| Project by Devin | posted 413 days ago | 1310 views | 6 times favorited | 8 comments |  |
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This cabinet was started as part of a night class in introductory woodworking hosted at a local college. Having not actually done any real woodworking since highschool (over 20 years ago) I thought it made sense to take a course to refresh my memory on the basics (I like my fingers at their current length). The course was excellent and certainly filled in a bunch of missing pieces for me. Limited shop space and tools for the class meant that I brought much of my work home with me to keep the piece progressing. Apparently nobody in any class has ever finished the wall hung cabinet during the class schedule. Sadly, I suspect this means there are many that never get finished at all. Mine was no exception, when the classes were finished I had not yet hung the doors, fit the back, finished the drawers, made the shelves and of course the final sanding and finishing had not been done either. I’m very happy I have a shop that enabled me to finish this up.
I decided to add the door stop at the top and to use rare earth magnets in both it and the doors to act as latches. I picked up all the hardware at Lee Valley and am very pleased with how it suits the arts and craft design.
Edge grain fir throughout, door panels are edge grain fir ply and the plugs are walnut.
It’s finished with three coats of danish oil and two coats of wax.
Aside from some basic tool safety and use, the number one thing this course reinforced for me was the importance of patience and attention to detail.
As for its use, originally I’d thought I might use it as a small tool cabinet in my shop…I think it’s serving a much more noble function as a cradle for some of my finer single malts ;).
Thanks for looking…
D
-- If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? - John Wooden
8 comments so far
tenontim
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1319 posts in 637 days
posted 413 days ago
Very nice design, done very well. I love that Doug Fir. Hard to get around here. I also like seeing that hardware on an actual piece. I’ve been looking at those pulls to use on something. Thanks for the post.
-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com
EEngineer
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274 posts in 506 days
posted 413 days ago
Very, very nice. Douglas Fir is something I don’t see much of in my area either.
Now, if you want some help emptying that bad boy…
-- "Find out what you cannot do and then go do it!"
Devin
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89 posts in 421 days
posted 413 days ago
Thanks for the comments. I like the look of the edge grain fir, it reminds me a bit of long leaf pine. However, I’m not sure I’d make another piece with it. It was so soft that every time I moved it around the shop it got damaged, it also blows out very easily. I guess it was good from a teaching perspective, I learned quickly that I had to support every single cut, use cauls for every clamp and to not ever lay it down on a surface without being positive it was free of all dust and grit.
-- If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? - John Wooden
Grumpy
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14914 posts in 744 days
posted 413 days ago
Nice job Devin & good collection of scotch as well. When is the party?. LOL
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
Adam Weis
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25 posts in 913 days
posted 401 days ago
wow. How did you work fir so cleanly. I went to college in Santa Cruz, CA and all my early projects there were salvaged from old growth lumber. the only problem was that it was too brittle to do much handwork with.
Great project Devin.
-- Adam, http://adamweisfurniture.com
Devin
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89 posts in 421 days
posted 401 days ago
Thanks Adam, I definitely found it a challenge to work with. Very sharp planes and chisels were used and I had to be very careful with the end grain as large splinters could break off very easily. Safe to say, I’m not in a big hurry to use Fir again.
-- If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? - John Wooden
bfd
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418 posts in 700 days
posted 401 days ago
Great Cabinet…very nice attention to detail.
-- Brian, Folsom, CA http://www.brianfullerdesigns.com
JohnnyVee
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24 posts in 291 days
posted 289 days ago
So that is where that project from Russ’ class ended up… you devil you. It looks great!
You’ve inspired me to finish the one I almost finished…. and just for the record, I was the only one who got the doors hung and the the blasted thing together in the time allotted—but just barely.
Oh and aren’t you glad that Lee Valley will finally be on the island rather than 2 ferry rides and $100+ just to get $20 worth of hardware? Take care.
-- John ..."Measure twice, cut once and always do a finger count right after that..."