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Jim Becker
12-27-2007, 9:46 PM
One of the things under the tree for Professor Dr. SWMBO was a picture of a nightstand that I planned on making for our new master bedroom in the addition. Needing a break from the cabinetry type projects that have been consuming all my limited shop time, I decided not to to delay in getting them started. So the day after Christmas, after fitting the doors to my tall linen cabinet (and fixing a major, umm...measuring mistake...:rolleyes:) I got to work.

These night stands are based loosely on a picture that caught my eye in the February 2007 issue of Fine Woodworking on page 46. The article is about table edge treatments, and this piece was given as an example of a beveled underside. Nicely Shaker style to my taste, too.

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Now, I would normally build something like this in the cherry it's illustrated in. But I had been poking around in my lumber rack recently and remembered that my cabinetmaker neighbor had gifted me a whole bunch of stuff when he was cleaning out his shop...including some very nice purpleheart. Hmmm...maybe. Yes! Shaker style but "different". Purpleheart for the major structure and...hmmm....how about curly maple for the top and drawer fronts. Let's do it! :p :D And so I have.

I did a quick sketch for basic dimensions and then started to round up the materials and do the prep work necessary for the components. All of the purpleheart in the rack was 8/4 material, so I cut out the leg blanks, using the band saw to preserve some thin material for future use and resawed another piece for apron facings. Some of the leftovers from the leg blanks were just right for other structure components. I also glued up some poplar stock for secondary purposes. (I didn't document things like re-sawing, flattening and thicknessing for this as I'm working on them quickly...I want them done in a few days before I have to get back to the "grind")

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Before proceeding further with the legs, I took some thick scrap (in this case it was cherry with a lot of sap) and made a duplicate leg blank. On this, I drew out the locations for the aprons and other structure so I could ascertain where the leg tapers should start.

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Once that was done, I configured my taper jig to match the necessary cut and locked it down on the slider for "processing". (note that the blade is NOT spinning in this picture, despite looking like it. I was just putting the template blank in the jig to do my test cuts)

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Jim Becker
12-27-2007, 9:47 PM
Here are the completed legs with the tapers cut. Note that I carefully oriented these to take advantage of some nice figure on the "front" faces.

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Now, I could have cut up the last remaining piece of 8/4 purple heart for this project to come up with material to make the shelves that will be below the drawers (one of my modifications at Professor Dr. SWMBO's suggestion...for books), but it would have been a crime to cut up a 6' long, 15" wide 8/4 piece of this nice wood for such utility use. So after we picked out our knobs and lock sets for the addition this morning, I ran up to Wherungs Specialty Woods (http://www.wehrungsspecialtywoods.com/index.html) to pick up some 4/4 purpleheart for the shelves and some curly maple for the tops. Ok, this place isn't the candy store that Hearne Hardwoods (http://www.hearnehardwoods.com) is, but it's also only about 10 miles rather than an hour and a half ride. (Wherungs has also supplied the majority of the building materials for our addition, so they are inclined to be nice to me right now...) I got some great material and all of it was at about $5 bd/ft. I did buy more than I needed, but with the figured maple, you really have to do that so you can choose the right mix to get what you want for a very prominent feature. (I bought 25 bd ft of the maple and only used about 8 bd/ft for this project...the rest will be consumed later)

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Once I milled the new purpleheart flat and to thickness, I glued up the blanks for the shelves. Each nightstand will get one shelf.

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And here's all the maple laid out after a quick skim on the jointer so I could choose what I wanted to use for the tops.

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And a quick view of the curl...very nice...

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Jim Becker
12-27-2007, 9:47 PM
Choosing the material is what I very often say is the first step in the finishing process. For this top there are two things I needed to deal with.


Making the figure, color and curl relatively consistent across the table tops
Making each board about the same width so that the curl will "look right" as a table top that must, by definition, be obviously made from multiple boards. (Most of the time, I try to make a top look like ONE board...can't do that here)So here are the chosen boards laid out and ready for straightening and ripping to width.

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First, one edge is straight-line ripped. Since I have a sliding table saw, I can do this with the board clamped down and totally avoid going to the jointer to prepare the edge for glue-up.

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The slider is also used for the width and once again, with the board clamped down, I am ready to go right to the glue and clamps.

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Now you can see that we have consistent widths to work with. BTW, please note that I'm doing one large blank for both tops and will cross-cut it in half after the glue-up is completed. I forgot to mention this earlier in the thread.

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At the end of today, almost all the materials are ready for final assembly, outside of making drawers, and the big blank for the top is glued up and ready for sanding and dimensioning tomorrow sometime.

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Michael Weber
12-27-2007, 10:10 PM
Looking forward to rest of that Jim. Tarry Not

Dave Malen
12-27-2007, 10:14 PM
Jim,
Looks like a nice project. I'm impressed with the progress you made in just one day. and what a deal on that wood. For curly maple like that I've paid as much as 8 dollars a bf.

Looking forward to seeing the completed project
Dave

Jim Becker
12-27-2007, 10:19 PM
Dave...Ottsville is not a bad ride for you. Straight up 611! And I was also surprised at the price...just a hair over $5 for very nice figure. Not "instrument grade", but just right for this project.

keith ouellette
12-28-2007, 12:18 AM
You really make it look like you know what your doing. I can't wait to see the finished project. I wish I could get fig. maple at $5 a board foot. I only have one place to buy wood from any where near me and I pay over $5 for just plain white hard maple and it isn't even al that good.

Don Bullock
12-28-2007, 1:03 AM
Jim, as usual this is an excellent documentation of a woodworking project. I'll definately be interedted in following it along as it progresses. Thanks for your detailed posts. I find them very helpful.

I saw that same picture and thought it might be a table I'd like to make. Right now, however, I'm working on three other tables.

RickT Harding
12-28-2007, 10:00 AM
Great stuff. I saw the same article on the table edge designs and it gave me some ideas for a hall table I've been working on starting. I'm working on mine with a walnut base and curly for the top. I can't wait to see how you finish it. I've been reading all sorts of "grain popping" finishing ideas for that curly top since it's really going to be the center of attention with a darker base.

John A. Williams
12-28-2007, 11:01 AM
Nice maple, I don't really care for purpleheart, but maybe these tables will change my mind. You do great work.
John

Howie French
12-28-2007, 11:21 AM
Jim - great project, I look forward to following this.

thanks for taking the time for posting such detailed tutorials.


Howie

Thomas Knighton
12-28-2007, 11:34 AM
Looking good so far, and I can't wait to see how things progress with this project.

Tom

Bill Wyko
12-28-2007, 11:40 AM
Nice job Jim. I wish we had figured Maple that nice in these parts. Is that common in your area?

Nancy Laird
12-28-2007, 12:05 PM
Jim, those night tables are going to be pretty classy-looking. I'm glad that your better half decreed a shelf below the drawer box. Tables such as these look--TO ME--top-heavy and need something at the bottom to balance them. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Nancy

Jim Becker
12-28-2007, 12:11 PM
Nancy, I actually prefer the "look" without the shelf, but for practical reasons, they will have them. We both are voracious readers and having a place to put a book or three other than on top of the table is a good thing.

Bill (and others), I was very taken by how nice that maple was for the price. I've paid much more! But soft maple (which most of the figured stock is) is a NE wood, just like cherry. Supply is pretty good, but figured stuff, again, typically sells for higher prices. Maybe I just got lucky. No complaints here...and I have more on the rack for a future project.

Rich Torino
12-28-2007, 12:49 PM
Jim,
thanks for taking the extra time to put the pic show together.. It's always informative to watch someone elses methods.
I do agree with you about the look without the shelf however the practical side does come into play.... my wife would also agree with the shelf..

RickT Harding
01-02-2008, 9:41 PM
Mind a question Jim? I was planning on doing the under bevel from the article. Have you decided how much oversize you're making the top if you are following the same under bevel design?

Thanks

Jim Becker
01-02-2008, 9:51 PM
Mind a question Jim? I was planning on doing the under bevel from the article. Have you decided how much oversize you're making the top if you are following the same under bevel design?


My overhangs are figured at 2" which works well with the particular Freud cutter I'm going to use to do the bevels. For these night stands, I'm not beveling the wall side.

I have to get cracking on an update to this thread, too... ;)

RickT Harding
01-02-2008, 9:55 PM
Thanks for the info Jim. Looking forward to the updates. I did my first dry fit of my base today so I'm starting to get pumped. :D

Jim Becker
01-02-2008, 10:53 PM
As promised...an update. I didn't really spend much time in the shop on the weekend since I had a few other things to do, but I did take a few minutes on Saturday to completely pre-sand all the components including the large blank for the top. I want any sanding before finishing to be at a minimum.

In addition to sanding the flat components in the obvious way, I gang-sanded the legs as that provided better support for the Festool 150/3 sander and helped insure that they all stayed in the same profile with the taper breaks in the same spots.

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On New Years Day, I got the whole afternoon in the shop after a lazy morning and began by assembling the sides to their respective legs. The first step is the secondary wood which lines up with the inside of the legs.

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The 1/4" thick purpleheart end panels were then attached to the sides...one bead of glue along the top of the panel and just pin nails at the bottom. This insures that seasonal expansion of the very thick "veneer" doesn't cause structural problems later. In retrospect, I should have waited to attach these panels as it would have made some other construction tasks at the front of the piece easier, but no matter, things still worked out.

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Jim Becker
01-02-2008, 10:53 PM
One down....and you can see what the construction looks like

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Four down...

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Assembling the backs to the sides happened in essentially the same manner...a little glue and pocket screws. You might notice that the backs and interior side panels are just scraps of poplar and cherry used as secondary wood. By doing the 1/4" purpleheart material as a thick veneer on the sides, I saved material and also provided a nice way to flush the interior with the legs for easier construction of the interior drawer supports later.

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In order to lock things together at the front, the two narrow rails (1/2" thick) at the front of the piece were drilled for small dowels I had lying about. There were corresponding holes drilled where these rails needed to go. Next time, I'll improve the precision of this... ;)

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As you can see in this picture, I used blocks of wood as spacers to hold back the front rails from the front of the legs by 1/4" to match the offset (shadow line) on the side panels.


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Jim Becker
01-02-2008, 10:53 PM
After this bit of assembly was done (and it went fast due to the use of pocket screws), the end result was the basic table carcass.

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After getting the second unit together, I worked with some 1/2" thick poplar and some other scrap materials to create the internals that would support the two drawers and keep them in line. The only remaining work to be done on these bases is to add the shelf that will be about 5" below the bottom of the lower shelf-rail. I'll fit those up next weekend...and I am thinking it will be a very interesting exercise to fasten them in place. Nothing like a small challenge...:p

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Christopher Stahl
01-02-2008, 11:03 PM
I'm loving this project already. You're using two of my favorite woods. :) Keep up the good work Jim.

Bob Feeser
01-03-2008, 12:10 AM
Jim,
I'm drooling over the curly maple. Beautiful stuff. Nice choice of design.

Don Bullock
01-03-2008, 12:34 AM
Great progress Jim. Thanks for the update.:D

randy street
01-07-2008, 9:40 PM
Did you get those tops on?

Things are looking very nice.

Randy

Jim Becker
01-07-2008, 9:41 PM
Did you get those tops on?

I got the shelves fitted and the drawer boxes made on Sunday. I'll be posting an update as soon as I have time. I'm saving the tops and drawer fronts for last...LOL :D

julie Graf
01-07-2008, 10:06 PM
i am a fan of the purpleheart/maple combo.

You sure do get a lot done in one day! I need to be more like you.

Dennis Peacock
01-07-2008, 10:21 PM
Beautiful pieces there Jim!!!!!!! I can't wait to see them on my next trip to Philly!!!!! :D

Gary Muto
01-08-2008, 1:04 PM
Looks like a really nice project. Thanks for taking the time to document it so well.

George Bregar
01-08-2008, 1:41 PM
Hey Jim, when I glue up panels I orient the glue lines vertically when letting the glue set up, so that the squeeze out stays on the glue line rather than risking it running across the board. This makes the scraping easier and less issues on tearout when finishing.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=78017&d=1198810062

Jim Becker
01-08-2008, 1:58 PM
George, The glue lines were scraped about, oh...40 minutes after they went in the clamps while the drips were still soft. I would like to do as you suggested, but as you can see, for careful grain orientation, the ends were offset quite a bit, making putting at least one of them on end difficult. I do agree with the theory, however!

Patience folks...I have a few more pics from Sunday, but work is....work...this week being the first full one after the holidays.

George Bregar
01-08-2008, 2:03 PM
George, The glue lines were scraped about, oh...40 minutes after they went in the clamps while the drips were still soft. I would like to do as you suggested, but as you can see, for careful grain orientation, the ends were offset quite a bit, making putting at least one of them on end difficult. I do agree with the theory, however!

Patience folks...I have a few more pics from Sunday, but work is....work...this week being the first full one after the holidays. You could always x-cut them to the same length first ;) Look forward to completion!

Jim Becker
01-08-2008, 2:09 PM
You could always x-cut them to the same length first

Hard to do sometimes when you are finagling a grain match with certain species. As it was, I came way too close for comfort when I did trim the panels this weekend for the shelves. No matter, I had no glue to clean off outside of a little puff under the clamps after it cured. All the excess was scraped off before I left the shop.

keith micinski
01-12-2008, 8:14 PM
I hate to hassle you since I am supposed to be building book shelves as we speak but do you have the night stands done yet. These pieces are an unbelievable design and then you went and used probably the two best woods to boot.

Jim Becker
01-13-2008, 12:14 AM
Keith, I'm back in the shop tomorrow and will hopefully get them done. I have to deal with the drawer fronts and bevel the tops and then it's all finishing. It was a busy week with work and giving a little help to my GC with the laying the wide pine floor in the addition.

randy street
01-20-2008, 8:12 PM
Jim,

You got these done yet? Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Regards,

Randy

keith micinski
01-20-2008, 9:17 PM
I am also.

Jim Becker
01-20-2008, 10:40 PM
Tough Crowd! LOL Sorry, but I really have been major busy. The good news is...they are now done as of mid-afternoon today. That said, let's pick up where I left off last time. ;)

Each night stand has a shelf about 4 1/2" below the drawers for things like the book du jour, etc. These shelves are made from 1/2" purple heart to match the weight of the elements surrounding the drawers. The first step to fitting them is to clamp some spacer blocks onto the legs.

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Given that there are certainly variations between each assembled piece, each shelf must be fitted to its mate carefully. Here, I'm marking the cut lines to notch out for the legs. The shelves are sized for a ~1/4" reveal to match other components.

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Once marked, the notches for the legs need to be cut out and that was accomplished via Neander methods. Yes, I could have user the band saw, but this was a pleasant was to spend a few minutes. As you can see, I tried out both flat and in the vice to see what worked best for future reference. I much preferred the vertical orientation using the vice for this, largely due to better body position and comfort. Since these shelves are thin, I also clamped a sturdy piece of plywood behind it in the vice to provide support and help keep the workpiece from waving back and forth as the saw did the same.

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And the dry fit was satisfactory. These will not be permanently installed until after finishing for obvious reasons...

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Jim Becker
01-20-2008, 10:40 PM
Well, these nightstands have drawers, so it was time to make them...

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The slots for the bottom were cut at the TS and a sample board was used to refine the width of the kerf for the second pass before committing to the good pieces.

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A little glue...a few clamps...

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I had already picked out one board for the drawer fronts and with the basic carcasses complete, I was now able to side the drawer fronts. They form a continues grain line...across both pieces...not that most folks will notice with a king bed in between them. :)

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Oh, in case you were wondering about above the table cutter changes with the Bench Dog lift... :D

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Jim Becker
01-20-2008, 10:40 PM
The underside of the tops was beveled using my Freud raised panel cutter. This provides a lighter looking edge while retaining the strength of a thicker top. Only the front and two sides were beveled...on these pieces, unlike the Thos Moser design side tables I like to build, I decided to reduce the overhang at the rear.

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Once milled, the bevels were cleaned up with a sanding block.

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Corner blocks were added to the top rear of the stands to provide support for two floating screws that will attach the top at the rear. They float to allow for wood movement.

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Here are the tops after a light application of BLO to bring out the figure without darkening the maple much.

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One of the final steps was to do the final fitting of the drawer fronts after finishing. I had already sized them, so this process involved shimming them up from the bottom rail with a piece of laminate and then getting the drawer fronts fastened to the drawer boxes with screws.

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Jim Becker
01-20-2008, 10:40 PM
The detail shown here is a small block of wood fastened to the top rear of the drawers to act as an anti-tip device as the drawers are slid open. It has about 1/16" of play so it will not interfere with opening and closing. Some wax will also help with that when the runners are also supplied with that slippery stuff.

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The moment I was waiting for finally arrived. Done.

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The finishing regiment on these night stands is pretty basic. A light application of BLO, de-waxed shellac and Target Coatings USL. The oil was hand-applied. The shellac, since these are small pieces, was sprayed from a small spray can, rather than taking the extra time to setup and then clean my gun more than once. The USL was sprayed.

I'm largely pleased with these pieces in design as well as with the choice to use up that nice purpleheart that my neighbor gifted me over a year ago. The figured maple is a great accompaniment to the darker material. Honestly, I would have normally made this with cherry...so this "different" is an interesting diversion. That said, I'm not totally pleased with one of my board choices for the tops. I can live with it in my own bedroom, but had these been for someone else...the tops would have had to be redone. I'm always talking about choosing lumber carefully...and just plain got ahead of myself and broke that rule just a bit. :o

So this one is complete. (Outside of pulls...) And the wet bar is started...

Alan Tolchinsky
01-21-2008, 12:52 AM
Jim, those are beautiful. The figure in the maple is very pleasing and I really like the contrast between the woods. And I think you're being a little too hard on yourself about the tops. Nice job as usual!

C Scott McDonald
01-21-2008, 1:15 AM
Wow Jim, you did the curly maple justice!

Art Mulder
01-21-2008, 7:28 AM
Loverly.

How are the shelves attached to the legs?

Jim Becker
01-21-2008, 9:16 AM
Loverly.

Ok....


How are the shelves attached to the legs?

Top secret. LOL

Seriously, a little glue (I masked off before finishing) and some #7 trim-head square drive screws driven and countersunk at an angle into the legs. Low tech. Nothing fancy. I didn't have time. :o

Jim Summers
01-21-2008, 9:17 AM
Wonderful pieces.

Gotta agree with Alan though, the tops look great.

Greg Heppeard
01-21-2008, 9:34 AM
Great looking night stands. Bet she loved them!

Calvin Hobbs
01-21-2008, 9:56 AM
Nice little tables, Jim. I enjoyed the write-up.

I have never built any furniture with either of these woods, and have been waiting for the right piece to build from curly maple. Thanks again, Cal.

John-Paul Murphy
01-21-2008, 10:16 AM
nice Jim, well done. Tthe combination of woods look very good togeather.

Jim Becker
01-21-2008, 10:25 AM
I have never built any furniture with either of these woods, and have been waiting for the right piece to build from curly maple.

Cal, definitely explore working with the curly maple. It's a grand opportunity to have some fun with figure. This is my second piece; the first being a candle stand (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=32449) last year that was dyed and oiled to bring out the figure while staying in a similar "color value" toward the cherry I generally work with. Creeker Dave Malen has some wonderful pieces in his home made from this stuff and I have always found them inspiring.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=46060&d=1157332080

For these night stands, I decided to stay "natural" for contrast with the darker carcass material...something I hadn't done before, either.

As to the purpleheart. Interesting wood. Hard and dense. Splintery, but not as nasty as the wenge that I recently said I'd never work with again. ;) I would not have chosen it for these nightstands if it hadn't been on my lumber rack, frankly...I really enjoy working with "domestic" and "local" wood, but I have to say that they turned out with a very pleasing look. It also sets the scene that our master bedroom is going to be furnished a bit in an eclectic style. Interestingly, that means I have some nice opportunity to experiment. And since I have a little more of that purpleheart available, I may leverage it accordingly to tie another piece to the nightstands.

JayStPeter
01-21-2008, 11:14 AM
Those look great Jim. Nice job. I like those two woods together.
The other design details worked also. The odd sized drawers work out well. The shelf sits higher than most similar tables I've seen, but it looks good and should prevent too much junk from collecting there. The edge treatment on the top really finishes it nice.

Jay

Bill Wyko
01-21-2008, 12:50 PM
Nice Jim. There comming along great. I'm looking forward to seeing the completed set. Your work is always an inspiration.:)

Jim Becker
01-21-2008, 12:58 PM
Nice Jim. There comming along great. I'm looking forward to seeing the completed set. Your work is always an inspiration.:)

Bill...they are complete outside of pulls. Thanks for your kind comments.

David Tiell
01-21-2008, 1:10 PM
Jim,
Beautiful work there! Thanks for taking the time to document and explain everything you did. Hopefully I can put some of your techniques to use on some of my own projects.

Dave

James Sweeney
01-21-2008, 3:53 PM
Jim, I really admire the time you are putting in by sharing all the progress pics with us. It's hard enough finding the time to create a project, but going a step further and helping all us by documenting along the way, well that is just incredible. I really appreciate this effort. It really helps a person like me that learns very visually. I am amazed at how much this site, and people like you have helped my woodworking.

Jim Tobias
01-22-2008, 12:05 AM
Jim,
The tables are great!! I really do like the design and materials. The purpleheart and maple are such a great contrasting pair when used together.
I really like the drawer design, just different enough to giev the tables a little something extra.
As other s have said, I also admire your patience and willingness to take all of the pictures required to post your project. It is a great step by step "how to" on doing the project.
Thanks and again, a beautiful pair of bedroom tables. I look forward to seeing what else the purpleheart shows up in.

Jim

Paul Girouard
01-22-2008, 12:22 AM
Jim do you think that Purple color will hold ? All the P.Heart I've used , mostly for accent trim pieces, has turned more gary-ish in color . Still pleasing , just not a "bright" as I had hoped. Same way with the little Paduak I've used , that bright orange color faded away to a gray-ish color.

All of those had just a Maloof's Poly / Oil finish.

I may try a water borne varnish on the next pieces I use , I think it's the UV light that does it, like Cherry and Jatoba , heck I guess most woods , Fir does the same thing , except with those last 3 the "changed to" color is the desired one.

I noticed you used BLO (boiled Linseed Oil ) I take it that's a Creekers favorite as I see it bantered about here a lot, I'll go back and look at your earlier post as to what you topped the BLO off with , I know you mentioned it but I can't scroll back that far from this place.

So does the stuff you used as top coat have a lot of UV protection in it? I guess that's my question.

Paul Girouard
01-22-2008, 12:30 AM
I think I found it , I've never used it , I see it has no UV protection or no "X" in the box for it.

I guess you'll see how it holds the color in time.

1000 Ultima Spray Lacquer (USL)3000 Ultra Seal Shellac9000 Oxford Hybrid PolyUrethane Super Clear8800 EmTech Sealer8000 EmTech Pre-Catalyzed VarnishU9300 EmTech PolycarbonateBasic Waterbase Ctg.XXXHigh Performance Ctg.XXXSelf-SealerXXXTop CoatXXXX3 Gallon - Price Per Gallon$39.60$34.20$58.50$59.40$45.90$59.402 Pail - Price per Pail$166.50$148.50$265.00$274.50$207.00$274.50% Solids30%25%30%40%32%32%Acrylic (Lacquer) ResinXPolyester & Acrylic R.XViscosity Zahn #230-351740403535Alkyd EmulsionXXPolyUrethane Ester ResinXPolycarbonate ResinXAmber ToneXWater White Non-YellowingXXXXXTrans-Tint can be addedXXXXXExterior Use AlsoXXUV ProtectionXXXXBest Water and Chemical ResistanceXXXXSpray ApplyXXXXXXBrush ApplyXXXFull Gloss, 90%XXXXXSemi-Gloss, 65%XXXXSatin, 35%XXXXFlat, 10%XXXXBlack & White MatteHaps FreeYESYESYESYESYESYES


Edited to add:






Well that didn't C&P very well :o

Link to chart : http://www.finishsystems.com/targetcoatings.html

Don Bullock
01-22-2008, 9:39 AM
Jim, those are beautiful!! I love the contrast and the figure in the tops and drawers is excellent. I'm sure that you will enjoy these for many years.

Wow, I can't believe that they're finished so soon. For someone who is as busy as you are, you sure get it done in the shop. While you've been working on these I've just been deciding on the grain match up on two table tops I'm designing and a few other "small'' Christmas present projects I made.

Todd Bin
01-22-2008, 9:52 AM
I have scanned this thread several times but I don't see the finished piece. Am I loosing my mind? Is this nightstand indeed finished or still in progress?

I am dying to see the finished purpleheart.

James Sweeney
01-22-2008, 9:59 AM
I have the same problem as Todd, I don't see any pics of a finished product.

Scott Rader
01-22-2008, 10:12 AM
I have scanned this thread several times but I don't see the finished piece. Am I loosing my mind? Is this nightstand indeed finished or still in progress?

I am dying to see the finished purpleheart.

you're not losing your mind....no pics

Jim Becker
01-22-2008, 10:23 AM
I have the same problem as Todd, I don't see any pics of a finished product.


I have scanned this thread several times but I don't see the finished piece. Am I loosing my mind? Is this nightstand indeed finished or still in progress?

I am dying to see the finished purpleheart.

The last two pictures in post 42 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=751140&postcount=42) show the completed piece...
------

To the question that was asked about preserving the purpleheart color. I did nothing special. If it changes...it changes. I'm not going to worry about it. There is a lot of light in the new MBR, so it's likely that any UV effects will happen sooner, rather than later. The USL, as was pointed out, has no UV protection added, nor does the shellac.

Roy Wall
01-22-2008, 10:50 AM
Jim -

Thanks for a great thread......the tables are beautiful!!!! The tops, drawers, legs.....all of the design works together. Well DONE!!!

jason lambert
01-22-2008, 12:04 PM
Nice wood, looks great so far!

Dave Watkins
01-22-2008, 12:53 PM
Jim those look really great! I know your inner-shaker may have been offended by added the shelves but you really made it work, I think the spacing is really good. The function will be nice too, keep the top from getting cluttered. On that vein, don't beat yourself up over the top - first, is looks awesome and second if you are anything like the rest of us you'll have lamps clocks, etc....

Keep em coming!

Dave

FRITZ STOOP
01-22-2008, 1:08 PM
Every time I sign on, on every forum I go to, day or night..... Jim's there.

And he has the time to build these handsome projects! And then document them perfectly! I believe a minor investigation is in order to uncover the existence of the twin or maybe triplets......or more of Mr. Becker.

Seriously Jim, How do you do it?

Matt Crew
01-22-2008, 1:25 PM
Have you ever seen the movie Multiplicity?

I think Jim's found the Professer to clone him.

Nancy Laird
01-22-2008, 1:31 PM
Jim, the tables are beautiful, and for what it's worth, I think the added shelves add to these pieces. Nice work!!

Nancy

Jim Becker
01-22-2008, 5:53 PM
...for what it's worth, I think the added shelves add to these pieces...

A very practice request/suggestion from Professor Dr. SWMBO. In addition for the small drawer for Carmex and other necessary stuff of a similar nature, there was a need to reduce the piles of books on both sides of the bed!

Calvin Hobbs
01-22-2008, 6:03 PM
Jim,

I had the same dilemma a couple of years ago. A shelf was needed but I didn't want to see it, so I came up with this stretcher configuration instead. Today they are almost always covered with books. Nice job again, look forward to your next project and explanation. Cal

Kyle Stiefel
01-22-2008, 6:21 PM
Jim,

Great work as usual and the due diligence of your threads is second to none!

Jim Laberge
01-22-2008, 6:23 PM
Thanks, Jim. A lot of good information and advice for a newcomer. It gives me something to aim for. I hope to be able to do as well someday!:)

Dave MacArthur
01-23-2008, 1:24 AM
Beautiful work! These informative posts, and pictures, are more enjoyable to me that TV--I love looking all around the pictures at the shop, how you have the jigs set up, how you're using hold downs, etc. etc... Great stuff! I also find that I'm being drawn more and more to contrasting woods and cleaner lines... I used to think I liked "traditional" furniture, but these pieces are pretty much in line with my current taste.

Jim Becker
01-23-2008, 10:41 AM
BI also find that I'm being drawn more and more to contrasting woods and cleaner lines... I used to think I liked "traditional" furniture, but these pieces are pretty much in line with my current taste.

One of the nice things about Shaker, Mission and "combinations" of the same is that the simplicity goes with almost anything. When we intend to live with things like furniture long term, making it work as tastes and decorating trends move along is a good thing. If you have a basic table, for example, you can easily change the whole look by changing the lamp and other things in the area around it that are generally easy and cost-effective to adjust. These styles also work well in most home designs, too. Even in very, very "modern" environments.

As you bring up, changing the material without changing the design can also result in a very different effect. These tables are clearly Shaker design in origin, but have a much more modern feel due to the stark contrast between the purpleheart and the "natural" light maple. The same table in cherry and maple would be toned down a little, but still "eye catching". The same table in just cherry would work very well, yet recede into the background more. Think about doing it in just curly maple...

But there are also some things to be careful with. I would not enjoy this piece as much in QS white oak. For me, that material choice needs more weight to the piece...these are too delicate, IMHO.

My natural inclination will always be to cherry, maple and walnut as these domestic species really do well with the more delicate nature of Shaker styles and similar. Again, IMHO. But it sure was nice to experiment with these night stands given I had the material in the rack.

I was just thinking this morning about what to do with the last slab of purpleheart I have from my friend Ed. I may make a matching piece to these nightstands for the bedroom using it for the top (resawn/bookmatched) and curly maple for the rest of the structure...the exact opposite of the nightstands, but pulling through the same materials and style. That piece would serve for both some storage as well as a home for the AV gear necessary to supply media to the 30" flat screen that's moving to the master suite as soon as we move into the addition. :) (a bigger one replaces it in the new media room)

Larry Fox
01-23-2008, 10:54 AM
Beautiful work Jim. I love the contrasting woods and think the design is very nice. Did you rub them out or is the finish right off the gun?

Jim Becker
01-23-2008, 12:14 PM
Did you rub them out or is the finish right off the gun?

Off the gun with wax applied with a white pad. I'm not 100% pleased with my finish on the tops, but it will not be noticeable in use. Kinda a "refinement" thing...

James Sweeney
01-23-2008, 5:14 PM
Jim, are you going to post pics when the tables have had finish applied. I am very interested to see your detailed steps in finishing those babies. I am just finishing a curly maple and purpleheart jewelry box myself, and trying to see what finish I like.

Jim Becker
01-23-2008, 6:02 PM
Jim, are you going to post pics when the tables have had finish applied. I am very interested to see your detailed steps in finishing those babies. I am just finishing a curly maple and purpleheart jewelry box myself, and trying to see what finish I like.

If you are speaking about pictures of when I was actually doing the finishing work, no...I didn't take any. Spraying finish doesn't photograph all that well... ;) The final pictures in post 42 show the piece with the finish completed.

James Sweeney
01-27-2008, 12:08 AM
No, I was just looking for a pick of the finished product. I saw it now finally in post 42. Sorry. They look great! I really like the combination. Thanks for sharing!