Stan's Cabinet...is finished..

[Mark Singer]

This was a challenging project...it is the kind of cabinet that is not forgiving... Between the cabinet , the drawers and the base my hand and machine skills were put to a test and I enjoy this kind of project... The Balboa doors were just heavy work without much challenge and really only tested my back and my age:rolleyes: ...I really should not have taken on that project. Here I feel the rewards...putting to use things I picked up and the best part will be surprising Stan! Myriam and I told him there is something we need to discuss at his house...on Friday. Well you got the picture...I bring it over...he wil really be surprised! Unless he has been visiting SMC:confused: Oh well the pics...ask any questions I feel a little over worked 2 hours each morning before breakfast on Stan's cabinet...glad its done!

[Mark Singer]

Here we go otra vez...

[chris fox]

simply amazing! I really like the detail on the lower drawers.

[chris fox]

what did you finish it with?

[Mark Singer]

what did you finish it with?
Chris,
this is a wax only finish....using Briwax Clear.. The trick is to finish the wood to a fine finish...planed scraped or sanded and then apply with #0000 steel wood...applt a second coat of wax and buff immediately...you need to just do small areas...I buffed with a Rotex and terry towel on the flatter areas

[Dan Forman]

Mark---What a lovely cabinet, your friend will be thrilled I'm sure.

Dan

[Jesse Thornton]

Phenomenal work, Mark! I love the drawer fronts. Thanks for sharing.

[Dave Richards]

Absolutely beautiful. Stan will be pleased.

Thank you Mark.

[Hans Braul]

Well Mark,

Nothing I haven't already said, but this is truly beautiful work, both in design and workmanship. Thanks for showing the details - it gives me something to aspire to.

Regards
Hans

[Karl Laustrup]

BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVO!


As we have come to expect of your work Mark, the cabinet is superb in its execution and stunning in its design and selection of materials.

Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to view your work.

Karl

[Brent Smith]

Beauty, Mark. Anyone would be overwhelmed to receive a gift like that.

Brent

[Tyler Howell]

What they said.:cool:

[Gail O'Rourke]

Mark I love this cabinet. It is very elegant but also has the look that you can use it without breaking it. I love that combination of form and function.

I particularly love the curve on the drawers. A great detail.

I would love to see and feel it in person. How tall does it stand?

Great work.

[Rod Upfold]

Mark...very...very nice

Could you give some dimensions...height, width, leg thickness and height of legs.

Thank you


Rod

[Glen Blanchard]

Absolutely stunning!!

[Phil Thien]

Outstanding!

Who is Stan and what did he do to deserve such a wonderful gift?

[John Schreiber]

Fabulous. Now just to increase my sense of admiration, you do this in your spare time outside of a "real" job?

The drawer pulls have been added since the last pictures I saw. I had assumed that the carved lip was to be the handle. Did you find that they were insufficient by themselves or had you always planned on adding the pulls?

[Don Bullock]

As I stated in another thread, Mark, you are a master craftsman. That chest is superb. If it tested your skills as a woodworker, that sure isn't evident. From the wood choice to the final product you have done a fantastic job. Stan should be elated. I'm sure he will proudly display it and your work will be enjoyed for many years to come. Congratulations on your accomplishment.

[Mark Singer]

Fabulous. Now just to increase my sense of admiration, you do this in your spare time outside of a "real" job?

The drawer pulls have been added since the last pictures I saw. I had assumed that the carved lip was to be the handle. Did you find that they were insufficient by themselves or had you always planned on adding the pulls?

John,The ebony "buttons " make it easier to open the drawers...If the shelf above had a recess, they would not be necessary...its a spare time thing and I run a few different companies for fun in my spare time as well...(archhitect...resturanteur....real estate )...they are all hobbies...my real job is Grandpa;)

[Glen Blanchard]

Mark - Once again, simply awesome work. Would you mind explaining the construction briefly? Joinery used? All hardwood?

[Mark Singer]

Outstanding!

Who is Stan and what did he do to deserve such a wonderful gift?

Phil,
Stan authorized Chris Fedderschon to buy me a lot of ine tools on his last yearly trip to Japan. Chris is a mastercraftsman and woodworking instructor at Palomar school of woodworking...he goes to Japan once a year as part of the woodworking program...Stan would not let me pay for any of it...here is the story...Wiktor has a section of my work on his website...along with other friends and some great small toolmakers that do outsatnding work...It is a good reference for some of my tutorials..

http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/mSinger/japTools/japTools.asp

[Roy Wall]

Mark -

I hadn't noticed the sanding and rounding of the top edge of the base..the way it curves into the cabinet is excellent....and no gaps!!! I'd have to caulk it.....:o :p


How are the top and base attached?
You've certainly convinced me of the Briwax finish....its spectacular!

Stan is going to FLIP!!!:D :cool: :) :D

Good for you Mark & Myriam Singer - and the bond of friendship with Stan and his family - add this cabinet to the lore....:)

Thanks for showing (and teaching us) some more of your fabulous skill!!

[Dan Gill]

Overall, it's a beautiful piece, but those two drawers with the integral (almost) handles are absolutely stunning. Seeing pieces like this is one of my favorite reasons for sailing on the Creek.

[Ralph Dobbertin]

Unbelievably quiet and beautiful. I'm a newbie and was just surfing and saw this. How lucky are you to have friends that deserve this gift. JK would be proud. Sculpted drawer fronts, perfect joinery, great selection of colour (Canadian spelling) and beautiful design.

What's your next project?

[Bob Swenson]

Mark, Once again you have shone us your fine sense of design and craftsmanship in an outstanding piece. You keep raising the Bar.
Yasher Koach
Bob

[Mark Singer]

Some requested information....Mounting was done with brass removable pins and inserts... I used a 1/4" plywood template for registration

Size...cabinet: 28" wide 25" tall 12 1/4" deep
Base...38" tall and 1" larger in both dimensions for the waterfall edge

Overall height with base: 63"

[Jim Becker]

Outstanding, Mark!! The stand really worked out well, too...it just flows.

[Mark Singer]

Thanks for your supportive comments...It is a Krenov inspired cabinet...I tried to make a few aspects unique...the sculpted drawer fronts and integral pulls..in a bow front design... The front door pulls from ebony and teak...Designing a larger base that visually creates a visuall resting place for the cabinet..In Krenov's recent ones some of the bases seemed too small in scale for the cabinet they were supporting....IMHO..

But I have his books and the pages are a bit worn with admiration and envy...he is well in his 80's now ....his work in the 80's and 90's is without equal in my mind..in craftsmanship...design and his continuing dedication to refining simple ideas and techniques...

[Robert Goodwin]

Well done as usual. I am going to start buying the pieces that my wife wants from you:cool:

Great Work!!!

Rob

[Hans Braul]

Of course we'll need a report on how Stan reacted to the gift!

Cheers
Hans

[Richard Neel]

Krenov would be pleased....

[Mike Johnson - Chicago]

Mark,

Everyone's craftsmanship praise is accurate, but I have to add another...

The grain pattern (and orientation of it) on the drawers is spectacular! Taking the time to chose/place that board has, IMO, made the cabinet "special"...in "the Krenov way".

Very nice~

Thanks for sharing it with us,
M.J.

[Mark Singer]

Mark,

Everyone's craftsmanship praise is accurate, but I have to add another...

The grain pattern (and orientation of it) on the drawers is spectacular! Taking the time to chose/place that board has, IMO, made the cabinet "special"...in "the Krenov way".

Very nice~

Thanks for sharing it with us,
M.J.

Mike ,
Very interesting observation....I looked at the width of the cabinet, found a piece of 8/4 walnut in my bin after checking many boards and then selected a section that was symettrical in the aprox width of the cabinet and cut it out of the middle of a 10' piece... Then I sketched a pattern that echod the grain....the right board will really make piece work sometimes....it is a fun search ...especially when it comes together..Thanks

[Robert Mickley]

Mark,, as usual you amaze me. That is outstanding work and as usual I can't begin to find the words.

Your friend Stan sounds like a keeper,

[Jim Becker]

....the right board will really make piece work sometimes....
This is very important, folks. We all see a lot of really nice craftsmanship here at SMC and elsewhere, including in our own shops. What sets the "really, really outstanding" projects apart is the attention to detail like careful material selection.

The very first step of the finishing process is selecting the material you will use...choose well. Mark's a master of this and you can see in this project how it raises things to the next level. This means you need to buy quality material and sort it carefully--that doesn't always mean paying more; it means choosing the right boards. It may also mean you need to cut something out of the middle of a board...and not necessarily parallel to the "factory" edge to get the end result that works the best.

[Mark Singer]

Jim,
Excellent point on selecting material....now for telling you the weak point in the base.....I wanted all matching Shedua....the legs are cut from one board...aprons from a second. The leg board had wind shake cracks that were pretty bad... after I layed it out with my template there was no choice , but to have a pretty bad crack in one leg....I thought I could make it go away.....it still shows and is the weak point on the base....my eye tends to notice it on examination...Its on the back of the inside of a leg...I epoxy filled it with shedua dust and it kinda went away.....In my mind its still there...If I had another board that would yeild 4 legs...I could have avoided it. I didn't notice the wind shake at the yard where I bought and then it was late...

[Mike Johnson - Chicago]

On the material selection side of things,

We all find different things "impessive", but the 1 thing that I learned in Krenov's books (and am now a firm believer in) is that the "feel" of an object comes from our "perception" of flow, balance and stress. It's like taking the golden rectangle to a whole nother level~

A simple example is:

() is perceived as fat

versus

)( is perceived as skinny

But would take the same general space.

By no means as difficult (or as nice) as "Stan's cabinet", here is an example where the board (and its grain) that I chose is the only reason that a simple box "feels" like more than "just" a box.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=49931#post49931

So, having focused on/struggled with that before, it may be why I appreciate Mark's drawers over the rest of the accomplishment.

Regards,
M.J.

[Mark Singer]

Mike Johnson,
I know exactly what you are talking about....Krenov sometimes says a piece "Sings" ...that is an interesting description. Occasionally you make someting that creates feelings that go well beyond the materials and even the crafstmanship....they begin to speak in a presence of their own....not every piece...not often....but once in a while if the moon and stars are aligned just right....it is true of the best crafstman , architects, artists and musicians.....not always does every piece "sing"... If you do your best and everything is constructed well, joined perfectly, proportioned well, nice wood...you have a chance, but even then, it is a rare occurance..
There are no experts that know all of these answers ....we are all learning from the process and may be at different levels, but still just learning...that is the beauty of what we do.
PS ...Beautiful jewlery box....I have made some similar ones

[Jim Becker]

Mike J, great example of how a specific piece of material "makes" the piece!

[Mark Singer]

This morning Myriam and I delivered the pice to Stan....he is extremely low key ...he just helped me unload it and said he was totally surprised...but very low key..
We found a nice place for it in the middle of his living room and he insisted it not be against a wall...
He admired my work...the drawers and the details.....but did not express too much emotion.. He has seen all of my projects so he knows what to expect...he collects a lot of nice wood crafted pieces and this fit in well.
He will take a few pics an email them....once I get them I will post them so you can see the case in the space (poet:confused: )

I designed stans house about 20years ago....maybe 22..I think the plans said '85...so that was it... I am sure he is enjoying it and has probably been playing with it all morning..

[Corey Hallagan]

Mark this is a beautiful piece and the wood and finish are gorgeous. I saved a couple pics in my file, I won't ever make anything like it but just seeing special pieces give inspiration.

Corey

["Jason Belous"]

were you inspired by the work of james krenov, your work is very similar in style and beauty, this is a compliment, a very big compliment. bravo. if you are not familiar with james krenov you should search him out, your work has that same style of craftmanship. well done sir.

[Mark Singer]

pictures in Stans Home...the figure comes alive in the evening...nocturnal figure

[Hans Braul]

Holy figure, Batman!

Wow these pics really bring out the character of the wood and highlight the careful selection you've made. Stan is one lucky dude.

Hans

[John Schreiber]

It sings, and you're the Singer.

[Mark Singer]

I had the same dilema yesterday at my harwood yard...Austin selecting wood for the bed I am making.... I finally went with quartered sappelle...I try to picture it finished...I try to picture the face grain wrapping aruond the corner and becoming end grain...only solid wood can really do this...we put so much effort into our work it is important to start with the best material...sometimes there is a compromise...wind shake cracking is present and great figure...I had that on one leg of the base. Try to cut all the same pieces from the same board...like the legs for example.
So if you start with beautiful material...you have a big head start a great beggining...then you just need to have a great design and do perfect work:eek:
Not so easy...
If you start with bad material , all your perfect work and design will be limited by the wood you started with

when you have great material it can bring out the best of your ability...remeber though there will always be flaws in the wood...things to fill....splits to hide...we all face these natural defects in wood...how you handle them is important to the success of the piece

[Pete Harbin]

Wow Mark! It's absolutely beautiful. And what a nice nod to your craftsmanship that he didn't want it placed against a wall.

I've been away from the forum for a while (work, work, work) but went back and read through your documentary on the cabinet. There are a lot more pics in my Mark Singer folder now!

Just stunning...and thanks for sharing the craft!

Pete

[Randy Long]

WOW!
That is amazing!

Can I ask, how many hours did this take you?

[Mark Singer]

WOW!
That is amazing!

Can I ask, how many hours did this take you?

Randy ,
This style cabinet is very detailed and does not go that fast...I had about 35 hours in the base and about 48 hours in the cabinet.... the detailed drawers were in the 48 hours , but probably 10 hours thenselves...it was enjotable and highly focused work...by comparison the last padauk sofa I made only took 38 hours...and it is a bigger piece

[Larry Crim]

A real work of art, You really give us something to strive for.
Larry

[Neil Lamens]

Mark,

I've been paying homage to Stan's cabinet and have studied it many times. Each day has been different.

with much Respect........Neil

[Jason Tuinstra]

Mark, outstanding work. First rate work and worth of admiration and emulation. Thanks for showing it off.

[Dave Malen]

Mark,
This is beautiful piece. Every design decision - proportions, colors, wood choice, details - like the draw fronts , the curve in the legs, the dovetails, all add up to a spectacular piece. Thanks for sharing and inspiring.

Dave