Paul F Mills
04-16-2020, 9:29 PM
Recently I finished my new bedside table and my wife’s jewelry cabinet.
Both items were things we needed and I really enjoyed making them. I learned a lot from both builds.
Jewelry cabinet
I started with 2”x7” walnut stock and milled it to the desired dimensions for the case and the doors. I tried to grain match the doors but screwed up somewhere along the line. I used 1/2” BB for the back and covered it with cork. I thought it would be a good look but later decided a walnut back would have been better. It might have been too dark, but would have made me happier in the end.
It is designed to hold rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. I used her existing pieces to get an idea of size and quantity. It is overbuilt to account for more acquisitions. A lot of it is considered costume but still not cheap to replace. Some of her more valuable pieces are here, others are kept elsewhere.
The top left door is the one I previously post about, where I put two sets of hinges on it. My wife will not let me fill in the excess holes so I will wait until after covid and she goes on a work trip to do it. The doors are solid walnut and yet vastly different colors front to back on that one piece.
The door pulls are end grain, I am very happy with how they turned out. I messed up the first set when I mismeasured the center cut, but it was good practice.
Bedside table
We have both needed new tables for years. Before I started woodworking, my wife bought a table from All Modern. It looks ok and will last, but I wanted something different. Our house is mostly MCM, so I made a table to suit. I went back and forth on whether to have two or three drawers, still not sure what the right answer is.
I milled the wood from more of the 2x7 stock from the same source, but from different boards. I did not do a great job of matching the colors, but I am ok with it. The drawer fronts were resawn and kind of match.
I made the draw pulls based on something I saw on IG. His were much cooler and more elegant, but mine were a bit easier. Once I determine how I really use the drawers, I may add some dividers.
Lessons learned
I am having some issues with making my boxes perfect 90 deg angles, so I need to work on that. I did determine that my incra 5000 was not flat all the way across so that is one issue to address.
I need to mill my wood thicker to account for loss in jointing and planing. The bedside table box is a bit thin, everything else is 3/4”.
If I want to match grains, I need to pay more attention to details and use mineral spirits more. I also need to not worry about matching grains so much. Most people do not notice.
Figure out the hinges before you start the project. I made the jewelry cabinet too shallow and had to cut holes in the back for the hinges to protrude a little.
my next project will either be a chair (possibly rocking) or a dining room table for my sister.
430532430531430530430533430534
Both items were things we needed and I really enjoyed making them. I learned a lot from both builds.
Jewelry cabinet
I started with 2”x7” walnut stock and milled it to the desired dimensions for the case and the doors. I tried to grain match the doors but screwed up somewhere along the line. I used 1/2” BB for the back and covered it with cork. I thought it would be a good look but later decided a walnut back would have been better. It might have been too dark, but would have made me happier in the end.
It is designed to hold rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. I used her existing pieces to get an idea of size and quantity. It is overbuilt to account for more acquisitions. A lot of it is considered costume but still not cheap to replace. Some of her more valuable pieces are here, others are kept elsewhere.
The top left door is the one I previously post about, where I put two sets of hinges on it. My wife will not let me fill in the excess holes so I will wait until after covid and she goes on a work trip to do it. The doors are solid walnut and yet vastly different colors front to back on that one piece.
The door pulls are end grain, I am very happy with how they turned out. I messed up the first set when I mismeasured the center cut, but it was good practice.
Bedside table
We have both needed new tables for years. Before I started woodworking, my wife bought a table from All Modern. It looks ok and will last, but I wanted something different. Our house is mostly MCM, so I made a table to suit. I went back and forth on whether to have two or three drawers, still not sure what the right answer is.
I milled the wood from more of the 2x7 stock from the same source, but from different boards. I did not do a great job of matching the colors, but I am ok with it. The drawer fronts were resawn and kind of match.
I made the draw pulls based on something I saw on IG. His were much cooler and more elegant, but mine were a bit easier. Once I determine how I really use the drawers, I may add some dividers.
Lessons learned
I am having some issues with making my boxes perfect 90 deg angles, so I need to work on that. I did determine that my incra 5000 was not flat all the way across so that is one issue to address.
I need to mill my wood thicker to account for loss in jointing and planing. The bedside table box is a bit thin, everything else is 3/4”.
If I want to match grains, I need to pay more attention to details and use mineral spirits more. I also need to not worry about matching grains so much. Most people do not notice.
Figure out the hinges before you start the project. I made the jewelry cabinet too shallow and had to cut holes in the back for the hinges to protrude a little.
my next project will either be a chair (possibly rocking) or a dining room table for my sister.
430532430531430530430533430534