Finally got some shop time!

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I've been quiet on the forums for a few months...mainly because my business has really taken off since the name change to Art Deck-O. Another reason being the truck I drive daily getting a new motor right before Christmas. I had just started this chest when the old motor finally told me it was ready for a rebuild.

I found a great Cedar source in Canton, TX and he has 12"-36" wide stock quite often. I picked out several to bring home and one was good enough to make all four sides of my wife's second blanket chest. She has an addiction to buying bedding and has run out of room in her first chest [and it's huge]!

This time I wanted to do dovetails in the casework so I surfed over to MLCS and got the jig that you make your own clamping system for. It has the large through dovetails [1"] pattern and you can use it to make any length dovetail. I used the entire 16" for this one.

The jig was easy to set up but took me 4 adjustments to get it close. I really need to test a few more and get it perfect before I do the next one.
I had a blast putting this one together since it was my first try at dovetails.

I hand rubbed BLO on first, then the next few days the chest got 7 coats of poly and a lot of sanding. Jana loves it and is happily ordering another comforter as I type...:D:D:D

[Norman Pyles]

Very nice.:cool:

[Dennis Hatchett]

Really nice work kelly.

[Jim Becker]

Excellent work, Kelly!!!

[David Tiell]

Beautiful cedar chest, Kelly! Nice work.

[Bob Feeser]

Wooooaaaaahhhhhhwwwwww, Kelly, you need to place a gloat warning on a thread like this when you have such beautiful wood waiting for us. :D
Just kidding. That is some nice work.
If that is your first shot at dovetails, now I know why you are doing woodworking. Keep up the projects, and the pictures flowing.

[Jim O'Dell]

Very nice Kelly. And good to see you back posting. I say some advertisements for 2 home shows the other day and wondered where you had been. Keep up the good work! Jim.

[Jack Porter]

kelly, nice work
why the 4 adustments?

[gary Zimmel]

Kelly

Beautiful looking chest. You did a fantastic job.

[Cody Colston]

Beautiful wood and a great job on that chest.

Care to share the Canton Cedar source with us/me?

[Ken Shoemaker]

You mustta got some BIG points for that one. Nice job.

[Glenn Clabo]

Nice work Kelly...and what did you get for your birthday? :D

[Steve Clardy]

Great way to gain some brownie points there Kelly. ;)

Nice looking blanket chest.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Thanks....good to be back in the shop for awhile and back talking about wood!

I had to adjust the jig on the block of wood I mounted it to. I bought the one that MLCS has for $49....a 16" jig that is contained in one plate. Each side has to have the perfect amount of overhang past the wood and it isn't what they said it would be in the paperwork...so I had to adjust it and test it 4x beofe getting it right and I could still use a bit of adjustment yet. It would be very minute at this point, but it beats a not so perfect dovetail. Two of the ones on the chest turned out very nice and two had to be filled a bit to look good.

The wood was the key on this one. I think I paid $30 for the board that made up the four sides of the case. The guy I met has the coolest yard of Aromatic Cedar you will ever see. He does fireplace mantel blanks [which piqued my interest greatly, btw] and has a huge mill in his front yard. In the back and side yards he has tons of Cedar drying in racks...some slabs as big as 8/4"x24"x12'. He has Sassafras, Walnut and 2-3 other types of mantel blanks as well.

His place is typical Canton...not much open yard to see and you need to watch where you walk sometimes, but he's as reasonable as it gets for this wood. I bought a 18"x1"x12' board....planed smooth for $30. His name is Paul Moore....he lives near HWy 17 & I20 in Canton and I can PM his number and address to anyone who PMs me.

I got brownie points for sure, but also some very nice shirts and a pair of slacks for my birthday. Also got to watch both games and relax!!