.

The bonnet seems excessive... but could you put a little ornate pigeonhole in it, to hold a fat little dictionary or something? Like how Studley's chest has an ornate hole for a Stanley #1?

[Christopher Charles]

I'll follow along. Am curious about the dimensions--the shelves look smaller than standard book size; a unique piece that would be perfect for the right spot in a house, or that would be really "obvious" if not well placed. Very cool!

C

[Zach Dillinger]

This question came up on another forum. Yes, I will do the molding and carving on the goosenecks, I just have no idea how to make it look right in Sketchup! And I had to make one dimensional change to the design. I forgot the correct overall depth and made it too shallow. I corrected the model and it is now 11 3/4" deep as it should be.

[Zach Dillinger]

I made another couple of modifications. I think this is how I will actually build this piece.

http://galootcentral.com/components/cpgalbums/userpics/10486/gooseneck_secret_drawer.jpg

I added a secret document drawer that pulls out from the right side of the top. The molding will actually be the drawer front. It could easily be done so that it opens from either side to suit your home.

http://galootcentral.com/components/cpgalbums/userpics/10486/gooseneck_top_iso.jpg

The top will be permanently fixed, but this shows you how it works. The drawer itself will be locked with a sliding bar secret lock accessed by opening the door, then inserting a dowel into a small hole drilled into the top of the case, which will push a spring lock of my own design. I will have a more detailed drawing of that soon, maybe today.

[George Bokros]

I want to follow your build, it is an interesting piece. For my taste the case needs to be a bit taller in the body with that tall of a pediment on top. Just my taste and thoughts.

[Zach Dillinger]

Your tastes match my own, I'm just intrigued by the original. Gotta make it the way it was made, at least as far as overall looks are concerned!

[Federico Mena Quintero]

That secret drawer is really cool!

[Zach Dillinger]

I thought so too. Just hate seeing extra space go to waste... :)

[Zach Dillinger]

Significant progress has been made. Rather than flood all of you with information and pictures here, I just posted them to my blog.


I'm having a problem with my pictures not acting like thumbnails, but you can still see enough to know what I am talking about.

Zach

276184276185

[roger m lance]

Zach....add me to the list of members who would follow your build.....and since I live in Grand Rapids, I also would like to meet some day.....here or there.

[Mike Allen1010]

Zach, I always enjoy your work and look forward to following along with the build – thank you for posting the pics. Hand tool, project builds are my favorite posts – always fun to see nice wood and hand tool construction pics!

All the best, Mike

[Chris Griggs]

Nice progress Zach! I like the addition of secret drawers to everything. I'm designing a window seat/bench right now that will have some built in storage, and you have inspired me to find away to put a secret compartment in there as well.

[Sean Hughto]

Like the drawer, but I'd stick with a mitered molding.

[Zach Dillinger]

Like the drawer, but I'd stick with a mitered molding.

The molding will definitely be mitered, just like the original. I'm not good enough with Sketchup to make it look right in the exported picture.

[Zach Dillinger]

Zach....add me to the list of members who would follow your build.....and since I live in Grand Rapids, I also would like to meet some day.....here or there.

Sounds good Roger. The snow is will be flying (again) soon.

[Zach Dillinger]

I have made some progress on the facade. Rather than bore you with repetitive pictures and descriptions of techniques already discussed on my site, I skipped over documenting the process of shaping the curved molding blanks. I followed the same process already discussed previously on the facade back with only one exception...

I clamped the roughly-shaped molding blank to the backer board and used a rasp to shape them as perfectly as I could. I then used that line to shape the inside edge of the molding blank. By doing the steps like this, I ensured that the two edges are parallel with each other (except towards the top of piece, where the width of the molding should slightly narrow). Shaping the bottom edge is nearly impossible once the piece is glued down, so it must be done now. I also cut the miters on the molding blanks, as this would have been difficult to do later on.

After this was complete, I then glued the blanks into place using hide glue. Once the glue was set, I rasped down any slight inconsistencies between the edges and sanded them by hand to 220. This is the last time I will touch the outside edge unless I mistake... knock on wood. I also smoothed down the back of the facade board and cut a shallow rabbet with my moving fillister to ensure that the board is a consistent thickness where it glues on to the top of the case... no need to make the whole thing the same thickness, just that small area.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uouLRw0zF6E/UrNaMscDCpI/AAAAAAAAA1U/6Fr-hfSdiMU/s320/20131218_204843.jpg

Once done with this, I started to lay out the volutes. I used a purfling cutter (with only one tooth extended) to mark the curved edge of the fillet at the top of the molding. These two lines (the outside of the molding and the marked edge) will define the area of the volute that is left untouched. Everything else will be carved or shaped away.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v2JvT-5UCwQ/UrNaMhKuW5I/AAAAAAAAA1Q/W8my5CmuXWs/s320/20131218_204805.jpg

Over the holiday, I will be carving the volutes and shaping the molding, as well as building the sash door. Slap a finish on this baby, install some hardware, and it will be ready for photography / sale... although a nice inlayed mariner's compass would look outstanding on the facade (smaller than the example shown)... maybe a half mariner's compass emanating up from the door to resemble the tombstone effect seen on many clock hoods... might have to go buy some ebony and holly veneer from Johnsons Workbench on Saturday...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s6J8r2Lxr7o/UrNaMtEl2ZI/AAAAAAAAA1M/8r2AAik-cJ4/s320/20131218_214239.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FqiLpsa-KhA/UrNaNSGBFTI/AAAAAAAAA1g/j_QbrQvev1M/s320/20131218_214408.jpg

[Zach Dillinger]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UVOjI-ASp3A/UrxWBTj-L6I/AAAAAAAAA3g/3k2boFBi54g/s400/gooseneck.jpg

Here is my progress over the long holiday weekend (five days off).

I carved the gooseneck moldings by hand. Took about an hour each. Not nearly as difficult as it looks, by the way. Writeup on how to is on my blog.

I also designed, made and inlayed a compass rose design. It wasn't in the original piece, but it certainly fits the period of work (c.1790) and geographic location (New England) of the original. It just needed something to combat the "fivehead" syndrome of the original. I think I made the right choice.

Anyway, I hope you all had a great Holiday and another coming up.

Zach

[Chris Griggs]

You're the man Zach!

[Zach Dillinger]

You're the man Zach!

Thanks Chris. I just keep plugging away. Gotta have this done by early January.

[Tony Wilkins]

Very nice. Thanks for keeping inspiring me.

[Zach Dillinger]

Sash door is pretty much done. A couple of spots need a little more attention before I can glue it up. I am rapidly closing in on finishing this little cabinet (which is a good thing... I'm on a deadline!)

Not too bad for an hour and a half and some hand tools, I dare say, although this isn't my first sash rodeo...

278133

[Zach Dillinger]

278859

Well, she is pretty much done. The door has been glazed, the piece has been finished and the shelf paper is in place. I just have to trim the paper flush to the back edge and then take her down to my new basement photo studio for proper pics. This has been great fun!

I will post the "studio" pics as well, but thought you all might like a sneak peek in a more realistic context.

[Chris Griggs]

Looks great Zach! I'm always inspired by your work. Your sash work is great. That's a skill I don't have at all, that I should pick a project to learn it on. IIRC you have an instructional post somewhere on your blog about sash work/sash fillister planes.

[Zach Dillinger]

Looks great Zach! I'm always inspired by your work. Your sash work is great. That's a skill I don't have at all, that I should pick a project to learn it on. IIRC you have an instructional post somewhere on your blog about sash work/sash fillister planes.

Thanks Chris. There is a intro on sash fillisters on my blog, but I'm not allowed to link to it here...

Ironically, this piece didn't use a sash fillister. I simply used a moving fillister to cut the glazing rabbets and the rabbets to establish the ovolo moldings. On a piece this small, workholding can be an issue with a sash fillister.

[Chris Griggs]

So what was the order of operations on that sash work? Does it go, glazing rabbets then molding rabbet and profiles, then cut to length, and lastly the complimentary miter cuts that join the sash work together? Did you use hollow/rounds for the profile or did you use a dedicated profile molding plane?

[Zach Dillinger]

The stock has to be precisely the same thickness (3/4") for the joinery to come out right and for the door to close properly. So I had to thickness plane with accuracy. Not a usual thing for me but easy enough. I cut the stock close to the right length at this point. I would have preferred to make it all from one length, but the cutoff of cherry I was using was not long enough to make that happen. I just went with the flow.

Lay out joinery by scribing a 1/4" wide space that is 1/4" in from the front face. Mark out mortise and tenon locations in all stock together as much as possible to keep things nice and square. Chop mortises, then cut in the 1/4" x 1/4" glazing rabbet (on a small piece this will help prevent blowing out pieces of your fillet, which you will do if you try to chop after the glazing rabbet has been cut). Reset fillister plane to cut 1/4" wide by 1/8" deep rabbet. Plane one rabbet using the front face as your reference, then plane another using the top edge as reference. This will leave you a small fillet which will later be rounded off with a hollow plane (I didn't have a sash ovolo this small, so I had to make what I had work).

Cut tenons, then round off molding (done last to protect the molding). Then cope tenon shoulders to a miter and then to fit over the molding on the mortised piece. Tweak the fit as necessary to end up with a square door with mullions that are straight and not too wonky.

Assemble the center first, then add the top and bottom rail, then put on the left and right stiles. Clamp and drink the beverage of your choice.

This sash door is pretty easy. About two hours of actual work from rough stock to assembled and glued. Larger sash take a lot longer.

[Jim Koepke]

Very nice work. Looking forward to more pictures.

jtk

[Chris Griggs]

Thanks for the instructions Zach. I have copied them into a word document for future reference. Good stuff.

[Zach Dillinger]

Thanks for the instructions Zach. I have copied them into a word document for future reference. Good stuff.

I should probably do an actual writeup on this at some point, but I can never get the photography to look right when I try. Now that I have some professional photo equipment (Annie Liebovitz watch out), I can try again.

[Chris Griggs]

I should probably do an actual writeup on this at some point, but I can never get the photography to look right when I try. Now that I have some professional photo equipment (Annie Liebovitz watch out), I can try again.

Where did you learn sash work? Is there a book you'd recommend?

[Zach Dillinger]

Where did you learn sash work? Is there a book you'd recommend?

Basically just trial and error after reading is how I learned. Started with The Woodwright's Companion and progressed on to Talbot's Handbook of Doormaking, Windowmaking and Stair Casing, finally arriving at Modern Practical Joinery by Ellis. I've not found a better source yet for how a window goes together. I've also studied many different eras of sash in person, trying to spot any ways to speed up the process.

[Chris Griggs]

Cool! Thanks for the references.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Zach -

Looking very nice! Would have loved to have seen more photos of the volute carving, and really looking forward to more photos. Thanks for the info on sash stuff too. I agree with Chris, any info you want to share is awesomely helpful.



Chris -

I just got the LAP reprint of the window and doormaking in the mail yesterday . . . I haven't had time to sit down with it, but some of the skimming makes it seem worth it for the price

[Chris Griggs]

I just got the LAP reprint of the window and doormaking in the mail yesterday . . . I haven't had time to sit down with it, but some of the skimming makes it seem worth it for the price

Sweet. I didn't realize that had been released yet. I've been waiting for that to come out!

[Steve Voigt]

Very nicely done. I particularly like the compass rose. Its small size is perfect--adds a really tasteful accent to the piece, without overwhelming the whole.

[Zach Dillinger]

Well, here are two of the "studio" pics I took. I was having a little trouble getting the piece to look exactly right, so I spent quite a while with the lighting setups. I'm still not 100% happy with the way it turned out, but I know when I am beaten. Overall, they aren't bad.

279367279368

[Chris Griggs]

Nice. Again, love the sash work...it just looks so well done. What's the finish? Thai Seedlac?

(I think it would have befitted form some exposed dovetails or through tenons though...definitely needs some end grain :p)

[Zach Dillinger]

Nice. Again, love the sash work...it just looks so well done. What's the finish? Thai Seedlac?

(I think it would have befitted form some exposed dovetails or through tenons though...definitely needs some end grain :p)

Haha, very funny. The only end grain you'll see on this is the end of the right-hand gooseneck when you pull out the top drawer.

The finish is involved. I started with a little BLO, then sealed that with a couple of coats of blonde shellac. After that, I used a dark brown glaze to even out any color differential in the cherry as well as color / grain the pine top to more closely resemble the cherry. Then, I put on five coats of blonde shellac. Finally, I rubbed out the shellac with 0000 steel wool and dark brown paste wax, leaving a small amount of wax in the sash moldings and in the volutes. The wax was then rubbed down with linen cloth, providing a final glossy (but not too shiny) finish

[Chris Griggs]

Neat. I mistook the coloring from the glaze as a shellac with some natural coloring. I didn't even realize that the top was pine. Good work on the color match.

[Zach Dillinger]

Thanks. Since the piece is intended to hang on a wall at roughly eye level, I wasn't terribly concerned by using pine for the top. I already had some of the proper thickness and width and I had confidence that I could make it look enough like cherry to pass muster given its limited visual exposure.

I have a small pine dresser (similar to my Taunton Chest, but with bracket feet instead of ball) that I need to finish. I have always intended to faux-grain some curly walnut on that, with india ink lining on the drawer fronts, maybe a simulated cross banding too. I need to finish this Hepplewhite huntboard that my wife asked for first. Made the legs yesterday, very cool piece in walnut with holly feet, separated by some black-dyed holly banding. Turning out good so far.

[Chris Griggs]

Hepplewhite huntboard that my wife asked for first.

Nice! Sounds like a fun build. I wish my wife would ask for something like that. She wants me to make her a shoe rack next which I'm less interested in doing (I may just need to get a doweling jig for that kind of thing just to get it done as quick as possible).

I really want to get to around to making my molding planes next . After the shoe rack though she wants me to make a large standing cupboard (to be used as a linen closet), so that will give me a chance to find a fun design if I decide to try and reproduce an antique...I'm going to find something with neat moldings so I can justify making some molding planes before I do the cupboard

[Chris Griggs]

I have always intended to faux-grain some curly walnut on that, with india ink lining on the drawer fronts, maybe a simulated cross banding too.

I have a nice antique set of graining comes somewhere (brass IIRC). Have no idea how/when/why to use them. I did a few small box commissions a couple years ago for my fathers cousin who is professional faux-finisher (she can make wood look like granite...its crazy). I should give her a call some time and see if she knows what to do with them.

[Zach Dillinger]

I'm not very experienced with this either but I'm always willing to give a new technique a go. Especially on a quickie project like my pine chest. High reward potential for little risk.

[Chris Griggs]

High reward potential for little risk.

Totally. Should be a fun thing to try.