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Mike Allen1010
01-21-2014, 3:43 PM
This is part three of my continuing quest to replace the plastic bin the LOML gave me to store clothes with a proper dresser (long story – previous posts explain). Since the Blade guide on my cheesy, underpowered 14” bandsaw broke around Christmas, I’ve been too cheap and lazy to replace it, so I’m now “all Neander all the time”. I admittedly have a bad “saw problem”, - fair warning this post contains gratuitous hand saw/tool pictures

I previously completed the lower chest (cherry; with poplar secondary wood) including the ogee bracket feet, sliding dovetail horizontal drawer dividers and moldings. This post contains some pics of the build for the upper chest carcass:
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After building a new bench, I use my original woodworking bench for glue ups. Rather than worry about covering the surface, I spray it with a little orange oil and then scrape the dried glue off the bench surface pretty easily when the glue up is complete.
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I use a series of shop made planes for initial leveling of glued -up panels; this one has camber kind of between a scrub plain and at Jack – I use it diagonally for initial leveling. This is a Jack with pretty aggressive camber I use next (thank you Derek Cohen for the plane building tutorials!), I use a 5 ˝ Jack with the grain for final leveling and a shop built smoother to finish up:


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To dimensions panels I start with a jointed edge and use a shop built panel gauge to establish the width. I shoot for a sawn surface that cleans up with just a few passes of the jointer plane – here you can see the layout mark from the panel gauge:


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Mike Allen1010
01-21-2014, 3:47 PM
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Next is crosscutting to width. This is my favorite Disston # 12, 12 PPI finish cross cut. A tote only gets is baby smooth because previous owners used this saw over his working life to make a living. A straight and perpendicular crosscut off the saw is pretty easy with a little practice:
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Final width requires removing about 3/8” of an inch – for me I prefer to saw this, but it could be easily planed. Here are the final dimensioned panels in cherry for the upper carcass sides.

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Mike Allen1010
01-21-2014, 3:49 PM
Here are the final dimensioned panels in cherry for the upper carcass sides.

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Plowing the rabbits in the carcass sides to accept the back. As usual for me, completing this operation requires some “tool tune-up”. This is one of my favorite rabbit planes – an inexpensive Japanese rather plane I got 25 years ago with great steel. Unfortunately the mouth clogs easily. As you can see in comparison to other rabbit/fillister planes it needs to be enlarged:

After a little “tune-up – works much better:
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Mike Allen1010
01-21-2014, 3:52 PM
Gang cutting dovetails for the carcass sides using my twin screw face vice and sliding dead man. I plane a little rabbit on the dovetails to aid in alignment during marking the pins.
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After marking the pins from the tails, I take the time to label the waste side of the line because I have repeatedly cut on the wrong side – I hate it when that happens!

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To speed this along I saw the pins with an 11 PPI panel saw filed rip,- usually a little faster than a dedicated dovetail saw.

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To chop the pins I orient the work piece like this on the end of my bench and sit on the stool (much easier on my back) to site along the baseline.

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Mike Allen1010
01-21-2014, 3:56 PM
A little paring on the inside shoulders of the tales to aid in fitting/assembly – I always double check which side of the tales I’m paring before cutting (don’t ask me why I always check this twice – it’s a very painful memory!).

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A little final cleanup on the show surface of the uppercase panels before assembly with a shop built infill plane.

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They fit!

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Here is layout and cutting of the vertical dividers that will house the sliding dovetail joints for the horizontal dividers. These vertical dividers create the space on the front edge of the cases for turned columns.

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Mike Allen1010
01-21-2014, 3:59 PM
Here is layout and cutting of the vertical dividers that will house the sliding dovetail joints for the horizontal dividers. These vertical dividers create the space on the front edge of the cases for turned columns.
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Simple rabbits to house the vertical dividers in the top row of drawers and layout/planing sliding dovetails on the horizontal dividers –these layout tools from Lee Valley are probably my most used tools.

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Mike Allen1010
01-21-2014, 4:03 PM
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Chopping the mortices for drawer runners in horizontal dividers.

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With the dividers fit, time to dimension drawer runners. I’m trying to be a little faster with my hand tool skills especially for non-show components like these drawer runners. The picture doesn’t really show the time well, but it took me about 10 minutes to turn this 12’ poplar board into the 8 dimensioned drawer runners – not bad for me.

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Now layout and sawing the Tennons for the drawer runners to fit into the rear horizontal divider. I shoot for an easy fit using shop made back saws:

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Mike Allen1010
01-21-2014, 4:06 PM
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Here are the dry fit runners and dimensioning of drawer spacers in cherry. Took me 8 minutes to rip to the drawer spacers with a 28” inch, # 12, 5 PPI rip saw (one of my favorites!). Table saw? - we don't need no stinkin' TS!

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Mike Allen1010
01-21-2014, 4:09 PM
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I like to measure the Tennons right off the mortises because I suck at accurately chopping the mortises to layout lines. Here’s the final assembly of the dry runners and spacers for the upper case.

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Here are the moldings; for ripping long narrow pieces I orient them vertically in the end vice. They came out okay.



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Mike Allen1010
01-21-2014, 4:17 PM
And finally, here are some pictures of both the upper and lower chest, with the drawer fronts and stock that will be re-sawn for the top. The original plan is from Glen Huey’s book and doesn’t include a solid top . I shrunk the dimensions by about 15% and added the solid cherry of the top is high level for me
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The case is designed to include, split turned columns in the corners. I’ve never done any turning and just acquired this lathe from my Dad who had it in storage for 20 years when he bought it from the last surviving independent hardware store in our neighborhood before it went out of business:

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Wish me luck with the turnings – I'm absolutely sure I'm going to desperately need it! thanks for looking, hope this wasn't too many pictures.

This weekend I completed all the moldings for the cornice and transition from lower to uppercase. Many thanks to David Weaver for the hollows and rounds – after lots of tuning/sharpening I was pleased and surprised I was able to make them work – I think the moldings turned out pretty good. Only one problem, the cases are designed to be separated for easier moving – after carefully gluing the dowels that locate the cases make sure I didn't get any glue on the uppercase, I then proceeded to glue the transition moldings to both the upper and lower case – whoops!

I guess this chest is going to be heavier to move that I planned!

All the best, Mike

Tom Langiewicz
01-21-2014, 7:54 PM
The pictures are very much appreciated. I am designing in my head how to build a new bathroom vanity using more traditional joinery rather than the mass produced styles you can currently purchase. I'm curious how you will attach the drawer runners to the sides and the rear the chest to allow for wood movement. So far your posts have really helped me visualize how things will all come together.

The chest looks great!

Mike Allen1010
01-22-2014, 12:34 AM
Tom, drawer runners are glued and screweded to case sides along the first 4_5 inches starting at the front of case, and then screwed w/ slots in the runners from midpoint back for the screws to move in the runners as the case sides move w/ changes in moisture over the seasons.

Mike

Daniel Rode
01-22-2014, 10:53 AM
Thanks for posting such a detailed account of this build. I've been quietly following along and I'm impressed and encouraged. The pictures are great.

Now that I can see both pieces together, I really like the proportions. How did you arrive at this design?

Chris Griggs
01-22-2014, 11:56 AM
Looking great buddy!

Mike Allen1010
01-22-2014, 8:51 PM
Now that I can see both pieces together, I really like the proportions. How did you arrive at this design?


hi Daniel,

The design is from Glen Huey’s book “Building 18th-Century American Furniture". It's an excellent book with really helpful dimensioned drawings and step-by-step construction notes.

I reduce the height and width dimensions by about 15% so that the top would be eye level, (the depth remain the same to preserve drawer capacity), accordingly I added the solid wood top with the cornice moldings applied underneath.I just finished that and will try and post some pictures soon.

I also left the sliding dovetail joints for the horizontal dividers visible – the original these are covered with trim. The original also has turned columns and capitals – if I get really ambitious I may try to do some minor carving for the capitals, maybe apply a carved shell to the upper middle drawer? Realistically I'll be lucky to finish with some kind of reasonably useful chest – the carving is probably just a pipe dream!

Thanks Chris for the nice comments – it's always great to hear from you! I've really enjoyed your post about the mitered, half blind dovetail joints – I couldn't picture the joint at all until I saw your example – very nice!

All the best, Mike

Brett Robson
01-22-2014, 9:53 PM
Wow that's really looking great and you're making remarkable progress, especially considering you're doing it all old-school!

Pinwu Xu
01-23-2014, 7:43 AM
Nice!

Do you have the part 1 and 2 posted somewhere? This is a question not related to the upper piece, rather, as I am trying to find out how
the lower piece been put on the foot (feet)

Regards

Pinwu

David Nelson1
01-23-2014, 9:19 AM
Nice!

Do you have the part 1 and 2 posted somewhere? This is a question not related to the upper piece, rather, as I am trying to find out how
the lower piece been put on the foot (feet)

Regards

Pinwu

Might be the beginning starting here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?211475-Neander-Chest-On-Chest-Build-Pics)