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I attempted a following-along blog with photos detailing my progress, here on lumberjocks, but things got too busy for me to keep up with it. I did manage to post most of the progress on my personal site.

Finally!

After 1 month of planning and 9 months of construction (with 3 months of interruptions), here are the results. This project involved several firsts for me, so here's the rap sheet.

  • First grain selection & planning from the beginning
  • First resawing and experience with case hardening problems
  • First bookmatched panels
  • First handcut inlays
  • First quadrilinear legs
  • First corbels
  • First handcut tongue & groove joints
  • First handcut bevels
  • First clocked screwheads
  • Best handcut dovetails so far
  • Flattest handplaned panel so far
  • First DIY Scratch Beader
  • First scratch beads
  • First removal of breadboard ends
  • First mistake with lid supports
  • First screw hole repairs
  • First use of aniline dye finishing approach

As it has required so much planning, effort, thought, and problem-solving to pull these two objects from my mind and force them into reality, I consider this to be my finest work to date. Here are the long-awaited pictures of the finished pieces.

Gallery

Comments

· In Loving Memory
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8,391 Posts
Very nice work on this bench. The finish looks great too.
 

· Registered
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5,244 Posts
Stellar job on these fine projects! I like the style of both pieces.
What finish did you use?
Thanks
 

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29 Posts
Excellent job on the bench…it look great…well done.
 

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32 Posts
Thanks guys,

pintodeluxe: I used a Jeff Jewitt recipe to replicate Stickley's Onondaga finish. I was able to compare Jewitt's approach directly to an actual Stickley QSWO stain sample. More details here.

It's a really long finishing schedule. Much more than I'm used to, but I really wanted to put the effort in to make the figure look as nice as possible. Everything before this project was just Minwax English Chestnut + Wipe On Poly. The flexibility of the aniline dye approach really gives a lot more control compared to just using a Minwax pigment stain. I'm hooked.
 

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2,183 Posts
Both the bench and mirror look great. Right in the favorite box for the finish information. Your finish is fantastic. Well done. Bedroom set in QS oak is in the getting ready stage.
 

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44 Posts
Beautiful, I really like the mirror but both pieces are great!
 

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47 Posts
That is a set of beautiful pieces.

They will be in the family for years.
 

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841 Posts
Very nicely done, also!
 

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370 Posts
Very nice project. Is there a name for the gizzmos that cushion the closing of the lid?
Jim
 

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32 Posts
489tad I'd love to see some progress photos of your bedroom set project. It's on the list to replace our bedroom set, too. :)

JR45: they're toy box lid supports. I bought them from Rockler. They have several different kinds, and wwhardware.com has a few too. Search for "Lid Supports" or "Lid Stays"

You need to try to figure out how heavy your lid is going to be. I probably have more support than I need, in this case, but I wanted symmetry and had I put only a single lid support in the center, the till wouldn't slide all the way across.

From Rockler: Calculating the Number and Rating of Lid Supports
Use the following formula to determine the optimal number and rating of lid supports:
Lid width (front to back) x lid weight in pounds / 2 = Inch-lbs. of support required.

Example, using an 18'' wide lid weighing 12 lbs: (18×12)/2 = 108. Therefore, either two 45-55 or one 95-125 Inch-lbs support would be an appropriate choice.
 

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271 Posts
first i've heard of clocking the screw heads…
 

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180 Posts
Beautiful work, heirloom quality that will last generations! Great job on the QL legs!
 

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908 Posts
Excellent work. Very nice.
 

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8,101 Posts
All of it is excellent. I built a blanket chest similar to this a few years back. It presented a lot of firsts for me as well. I'm ready to make another….because I'm sure I could do it better now;)
 

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32 Posts
Thanks for the kind words, everybody :)
 
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