Transformations
#21
Derek, Superb craftsmanship

Jim
Jim
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#22
Finishes ...

Somehow this area was forgotten, and of course it is important.

All surfaces were hand planed, and then finished in de-waxed Ubeaut Hard Shellac. This concentrated and thinned with denatured alcohol/methylated spirits.

[Image: 28a.jpg]

This finish allows the figure to come through and, unlike an oil, does not darken the already dark Jarrah (which is what I wanted to avoid).

The top was, in addition, sanded with a ROS to 400 grit. Jarrah is an open-grain timber and the sanded Shellac doubled as a grain-filler, leaving a smoothed surface.

The next step was to rub in (and off) a water-based poly, from General Finishes, which does not darken or yellow with age. I rub thin coats on with microfibre cloths and then denib with 400 grit grey mesh ...

[Image: Finishes.jpg]

The final step is to wax (the top) with Howards Wax-N-Feed, which is a mix of beeswax and carnauba wax.

[Image: 41-Wz65-Yb-QSL-AC-SY400.jpg]

This produces a very soft, warm and natural finish.

[Image: 4a.jpg]

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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#23
The drawer - part 1

[Image: 8a.jpg]


It was my intention from the outset to hide the drawer as best as possible. This required that the drawer not have a pull or handle visible on the outside. To achieve this end, the drawer would need to be opened from the underside.

Issue: Opening from the underside meant that the drawer would need to rest in a case which was open from below. Without a case bottom (i.e. drawer blades) on which the drawer could rest, the common method for a drawer would be a form of side hang.

There are two methods for a side hung drawer that I know of, and I dislike both of them intensely! Partly because they require thick drawer sides, which lack aesthetic appeal for me.

The first is a wooden slide (ugh!) which requires grooving the outside of the drawer sides ...

[Image: image.jpg]

The second method involves a metal slide (double ugh!!), which is ugly and belongs in a kitchen ...

[Image: 51FP+VVATBL._AC_SX466_.jpg]

In the end I decided that I could build a drawer case with drawer blades open at the front. I have not seen anything like this before, but I live a sheltered life. I doubt this is original ... just re-inventing the wheel.

[Image: 14a.jpg]

There are four parts to the drawer build: the drawer size and design, the drawer case, fitting the drawer case, and the drawer.

The drawer size and design

[Image: 11a.jpg]

The drawer is 230mm (9") wide and 280mm (11") deep. The width represents one third of the length of the apron. This works well since the depth of the drawer needs to be greater than the width to avoid racking. Racking would not be an issue if there were side slides (ugh!), but we are avoiding those thingies.

Note the lip on the underside of the drawer front ...

[Image: 7drawer.jpg]

See the drawer lining up with the apron ... going ... going ..

[Image: 6drawer.jpg]

... gone ...

[Image: 5drawer.jpg]

That lip is the drawer pull, and it doubles as the drawer stop.


The drawer case

Let's make the face of the drawer case.

The original aprons were 100mm high. The new apron was to be 65mm, which was the height I calculated (with a life size drawing on a MDF sheet).

The 65mm height included the drawer front, which would be 45mm high. That would leave a 20mm rail above the drawer.

[Image: 14adrawer.jpg]

The first step here is to rip away 45mm from the original apron ...

[Image: D1.jpg]

These two sections are jointed so that they may be perfectly flush once glued back together, and no join evident. The jointing was done on my large shooting board ...

[Image: D2.jpg]

The drawer front is marked off - with a knife, not a pencil - from the centre of the 45mm wide board ...

[Image: D3.jpg]

And then the drawer front is crosscut on the table saw. The cut area is covered in blue tape to minimise spelching ...

[Image: D4.jpg]
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#24
We are now left with four sections - the wide top, the two lower side sections, and the middle drawer front. The sections are glued back (taking care not to glue the drawer front back!) ...

[Image: D5.jpg]

Once the glue has dried, plane the board flat ...

[Image: D6.jpg]

Did you see it before?
Smile

[Image: D7.jpg]

Now the board is ripped down to 65mm, leaving a 20mm rail above the drawer front.

Here you can see the front and rear aprons. They have also been cut to length, given a tenon at each end. The apron tenons are angled 3 degrees for the splayed legs ...

[Image: Sunday4.jpg]

Part 2 will complete the drawer.

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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#25
That's great. Waiting for the followup.

Are you using a thin kerf blade on your table saw?  The grain really flows like its one unbroken piece.
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#26
Standard blade.

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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#27
There are four parts to the drawer build: the drawer size and design, the drawer case, fitting the drawer case, and the drawer.

Part 1 described the drawer size and design, and the apron of the drawer case. Part 2 describes the rest.

We ended Part 1 here. That is the apron and opening to the drawer case ..

[Image: Sunday4.jpg]

This is where the build ended ...

[Image: 14a.jpg]

The drawer case and its fitting

I scratched my head for a week how to do this. How to get the case to support drawer blades. I did not want a heavy, complicated arrangement, one which ran the danger of protruding below the table and might be seen at a distance. It needed to be lean and mean. To be elegant. A design to be appreciated by myself and you. This is what I came up with ..

The case sides were grooved 3mm (1/8") ...

[Image: 4a.jpg]

.. and matched with a rebated section which would form the 6mm (~1/4") thick drawer blade ...

[Image: 2a.jpg]

[Image: 3a.jpg]

The thickness of each blade is the same as the depth of the lip on the drawer front (which doubles as a drawer pull). This depth is significant.

The reason for the rebate arrangement is to get the blade as low as possible on the case side. Recall that the front of the blade acts as a drawer stop as well, and must be coplanar with the lower edge of the drawer lip.

The side/blades are fitted to the rear of the apron with a mortice-and-tenon joint ...

[Image: 1a.jpg]

This was definitely a tricky joint to do and it needed to be precisely positioned so that the entry lined up with the sides ... precisely!

[Image: 9a.jpg]

Here is what it would look like with the drawer front inserted ...

[Image: 8a.jpg]

To aid with alignment, I made a MDF pattern ...

[Image: 10a.jpg]

Here's the fun bit - aligning the case with the front and rear aprons, to mark out the rear mortices ...

[Image: 5a.jpg]

The pattern is inserted and a straight edge is attached to the front apron to prevent flexing ...

[Image: 6a.jpg]

A lot of repeat measurements are taken on the rear apron before I am satisfied it is square and equal front-and-back.

This is the result ...

[Image: 1.jpg]

By-the-way, note the biscuit joiner-made slots for attaching the table top.
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#28
The drawer

The drawer build was fairly straight forward. The usual half-blind fronts and through dovetail rears.

Transferring tails to pins on the Moxon ...

[Image: 3.jpg]

The sides were grooved rather than using slips. This was to save the extra 3mm height needed for the slips (saving as much height as possible for inside the drawer). 3mm grooves ..

[Image: 1a.jpg]

Matching groove in the drawer front ...

[Image: 2a.jpg]

Below is the stage of glueing up the drawer carcase. You know that it is all coplanar and square (essential for a piston fit) when the dovetail at each end just drop neatly into the matching sockets
Smile ...

[Image: 9a.jpg]

The 6mm thick drawer bottom receives a 3mm rebate. This was made with a moving fillester, and then fine-tuned with a shoulder plane ...

[Image: 13a.jpg]

The drawer fits well and needs minimal tuning. Two items added: a very fine chamfer to the top of the drawer front, to prevent binding when the drawer is closed. And a stretcher across the tops of the drawer sides, prevent the drawer tipping ...

[Image: 23a.jpg]

This aids in achieving near-full extension ...

[Image: 27a.jpg]

The end
Smile

[Image: 19a.jpg]

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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#29
Derek,

I really like the proportions of your design.  Would you be willing to share the overall dimensions of the table and the size of the legs at top and at bottom?

Thanks,
  Mike
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#30
Mike ...

Height: 29"
Top: 36" wide, 13 3/4" deep at centre and 12" deep at ends
Apron + legs: 31"
Apron: 27 1/2"

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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