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Jim Becker
10-09-2007, 9:39 PM
Time for another one of my long-winded project threads! LOL!

This time around, it's about the tall linen cabinet and short shelving unit that will go in the "toilet room" of our new master bath in the addition. Like the vanities, the species of choice is QS cherry...with a little kicker that I'll show you later. The construction is pretty basic, so there are some steps I didn't bother to photograph. No matter, what's going on should be clear to almost anyone and hopefully, my descriptions will fill in any gaps.

Having the actual addition framed up was handy for this project as I could get actual rough measurements for the space that the cabinet and shelving would be installed. The toilet was purposely off-set from the center of the room to allow for a 16" wide unit while still being well in excess of code requirements for spacing. The total horizontal space is a couple inches over 6' and the final ceiling height over the finished floor will be pretty much right at 8'.

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From the measurements I took off the framing, I sketched out the boxes on a sheet of paper and did some good old-fashioned figuring to get my carcass sizes, leaving room for scribing face frames to the finished wall. After making a few changes in my mind, I used CutList Plus to chart out my material requirements and make my cut lists...this is straight sheet-goods type work and having a real cut-list would make things efficient when cutting panels out of the Baltic birch plywood that would serve for the basic structure. And then it was off to the supplier and on to the saw...

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In addition to the BB plywood, I picked up a sheet of 1/4" cherry to line the inside of the small shelving unit. I ended up a big winner as the supplier put a sheet with wonderful rift/quarter-sawn grain on my trailer...I really need to run back up there and get some more! In this picture, I'm laminating the 1/4" cherry stock to the 3/4"/18mm end panels for the interior "show side" using glue, a few 23 gage pins to keep it from slipping and some BowClamps as cauls. (I could have used the vacuum clamping system, but wanted to try and alternative method)

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These two end panels were the only ones I needed to mask off for pre-finishing...everything else would get sprayed with little preparation outside of sanding.

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Just so you know how nice that 1/4" stock is, here's a close-up of my test piece with BLO applied and shellac sprayed...

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Jim Becker
10-09-2007, 9:39 PM
Before permanently assembling the shelving unit, I did some test fitting of the 1/4" overlays for the two visible shelf surfaces, fine tuning the length at the saw.

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Another step prior to assembly was to dye the underside of the top and the middle shelf. These will not be directly seen, but leaving them light in color might have caused funky reflections. The dye takes care of giving them a similar color value to the cherry "money" surfaces that are visible.

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Sanding all the panels came next.

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After pre-finishing the interiors sides of all the components (sprayed shellac followed by Target Oxford Hybrivar), I hand sanded the edges to clean them up for later adhesion of the face frames. A small amount of finish may have gotten on them while spraying...a few strokes of the sanding block took care of it!

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And then we begin assembly

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Jim Becker
10-09-2007, 9:39 PM
The simple carcase boxes are pretty basic relative to assembly. I used some 15 gage finish nails to tack things together after applying the glue and then used screws to finish the job. While I did use some pocket screws, pre-drilling and countersinking for regular screws was actually a little faster for this kind of "ultimately hidden" joinery.

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Since this unit would get a centered shelf, I took measurements off the carcass, determined the exactly location and offset from the bottom and then cut some scrap MDF to act as spacers as I screwed in the middle shelf. I had already drilled for pocket screws, so that is what I used. Yes, they are on the "top" surface, but guess what...they will be hidden by the 1/4" cherry overlay piece soon to be installed. (I could have used screws in from the outside for this with no problem as long as I scribed a line to insure that the screws engaged the plywood)

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As previously mentioned the middle and bottom shelf received the 1/4" cherry plywood overlays. These were installed after careful final fitting with a little glue and a few 23 gage pins to keep them from shifting.

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Here we have the completed shelving unit for next to the toilet

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And just for grins, here's the unit tipped up so you can see the dyed undersides of the top and middle shelf. For some reason in the picture, they appear much darker than the cherry, but in real life they are not...just a hair darker and that will change over time.

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Jim Becker
10-09-2007, 9:39 PM
With the lower shelving unit carcass complete, it was time to move on to the tall linen cabinet that will be next to it. Sans the base (which will be built in place and sized after the final floor and ceiling elevations are known) this cabinet gets to be 92" tall. This is way too big to build as a single unit, practically speaking, so I decided to stack two 46" tall units. A modular carcass, if you will. They will be assembled in the room and then have the face frame attached after scribing to the wall.

Here's what the first of the larger boxes looks like...I'm skipping the steps to build it as again, it's pretty basic: glue, a few finish nails to tack and then countersunk screws into the butt joints. (The ends of the side pieces were masked during the pre-finishing from the glue area just like the end panels of the smaller unit were handled)

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Again, I measured for the shelving positions directly on the carcass, determining the location such that the two shelves to be installed were pretty much equally spaced in the unit.

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Locating the "screw line" was another important step before proceeding with installation of the shelves.

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With the unit still on the bench, I was able to use a square to insure that the shelves were perpendicular in all planes. No glue was used here, but the shelves were initially tacked with a few 18 gage brads prior to drilling/countersinking for the screws.

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Jim Becker
10-09-2007, 9:40 PM
Of course, putting in the screws was also in order at that point!

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While the unit was still on the bench, I added the blocking that would help support the face frames. Like my vanity projects, I'm moving the stiles out so that their inside edges are flush with the unit's interior. In that manor, I can use regular inset Euro hinges (Blum 120º) with regular mounting hardware instead of futzing around with face frame mounts. This is my way of getting the look I want (traditional face frames) with the clean operation and adjustability that Euro hinges and construction offer.

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I needed Professor Dr. SWMBO to help me stack these up! I could not lift a single 46" unit with the shelves installed up that high by myself. In retrospect, I should have broken this unit into three cubes rather than two if I had thought about it more earlier in the game.

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----------

In my first post, I eluded to "something interesting" and this is the point we get into that. :) Consider that the low shelving unit needs a top. I could chose to use stone to match the vanities, but the expense and practicality/need for that is dubious. And I like to work in wood. ;) A few years ago, I bought a thick board of spalted quartered sycamore from a fellow woodworker and put it up in the rack above my miter station to wait for a project that called its name. (Did you hear something? I did...:p) Hmm...let's pull that board down and take a look. Hmm...let's saw that board down the middle and see how it book-matches. Hmm... YUM!!!

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And Professor Dr. SWMBO agreed that it was a perfect choice for the top of that shelving unit right next to the loo. So it was time to glue it up!

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Jim Becker
10-09-2007, 9:40 PM
While the top was in the clamps, I took a few minutes to do some figuring for the material widths for the face frames. There will be an end panel made of the nice 1/4" QS cherry plywood on the visible side of the taller cabinet, so I clamped on a piece of scrap to be sure it was included in the measuring process.

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When I returned to the shop later, the glue had done it's thing on the book-matched panel for the top. I went through the sanding steps and then prepared some cherry strips to edge the panel with...for two reasons. The first being continuity and the second being that the panel was only 1/2" thick after re-sawing and thicknessing. That would be a little too thin appearance-wise for the scale of these cabinets. The cherry edging and some 1/4" strips of poplar glued on the bottom took care of that. And the top will be screwed to the carcass in such a way that wood movement will be accommodated back to front. (fixed screws in the back and screws in oversize holes in the front)

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At one end, I wasn't happy with a slight gap between the panel and the edging, so while I was filling one small bark inclusion with CA and coffee grounds (a perfect color match, BTW) I got some thick CA in the small gap and sanded it flush...it basically disappeared.

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And then the BLO went on. Wow...

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This past weekend, I shot quite a few coats of shellac on the top to fill and smooth it and it's just stunning.

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Jim Becker
10-09-2007, 9:40 PM
With all three carcasses built as well as the top for the shelving unit fabricated, it was time to turn to the face frames, starting with the low piece. I'm getting low on rift/QS cherry, but with some careful sorting, I was able to use a number of shorts to get the components I needed for that unit. Everything was initially cut slightly long. After doing final measurement for the stiles and cutting them, they were clamped to the carcass so I could get the exact length for the rails...which in turn were cut and fitted with pocket screw holes

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Assembly of the face frame was pretty straight forward...secure the pieces, apply some glue, clamp the joint and drive in the pocket screws. The whole assembly was then sanded through the grits

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and oiled.

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For the short, shelving unit, I'm going to use pocket screws to attach the face frame; temporarily during scribing and then permanently once the glue is applied. (I may be able to do the same with the tall unit, depending on how I maneuver things) Since I just plain forgot to drill the pocket screw holes prior to assembly, I whipped out the Kreg "Rocket" (which I've had for years, but never actually used before since I have the bench-mounted jig, too) and proceeded to prepare the carcass. The Rocket really worked well and I'm glad I have it for those times when drilling the holes after the fact is the best choice or required because of a "poor choice" earlier in the game. :o

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Next time, I'll get to the face frames for the tall unit...I just may have enough material to do it. And this is one of those rare times when I really do need 8'+ boards to make a component...

Steve Clardy
10-10-2007, 3:16 PM
Looking good Jim

Jeff Kerr
10-13-2007, 9:49 PM
Jim,

Couple of questions.

I assume that you are using more high grade ply for the carcass. That being said is there still money to be saved with going with BB and then the cherry ply?

Also, are you using good old drywall screws on those butt joints or are they also a higher grade screw?

Jim Becker
10-13-2007, 10:13 PM
I assume that you are using more high grade ply for the carcass. That being said is there still money to be saved with going with BB and then the cherry ply?

Well...I don't base things on money saved. In this case, as it were, the book case needed a cherry interior. My choices were to buy a sheet of 3/4" cherry ply for really big bucks, buy veneer and make my own panels or do the overlay with the $70 1/4" cherry plywood with the wonderful quarter sawn figure. (The cost of the BB plus 1/4" cherry ply was not much different from the cost of a sheet of 3/4" cherry plywood...it's brutal out there right now) In the future I'd likely do the veneer thing, although QS cherry veneer isn't inexpensive, either.



Also, are you using good old drywall screws on those butt joints or are they also a higher grade screw?There are no drywall screws in my shop outside of a box of them I keep around for...drywall repairs. ;) (I use square drive screws from McFeeley's)

Jason Tuinstra
10-14-2007, 1:00 AM
Jim,

Everything is looking great. The qs material (both the cherry and the sycamore) look stunning! I really enjoy reading these articles. Keep them coming. I look forward to seeing how it all comes together.

frank shic
10-14-2007, 1:06 AM
great photo series, jim. looks like you're making progress! what advantage does hybrivar have over the other water-based finishes? i've been trying to sort out which one to make my finish of choice: USL, CV or the hybrivar. my main criteria is speed.

Lori Kleinberg
10-14-2007, 9:34 AM
Great thread Jim. I really enjoyed the written and pictorial outline of your project. Thank you.

Jim Becker
10-14-2007, 9:45 AM
great photo series, jim. looks like you're making progress! what advantage does hybrivar have over the other water-based finishes? i've been trying to sort out which one to make my finish of choice: USL, CV or the hybrivar. my main criteria is speed.

The Hybrivar is a real alkyd varnish in a water borne formula, so it carries forward the coloration that a "normal" alkyd varnish would exhibit which is very nice on cherry and other species that one likes the "oil" look. But it also has a longer drying time than the USL...quite noticeably so...but still considerably faster than an oil-based product. (And it can be sprayed--oil based products are not a good choice for that due to their long drying times and the large amount of sticky over-spray) It has a different odor from the USL, too...more "licorice" like, as it were...

I wanted to use this product to see how it worked out and the master bath vanities were a good opportunity for that. I suspect that the face frames and doors for this linen cabinet and book shelf will not go beyond shellac, however...I don't want to buy another gallon of the Hybrivar right now with cold weather coming in and the shellac looks wonderful by itself.

Jim Becker
10-15-2007, 9:01 PM
'Just a quick update...I had an hour in the shop on Sunday and managed to more or less finish up the short shelving unit that will go beside the toilet in the master bath. Several applications of shellac rounded out the face frame after it was firmly attached to the piece (there is enough for minor scribing at the wall). I'll likely hit it with more shellac and a little water borne before installation, but I need to move on to the larger face frame and doors for the tall linen cabinet at this point. But the color is already gorgeous... :)

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Greg Funk
10-16-2007, 12:15 AM
Looks great Jim thanks for sharing all the pics. You'll need to build another cabinet now as the interior of the that cabinet is too nice to cover up with bath towels.:)

Ken Garlock
10-16-2007, 2:36 PM
Jim, I think you should be crowned the SMC Pettifogger.;) :D

Nice project and steps in making it happen. :cool: :cool:

Jim Becker
10-16-2007, 9:36 PM
Looks great Jim thanks for sharing all the pics. You'll need to build another cabinet now as the interior of the that cabinet is too nice to cover up with bath towels.

No towels going on those cherry veneer shelves...just "library materials" and hidden in the back of the lower one...the extra TP. :D I'll have to pick out just the right spinny thing project to display on the top! :)

Pete Brown
10-16-2007, 11:17 PM
Jim, that's some beautiful wood.

You have to love SealCoat too. I've been using that to give red-leaning tiger maple just a hint of pop before putting on the water-based topcoat.

Great looking cabinets.

Pete

Jim Becker
11-25-2007, 8:20 PM
It's been awhile since I last updated this thread...sorry...lots of business travel and other distractions have kept me from getting as much done on this project as I originally intended. "Fortunately",:mad: the addition is also a little behind, too, so I'm ok on the timing for now.

Outside of the ultimate installation, the remainder of this project entails building the face frame and doors for the tall linen cabinet. QS/Rift cherry is still the material of choice for this piece, so I sifted through my cherry supply (and acquired some more from Mike Morgan) to come up with the necessary material.

One of the wonderful things about having a sliding saw is the ability to easily straight-line lumber that, well...isn't straight. As you see here, I have a lovely board with the figure I want, but it's somewhat "banana" like along the edges. For the first cut, I lined up the starting and ending points and clamped the piece down to the wagon...and then made the cut.

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The board is then flipped around since we now have a perfectly straight reference edge and ripped to width using both the miter fence scale and an auxiliary ripping jig to set the cut to 2 1/4"...the dimension I chose for the door components.

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Assembling the face frame for the tall cabinet was an interesting experience as it's well...tall. Too big for the bench, actually, so with the help of a roller stand and other supports, pocket screws and glue were used to get it together.

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Lest you think that perfection rules in my shop....not! I realized after getting the frame partially assembled that I made it 2" too tall. (a little premonition fortunately before it was too late) So after screwing and gluing the bottom rail in the correct place. I trimmed off the excess length by hand.

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The one mistake I didn't want to make was to get the center rail misplaced, even by a sliver. The solution was to clamp the entire outer face frame to the actual carcass and mark it up exactly. Measuring off the workpiece has quickly become one of the most important things I do anymore when fitting things together.

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Jim Becker
11-25-2007, 8:20 PM
The center rail was attached where marked using pocket screws and glue and I'm very happy to say it's in exactly the right place!

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The face frame was then returned to the cabinet and clamped on to both protect it as well as to allow for exact measurement for the doors to be created next.

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Before going any further, I laid out the best of the material I had milled up and carefully chose the individual pairs of stiles for the four doors. The idea is to best match up grain and color variations both horizontally across two doors and vertically between the doors above and below. Similar efforts went into choosing and cutting the rail materials. The two top rails in the two top doors are from the same board and are consecutive cuts so that the grain flows across them

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Like the cherry vanities, I choose to vacuum veneer the door panels, although on this tall cabinet, I stayed "plain" with just QS/Rift cherry. The cherry feather crotch veneer I have left over from the vanities will be used for the wet bar. Because I was being a little "cheap" (and had no time to run to the borg for more 1/4" MDF), the top two door panels are slightly less thick than the lower two door panels. I'll need to accommodate that when I route the rails and stiles later, but that's not all that much bother in the long run.

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The finished panels really turned out nicely. The veneer I obtained from Joe Woodworker was premo and the vacuum system really lays it down nicely.

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Jim Becker
11-25-2007, 8:20 PM
I next setup the router station to groove the rails and stiles. All the pieces, by the way, were marked for the face as well as the correct edge to route. This is critical in order to keep the relationships I previously described intact.

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The stiles also had to have the groove "stopped" so that there was no interference with the glue and pocket screw area.

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The top panels are a hair over 1/4" thick (made with plywood) and the bottom panels are at about .30". (made with MDF) That means two passes for each, using my setup piece to sneak up on the right dimension. Here I check on that for the bottom panels, for example.

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Next, it was time to bring the veneered panels to final length. Once again, I measured directly from the workpieces to avoid mistakes.

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A dry fit verified that all was well with component sizing.

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Jim Becker
11-25-2007, 8:20 PM
Door assembly was next, but before doing that, I carefully sanded the inside edges of all the rails and stiles. These are pretty much impossible to sand after assembly without scratching the panels...which were also pre-sanded. I also chose not to pre-finish the panels this time around. The assembled doors were left to dry overnight.

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This morning I got to sanding the doors and that actually took a couple of hours. It was important to get it right and be sure not to slip and damage the veneered panel, etc.

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One additional sanding step was to be sure that all the sharp edges were "broken" with a little P400. Not only does this help them stand up better over time, it also helps with finish adhesion.

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Here are the doors after the application of BLO. I'm very pleased with them!

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And the same for the face frame and end panel. The latter only gets applied to the piece once it's installed in the addition, but it needs to be pre-finished "now".

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Aside from applying the shellac and a few other small steps, this project is pretty much as far as it can go until the addition is ready to receive it. It's my first piece that in essence has to go in the building "knocked-down" due to size and be physically assembled in place. (Hopefully I measured correctly...) Oh, I do need to make a base for it, but cannot do that until the drywall is in and the slate floor is down. I need the exact height measurement to get the base height correct.

Alan Tolchinsky
11-25-2007, 8:52 PM
Jim, Thanks for the very interesting tutorial. I too really enjoy seeing your work in progress. Question? Where do you do your spraying? Is overspray a problem for you? I have a garage shop and wondered how I could do this without getting overspray all over the shop. Thanks. Alan

Jim Becker
11-25-2007, 8:55 PM
Alan, I spray in the shop, although in good weather I'll sometimes spray outside. Over spray really isn't an issue since I only use water borne or shellac. Both dry very quickly and any over spray ends up being a fine powder that gets swept up. I do cover my major machinery if I'm spraying anywhere "near" it for good measure...

Paul Girouard
11-25-2007, 9:15 PM
Nice job Norm, ahhhhh I mean Jim:D

You do have quite a well equipped shop , Dr. Professor SWIMBO must come in handy at pay day as well as moving stuff.

I see BLO I assume, Boiled Linseed Oil, is pretty popular for formite use. I also Assume your using it to in-part that nice "oiled" color / look and noted you spray water borne over it. What your wait time between BLO and water borne finish?

Whats your normal water borne finish.

Just curious.

Again nice lookin job.

Jim Becker
11-25-2007, 9:31 PM
Paul, thanks. I'm pleased with the way the shop has turned out over the years. Professor Dr SWMBO doesn't cater to "moving", however...for that I entice others with a similar bent for sawdust using various, um...incentives...;)

Yes, BLO is a normal part of my regimen. That's generally topped with de-waxed shellac and always topped with de-waxed shellac if I'm going to spray on the waterborne finish. The latter is typically Target Coatings USL, but for these projects I've been trying out their new Hybrivar water borne alkyd varnish. I like it, for the most part, although its dry time is longer than the USL.

Don Bullock
11-25-2007, 9:34 PM
Jim, as usual I'm "blown away" by the detail in your posts. You'd make a great teacher. That wood that you're using is gorgeous. I've never seen any cherry like it. Like many here, I'm growing impatient to see the final pictures of all your work in your house, though probably not as much as you and your wife are. Thanks for sharing.

Jim Becker
11-26-2007, 8:58 AM
Jim, as usual I'm "blown away" by the detail in your posts. You'd make a great teacher. That wood that you're using is gorgeous. I've never seen any cherry like it. Like many here, I'm growing impatient to see the final pictures of all your work in your house, though probably not as much as you and your wife are. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you, Don. I actually do some teaching in my work...I've been doing a world-wide tour (literally) for new-hire training of both sales and sales support (technical) folks for a good part of this year and next. In fact, I find the best way to learn is to teach! LOL But it does cut into my shop time...

I fell in love with QS/rift cherry this past year and intend to use it a lot. It's the perfect way to insure that a special panel is highlighted, rather than buried, in a sea of figure. It does raise the cost, however, given there is less wood in the pile with that figure and as a result a lot more waste. But the end result is what I'm shooting for.

As to the schedule, yes, we're itchy about getting into the addition. We originally hoped to be in before the holidays, but the various delays probably will push that deep into January at least. With any luck, the rockers will start at the end of the week or early next week, especially now that we have a new inspector that has a reasonable mind...and doesn't make stuff up on the spot like the previous one did. Pictures of how things stand are in the addition BLOG at http://toscax.us/blog/addition.htm

Brian Weick
11-26-2007, 10:48 AM
very nice work - your doing a great job on that case. I like the color and the choice of would and thank you for posting the stages of construction- very nice job Jim- so when do you think it will be completed and in? Keep the update going if you can :)
Brian

Jerry Olexa
11-26-2007, 12:02 PM
Jim, stunning wood, excellent work and great pics and tutorial....Thanks....Looks good.

Mike Vermeil
11-26-2007, 1:01 PM
Jim,

Just curious - why do you not use the ripping fence?

"The board is then flipped around since we now have a perfectly straight reference edge and ripped to width using both the miter fence scale and an auxiliary ripping jig to set the cut to 2 1/4"...the dimension I chose for the door components."

Jim Becker
11-26-2007, 2:19 PM
Just curious - why do you not use the ripping fence?

Safety. Control. No need to even think about taking the piece back to the jointer to "clean it up". Best of all...because I don't have to... :-) ...and that keeps both my hands far away from the blade.

There will be plenty of times for me to use the fence, but I'm taking every chance I get to learn alternative techniques using the slider wagon for every cut I can make. Over time, that will get me to where I can decide what's best for me. Sometimes sticking to the slider take a little more time, but it's also serving to "pace" the work and that's good for mistake mitigation before the fact... ;)

frank shic
11-26-2007, 6:18 PM
jim, why did you pocket screw the doors instead of using something more concealed like dominos or even just glue on the stub tenons?

Jim Becker
11-26-2007, 7:17 PM
jim, why did you pocket screw the doors instead of using something more concealed like dominos or even just glue on the stub tenons?

I just chose to do these projects in a different way--and for faster assembly. I will likely return to stub tenons in future projects. Pocket screws do have the advantage of quickness as well as not requiring the thing to sit in clamps for a few hours. The disadvantage is the need for stopped grooves for the panel in the stiles and the visible pocket hole filler blocks. I don't mind the latter so much since they are in the inside, but the stopped groove require me to use a router for best effect rather than running the grooves using the table saw.

So many choices...and excellent question.

Jim Becker
12-27-2007, 10:18 PM
This is a quick update. After spending some time getting the doors finished, I finally got to do the final fitting to the carcasses and face frames. After a, well...small adjustment in width to the doors, they went in nicely. (Thank goodness for a sliding table saw...makes trimming an edge without destroying the workpiece a snap. Of course, doing correct math after measuring thrice would have eliminated the need to test that capability... D'oh! :o )

Here's how things look now for this portion of the project:

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The only other thing I need to do now is deal with the cabinet backs. I cannot build the base (toe kick area) until the slate is in the new master bath and I have an exact finished height elevation for the room. So until it's close to time of installation, this project is about as far as it can go. Oh, I guess I should re-finish those edges on the doors or something...;)

Jim Becker
02-09-2008, 10:07 PM
Here are a few pictures during and after the initial installation. The top for over the shelving unit will wait until it's time to "move in" so it doesn't get damaged. Same with the doors on the linen cabinet. Note that the writing on the pics is because I just used them for a BLOG entry (http://toscax.us/blog/addition.htm).


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Jim Becker
04-20-2008, 9:07 PM
Knobs are installed and the cabinets and shelves are clean...so here's a couple final photos of this project.

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Bill Wyko
04-20-2008, 9:56 PM
Looks great Jim. I like the grain matching and the finish looks very nice too. Doesn't it feel good when its done.:)

Dewey Torres
04-20-2008, 10:15 PM
This was my first time viewing this thread. Your post today brought it to the top. Good thing too because I enjoyed reading it. When I have project go for a long time I tend to feel:

Proud-sense of accomplishment
Glad- TGID (Thank God it's done)
Questionable- what would I have done different if I had to do it again.

Good thing you used quality materials as this project should easily outlive you.

Dewey

P.S Now I know what you really look like. I am so used to seeing your glamor shot avatar. Again, nice job... nice shop too.

John Thompson
04-26-2008, 12:09 PM
Looks great Jim.. it appears that others have already made that clear. I was just passing through trying to catch up on some of the projects I missed before they got isolated in this finished projects header. That was a blessing as I could not keep up spot checking with all the post that go through SMC daily without the isolation. I missed many excellent projects I would have liked to have seen.

What you posted now could be page 3 in several hours mixed with the general tools.. etc. It sometimes appears their is much interest in purchasing tools and less in what someone labors for months with them to produce. Maybe just my perception and hopefully wrong as that would not be new territory for me.

Looks great.. "cherry-man"....

Sarge...

Bill Wyko
04-26-2008, 12:52 PM
Lookin good Jim. I wish I was 1/2 as disciplined with a camera as you. Very nice documentation of the project.

J. Z. Guest
04-27-2008, 10:06 AM
Super nice Jim. ...almost too nice to be right next to the pooper. :D

Jim Kirkpatrick
04-27-2008, 10:24 AM
Jim, great work! Thanks for taking the time to post. I'm curious how the shellac finish holds up given the proximity to the toilet. "#1" and flushing tends to splash around that area, I've always used poly on vanities which holds up well and cleans nicely. But it's such a pain in the arse to apply and would love to use shellac. I've never used anything else so I have no basis for comparison. I've noticed that any metal heating baseboard adjacent to toilets always seems to rust no mater how well they're painted, particularly if there is a male in the household. Let us know down the road how it holds up. Yours looks to be an acceptable distance from the toilet so I'm guessing it will do fine. Cheers!

Jim Becker
04-27-2008, 11:32 AM
Jim, I don't use polyurethane on anything other than floors for which it was designed for. It's the most over-hyped and marketed product in the finishing world and is no more durable (other than abrasion) than any other type of varnish. Shellac is a very durable finish that cleans up fine and is easily renewable--I am in no way worried about using it, even in proximity to fixtures. The top of that bookcase, however, is also sprayed with Target Coatings USL.

Jeremy...why not have beautiful things to look at while you're sitting for a spell... :D

Glenn Clabo
04-27-2008, 12:39 PM
Jeremy...why not have beautiful things to look at while you're sitting for a spell... :D

Way to graphic !!!! Destroys the vision of your work !!!! ;)

Jim Kirkpatrick
04-27-2008, 4:35 PM
Jim, I don't use polyurethane on anything other than floors for which it was designed for. It's the most over-hyped and marketed product in the finishing world and is no more durable (other than abrasion) than any other type of varnish. Shellac is a very durable finish that cleans up fine and is easily renewable--I am in no way worried about using it, even in proximity to fixtures. The top of that bookcase, however, is also sprayed with Target Coatings USL.

Jeremy...why not have beautiful things to look at while you're sitting for a spell... :D
Jim, I'll definitely give shellac a try now after hearing your comments. I have a turn of the century (last century) house that has beautiful stained woodwork throughout with a shellac finish. In the heat of the summer when the humidity is high, the banister becomes tacky. I assume modern shellacs do not suffer the same fate?
But dude, when I come for an overnite visit to your place, I will definitely be taking a towel from the cabinets that have doors and not the open shelves next to the toilet :D

Jim Becker
04-27-2008, 7:23 PM
Jim, the shelves are for the library annex...and really, they are far enough away from the potty that it's unlikely to be an issue. I've had 51 years to perfect my aim. ;)

Walt Caza
04-29-2008, 11:10 AM
Thanks Jim,
For taking us along on another great project ride.
I can see how a person would fall in love with rift and QS cherry...
it's gorgeous!
Great work as usual,
Walt
:)