| Blog series by Thomas MacDonald | updated 298 days ago | 16 parts | 8093 reads | 30 comments total |
Part 1: Downes & Reader Hardwood Co. in Stoughton, Mass.
Tommy and Al take a trip to Downes & Reader Hardwood Co. in Stoughton, Mass., to pick out wood for the blanket chest. There, they talk to Paul, the yard boss, about the process of selecting wood. T-Chisel This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture
Part 2: Prepping the Stock
Tommy shows the completed blanket chest he built four years ago. He then gets to work cutting the wood, starting with the posts. T-Chisel This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture
Part 3: Milling the Stock
In this episode, Tommy starts milling the wood with the jointer & table saw. He also goes over useful thoughts to optimize grain wood selection to get nice grain flow with the top and bottom rails. T-Chisel This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture
Part 4: Rails & Stiles
Tommy is up early on a Sunday morning to get to work marking the pieces where the dados will go. Later, Al and his wife of 40 years stop by and visit Tommy in the shop. We also get insight to one of Tommy’s secrets . . . six shots of expresso from Star Bucks! T-Chisel This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture
Part 5: Reference Surface Marking
Tommy dry-fits the piece to mark where the bead will be cut. He then shows how to cut the angle on the leg with the table saw. T-Chisel This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture
Part 6: Panel Layout
Tommy shows how to plane the panels before heading over to the table saw to add a bevel. He then shows how the panels fit into the box. T-Chisel This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture
Part 7: Front Panel Planning
Tommy shows how to take the mill marks off the panels. Once that is done, he dry-fits the back panels together. T-Chisel This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture
Part 8: Front Panel Material Removal
After marking the pattern on the front panel in pen, Tommy carves it out with a Bosch Colt Palm Router. Then, it’s off to the gym. T-Chisel This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture Front Panel Pattern
Part 9: Front Panel Carving/Dimpling
Tommy is up bright and early to carve the finer lines of the front panel. After a review of what is involved, he shows how to work the mallet and chisels to carve and dimple the piece. T-Chisel This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture Front Panel Pattern
Part 10: Carving/Dimpling Part #2
With all the lines carved, Tommy breaks out the sandpaper to clean off the pen marks. When that is out of the way, he shows how he dimples the panel with tools he made. T-Chisel This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture Front Panel Pattern
Part 11: Front Panel Carving Cleanup
With all the carving and dimpling done, it’s time to break out the V-tool to clean things up. After that is done, Tommy dry-fits the panels to see how they look. T-Chisel This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture Front Panel Pattern
Part 12: Glue Up
After a lot of dry fittings, it’s finally time to glue the pieces together. Tommy shares some of the pointers and knowledge he’s gained after making six of these blanket chests. T-Chisel This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture Front Panel Pattern
Part 13: Peg Detail
Tommy grabs the camera and reviews the glue job on the blanket chest before breaking out the card scraper to clean out the corners. After that is done, he shows how he added the pegs. T-Chisle This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture Front Panel Pattern
Part 14: Peg Finish
It’s time to shape the pegs. After cutting them with the blue blade, Tommy shows the proper technique for finishing them with a chisel. He then rounds the edge of the top of the case. T-Chisel This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture Front Panel Pattern
Part 15: Lids and Battens
The dowel is in and the edge is rounded over so now it’s time to attach the batten and the lid. Once that is set, the project is almost complete! T-Chisel This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture Front Panel Pattern
Part 16: Applying Finish
Time to put on the finishing touches. Tommy goes to work on the finish with a heat gun. After that’s done, he takes the completed chest down to Downes & Reader Hardwood Co. for a critique. T-Chisel This is the final project Blanket Chest Procedure Info Blanket Chest Forum Thread The Rough Cut Show Join Pallet Makers Local 207 Thomas J. MacDonald Fine Furniture Front Panel Pattern
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