You can also view my gallery at Designs en Bois.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The last step - my completed step-front chest of drawers.

You can put a fork in this one, it’s done. I made several mentions along the way that this stepped front chest project turned out to be quite a bit more complicated than I had envisioned. I never expected this to actually create fifteen episodes worth of footage, but I don’t think I’d be nearly interested in woodworking if it were completely predictable. In this case, my real saving grace was my choice of materials. I actually chose butternut initially because I got a good deal on some 8/4 shorts that were perfectly sized for this project. But the added benefit of butternut is its workability. I was really reminder of this when I had to cut dovetails in the maple sides and each cut took about twice as long as it’s mating cut in the butternut.

I have another really unique project underway, and will start publishing episodes right after the holidays. I’m thinking after that I might actually tackle my first chair-building project. Things are already shaping up to be a fun 2012. Happy holidays, and as always thanks for following the blog.




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11 comments:

Mansfield Fine Furniture - Nick said...

Hey Rob, Nice work, as always.

I'm glad to see the Crystalac in use, I got some 6 months ago to do my ash treads for a staircase (my next project). Look like good stuff.

Also, those LV knobs - same ones I got for the wine sideboard (but the customer wanted oval pulls instead) Great minds.

I'm curious what price you're thinking for this piece (you can send it offline if you'd rather, you know how to find me). I was really looking forward to seeing the subdivision of the drawers and how you were thinking of doing it, but I suppose selling such a nice piece makes sense.

Last thing: a question. You said 2 seeks for the shellac to cure. Was that just circumstance or did you think it needed 2 wks?

thanks,
and keep it up!

Rob Bois said...

I haven't set a price on this yet, but the stepped front added so much additional work, there's no way I'll be able to recoup the extra labor.

I typically let shellac cure for at least a week before rubbing out the finish. My shellac flakes are almost a year old, so I waited the extra week. You just don't want any pilling when you sand at 400 grit. That's really the only gating factor on how long you need to wait.

Jeff Branch said...

What a handsome project. I hope to work with butternut someday. Looks like a very nice wood.

Ken said...

Hey Rob.
I agree it will be the nicest tool chest around.
I have used butternut for several projects and find it a great wood to work with.
I will be very interested in the chair project in the new year. I to am planning on tackling my first chair build.
Keep the great vids coming. Happy holidays.

Rob Bois said...

I would put butternut right up there with mahogany in terms of how easy it is to work with hand tools. The only down site is that it's a bit of a softer wood, so it's very easy to scratch or ding the project along the way. By the end, I was carrying that chest around like a baby trying not to dent anything. So from that respect, it probably wasn't the best choice for a tool chest, but I can't imaging getting through all those dovetails in something like maple.

Bill Akins said...

Excellant job on the tool chest. Beautiful finish, great job on the dovetails. I learned a lot from this series. Looking forward to your next project.

Anonymous said...

Well you're right about it being the nicest tool chest around. But I actually think it belongs in the house somewhere. Claude Stewart

Rob Bois said...

Yeah, I may have gotten a little carried away on this one...

Kenny Comeaux said...

Love the chest Rob. It's really obvious that you poured your heart into this one.

William said...

Great job Rob, I really enjoyed following along. Where will you show this piece to sell it?

Rob Bois said...

Thanks William. I built this piece specifically to enter in Tommy MacDonald's 2012 Boston Wood Expo. It's coming up later in February, and I will be showing that along with my next project (posting tomorrow). Here's the info:

http://www.thomasjmacdonald.com/content/woodexpo/files/2010/10/WoodExpo-2012.pdf/