The Butler's Desk Get's Detailed!

[Brian Holcombe]

Good morning! I've been whittling away on the Butler's desk and wanted to share the progress I've made. At this point the overall design is visible in it's near entirety, with the drawer pull recesses cut, the chamfers applied and the finish now also being applied.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/2016/07/21/butlers-desk-gets-detailed/

Click the above link for the full story


http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/4803A1A8-13AB-4933-832C-2393CDC4BF2D_zpskpatvbr0.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/65273F9F-DCE1-46EB-A0D8-B3CC3061D69D_zpsxty7u3r6.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/557104AF-50A5-4CEF-9C80-5C5713BC00C6_zpsoyabdvn7.jpg

[Phil Mueller]

Looks fantastic, Brian. Nice detail work. Really adds to the overall appearance.
Appreciate the video on your blog. Obviously, your paring chisel is well sharpened. I assume you scribed a faily deep line on the top edge to avoid blow out? Also like the card scraper finishing...so obvious, but for some reason not something I think of... a step I need to put in my regular routine.
Thanks for the update!

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Phil! It's critical, especially for that, that the chisel be extremely sharp. I scribe a line, but try not to make it very deep as that makes it so that I have to cut past it to remove the line (working at an angle to the line), further risking spelching. I bias my cuts with the grain as best I can.

Exactly, while I avoid scraping most surfaces, the cabinet scraper is particularly handy for stuff like that.

[Christopher Charles]

Great to see the complete piece, will look forward to seeing it in place. As always, thanks for taking the time to post these, Brian. They are most enjoyable and inspiring for many of us, including those like myself who don't get into the shop as much as we'd like.

And, the end of a project means the start of a new, no?

Best,
Chris

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Chris! I've got a bit more left to do on this, such as installing the lock (next week) and the stay (the week after, hopefully).

I'll be starting up some more projects, some I will post about. I'm doing a set of shoji for Windows soon and hopefully another cabinet shortly thereafter. I completed a sculpture stand and so I may detail that.

I may detail building a floater frame if it is of any interest, it's a simple project, so it would probably be one post.

So I've got plenty of work to do but I'm attempting to stick to new and interesting work for the blog, since I doubt anyone wants to see me build the same frame time after time.

[Andrew Hughes]

Everything's looks great, the details the surfaces nicely attended to!

[Gene Davis]

Brian, you are the James Krenov for the 21st century! Fantastic job!

What's next?

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Andrew!

Sorry Gene didn't refresh my page. Thank you! I feel I have found my style in the last few pieces so I hope to simply continue building similar cabinets.

[James Pallas]

Well done Brian. The details are great. There is much more difficulty in keeping all those straight lines and margins looking good than adding a curve here and there to catch the eye.
Jim

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Jim! Absolutely, it took some efforts.

[Mel Fulks]

Been most interesting to follow. Don't think I've seen before such precise work combined with embrace of natural color variation.

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Mel! For me that panel offered one of those moments where I thought to myself; 'there is the front!' So from early on I really wanted to show that board. I marked it out as soon as I brought it home and left it aside until I could begin cutting it up for the drawer fronts.

I actually returned to the sawyer to buy more of the same log, since I really liked working on it.

[Frederick Skelly]

Brian,
I'm not much of a designer and I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into meaningful sentences as I look at this piece. But a few words/phases keep coming to mind: "masculine", "deceptively simple", "very clean lines" and "Krenov-like" all come to mind. To my eye, adding these carefully considered details to this design carry the piece to the next level - without them, it would be less desirable than it is.

This is what I've heard called a "breakout piece" - a piece that really puts the artisan "on the map", establishes his/her reputation and kickstarts their career. It's the kind of work one sees published in Fine Woodworking or in a juried show. And it's the details that bring it to that level.

Gene said it right. I think this is a piece Mr. Krenov would have understood and appreciated. It's just superb.

Fred

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks for the encouragement Fred, I'm glad the desk is so well received!

When it comes to design process, It was not an overly conscious design process. That is tough to describe, but mostly meaning that I just sat down and what came out of my mind I put on paper and I think that during that sort of process the mind is plumbing the design well. There is definitely some Krenov in my subconscious along with a "healthy" obsession of sashimono.

[Pat Barry]

Honestly, watching you pare the cutout sections for the hand pull was almost too scary to watch knowing how much work you had put into those drawers, even though I knew there was a happy ending to it all. For me, that had disaster all over it. Thankfully, in your capable hands, all was well.. Nice work

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Pat! If you like to be on the edge of your seat, check out my bridle joints video.

[Robert McNaull]

Beautiful work Brian. I appreciate your video on the drawer pulls and couldn't help but notice the cinematic effect of the glare off your chisel bevel when you started the chamfers:D.

Bob

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Bob! Haha, I'd like to take credit for planning that in, my cinematography could use the help.

[Tom M King]

Looks fabulous, just like I expected when I opened the thread!

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Tom!

[glenn bradley]

I always enjoy your threads Brian, robe and slippers or regular clothes ;-) Thanks for taking the time to take us along on your builds.

[Charles Guest]

You're going to have one happy butler. ;)

[Brian Holcombe]

Thank you both!

[Evan Patton]

Beautiful design and craftsmanship.

[Brian Holcombe]

Thank you!