Humidor on legs

[Bill Carey]

Got the doors for the cabinets made and things were going great until I took the clamps off today and turned one of the doors over. I missed that it slipped during the clamping, so had to cut it out, trim the joints and make a new piece. Took most of the afternoon but in a way was kinda fun figuring out the proper steps to fix it. Now I can start milling stock for the carcass, which will be all maple. Interior drawers will be spanish cedar.

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[David Publicover]

The doors look great Bill. I’m glad you were able to repair the bad joint but I’m afraid I have no idea how to salvage something like that; would you mind sharing your repair? I’m looking forward to the next stages.
Best regards,
David

[Lee Schierer]

Interesting design with holes in the doors....

[Bill Carey]

The doors look great Bill. I’m glad you were able to repair the bad joint but I’m afraid I have no idea how to salvage something like that; would you mind sharing your repair? I’m looking forward to the next stages.
Best regards,
David

David - the repair was more tedious that difficult. First I clamped a piece of stuff across the door to keep the side rails in place, then I very carefully cut the top rail loose taking care not to scratch the walnut. Then cut the other end where the hole in the door is.
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After that I put the door in the vise and recut the joint with my tenon saw, cleaned it up with a chisel.
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Making a new top rail was the usual work, just made a bit more exciting because it was the last piece of quarter sawn maple that I had. Kinda like working without a net.

And Bobs-your-uncle, all done (except for cleanup)
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[David Publicover]

Thanks Bill. It makes sense once I saw the photos with your explanation. I still think it was a great save!
Using the last piece of wood does add to the “pucker factor”...
Best regards,
David

[Ron Kanter]

Book match doors look great with some natural edge.
Nice save on the frame.
And enjoying it ("in a way was kinda fun figuring out the proper steps to fix it.") rather than kicking yourself all day makes for a good day in the shop.
Ron

[Bill Carey]

Got all the maple carcass pieces milled and ripped to width, and the DT's finished on the end panels and tops. I absolutely love using the #80 scraper after glue ups - the thing does exactly what it's supposed to do and does it well.

Before: 454335 After 5 strokes with the #80: 454336 454338

These are the widest boards I've done DTs on and I was being pretty anal about the layout and it paid off. They went together nice and tight right off the saw.

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And speaking of the saw, these are the new toys I got from Ron - as wonderful to use as they are beautiful.

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[Ron Kanter]

Bill,
Congratulations on off-the-saw dovetails and on wide boards to boot.
That saw handle on the larger back saw is amazing.
Ron

[Bill Carey]

I discovered a new way to practice cutting dovetails. Cut the pins and tails on the wrong boards. This also lets you practice going to the wood guy in Lafayette, spending money, breaking down rough lumber, jointing, working with planes, glue ups, layout etc.

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[Mark Rainey]

I discovered a new way to practice cutting dovetails. Cut the pins and tails on the wrong boards. This also lets you practice going to the wood guy in Lafayette, spending money, breaking down rough lumber, jointing, working with planes, glue ups, layout etc.

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Been there done that

[Phil Mueller]

Glad I’m in good company. Can’t remember what this piece was for, but I keep it around as a reminder. You can call it practice or a great excuse to visit the wood store. Enjoying your progress on the humidor.

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[Bill Carey]

Got all the mortises cut and the loose tenons, and did a loose dry fit and looks like everything will fit once the fiddling is done. The mortise jig for the small router worked great.

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Behind the doors will be interior cabinets made from spanish cedar with drawers for the stogies. I want to have someone laser or cnc an image of tobacco leaves on the drawer fronts of the center section.

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I suppose posting in one of the engraving or cnc forums would be the right place to find someone. Suggestions on which forum to post it in?

[Bill Carey]

Found someone 8 miles from me to do the carving, so thats a relief.

Curious what you think of the legs and the front stretcher in this design. Sometimes when I look at it it seems well proportioned and "grounded". Other times it reminds me of cankles.

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[Phil Mueller]

Bill, I’m struggling to make any design comments as tastes are so different. The design you show feels a bit Asian influenced to me, which I like, but just not sure if it goes with the upper cabinet style. I guess when I think cigar cabinet, I think more in terms of old style wood panel and moldings. Sort of Empire look maybe...

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But, it’s all really what works in where it’s going to live. If you do stay with the design you posted, I do think I’d curve the bottom of the side stretchers to match the front.

Great project. Enjoying following along on the build. Looking forward to seeing all the interior drawers...

[Ed Gibbons]

I like it.

[Rob Luter]

The combination of the curves and the stairstep top speaks Art Deco to me. I'd continue to refine the design in that direction. When I saw your sketch here's the first thing I thought of (below)


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[Jim Matthews]

https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=455112&d=1616788364

It's a tobacco tabernacle.

*sweet*

[Bill Carey]

I think I'm done until the need arises for a "feature".
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"tobacco tabernacle" that's funny!

[Bill Carey]

Well, the need for a "feature" has arisen. It came about because I suddenly realized that I'm old. Who knew?? And getting this from my shop to, well, anywhere else will be a real chore - actually impossible with out help. (SWMBO is 4-11 and 90 pounds, so that's not gonna work). So it needs to be modular. The interior spanish cedar drawer units need to be removable, as does the maple cabinet structure. The base I can move as well as the broke down components. So it looks like screws are going to be the method to hold it all together, with removable backs for easy access.

[Jim Matthews]

Are the upper tiered cabinets all one piece - unsupported along the bottom?

If a back panel is tacked on, it will be easier to handle.

If the table base and cabs are attached, a two wheel hand truck might be a safer way to move the works.

[glenn bradley]

This piece is coming along great Bill.


Well, the need for a "feature" has arisen. It came about because I suddenly realized that I'm old. Who knew??

That can't be right. If you're old that would mean that I'm ol . . . ol . . . oh, I get it.

Seriously though. My designs for my own home have morphed to include "how the heck am I gonna get this in there?" factors. Modularity works for me and is easily hid behind frame or trim work, inserts, drawer compartments, etc. Considerations for others have included shipping restraints/conveniences, turns on the stairs at the target destination, and so forth. Keep percolating. It will come.

[Bill Carey]

Glenn - sorry to bring up the age thing - you're still young, but you'll grow out of it. And yes, with the exception of the current humidor, my projects will be getting smaller. One of the reasons I didn't pop for a large 2k jointer. My bench top limits me to 4' or so. Kinda like a governor on a truck.

Jim - It'll be in 3 sections. The base with a top on it. The upper cabinet with a false bottom and removable back panels. And the spanish cedar inserts. At least that's the plan. But I never forget Sun Tzu's warning that your plan never survives the first encounter with the enemy.

[Jim Matthews]

At least that's the plan. But I never forget Sun Tzu's warning that your plan never survives the first encounter with the enemy.

My enemy is Gravity.
I'm still waiting on my jetpack.

[Bill Carey]

All writers of fiction will at some point find themselves abandoning a piece of work - or find themselves putting it aside, as we gently say. (https://www.quotemaster.org/qf35f57baa1ea660f4c2e9d237cb0cafe)
- Martin Amis (https://www.quotemaster.org/author/Martin+Amis)

I suppose we all have encounter a project whose inertia we struggle to overcome. Well, this is the first one for me. The idea started with the walnut fliches I used for the main doors; wood that I had been saving for several years. They were always meant to be used for doors to something - I just didn't know to what. Then the idea of a large, fancy humidor grew after lazily looking at pictures of Krenov cabinets and in my haste I thought: why not? I think I might have even said it out loud, a statement that once uttered invites chaos into my life. And I've uttered it way too many times, but evidently not enough to have learned anything. So it goes....

So I will "put it aside" and see what happens. The good news is I've learned to use sketchup from this project, something I've struggled with in the past but now feel comfortable using, and I developed a few new ways of doing things that will prove valuable in the future. And putting it on the shelf will open much needed space in the shop.

The bad news is that it will always be a bit of unfinished business for me - it will pop up and nag at me in moments of quiet refection. After 37 years of sobriety I've gotten pretty good at letting go of the refuse that floats unbidden into my life, but this, being wholly self inflicted, will be a bit of a challenge.

But hey, at least the decision is made, and truth (of some sort) has won the day. And as Lt. Drebin says "Truth hurts. Not as much as jumping on a bicycle with a missing seat, but it hurts". Think I'll go for a bike ride.....

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[Phil Mueller]

Bill, don’t quite know how to reply - which is why it’s taking me so long to do so - other than I’m sorry to see the momentum petered out. Was looking forward to the rest of the build. I did have a table go on for about a year or so when a few things went wrong and the excitement was gone. Wishing you the best for your next project.

[Bill Carey]

Thanks Phil - just one of those things. Some paying work came in, some honey-dos floated to the top of the barrel, my day job came back for a while, etc. But it's not in the fire pit yet, so who knows.

[Jim Matthews]

I'm genuinely looking forward to the restart. This is both unusual and ambitious.

[Bill Carey]

So I started up on this again, and it took up right where I left off. One mistake after another. Even the repairs turned into disasters. For instance, I broke off three screws trying to remove the hinges that I had mortised too deep into the cabinet so the pins could not be removed, and the extractor went out the side of the box. Typical on this one. I've never done a project that came so completely off the f-in rails. So deciding it was over was a relief, and I have no regrets about terminating it. I saved a large chunk of maple from the top and the base, and fortunately I never got further on the legs - QS maple - than to make 4 - 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 blanks 36" long, which I'm sure I'll use somewhere. This was a catharsis, and it's a pleasure to be in the shop again, without this project sitting in the corner, taunting me like a woodworking version of Chuckie. Plus, the last pic is super cool, I think. So there's that.


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[Ken Fitzgerald]

This was a catharsis, and it's a pleasure to be in the shop again, without this project sitting in the corner, taunting me like a woodworking version of Chuckie.

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I have one on the bench right now. I can understand the feeling. I don't think the CFO will allow me to dispose of it in a similar matter besides, we have a burn restriction right now.

[Bill Carey]

I have one on the bench right now. I can understand the feeling. I don't think the CFO will allow me to dispose of it in a similar matter besides, we have a burn restriction right now.

Hope yours works out better than mine Ken

[Mike Allen1010]

Been there and done that my friend! I sometimes think one of the signs of wisdom/experience is knowing when to quit a project or approach and go in a new direction. Older I get, the more I think change for change sake it’s pretty much a good thing.

Thanks for sharing your experience. As always, look forward to your next projects!