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Sam Yerardi
01-10-2008, 9:24 AM
This may not be the place to do this but I was hoping to get some comments on a low boy I just finished up. It's cherry, about 3/4 scale, and I made the rear legs straight because I didn't have any 4x4 cherry stock left (the rear legs are cherry also and actually came from an old pallet I scrounged up). It's obviously not a reproduction but I used a picture from an Albert Sacks ad in an old Magazine Antiques issue. It's very close to that picture as far as the design. The only thing I haven't added yet is the finial turnings that hang downwards below the drawers (been repairing my lathe). The secondary woods are pine & poplar.

Jim Becker
01-10-2008, 9:32 AM
Wonderful piece!!

Dave Ray
01-10-2008, 10:18 AM
Sam, this is nice, very nice... I Mean WOW nice

Chris Padilla
01-10-2008, 10:20 AM
That fits very nicely up against the wall with the straight legs. Bravo! :)

keith ouellette
01-10-2008, 10:25 AM
Looks great. I think I'm a few years away from that kind of work.

Brent Ring
01-10-2008, 10:26 AM
Gorgeous! I am impressed!

Sam Yerardi
01-10-2008, 10:38 AM
Thanks guys. Coming from other woodworkers I am truly honored. I haven't been doing this as much as I would liked over the past several years but 2006 seemed to be an awakening period for me. I did the piece with hand tools with the exception of bandsawing the outline of the cabriole legs. And I hate to admit it but this was the first piece of furniture I've done where the finishing process started to make a little more sense to me.

Again, I really appreciate it.

gary Zimmel
01-10-2008, 11:11 AM
Sam

Beautiful piece! Now that is something you should be very proud of.

What was the finishing scheduale?

George Bregar
01-10-2008, 11:20 AM
3/4 scale, 100% great! How did you do the profiles on the drawer fronts and top with handtools? :confused:

Sam Yerardi
01-10-2008, 11:24 AM
I now have learned I should have filled it and used gel stain (notice the blotching) but what I did was this:

1. Scraped & sanded to 220
2. Stained with mahogany red thinned with mineral spirits
3. Shellac, garnet, 1 coat
4. Steel wool 0000 lightly
5. Shellac, garnet, 1 coat
6. Next I made a wax for rubbing out by mixing about 1/2 cup of beeswax shavings with mineral spirits and tinting it with thinned red mahogany stain. Mix thoroughly until it is a paste.
7. Dipping the 0000 steel wool in the wax paste, rub down the entire piece one section at a time. Rub until each section is smooth with no trace of nubs, etc. I was careful not to rub through the shellac.
8. Buffed the wax until fingerprints would not show up.

As I indicated, I'm learning and I'm sure there are steps I should have taken but I like the results. I wsih I had filled first but I'll do that on my next piece. I've been collecting every book and DVD I can find on finishing that I can find. Drives my wife nuts.

Jay Kilpatrick
01-10-2008, 11:52 AM
Sam,
Nice work! The one critique I would offer is the straight legs in the back look a little clunky. I realize the piece is already together and that would make modification dificult and not necessarily worth it. I would suggest a nice double taper for the rear legs as I think it would better project the elegance of the piece.

Regards,
~jay

Sam Yerardi
01-10-2008, 11:55 AM
Thanks Jay. I was hoping I would hear some suggestions. I agree about the legs. When I first built the cabinet, I made a fundamental mistake of simply not planning the job as well as I should have. The cabinet I was copying does have cabrioles in the back as well. In some ways it looks chopped off. It was a good learning experience for me.

George Bregar
01-10-2008, 11:57 AM
Thanks Jay. I was hoping I would hear some suggestions. I agree about the legs. When I first built the cabinet, I made a fundamental mistake of simply not planning the job as well as I should have. The cabinet I was copying does have cabrioles in the back as well. In some ways it looks chopped off. It was a good learning experience for me. Cab legs would have been better clearly, but I think tapered would be worse than what you have. Perhaps just thinner.

Sam Yerardi
01-10-2008, 12:03 PM
They're straight as you point out. Balancing the proportions is something I need to learn. I found a fantastic old book after had all the major framing done that I strongly recommend to anyone that can find it. It is called 'How to Design and Construct Period Furniture' by Franklin Gottshall. I found it at alibris. I obviously haven't read it yet (or at least the parts that would have helped me ;)). But it is essentially a text book for learning the basics of design of period furniture.

Richard M. Wolfe
01-10-2008, 12:05 PM
Very nice work. I have seen several pieces with cabriole front legs and straight back legs and I think made that way as per the comment before - to sit closer to the wall. I do think they would have looked better thinner and tapered but a beautiful piece nonetheless.

Ralph Okonieski
01-10-2008, 12:13 PM
Very beautiful piece! Nicely done!

Sam Yerardi
01-10-2008, 12:18 PM
Thank you guys!

Question - do you all think the thickness of the rear legs would have looked better if their size was closer perhaps to the diameter of the front leg ankles? It does seem that the rear legs compete a bit with the heftiness of the front legs.

Jeffrey Makiel
01-10-2008, 12:29 PM
Don't have an answer to your question because it looks pretty darn good to me now. Well done.
-Jeff:)

Cody Colston
01-10-2008, 12:31 PM
I know virtually nothing about period furniture except that I like it and you did a great job on that piece. I have to admit that I'm not crazy about the straight, square back legs but I have no suggestions other than to stick with cab legs next time.


One of these days I hope to develop my skills enough to try a piece similar to yours. Thanks for showing.

Al Willits
01-10-2008, 12:32 PM
Thank you guys!

Question - do you all think the thickness of the rear legs would have looked better if their size was closer perhaps to the diameter of the front leg ankles? It does seem that the rear legs compete a bit with the heftiness of the front legs.



Complete amateur here, but yes a bit smaller and slight taper might have made them blend a little better.
Damn nice piece though...:)

Al

David Duke
01-10-2008, 1:11 PM
Very nice piece Sam, in answer to your question in regards to the legs, I think that they would work better with the piece if they were thiner and tapered. I am no designer and it is really hard to judge to proportions in the picture but thats what my initial impressions are. Overall though a wonderful piece of furniture.

Greg Cole
01-10-2008, 1:29 PM
Very nice job Sam.
Agree with some about the legs styles not exactly matching, but credit is due to the man that made it & shares it with us and asks for honest input. I will also say that period of furniture isn't my style.... but I can say you should be proud of your work!
I know the first dresser I built & posted here left me feeling like I shouldn't post project pics for another century of experience... my graduated drawer height wasn't "drastic" enough to be noticeable so the whole thing looks blocky. Ah well, I've got plenty thick skin and wear my big boy pants, so no worries it's constructive criticism which it to be filed away for future applications!
I guess 220 grit classifies as a hand tool as long as you hand sand? LOL Curly maple can be a tough one for Neander surfaces DAMKHIT.
I've read Jeff Jewitt's book twice in the last month... and I'm about where you are as in the elaborate finishes aren't so daunting or mysterious.

Cheers,
Greg

Sam Yerardi
01-10-2008, 3:02 PM
Thanks guys for all of the wonderful comments and suggestions! As the guy that built it I of course see a lot of things I will do differently (or hopefully better next time :)). I would point out all of the mistakes I made but we don't have all night :)).

I can't seem to read enough about woodworking or finishing. I hate to think I'm obssessed but I guess to some extent I am. At least my wife think so. I have to admit that I'm a bit embarassed that some of you feel your skills aren't up to mine. I'm not a seasoned pro by any stretch of the imagination. One of my problems (and I think a lot of people have this) is that I tend to rush things and not take my time. This piece, for whatever reason, I chose not to do that and to try to do it by hand. I made myself learn how to plane & dimension rough lumber, how to square stock by hand, etc. I made myself try once and for all to learn at least one finishing technique I would be proud of. I feel like this is the piece that has started me on my journey. I discovered a couple of years ago that my patience (or lack of it) was the reason I was having so much trouble learning basic hand tool techniques. I still make a ton of mistakes and try to fix them when they happen and a lot of times it doesn't go so well. I still have only scratched the surface (no pun intended) and I am looking forward to learning the rest of my life. I just started coming to these forums and I hope to get to know you guys and pick YOUR brains and learn as much as I can. That's where the skills are...

Thanks again for the wonderful comments!

Sam Yerardi
01-10-2008, 3:27 PM
To George Bregar:

Sorry I missed your question! I used old hand planes and a Stanley #45. The edge of the drawer fronts are ovolos and I first used the Stanley 45 to cut down a rabbet (the width of the distance out of the ovolo) from the top of the edge down to where the curve starts. Since I didn't have any round planes I used a small rabbet (about 1/4" wide) to make successive cuts to approximate the rounding and then used scrapers to bring it down to the final surface, and then sandpaper. I did the top drawer by itself and did the two side drawers together in one piece and the central by itself.

The top edge is about a half lamb's tongue (like a rounded ogee with rounded edges) and I sort of did it the same way but instead of making a sharp 90 deg cut-down from the top to the start of the curve it is a smooth curved transition so I used a home-made scratch-stock to do the edge on the straight parts. At the corners I used carving chisels. Then I sandpapered everything to 220.

The fan in the middle is carved into the rear-most piece and the drawer is applied around it. It's hard to see in the picture but the joints on the front are exposed dovetails.

Carroll Courtney
01-10-2008, 4:42 PM
Nice job Sam,looks perfect and I love the color.Any info on your finish?

Cliff Rohrabacher
01-10-2008, 4:44 PM
From an old pallet no less.

Nice piece~!!! I'd like to see bigger closer pix.

Rich Torino
01-10-2008, 6:24 PM
Absolutely first rate piece of work...

Matt Meiser
01-10-2008, 7:28 PM
I'm not crazy about the back legs either (honestly I wouldn't have even thought about it until they were pointed out), but it is still a absolutely great job!

mike holden
01-10-2008, 8:04 PM
Very nicely done!
While I think that four cabriole legs would be preferable, straight back legs are period correct, as well as four cabs.
I would like the cabs to be a bit rounder, and have more sweep - Philadelphia style, yours is more Newport in feel (Nothing wrong with that - personal preference)
The back legs should be about the cab ankle in diameter, with a bead on the two outer corners in my opinion, but again personal preference.

Again, a well done piece, and something to be proud of.

Have you considered joining the Society of American Period Furniture Makers?
SAPFM dot ORG for more info.
Mike

Don Bullock
01-10-2008, 9:14 PM
Sam, that's a beautiful piece. Congratulations on a job well done.:D

Sam Yerardi
01-11-2008, 8:47 AM
1. Scraped & sanded to 220
2. Stained with mahogany red (Minwax) thinned with mineral spirits
3. Shellac, garnet, 1 coat
4. Steel wool 0000 lightly
5. Shellac, garnet, 1 coat
6. Next I made a wax for rubbing out by mixing about 1/2 cup of beeswax shavings with mineral spirits and tinting it with thinned red mahogany stain. Mix thoroughly until it is a paste.
7. Dipping the 0000 steel wool in the wax paste, rub down the entire piece one section at a time. Rub until each section is smooth with no trace of nubs, etc. I was careful not to rub through the shellac.
8. Buffed the wax until fingerprints would not show up.

Sam Yerardi
01-11-2008, 8:47 AM
Thanks Don

Sam Yerardi
01-11-2008, 8:48 AM
I'll try to see if I can get one

Lars Thomas
01-11-2008, 10:51 AM
Great looking project.

Sam Yerardi
01-11-2008, 12:33 PM
Thanks Lars!

Carl Eyman
01-11-2008, 1:44 PM
Take it from one who knows from experience - you'll always find something in the finished piece you wish you'd done differently. That's no reason not to be very proud of this one. I'd be interested in seeing a close-up of the shell.

Sam Yerardi
01-11-2008, 2:15 PM
Thanks Carl!

I've attached a zoom-in of the fan carving. I think I moved the camera a bit when I took it so there's a bit of ghosting. It's hard to see the detail. It is a flat carving (no depth curvature in this one) and it sets about 1/2" - 5/8" deep from the surface of the drawer front.