Slow Build-Along, Small Cherry Chest

[C. in Indy]

Here goes a new "niece or nephew" project (I've got many of both, and all the young ones are hoping to get gifts like the old ones already have).

I don't get enough shop-time when the good ol' day-job gets in the way.  So, I usually build on the fly, no prototypes.  And sometimes I just decide time has to be saved.  On this set of cherry stock, I was originally thinking of through-dovetails on the major corners, but after eyeballing the proportions and stock thickness, I gambled on rabbeting-out the top and bottom pieces.  This is looking not too bad.  I might think about sinking some wrought-nails through those corner joints sometime.

I did a good bit of stopped-dado work with a little trim router, preparing for side-hung drawers on one side and ??? door on the other side.   I think, for the most part after this, it will be "Gentlemen, shut down your engines" for slow paced handwork.   Sometimes I can tolerate slow work better, if I get a big step like the main carcass established early on.

<img src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/C66RUPPEL/CherryCaseFramed_zpsmm2sfrwo.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo CherryCaseFramed_zpsmm2sfrwo.jpg"/>

More to follow.... don't stay up waiting, though!

Chris

[Derek Cohen]

Great to see this Chris!

What are the dimensions? Thickness of the carcase?

How did you do the centre divider?

I assume that this is all loose still?

Regards from Perth

Derek

[C. in Indy]

Hi Derek,  Thank you,
    This carcase is meant to use up a couple of wide planks of cherry, so it's about 15" wide, 9" tall, 9" deep.   For sense of scale, the little sleeve lying in the case is a holder for a writing pen (I turn these from time to time).  The cherry stock was 3/4" thick before truing, and maybe it's a little on the thick side for such a small project, but it's so lightweight I just kept it.   I have rebuilt a few Gerstner machinist chests which were heavy even with 3/8" QS white oak stock, so this is a pleasant lightening.
    The case is mostly loose but I have tacked the upper-left and lower-right corners so it doesn't fall apart too often.  The central divider just has some 1/4" wide long tenons, fitting into routed slots on the top and bottom planks.
     From those Gerstners I had got enamored with side-hung drawers, so that's what this will have.  I only roughly graduated the slot positions so the 3 drawers can have a little bit of size progression.

Chris

[C. in Indy]

***Reductive Milling, or 3-D Additive Printing ?? ***

Now I am getting into a lazier, cheaper way of thinking, possibly.   And the more I think,  well, could be a reduction to absurdity, but we'll see...

I've decided to go for dado joints rather than dovetails on the 3 drawers.   I have done it before using a lot of tablesaw cuts, etc., for example in this picture from 2012, when I gang-machined a bunch of drawer components for a Gerstner overhaul:

<img src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/C66RUPPEL/Dados%20Rabbets%20Grooves_zpsjri0mtjs.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Dados Rabbets Grooves_zpsjri0mtjs.jpg"/>


So I started on that thought with a dado plane (a Japanese dado plane I got in a horse-trade).   Here, the walnut drawer-front is rough milled already, and I'm thinking on how to make a bunch of drawer-sides:

<img src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/C66RUPPEL/Reductive%20method_zpsblyrmkow.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Reductive method_zpsblyrmkow.jpg"/>


But then I was fretting about needing to resaw some of my lumber, which was generally too thick to be a drawer-side as-is.   I then recalled one of my earliest Woodnet postings, where I demonstrated making a dado with only a LN140 rabbet plane.   How?  By joining 2 pieces of wood so that the rabbet-piece and the flat-piece together enclosed a channel (for another Gerstner overhaul):

<img src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/C66RUPPEL/DrawerSide_zps54f5e132.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo DrawerSide_zps54f5e132.jpg"/>


Now, do I have any thinner lumber that can be ganged-up to make drawer-sides?   Hmmm... there is a gigantic stash of shim-stock that my nephew dumped here, and I think it's actually QS Southern Yellow Pine, could be plenty tough enough.... Now my wheels are turning.

<img src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/C66RUPPEL/Additive%20Method_zpsrzys51p5.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Additive Method_zpsrzys51p5.jpg"/>

Apologies for non-purist thinking out loud here!

Chris

[C. in Indy]

A bit of parsimony hasn't yet killed off my family gene-pool  
.

I've started the drawers work with laminated sides, so as to use up a really decent thin lumber that's been taking up space.


Here is some initial dado work on 2 drawer-sides that are ganged-up:

<img src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/C66RUPPEL/Dado%20Prep_zpsvhmsvppm.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Dado Prep_zpsvhmsvppm.jpg"/>



Here is a beginning proof-of-concept on the fit of the side to the front-stock of the drawers:

<img src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/C66RUPPEL/Drawer%20Dado%20Scheme_zpsefqzxsvj.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Drawer Dado Scheme_zpsefqzxsvj.jpg"/>



The front-stock (walnut) will also be receiving grooves to hold the plywood 1/4" bottom piece of the drawer.  Here using my horse-traded HNT Godzilla dado/grooving plane:

<img src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/C66RUPPEL/HNT%20Godzilla_zpsim9phxqo.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo HNT Godzilla_zpsim9phxqo.jpg"/>


Hopefully I get time to do more of the same!

Chris

[hbmcc]

Parsimony? I call it thrift, economy, and to hell with boutique wood store prices.....
  But, how strong (or, weak) is the double dado joint? 

Bruce

[C. in Indy]

I made 6 thin, slick Persimmon inserts for the case-grooves that serve to hang the drawers.   The spare pieces are on top, and they make nice "stir sticks" for epoxy.

Here is a beginning process of drawer fitting.  The drawers are all oversize in a few dimensions, and I enjoy slowly whittling them down to a "just so" fitting.   Drawer-bottoms are plywood, so I could "glue everything to everything" and have some very strong drawers:


<img src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/C66RUPPEL/Hanging%20Drawers_zpsssmtnp71.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Hanging Drawers_zpsssmtnp71.jpg"/>

Chris

[C. in Indy]

I have decided to use some brass pulls that I bought last year.   Here is a confirmation they will still fit the smallest of the drawers:

<img src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/C66RUPPEL/Brass%20Pull%20Selection_zpsxeiktbvc.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Brass Pull Selection_zpsxeiktbvc.jpg"/>

[C. in Indy]

Not yet done with all 3 drawers, I got anxious to find a piece of wood to be a door on the left side.  I did find and resaw a piece of fiddle-like maple.  Using dowel-pin locators, and the still-loose carcase, I was able to locate some holes in the 'door' and the carcase:

<img src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/C66RUPPEL/Dowel%20Centers_zpsykzyhbvb.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Dowel Centers_zpsykzyhbvb.jpg"/>


Now I'm using some 3/8" Delrin mini-rods that I got out of my work-plant's scrap bin years ago.  They have served as hinges in a couple of my projects.  Very low friction, and inobtrusive:

<img src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/C66RUPPEL/3_8%20Delrin%20Pins_zpsira0cqzw.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 3_8 Delrin Pins_zpsira0cqzw.jpg"/>


Chris

[Stwood_]

Sweet!! I don't see any bondo yet. Lol. Nice, off the shelf work.