Bombe Adventure - Project Status

[jteneyck]

Dave Diaman, you are a magician! That's a beautiful piece!

And if Dave tells you how fast he can build something like that you'll be convinced he has magical powers.  If you haven't looked at Dave's website, here's a link.  Enjoy the eye candy.

Diaman Woodcrafters

John

[Dave Diaman]

And if Dave tells you how fast he can build something like that you'll be convinced he has magical powers.  If you haven't looked at Dave's website, here's a link.  Enjoy the eye candy.

Diaman Woodcrafters

John

As I tell everyone it’s not rocket science. Some people just have a tendency to over complicate things. It’s just wood and easy to shape. The drawers are a challenge though. Looking back over all the pieces I have built shaping, fitting and cutting those drawers was one of the most challenging. Ever wonder why Tommy Mac didn’t show how he made the drawers for his Bombe. I don’t know this for a fact but I was told by someone I trust that he had one of his old teachers from North Bennet make the drawer fronts for him

Also, if someone is looking for plans Craig Bentzley has some awesome plans for the Bombe I built. I normally don’t build with plans but I didn’t want to attempt a Bombe without something to go by. I’m not sure how much the plans are now but if they are $150-200 that would be a steal for the amount of work they saved me. Craig is an incredible draftsman and his plans are 1:1 scale and flawless from what I saw. If you can’t find Craig’s info just send me a message and I can put you in touch with him.  

[Derek Cohen]

Davide Boeffe illustrates drawer making for a bombe: http://davidboefffurnituremaker.blogspot...fifth.html

I recall discussing strategies with him in regard to the compound dovetailing I did with my “modern bombe” (a much simplified piece compared with the work done here - my design tapered in one direction only). This is what I came up with. It may help a little. http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/D...awers.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Don_M]

Dave - thanks for the encouragement re: the drawers ( I think it was encouragement?!) -  but looking forward to the drawer front shaping challenge (my spokeshave is tuned up!) . And I agree - case was not overly difficult, except for perhaps the mid-drawer divider which has the  beaded, sloped front edge. Working on the legs right now. I am not much of a carver - so I opted for a simpler cabriole style leg in lieu of the classic ball and claw 

BTW - your Bombe is beautiful; classic.  Can I PM you if I need some additional tips?

[Dave Diaman]

Sure, feel free to send me a PM and I am offering encouragement. I built the Bombe I made after about 3 years of woodworking experience with no formal training so it by no means impossible. Some people may not even find it that difficult. I probably found it difficult because I just didn’t have enough experience to draw from. It’s all about how your mind works I guess. The drawers are tough but there have been a lot of Bombe pieces built so they aren’t that tough. The drawers are just very labor intensive. I think a lot of the issues people have is they try to come up with short cuts to save time and energy and there just aren’t many. The key is you just have to accept the fact that you will have to due the work. There is a reason that a well made handcrafted Bombe’s price starts at around $20k and some sell for 4 times that depending on the maker. They just take a lot of time and patience to build.

[Matt Swiderski]

Any updates? Your moving much faster than I ever would.

[GeeDub]

A noble effort on a classic form. So far this thing is looking great. I’ll really enjoy tagging along for the ride. Thanks for taking the time to document your work.

[Don_M]

Any updates? Your moving much faster than I ever would.

Thanks for your interest.


Took some time off with the family (just got back from 8 days in Puerto Rico) – but still making progress. Roughed out the top two drawer fronts (the easiest two of course). The drawer fronts definitely present a challenge in getting the multiple curved surfaces just right. I am a bit of a perfectionist (as I suspect most of us are!) and having never attempted a project like this it can get frustrating when things aren’t going exactly as planned – better to take a step back then rush thru.
 

   

I tried several techniques for shaping the drawer fronts (chisels, spokeshaves, rotary micro planes, etc.) but the best so far seems to be rough out overall serpentine curve with the bandsaw and then aggressively shape with an orbital sander using 60 and 80 grit disks. I attached plywood templates to the top and bottom of the drawer fronts that correspond to the relevant drawer divider to serve as a guide. So far so good.

   
 
Unfortunately, I have a medical procedure scheduled for this Tuesday that will likely limit my ability to work on the project for about 4 weeks so probably not much more progress for a while after this weekend.

[fredhargis]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery from the procedure. Loving the progress on the chest.

[jteneyck]

Yes, good luck for a quick and full recovery.  Thanks for explaining how you are going about shaping the various elements.  I would have thought you would use a router jig for the drawer fronts like you did with the sides, but there's no arguing with how nice they look with the option you chose.  

John