Chest update

[Derek Cohen]

Seven drawers down. One to go ..

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Linergrie%20Chest/Drawers/Seven%20drawers/27a_zps2yglnfe8.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Linergrie%20Chest/Drawers/Seven%20drawers/28a_zpsbvwu52sh.jpg

At this point, I estimate I am about at the half way stage. Lots to do. Keep you informed.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Patrick Walsh]

Very very nice.

I almost cant wait till the two benches i am building are done so i can pony up and build something as beatiful as this chest.

[Phil Mueller]

Jeez Derek, can you raise the bar any higher!? Absolutely stunning.

[Jeff Ranck]

Amazing as usual!

[Chris Hachet]

You have pushed me to be a better wood worker through your many posts, keep posting!

[Christopher Charles]

Looks great Derek. Surprised to hear you say you think you're only half way, though if I recall you have plans for a mirror and extra bling...

[Joe Bailey]

Great Stuff, Derek -- updates appreciated

[James Pallas]

I am more and more impressed each time you update. The difficulty of working with hard figured wood and getting it to look good is not an easy task. The pulls are going to be a tough one, it can make or break a project like yours. I glad I don't have to decide that one.
jim

[David Eisenhauer]

Very, very good stuff. Thanks for sharing. While I am here, also a big thanks for the website with the "how-to-do" info content. More please, as we are like Muddy Waters in that we can't never be satisfied.

[george wilson]

That looks like more than half way,Derek! Looking great!!!

[Patrick Chase]

Seven drawers down. One to go ..

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Linergrie%20Chest/Drawers/Seven%20drawers/27a_zps2yglnfe8.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Linergrie%20Chest/Drawers/Seven%20drawers/28a_zpsbvwu52sh.jpg

At this point, I estimate I am about at the half way stage. Lots to do. Keep you informed.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Wow, elegantly done.

I probably should know this from previous updates but, are the sides actually subtly curved as they appear in the first photo or is that just pincushion distortion in the lens?

[Derek Cohen]

Looks great Derek. Surprised to hear you say you think you're only half way, though if I recall you have plans for a mirror and extra bling...


That looks like more than half way,Derek! Looking great!!!

I am focussed on getting the drawers done. Each one takes 3-4 days since they are all different in size (no mass production of parts) and all have compound angles and compound dovetails (curving sides and bow fronts).

This is the stuff I think about, but try not to distract me until the time is right ...

Half the drawers still need drawer bottoms. That much is possible to make en mass, and so I decided to leave it to the end. However, the curved drawer fronts are all shaped by hand, and all have slight irregularities, and they will need to be trued up so that everything is perfectly coplanar. This will be done after the drawer bottoms are in.

The drawer handles come next. I am going back (at this stage) to a pair of round pulls, somewhat like shorter versions of a Shaker pull. I have turned a few in scraps left over from the drawer fronts. They look quite good. Still open to ideas.

Then there is the top section, which will house a mirror. So far I have acquired the hardware - brass hinges and brass stay - but the design details for its construction is still not developed. I plan to keep it low and make it look like moulding at the top of the cabinet.

The rear panel for the chest has largely been made, but I need to construct a curved frame for it.

Finally, there is the jewellery drawer to build. This involves sliding trays that fit into the top drawer.

Yeah, about half way.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

Wow, elegantly done.

I probably should know this from previous updates but, are the sides actually subtly curved as they appear in the first photo or is that just pincushion distortion in the lens?

Hi Patrick

The sides curve. The drawer fronts are bowed. All will show a bow of 1/4" at the centre. That may not seem a lot, but it is enough to remove the straightness of the drawers and soften its appearance. Below is the 7th drawer (after the inside was hollowed out. The outside is only done after the drawer is built so as to retain the reference as long as possible).

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Linergrie%20Chest/Drawers/Bow1_zpsx9ohwfph.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Linergrie%20Chest/Drawers/Bow2_zps6yuzoowx.jpg

Here are a couple of earlier pictures ..

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/TheProofOfThePudding_html_m62cac893.jpg

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/LingerieChestDrawerRunners1_html_m18180239.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Lenore Epstein]

I just love this shape, and I look forward to seeing how the upper part develops. The curves and angles give the piece a kind of dynamic feel, like it's pressing forward into the space. Where'd you get the idea? Did it just come to you?

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Lenore

The design is one I have had in mind for a while. When I first posted it here I simplified it a little - mainly because I thought it would be too difficult. Then the guys here pushed a little. I played around with life size models - blue tape stretched over MDF sheets - finally tweaked the dimensions, and then took a deep breath and decided to just do it.


http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/LingerieChest1_html_m6aed2301.jpg




It is interesting that building something that appears complex becomes easier when you recognise that woodworking is just working to lines. What is difficult is deciding where those lines go http://www.woodcentral.com/webbbs/smileys/smile.gif In this case, the headache was deciding where the lines went for all the compound joints.

The recognition that the design should precede the construction means that one needs to be open to exploring alternate construction methods. I prefer to keep joinery old school, but I think that laminations and bending wood lie in the future to achieve the shapes that one would be restricted from if staying with methods that only allow for a square box.


Regards from Perth


Derek