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9K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  bhuvi 
#1 ·
Design!

So being that this is my first entry into the realm of real furniture making I wanted to make sure I was diligent in my design step. As such I did the whole design in SketchUp first.

- I will be making this with a combination of cherry and maple. Maple is just for the side of the drawers to add a little contrast.
- The frame is assembled with mortise and tenon joints and the top is going to be laminated with a few pieces. The little panels are going to be solid cherry, even though looking back I should have just made those out of cherry plywood.
- The drawer bottoms and the back panel are going to be plywood.
- The drawers will be hung just on hardwood runners, made of hard maple.
- I wanted to keep this overall pretty simple from a design aspect. The only place I really added a touch of additional detail outside of the main structural elements are the light curve on the bottom in between the legs and the divider on the side panels to break them up a little.

The total dimensions are going to be 1'10" tall, 1' 6" wide, and 1' 4" deep

Furniture Table Rectangle Wood Chest of drawers


This picture shows the 'exploded view'
Wood Rectangle Table Wood stain Hardwood
 

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#2 ·
Design!

So being that this is my first entry into the realm of real furniture making I wanted to make sure I was diligent in my design step. As such I did the whole design in SketchUp first.

- I will be making this with a combination of cherry and maple. Maple is just for the side of the drawers to add a little contrast.
- The frame is assembled with mortise and tenon joints and the top is going to be laminated with a few pieces. The little panels are going to be solid cherry, even though looking back I should have just made those out of cherry plywood.
- The drawer bottoms and the back panel are going to be plywood.
- The drawers will be hung just on hardwood runners, made of hard maple.
- I wanted to keep this overall pretty simple from a design aspect. The only place I really added a touch of additional detail outside of the main structural elements are the light curve on the bottom in between the legs and the divider on the side panels to break them up a little.

The total dimensions are going to be 1'10" tall, 1' 6" wide, and 1' 4" deep

Furniture Table Rectangle Wood Chest of drawers


This picture shows the 'exploded view'
Wood Rectangle Table Wood stain Hardwood
I like your design for the draws, How have they held up to the use? Your finished product looks great by the way! Awesome Job!
 

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#3 ·
Cutting it down to size

So first come the fun part.
Picking up the lumber at the local shop, and stapped it in as my co-pilot
Wood Floor Flooring Hardwood Wood stain
Vehicle Car Hood Motor vehicle Automotive tire


Next I rough marked all the lumber to try to minimize waste, and cut if all down to rough size.
Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor Wood stain
Wood Rectangle Flooring Wood stain Floor


I took all those pieces straightened out the size and planed all the pieces to thickness. This was also the the reason I got a thickness planer, which I have to say, is an amazing addition to the shop. Now I've got nice little piles of squared of lumber.
Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor Wood stain
 

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#4 ·
Many Mini Mortises

As much as I would love to brag about all my perfectly shaped hand cut mortises, that's just not going to happen. particularly the perfect part of that. So I decided to cut all the mortises into the legs with a plunge router.

I started out with just marking out where all the mortises are going to be, very carefully since that are not centered on the leg (I 100% messed that up on one)
Furniture Table Wood Rectangle Plant


Then I made a base for my router with some adjustable guides, that slides along the legs. I also made a 'stop guide' which marks the bottom of the mortise (with a block at the end to register against the bottom edge), along with some spacer blocks which are used to dictate the length of the mortise.
Saw Drill Pneumatic tool Wood Power tool

Wood Table Floor Hardwood Flooring


I would clamp the stop to the leg, and press the spacer against the end of the stop guide, and then press the base of the router base to that. Once I have it all set up I turn on the router I remove the spacer, carefully plunge down trying not to move the base at all, and then slide until I hit the stop guide.
Miter saw Saw Mitre saws Abrasive saw Circular saw

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Plank Gas


Before I did all this I practiced squaring off a few of these plunged, they didn't come out half bad.
Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain Hardwood
 

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#5 ·
Many Mini Mortises

As much as I would love to brag about all my perfectly shaped hand cut mortises, that's just not going to happen. particularly the perfect part of that. So I decided to cut all the mortises into the legs with a plunge router.

I started out with just marking out where all the mortises are going to be, very carefully since that are not centered on the leg (I 100% messed that up on one)
Furniture Table Wood Rectangle Plant


Then I made a base for my router with some adjustable guides, that slides along the legs. I also made a 'stop guide' which marks the bottom of the mortise (with a block at the end to register against the bottom edge), along with some spacer blocks which are used to dictate the length of the mortise.
Saw Drill Pneumatic tool Wood Power tool

Wood Table Floor Hardwood Flooring


I would clamp the stop to the leg, and press the spacer against the end of the stop guide, and then press the base of the router base to that. Once I have it all set up I turn on the router I remove the spacer, carefully plunge down trying not to move the base at all, and then slide until I hit the stop guide.
Miter saw Saw Mitre saws Abrasive saw Circular saw

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Plank Gas


Before I did all this I practiced squaring off a few of these plunged, they didn't come out half bad.
Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain Hardwood
Ilyac,

I had a look at your procedure and the final results.
I am impressed I must say with the way you went about it and the final results you achieved.
I have HCM and it doesnt produce a result any where near yours, alone even be worthy of braging about.

If thats a shot of you with a face full of dust get an extractor or work outside, dust in the eyes is just as harmfull, we have 3D vision for a reason.
 

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#7 ·
Case Assembly

Will all the mortise and tenons done I could start putting the cases together. I started with the front and back, once those were done I put the frame together and then cut the long center divider piece and those matching mortise and tenons, for the sides to fit since my mortise location was not dead on.

Wood Automotive exterior Floor Flooring Rectangle

Wheel Tire Wood Wood stain Hardwood


Between all the dry fits and moving around I noticed that the top mortises were starting to weaken, in retrospect I should have left more material on the top of the piece and it's also likely a few of them were more than a 'snug' fit. I also had a spectacular failure in that I learned the hard way that 16.5" is not the same thing as 1'6.5". Woops.
Wood Tableware Natural material Wood stain Hardwood

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Plank


In the end the dry fit of the frames went fairly well, many lessons learned, but that's how it goes.
Wood Wood stain Rectangle Chair Hardwood
 

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#8 ·
Case Assembly

Will all the mortise and tenons done I could start putting the cases together. I started with the front and back, once those were done I put the frame together and then cut the long center divider piece and those matching mortise and tenons, for the sides to fit since my mortise location was not dead on.

Wood Automotive exterior Floor Flooring Rectangle

Wheel Tire Wood Wood stain Hardwood


Between all the dry fits and moving around I noticed that the top mortises were starting to weaken, in retrospect I should have left more material on the top of the piece and it's also likely a few of them were more than a 'snug' fit. I also had a spectacular failure in that I learned the hard way that 16.5" is not the same thing as 1'6.5". Woops.
Wood Tableware Natural material Wood stain Hardwood

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Plank


In the end the dry fit of the frames went fairly well, many lessons learned, but that's how it goes.
Wood Wood stain Rectangle Chair Hardwood
Looks a lot like the file cabinet I did a while back. I like the way you broke up the sides with a center divider.

Nice work so far.
 

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#9 ·
Delayed Drawers

So after a bit of delays and figuring out how I was going to do these exactly I finally got done with making and mounting the drawers.

A large part of the delay is that this part of the plan was left very much an open question. I did not know if I was going to use drawer slides, hardware slides, under mount, side mount…these are my first drawers so I had no idea what the heck I was doing.

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Plywood Flooring


I decided to make flush mount drawers with a cherry front and maple sides and back. For the bottom I used some of the 1/4" plywood I had around the garage, and they would be assembled with a Whiteside Drawer lock bit. I was very happy with the quality of the bit, but I did not get the even an consistent results I was hoping for. The drawers were 3", 4", and 7" tall, but much longer and deeper. Without proper a proper miter slide or support from the back the boards had a tendency to rack so some of the routed areas came out a little off. All this made getting the drawers to be square also a bit difficult.

Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor Wood stain


For the mounting I chose hardwood (hard maple) rails that they would slide on, mounted to the side of the case. To mount I drilled oversize holes, applied glue to the back of the rail, and tightened them down so that they would stay put but could move if I apply a little force. I slide on the drawer (which had a routed groove to receive the rail), and adjust until the gap is as even as possible and they are able to slide in and out freely. Once that is done I removed the drawer and heightened the rail down fully. Overall this worked well, but 2 of the drawers are still a bit tight, though I think that is because the drawer itself is not perfectly square.

Wood Wood stain Plank Hardwood Flooring


Rectangle Wood Wood stain Plank Natural material


So far this has actually been the hardest part of the project, getting these drawers done. A few stick just a little, and the gaps around the drawers are not perfect, but I am still overall happy with the results.

Wood Rectangle Drawer Flooring Hardwood
 

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#10 ·
Delayed Drawers

So after a bit of delays and figuring out how I was going to do these exactly I finally got done with making and mounting the drawers.

A large part of the delay is that this part of the plan was left very much an open question. I did not know if I was going to use drawer slides, hardware slides, under mount, side mount…these are my first drawers so I had no idea what the heck I was doing.

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Plywood Flooring


I decided to make flush mount drawers with a cherry front and maple sides and back. For the bottom I used some of the 1/4" plywood I had around the garage, and they would be assembled with a Whiteside Drawer lock bit. I was very happy with the quality of the bit, but I did not get the even an consistent results I was hoping for. The drawers were 3", 4", and 7" tall, but much longer and deeper. Without proper a proper miter slide or support from the back the boards had a tendency to rack so some of the routed areas came out a little off. All this made getting the drawers to be square also a bit difficult.

Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor Wood stain


For the mounting I chose hardwood (hard maple) rails that they would slide on, mounted to the side of the case. To mount I drilled oversize holes, applied glue to the back of the rail, and tightened them down so that they would stay put but could move if I apply a little force. I slide on the drawer (which had a routed groove to receive the rail), and adjust until the gap is as even as possible and they are able to slide in and out freely. Once that is done I removed the drawer and heightened the rail down fully. Overall this worked well, but 2 of the drawers are still a bit tight, though I think that is because the drawer itself is not perfectly square.

Wood Wood stain Plank Hardwood Flooring


Rectangle Wood Wood stain Plank Natural material


So far this has actually been the hardest part of the project, getting these drawers done. A few stick just a little, and the gaps around the drawers are not perfect, but I am still overall happy with the results.

Wood Rectangle Drawer Flooring Hardwood
JUST put a little johnsons paste wax on the runners
 

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#12 ·
Finishing and Hardware

My original plan for this project was to follow the process outlined in this article:
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/tips-for-finishing-cherry. Saving you the read, the steps are
1. Apply dewaxed shellac as a seal coat
2. Apply glaze, a cominbation of artists oil and Liquin, for color
3. Coat the fully dried glaze with topcoat of poly

Seems simple enough, but in my own rush to finish the porject I did not cut my shellac with denatured alcohol, and as such the glaze would not really impart it's color especially well. I tried to go over it with a Vatathane Traditional Cherry stain as well, which again did not give as much color as I wanted, but did add a little richness, and even out a few spots.

I then went other the whole porject with a wipe on poly, and put everything together.

It did not go exactly as planned, and I definitely have a lot to learn about apply a even finish, but in the end I am happy with how it came out. The only thing I would have perfered was that it bea little darker in the end, but I am hoping that the it naturally darkens over time. Maybe using an amber shellac rather than the natural would have given a slightly better color. Though that is waxed vs the dewaxed shellac, so I am not sure how that will effect the process.

Cabinetry Furniture Drawer Chest of drawers Wood


Shelf Drawer Wood Rectangle Shelving


Either way, I tossed on a few handles, and that's it. Project done!

Cabinetry Table Wood Drawer Flooring
 

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#13 ·
Finishing and Hardware

My original plan for this project was to follow the process outlined in this article:
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/tips-for-finishing-cherry. Saving you the read, the steps are
1. Apply dewaxed shellac as a seal coat
2. Apply glaze, a cominbation of artists oil and Liquin, for color
3. Coat the fully dried glaze with topcoat of poly

Seems simple enough, but in my own rush to finish the porject I did not cut my shellac with denatured alcohol, and as such the glaze would not really impart it's color especially well. I tried to go over it with a Vatathane Traditional Cherry stain as well, which again did not give as much color as I wanted, but did add a little richness, and even out a few spots.

I then went other the whole porject with a wipe on poly, and put everything together.

It did not go exactly as planned, and I definitely have a lot to learn about apply a even finish, but in the end I am happy with how it came out. The only thing I would have perfered was that it bea little darker in the end, but I am hoping that the it naturally darkens over time. Maybe using an amber shellac rather than the natural would have given a slightly better color. Though that is waxed vs the dewaxed shellac, so I am not sure how that will effect the process.

Cabinetry Furniture Drawer Chest of drawers Wood


Shelf Drawer Wood Rectangle Shelving


Either way, I tossed on a few handles, and that's it. Project done!

Cabinetry Table Wood Drawer Flooring
 

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