Cherry and walnut dresser

[Bill Carey]

The Boss wanted a narrow dresser with deep drawers with full extension for linens. I've got a thing for nicely curved legs, so I started with that, and a cherry panel. This is the first project where I hand cut all the tenons - used the mortiser for the holes. Cutting the shoulders at the bench with the hook was hard on the back so I made a small hook I could clamp in the moxon - much better. Maybe on the next one, all hand work. But the Bontz saw was a pleasure to use in a decent workout. I screwed a guide block from the cutoffs of the curves to the base of the Makita router and made the dado for the panels and used the router table for the rabbits for the inside panels.

20201124_150820.jpg 20201124_151721.jpg 20201128_173109.jpg image-20201203_153953.jpg image-20201203_153926.jpg

The back panel will be ship lapped poplar and the interior of the side panels will get 1/8" cedar. I have a live edge walnut slab she wants for the top - I have reservations about that, so we'll see. The drawers will be poplar or bass wood, with a cherry face - now all I have to do is find 2 more pieces of nice clear cherry that are 12 x 48. Piece o cake. I really like to break the corners by sanding - just think it looks better than a block plane, or a round over bit. And it's always been a PITA to hold the rails etc over the edge of the bench to sand them. A bulb went off and I figured this would be easier and it is. Holds the edge up for easy sanding and works with any width board.

20200825_175552.jpg

[Mark Rainey]

I will be following this one Bill...that panel showcases cherry's attractive grain when flat sawn.

[William Chain]

Thats super nice, I look forward to the updates.

[Phil Mueller]

Love the design, Bill. Is it an optical illusion, or are the side panels slightly curved as well? Really like cherry and walnut together. That’s going to look great when the finish goes on.

[Bill Carey]

Thanks gents. Phil - yes the cherry panels are 1/4" and are set in dados that follow the curve of the leg.

[Jim Matthews]

Your shop looks like a field hospital.

Where's all the sawdust, partially finished projects and rusting antiques?

Heresy

[jim sauterer]

Looks great so far bill I’ll be following this one love the Walnut and cherry

[Bill Carey]

Jim M -
I don't have any unfinished projects. But I have a lot of firewood..............

[Phil Mueller]

LOL, great line Bill.

[Bill Carey]

The boss came into the shop to review my progress today, and she loves the cathedrals in the bent panels on the sides of the dresser. Likes them a bit too much as it turns out. Here's the conversation line for line:

Her: Wow the sides look great. What do you call that.
Me: cathedral pattern.
Her: I really like it.
Her: It's going to look great on the front too.
Her: I mean with the cathedrals pointing up just like the sides.
Her: It's going to be wonderful.
Her: I'm loving it already.
Her: And the front is going to look really cool.
Her: see ya inside for dinner. Bye.
Me: ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

2020-12-09_21h47_51.png

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The boss came into the shop to review my progress today, and she loves the cathedrals in the bent panels on the sides of the dresser. Likes them a bit too much as it turns out. Here's the conversation line for line:

Her: Wow the sides look great. What do you call that.
Me: cathedral pattern.
Her: I really like it.
Her: It's going to look great on the front too.
Her: I mean with the cathedrals pointing up just like the sides.
Her: It's going to be wonderful.
Her: I'm loving it already.
Her: And the front is going to look really cool.
Her: see ya inside for dinner. Bye.
Me: ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

2020-12-09_21h47_51.png

Oh my!.... We would appreciate a transcript of your explanation for the finished front to the boss. If necessary, feel free to heal completely before you type the transcript and share it with us.

[Bill Carey]

Finally got back to the dresser after taking a moment to make some adjustable height saw horses and start on a walnut slab coffee table for my daughter and her new house. So I figured is she wants to see cathedrals, she's gonna see cathedrals. Got the poplar drawers built and installed and found enough cherry with decent figure to make the drawer fronts - they are gonna look weird (to me and maybe to you) with the boards running vertically instead of horizontally, but weird can quickly become a "feature" in my shop. Got some of the cherry glued up today and the final glue up will be tomorrow then I can try to figure out how to cut the drawer front.

IMG_0671.jpg IMG_0673.jpg IMG_0694.jpg

I decided to try making the pulls so I pulled out a router bit I got free at a garage sale I went to in what seems like a life time ago. (I really miss those weekend excursions looking for cool stuff.) Routed out the finger pull in walnut and glued a thin piece of cherry with nice cathedrals onto it and sanded to the edges of the pattern in the cherry, exposing some of the walnut. I did a test piece and I think it came out pretty cool looking.

IMG_0678.jpg IMG_0677.jpg IMG_0674.jpg

I'll do more shaping on the final pulls to soften them up a bit.

And Ken, if I tried to post the transcript it would be so redacted it would look like a piece of paper painted black.

[Phil Mueller]

Love the pull concept, Bill. Great idea putting two woods together and sanding out a reveal. Going to have to figure out how to use that in a future project. I wouldn’t sweat the cathedrals. I think they can look really nice, especially with cherry. They will warm up with time and look great.

You might even be able to put the cathedral running right on the right side and left on the left side...?

[Mark Rainey]

Unique pulls Bill - looking forward to seeing them on the drawers.

[Bill Carey]

Been cold in the shop, but managed to get the 6 pulls finished. Hopefully finish the drawer fronts this weekend. Then on to the live edge top.

IMG_0699.jpg