Bombe Secretary (picture heavy)

[jteneyck]

Dave Diaman said:

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[blockquote]jteneyck said:

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[blockquote]Dave Diaman said:

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[blockquote]jteneyck said:

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Nice work. Thanks for posting the pics. Why is it you can't make templates and route the bead details on the dividers? Even if you had to have a custom router bit made it would save a lot of work. I know that wouldn't be true to how it was done originally, but I personally would be OK with that.

John

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John,
I will jump in here and answer your question. On the Bombe' chest I built I actually scratched all the beads on my drawer dividers since the router bit and scratch stock were not an exact match. It does take some time but not that much. Peter is just slow. At any rate a custom router bit would probably run about $300-$400 as I checked about having one made for the base molding. Is it really worth spending all that money for a router bit that will only work on one drawer divider on one piece of furniture to save yourself 30 min of labor? Honestly scratching beads on case work really isn't that difficult and can be done relatively quickly once you get the hang of it.

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No, I wouldn't spend $300 on a bit I'd only use once, either, but somehow I suspect it would take me a lot longer than 30 minutes to create those beads. I've done a few simple ones on straight stock, although I didn't have to remove any stock between the beads like on those dividers. But I get your point - and appreciate the reply.

Soooo.... what have you been working on lately? Always a pleasure to see your work.

Thanks,

John

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I just finished up a set of 8 heavily carved Chippendale chairs and two tall chests of drawers. Right now I have two tiger maple highboys and a Newport tea table under construction. Once I get my seats back from being upholstered I will post some photos in a different thread. I wouldn't want to stink Peter's thread up with my wood butchery.

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Thanks Dave. We look forward to seeing your work. It sounds like you've been quite busy.

OK, Peter - time to step it up! Just kidding. Whatever pace makes us happy is the right pace.

John

[Peter Tremblay]

Back at it.

I've gone a while again between my last time in the shop. But over the last two days I got something done.

I cut the profile of the front molding then used a spokeshave and card scraper to smooth the profile after the bandsaw



I spent a lot of time getting the bottom moldings fitted just right into the case.



I glued the floor into the case (I didn't get a photo of that)

Then I routed the molding profile and cleaned up the front molding with some card scrapers.

The case wasn't perfectly square because the solid boards move and cup over the course of the 18 months that I've been working on this.
Because of that movement the miters on the moldings needed some massaging to get them to fit.


As you can see I've got a nice gap to fill along the top of the side moldings.

The front 6" are glued and the rest of the molding is nailed into place.

I used my workbench as the clap and a nice platform to get everything set and flat for a the glue up.

Here is where I am at as of this evening.



Next is a 3/16" bead board to go on top of the front molding.

Then drawer fronts (the hardest part of the build), drawers, ball and claw feet, the writing surface, and finally the gallery.

I should be done sometime before Jesus returns

Thanks for reading along.

[David Stone]

Congrats on getting back to the shop. I've barely picked up a hammer all year. I can't wait to make sawdust again.

The secretary looks great.

[jteneyck]

Nice progress, Peter. You know, I bet they would have loved to have had that pneumatic nailer way back when ! The old and the new - in perfect harmony. Winter's almost here; shop time.

John

[Peter Tremblay]

It seems like a few hours only yields a few small steps of progress.

Oh well, I'm having fun.

I spent half of my shop time addressing the gaps above the side molding.

I cut and trimmed some very thing shims. I got these from the cut offs of the side molding stock itself so the wood matches very well.



You can also see some of the big chip out from the router when I routed the molding. As well as the lack of perfect alignment in this mitered corner.

I glued it into place with CA glue. I love it for these types of fixes. It is fast drying especially with some accelerant, it is finish-friendly, and it is very thin so it gets into all the places that I'd like it to go.

I trimmed the shims before I glued them into place.



After some work with a chisel trimming the shim flush and then some sandpaper the gap is gone and nearly impossible to see the fix.

The photo isn't that great but I'm happy with the fix.



I then filled the gaps in the front of the moldings where it covers over the case sides.

Next I had to make the 3/16" bead molding board for the top of the front molding.

I cut a board to size just over 3/16" thick and the edges are mitered to match the curve of the case sides.

I traced the curve of the molding and then I rough cut the shape on the band saw.

I find that a file is great for smoothing out the BS marks. I works fast, leaves a smooth surface and is great at accomplishing a smooth curve because it takes down the high spots. It think files work better than a spokeshave in situations like this.



Then I scraped the roundover profile onto the front of the bead.



A little sanding and then I glued it into place and I was done for the day.



I did take the clamps off but I forgot to take a picture of the finished front.

Next is to make the interior drawer runners and I think I'm going to install a false floor under the bottom drawer to make a hidden compartment.

[Peter Tremblay]

The other day I got into the shop with the hope of finishing up the false bottom (secret compartment)

I had to mill a rather odd shaped drawer runner. It had to sit flush with the curve of the sides and have a shelf for the false floor.



Here is one side installed. I just glued the front 4" of it to the bottom of the carcass. The rest is nailed.



I made a mistake. The groove to hold the false floor is 1/2" deep and it should have been 1/4" deep. So I added a spacer.

Keeping cut offs are really a good idea



Then I resawed, planned, jointed, and glued some poplar to make a 1/4" false floor. I took my time in getting the fit as tight as possible so that it looks to be a real floor.



You can also see the bottom bead molding that I glued in a few days ago but I didn't show a finished picture of it.

Here is what the secret compartment will look like. It will be held down with some type of catch (TBD) and it won't be able to be pushed back like this picture. I just did this to show you the space.



From behind. There will be a permanent slat nailed into place that will sit flush with the case back. The false floor will have a lip that will catch under the slat. Right now nothing is fitted and installed. This is just to show you the depth of the hidden space



I think I'm going to create a catch for the front of the false floor using a rare earth magnet and a button to push the floor up that can be accessed from reaching under the case.

After I finished the secret compartment I spent a long time trying to get the grain to match as close as I can of the boards that will be the drawer fronts.

I don't have a full and continuous set of 12/4 boards. I have more than enough lumber for the drawer fronts but getting the grain to match was tough.

Next step: the measuring, layout, and cutting the blanks of the drawer fronts.

I'm told by those who have done a Bombe before that the drawer fronts are the hardest part of the project.

Wish me luck

[MattSwid]

Father,
They say confession is good for the soul, so let me help you get started:

"Forgive me father for I have sinned. It has been 6 months since I lasted posted about my progress on the Bomb Secretary ...."

I'm sure you know what the penance is for this transgression

Matt

[MountainWood]

Peter Tremblay said:

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I made a mistake. The groove to hold the false floor is 1/2" deep and it should have been 1/4" deep. So I added a spacer.

Keeping cut offs are really a good idea

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Looks like a design feature to me. Laminates are always stronger than one piece.

[Peter Tremblay]

MattSwid said:

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Father,
They say confession is good for the soul, so let me help you get started:

"Forgive me father for I have sinned. It has been 6 months since I lasted posted about my progress on the Bomb Secretary ...."

I'm sure you know what the penance is for this transgression

Matt

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Just a little update.

I've been very absent from the forum and the workshop lately because I've been in the middle of a move to Baltimore.

I'll be teaching morality to juniors and philosophy to seniors this coming school year.

I packed up and moved my shop along with everything else. I should have a very nice and spacious shop once I get settled in. That could take a while so updates on this project won't be coming too soon.

Thanks.

I do hope to have this done in the next few years

[Gregory of Sherwood Forest]

Father Peter!

I hope this is a move that you were wanting and I'm sure God will use you in wonderful ways! Congrats on the assignment. Teaching kids at that age is very important and there will be plenty of opportunities to make a positive impression in their lives.

We'll be anxiously awaiting news of your new gig!