Armoire Progress

[Jim Becker]

Dr SWMBO flew off to Bean-town early, so after a lazy morning with a large latté, catering to a couple of birds' every needs and a trip to HD to buy some more plywood for the drawer bottoms (cut it just about 1/2" too short...and even measured more than once! ), I got back to work on the armoire project in between some home maintenance things that needed to be done. This, of course, involved spending some more "quality time" with the Festool 150/3 sander getting ready for what's described below.

Pics

1. The right door on the piece will have a full length mirror on the inside, so the rail that divides the frame between the two panels had to be reduced in thickness to make a flat surface even with the back of the panels. This was quickly done on the bandsaw and the surface was then cleaned up with my L-N low-angle block plane in at least a partial Neander spirit. This leaves room for about a 70" tall mirror panel that will be secured by moldings to avoid wood movement issues that might result from using adhesives
2. The drawers were glued up after the dyed fronts were sealed with a coat of dewaxed garnet shellac. The number of clamps might seem like overkill, but I needed to be very careful not to distort the joint between the front and the sides since they cannot be sanded further in that area without messing up the color contrast. For anyone who missed the previous commentary on this, all four pieces of the drawers are poplar, but I wanted the faces to contrast with the rests of the drawers as wel as match the color of the casework. They were pre-sanded "dry" to avoid removing the color once dyed. The joints will not be quite as smooth as they would if sanded after gluing, but the contrast is more important to me.
3. After the clamps were removed a few hours later, the drawers were set aside to dry completely. I also clear-coated the T&G pine strips for the cabinet back with de-waxed blond shellac to seal the resins in so that the Target Coatings USL that will be used to clear coat this project will not have any adhesion problems.
4. The cabinet doors were then glued and clamped. Working with full 1" thick material is really nice for this kind of thing...the joints have plenty of meat and will be very sturdy. The panels were pre-dyed to insure that any shifting will not result in a "white line".

All the "building" is pretty much complete at this point. I have a few joints to stuff with slivers and then the finishing process will proceed on the rest of the armoire. Of course, I'm already trying to think of a good reason to entice a few fellow woodworkers to the shop...to help lift this sucker to the 2nd floor of the house...

[Michael Stafford]

Jim, the project is coming together. The dye job is rich and looks great. The color is wonderful and dye penetrates like no other means of coloring wood. I don't know about you but when approaching the end of a project I sometimes get saddened. I like the process most of the time more than I like the finished product. Good work and thanks for sharing.

[Joe Mioux]

Hi Jim:

I really like the color of the drawers. Since I am in the final stages of finishing some garage/shop cabinets with poplar and birch plywood, I have a couple questions and a comment.

First, I really like the way poplar can be milled and cut. It is a good wood for cabinets.

Second, what is the difference between dying and staining a piece of wood? and why did you choose to dye it?

thanks joe

[Jim Becker]

First, I really like the way poplar can be milled and cut. It is a good wood for cabinets.

I really like working with poplar. It's a nice, easy to mill hardwood that while not the "hardest" or strongest available, it perfectly suitable for many projects. In fact, it's about the highest volumne furniture wood harvested in the US, although most of it is used as a "secondary" wood or under heavy factory applied finishes. The price is often right, too...even when you don't have a pile of it off your own property!

Second, what is the difference between dying and staining a piece of wood? and why did you choose to dye it?

There are multiple ways to color wood. Most commercial "stains" contain both pigments and dyes. The problem with products that contain pigments is that those pigments can provide more uneven results on certain woods. The pigment settles into the pores, but does not adhere to the surfaces. That's where the dyes comes in...it actually colors the wood. The combination products work nicely on woods where you want to accent the pores, such as oak and ash, but often look horrible on woods like maple, poplar and pine. Using a "conditioner", either a commercial product or a wash coat of shellac keeps the pigment in the stain from binding in the pores as much but also disallows the dye to to soak in, too. In effect, you are now glazing. Gel stains work in the same way...they sit on top, rather than color the wood. I consider them a glaze, rather than a true stain.

So I stick with dyes exclusively when I color wood. That way I get the color without the pigments and I can control the color more. I also use water-based dyes as they are easier to hand-apply since the water doesn't dry immediately. That lets you work the color evenly. Alcohol-based dyes are very nice if sprayed or when added to shellac to create a toner. I usually use just the shellac in an appropriate grade as a toner...for the work I normally do with poplar and cherry, that means garnet shellac and always de-waxed since I use water-based clear finishes, too.

Dyes mean I can turn poplar into just about any look I want other than emulating something with a very open pore struture, like oak. Given I build Shaker-inspired (or Nakashima inspired) furniture, oak is rarely in my reptoire. I do use ash for spindles, however, but never as a primary wood. 'Just personal preference...poplar, cherry and walnut are what I usually work in with a little mahogany thrown in for good measure!

[John Miliunas]

Coming along very nicely, Jim! I especially like your dialogue with explanations as to the "hows" and "whys" as you go along! Not just great descriptions, but a learning experience at the same time! Thank you! For newbie's, such as myself, that's greatly appreciated! Can't wait to see the final results. And very sincerely, I do wish I lived closer, as I'd be happy to give you a hand with hauling that piece to its ultimate home. Well, in exchange for a hands-on lesson or two, of course!

[Jim Becker]

I especially like your dialogue with explanations as to the "hows" and "whys" as you go along!

This is how I do my "real job" so it's pretty natural to communicate in the same way here and in other forums. "What" and "how" are incomplete without "why"...whether you are talking about woodworking or telecommunications.

[Tyler Howell]

Go Jim!

You have the "Good Shop keeping Seal of Approval " from the Pix Police
One picture save a thousand words and in this case. The story is well told.
Thanks and keep them coming.

[Alan Turner]

Jim,
If you need a hand moving that guy, give me a shout. I'll be glad to help.
Nice piece of work, by the way.
I also use dyes, and usually use water as a base. Sometimes I use several coats of dye, separately with each color. Honey amber as a base is frequently a look I like. It also works well under an oil varnish mixture.
One note, for those not using dyes before. It is prudent to use distilled water ($1/gal.) for diluting the dye concentrates in that iron in tap water can react with certain woods, oak and maple among them.
Also, if you use distilled water to raise the grain before dying, and then sand back with 320, there is very little grain that will be raised with the water dye. Otherwise, sanding on the dye can quickly produce uneveness in color.
Alan

[Jim Becker]

Oooh! Oooh!! Oooh!!!! A volunteer! Kewel!!

[Keith Christopher]

Jim,


How far from Baltimore ?


Keith

[Jim Becker]

How far from Baltimore?

Two hours, give or take. Look up Doylestown PA to get an approximate.

[Rich Konopka]

Jim:

I really am impressed with your armoire. The Dovetails are outstanding. WOW !!

[Jim Becker]

I didn't get much time in the shop this weekend, but did get the armoire dyed and ready for the garnet shellac. Hopefully, I'll be able to "finish the finishing" this coming long Thanksgiving weekend. Two pics today...the first shows the initial time for using the Adjust-a-bench at its lowest level. The second shows the carcass fully dyed and ready for the next steps. The latter isn't the best picture, but I was tired and in a hurry...and Dr. SWMBO had dinner on the table and waiting.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Jim, that looks great!! I have never dyed anything, but sure want to try it someday. I love the color!

I also see what looks like one of Lee Valley's radiant heaters mounted near the ceiling...I saw them in the catalog and they seem to be a much better way to heat the garage shop I have economically. Is that what you have? If not, who makes the one you have and how much were they?

[Mark Singer]

Jim,

Your shop looks great! Very organized...I notice the heater is on....burr..The amoire looks great very solid and well built!