Child's Dresser / Changing Table

[glenn bradley]

For an expected grandchild. A 'topper' that holds the changing pad and a "supplies" area is yet to be started so the dresser will make the baby shower but, the topper may be late. I should still beat the kid to his room though :D.

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Frame and panel construction with haunched tenons at the stress points.

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Primarily cherry with some walnut pulls and accents.

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Maple back slats are beaded to show off while carrying it into the party. Like the walnut pegs that hold the bread boards, these will never be seen after install, the beading was just for fun and a little "wow" factor.

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I'll get to work on the topper but, I don't think the finish will be cured in time for the party. I do have plenty of time to finish the topper and install it before the kid sucks air though.

[Jay Aubuchon]

I like that a lot! Please tell us about the back panel.

[Lori Kleinberg]

Very nice dresser, Glenn

[Jim Becker]

That looks great, Glenn!

[Andrew Hughes]

Looks great Glen,I like the even color of the Cherry.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Glenn, that is beautiful work! Well done Sir!

[glenn bradley]

Thanks for the kind word everybody. I usually go into more detail about the build but, my day job has been quite absorbing lately.


I like that a lot! Please tell us about the back panel.

This piece is going to a young couple who will appreciate it but, who are far from living in their 'forever' home. Expecting it to be moved a few times over the years I made the carcass more lightweight than my typical build, trim-panel type drawer dividers instead of web frames, no top or bottom panel. It is essentially a u-channel as opposed to a full box.

To this end the upper and lower rails are wider than normal. I did this to add additional strength and to make up for the absence of other elements. The slats are thinner than my usual but, are short and seem fine at about 5/16". This thin material called for a half lap rather than my usual T&G edges.

You can see the half lap profile here. The bundle of sticks is some 1/8" scrap I keep around as an aid in spacing the slats.

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The bundle of sticks is some 1/8" scrap I keep around as an aid in spacing the slats. This comes in handy during position selection and during installation.

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The bead profile is done with a point-cutting round over bit (Whiteside Router Bits 1572) about a half inch from the rabbet. I then knock the corner off the rabbet with a little Millers Falls plane that I keep around for such things.

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The resulting profile works pretty good when assembled with an 1/8" space at each rabbet.

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I signed the piece in the upper left corner and inset a penny marking the birth of the piece and its recipient :)

[glenn bradley]

Here's some other construction info that may be interesting. The dry fit on the carcass gives you a better look at the construction.

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I use a shop made fairing stick (just some 1/4" MDF and a string) to layout the arches on the lower stretchers. Sorry about the rotation error . . .

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I rough them out on the bandsaw and clean them up with a shave.

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I raise the panels with a plane. A Millers Falls No4 equivalent used to be my favored tool for this but, I find myself reaching more and more for a bevel up smoother for this task.

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[glenn bradley]

I use a shoulder plane to fit the breadboards. It really makes things go well when you have the right tool for the job.

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The bread boards are pegged on. I pin them from underneath with 1/4" dowels. These dowels do not go through to the top but, do have to go through the tongue and into the neighboring material. It is easy to drill too far and pop out the show surface of a top you have spent days selecting material for, DAMHIKT.

To protect myself from myself. I use a guide and a stop.

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I set the depth so that I will not pierce the opposite surface and drill a stopped hole at the middle and a few inches from each end.

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In the tongue, the front hole remains a hole to keep things aligned throughout the year. The middle and rear hole are converted to slots to allow movement toward the rear.

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The dowels will never show but, I couldn't resist making them out of my contrasting wood.

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I use a paring chisel to bring the proud material flush to the surface.

[glenn bradley]

The drawer dividers are maple with cherry attached to the front 1-1/2" inch or so. I profile these with a flattened full roundover. This is sort of a play on the Maloof-round that Sam favored for his drawered pieces. Poor pics but, you can see the profiles and varying elevations.

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I have an odd sense of humor and one of the things I do is to make the pulls for a piece out of the sequential figure pattern of a single blank.

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This creates a subtle relationship that is sometimes more obvious than others. I don't point it out. I wait to see how long, if ever, it takes the new owners to notice . . . I told you, odd sense of humor.

As mentioned these kids are at the "only just begun" phase of life. Coarse wood screws are adequate for pulls in most situations but, I went for threaded inserts and machine screws on this piece.

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This pull shape is a bit of a recurring theme on some of my stuff.

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Here's that uninterrupted figure flow.

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And here they are in place.

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I better stop rambling along. Most of my audience is probably asleep :D.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Looks great. I know what a web frame is, but what is a trim door divider? Pictures would help.

[Jay Aubuchon]

Nope, I'm not asleep! Thanks so much for all the detail. I learned a lot, and will no doubt return to this post in the future.

[glenn bradley]

Looks great. I know what a web frame is, but what is a trim door divider? Pictures would help.


Not your fault. Potentially a made up term :D. By trim panels for dividers I was trying to explain a sort of stretcher with trim attached that functions as a divider.

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My plan was for about a 3" board with 1-1/2" of cherry attached that would set into a dado to supply the look of a web frame type divider. I was uncomfortable with the flimy structure and so made the 3" about 6".

In the end I could have done a regular web frame, enjoyed the strength and more standard construction method and not really added much more weight. You would think I would learn; whenever I try to shortcut things I really end up at the same place in the end.

[Frederick Skelly]

It's beautiful Glenn. The color and finish look great! Love the beaded back.
The construction details are interesting to see.
Fred

[Joe A Faulkner]

Thanks for the explanation Glen. The pictures helped. I don't know if you braced the top corners of the carcass the same way you braced the bottom corners, but my guess is that if you had, then the 1 1/2" cherry dividers would have been sufficient, especially since they don't bear any drawer weight. In any event, it is a great looking piece. Nicer than any changing table used for any of my kids. We re-purposed an old library desk similar to this style for our changing table:

https://img1.etsystatic.com/102/0/10301319/il_340x270.1069513523_gks7.jpg

Thanks for inside look into the finished carcass. It's always fun to learn something new.

[Darin German]

Very nice, Glenn. Light-years better than any store bought changing table. I hated the ones we bought for our kids.

[Bill McNiel]

Glen - Great attitude and presentation of a truly lovely project. Kudos sir!

[glenn bradley]

Thanks everybody, you're too kind. I'll try to snap a few better pics once it is in better surroundings.

[John TenEyck]

Glenn, I'll pile on with the praise. That is a very nice piece; great proportions, thoughtful wood selection, and very well crafted. It's going to serve a lot of newborns well. I'm sure it will be a cherished possession.

John

[glenn bradley]

I finally got it out of the shop so here's a few pics in a better setting. It was deeper than the hearth so I propped it up on a torsion beam and a piece of scrap.

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I've only recently started to have my rotated pics un-rotate when posting. This is just me trying to show the butterflied raised panels.

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I tried to pay attention to the figure on the arched stretchers.

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The chatoyance on the corner posts is kinda fun.

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I got pretty lucky on the top. I pulled both boards from the same blank but, even still the light can sometimes play tricks . . . after glue-up of course. This time worked out well.

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Well, the shop is clear so no more excuses for not starting the changing topper. Thanks to everyone for the kind words and comments.

[glenn bradley]

The topper is just a frame with rabbeted corner joinery and a sliding dovetail divider. The divider keeps the changing pad put and provides an area for wipes and diapers and what not.

I use a router table sled for the sliding dovetail.

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The initial finish will cure for a couple days.

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Then I will put in the bottom panel and finish it up.