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View Full Version : Most Recent Piece - Mottle Makore Chest of Drawers


Steve Wargo
10-24-2005, 12:06 AM
O.K. Please excuse the picture quality. The photographer has moved and won't be set up for another 45 days. I convinced him to come to my house on Tuesday so these are from my own crappy camera and lighting. Should have some better ones for the web page in a couple days.
Now for the piece. Here is a Red Oak and mottled Makore chest of drawers with solid Macassar Ebony accents. All of the oak was actually dimensioned by hand as I chose to work late at night when the kids where asleep and the thickness planer couldn't be run. The drawers are all syacamore and Through DT'd on the front and back (sorry for no close up, the camera I have gets fuzzy in close). The veneer was all seemed by hand and scraped by hand. The ebony for the top was all hand planed and thicknessed and chamfered. The cockbeading was all cut by hand with a moulding plane. Talk about a pain in the A$$. I spent probably about 4 hours just cleaning up the tear-out for the from the moulding plane with a scratch stock. The overall size of the piece is about 45" wide and 18" deep. The drawer pulls were some quick and dirty bowties made out of solid macasser. All of the seconday wood inside for the runners and kickers are hard maple. The figure on the the top is really much better than the pictures show There are about 8 coats of oil/urethane mix whiped on, and toped off with a thick coat of laquer rubbed out with 2000 grit sand paper. A nice semi gloss finish. Enjoy, and as always comments welcome. FWIW I only paid 10cents a square foot for the makore. Yep, that's a gloat, but it was only 4 1/2" wide so there is quite a bit of seaming involved in this piece.

http://madhunkyworkshop.com/images/FairFrontShot.jpg

http://madhunkyworkshop.com/images/CrappyTopShot.jpg

http://madhunkyworkshop.com/images/SideShot.jpg

http://madhunkyworkshop.com/images/CloseUp.jpg
Mark Singer
10-24-2005, 12:30 AM
Steve,
Great work! A lot of skill is apparent here! Nice design as well!
Jeff Sudmeier
10-24-2005, 8:14 AM
Wow! That sure does look great. All of the hand seaming and scraping was worth it, me thinks...
Michael Gabbay
10-24-2005, 8:21 AM
Speechless! That is really beautiful Steve.
Dick Parr
10-24-2005, 9:08 AM
WOW Steve, all that can be said is that it is beautiful. Very fine job on a piece of art.:)
Jim Becker
10-24-2005, 9:15 AM
Steve...it turned out just great. Good choice on the pulls, too...much better than the original idea!! ;)
Dave Anderson NH
10-24-2005, 9:18 AM
Absolutely stunning piece Steve. The figure just really pops out.
John Miliunas
10-24-2005, 9:53 AM
Holy smokes, Steve! Yeah, this is truly a smokin' piece! :D Simply beautiful, made even more so by all the hand work you put into it. Seams? What seams? Super-great job on the veneering!:) :cool:
Jerry Palmer
10-24-2005, 10:05 AM
Beautiful work and wood.
Roy Wall
10-24-2005, 10:08 AM
The veneer master has struck again!!:)

Beautiful chest -- and yes, that top looks superb!!

Another Wargo masterpiece - very impressive!!

Steve, always good to see your talent:)
Jim W. White
10-24-2005, 10:27 AM
Just phenomenal Steve!! ...I really need to learn how to work with veneers at some point. How did you get started? Is there a book or video series you would recommend?

Again, trully beautiful work!!!!
Steve Wargo
10-24-2005, 10:35 AM
Jim,
It's really easy to get started. Buy some veneer and mess up a whole bunch. I know that sounds crappy, but I learn more from trial and error than anything else. I've only had minimal formal training. Mostly I learn from books and trial and error. I read a lot. I probably have around 80 Woodworking books and books about fruniture makers. Veneer is actually very easy to work with, but also very easy to mess up. Thanks every one for the compliments. I do hope the new pictures turn out better. The figure on the top is awesome.
Don Baer
10-24-2005, 11:41 AM
Steve,
That piece is simply stunning.
Mark Stutz
10-24-2005, 12:05 PM
Up to your usual standards I see. Beautirul combination of woods. Don't think I would have thought of useing Red Oak and the Makore. What do you use as a substrate for the veneer?

Mark
Steve Wargo
10-24-2005, 12:16 PM
I usually use MDF. The top is 1" thick MDF and the side panels are 1/2" thick MDF. The drawer fronts are solid sycamore with through DT's then a 1/4" ply veneered with cherry backer veneers and all glued to the drawer front after it was fit flush to the opening.
Gene Collison
10-24-2005, 1:49 PM
Steve,

Only one word required to describe it, "Stunning"

Gene
Gary Herrmann
10-24-2005, 6:22 PM
Beautiful work Steve. My wife keeps asking me about veneering. I may have to look into it when I complete my next couple of projects. I also like to read and experiment to learn. Any veneering books you'd recommend?
Don Baer
10-24-2005, 6:29 PM
Gary have you checked out Joe Woodworkers site on vaneering. He's got a lot of free info there.
http://www.joewoodworker.com/

Steve thats a realy fine piece of furniture. Great Form fit and finish.
Doug Shepard
10-24-2005, 7:48 PM
That's one gorgeous piece of work. I really like how all the ebony trim emphasizes the contrast between the oak and makore. I'm trying to imagine it without the ebony. I think it still would have looked great, but this is just exceptional.
Bruce Shiverdecker
10-24-2005, 7:53 PM
Very, Very Nice, Steve.

Bruce
Keith Christopher
10-24-2005, 7:57 PM
Steve,


Love the work!!! Great job !!!!


Keith
Dan Forman
10-24-2005, 11:23 PM
Steve---Really outstanding work!!!

Dan