My first attempt at grain painting

[Zach Dillinger]

Hello everyone,

I recently completed this little white pine chest of drawers. I've been meaning to try grain painting for some time, so I gave it a go with this little piece. Kind of a cool little thing, W&M chest of drawers, but kind of a later piece with bracket feet. You might call it transitional Queen Anne.

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I aimed for walnut, but it turned out more like mahogany. I learned a lot, including what I will do differently next time. But as a first try, I'm not displeased.

For those curious, the pulls are H-24s in light antique from Horton Brasses.

Zach

[Steve Voigt]

Very cool! Looks great for a first try (or second, third…).
I too have wanted to try this. I was at Monticello this summer, and the door panels are all done this way.
Any lessons or techniques you'd like to share? Thanks Zach!

[Mel Fulks]

Beautiful piece. The graining is restrained enough to be taken as stain. A really over the top painted oyster shell would be good ,too.

[Zach Dillinger]

Mel, I've wanted to learn how to oyster furniture for a while. Its another one of those lost techniques. There was an article in the SAPFM journal about a method to do it, but I lack some of the tooling to utilize that method. Paint would make it easy!

[Chris Griggs]

Nice Zach. Really nice form you choose to do this on too. I'm a big fan of small chests like that. The period is interesting and appealing to me as I really like W&M hardware, but prefer the look of bracket bases to ball feet (not that I have a way to turn feet anyway)

Did you have a V-plane of some kind you use for the v-notched dadoes or do you just do that with a chisel?

I also notice that there are some sorta interior carcass sides within/slightly protruding from the actual body that the dividers are joined too (as opposed to being joined directly into the carcase sides). Call me naive but that's not something I recall seeing before. Is it typical of the period? The scale? The form? Or is it a feature taken from a specific piece?

It creates a neat, case-within-a-case, effect.

[Zach Dillinger]

Chris, I cut the v notches with a chisel. It is pretty easy to do it that way.

As for the dividers, they don't protrude. The case sides and drawer dividers / blades are in the same plane. The frame / bead molding is applied, so it makes it stick out about 3/8" beyond the actual case sides.

[Chris Griggs]

Yeah, seems like chisel would be pretty straight forward.

A molding! I see. Cool effect.

Thanks. Nice work with the graining btw!

[Bruce Haugen]

Nice job, Zach!

If you want pointers, talk with Stephen Shepherd. He's a master at that technique. As an aside, a lot of the furniture, including the pews, in the original Mormon Tabernacle are painted in this same technique. I sure couldn't tell it.

[Zach Dillinger]

I referenced Mr. Shepherd's books many times while doing this. His examples are stunning! He talks about the 'six foot' test for grain painting, meaning if it is convincing from 6 feet it is all it needs to be. That is what I was aiming for with this. Next time will be better.

And thanks for the kind words!

[Mel Fulks]

I see painted graining as being similar to theatrical makeup. If you over do it ,then from a distance it out shines the real thing. Only woodworkers usually see some of real woods finer points.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

When you guys talk about "oyster shell"; do you mean like, a painted picture of an oyster shell? Or a faux-finish technique, or something else? Any links to a picture? My Google-fu is failing me.

[Zach Dillinger]

That's what I was thinking, Mel. I don't usually sell pieces to woodworkers, they have the ability to make their own so they don't need me.

[Sean Hughto]

Looks real good!

I've always been tempted to try it, but in a way that doesn't try to look natural at all. Something like:
http://shard3.1stdibs.us.com/archivesE/upload/8583/329/XXX_8583_1303746823_1.jpg
Maybe someday.

[george wilson]

My wife is good at marbling surfaces. I mean to look like real marble.

[Zach Dillinger]

When you guys talk about "oyster shell"; do you mean like, a painted picture of an oyster shell? Or a faux-finish technique, or something else? Any links to a picture? My Google-fu is failing me.

Something like this, Joshua. Basically, you take a branch of walnut, olivewood, something like that, and slice off endgrain segments which are then fit together to make a complete surface. I've never tried it but I think it is beautiful when done well.

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[Chris Griggs]

Basically, you take a branch of walnut, olivewood, something like that, and slice off endgrain segments which are then fit together to make a complete surface. I've never tried it but I think it is beautiful when done well.



I hope you make something like this just for the shear irony of it ;)

[Bruce Haugen]

For a really fun time, Zach, stop by Stephen's place of business, This Is The Place historical village in Salt Lake City. He's an absolutely delightful guy to meet and talk with. My wife and I stopped there and met him a few years back.